Chapter 3 - Never gonna give you up, bitch!

I was making my way through the hallway, trying to remember where my next class was. Was it chemistry or physics? Maybe biology, I remembered seeing a biology book in Lauren's room and I doubted she had it because she is interested in microcellular biology or evolution in her free time. I was pretty sure if you would ask her what she could remember about biology classes, she would tell you that the mitochondrion was the powerhouse of the cell. Lauren was so basic.

That made me wonder, should I pretend to be dumb and petty just like she is? Wouldn't that be fun if I try to fail all my classes on purpose? On the other hand, my pride forbade me from doing anything like this. I still wanted to go to university, didn't I? Jesus, I was talking like I was going to stay forever in this forbidden body.

Would I stay in this body forever? Fear arose in me, naked fear at the prospects of never returning to my own world, to my own body.

Edward's head caught my eye. His hair shimmered prettily in the artificial neon light. What kind of conditioner did he use? Maybe I should ask him. Then it hit me, oh god, he could read thoughts but by thinking this he knew that I knew that he could read thoughts. Quick, a distraction!

I am never going to give you up, never going to let you down, never gonna run around and desert you, never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye…

Simultaneously, I imagined myself dancing to this song. I saw Edward's head snap around to me. His eyebrows were drawn together, and his forehead wrinkled up. He looked totally perplexed and confused. He looked at me and if his eyes could talk, I am pretty sure, they would have said "What the fuck, Lauren?". I just sang louder in my head, over and over again I repeated the chorus because I didn't know anything else of the song. When I rounded a corner, I lost sight of him.

Puh, that was really close, I am so glad that my non-suspicious distraction worked.

The fear was also gone, if only for a second.

It turned out that I had biology and only because I discovered that my schedule was glued to the back of my notebook, and it was decorated with rhinestones. Thanks, Lauren, you are not useless for once. Argh, I feel so mean, maybe I should change my character. Okay, thought about it for a second, too bothersome.

Walking into the room was like walking into a laboratory, the students were the mad scientists, and I was just an innocent little bunny not ready yet to die. With my head down, I made my way through the rows. Don't do anything embarrassing, don't do anything cliché and trip, I told myself.

I sat in the back of the biology classroom and had a perfect view of Edward and Bella. Hach, young love in the happening. Now that I mention it, Bella did have a cast on her leg and Edward hadn't left her yet, so her birthday might be coming up soon. I was a little bit disappointed. But now that I was looking at them, Edward did have a rather sexy V-shaped back. Just a shame that he is such a stuck-up.

On that note, Edward turned around and shot me a glare, oops. Well don't think about that detail *Lauren*, you know that one detail, think of something else.

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart but the very next day… Edward rolled his eyes and turned around again. Distraction successful, I thought quietly and laughed a little. It might have been an evil laugh.

"What is so funny, Lauren, why don't you share with the whole class?", Mr. Banner asked me, and the students quieted down around me and focused their attention.

"Who, me?" I asked, perplexed, turning around but there was nobody sitting behind me. Oh right, Lauren, that was me. Lauren was my name. It was kind of hard getting used to.

"Who else, the Lauren hiding in my bureau?" Mr. Banner said deadpanned. Wow, what an asshole. I could barely remember my own name, trapped in a body that was used to pink claws and cake make-up; he should cut me some slack.

I was pretty sure had I been in my old body that I would have been beet red by now. It was surprising that not only Lauren's body didn't turn red, but a thrill of excitement swept through me as well. What was that? Was that Lauren's reaction to attention? Wow, now I understood why Lauren liked the attention so much, it was almost addictive. Oh god, I pray I didn't become an attention whore. Mr. Banner will be my witness.

"Ehm, I just thought of something funny…" I stop thinking for a moment. What was I supposed to say? Help. Help? Something funny. My friend Josh came to my mind, Josh with the biology major. Didn't he tell me a joke just a few days ago?

"…okay, why do biologists look forward to casual Fridays?" I asked into class, but my eyes darted back to Mr. Banner. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Because they're allowed to wear genes to work," I continued and laughed a little embarrassedly. Nobody reacted. "Okay, I have another one. What do hipster biologists wear?"

