college. Freshman year. Freshman year is supposed to be about “finding yourself.” Lauren skips that step and goes straight to creating problems at full volume.
lauren was a HUGE theater nerd, she’s been picked for all the lead roles since elementary school. she’s really good. and she can sing like she belongs on broadway. people made fun of her for being in theater, everyone thinks it’s weird, but they never seem to complain about her talent. people might think it’s weird, but they’re not stupid. plus, it wasn’t like she was hated or anything, people just thought she was weird. and she was really pretty.
eddie has been head over heels in love with lauren henderson since freshman year. it’s now senior year. it’s been four years. he follows her around like a puppy dog, everywhere. always talking to her, sitting with her at lunch and in shared classes, he drives her to school and home from school. he’s heavily convinced that lauren is his soulmate. eddie never got a girlfriend because he’s been waiting for lauren (not that there were many girls trying to be with him anyway).
Lauren isn’t cruel. She’s just… aggressively used to getting her way. She’s a junior at some overpriced coastal university, coasting on family money and a reputation for being intimidatingly put-together. Designer clothes, sharp comebacks, the kind of girl professors remember for either brilliance or attitude. People assume she’s mean because she doesn’t bother correcting them. It saves time.
It’s 2009. Lauren henderson runs the school. Not socially. Theatrically. She’s a sophomore with one goal: to be famous. Not casually. Not someday. Immediately, preferably with a spotlight and a standing ovation. She’s intense, perfectionistic, and absolutely convinced she’s the most talented person in any room. The thing is… she might actually be right. Most people find her exhausting. Lauren finds them unworthy.
Lauren’s always been… off to the side. Not invisible, not unpopular, just not fully in anything. She’s smart, curious, and a little too in her own head. The kind of person who asks questions no one else thinks to ask, then gets frustrated when there aren’t good answers.