you make me sick (for being so perfect)

Fifty Two.

"Lauren."

When Lauren opens the front door to a crying Lucy, she has no idea how to react. Her friend hadn't told her that she was coming over, and Lucy never comes over and surprises her. Lucy always schedules, because she's the same.

"Um... hi, Luc," Lauren murmurs, rocking on her heels. "What are you doing here? Usually you schedule."

"Lauren," Lucy repeats, wiping at her eyes, "Vero broke up with me."

As Lucy collapses into her arms, Lauren's eyes widen, because that's the last thing she expected. Vero and Lucy had always been a constant and she doesn't know how to react to the news.

Lauren kicks the door closed and slowly guides Lucy upstairs, rubbing circles on her back and humming a tune, trying her best to make her friend better, but none of her friends have ever come to her for comfort after a break up, aside from Camila after the one date with Austin, but that's nothing compared to this. Vero and Lucy were nearly together for two whole years; Camila dated Austin for a total of two hours.

She slowly sits Lucy down on the bed, clearing her throat and asking, "Are you sure? Maybe you just- um, just misinterpreted."

"I'm sure," Lucy sniffles, "I- I, she- she said she didn't want me anymore. She said- said that- she met someone else. Someone she- she likes more."

Lauren is quick to jump onto the bed and pull Lucy in for a hug. "That's dumb. Vero loves you, why would she leave you for someone else?"

"She told me that- that it's hard for her," Lucy buries her face in Lauren's neck, "that she- that it's basically my fault. For having Asperger's."

"No, don't say that," Lauren interrupts before Lucy can go on, "It's not- I don't- she's wrong. And if that's what she thinks, if- if she thinks that you are hard to deal with, then she's being ableist and you don't need her. You- you can always stay with me if you need me, Lucy. You're one of my- um, my besties."

"I love her, Lauren," Lucy murmurs, "I love her and- and she just doesn't love me back anymore. I don't know what I did wrong."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Luc," Lauren promises her, "it's Vero who's doing things wrong. She shouldn't hurt you like she is."

"She said that- that I wasn't right for her," Lucy mumbles into Lauren's shoulder, "she said that I'd find someone else, but I don't know if I ever will. I always thought Vero would be it for me, Lo. I thought she was my romantic soulmate."

"Soulmates can come and go," Lauren tells her, "Vero probably was your romantic soulmate, yes. But you'll have other romantic soulmates out there too. You can't lose hope, Luc."

"I just want love," Lucy continues, sniffling and wiping at her eyes, "I want what you have with Camila. I want someone who loves me for me and not for something they try to make me into. Why can't anybody love me for me? Even Keana said I'm useless-"

"You're not useless," Lauren is quick to interrupt her, curling her hand around Lucy's and giving it a small squeeze. "You're the farthest thing from useless, Lucy. I love you and you're one of my closest friends, I need you around to be my maid of honour."

"I wish I'd known," Lucy says, "that you had a crush on me when you did. We could be together right now."

"Well, we could be, yes," Lauren replies, taking the possibility into account. "But I'm happy with Camz, so it's okay that my crush on you didn't work out, because I have her and she treats me right and I love her so much."

"You seem like the perfect girlfriend, Lo," Lucy sighs, resting her head on Lauren's shoulder and playing with the hakuna ring on Lauren's left hand. "Camila is so lucky."