Mr. Banner shrugged his shoulders again and the students looked at me like I was an idiot who I probably was. My head was pounding again, and the pizza didn't sit right in my stomach. Maybe I should vomit onto Mr. Banner's shoes, he would deserve it, that is for sure.

"No idea, no? Skinny genes," I said, laughing again. It got more embarrassing by the second. "Tough crowd, huh? I have a last one, what does the biologist wear on his first date with the pretty girl?"

"Oh, I know, that's a trick question because a biologist would never have a date with a pretty girl," Jessica interjected and looked really smug. Like she thought she got the answer.

"What do you mean-" Mr. Banner started but I quickly interrupted him. He looked a little mad.

"No Jessica, but good guess. He wore designer jeans." Now I remembered my friend Josh only had two friends, me being one of them.

"Forget it, that was kind of embarrassing," I finished lamely, getting quieter in the end.

"Sorry Lauren, I know your strength lies elsewhere. Wouldn't you rather put some of this, what you call, make-up on your face? Please don't disturb my class anymore," he said and turned around. The word "make-up" sounded so strange in his mouth, he almost stumbled over the word.

I was appalled, shocked, totally flabbergasted. "Could you please repeat that, I think I must have misheard you, Mr. Banner" I said and smiled sweetly at him. Wow, I was not sure what image Lauren had established for herself, but it had to go.

"Well Lauren, didn't I just catch you a few weeks ago doing your lipstick in class? Or powdering your nose and when I called you out, you replied that your skin was producing an overflow of oil and that you couldn't walk around looking like an oil plant from Saudi Arabia? And before that…" I interrupted him.

"As a matter of fact, my skin does produce a lot of oil! But this isn't the topic, I feel highly offended by your assumptions. I was not going to do my "make-up" and just so you know, these jokes were funny," I said as clearly as possible.

"Mr. Banner, I will be going now," the resentment for that old sexist guy was fueling my rebellious side. Who did he think he was to talk to me, I meant Lauren, like that?

Did Lauren really say she looked like an oil plant from Saudi Arabia? What a madwoman.

"And where would you be going, hm?" He asked condescendingly, turning back around and eying me with something like pity in his eyes.

"The library," I spit out, getting angrier and angrier. "I can teach myself biology better than you ever could, at least I wouldn't be degraded and reduced to my sex."

Was that too much? Oh god, he will kick me out of his class. Wait, good, he won't have to kick me out, I will leave myself.

"To the library, mhm, who is supposed to believe that? Do you even know where it is?" he asked deadpanned and just looked at me. His dark eyes were peering into my very soul.

"I did know where it is, but I don't exactly know it right now. Amnesia and all", I said and felt pretty stupid. What a great excuse. Mr. Banner seemed to think so as well, because he just sighed, shook his head, and turned away. I couldn't blame him.

I felt split, he insulted me, didn't laugh once at my jokes and treated me like I was lower than him. But should I really leave the class? Some kind of feeling of duty not for me, but Lauren as this was her life I was ruining, tried to prevent me from going through with it.

Put your money where your mouth is, I told myself, and tried to build up the courage to just get up. Pinching my eyes together, I swept up my beg and left the room. I really tried not to look like a mouse fleeing from the big fat cat, but I probably did.

Jessica was waiting for me after class. The minute I stepped out of the room I had been hiding in, she latched herself onto my arm. I looked down on the quirky girl with the brown curls with an inquisitive look.

"How did you do that?" Jessica asked me, her eyes big and her voice filled with wonder. I raised an eyebrow.

"Did what?" I asked, a little confused.

"You know, the jokes you just told in class!"

"Oh, I read them in a, uh, book," I improvised and shrugged my shoulders. Why was it such a big deal to hear?

"You read?" Jessica sounded oddly scandalous. Did Lauren not read? "I didn't even get them, I thought jokes were supposed to be funny." She sounded hurt now.

"I am sorry? I was just practicing for my stand-up comedy career."

"I will never forgive you. And please don't become a comedian."

I stepped out of the bathroom stall, the door falling closed behind me. My reflection greeted me. My eyes were bloodshot and there was still some pizza on the corner of my lip. Getting revisited by food is not pleasant at all. Why did I have to hit my head again? These headaches were such a nuisance.

