Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters.
Lauren's heart was still racing from her encounter with Zach. She certainly understood why Charity had fallen for him. She paced nervously in front of the dorm that they were staying in. She hadn't seen Charity since practice and Tyler was supposed to be arriving momentarily.
"Hey, I was waiting for you in the cafeteria, where were you?" Lauren turned, hearing Charity come up behind her. Lauren realized that in her confusion over Zach, she'd completely forgotten to meet Charity for dinner.
"Oh, I forgot. I was just waiting for the guys." Lauren replied, telling only part of the truth.
"So, how do you think we'll do in the competition?" Lauren asked, steering the conversation away from herself. She didn't hear Charity's reply, because the next thing she knew, she was being swung around and hugged, by a pair of strong arms.
"Tyler!" She gasped, as he set her down, grinning. She noticed Charity chatting with Logan and Kyle, but pointedly ignoring Derek and Tyler.
"Did you guys have a good trip?" She asked, after everyone was properly greeted. Tyler rolled his eyes and nodded his head towards Logan and Kyle, who were still standing a few feet away with Charity.
"All that boy did was talk about Charity. The whole drive down." Tyler said, emphasizing each word. Lauren giggled. She knew that Logan had a crush on her sister, she also knew that Charity knew it too. She did notice that Derek had a sour look on his face as he kept glancing between Charity and Logan. She made a mental not to ask Tyler about it later.
"Well come on, lets go and get some dinner." Lauren said, leading the group back to the cafeteria. She dropped back to chat with Logan as they walked.
"So, I hear you have a thing for Charity." She said lightly, as she motioned for them to drop back from the group a bit. She was surprised to see Logan's cheeks color slightly.
"It's nothing, honestly. She's just a really nice person." Logan said weakly, trying to play it off as not a big deal. Lauren simply nodded, not wanting to push the issue, especially since she didn't really know how Charity felt about him.
Just then, her attention was diverted from Logan, by the growing voices ahead of her. Her insides went cold, when she saw Charity sparring with Chloe. Skylar was standing right beside Chloe, waiting for her turn at Charity. She hurried past Kyle and Derek, to where Charity was standing with Tyler by her side.
"This is really getting old. I was hoping that if I kept my mouth shut, the novelty would eventually wear off, but I guess when you have the mentality of a twelve year old, it takes a while." Charity said loudly, rolling her eyes. Lauren appraised the situation, before rushing in. She didn't want to make it seem like Charity couldn't fight her battles, after all.
"Oh, my mistake, I thought you were keeping your mouth shut because we're right. I mean, once a psycho bitch, always a psycho bitch, right?" Chloe asked, making a big show of raising her hands in confusion. It was then that Lauren spotted Zach and his blonde friend making their way towards them. She knew the shit was about to hit the fan. Now it was only a matter of deciding if she wanted to be included in the fallout, or stay out of the way.
"Chloe, put some ice on it, really. Charity is right, it is getting old." Zach said, coming to Charity's defense. Charity looked as shocked as Chloe and Skylar did.
"What the hell? Zach, you aren't seriously defending her?" Skylar screeched loudly.
"What happened last year was between Charity and I. If I want your input, I'll ask for it." Zach said, effectively shutting Skylar up. Lauren started to relax, the situation was deescalating nicely.
"Thanks Zach." Charity said softly. Zach might have defended her, but the look he gave Charity was pure venom.
"I don't want your gratitude, in fact, I'd be happy if I never saw you again." Zach said hatefully. Chloe averted her eyes from his. Lauren noticed Tyler bristling at Zach's words.
"Hey man, I don't know you story, but there's no reason to talk to her like that." Tyler said, putting his arm protectively around Charity.
"You're right, you don't know the story. You probably have no clue how your little girlfriend went completely nuts and stole my car and totaled it, because she was pissed at me. Then she moved half-way across the state, rather than face up to what she'd done. But hey, if you want to defend the little bitch, its your call." Zach replied nastily. Lauren knew Tyler well enough to know that Zach would be lucky to limp away after calling any girl a bitch. She rushed around Tyler and stood between him and Zach.
"Tyler, let it go. Go and get some food, and I'll meet your outside in a few minutes."
"Please!" She added, when Tyler didn't budge. Charity tugged on his arm and he finally walked away, as the group around them dissipated.
"Thanks Lauren. How do you know that guy?" Zach asked, watching Tyler walk away with Derek, Kyle and Logan. She was well aware of Charity's piercing gaze on her.
"He's my boyfriend. I'm Charity's sister." She replied, letting out a breathe she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Zach's eyes widened. He glanced between her and Charity and with one last glance at Lauren, turned and walked away. Lauren did the same, trying to avoid Charity, who was staring holes into the back of her head.