A/N. Short chapter for you guys, and I'm only posting it because I want to respond to some reviews I've been getting and this is my vehicle.
I've gotten some questions about Lauren's age and potential for any relationship with Bo given that and their age difference. I understand it's because the description for this fic talks about the characters being in high school and nothing else. But the story I have planned in my head only starts in high school (because I think Lauren would have been such an adorable little nerd), but it won't end there. Everyone is going to grow up in later chapters. Let me assure you, Lauren will not be engaging in sexual activity until she's an adult in my story. Thank you all for reviews!
The following week Bo and Lauren had only seen each other during their one shared period. On Thursday, after their class, Bo watched as Lauren fished a muffin out of her massive back pack. Lauren caught her looking.
"Do you want one? I have several, my Aunt Ashley backed them just last night." She extended the one she was holding to Bo.
"Sure, thanks, it looks delish." Bo bit into the backed goodness and moaned her appreciation. Lauren smiled at the older girl's obvious enjoyment and dug up another muffin for herself.
"Is this why I never see you in the cafeteria at lunch?" Bo pointed to the home packed bag of food.
"Yes." Lauren shrugged. "I usually go into one of the empty classrooms to do my homework during lunch. It's too noisy in cafeteria."
"Well, I get that, but it's good to socialize from time to time, too. Why don't you meet me in the cafeteria tomorrow? I can introduce you to a few cool kids I know."
Lauren thought about it, and decided that as long as Bo was there, she wouldn't mind spending her lunch at the cafeteria this once. "Yeah, OK. I'll see you there tomorrow," she said and rushed off to her next class.
The next day, she entered the school cafeteria just minutes after the start of lunch break and grabbed a tray with sandwich and fries. She quickly scanned through the clusters of people, knowing that Bo was unlikely to sit by herself, and spotted her at a table with several other kids, some of whom seemed closer to her own age. Putting on a smile she made her way over.
"Hi," she greeted the group shyly.
"Hey Lauren! Glad you made it." Bo patted the bench next to herself and Lauren gratefully squeezed in between her friend and another girl.
Bo went around doing introductions. Several older girls were Bo's soccer teammates, one boy – Hale - was in the Chess club, and Lauren had to admit she never learned to play chess; several girls Lauren's age – Ciara and Nadia - were in the Book club, and another older boy – Lachlan - was on the Debate team. Bo would tell a short story or an anecdote about each person she introduced, and they all seemed terribly interesting, though Lauren struggled to remember their names. And when it was Lauren's turn, the blond girl was quite overwhelmed to be introduced as the 'smarty pants' who aced college applications and would likely grow up to be the next 'mad scientist'. Both flattered and embarrassed, Lauren sat looking at her food, missing the mixed expressions of her table companions.
Bo was just as oblivious to the looks Lauren was getting – she was watching Dyson as he walked over to their table with a bulging duffle bag. He looked around to make sure no teachers were in sight before opening the bag and showing Bo two shiny motorcycle helmets nested there.
"My dad is out of town, or he'd skin me alive for tacking his prized Ducati out for a ride." He said to the group at large, then turned to Bo. "This is your one chance, Bo. Are you in?"
"Are you kidding me? Heck yeah!" Bo nearly squealed in excitement as she sprang to her feet. "Catch you all later!"
Lauren looked around the table. As soon as Bo left, she felt adrift in the sea of strangers. With them but not of them. She could feel her heartbeat rising in tandem with a panicky feeling in her gut. Unbidden, gloomy thoughts swirled in her mind.
She listened with half an ear as other kids started talking excitedly about the motorcycle Dyson mentioned, the conversation gradually shifting and morphing to include other fancy things. Lauren had realized some time ago that most of the kids in this private school were from well-to-do families, but it never bothered her. The school insisted that all students wear a uniform, and that helped obscure the rich from the rest to some degree. There was nothing Lauren could do about her department store bought backpack and shoes. All that mattered to her was that her tuition was free, but she wondered how Bo was paying for this prestigious school, knowing she was being raised by her grandfather alone.
