A/N: I wanted to apologize for the erratic posting schedule this summer. I have been insanely busy. If anyone is still reading.. THANK YOU!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters!
Lauren flew down the sidewalk and flung her car door open. She was in the street before the tears began to sting her eyelids. She wanted to scream aloud regarding the unfairness of the situation. She had wished for this, for her parents to marry, since she was a child. It didn't seem fair that she should get what she most desired at a time when she couldn't see past the negatives.
"Negative," she whispered, correcting herself. There was actually only one big negative and it went by the name of Charity Scott. Lauren let out a dry chuckle as she realized that only a few months ago she would have considered Charity not only her sister, but her best friend as well. Those days were long gone. Since the accident it seemed that Charity was hell bent on destruction and anyone standing in her way was simply collateral damage. At first, Lauren had been sympathetic. She couldn't imagine dealing with the death of someone she had been close to, and Lauren knew that Tyler wasn't exactly the world's easiest boyfriend. Lauren's sympathy had quickly turned to exasperation, as Charity systematically pushed away her friends and family. The exasperation didn't last long when Charity began lashing out at Lauren, though. Derek was the last straw. Now, all that Lauren felt for her sister was anger, and pity. Lauren had been clinging to the hope that the pity she felt for her sister meant that there was still some part of her that wasn't completely cold to Charity. That hope was fading fast.
Her cell phone rang in the seat beside her. It was Tyler's ringtone. She quickly grabbed the phone and flipped it open.
"What?" she answered, flinching at the harshness of her own voice.
"Are you okay? I came out to look for you and you were already flying down the street," Tyler asked. Lauren rolled her eyes. Of course her sister's boyfriend would be the one to call in her time of need.
"No. No, I don't even know what okay feels like anymore," Lauren said, a cold laugh escaping her lips.
"Do you want to go somewhere and talk?" Tyler asked. Lauren let out another rueful laugh.
"No, what I want is to go to sleep, wake up, and find out this whole year has been a horrible nightmare," she replied, with an edge to her voice.
"Do you want me to call Derek?" Tyler asked, his words heavy with concern. She stiffened at the mention of Derek's name. Another round of tears began to roll down her cheeks. She quickly pulled herself together, knowing that Tyler was awaiting her reply.
"No. We broke up. He's still in love with your girlfriend," Lauren whispered, getting only halfway through the sentence before her voice broke with emotion.
"I'm sorry," Tyler replied, after a long silence. Lauren's face contorted in confusion. Tyler didn't sound nearly as surprised or angry as she had imagined he would.
"Did you know?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as realization washed over her.
"I—yeah, I mean, he said that he was struggling with that, but he told me that he was really happy with you. He was so sure that in time he'd get over Charity and he said that you were really helping him to," Tyler said, trailing off weakly. Lauren didn't know how to reply to that. She was a second-rate stand-in, again. She shut her phone and chucked it across the car. It bounced off the window and landed back in the seat. She concentrated all her energy on not thinking about Tyler's words and how much they hurt.
As she steered the car down the street to her house, she saw someone sitting on her porch steps. From the distance she could barely make out a shape, let alone a face. She slowed the car, fearing that it was Derek. She wasn't sure she could handle seeing him, hearing his apologies. As she pulled the car up, in front of her house, she realized she needn't have worried. She flew out of the car and up the steps.
"Jenny!" she exclaimed, launching herself into the older girls arms.