𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 -𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚘𝚍𝚘𝚛𝚎 '𝙻𝚊𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚎' 𝙻𝚊𝚞𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎

Chapter 26

    As Laurie is cutting through the dance floor, I'm running around. I quickly make it to the exit before Laurie does, which is surprising. I look around the exit to find Laurie but someone grasps my shoulder. I turn around in a defensive stance and ease up once I see who it is. 
        "What are you doing?" I question him.
        James scoffs, "What are YOU doing?"
          I roll my eyes, "What do you mean?"
          "What do YOU mean?" John questions back.
          James and I turn to him with a confused look. I rub my forehead.
          "What?" John puts his hands up, defensively, "You both were doing it."
         James turns back to me, "Why are you chasing after that scum?"
        I look behind James and see Laurie still a little ways away. He must be really drunk.
         "Listen, even though, we haven't talked in forever. At one point, he was my best friend. I have to do something about whatever is happening to him." I try to explain.
        James shakes his head, "That's the thing! You don't have to do anything for him anymore! He's not your responsibility. He's his own man. In fact, he's older than you. He can take care of himself."
        James is making a lot of sense, but I still have this gnawing feeling of guilt. Like what he's doing is all my fault. I look behind James' shoulder again. Laurie is much closer and it seems as if he's approaching us.
"I know. You're right, James. I'm not his mom." I admit. "Let's just go."
I try and grab James to walk away, but Laurie stops us.
He is stumbling all over the place, too drunk to care that everyone is looking at him like a disturbance. He places a hand on James' shoulder. James pushes his hand off, which makes Laurie laugh.
      "I'd watch out for that one. She'll take your heart and break it just as quick." Laurie chuckles some more.
        His white undershirt is unbuttoned as if he's very hot. His tie is undone and overall, he looks very disheveled.
       Both James and John automatically say, "I know."
        Laurie turns to me with a raised eyebrow, "Well, well, well, you're a minx, aren't yah? See I knew that you'd broken my heart, but James'? Or whoever this kid is?"
I cross my arms, "Laurie, that's none of your business."
"You know, I'm thinking that if you broke James' heart, then you're not engaged to him anymore. So what are you still doing with him?" Laurie wonders.
"Buddy, why don't we take this outside?" James puffs out his chest.
"No!" I interfere.
I get in between them and push them apart. John scratches his head like he doesn't know whether to break up the fight or join it.
"This is not a game of fighting over my honor. Yes, Laurie. James and I are no longer engaged. I wasn't ready to get married and even after everything I put James through, he hasn't acted as horrible as you have to me." I tell Laurie.
Laurie rolls his eyes and I grab his face to make him pay attention,"He's let me cry on his shoulder and he's not overbearingly trying to win me back. He's not showing up to parties drunk and mean, just because I broke his heart. I'm sorry, but when you asked me to marry you, I was engaged to another man. Stop playing the victim card. You wanted me to leave my fiancé for you. He doesn't deserve that!"
I let go of Laurie's face and everyone is shocked. James and John are trying to comprehend everything I just said, but Laurie understood it perfectly.
"You know what you're right. I am playing the victim card. Am I not a victim after I put my heart out there and gave it to you, and you just stomped on it like it was a puddle on the ground?" Laurie asks.
"Why do you always turn poetic when hurt?" I question.
"Everything is so confusing." John comments.
"Tell me about it. Now, imagine this-" I motion at all of us, "three years ago. It was a nightmare for my teenage heart."
"I guess it was a weird thing to be in." James scratches his head.
        "Oh, very much so. I had this very elaborate plan where I would try to get James and Laurie to fall in love with each other, but need a beard and that's where I come in." I tell John.
John laughs and soon, Laurie and James do too. I smile while looking at every boy I ever loved.
"See, and why can't we all be friends? I know that we've had rough patches, but I rather be close to you guys then not at all. If you guys just tried to get along, I'm sure you'll be great friends." I try to make everything better.
"Well, I think that Amy is not gonna appreciate if we all hang out, considering I just yelled in her face." Laurie shrugs.
"She'll get over it. Come on guys. We can all go to a tavern or something. Although, Laurie already highly intoxicated." I squeal.
"Right now?" John questions.
"Well, I wasn't thinking right now, but I guess we could." I shrug.
John and I look to the men that are still skeptical. James and Laurie are looking at each other as if thinking about if they could actually be friends.
