Page 48 of Her Rock Star's Dark Secret

“Are you okay?”

Lauren looked up to see the face that went with the familiar voice.

“Hi, Natasha.”

“Can I sit with you?”

Lauren patted the seat next to her. “Come sit down.”

“I saw you leaving the room all upset. What’s going on?”

“Guy trouble.”

Natasha laughed. “Is that it?”

“Well, that and I miss Maisy. She should have been here with us.”

Natasha sobered. “I know. I miss her a lot too. She really was such a huge part of what made this school great.”

“She was a beautiful person. I still can’t believe she’s gone.”

“If she saw the effort you and Chase have been putting in for her memorial, she would be so touched.”

“She’s very loved.”

Natasha put her arms around Lauren’s midsection and pulled her close. “I know she is, girl. We all love her.”

“I’ll never forget how crazy she was about those bats.”

“I know! Remember how she would interrupt classes to pass out her fliers about her protest?” Natasha said.

“How could I forget? She really was a passionate person.”

“What’s going on between you and Chase?” Natasha asked.

“I can’t be around him.”

“Why not?”

“Because I care too much.”

“Are you in love with him?”

“I refuse to answer that question.”

Natasha laughed. “Fair enough.”

“I don’t know what to do. I had thought I would be able to stay away from him until he left, but now I don’t know how I can survive without him. Which sounds dumb because I’ve been surviving all this time—but that was before. Everything is different now.”

“Because you . . . care too much?”

“Yeah.”

“If you care so much, why don’t you just be with him?”

“Our lives are on different sides of the country.”

“I could have said the same thing about Adam. I was running the Whitmore House, and he was a senator. But we worked it out. If you love someone, you just find a way.”

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