Trials and Tribulations

Chapter 75

Lauren moved from where she stood to join her friends at the table, descending carefully in to a vacant seat beside Camila who was listening intently to the others as they discussed the entertainment which had been organised for the evening. "Hey Lauren," Troy said, noticing the greeneyed girl join them and settle in to the chair opposite him. "Is it true that Michael Dyers and his band are playing here tonight or is that just a rumour?" "No, they are," Lauren answered, her hand reaching out in search of Camila's reflexively once she was seated. She found it resting in Camila's lap and picked it up, her girlfriend surrendering it in to her possession willingly. "Some of the seniors on the entertainment committee saw them perform at Paul Matheson's birthday party a couple of months ago and booked them." She explained, lacing her fingers with Camila's and stroking the base of the smaller girls thumb with her own. "How did they manage to get a gig like that?" Normani asked surprised. "Paul Matheson is the star of the varsity football team...." Lauren gave Normani an "Are you serious?"look and shook her head bewildered. "Stephen the bass player is Paul's younger brother." She stated bluntly. "Jesus Normani, how long have you known them?" Normani looked embarrassed by the oversight and Ally laughed at her friend, amused. "So, you've heard them right?" Dinah asked Lauren interestedly, changing the topic a little. She was the only one aware that Lauren had recently been to a couple of her exboyfriend's practices, the brunette attending them in order to

organise singing a song during their set tonight. "Yes," she answered truthfully, Ally and Normani looking at her with curious expressions on their faces. "I stopped by one of their rehearsals a couple of weeks ago." "You did?" Normani asked the greeneyed girl, her tone searching. "Why?" "I'd stayed late at the library to study and was passing by," she lied easily. "So I thought drop in and say 'Hi'." "Are they any good?" Dinah questioned, diverting attention away from Lauren's involvement with them. "Yeah, surprisingly they are," Lauren replied laughing, grateful for the reprieve Dinah had afforded her. "Why is that funny?" Camila asked, a smile curving up one corner of her mouth at Lauren's response. "If you'd heard them back in freshman year you'd understand why it's funny Camila," Ally responded, laughing too. "God, they were awful...I thought my ears were going to start bleeding every time we went to watch them practice." "Why'd you go and watch them if they were so bad?" Camila asked looking more than a little confused. "Lauren made me," Ally groaned, sighing audibly at the injustice of it all. "Michael and I dated during freshman year Camz, remember?" Lauren reminded her. "We've talked about it before." "We have?" Camila asked, her forehead knitting together in concentration as she tried to recollect the conversation. "If it helps to jog your memory, she only dated him because she had a crush on his sister." Normani supplied usefully. "Oh," Camila said,

the memory finally coming back to her. "She was on the cheerleading squad right?" she questioned Lauren uncertainly. "Yeah," Lauren confirmed. "She graduated last year and went to Duke University to study law on an academic scholarship." "Not that you're keeping track of what she's up to or anything?" Ally said, chuckling in amusement. "I'm not," Lauren defended light- heartedly. "Michael told me when I spoke to him, that's all. Apparently she's dating a football player now." "A cheerleader dating a football player?" Troy asked mockingly. "That's a new one." Ally hit him on the arm playfully and he feigned insult, his hand reaching to cover the spot protectively. "What was that for?" Troy asked, nonplussed. "Don't be so mean," Ally scolded him and he made a face at his girlfriend which prompted her to laugh. They continued to sit and talk whilst the rest of the banquet hall filled up around them, the atmosphere growing noisier and more animated with each second that passed. Finally, the dance floor filled and students threw caution to the wind as they joked around with one another, the sound of loud, happy, unabashed laughter echoing boisterously around the room. Lauren and the others soon joined the rest of the students, the upbeat songs that the DJ was playing inspiring their own foray on to the dance floor. The small group danced with one another joyfully, Dinah and Normani putting everyone else to shame. For her part, Camila tried her best not to trip over her own feet or hit herself in the face with her hands, the small girl less concerned