Camren One Shots

Blunts And Mistakes

Life is far too short. Lauren Jauregui sits at her desk, this harsh thought coming through her mind as she types away on her computer. She spends forty hours a week here, in some corporate building typing up boring reports with numbers and a thousand different names. Because she didn't attend college after high school, she was lucky enough to be getting paid two dollars above minimum wage, but that didn't mean she enjoyed her job.

In fact, she felt like a robot. She woke up with the sun, starting with a black coffee to help wake her up, then switching to espresso on the way to work, staying until traffic picked up for the lunch rush, returning home to her dog and empty apartment just to order takeout and fall asleep on the couch with sitcom reruns on in the background. Weekends had excitement occasionally, if she decided to visit family or see friends she hadn't seen in a while.

Becoming a boring adult you once made fun of as a kid was a hard reality to be thrown into. You're never prepared to accept full responsibility of taking care of yourself. Adults are expected to pay bills on time, know how to file taxes, pay for insurance, provide food, shelter, and other necessities all on their own. This life snuck up on her. It was like the angel on her shoulder disappeared when she woke up to celebrate turning eighteen, finding the once little devil on the opposite shoulder now merged with herself, anger boiling at the fact that her childhood was officially closed, a new chapter of her life beginning, fun being nearly completely stripped away.

Lauren bit her lip, running a hand through her messy hair as she pushed her rolling chair back from her desk, suddenly feeling sick. She rushed to the bathroom, her coworkers not sparing glances since they themselves were behind on deadlines. Once she made it to the walled in porcelain throne, she put the seat down, sitting on the surface. She pulled her phone from her pocket, sniffling as she dialed her mother's phone number. It was the only one she knew by heart.

"Mom?" She asked when the older woman answered on the fourth ring.

"What's wrong, honey?" Her mother could always sense when she was upset, her voice betraying her with emotional breaks and refusing to sound steady. She wiped her increasingly dampening face aggressively, pushing her hair behind her ears.

"I just needed someone to talk to for a minute. Those damn pasty walls felt like they were closing in on me, and my fingers were starting to cramp."

Her mom laughed, light background noise being heard briefly.

"I understand. What are you doing this weekend? Your father wants to make steaks with the neighbors. Your sister is also coming home for a few days. Her counselor excused her from classwork because she's been showing uncharacteristic behavior, so she was getting concerned about her mental health."

Lauren felt comforted that she wasn't the only one feeling burdened by responsibility and how fast life was flying. Of course, she also knew Taylor, her sister, was a phenomenal actress when it came to wanting pity from the people around her. She probably wanted an excuse to come home to see her boyfriend without having to keep up with assignments. Clever girl.

"Well, I would've liked to hear that from Taylor directly. You know it upsets her when you tell people her business before she can."

"Yeah, but you are her big sister. I'm allowed to tell you so you can maybe reach out and offer help without exposing the news I've shared with you."

Lauren chuckled, shaking her head.

"Sure mom, I will do that when I see her next. I'm not sure if I can make it, I promised my boss I would work overtime Saturday to finish a-"

"Well, Camila will be attending the steak night."

Immediately Lauren shut her mouth, blinking repeatedly. Camila Cabello, the girl that brought Lauren out of the closet when they were in eighth grade. She'd had feelings for her for that entire year, completely scared about the way she felt because it was an entirely new feeling for her. Before that, she'd always dated boys. She was conditioned to think liking other girls was gross, and she had never truly thought about having a relationship with one someday. Her father, specifically, always gave hints that he didn't agree with that kind of lifestyle. One of Lauren's biggest fears was disappointing the people close to her, so she forced her feelings down for as long as she possibly could.