Chapter 2 – Tears

Lauren

I knew that I couldn't hide in here forever. I fixed my hair, wiped my eyes and fixed my uniform. Deep breath, count to 3. A group of girls came into the toilet. " Did you see it? It was all red." I opened the door and walked straight out, leaving them to look after me. I walked through the school and everyone stared at me. They all stopped talking as I walked past then talked in whispers when I'd gone. Ignore them. Keep walking. I walked into English and nearly into the door. And Mr Clarkson. He made a sarcastic comment about getting lost and I apologised. People nudged one another as I walked in and grabbed the nearest seat. I didn't want to walk across to sit with Sam, but the seat that I chose was right in front of Finn Sharky. And Josh. I tried to avoid his eye but I couldn't help looking up. And when I did, He was laughing. I turned my back and sat down. Mr Clarkson continued with his lesson and handed out slips of paper from a hat. "Oi, Lauren" the voice from behind made me turn around. "What?" I asked Finn. "Can we swap, I don't know who mine is?" I sighed, "Whatever." He handed me his piece of blue paper. Quasimodo. Oh, he is officially the world's greatest git!

"Are you trying to be funny?" I spun round again; he stared at me with a look of mock innocence and confusion.

"Like I said I don't know who he is."

Course you do! Have you never seen Disney? "Well just give me mine back"

He held his hand back, "Too late now!" I turned back to my table. Mr Clarkson asked a few people who they'd picked and I started praying that he wouldn't choose me. "Lauren? Who have you got" Come on! They all laughed and Finn piped up, "Who's that, Sir?" Mr Clarkson went into a terrible impression of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. We all started working when he'd finished.

Josh

I saw Finn annoying her but I didn't stop it. When people laughed at her bad guy, I saw her wipe a tear away. When Finn laughed louder than everyone else did, she turned her head slightly and I saw the pain on her face. I wanted to get up and take her out of the room. Take her away from the people who didn't see her for who she really was. She was beautiful and no amount of birthmark was going to change that! Dad embarrassed me by doing a bad impression of Quasimodo and when he finally stopped, it was clear that everyone knew. Except him. He was mocking Lauren without even knowing it. I got really angry but managed to control it. While everyone was writing, I looked up. Lauren had her head bent over her work but she wasn't writing. She held the pen and twirled it. When people began to read out their pieces she dropped the pen and just stared at her page. When Dad asked her to read it out, she tried to get out of it. "It's not very good, Sir". He persisted and I wanted to yell at him to leave her alone. But she stood up, her back to everyone and began to speak. She didn't look at her book so it was clear that she was improvising.

"It's just because I look different. That's why you're all scared of me. You can only see what's wrong with me and not what's right. Don't you think I'd change it if I could? Don't you think I know? I know that I'm hard to look at. I don't even like looking at myself. If I could, I'd break every mirror. Break it into a thousand pieces."

Finn nudged me, finding it hilarious but I grimaced. She sat down quickly and hung her head again. Finn clapped but I stopped him. He hadn't moved his hands during everyone elses reading. Dad went on about empathy and sympathy but I didn't listen. Lauren's words rung in my ears. Some of those were aimed at me. At the end of the lesson, she was first out the door and I followed her. "Lauren!"

She turned briefly "Get stuffed!".

Sambuca came right up to my face, "You heard her!"

Finn walked out the room, "Don't worry bout 'er mate. It's not your fault she's a freak."

Just SHUT UP! She's not a freak! " I suppose" I replied.

"Besides, it's your birthday!"

"And?" What has that got to do with ANYTHING?

Finn went on about the girls who were going to be at my party. "Who needs her?" I wanted her there but I didn't have the courage to say so. Dad walked up as we were walking away. "Hey, Josh" I went to talk to him. "I was thinking about your party. Well maybe I could go out for a couple of hours. Long enough for me to have a pint and long enough for you to have a dance with Lauren." I knew that Finn would still be watching so I scoffed, "Just give it a rest will you? She's not even coming. Alright?" I walked away, horrified by my lies.