Laurie looks over at me, "I'm in."
James looks at him, then nods, "I guess we can, but does anyone actually know a tavern we could go where we won't be over dressed?"
We all look over at Laurie, expecting him to know. Laurie, who was fixing his shirt, looks back up to see all of us staring at him.
"What?" Laurie asks.
I shake my head and think, "How about Cafe de la Paix?"
"That could work." John approves.
I look over at Laurie, who is struggling to fix his tie, and start telling them the plan, "Okay. We have to get out of this ball. I'll talk to Amy. James, get our coats and John, please help Laurie with his tie."
We all nod and scramble to do everything we need too. I go to Amy, who is sitting on a couch.
"Ames, you okay?" I sit beside her and put my arm around her.
"I don't get it. I loved Laurie since I was a little kid, but I thought he loved Jo." She looks over at me, "And then you say you reject him and now, he's a total jerk."
"I think he's just going through things, honey. He wasn't raised like we were. He wasn't told to talk out his feelings. Just give him time. I'm sure he'll talk to you about it." I console her.
She nods, "You're too smart sometimes."
I smile, "Hey, James, John, and I are gonna go. We want to stop by a store before going home."
"Oh, okay. Do you want me to come?" Amy questions.
"No, stay here with Fred." I tell her.
"Okay, I guess I'll see you when I get home." Amy waves.
I turn away and then turn back, "Go dance with Fred. I think he really likes you."
I wink and she giggles. I run out the door and outside to where the boys are waiting for me.
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"Laurie, shhhhh!" I laugh as we tumble our way upstairs.
Laurie runs ahead and smacks into a wall, "Owww!"
I laugh so hard that I end up on the floor, struggling to breath. Laurie gets back up and points towards my door and allows his body to sway him in that direction.
I look back downstairs and see John helping James up the stairs very slowly. I hear something break in my room and I clumsily walk towards my room.
I look at my perfume, which is shattered in my bathroom, " Laurie, no. You can't break things."
"Sorry." He apologizes as he flops on the bed.
      "Laurie, you can't sleep in here." I shake my head.
      "Yeah. Okay." Laurie says, already half asleep.
        I grab a pillow and hit him with it, "Laurie, wake up!"
         He groans and turns on his back, "You know what we should?"
         I smile and push him off the bed. He ends up on the floor with a 'ow.'  I fall onto my bed and suddenly, a wave of sleepiness falls over me.
         "What should we do?" I mutter, almost asleep.
       My eyes close. I get under my blanket. I hear him talking but nothing comprehends in my brain. 
       "Mhmm." I say before I pass out.
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      My hand snaps to my mouth as I wake up. I quickly get up, almost steping on Laurie, and head to the bathroom. The drinks from last night have caught up to me and it's not a pretty sight.
Once I'm done, I flush and leave the bathroom. I head downstairs and see the grandfather clock. It reads 2am, so I was only asleep for about an hour.
I go to the alcohol on the bar and pour myself another glass. I've been having trouble sleeping and I realized after 3 glasses of bourbon, I'm out like a light.
          I'm on my second glass before I know it. I see a blur in the hallway, walking towards me. I shake my head and my brain clears up just enough for me to tell who it is.
"James." I sigh.
"Hey doll." He smiles and heads to the bar.
"Pour me a bourbon, please." I command, politely.
"A bourbon? Really?" He comments, "I would have taken you for a whiskey gal."
I laugh, "I used to like champagne more."
He walks over with my drink in his hand, "What happened to that?"
"I stopped going to parties." I shrug.
"Okay and why did you stop?" James asks.
"You're very nosy tonight." I say as I take another sip of bourbon.
"I just want to learn more about who you are now." James tells me.
"I thought you always thought that people don't change." I start to slur my words.
"Well, I guess now that I've changed I believe it." He explains, " I believe we have both changed since our pause."
"Oh, now it's a pause?" I laugh, sleepily.
        James grins, "I guess it is."
        I nod, laying my head on the table, "Well, I have changed in three years."
"I have things I want to tell you..." he starts.
I moan and silently fall asleep, listening to him ramble on. He stops talking and I nod to show I'm listening when I'm really not.
James smiles and picks me up into a hug.
"Oh, okay." I hug him back.
"I'm gonna get a water. Are you going back to bed?" He questions.
"Yeah." I yawn.
He leaves and I walk all the way to the stairs before collapsing in sleep.
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