Books filled Lauren's schoolbag to capacity as she packed up her desk for the final time. Finishing school was a huge achievement after Mark dropping out. She smiled at the thought of teasing him about it.
"What are your plans for next year, Lauren? University?" Mr Beck asked. As Lauren's form teacher, he had led his class through the past year, preparing them for their adult lives.
"I don't know. I applied for a couple of things, but then again, finding a job would help out my family. It's just Mark supporting us at the moment, and we need the money."
He smiled. "How is Mark doing? I always worried about him. He had so much potential and no wish to use it."
Lauren laughed. "That's Mark, alright. He has done well for himself. It was a bit patchy for a while, but he's a qualified builder now. He's starting out with his own business, so things will be a bit tight for a while."
"I'm glad to hear things are going well. Don't sell yourself short, Lauren. You're a smart girl, and you'll go far with the right qualifications and experience."
"Thanks, Mr Beck." She looked around the room. There were a couple of students still packing things, otherwise it looked as empty as it had the first day of school. "It will be weird not to be here for a while."
"I'm sure it will."
She waved goodbye before stepping into the hallway. There were students everywhere, all packing the last of their things to take home. Her eyes met Connor Dowling's. She'd had the biggest crush on him this past year, but had kept her promise to Mark, steering clear of guys to avoid the temptation.
"Keep focused, Lauren," she murmured as she came close to the object of her affection. He was tall, with short, dark hair and a smile that turned her knees to jelly.
"Lauren," he said warmly as she passed him.
"Hi," she squeaked.
He turned to follow her, just a step behind as she made her way down the corridor.
"I wondered if you wanted to come to a party next weekend with me."
She stopped. "What is it for?"
"Just some party I was invited to. I thought it would be cool to hang out."
Lauren shrugged. "Get me some more details and I'll think about it."
"Sure. I'll call you, if you give me your number."
She walked away, smiling to herself. If he called her, it would be awesome. If not, no biggy. She was about to venture out into the big, bad world and her promise to Mark was over with. Now she could be with who she wanted, when she wanted.
Whenever she lost her virginity, he'd be upset. She was still his baby sister, no matter how old she was. That was a given. Lauren was confident he'd get over it. She was eighteen now, and unstoppable.
"What do you mean I can't go?" she screamed.
"I'm looking out for you. A party means trouble. There will be a lot of horny boys there, including the one you're going with."
"That was what I was counting on."
"Lauren, don't hurry to be a grown-up. Seriously, it's shit."
"Don't patronise me. I'm more mature than you are most of the time."
Mark sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "You're probably right, but it's still my job to look out for you. I don't trust that Connor guy."
"I've had a thing for him all year and he's barely noticed me. I like being noticed."
"One day, baby girl," he said, "men will fall at your feet. You'll be able to take your pick. Trust me on this one."
Lauren rolled her eyes. "I'm going, and that's final."
Mark shuffled off to the kitchen, walking away from the argument. Lauren watched him leave, still annoyed that he was trying to dictate what she did with her life.
She sat for a while, trying to work out her next move. The argument had been hypothetical anyway; Connor hadn't called her yet. Part of her was terrified he would, then there was the part of her that wanted him to, just to annoy Mark.
There were musical sounds coming from the kitchen and she poked her head around the corner to see what her brother was doing. She still giggled to see him preparing dinner, the most unlikely of cooks: he stood at the bench, peeling potatoes and singing, while the water boiled on the cooktop.
Lauren decided to leave him to it, going to her bedroom to think some more about what to do if Connor called. She stared at the ceiling for a while before hearing the phone ring. Leaping out of bed to run for it, she screeched as she grabbed hold of the phone seconds before Mark could pick it up.
He raised an eyebrow, turning back towards the kitchen.
"Hello?"
"Lauren, it's Connor. Hope I haven't called at a bad time."
Her heart thumped. "No, it's fine. My brother is cooking dinner. I wasn't doing anything."
She stopped. He didn't want to hear her going on about nothing.
Connor laughed. "Good. I wanted to talk some more about this party next weekend. Are you interested?"
Was he asking her if she were interested in the party or if she were interested in him? She hesitated before replying. "Yes."
"Cool. I'll give you a call later in the week then. I just wanted to touch base to make sure I wasn't wasting my time."
"You're not," she reassured him.
"Talk to you later, Lauren."
"Sure."
She stood at the phone, staring at it as if she were waiting for it to ring again.
"What was that about?" Mark asked.
