nobody like you (Lauren Jauregui)

basketball game

"So, now, how do you think Tommy views Kathy?" Lauren asks her students from her desk, and chuckles. "Come on guys, it's always the same people raising their hands."

She looks at Alma, who immediately looks away.

"Alma? Can you asnwer that?"

Clearly frustrated, Alma straightens her back a little, looking everywhere but inside Lauren's eyes as she's almost sitting on her table.

"Um... I think he... Views her just as one of Ruth's friends."

"Can you-" Lauren is cut by the bell, and she looks at the class.

"Okay for our next class I want y'all to alswer this question with a developed answer! Bye guys." She sits at her desk, and watches Alma put her stuff in her bag.

She's the last one to go.

"Why don't you say things?" Lauren says, and Alma looks up.

"Say what?"

"All of the questions I asked about the first chapter today. You knew what response I was waiting for, but you didn't say anything. Why?"

"Because I didn't want to?"

"I respect that. I really do. But you should participate a bit more. You have potential, you could really bring this class up."

"Thanks. Bye Miss Jauregui."

"Bye Alma."

When she's finally home, Lauren doesn't want to work just now. She doesn't have to hide from anyone, since she's alone.

Somehow, as she's laying on the couch, her brain goes to Alma. Her smell, her eyes, her hair, her face... There really is something about her that makes Lauren feel something. Something that she isn't supposed to be feeling, but she can't help feeling that way.

She finds herself typing Alma's name on Instagram, and she can find her account pretty quickly.

Her heart burns at the sight of the caption.

A quote from the book they're reading in class, but most importantly Lauren's favorite book ever.

This explains why Alma never focuses on Lauren's classes, because she knows the book and she already knows everything Lauren has to say about it.

She doesn't spend too much time stalking though because she knows her fingers might get out of control and she'd end up in jail, which... She doesn't want that.

Sitting on a random bench in the gymnasium, Lauren takes a sip of her now cold coffee, reading the papers she collected this morning and that she will be grading tonight.

"Hey Miss Jauregui." Someone stands in front of her and she somehow recognizes the smell so she looks up with a smile.

"Hi Alma. What are you doing here?"

"I'm training, duh. What are you doing here?"

"I'm just... Chilling. It was cold outside and I didn't feel like going to my classroom since my day is basically over."

"Oh I see. You're running from the older teachers." Alma says with a smirk, holding her basket ball between her arms.

"Dang it, I can't hide anything from you!" Lauren grins and Alma giggles.

The cutest fucking giggles ever.

"Well... I'm gonna go. There's a game on Friday, though. You should come and see me kicking Las Vegas' team ass!"

Lauren chuckles at her words.

"I'll see if I'm free."

Of course she's free. What else would she be doing? Plus... She'd cancel anything to see Alma in this outfit for a whole game.

Lauren tries her best to not think about Camila or Alma as the days pass, but Friday comes around and she's alone in the bleachers, so Alma sits next to her.

Alma being so close to Lauren could almost make her lose her mind but she manages.

"Why didn't you just tell me that you've already read it?" Lauren asks and Alma nervously chuckles.

"Cause you're passionate about it. I know it doesn't look like I'm listening, but I am."

"You telling me you already know everything wouldn't have changed the fact that we're working on it. I just wouldn't have pushed you so hard to focus and participate, even though you're still not participating."

"Come on Miss Jauregui, I have other teachers. Every single one of them pushes me to participate since Freshman year and I never did it. Or at least not on my own."

"I'm grading my students on their oral capacities. I just don't want it to bring your GPA down."

"Well it's very nice of you to care about it, but don't worry, my GPA will be totally fine."

Eventually, Alma has to go, and Lauren just watches her team win the game, in silence, just thinking about everything.

Camila, Alma, work, her feelings... Everything is a little confused for her.

She wishes she could sort her feelings out and figure out what the hell males her so attracted to Alma for absolutely no reason. 

And she knows she's overthinking everything. Because right now she's sitting at her desk and she isn't even noticing the students coming in and saying hi to her. Only when the bell rings, she slightly jumps and sees her class looking at her.

"Hello everyone. Please take your book out, we're going to read today but first I'mma take attendance."

She does it with very no energy, she only gains it when she doesn't hear that voice.

"Alright, Dylan?"

"Here."

"Alma?"

"She's not here."

She looks up.

Alma has never missed one of Lauren's classes, so that's weird but also not weird at all, she might just be sick.

"Okay. Ally, care to start reading?"

For the whole hour, the class is reading out loud and answering questions on their notebook, while Lauren is here without really being here.

She watches Alma's seat right in front of her and she hates how she can just imagine her sitting there, looking down at her book with her hair in her face, and her fingers nervously playing with her shirt.

Lauren knows that the way she feels about Alma and the way Alma makes her feel isn't normal.

She actually finds it disgusting.

Is there something wrong with you? She tells herself everytime, What are you thinking? She's your goddamn student. This isn't right. You aren't right.