Smile - Lachlan

Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven (Natalie's Pov)

"The seniors have arrived!" Preston says with a sense of pride affecting both his body language and attitude as he spreads out both of his arms and smiles at the people ahead.

Mitch slaps Preston on the back, his other hand remaining in his pants pocket. "We aren't god damned celebrities Pursten."

The rest of us walk away from the two idiots who trail behind us.

"Why are you winking at every girl you see?" Madi asks, almost laughing. "Well, Madi. If you haven't noticed I am the only living being that doesn't have a girlfriend in this group. You're with Jerome. Then there's Mitch and his pathetic girlfriend Abby. And finally there's Natalie and Lachlan, a couple everyone new was going to happen from the moment Nat head butted him."

Mitch shakes his head repeatedly, not grasping ahold of the concept,"You're dating Jerome?"

She avoids the question completely by starting a conversation with me but, I am obviously not paying any attention.

"Natalie!" She shouts into my ear, out of patience. "Me no speak americanõ."

I get some laughter at my spot on foreign language I am "Attempting" to speak.

"What is that? French!?" Preston asks, separating himself from his side conversation with Mitch, almost shouting. "German, actually."

Jerome and Lachlan step to the side and, open the door for us women plus Mitch. Who blindly stares down at his phone, completely oblivious to the world around him.

We step inside the congested hallway filled with hollers and greeting hugs.

Lachlan grabs ahold of my hand so we don't get split apart by the dozens of students trying to go in all directions.

By now everyone is split up. Either they already gotten to their locker or currently still charging through all the anxious freshman and over-confident sophomores.

He finally gets to his locker, entering in his combination and, placing the things he doesn't need for his first class. I put all my things in there as well but, he slides them back out and, puts them back on my arms.

"My locker is all the way across the school!" I fake pout, "I won't be able to see you between classes." I, once again, put all my things into his locker.

"Well," He takes my things out again,"I'll see you at lunch," He replies, walking away with a smirk on his face, satisfied with his dominance.

I didn't know what was worse. Having Lacey glare at me all day or getting to walk all my time between classes to and from my locker.

LUNCH

I set the tray onto the table and swing my legs over the bench.

Lacey talks to Lachlan all the way at the other side of the cafeteria.

Anxiety spread through me like a wildfire.

Her smile.

His straight face.

Her lips kissing his earlobe when she whispers in his ear.

He looks away and meets my eyes. Not even five seconds later, Lacey snaps his attention back to her by kissing him but, this time on the lips.

"I wouldn't be worried," Madi says taking a big bite out of her apple, making me jump at her presence.

Mitch joins us at the table. "Lacey is such a bitch."

"I don't understand why she won't leave Lachlan alone." I sigh while shoving the disgusting pasta salad down my throat.

"They have been together since the eight grade," Jerome chimes in. "I'd be pretty pissed if I got broken up with after that long."

It got silent after that. All you heard was the chatter of others and us eating our gross cafeteria school.

"Did Lachlan love her?" I ask, breaking the long, awkward silence.

Preston joins us at the table, exchanging looks with us.

Mitch finally says,"Sadly, yes. He fell majorly for her during the summer after freshman year. It's like we didn't exist anymore. He would always show up at the school with flowers and chocolates. Lachlan always went to these parties. He would get drunk and come to my house in the middle of the night crying about his dad. It was always Lachlan had sex with some whore. Lachlan ran around naked at some stupid party. Lachlan payed some girl to take her clothes off. None of it was ever true. He did drink a lot though. Lacey taught him smoking was good. Underaged drinking was good. He was out of control. Lachlan got kicked out of his own home because he came home drunk out of his mind."

"Talking all this shit about stabbing himself and beating up random people. His drinking only got worse when Lacey cheated on him. They were only still together because Lachlan wanted to cheat on her so she would know how it felt. When he met you... He told you that drinking was good, everything was good. For a month or two you started drinking but, quickly stopped."

"You saved Lachlan," Madi interrupts.

Mitch glares at her for interrupting and continues to talk. "He was just going to use you. Lachlan always said that it was only temporary. Then you opened his eyes. That fake smile turned into a real one. The drinking almost stopped completely. All the shitty rumors stopped!"

"Wait! He was going to use me!?" I snap.

Mitch sighs, "Yeah. Until Lachlan had seen what a great person you were. It was insane how differently he talked about you. Lachlan really went through a rough time trying to impress you.

"ANYWAYS!? Now that you know about their relationship I can assure you that he doesn't love her anymore," Madi says and nudges me. "He is falling really hard for you. Please don't be hurt him. Or do hurt him.. You'll be away from him all year next year so.."

Preston stares down at his phone,"I just got a text from Lachlan. Natalie come with me."

The look on his face is serious. Everyone can sense his concerned feeling.

I follow Preston all the way to the locker room. Lacey is just walking out when we get to the door.

I grab her arm, "What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything! All I did was ask him if he was happy." She just stares at me, completely still. "Then why were you kissing him?"

"You weren't his only girlfriend Natalie!" She removes my hand. "You weren't the only girl he has ever loved."

"I loved him too."

I watched as she walks away, guilt spreading through me.

But, why guilt?

I just so happened to be in the same hallway as Lachlan at a perfectly good time.

Preston squeezes my shoulders, taking note of my tension. I turn around and, his hands fall to his sides as he gives me a slight smile. "Shall we go in?" He asks me in a low voice.

Something inside of me was worried that I had lost him. I ran inside the locker room and called his name.

Lachlan called my name back.

He steps out from behind a set of lockers with a smile on his face. I basically run into his arms.

"Am I only temporary?" I say into his shirt.

He holds me even tighter. "No, of course not!"

I release from his embrace and turn towards Preston who waits awkwardly but, Lachlan pulls me back into his arms.

"Don't leave! Stay with me, Natalie."