-1Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters.

Lauren wondered aimlessly down the stark, white hallways. Too much had occurred in too small a space of time. Her brain needed time to process everything that had happened. That would have to happen later though, as she spotted Derek running recklessly towards her.

"Lauren! Where's Charity? Is she okay?" He called breathlessly as he sped towards her.

"Yeah, she's gonna be fine. Her room is down that way." She told him, pointing the way.

"You're welcome." She called after him softly, as he hurried away without another word. Lauren suddenly felt very alone. The feeling struck her so suddenly and swiftly that she didn't have time to stop the tear that slid down her cheek. She just needed someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on, but she had no one. She didn't want to bother her parents. Lauren knew that her mother would make time for her, but Charity needed them now. She didn't have Tyler any longer, she didn't even have Jenny anymore. She couldn't remember the last time that she and Jenny had even spoken. She was well and truly alone. Thinking about Jenny made Lauren long to be home in Tree Hill. At least then she could be alone in her own bed. The idea of hopping on a bus to Tree Hill crossed her mind. No, she couldn't do that, could she?

Without pausing, Lauren spun on her heel, jogged back down the hallway to the waiting area. She crossed her fingers, hoping that the room would be empty. She pushed open the door and glanced around. Derek was sitting in a chair facing the wall. She crept in and grabbed her purse and jacket off the coat rack.

"Where are you going?" He asked, without even turning around. Lauren debated whether she should just leave or stay and make small talk. She figured it would look pretty suspicious if she didn't at least answer his question.

"Oh, I thought I would go and get something to eat." Lauren lied, quickly heading towards the door. To her surprise, Derek stood up and walked toward her.

"That's a good idea, mind if I join you?" He asked politely, as he opened the door for her. Lauren cursed under her breath. Ten minutes ago she was on the verge of a emotional breakdown because she was lonely, and now she had company that she didn't want.

"Sure." She replied with a smile. As they walked down the hallway, Lauren wracked her brain for any excuse to get away.

"I saw Charity. She looks good." Derek said, breaking the silence. Lauren glanced at him, from the corner of her eye. If he'd seen Charity, then Lauren was betting that he'd seen her with Tyler. Normally, she would have pressed him for details and tried to make him feel better, but Derek was always strangely quiet around her and she was pressed for time anyway.

"Yeah, she'll be back to her old self before we know it." Lauren said brightly. She had walked a few feet away before she realized that Derek wasn't with her still. She turned around and saw him holding open the door to the cafeteria.

"Hopefully she's not the only one." He joked as Lauren gave him a sheepish smile and walked back to him. As they entered the door, the smell of food made Lauren's mouth water. The day had been so long that she couldn't remember if she'd eaten today or not. She stole a quick peek at her watch and tried to decide if she had time to grab something.

"Lauren, are you coming?" Derek called, as he joined the line. She probably didn't have time to eat, but her stomach was over ruling her. She quickly joined Derek and grabbed some food. She quickly paid and followed him to a table.

"I can't believe you are going to eat all that." He said, with an amused smile on his face. Lauren frowned, looking down at her tray. She only had some nachos with cheese, a salad, a bag of chips and two cookies. Shrugging, she dug in.

They ate in silence and when they were done, Derek took their trays up. Lauren thought about ditching him while he was away from the table, but that seemed a little harsh.

"So, do you really want to stay here?" He asked, holding his hand out to her. She raised her eyebrow at him, giving him a questioning look.

"I mean, I'm sure you want to be here with Charity, but I have my car at the hotel, and I was thinking of heading back to Tree Hill. It would suck to go alone though." He added, with a shrug.

"I really should stay here, but my parents are here and Charity's mom is on her way and she's got…" Lauren broke off, with a quick glance to Derek.

"Tyler." Derek finished curtly, as he dropped his hand.

"Yeah…" She trailed off. Her mind was racing, trying to weigh the pros and cons of staying and being miserable or leaving and being punished beyond belief.

"Let's do this." She said firmly as she grabbed Derek's hand. For once, she wanted to live in the moment and to hell with the consequences.