So I have no words for how fast I've been cranking out chapters. I've never felt such a connection to characters before, and I feel the need to write basically non-stop (pun not intended). We switch back to Lorin's POV next chapter and get some more interaction between her and Alex. (Trying to come up with a cute ship name between them is hard.) Also, I'm starting a movement to protect my smol bean. Hopefully you lovelies enjoy, and don't be afraid to review! Your reviews mean the world to me! ~Shaymie

Lorin has a boyfriend? No, had was more like it. Laf had used past tense. They must have broken up. Judging by the expression on his face, I could tell that he didn't really like the guy. Then again, what guy liked the person his sister dated? This seemed like it was more…. personal. I had no idea of what this guy was like, but I just knew that I wouldn't like him if I met him.

We sat in awkward silence for a few minutes until Laurens walked in, his arms full of gauze and boxes of… feminine products. He started opening shelves and restocking them. I'm pretty sure he would have never noticed us if Laf hadn't cleared his throat (quite loudly, I might add).

"Holy shit!" he jumped, shoving a box of pads in the shelf a bit too roughly. He sighed and looked over at us, his eyes widening when he saw Lorin. He slammed the rest of the things onto the counter and bounded over to us.

"What the hell happened?! Is she okay? I knew she hasn't been eating or sleeping much, but I didn't think it was this bad…"

"Jefferson mentioned James and she had a… how you say, panic attack. Alexander brought her here himself."

"I'm going to kill him," Laurens growled under his breath. I looked at Lorin and frowned. Whatever had happened between her and this James guy must have been real bad if just the mention of his name sent her into a full-blown panic attack. I didn't know if it was related to the scars I had seen on her arm earlier, and I wasn't sure if she would be willing to tell me about it. After all, she barely knew me.

"John, don't," Laf said, seeing the look on his friend's face. Laurens looked absolutely furious, his face scarlet and his eyes blazing. "I'm sure he didn't mean for this to happen."

"But he mentioned James because he knew that would hurt her! She loved that asshole and he treated her like shit-"

"Jefferson couldn't have known that."

"Everyone knew it, Laf! It wasn't like it was some big secret! She came to school covered in bruises, she talked even less than she already did, and she flinched if you raised your voice the tiniest bit!"

"If this guy was so bad, why didn't you do anything about it?" I somehow managed to keep my voice calm, but the thought of Lorin being hurt made me sick to my stomach. The thought of her being hurt by her so-called boyfriend infuriated me. She deserved so much better than that. Scratch that, nobody deserved that.

"We tried. We tried to convince her to break up with him, but she's stupidly stubborn. She kept saying that he would get better, that he was going to change. Then she started blaming herself for it. She-"

"Are you going to talk about me like I'm not here?" We all jumped as Lorin sat up in bed, running a hand through her messy hair. She glared around at all of us, her gray eyes stormy, but I noticed them soften slightly as she glanced at me.

"How long have you been awake?" Laurens asked, looking away from her, the fear evident in his eyes. It was almost hilarious to see him so scared of such a tiny girl.

"I heard you talking about me and James… It's over. You don't need to worry about him anymore, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about him anymore. I just want to forget everything."

"Lorin-"

"I don't want to talk about it, John!" Her eyes widened, and she quickly covered her mouth, her eyes filling with tears. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled."

She jumped down from the bed, landing on shaky legs. Laurens extended a hand to her and frowned when she refused to look at him. She grabbed her backpack from the floor and started counting under her breath. She's trying to prevent another panic attack.

"Do you want me to call George? You don't have to force yourself to stay at school," Laf said gently. Lorin shook her head and narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm fine. John, can you write me and Alex passes back to class?"

"Wh- you want him to forge notes? Can't you just ask the nurse?" Lorin laughed, but there was no emotion in it. She sighed as she looked at the wall, her expression a million miles away.

"John works in the nurse's office first period. He writes notes if she's busy or if she doesn't show up, like what I assume happened again this morning." Her words came out breathy and uncertain, like she was having trouble breathing. She quickly excused herself to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

"What the hell are we going to do about this?" Laurens hissed under his breath once the bathroom door was locked. Laf and I followed him to the front desk, where he pulled out a pad of paper and quickly scrawled out two notes. I caught a glance of Lorin's last name-Haywood- and smiled to myself. Somehow it suited her perfectly.

"We do nothing. If she doesn't want to talk about it, we can't force her to." Laf sighed and looked at the slips of paper, raising an eyebrow. "Do I not get a pass, John?"

"You left the culinary room, right? I'm sure Peggy covered for you." Laurens waggled his eyebrows as he handed me the pass. Laf's skin darkened a few shades as he looked away. I held back a laugh. I'd have to ask him about this Peggy later. Laurens glanced towards the bathroom door and pulled me close.

"Alexander, I want you to keep an eye on her. She doesn't really… talk much, and she refuses to tell anyone how she feels-"

"Everyone says that, but she's had no problem talking to me." Laurens grinned and patted me on the back. A bit too hard, I might add. There was something I couldn't quite read in his eyes… Jealousy, perhaps?

"You must be special, then. It took her weeks to be able to talk to me, and I'm one of her best friends. Just make sure she's okay. Please." I nodded wordlessly. She was so small, it was hard to not feel the urge to protect her anyway. Laurens nodded and pulled away from me as the bathroom door opened. Lorin stepped out, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy. We knew better than to say anything about it.

Laurens gave Lorin her pass and forced a smile onto his face, sighing when she left without a word. I hoisted my backpack onto my shoulder and followed closely behind her. We walked back to class in silence, Lorin glaring ahead, occasionally speeding up and me trying to keep up with her. For someone with such short legs, she was insanely hard to keep up with.

We had two more classes together, and she ignored me in both of them. I didn't hear her talk again until lunch, when she introduced me to Eliza and Peggy (so this was the Peggy John had mentioned earlier), Angelica's younger sisters, and Hercules Mulligan, one of John and Laf's friends. Lorin was quiet for the rest of lunch, only humming occasionally if Peggy or Eliza asked her a question.

The silent treatment continued until we got home, where she immediately locked herself in her room. Lafayette groaned and rubbed his forehead as we heard her slam the door- a clear indication of wanting to be left alone. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text-I assume to Laurens. But… wasn't that the cause of the problem? From what I could tell, she was mad at us for talking about her behind her back. Granted, it wasn't anything bad, but I could understand her anger.

This is by far the most interesting first day I've ever had in a foster home.