I'm Here For You

What made you change your mind?

Weeks passed and Lauren found herself settling comfortably into a routine that included classes, socialising and keeping everyone back home informed that she was okay. And she liked it. She liked the way life was panning out because there weren't any more complications and it was simple. She loved her classes and she loved her lecturers, they paid attention and were easily on call if she needed them.

Overall, college was turning out to be much better than she'd initially expected it to be.

She even made new friends, people that made her laugh and think and feel. Needless to say, her mind strayed to Camila often and when it did, she would call Dinah and the blonde would let her know that the brunette was doing well, that she missed Lauren but she also understood why the space was needed. Lauren knew eventually she'd have to speak with her best friend herself but she was dreading it.

With her life feeling balanced again...she was scared the smallest alteration would cause everything she'd built to crumble. And so every time her finger hovered over that button that would lead to calling Camila...she'd tuck her phone back into her pocket and tune into whatever she was doing at the time.

"So how come you always seem to find yourself here after one of Professor Lincoln's lectures?" Lauren's eyes left the book that was settled on her lap and she looked up to find a face she'd never met before. "Sorry, that sounded super stalker-ish," The blonde settled beside the green-eyed girl before offering her hand. "I'm Hayley, I'm that girl that always sits in the corner of the lecture hall with a stack of paper piled on the desk."

"You're the TA, right?" Lauren shook the girl's hand. "I'm Lauren."

"Yeah, and if you're offered the job...word of advice, decline it." Hayley's eyes glanced over to the book that had had Lauren so captivated that everything around her had disappeared. "I didn't peg you for YA type."

"Yeah? What did you peg me as?" Lauren arched her brow, placing her copy of The Hate U Give beside her and offering the girl beside her her full attention.

"If I had to guess, I'd go with autobiographies of strong women or crime novels." The blonde shrugged. "But that's a good book, I remember annoying all my friends into reading it when I first read it."

"Can't deny I do love reading about the life of a strong, accomplished woman." Lauren chuckled lightly. "So what brings you to this withering tree trunk?"

"I've seen you drowning in some book or another here for the last week, and usually I kind of just walk by...but I'm curious. Most of your fellow peers would be tossing back a few shots by now, what's stopping you?"

"The last time I let myself touch anything alcoholic, I ruined one of the most important relationships in my life...so I guess you could say I'm working on my sobriety at the moment." The green-eyed girl sighed as she leaned her head back. "What about you? I'm sure you're more than ready to indulge in something or the other to work off the stress of marking all those papers."

"I'm more of a...party drinker than a casual one." Hayley began to lift herself. "It was nice meeting you, Lauren." She dug into the back of her pocket and handed Lauren a folded bit of paper. "My band and I are playing at this dive bar on Friday night, you should come check it out. Free non-alcoholic drinks on me." She smirked, spinning around on the spot and continuing on her walk towards the parking lot.

Lauren read over the promo page and smiled. Hayley Kiyoko & Co.

Lauren picked up her book once more and opened to the page she'd been on just as Camila closed her notebook and leaned back against her headboard, her mind frustrating the hell out of her.