take a picture of all my flaws

2

thanks to scoutfinch9 for the cover everyone go give them some appreciation

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Lauren

"You know you're going to be fine, right? You've always been kind of a teacher's pet, Lo."

"No, it's not that, Lex," Lauren sighs, running a hand through her hair, "it's the people. It's like I can't get anything done because everyone wants something. Can you believe that someone asked me to get them a part on the show yesterday? A total stranger?"

"There has to be someone that hasn't been a total dick," Alexa replies, trying to reassure her, "it's not like the entire population has watched the show."

"The demographic is people around our age. I don't know why I thought leaving L.A. would make me unrecognisable all of a sudden." Lauren rolls her eyes at herself. "It's like every single person got some kind of memo that I was coming, with the instructions to harass me for pictures or autographs. Someone else asked me to sign like three hundred pictures of myself so they could sell them on Ebay."

"It'll die down," Alexa reassures her, "people just aren't used to having someone who has any kind of platform around. Once the novelty wears off, it'll be fine."

"I just... I wanted to feel normal, but if anything, being here has made me feel like even more of a freak," Lauren lies back on her couch, "I haven't made any friends, either."

"You'll make some," Alexa says like it's a total fact, and Lauren wishes it were, "I can come visit, if you're really lonely."

"Thanks, Lex, but I'm not going to make you drag all the way here from Pennsylvania," Lauren emphasises, leaving out that she's not going to let her best friend use whatever money she has from her parents for rent and food to buy a plane ticket just because Lauren is feeling a little upset. "I think Lucy's going to fly up soon, anyway. I called her last night and she said she'd see when she's free."

"What's she doing, since you're not filming anymore? I thought you said filming for the second half of season three wrapped," Alexa asks, "you film in spring and summer, right?"

"Yeah, she's just doing some modelling stuff, and I think she's filming some Netflix movie in a few months," Lauren shrugs, checking the time, figuring she might head into college early and go to the library. "Is it stupid that I regret leaving? I thought it'd make the fans lay off, but if anything, it's like I've dropped the one thing I care about for no fucking point, because even though I'm not acting, the fans are still so..."

"The show is still airing," Alexa reminds her, "you've just got to make it through to December. Then everyone will know you've left the show and you just want to focus on college."

"And then after that?" Lauren asks; she'll graduate in May, and she'll have the rest of the year to think about. "What then?"

"Whatever you want," Alexa says, "if you want to go back to acting, then you can. If you want to do something else, you can."

"I've thought about writing," Lauren admits, "for TV. But then I think about it, and acting is the one thing I've loved to do, and I hate that I had to leave it to... to sort myself out."

"You said it yourself; you couldn't focus on your own mental health when you were literally pretending to be someone else to avoid it." Alexa points out, and Lauren knows she's right. "Everything will settle down, Laur. Promise."