The hallway was a frenzy of voices greeting me as I passed. Some I knew, most I didn't, but all of them took their chance to smile and wave as if we were best friends.
"Hi Lauren," A girl from my gym class beamed.
"Hey Lauren," Some jock in a letterman jacket nodded with a smirk.
"Lauren," A rather jittery girl squeaked. "Hi!"
"Hey Laur," An unknown girl greeted with a wide smile and enthusiastic smile.
I just blinked in confusion at everyone who greeted me, genuinely too shocked to respond. Over the past few days, I've gotten a different kind of attention from people. Instead of just staring and whispering, now they greeted me like we were old friends.
It was weird, the way things were changing. Before I was hardly noticed in the halls unless I was under Thomas' arm. Then when I changed, all that followed were whispers and rumors. Now it seemed like people actually cared about me liking them.
Like I said: it was weird. And it wasn't just passing greetings in the hallway, either. When I walked into a classroom, the boys sitting in the back would wolf whistle or give me some lame pick up line that ended with a high five from their friends.
I usually just rolled my eyes and gave them a snappy reply so I could take satisfaction in watching the guys face fall. But today, I was too tired to even do that, so I stuck to one liners and the whole "pretend like these ass hats don't exist" technique.
While I'm walking out of the schools front doors, thankful to be done school for the day, I pull out my vibrating cellphone and see a call from Stephanie. I smile and answer, putting the phone up to my ear as I begin to cross the front yard of the school.
"Hey Steph," I greet easily.
"Hey Laur," Something crinkles in the background. "I'm at your house already, and let myself in. So hurry home."
I laugh at my friend, knowing she must've found the spare in the plant pot beside the front door. "Okay, I'm leaving now and will be there in a few. Don't eat all my pretzel chips!"
The crinkling noise pauses, and I know I caught her in the act of doing exactly that. As my gaze sweeps the parking lot to make sure no cars are coming, I see a face grinning at me, his hand frantically waving to catch my attention.
My laughter halts immediately as I see Matt, Bailey's longtime boyfriend, waiting in between my car and his, no doubt picking up Bailey. He had probably just gotten home for winter break and wanted to see her.
Judging my the way he didn't ignore me when he saw me, I guessed that Bailey hadn't clued him into our lack of friendship recently. So I plastered a smile onto my face, hung up the phone, and waved back as I approached, and when I did, he crushed me in a hug.
"Lauren, it's good to see you," Matt tells me as he hugs me and then let's go with a kind smile. "I've missed this place."
My smile is genuine when I say, "I bet Loyola's been treating you well."
He nods and his curly brown hair bobs on the top of his head. "I love it in Maryland. The school is amazing, and there are some really cool people there."
"That's great," I supplement. "It's good to see you too. I'm sure Bailey is over the moon right now that you're home."
Matt's common grin returns. "She doesn't know I'm home yet. I'm surprising her."
My eyes widen a fraction when I realize that Bailey was going to be surprised by her boyfriend when she catches him talking to me. And, given our current situation, I wasn't so sure that she'd be pleased by that surprise.
I glance around and find Bailey walking out of the front doors of the school. In an attempt to save Matt from an upset girlfriend, I turn around and give him a tight smile.
"Well, I'm going to leave you two alone. Have fun," My words are jumbled and quick as I jump into my car and jam the key into the ignition.
I leave the parking lot quickly so I can be careful not to ruin Bailey and Matt's reunion. As I'm pulling away, I see Bailey run up to Matt and jump onto him in a hug: a sight that makes me grin despite our failing friendship. I've always liked Matt and Bailey together, friends or not, and I was happy for them that they were together again.
I turn on my radio for the rest of my drive and hurry home, like Stephanie advised, but to make sure she doesn't eat all my food. When I got to my house, I noticed Cole's car parked out front, and sighed. Maybe, just maybe, it was time to stop being so immature. Maybe I should finally suck it up and get over the fact he didn't tell me what I wanted to know.
So when I walked inside and greeted everyone, including Cole, he looked genuinely shocked. The boys were lounging in the living room while Steph was sitting on the counter. My beloved pretzel chips were right beside her as she scrolled through her phone, and when she looked up, her eyes resembled that of a deer caught in the headlights.
"You're not allowed to steal my pretzel chips," I deadpan the moment I see her.
I walk up and snatch the bag away from her and sit the counter as I pluck a few chips from the bottom and pop them into my mouth. Stephanie only looks regretful for a moment before she reaches into the pantry beside her head and pulls out Lays potato chips.
"Fine," She raises her eyebrows. "Are Lays off limits?"
I shake my head with a hint of a smirk. "Nope, go ahead."
"Stephanie, did you just say Lays?" Luke's distant voice reaches us from the living room as he clearly heard us discuss his favorite chips.
