Unspoken Ties
Chapter 2
Laura had always been the girl who turned heads for all the wrong reasons. With her leather jacket, combat boots, and ever-present cigarette, people judged her before she even spoke. She was the girl from the wrong side of town, the one everyone assumed would end up in trouble.
One rainy afternoon, Laura was skipping class, wandering the backstreets to escape the chaos of her home life. That's when she first noticed Peter, sitting alone on the pavement.
"Hey! Why are you sitting out here? It's raining, you'll catch your death."
"Woof!" A soft whimper from a nearby puppy echoed in the alley.
Peter, his voice trembling, said, "The dog is hurt; I can't just leave it."
Laura hesitated, feeling an old, almost forgotten empathy stir within her. She crouched down beside Peter, taking off her jacket to gently cradle the dog. "Come on," she said, "I know a place that can help."
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"Haizzz, can't believe you're still so hard on yourself," Laura said, her tone half-teasing, half-concerned.
Peter looked up at her, rain dripping from his hair. "What about the future? What do you want to be?"
Laura shrugged, deflecting the seriousness of his question. "Not planning on college, that's for sure. Maybe I'll find some simple job, something easy..."
But Peter interrupted, his voice uncharacteristically firm. "Why do you always talk like that? Don't you want something more? To be more?"
Laura was caught off guard, her usual defenses failing her. "I don't know, Peter," she muttered, looking away.
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"Hey, Laura! It's Laura, right?" A familiar voice cut through her thoughts, pulling her back to the present.
Laura blinked, disoriented for a second before recognizing the girl standing in front of her. "Taylor? Taylor! We were in the same class in high school," the girl said, her voice full of enthusiasm.
"Oh… Taylor… How… how are you?" Laura stammered, still piecing together her scattered thoughts.
"Don't be so awkward! Our old high school class is having a meet-up at RoseMary Restaurant. Want to come with me?" Taylor asked, her smile wide and welcoming.
"I… I don't know," Laura hesitated, the idea of facing people from her past filling her with unease.
"Come on, don't be afraid!" Taylor insisted, grabbing Laura's hand and pulling her along.
Laura followed, too surprised to resist.
At the restaurant, Taylor introduced Laura to the group. "Look who I found! Laura Lawrence!"
A man mid-drink nearly choked; his eyes wide with surprise. "Laura Lawrence... What... What are you doing here?" His voice was shaky, betraying his discomfort.
Taylor, trying to lighten the mood, said, "It's great to see Laura here! Come on, have a seat!"
As Laura sat down, she felt like an outsider among these people who were supposed to be her peers. The compliments about her appearance felt hollow, the stares uncomfortable. She forced a smile, trying to ignore the whispers and curious glances.
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"Hey, do you remember Peter Watson?" a girl asked, her voice cutting through the noise.
"Huh, what about him?" another girl replied casually.
"I saw on the news that he... died. Suicide, they said. I always knew he was struggling..."
"Peter? Oh, I remember him. He was always with Laura... Do you think they were... you know?"
The girl glanced at Laura, who was sitting nearby, her expression unreadable.
"Taylor, I need to go," Laura said abruptly, standing up.
Without waiting for a response, she left the room, escaping the gossip and noise.
Walking aimlessly, Laura's thoughts drifted to Peter. "Peter Watson... What happened to you?"
Of course, there was no response, just the noise of traffic in the rush hour.
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Laura: "Peter, have you reported this to the teacher? I mean, we're in a big city; they can't just ignore something like this."
Peter: "I did, but it only made things worse. They started hitting me harder, and now the teachers just look the other way. I've stopped caring. We're 17; I'll be out of here soon."
On the mechanic shop nearby the school.
She stands in the doorway of the mechanic shop, her eyes locked on the man under the car. "Are you David Delvey?"
Emerging from beneath the car, he sizes her up, wiping his greasy hands on a rag. "Yeah, that's me. What's it to you?"
Her tone is unyielding, the fire in her eyes unmistakable. "I know you're the one leading the charge against Peter Watson. It ends now."
He chuckles, a low, mocking sound, leaning back against the car with a smirk. "Peter Watson? Bullying? We're just having a bit of fun. Did he send you to fight his battles?"
She steps closer, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Don't play games with me, Delvey. I know what you're doing, and it stops today. What do you want from him?"
David's smirk fades slightly, but he keeps up the pretense. "Nothing serious. Just keeping things interesting, you know?"
Laura's glare sharpens. "If you don't back off, I'll make sure things get a lot more interesting for you."