It was true. Lauren had been missing for a few days now. So it was to everyone's surprise when she just wandered back into the school without a care in the world. It turned out nobody had really missed her, either. She fiddled with a lock of hair as she sauntered gracefully into the school house, ignoring the sounds of cans opening from the roof. Her black hair moved in the slight breeze, and she hid her hands in her jumper, which was way too big for her. As she wandered in, the sounds of what seemed to be a party drifted into earshot from her left. She shook her head and carried on towards her dorm, hoping to get some drawing time in before her roommate came and disturbed her.
She was daydreaming as she walked, of the creeks and hidden ponds that she had discovered in the woods earlier that day. In fact, she was so distracted, she walked straight into someone. The brief clash was punctuated by a small "Oh!" that slipped from her mouth, and consequently the sketch pad and her pencils all clattered noisily to the floor. She hid her embarrassment and blush in her hands, as she covered her face, before fighting the knots in her stomach to uncover her face and apologize to the boy that stood in front of her. "Sorry." She whispered, before crouching down to gather her things. She didn't voice her worries of her pencil leads all being snapped, as she didn't want to seem cold or rude to this person she just met.
"Oh, go on, say something horrible to him, I dare you." A voice whispered to her in the back of her mind, but she ignored it, and swallowed down a lump in her throat. She was scared of talking to this boy, but she had to. It was the easiest way, and the most surefire way, to make friends.