How Did You Know? (Cody Simpson/ Lauren Cimorelli, Jai Waetford/ Dani Cimorelli)

Chap. 20: Pride

Lauren's P.O.V.

Yeah, I was gonna get beat up. No, I wasn't gonna care. I knew there wss someone across the street, filming the whole thing. I wasn't gonna care if the whole wide world saw it, because I did the right thing and proud of it. Right now, my pride was getting a bit in the way. I didn't want any of my family being insulted. I pushed it away, focusing on the task at hand.

*Continuation of Flashback*

There was a sudden flash of pain in my right cheek. Did this girl just punch me? Yeah, she did. She is going for the stranger, the one girl I wasn't gonna let be beat up. I pushed her behind me, just in time. I tilted my head slightly, whispering to her:

"Go down to the white house over there. Go into the backyard and knock on the door. When someone answers, tell them that Lauren is in trouble and needs Christina and Lisa five houses down, and it's urgent." She nodded and ran off. Lisa and Christina were the most likely to get protective and save my butt right here. I felt a shove to both shoulders, causing me to land straight on my back. That hurt, and banging my head on the grass didn't help the least.

"Is she a coward? She's running off. Why don't you go and follow her? Huh? 'Cause you're stuck here? Oh yeah, you're stuck here, Cimorelli." She sat on my stomach, slapping my left cheek, hard, five times. Man, there was gonna be a welt there. She started punching my stomach, then flipped me over and stepped on my back, rubbing it around. She was wearing cleats or something. She flipped me over again, giving me a black eye this time. She stepped on my still- broken wrist, again and again. I howled, that hurt like heck.

Victim's P.O.V.

Run to the white house, ask for Christina and Lisa. Got it. Before I knew it, I was there, knocking on the door hard. I didn't care that it was the front door. This Lauren girl needed help. Ow, my knuckles hurt now. A girl with dirty blond hair opened the door.

"Are you Christina?" I asked. She must have heard the urgency in my voice.

"Yes. What do you need?"

"You and Lisa, NOW! Lauren needs you, really, really needs you right this second." Christina looked scared now.

"She sent me. I advise you come now. See?" She looked in the direction I pointed. I winced when I heard a howl of agony.

"Oh, good Lord! LISA GET DOWN HERE NOW!" Another girl rushed into the room.

"Lisa, Lauren needs us. We have to go NOW, don't even put shoes on!" Christina rushed out the door. Lisa followed her, grabbing my wrist.

Christina's P.O.V.

Oh God, that was Lauren again. I run up to the house, exploding when I see some girl repeatedly stomp Lauren's broken wrist. That's just not right. Lisa and I run right up to the bully. I push her off Lauren, while Lisa kneels down by her, calling 911. Lauren rolls on the ground, in serious pain. I push the bully to the ground, sitting on her back.

"Do you know what you've done?"

"Yeah. I told her to go away, let me finish my business.  Within two minutes, an ambulance comes. I'm so worried for my little girl, my little sister. If there's one thing that Cody taught me, it's that there are traps that you only get more experienced from.

*End of Flashback*

Lauren's P.O.V.

Pain. I did not expect her to smoosh my wrist, either that or I forgot I was injured. There was a lot of pain, radiating from my wrist. The bone is probably in a few pieces now. The girl did her job, bringing Chrissy and Lise over. Christina was holding the bully down and Lisa was calling 911, trying to get my wrist to stop bleeding. It was hard for both of us, because it made the almost unbearable pain worse. I was also rolling around on the ground because it hurt so much.