After a few minutes, the kids at the table started to splinter into smaller conversation groups. One of the soccer players – Clio –turned to her teammates to talk about a cute boy who asked to copy her French homework earlier in the day. Hale - the boy from Chess club – was talking to Ciara about Bobby Fischer's biography. Lachlan and Nadia were deep in the debate about pros and cons of attending gender-segregated schools, all chatting amicably, none paying attention to Lauren.
Lauren sat listening to them a while longer, thinking it's best to wait to enter the conversation when she had something to contribute. As luck would have it, just a few minutes later another soccer player lamented on her obsession with pizza.
"I loooove dip dish! Like I can't get enough of it - the crust, the cheese, oh my god, it's my favorite thing evah!" she gushed. "And, like, I know I shouldn't be eating it, the couch would make me do a hundred updowns if she found out! God, I hope she never finds out! But I just can't stop. Why does it have to taste so effing good?"
Lauren thought it was an excellent time to jump in and share a bit of cool information with her tablemates.
"Pizza, or any other high-glycemic carbohydrates, can cause mood altering effects. For example - making you feel good - by increasing serotonin synthesis in the brain. Consuming high-glycemic carbohydrates results in high blood sugar and this stimulates the release of insulin from the pancreas gland. Insulin regulates the amino acid uptake – resulting in a higher tryptophan blood concentrations. Tryptophan is an amino acid that's found in foods like turkey, eggs and chees, and is the precursor to serotonin synthesis. So, the intake of carbohydrates and especially sweets and simple sugars, increases insulin levels, which allows more tryptophan to enter into the brain where it can be used to make serotonin – the effects of which are mood altering."
The girls she spoke to all stared at Lauren unkindly, not pleased to have their conversation interrupted.
"Is this how you're paying your Sacred Heart tuition, egghead? By giving guest lectures on carbohydrates?" Clio's saccharine smile was making Lauren's teeth ache. "Can I get your autograph?"
She made a hand gesture as if to hand something to Lauren, but the back of her hand hit the bowl of milk and cereal she'd been eating, propelling its contents across the table, as if by accident.
Lauren watched as milk and soggy cornflakes landed on her chest and dribbled down the front of her uniform.
"Jeez, Lauren, you know so much about food, but you're so skinny. Is it because you can't afford it? You poor thing, let me give you some of mine" another girl from the soccer team, whose name Lauren didn't recall at all, picked up her half-finished tuna melt and flicked it in Lauren's direction. It hit Lauren right where the cereal had landed just a moment earlier and left an oily smear on her uniform before sliding wetly onto the table.
Others had laughed, a few adding their own barbs or bits of food. Kids from adjutant tables saw the food being thrown and it didn't take long for someone to shout "Food fight!" and less time yet for others to get in the game.
Lauren felt unfamiliar mental sluggishness, likely brought up by acute embracement and a desire to disassociate from what was happening to her. But there was something important there that she needed to grasp, so she remained at the table while her brain processed the last few minutes. With a jolt, she locked eyes with Lachlan. He looked back at her – one of the few seemingly unaffected by all the ruckus and flying food around them.
She mouthed "Thank you" and he nodded back. She looked around to see that no one was paying any attention to her whatsoever, grabbed her things and made for the nearest bathroom, knowing she wouldn't be the only one trying to scrub food off her uniform in the sink or sit through the remaining classes with wet patches and stains on her. She didn't know why, but Lachlan had saved her when he yelled food fight.
Author's Note #2: I'm not a scientist, so when my Lauren needs to say something smart, I turn to the internet in search of what real scientists do say, and copy their words. I'm going to cite the sources in the notes to give credit to the author.
Lauren's nerdy lecture on carbs is lifted from Dr. Michael Sardon's blog: blog/2009/11/15/carbohydrates-feel-good-foods-why