The Falling of Lauren Johnson

Chapter Three

The school day comes to an end, not quick enough for my taste, and I meet Melissa and Katelyn where they told me to meet them. I walk up to them, and they greet me as I approach them.

"Hey Lauren," she smiles exuberantly, "Are you ready to go to my house? I just pinged my mom and she says the cookies are waiting for us on a cooling rack".

Both Katelyn and Melissa laugh, like they're sharing a secret or something, so I throw in a fake chuckle or two. Melissa links her arm onto mine and leads me down the sidewalk into the residential area. We enter the part of town where the rich kids live, and I gulp. I'm so out of place. Never have I ever been in this part of town, and I wasn't exactly planning on it. Melissa steers me toward a large white house with grand pillars decorating the front of the house.

"Melissa's dad is a lawyer, and he makes the big bucks. Obviously." Katelyn chimes in, obviously noticing my uneasiness and discomfort. I follow them into the gigantic house and the large stain glass windows that grace the white walls immediately take my breath away.

"This is absolutely beautiful, your house is beautiful Melissa." I add as I look around as we make our way to the kitchen.

She nods and turns to me, "You must be used to all the glamour right? Where do you live?"

I shake my head 'no' and respond with my address. Katelyn and Melissa share a look of distaste, and then add that I'm welcome to go to their houses anytime.

Thanks? I guess.

We walk into the kitchen where a slender, dark-haired, olive-toned woman greets Melissa, Katelyn, and I. I assume that this is her mother.

"You must be Lauren, Melissa told me that she made a new friend today. Its nice to meet you, darling!"

"Its nice to meet you too Mrs. Harper."

Melissa grabs the plate of cookies that was set out for us, grips my wrist, and guides me up the stairs with Katelyn in tow. We go into what I assume is her room, and shut the door behind us, finding seats on her bed.

I grab a cookie off of the plate and start nibbling on it. Dang, Mrs. Harper can bake!

Katelyn starts talking first, "So, that meeting we had after second hour was a little ridiculous right? I mean, trying to get us to 'refrain for promiscuous activity'? What the hell was that about?"

Melissa chimes in, not dropping a beat, "Right? I mean, who hasn't already gotten that talk?"

Umm... me?

Like they could both read my thoughts, their head swing toward me with their eyes wide.

Katelyn just gawks at me when Melissa starts talking, "Oh sweetheart, you live in the bad part of the sector AND you've never had the talk? What are your parents doing to you?"

Katelyn and Melissa laugh about it for a moment and I throw in a few fake laughs that'd pass for real, and then add, "Something tells me I don't want to know."

Katelyn shakes her head and responds, "Well, the whole ordeal will be a big surprise for you then."

Us three girls sit in silence for a few minutes, chewing on cookies, and I look around her room, noticing the stained glass caries into her room as well. Piles of clothes line the floor in a heap, yet her closet still is spilling over. I never thought I was poor, but dang, these girls are putting me to shame.

Melissa must notice me looking at all of her clothes, because she gets up, goes over to her closet, stands in front of it for a moment, and then pulls a black garment out. She walks back over to me and throws it in my face. "Go try it on." I just look at her, curious, and she motions for me to go. I walk over to the bathroom in the corner of her room and shut the door behind me.