Things We Don't Say

"Oh my God! Hey girl! Long time no see, how are you?!" Lauren blinked and literally cracked a smile - her lips were as dry as the text she'd just sent to her ex that had been trying frantically to win her back. Lauren wasn't interested, she had learned a long time ago that it's rarely ever a good idea to spin the block once it had been shot up. She was more interested in finding her lip balm as she was on the way out of the bathroom. She could feel the skin on her lips splitting as she held the plastered smile. Her mouth was extremely dry. "It really has been forever! Come, sit, sit, we've got so much to catch up on. Gosh! How has life been treating you Lauren?"

A few moments ago Lauren had stood in the restroom of the coffee shop breathing in deeply and pushing all of her stress away from her body with a sweeping arm motion, a technique she had seen on Bob's Burgers that actually worked in real life. She had no idea how the rest of her day would play out. She didn't know if this conversation with some girl she could not remember would be one of her last memories of freedom, or worse, period.

Lauren knew she should have told her cousin, Jordan, that he couldn't leave his things at her apartment, especially since he wouldn't tell her what was in the bags that didn't look like they held clothes. She thought she would feel bad if she told him no, he had just gotten out of the halfway house and she didn't want him to spend the little money he did have on a storage unit for a couple of duffel bags. She figured if she gave him a small section in her walk-in closet, he could stop once a week, grab what he needed, and be on his way. When she accidentally knocked over one of the mystery bags while trying to get an old pair of heels down from the top of the closet, she knew she should have told Jordan to move his things then. That was only a couple of days before, so she decided she would talk to Jordan when he made his weekly visit.

Lauren had a feeling that she was being monitored but she didn't want to get too paranoid or have her friends thinking that she was a conspiracy theorist. She couldn't help but to notice that she had been feeling that way for a little over two weeks, the same amount of time that Jordan had been out out. She had also noticed her roommate, Sarah, had started to act very strange. Lauren passed this off as Sarah was extremely sheltered and came from a rich family. Sarah always got down whenever her father decreased her monthly allowance, Lauren chalked up Sarah's attitude to her being a spoiled brat. When she got the text from Jordan that morning, she couldn't believe she had been so stupid.

Cuzzo shit's hot. Becky you stay with outside with some suits. Bags by the door. Stay low, hit you later.

Lauren gripped her phone hard to keep from shaking then slid both hands into her jacket pocket. She ordered an almond milk chai through clenched teeth then ran to into the bathroom to do her Bob's Burger's breathing exercises. She took another deep breath and exited the bathroom. Lauren ran right into a girl walking towards the door and knocked her drink out of her hand. Lauren began to apologize profusely and then realized this was a girl that she remembered vaguely from high school. She walked over to the counter to grab some napkins and the drink she had ordered before running to the bathroom.

-

"So Lauren, how are you?" The girl smiled and pulled a wet wipe out of her purse.

"Yes, yes! Sorry! I'm just shocked to see you here, gosh, it's been what? Since graduation? High school graduation? Damn. Anyways, sorry, I've been…I've been good, and you?" Lauren cracked another dry smile before taking a sip of her tea. She tried to breathe in her head to stop her heart from racing every time her phone vibrated in her pocket. Her next move was a mystery to her.

To be continued…