Love Me (Normani)

Chapter 13

"Just spit it out." Camila said, opening her locker to put her books away from her last lesson. "What are you trying to say?" Lauren fiddled with her fingers. "I just..look Austin's not good for you Camz." Camila scoffed. "What do you know?" "There's stuff you can't see, and it's blinding you-he's blinding you." Lauren said seriously. "You know what, you're just jealous." "Oh sure, and why would I be jealous of you?" "Because you don't know what love is." Camila crossed her arms. "Yes I do!" "Maybe you need to hear some stuff, then maybe you'll know your place." "What the fuck are you talking about?" "You have no right interfering in my relationship." "I do if I'm your friend! I'm just trying to look out for you. Why can't you see that?!" Why can't anyone see that? "You know what, what the hell would you know about relationships?! You can't keep one!" "Camila!" "You're a sad, pathetic, lonely little fucking whore! You sleep around and you think you're all that and that you're totally indestructible because you think no one sees what you do, well I do!" Lauren's eyes watered at her spiteful words. "Of all the things you notice." Lauren said lowly. "You need to stay out of my way, and leave Austin and I alone." "Camz.." Lauren croaked sadly. "Don't call me that, just fuck off Lauren." Camila left the girl at her locker with tears in her eyes. She kicked the lockers below with anger so hard she dented them with her combat boots. "Lauren Jauregui!" Oh shit. "Principal's office. Now." Lauren groaned and reluctantly followed the teacher who called her out. She saw Normani as she passed, who looked puzzled, but didn't do or say anything. Lauren received a verbal lashing from the principal and stormed out the room to her locker to collect her things. No one cared enough to ask what happened?, or, where are you going? No. Lauren was nothing of real worth, and she knew it. Tears burned in her eyes as she stormed into her house. The house was empty, and in Lauren's eyes that was perfect. She needed to be alone. Normani wasn't sure what had happened with Lauren, but she looked so upset when she was on her way to the principal's office she had to find out. As soon as the school bell rang to signify the end of the day, she made her way to Lauren's house. Lauren opened the door with a sad face and a jumper on. "You come to get your stuff?" Normani shook her head. Well, yes, but not yet. "Then what, you gonna yell at me too?" Normani quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "Can I come in?" Lauren didn't answer verbally, but she stepped aside and allowed Normani entrance to the house. "I came here to check on you. What happened this morning? Why'd you have to go to the principal's office, and where the hell did you go all day?" "Got suspended for kicking the lockers." Lauren muttered, chin in her hands. "Why were you kicking the lockers?" "I had a fight with Camila." "Again?" Normani huffed, sitting next to her. "Mhm." "What'd she say to you that got you so riled up?" Lauren ignored Normani's question and asked her own that she'd been begging to know the answer to all day. "Are you still mad at me?" "I was never really mad at you Lauren, it's-never mind just tell me what Camila said to you." Lauren let it be at that, if Normani wasn't mad anymore then she wasn't going to make her mad again. That would be stupid. "I tried to tell her I didn't think Austin was good for her. But she blew up on me, she-she said I was a sad, pathetic whore. I was only trying to be a good friend! That's all I ever try to do and it's like I can't be helpful without making someone mad! I just can't do anything fucking right!" Lauren sobbed into her jumper sleeves over her hands. Normani wrapped an arm around Lauren's back to hug her, and Lauren fell into her lap defeatedly, surprising the girl. "Lauren you are being a good friend. You're helping me, and Camila, God, you know her. She just thinks she knows what's best cause she can't see what's in front of her, she doesn't want to. It's her first boyfriend, and we all know Austin's a deadbeat. But she's a hopeless romantic. She'll do anything to make it last." "Mani I did something really stupid." Lauren croaked. Normani looked at her confused. "What do you mean, what did you do?" Lauren slowly pulled her sleeves up and Normani's breath caught in her throat. On one inside of her arm Lauren had cut the word PATHETIC into it, and into the other was WHORE. Normani pulled the girl into her arms and held her tightly. "I just felt so powerless, and I can't even help you without you hating me. She was right." "What? Hate you? Lauren I couldn't hate you. Camila doesn't know what she's talking about, you shouldn't do this to yourself. It's not healthy." Lauren gave her a pointed look. "Alright, point taken." Normani agreed lightly. "I have to ask. Have you ever done this to yourself before?" Lauren looked down ashamedly. "Guess we both have our secrets." She mumbled. Normani sighed and pulled her into another hug, much needed by both girls. "We'll help each other, take our minds off our own stuff." Normani said as Lauren buried her head in her neck. "I wanted to be strong, I wanted to be strong for you but it's hard." Normani nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I know what you mean." "Don't go home tonight." Lauren pleaded. Normani had the image of her scales in her head all day. She was dying to know. Normani hadn't had access to knowing her weight in an entire week and it was torturing her. But with the usually strong girl sat crying in her arms with sliced up skin, she couldn't help but agree to. "Okay." But I'll find those fucking scales if it's the last thing I do.