(REWRITING) The Skylar Experiment : Coveting

9. Heart and Stomach

After being scolded in front of Ben and Raymond and having her dignity stomped on, Lauren left the cabin before her twin could talk to her. 

She visited Heather and hung out with Ethan and Maia. They were in the middle of training with Tony, so she assisted him to forget about her rocky morning. She spent the entire day there until she had to return home. Ben had left but Raymond was sleeping over since she'd ride to Ohio with him early tomorrow. 

He'd gathered a small bag of clothes and personal items for their stay, which reminded Lauren that she needed to fold her new purchases and pack her own bag. She ran to her room before being seen and took half an hour to clear her closet and rearrange it. 

When that was over, Lauren exhaled and grabbed her sketchbook, curling on her window ledge with her phone, a pencil, ruler and eraser. Sketching helped alleviate the tension by putting her mind on the complex task of imagining a system and its workings. She opened her window to let in the night summer breeze, the boys' loud voices echoing from downstairs. 

"You're a fucking cheater!" That was Luc. 

"Get over yourself, you suck at this game."

The cabin calmed down after her brother accepted the defeat and footsteps approached her door. It opened. She ignored Luc as he strode inside the room. 

"Hey..." he started. 

Her pencil continued to swing under her grip. Lauren stared outside and back at her paper, focusing on the wheel of a toy box. He sat next to her legs, right at the edge. 

"I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to be such a dick about it. What's done is done but I won't tell anybody about it. It'll stay between us."

Lauren stared at him, her pencil stilling. "Why can't you trust me about this?"

"It's not that..."

"Really?" Her voice was calm but direct. "Then how come you, Raymond and others constantly fool around but the moment I look at Emma, it's a big deal all of a sudden?"

"Because all we do is just that--fooling around. You are attached to that girl and that is more of a risk than the rest of us having contact with dozen others. It makes you want to be honest and by spending more time together, you can give yourself away even if you're careful," Luc said, tensing. "What if you make a mistake, Lauren? And how are you going to keep lying to her about your life? That's not even what friendship should be like. You've got us for that, and we love you."

She smiled meekly at that and squeezed his pinky with hers for a second. Lauren slumped against the wall, a wistful look on her face. Maybe it had been stupid to think it was a good idea to take Emma shopping and spend time outside of school. Deep down, she didn't really want to be friends with anybody else as bad as with Emma. She simply liked her spunkiness and how they got along. 

It wasn't the same with other humans at school. So her curiosity didn't stem from wanting to be closer to people in general. Maybe she could get over just one person in that case, especially if it only meant she'd have to cover up and lie. 

"I'll still talk to her in school, you know? It's rude to ignore her and I don't want to."

Luc nodded. "That's fine." He prodded her knee and grinned. "Raymond and I are going to watch old horror movies and have a junk buffet in front of the TV. I made lasagna just for you..."

She tried to stay grumpy but couldn't at the mention of lasagna and movies. Lauren laid down her sketchpad, fighting a huge smile. 

"Are you bribing me with food?"

"Possibly."

"You got me there." She pushed him off the ledge to rise, shoving past him for the lasagna. 

Luc watched his sister skip out the door and disappear in the hall, laughing. He went downstairs and joined Raymond in a heap of blankets and pillows on the ground next to the couch. He sifted through the choices on Netflix with the remote, thoughtful. 

"I see you swayed her with the lasagna," he said while Lauren helped herself in the kitchen. "Smart boy."

Luc snatched the bag of pretzels and the bowl of peanut butter and nutella, ignoring all the other snacks available. Raymond picked the movie and started it when Lauren sat between them, grabbing one of the blankets. In the blink of an eye, the lasagna was gone and she stared at Raymond as he ripped a bag of Doritos open. 

She'd never admit it, but she just loved the face he made whenever he noticed her begging him to share his food. She wasn't even interested in eating chips. 

"Oh, come on!" Raymond whined. "You literally just had a meal and there are M&Ms and cheddar popcorn right next to you. Why is it always what I have??"

She pouted, leaning in. "But I want Doritos..."

He grumbled and set the bag between them. "You are lucky you're cute. Most people can't even manage that while stuffing themselves like an ogre. I'm seriously never eating in front of you again after this, though."

The twins snickered, and Lauren was able to magically make her brother share his pretzels afterward.