The Way to Love (Camren)

Chapter 6: Paint the Town White

Camila smiled while Dinah stuck her tongue out at her teasing roommate before traversing to settle on the couch with Normani.

While the other girls began engaging in buzzing conversation, Lauren placed a hand on Camila's back gently to guide her out of the way while she unpacked. "So what's up with you? Did you have a good day?"

Camila shrugged. "More or less."

"She got picked on by a boy." Normani chimed from the living room. Camila whipped around with a set of mahogany daggers, to which Normani made an innocent face.

Lauren froze when she heard Normani speak, turning around with a box of granola bars in her hand. "You got what? Camila what happened?"

"It's nothing." The smaller girl mumbled as she picked up a bag of dry pasta and handed over so Lauren could fit it snug into her designated cupboard. "It was just a stupid project thing, long story short I have to do his portion of the damn report and I should probably be heading out to the library now before it gets too late. I want to be back before midnight."

Lauren frowned, closing the cupboard and opening up the fridge to pull out an empty crisper. "That's ridiculous." She muttered as she graciously accepted the bags of produce from Camila and began organizing them like a game of Tetris. "Let me guess, probably good looking, crazy ego, massive asshole?"

Camila raised an eyebrow. "That's so accurate you have no idea." She said as she reached over Lauren's shoulder and grabbed a bottle of Bambino that sat in the inner door of the fridge. "Also varsity athlete." Making her way to the far cupboard, the brunette grabbed a mug and popped the cork on the bottle, filling it almost to the top.

"Are you drinking wine out of a coffee mug?" Lauren questioned as she watched Camila carefully.

The girl nodded.

"Okay, Camz don't go to the library tonight, this is stupid." Lauren half whined, half demanded while turning her attention back to arranging the fridge. "You shouldn't be responsible for someone else being a lazy ass, just stay here and hang out with us."

"We can do movie night!" Ally offered, yanking out her earbuds for the second time.

"I second that." Dinah nodded as she tossed a piece of popcorn up in the air and caught it in her mouth. Normani began grumbling about having to work, while Camila nibbled on her bottom lip in thought.

"I mean I guess I could always work twice as hard tomorrow, right?"

***

2 am.

Lauren sat up groggily and poked at the screen of her phone to cut the alarm. Her room was freezing, and her entire body shivered as she dragged herself out of bed and across the floor to where her outfit lay ready to go. The Latina pulled off her soft hoodie, got a quick look at the fading bruises on her ribs, then bent over to grab her form-fitting black V-neck and yank it onto her body. She followed it up with pair of tight black jeans, and grabbed her jacket as she raced upstairs.

"Damn." The girl muttered to herself as she stepped on some stray popcorn that had been left from the events of the night. The house was silent, and she could hear the cold wind blowing at the weak glass of the windows and causing it to settle with a creak. She padded upstairs, found the room she was looking for and turned the handle quietly, slipping inside.

"Camila..." She whispered into the darkness. Camila's room was the smallest of the five, but was also the warmest and coincidently, the neatest. Her scent filled Lauren's senses as the girl crept over to feel around for the bed and sit down tentatively. "Cameeelaaaa" Lauren tried again. Her eyes were adjusting to the dark now, and she could make out Camila's small shape underneath her heavy blankets. Lauren placed a hand on her roommate's hip and began shaking her gently.