Stephanie looked at me, then at the bag, and called, "No!"
I couldn't stifle my laughter and neither could she. We were laughing together before a very disgruntled Luke appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. He glared at the bag of chips in Stephanie's hand before glancing up at her and softening his features.
Luke has always had a soft spot for Steph, so I wasn't surprised when he mumbled, "I guess it's okay if you have some."
"Thank you Luke!" Stephanie cries dramatically as she shoots him a wide grin.
The tops of his ears turn pink and he nods quickly. "No problem, Stephanie."
Really, I tried to contain my laughter, but it was almost impossible. If Luke had found me devouring his chips, he would've snatched them from my hands and then demand I go get him a new bag. I'm not exaggerating. But he sees Steph a second away from devouring the chips and he practically melts. I couldn't tell if it was pathetic or adorable.
Luke remained standing in the doorway with a dreamy smile on his face as he watched Stephanie, who resumed eating the chips. I silently watched Luke with extreme amusement as I waited for him to leave. Luckily, Cole called his name, and he snapped out of it, his face flushing.
"Oh, uh, I'm gonna go back to the living room," Luke fumbled over his words, not making eye contact with Stephanie. "Bye."
Stephanie laughed lightheartedly. "Bye, Luke!"
When he left the room, I finally let my laughter explode out of my mouth. He had the biggest schoolboy crush on Stephanie and I don't think it will ever go away. Even when he was married he'll be crushing on Steph.
"He's so sweet," Stephanie smiles at me. "Are you sure I can't date your brother?"
I frowned. "You'll give him false hope."
She sighed dramatically. "I suppose you're right. I'm not really a boyfriend girl, am I?"
I think back to her making out with Justin Jones at the party two weeks ago, and the other guys she's been telling me about at Drexel, and shake my head. "Not particularly, but that's okay."
"Speaking of boyfriends," Stephanie hops off the counter and leans on the island that I was sitting at. "I have some more questions to ask to document the experiment. Also, I was wondering what you wanted to do about video footage."
My brow furrowed in confusion. "Video footage?"
She nodded. "I was thinking that we should go out to a New Years Eve party that my friend Ryan is having at Drexel. We can dress up, and it would be a perfect opportunity to get some shots of you while you're all dolled up. But I also need some footage of you at school; you know, just a day in your life kind of video. I think that I can just give you a camera, and you can film your day, right? Or we can get one of those miniature cameras and hide it in your shirt."
I blinked at Stephanie in confusion. "Since when are we video taping this?" I question first, and then acknowledge the New Years party suggestion. "I don't have any plans for New Years, so anything is okay with me."
She explains, "And we need video documentation so I can analyze it in my report."
"And if you want me to tape a day at school then you're going to have to work some magic, because there's no way I'm carrying a camera around all day." I tell her pointedly. "Can you actually hide a mini camera in my shirt, though? Like in John Tucker Must Die?"
Stephanie grins excitedly. "Exactly like that. I can get one from the AV department in the Arts building tonight. Would you wear it tomorrow?"
Excitement courses through me at the prospect of a mini spy camera. This felt like undercover Spy Kids territory and I was enthused, to say the least. Stephanie was equally as happy when I agree to her tiny camera suggestion.
I might've been the star of this entire social experiment, but it was Stephanie's baby. She called me almost every day to check up the progress and always picked my outfits. Truth be told, I was excited to see what she did with all this information.
And hopefully, by the end of the year, all of this work will pay off.
* * *
"Lauren? Why are you calling me at this ungodly hour?" Stephanie groaned from the other end of the phone.
I looked at myself in the mirror. "Can you see through the camera?"
"You don't have to test check it with me, it automatically records... Oh, whatever, I'll look. Hold on a second." She shuffled around and I heard her laptop turn on, and after a few clicks later, she mumbled, "Move your scarf more to the right."
I blinked, surprised she knew I was wearing a scarf, and then did exactly that. The tiny camera was hidden in the folds of my big burgundy scarf, hidden from view for the most part. There was a tiny black dot that stuck out as the camera, but from afar it was unnoticeable, and up close it looked like a fuzz from my black cotton shirt.
"That outfit is so cute," Stephanie praised. "I love that scarf."
I grinned at her as I strike a pose in the mirror. "I know, right?"
The scarf and plain shirt had been paired with distressed skinny jeans and black wedges that made my legs look miles long. I curled random pieces of my hair and had done my standard mascara and eyeliner wing.
Overall, it was a lot more effort than I used to put into getting ready in the morning, but the time really did make a difference. Instead of no makeup and whatever tee shirt and jeans I could find, I actually planned out what would look best together.
"You're learning," Stephanie's voice was getting heavier and sleepier. "I'm proud... of.... you..."