While washing my hands and washing out my mouth, I couldn't help but stare at my reflection. Not my body, not my face, not my world. Tears started to gather in my eyes and my throat started to feel restricted. Oh no, this felt like a crying attack.

The bathroom door opened; I quickly dried my eyes with the sleeves of my sweater. Good thing I didn't wear loads of make-up Lauren for sure would have worn. Always gotta be cry-ready, a pro trip. My hands were still wet from washing them, I shook them a little to get rid of the water drops.

"Don't get me wet," someone said in a melodic tone. I looked up, Rosalie Cullen stood there, in the high school restroom and looked oddly out of place. She would have more belonged in the restroom of a bar, a club, hell even a brothel. Okay don't say that out loud, that won't end well.

"Don't worry, I wasn't trying," I noted with a lazy smile, implying some kind of hidden meaning. "Nice lipstick by the way," I said, referring to the one she used to reline her lips. It was pinkish, a nice colour, suiting her pale skin and her blond hair. Through the mirror, she looked at me, actually smiling a little.

"Thanks, it's my favourite," she revealed. Wow, I am pretty sure I knew more about Rosalie Cullen now than all the school combined. I felt oddly honored. Maybe I would get an opportunity to get her wet after all.

"You could fit into a brothel with that," slipped out of my mouth. Nooo, I have ruined it. Why did I say that? Does Lauren's body have no impulse control? I closed my eyes, ready to die a deserved death. Why am I like this?

Nothing happened. I opened my eyes again, I must have looked silly, probably. She smirked.

"If my lipstick fits into a brothel, your outfit certainly does more so," Rosalie said sweetly looking me up and down.

Hey, it wasn't my fault Lauren only had pink or white clothes in revealing cuts in her closet!

"Maybe I should let you borrow it? You know, so they'll let you in?" She continued, destroying me. Then she turned on her heel and just walked out of the bathroom. I was left flabbergasted and scarred for life. That hurt, it really did. Wow, I am truly wounded.

Before I slipped out behind her, I took a painkiller.

Lauren's pink car was waiting for me after class. It was an automatic which was weird for me to drive. I only ever drove manual and quite enjoyed it; it gave you something to do. When I stepped out of the school building the cold air hit me like a wall. My breath was stuck in my lungs, and I could already feel my nose become runny.

Great, I read in the novels how shitty the weather was supposed to be, but I didn't expect it to be that cold. At least it was not raining. It started raining, only lightly though but still. Great, how more cliché can it get? I hurried to get to Lauren's car. Since I didn't know a thing about cars, I couldn't really tell what model it was. My assumptions were that it was an expensive one but who knew.

In my hurry, I didn't look where I was going. Suddenly, there was a loud splashing noise, and my shoes and jeans were soaking wet. The water of the puddle I had stepped into, had been a dirty brown and the cold water was already numbing my skin. I could already see the stain on my jeans. Great, I will need to wash those.

"Jesus fucking Christ, why always me?" I said to myself and looked down. Great, now Lauren's designer pants were ruined, ruined I tell you! How much must she have paid for them? I didn't actually know but I was pretty sure it had been too much.

I was distracted from my thoughts. Giggling, I looked up. Bella, Angela, and Jessica stood there, giggling, at me? How dare they, weren't we supposed to be semi-friends? Acquaintances? And the acquaintance-code clearly stated, don't make fun of each other.

"Haha, yeah funny… I hate you guys" I said and tried to sound good-natured. I tried to remind myself, Lauren had been a bitch, she probably deserved this. Not just probably, she did deserve this. It kind of hurt nonetheless, not gonna lie. The only time someone had ever laughed at me was on Halloween when I- no, I promised myself to never think of this incident again. I would die in shame otherwise.

Before they could answer, I turned away and fast-walked to the car. The water in my shoes was moving around and getting the rest of my cute pink socks wet. It was making that disgusting squishing sound whenever I took a step. The car made that annoying sound when I pressed the unlock button. My bag was thrown onto the backseat, and I placed myself on the driver's seat.

Time to drive home and have a little cry in the shower. I was so pathetic.