"Connor asked me to that party."
He sighed. "Baby girl, you know what I think."
"I am an adult, Mark. I promise I'll be good."
"If it's what you really want, go. If that guy puts a foot out of place, I want to hear about it. No drinking, and be home by midnight, Cinderella."
"Deal," she said, kissing him on the cheek.
"No one screws with my baby sister."
The week hadn't gone fast enough for Lauren, but on Saturday night, Connor showed up on her doorstep right on time.
"Hey." He said. His smile made her stomach feel it was twisted into a knot.
"Hi," she replied.
"Ready to go?"
She rolled her eyes at hearing Mark’s heavy footsteps behind her. She didn't have to turn to look at him to know he was eyeing up Connor.
"I just have to get my bag." She pushed past Mark to get back into the house, running so that she could get back before he made a scene.
Mark said nothing, just stood there staring while Connor shuffled his feet. She wouldn't blame him if he turned on his heel and left. Mark could be intimidating.
"Bye," she said to Mark as she scooted past on her way out the door.
"Wait right there," he said in as deep a voice as she'd ever heard from him.
Lauren turned, pulling a face to show him how embarrassed she was.
"Lauren. Remember what I said. No drinking, and be home by mid-night."
"Yes, Dad," she said, rolling her eyes.
Connor stifled a laugh behind his hand.
Mark's gaze didn't move from her. "If this guy fucks with you, then I will fuck with him. Do you understand?"
She swallowed hard, unable to form words. As she nodded, he smiled.
"Good. Then we understand each other. If he's not on his best behaviour, he will answer to me."
"Yes, Mark," she whispered, silently praying for the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
Connor led her out to his car, saying nothing until they were inside with the doors closed.
"What is up with him?"
"That's my brother. He can be very protective."
"No shit. Does he mean it?"
Lauren sighed. "Unfortunately, yes."
She closed her eyes at the thought of Mark's words. Her night was probably ruined before it began, thanks to him.
It was a silent ride for the rest of the way. There were so many things she wanted to say, questions she wanted to ask, but Mark's behaviour had been mortifying.
He meant well.
When they pulled up outside the party, she smiled nervously at Connor.
"You ready?" he asked.
"Sure." She shrugged as if it were no big deal.
Walking through the house, there were people everywhere with drinks in hand. There seemed to be a lot more boys than girls, and she stuck close to Connor as they walked through to the back yard.
"Do you want a drink, Lauren?" Connor asked. "I'll go grab us one."
"Uhh sure," she said. Lauren took a deep breath as he walked away.
I'm eighteen, I'll do what I want.
He returned with two beers, passing one over before opening it for her. "Your brother isn't going to go that crazy, is he?"
She shrugged again. "I'll just have one. He doesn't have to know."
He grinned. "I'll take care of you anyway."
Taking her by the hand, he led her through the house to a quiet spot in the backyard.
"I want to know about you, Lauren. You always seemed so quiet at school. Is that what you're really like?"
She laughed. "Most of the time.”
"Are you going to keep studying?"
"I'm going to do a Business Administration course."
He smiled. "Cool. I'm working towards a Computer Science degree."
"That sounds pretty hard-core."
"It will be, but I'm up for the challenge."
Lauren could feel the effects of the beer. She'd never had alcohol before. Mark had steered clear of it in the house since their parents’ death, but she knew he had his moments. She knew enough to regret not eating before leaving the house.
"Hey, do you know if there's any food?" she asked.
"There's some in the kitchen. Do you want me to grab some when I get another beer?"
She hesitated. Her body radiated heat as the alcohol got to her, and she realised he had his eyes on her cleavage, not on her face.
"Sure," she said, taking another sip and pushing out her chest just that little bit more to give him an eyeful.
Connor gulped down his beer, prompting her to do the same as she tried to impress him.
"Ready for another one?" he asked, leaning closer.
"Yes, please," she responded, each breath getting heavier than the last.
Without warning, he kissed her briefly on the lips. "I'll be back in a minute."
She watched, touching her fingers to lips as he walked away. He returned a moment later with more beer bottles. "I thought we should stock up before they all disappear," he said.
Lauren picked up a bottle, staring at the tiny drops of condensation gathering on the label. Mark would go mental if he knew.
“I’ll go back and grab something to eat. I ran out of hands.” He smiled, disappearing back into the house.
She nodded, lifting the beer to her lips. Maybe two would be enough to fit in with the crowd without upsetting Mark.