My eyebrows raised as she succumbed to light snores, and I ended the phone call with a laugh. Of course she fell back asleep. With one last look in the mirror, I head out of my room and out the house. I snagged my close spot, got out of my car, and started walking to the front doors of the school.
A few spaces away from mine, in the front row, was a black BMW that belonged to no other than Alex Fisher. Alex, Nina, Justin, and Brett stood around the car; Nina was tucked under Alex's arm, examining her nails, while the guys carried on about an important topic.
As I approached, I kept my chin up, ready to just ignore them and continue walking. But from the corner of my eye, I saw Brett look up and see me, and then he called, "Hey Lauren!"
I turned towards him and, upon seeing Nina's face twist into an unattractive scowl, I grinned. "Hey, Brett."
Alex looked over at me and seemed shocked while Justin gave me a small smile and wave: a casualty of him hooking up with Stephanie regularly. I returned the smile and continued on my way, determined not to start the day off poorly.
Everything was going alright until lunchtime, when I stopped at my locker to put a few books away. I followed the crowd of students all the way back to my locker, but when I finally got close, I saw a group of students surrounding it.
There were students whispering to each other and looking around, and eventually, I met someones gaze. They looked down immediately, and as I inched towards the crowd of students, I realized that they were staring at my locker.
Because there, written in smudged red lipstick on top of my locker for everybody to see, read SLUT. I just stared at the word for a moment, ignoring the growing whispers around me, and my eyes narrowed at my locker. It had to have been Nina. If looks could kill, the look on her face this morning when her friends greeted me would've had me six feet under in an instant.
The second lunch bell rang and people began dispersing around me as the hallways thinned out as quickly as they normally do. I turned and stared at the few people that loitered around staring at my locker until they ran off, and I was alone in the hallway.
I frowned at my locker, still not making a move to open it. Nina was just being a childish bitch; of course I couldn't be a slut, not when I had only ever kissed two different boys, and slept with one. But still, like any high school girl being unnecessarily labeled, it kind of felt like a slap in the face.
I reached up and tried to smudge away the lipstick, but it was mostly dried onto the paint, and required water or cleaning supplies to be removed at this point. Unable to change the writing on my locker, I stood in front of the ugly word and frowned.
"Collins?"
I turn and see Nathan walking towards me leisurely, probably wondering what the hell I'm doing, just frowning at a locker like that. When he got closer, though, his gaze turned to what I had been examining, where the red lipstick had dried, and frowned as well. His brow furrowed as his eyes narrowed.
"Who did that?" Nathan's voice was strangely heavy, like this bothered him immensely, and he looked at me.
"I think Nina left me the kind message," I mutter, and then look away from his intense stare. "But who knows."
I let out a breath and began putting my combination in to successfully open the door. Thankfully, whoever had done this hadn't tampered with the insides, and everything was where I put it. I replaced a few books with the ones that were in my hold and then shut the door again. Reluctantly, I looked at Nathan, who was watching me with an incredulous frown.
"What?" I finally ask, exasperated.
"Do you even care?" He questioned, the crease line in his forehead deepening. "This is ridiculous. Nobody has the right to call someone else a slut, especially when they're you."
I couldn't tell if it was a compliment or insult, so I answered his question instead. "I do care but there's nothing I can do about it."
Nathan leans on the lockers, a mischievous smirk passing on his lips. "Nothing, you say?"
My eyebrows raise in suspicion. "Nothing legal, anyway." As I eye him up, I ask, "What do you have in mind, Rhodes? Egging her house? Keying her car?"
He rolled his eyes at me. "We can do a little more than physical damage like that."
I turn to him and give him my full attention, interested in whatever he would propose. It would probably be crude and something too over the top, but I was interested all the same. "Well, let's hear it then."
Nathan grinned, a sight so beautiful that I froze for a moment to look at how attractive he was when he wasn't giving the death stare to somebody.
"I race Alex and get Nina to place some money on him," Nathan explains coolly. "He will lose, obviously, and she'll be out a couple hundred bucks. Seems fair for the public humiliation."
I was interested in the idea because, not only was Nathan suggesting to fight my battle for me, but he wanted to do so with racing. At the tracks. Where he, himself, had practically banned me from returning.
But mainly, the idea of Nathan being keen on getting back at Nina for me made my heart feel... Weird. But I didn't want to address the way any of this made me feel, and instead looked blankly at Nathan.
"Seriously?" I question, unable to think of anything else to say.
He returns the blank stare. "Did you listen to anything I just said? Yes, seriously, Collins. Do I need to review the plan?"
I shake my head. "No, no you don't." And then I smile a little. "Why are you willing to do that for me?"
He shrugged. "We're friends, right?"
