Hey guys ! So if your reading this then you'll have found my new story... I've done so much research for this story to try and get it as accurate as possible so I hope that come across in later chapters, but as it's a story I've expanded on a few things and have added things that possibly wouldn't happen (let's call it artistic license ) so I hope you enjoy and I hope this chapter will leave you intrigued as for what's to come :) xxx
Love me for eternity
"Love is the emblem of eternity; it confounds all notion of time; effaces all memory of a beginning, all fear of an end." – GermaineDeStael
Chapter 1
"Where are you goooiinggg…noooo I don't wanna go home. Petaaa please?" she fluttered her eyelids staring up at him. She giggled, gripping onto his arm as she stumbled on the pavement so ungracefully.
"No come on, you've had enough to drink…" she shook her head at him grinning her mischievous grin that no one could resist and spun around out of his arms.
"You are such a spoil sport Peter Beale" she pocked at his chest, becoming very touchy feely in her drunken state, it was always the way things would turn out but usually her boyfriend would be the on the receiving end of the affection. Not tonight though, Lauren wasn't 'friends' with her boyfriend anymore... or so she'd proclaimed. "Ahh Fatboy!" she saw her best friend a few steps behind and giggled, her attention now on him. "Arthur, Arthur, Arthur " she shouted slinging her arm over his shoulder and leaning into him heavily. Fatboys arm looped around her waist as she laughed uncontrollably and lost her footing, siting herself on the floor. He held her tightly so she didn't cause herself too much damage, but the damage already seemed to have been done. "ooo watch it Mr Chubb. I have a boyfriend!" she rolled over onto her back and starfished on the pavement. "I'm staying Here" she declared.
"Baby girl you need to get up…" he lifted her but she feel down again landing with a giggle, she was finding it very funny. He sighed and hollered across to the others in the chippy "Ty? Come control your girl will you! She's wasted"
Tyler slammed his chip wrapper down on the counter, muttering something to Lucy and Whitney as he went. "Babe come on… get up" she shrugged his hand off, pushing him out of her way, the others watched a little puzzled.
"Get off me Tyler…" she frowned at him and stared as Whitney and Lucy caught up with them.
"What's gotten into you?" he said through gritted teeth, grabbing her arm and almost dragging her up from the floor.
"I said get off me!" she managed to tug from his grip, regaining her balance as Peter appeared by her side. "go back to precious Whitney!"
Tyler ran his hand over his forehead and looked at Whitney briefly, before turning back to his so called girlfriend. "We are not arguing about this in the middle of the street when your off your face!"
"When then ? I don't care anymore Ty, you can have her… you've been doing her behind my back for the last two months anyway! Your welcome to each other …" she swirled on the spot and walked off on her own down the street, trying so hard to stay upright and to walk in a straight line, she really wanted to make a point when doing this.
"Baby girl Let me walk you home… it's really late" Fats moved towards her not liking the idea of her trying to get back home in the state she was in. She'd never been that bad before, but then again she knew her boyfriend was cheating on her so, she had reason.
"Leave me alone!" her scream echoed down the empty market as she walked towards the gardens, throwing up in the nearby bushes.
And that's Lauren Nicole Branning. 18 years old, troubled child with Daddy issues and a whole life of secrets and lies. Most people's morning routine consists of waking up to a screeching alarm, groaning as they stumble into a freezing cold shower and then going through the melancholy of a repetitive routine of their everyday life. Some stand at their windows, smoking a cigarette and twitching at their nets, watching the milkman on his rounds like Mrs Branning of number 25 Albert Square.
But Lauren, her morning routine was her evening routine morphed into one. Many mornings she would drunkenly stumble through the streets of Walford, sometimes alone, sometimes with her friends, but every time with a blood Alcohol level higher than the recommended. She'd drink for fun, drink for the sake of it, drink because everyone else was. Lauren liked to drink, she liked to party and she liked the boys… A lot. Her life was pretty much a cycle of drink, Party, sex, repeat. By no means was she stupid, she was actually very clever, it was just her choices that were questionable. Very questionable.
Things started to go wrong for Lauren when she was 16 and was sent home from America for experimenting with drugs (it sounds worse than it was). Things drastically changed from that point and as her family continued to get on with their lives, Lauren struggled to find a purpose for hers.
As she turned 17 and dealt with the secrecy of her mother's cancer, she found herself craving her first addiction-boys. A string of alcohol induced one night stands, and a relationship with her friends elder brother seemed to placate her for a while until she discovered another lover… Alcohol. It was around the time she fell for Alcohol she fell for Tyler too.
At first Tyler calmed Lauren, but as things progressed the two discovered they probably weren't with each other for the right reasons, yet neither chose to end the relationship, Lauren turned back to her Alcohol companion and Tyler turned to Whitney. It was a relationship that had ended before it had even began.
*JL*JL*JL*
It was 4:45 that morning when she finally arrived home, the sun was beginning to rise, casting a dusky pink light over the square. Standing (as best as she could) on the top step, leaning against the front door, she watched as her friends all stumbled back into their homes. Fatboy disappeared to his flat, poppy appearing across the road and following him a few seconds later. Lucy and Peter walked arm in arm through the back gate of the Beales' , smiling and laughing. She let her gaze follow around the square and saw Tyler looking up at her, but Whitney's voice called him and he Jogged in her direction, the sound of the door shutting sounded a few seconds later.
She fumbled hastily in her bag, finding her keys right at the bottom. Why is that always the way? The thing you're looking for is always at the damn bottom. Eventually she managed to get key to lock, and opened the front door. The house was in silence, her parents and siblings obviously still asleep, mind you it was nearly 5am, what else was she expecting ?
She toed her shoes off, carrying them in her hand so she didn't make as much noise as she climbed up the stairs. Skilfully avoiding the squeaky step and the numerous amount of toy cars and Lego across the floor, Lauren reached the bathroom. She quickly washed her face ridding her eyes of the mascara, and then made a dash to her room.
Pushing the door open quietly, Lauren plonked her things to the floor and went to get in bed, pausing as she threw back the covers and saw the little lump of her sister curled up in the middle. She prodded her gently "Liv…" she whispered through gritted teeth, she really wanted her bed to herself . Coming to the conclusion she wasn't going to wake the 4year old, Lauren slid into the bed and pulled the covers back up to cover her and Olivia.
She took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling. When had her life got like this ? Wide awake and drunk at 5am on a Monday morning, sharing a bed with her 4year old sister, who along with her little brother Oscar, had been conceived after her Mum and Dad had gone through yet another rough patch.
Lauren looked across the room and saw Abi fast asleep at one end of the bed, Oscar the other. It was strange really how much she was keeping the family together. Yes, the very immature 18year old was playing both Mummy and Daddy to the twins. They adored Lauren, Olivia especially completely idolised her, but what did Lauren have to give them ? She was a mess, Maybe she should make a change…
she closed her eyes, sleep coming over her, another day as the same old Lauren wouldn't make a difference… she'd make that change one day, just not today.
Hope you enjoyed this first chapter... Lauren really does seem to be in a bit of a state doesn't she ? Let me know your thoughts and i'll be back tomorrow xx