Vampirical -- Lauren Jauregui x Reader

Rules

"I told you not to talk to her." Jade grilled me as soon as I sat down for lunch. I was a bit late since I had to use the bathroom so she, Alexis, Racquel, Lucy and Camila were already sat down with their lunches.

"I didn't really have a choice." I retorted, "And what does it matter anyway? She's just another student like you and I, why can't I talk to her? And since when do you get to decide who I'm friends with?" I was going to get to the bottom of this.

"Because she's not just another student, Y/n." Jade practically snarled at me, and my jaw went slack as I shook my head in disbelief.

After talking to Lauren in class I found out she was actually a really nice girl and was someone I could see myself actually being friends with, unlike these people. Well, except Camila; She's cool too. But still, Lauren didn't seem like a bitch as these girls were. So what if she may or may not have been high at the party on Friday? I've had friends who do drugs before and sometimes I've even helped them stop, and maybe it was just a one off. I mean, it was a crazy party after all. Maybe she's just a social whatever-she-was-on taker. That didn't mean I couldn't be her friend. Plus I didn't even have proof that she was. She could've just been... drunk? Yeah. She could've just been drunk which isn't even bad.

I turned my attention to Camila who was just sat there looking down at her lunch.

"You should listen to Jade, y/n." She almost whispered. I shook my head and took a deep breath, looking across the cafeteria just in time to spot the brunette in question leaving through the door she did on Friday, this time unaccompanied and apparently in a hurry if the way she slammed her hands onto the metal door handle was anything to go by.

Jade's eyes narrowed at me, as did Racquel's. Alexis and Lucy, who I've noticed rarely talk at all, got up simultaneously and said they were getting more food.

"What's so bad about her?" I asked, and Racquel went back to eating.

Jade was silent for a moment before she responded, "She's not like us."

"Yeah, yeah, you keep telling me that. That and she's dangerous."

"She is." Racquel speaks up, and from the corner of my eye I noticed Alexis and Lucy haven't gone to get more food. In fact, they were following Lauren. That's a bit dodgy. Maybe they just needed some air... both of them?

"You really should listen, y/n." Camila said, finally looking up at me with almost sad eyes.

"This is unbelievable. You can't just tell me not to talk to someone who seems like a decent person on the basis of 'she's not like us'." I muttered, but distracted myself with eating my lunch and going on my phone until I had to leave the cafeteria.

...

"I know you don't get it," Camila spoke once we were heading to our next class together: art.

"No, I don't."

"But you really should listen. It's not our place to tell you why, but she really is dangerous and... we don't want you to get hurt." She finished, and I looked up at her.

"Why is it not your place? I mean, she's a high school student it's not like she's a crazy, I don't know, serial killer or anything."

Camila shot me a look that told me simultaneously to drop it, but also seemed to say that I was on the right track. Okay so... maybe she's hurt someone? There's no way she was a murderer and at school.

We turned the corner to the art hall and at the other end was a group of three girls standing with legs at shoulder width and hands balled into fists at their sides, staring at our end of the hall.

"Hey aren't they-" I began, but Camila had already turned and started heading the other way, even though our class was just up ahead, "... Lauren's friends?" I finished off quietly.

"Camila?" I called out, turning back around only to see that Ally, Normani, and Dinah had gone and Lauren was now leaning against the wall at the end of the hall.

Well, now I'm going crazy.

"Hey!" I called out, giving her a smile and a simple wave. She looked up at me and nodded before leaving the hallway the same was she must've come.

Okay.... that was weird.

When Camila made her way into the art room just before the bell rang and sat in her seat next to mine, she smiled at me politely and acted like nothing happened.

"Hey." She grinned, and I shuffled my desk over to connect to hers, ignoring the look I got from the teacher (a woman in her late fifties, at least, who had white hair down to her shoulders where it stopped abruptly and deep wrinkles between her eyebrows).

"Why'd you ditch me?" I asked, leaning in so I was quiet enough that nobody would be distracted.

Yeah, the teacher was one of those who assign work before the bell rings and everyone has to work in silence. Not really the fun art class that I was expecting.

"I forgot something." She answered, then frowned, "And then I remembered it."

Seemingly satisfied, she nodded and started pulling her sketchbook and pencils from her bag.

I looked at her a little while longer before moving on to explain what we had to do.

"Sounds easy enough." She grinned and I nodded before pulling my desk back to it's proper place, again making the teacher glare at me.

Make up your mind!