Broken, Honest, Beautiful

Prologue

Lauren sat just at the edge with her legs dangling over loosely as thoughts got the best of her

She looked out into the sky, it looked sad at this time, the sun was gone but the moon wasn't up, it was practically pitch black with the exception of a few stars appearing to twinkle if you were looking at them from the right angle

She heard footsteps behind her but ignored them effortlessly with her mood as it was

Lauren looked over the edge at the drop to the bottom, wondering how hard and fast the fall would be

What Lauren kept from everyone else was she was unhappy, so unhappy.

She couldn't stand the hate that she was getting but when she did stick up for herself everyone attacked her for that too.

There was no escape, no matter how hard she'd looked for how long

Lauren knew she was weak, even if she acted like the strongest girl in the world

"Lauren? Why are you up here?" She heard her friend speak at last from behind her

"Go away Normani. I know you followed me up here." Lauren scoffed clearly irritated at the lack of trust, even if she was right to not trust her

"Lauren, answer my question. Why are you on the roof?" Normani asked cautiously making her way towards her

Normani was the only one who noticed something was off with Lauren, something really different, drastic. Very seriously wrong.

"Why are you on the roof?" Lauren asked nervously avoiding the question

"I came to see if you were okay." Normani said calmly trying to bring Lauren back to the reality of what she was actually doing, the Lauren she knew wouldn't be doing this

Lauren whispered to herself sadly coning to terms with the situation she was in "I'm not okay."

"What was that?" Her friend asked from a short distance, checking she'd heard her right

"Don't come any closer Normani. In fact go away! Just leave me alone."

Normani kept her friend talking for hours in the hope she'd save her

Lauren finally snapped and let out a sob as she stood up to face Normani

Guiding her away from the edge quickly but calmly Normani took Lauren into her arms

"I'm not okay, Mani I'm not." Lauren sobbed in her other best friends arms giving in

"I know, I knew all along. Why didn't you say anything?" Normani asked holding the frail girl in her arms

"I was scared. But I want to die Mani I want to die!" Lauren cried out attempting to run back to the edge desperately; but Normani kept a firm hold pulling Lauren back, further away towards the inside stairwell of the hotel

"Shh it's okay, no you don't. You're gonna be fine Lauren." She whispered harshly in her ear through the wind

"No get off me!!" Lauren screamed trying to break free

"No! I won't let you do this!" She said struggling to hold her back

"Normani let go!!" She growled

Lauren broke free but Normani was quick to take her back into her arms pulling her behind the safe doors as they closed firmly shut

It was quiet before Lauren collapsed to the floor and cried

Normani brought Lauren close into her body and held the girl affectionately

"I've got you Lauren you're okay." Her caring friend soothed her