I'm Building Castles To Protect You

Her cold blue eyes examined the girl bounding into her bedroom. Accessing her appearance but also aspects that weren't to do with physical features. Her new obsession was picking out changes, and she was relieved to notice that the curse of time hasn't effected her best friend.

"Hey Lauren." she smiled slightly, saving her half complete essay for History, before closing her laptop for hibernation.

"Hello, faking mild happiness, Saskia," the brunette said with such flippancy as she threw herself onto the bed, while pumps were still adorning her feet "What has Franceschi done to upset you now?"

She rolled her eyes at her own transparency, slouching into her desk chair. Her eyes on the unmoving pile of letters. Only her eyes were permitted to read them, but she had read them like a play script to the other girl before.

"He text me the other day." she admitted, knowing it would be affectionately bullied from her sooner or later. She merely opted for the less hassling choice to confess willingly.

"Saying?" Lauren prompted.

A hard, unwanted lump formed in her throat. It didn't matter that she'd cleared it from her in box automatically, the content was embroidered into her brain so securely it was like the detailing on a designer couture line. The words were burning on the end of her tongue, but she wished she could have just thrown her phone over and Lauren could have read it from the screen.

"I love you."

"Yeah, I know you do, but what did Josh have to say?"

She shifted in her seat to give the girl a sour glare. The cackle of laughter that came from her wasn't her intended reaction, to what was an attempt of reclaiming the serious air.

"Well that was nice of him," Lauren said. Nothing in the sentence was genuine, except for the mundane tone it was spoken in- the attitude of a true skeptic. "That's not all of it though, is it? I'm sure you've had more letters."

"Top draw, first on the left." she sighed her cryptic directions, returning to her original position of staring at paper. She listened as her loyal friend wandered across the floor to the furniture. She heard the aching grown of the draw as it reluctantly opened, then waited.

"Your bra draw. Nice one, Franceschi got you lingerie?"

Her cheeks quickly flushed, as she had forgotten about what other item the draw stored. "No he did not."

Then came the gasp of a shocked girl. One made when jewelery was lifted from it's hidden place amongst a collection of La Senza's finest. She grimaced and shut her eyes. She didn't want to see it again.

"That boy actually loves you," she was sure she heard Lauren mutter before shutting the draw. Presumably the bracelet was placed back in it "well Sassy, it's my turn to bore you with the tales of the insipid gender that we know as males."

She nodded eagerly, prepared to get the heat of her for the moment. Until she listened to what Lauren was experiencing: the interesting clinches in the corridor with a different boy every week it appeared, the chaste kisses that left her dying for more, then further and much more intimate details. Her heart froze in her chest, as she imagined the last time she'd been in any contact with Josh. She was relieved that she could still feel the ghost of it.

"I told Kurt though I'm not really wanting a relationship right now. I mean, I know I've been telling you about how much I like him, and really I'm thrilled that he's giving me attention. It's just... boring now. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, sure." she mumbled.

"I tell you what Saskia, we'll go out this Friday. Just me and you, to that club Snobs that's ridiculously easy to get into." Lauren told her, a glint in her brown eyes.

"I suppose I can do that. It gets me out of here." she agreed with a sigh. Truthfully quite fond of the idea of getting her hands on a glass containing she could knock back to numb her.

"We'll make you look utterly irresistible, and then every single bloke in there will be fighting to buy you drinks. I'll settle for your rejects this time, it'll be amazing I promise you."

"What? No I'm not doing that Lauren," she said fiercely, scowling at the mere thought of it. "How can you even suggest that?"

"Come on Sassy! He's not worth you being so miserable. It's not like he's your soul mate, or you're going to get married to him. You need to get over Josh Franceschi. While he's not here is your perfect opportunity, you know."

"No, I'm not even going to listen to this Lauren!" she stood up, feeling a need to put some of her anger into movement.

Lauren, smiled slightly. Shaking her head in bewilderment. She moved to stand in front of her, picking up one of her arms from her side. In her open hand, she dropped something cold and delicate. She knew instantly what her friend dropped into her palm.

"Then for God's sake, put this on."