that's why our ribs are cages ➸ camren

chapter 7 ➸ connections

“Where are you going?”

Lauren froze with her hand on the doorknob, turning around to face Camila.

It was the first full day she’d spent at Camila’s. Chris was enthralled by the various unopened video game systems she’d had shoved in the office from multiple brand deals she’d participated in. So all day, Lauren would peek in the office and find him intently hunched over a controller.

Lauren, on the other hand, had spent most of her time reading. Every once in a while, she’d look out the window, only to find more snow on the ground. Luckily, the sky was clear that afternoon, and even though everything was covered in a blanket of whiteness, Lauren still had to go to work.

“Work,” she shrugged, turning to leave again.

“You don’t have to do that, you know…” Camila bit her lip. She didn’t like knowing what Lauren did. “Please don’t go.”

Lauren just sighed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t wait up for me. I’ll be out late.”

Camila didn’t understand why Lauren was being so cold towards her. She just took a deep breath and nodded curtly. “I wasn’t planning on it,” she said firmly. “Have fun.”

Lauren laughed, almost bitterly, before pulling the door shut behind her. Camila groaned and fell back on the couch. She didn’t like this new feeling… caring about someone. It was only causing her trouble.

—

Lauren returned home at around midnight. She was tired, and could tell she could have bruises on her hips from ‘work’. She absolutely hated everything that her job included. But the envelope of cash in her back pocket was the only thing that kept her and her brother fed from day to day, so she had to settle for it.

She figured everyone else was asleep, and left her bag by the door before quietly padding down the hallway. Just as she was about to enter the guest bedroom where her and Chris slept, she paused. She heard something.

Music.

Soft music was coming from the studio. Did Camila make it a habit to practice dance at midnight? Maybe it was some kind of twisted werewolf ritual. Lauren rolled her eyes, but couldn’t resist her curiosity.

She opened the door slowly, peering inside and finding Camila in the same part of the room as the night before. She was in front of the mirrors, practicing some sort of move that reminded Lauren of a flying fish.

Okay, so she didn’t know much about dance. It was a leap of some sorts, she knew that. And from the looks of it, Camila wasn’t doing it right, because each time she landed, she huffed and resumed the same position to try it again.

Just as Lauren was about to pull the door shut, she heard a crack, a thud, and then a small whimper. When she looked back, Camila was on the ground, clutching her ankle and rocking back and forth.

“Shit,” Camila hissed under her breath, biting down on her bottom him as pain shot up her leg. 

Lauren cursed herself for being up this late. She couldn’t just leave Camila now that she was hurt, could she? She hesitated by the door.

Camila huffed, too stubborn to try and give herself a break. The moment she tried to push herself back up onto her feet, she inhaled sharply as she felt the pain in her ankle again. She fell backwards onto her butt, taking a deep breath.

She was going to get up if it killed her. Pressing her palms on the floor, she pushed her weight onto her good foot and stood up. But when she went to take a step forward, pain shot up her leg and she fell backwards.