Not Quite the Opposites (camren)

3 - The Moments We Tuck Away with the Rest of History

A home of knowledge if I'm being overly dramatic or philosophical.

"Thanks for...talking to me. It made me forget I was in my newest school." Widening my eyes, I mockingly exaggerated the weight of the new environment and even threw my hands in there, wiggling my fingers like I'm some clown. "And for...clarifying things to me. The poem, I mean."

Somehow, I only acted a little goofy to mask my body's horrible reaction to having Camila closer to me.

It wasn't really horrible.

My entire body was just heating up with anxiety at our close proximity. My lungs persuaded me to hold my breath and my heart just decided to deprive my hands of blood, instead, pushing cold sweat out of my pores.

So, essentially, it wasn't horrible.

It was just...a little too soon and well...very unnerving.

Gavin never made me feel that kind of nervous. The anxiety around him revolved around how I looked and how I acted, and if he liked that version of me that I've been showing him.

In simpler terms, I was holding back and cramming myself into a puzzle that I could not fit in.

Camila chuckled and of course, my body's reaction was impressively embarrassing. The sound thrummed my skin, making it ripple with delight.

Delight? Seriously?

"Yeah, no." She shook her head, giving me her sweet, crooked grin. "You don't have to thank me. Anything I can do to help."

Somehow, those over-used phrases sounded more genuine than my boyfriend's profession of love.

Again, Lauren, you have a boyfriend and he thinks you guys are doing great. He thinks you're doing fantastic and Lauren thinks, we're fantastically screwed.

"I needed that." I insisted considering she had no idea of the gravity of her presence to me – to helpless little Lauren. "It's going to be a long day." I breathed, dreading my schedule.

"Are you packed for the year?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm pushing it just so I could graduate before I turn 19." I explained, inspecting her pensive features, and a part of me was flattered that she was listening so intently. "I wanted to regret all the fun I had while travelling but I just can't."

"So, don't." Determined, Camila coaxed a little too passionately. It was a part of her was challenged and she was going to justify her words, and my own in the process. "As much as I absolutely hate the acronym, you do only live once. And if you've used your time for fun, then I want you to just cherish it and never ever regret it. Sometimes, just staying within your safe zone takes away the thrill of living. You never know when the next chance might come, or if it ever will."

Camila was quite worked up and it seemed as if I had hit a certain sensitive topic.

But somehow, she never allowed the impact of the explosion to taint my resolve.

Her words surged with ardor and the same fire crumpled her features, furrowing her brows as tension dug her skin. And as much as I'd like to only stay within the content of her impromptu speech, I found myself admiring the way she spoke.

Camila is opinionated and I seemed to have starting yearning to hear her views and uninhibited thoughts.

I glanced at her in awe. I was spellbound and I have no way in telling how I looked or if my smile was a little creepy.

At least, Camila returned the gesture, and I was grateful to have diffused the tension that was bothering her.

"And whatever happens in this school, just remember not to take it personally." She breathed, seemingly back to addressing my blatant concern. "I mean, whatever teachers say. There's just the one scary teacher you have to look out for and you will figure it out without me telling you. The scolding will throw you off in the beginning, yeah but you will get used to it somehow."