Nathan's gaze was locked on mine, and I could feel the weight that came behind those words. But I could also feel my facade start to slip and smile break out on my face, turning into a grin. And, before I could really help it, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around Nathan's waist, enveloping him in a hug. He froze from underneath me, but I didn't care.
"Thank you, Nathan," I say seriously, and then I feel his arms wrap around me. "But you don't need to do that. I don't want to get revenge on Nina."
My cheek was pressed against his shoulder and my eyes slid shut in content before I could stop myself. I could feel how strong Nathan's arms were just by his gentle grip on me. And, let me tell you: Nathan Rhodes was a great hugger. For the few seconds our bodies were almost flush against each other, I felt this odd sensation, like I was safe. I felt protected.
"If I'm your hero now, don't you think I deserve a kiss instead of a hug?"
The arrogance in his voice ruined the moment, and my eyes opened as I felt my cheeks warm. I pulled away from him, unwrapping my arms from his waist, and he allowed me to back up. My eyes were slightly narrowed at him.
"Not with that arrogance," I say in a sing song voice, trying to ignore my reddening face.
He smirked. "Don't act like you don't like it, kitten."
"I'm not acting, Nate." I mocked his use of a nickname.
Nathan's smirk fell and he frowned instead. "I told you not to call me that."
My eyebrows rose. "It only seems fair."
"Nobody calls me that," He mumbles, but his frown lessened and he just looked like a pouting kid. Then he looks at me and straightens up. "Where do you go for lunch? I never see you in the cafeteria."
I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell Nathan the truth, because the truth was that I was a friendless loser who stayed in the art room during lunch. So I lied. "Sometimes I go home for lunch."
Nathan pulled a phone out of his pocket and checked the time, then looked back at me as he shoved it into his pants again. "Well, there's no time for that. So, are you coming or what?"
I hesitate before I answer, because I can't tell if he's inviting me to sit with him and his friends or not. But before I can really answer, he starts walking, and I figure I might as well walk with him and find out.
I catch up to Nathan's long strides and have to work double as hard as he to keep up with his pace; his legs were so long that his steps were like miles apart. When we reached the cafeteria, Nathan stopped by the doors and turned around, his expression a bit hardened.
"Listen," He starts seriously. "Asher and Vincent, they're good guys compared to the other guys that we hang around. Mike and Holden are a bit... intense. You'll be fine as long as you don't take their shit."
Even though I'm a little intimidated, I raise my eyebrows. "Are you trying to scare me?"
Nathan rolls his eyes and runs a hand down his face before looking at me again. Amusement is flickering in his expression, but I can tell that he wants me to pay attention to what he's saying. "I just want to warn you for what you're about to walk into."
Because I'm already aware of Holden's asinine behavior, I take his warning seriously this time. We walk into the cafeteria and the tables quiet as we walk by and then followed by whispers. I glance at a table as we pass and see a group of girls with wide and imploring stares, like what we were doing was the most important thing in the world.
I'm sure we were a sight, too. The ex-good girl-gone-bad and the schools biggest bad boy walking into the cafeteria together. I tried not to stiffen under the watchful eyes of the cafeteria as I followed Nathan through the tables and toward the middle of the room.
I see Asher's friendly face lit up by a smile as he spoke animatedly with Vincent and the dark haired girl I saw before. Holden and Mike were sitting on the other side of the table as they listened in on the conversation and ate.
Nathan takes a seat beside Asher, leaving one open seat beside him that I took. As I sit down. I give everyone a friendly smile, and Asher beams at me from across the table.
"Hey Lauren, it's good to see you," Asher greeted with a grin. "You and Nathan were a bit late to lunch, huh?"
I fought the reddening of my cheeks as one of the guys across the table from me- Mike, I guessed- begins to snicker. "Doing it in school is pretty risky. Props to you guys."
I shake my head feverishly. "We were just talking."
"Sure, whatever you say, babe," The unknown guy winked at me. "I'm Mike."
Mike had brown hair and brown eyes, strong broad shoulders, and the build of a fighter. What he lacked in attractiveness I could tell he made up for in his body; even with his hoodie on, I could tell this guy was ripped. I forced a polite smile as I nod at him.
"I'm Lauren, not babe," I correct and then lie: "It's nice to meet you."
"Are you Lauren Collins?" Mike questions as his demeanor shifted. He had a frown on his face, and I didn't like the way he was intensely staring at me. "Thomas Clarks' Lauren?"
I frowned this time. "I'm not his; I'm not a possession, nor am I his girlfriend."
He smirked slightly. "Feisty. Holden said something about that." I felt Nathan stiffen beside me but didn't turn to look at him. "Well, Lauren, it's nice to meet you too."
And even though I don't particularly like Mike or Holden, or the fact yet another person called me feisty, I was excited about eating lunch in the cafeteria instead of the art room for the first time in weeks.
And it felt good.