Who the hell was this girl that even Edward Cullen found himself dazzled? The Cullens never gave anyone the time of day, and then one day Forks woke up and Edward was dating this ugly girl with mousy brown hair, who was the biggest klutz to ever walk the earth. Lauren found it nothing less than absolute scandal. Who was this girl who could achieve the impossible, who could live out their wildest dreams? Lauren had never even considered the Cullens a viable option, and here they were, out in full force in response to this ridiculous child.

When Edward and the rest of his stuck-up, self-centered family disappeared into the mist, and Bella disappeared into herself, Lauren felt familiarity return, and let herself get comfortable. People resented Bella. Angela and Jessica, affronted, turned their backs to her and their faces to Lauren. Mike Newton started sitting next to her at lunch again. And then Bella was just a waste of a table seat, and Lauren was queen. Where she belonged.

So what had gone wrong? Lauren had wondered, picking blades of grass behind the gym and splitting them in half with her thumbnail. The butt of her jeans were soaking through. It seemed too early for dew, so it must have rained earlier, but she couldn’t remember. Who can bother to keep record of the rain here?

She stayed firmly seated in the wet and dark until she could no longer control her shivering. She began stalking home, thinking about the final blow that Bella Swan had dealt her.

It would have been fine. Everything would have worked out, except nothing ever went right for her where Bella was involved. Exactly three hours and twenty-two minutes after Jessica Stanley confided in Lauren that she was worried about Bella, exactly three hours and twenty-one minutes after Lauren said that Bella didn’t care about any of them anymore, Bella Swan once more lifted her head and started making conversation.

Just like that.

Out of the blue.

When Jessica reported that Bella had been like a crazy person on their trip to Port Angeles, Lauren dared to hope. And while she sat around and waiting, she lost Mike Newton, Angela Weber, and everything she had worked so hard to keep. At least Jessica stuck by her.