you make me sick (for being so perfect)

Sixteen.

                  

Trigger warning for ableism/ableist slurs.

-

Lauren and Camila are curled up on the couch together, Vampire Diaries playing in the background, when Sofi walks into the room and sends Camila an odd look that Lauren has trouble deciphering.

"Sandra and Marielle are here," Sofi says, not sounding too pleased about the idea. Lauren isn't too happy either, because she's comfortable on the couch and she's watching her favourite show and she doesn't want to have to turn it off. "They're just talking to mom. She was saying they could've stayed here instead of a hotel, but I'm so glad they're not."

Almost immediately, Camila detaches herself from Lauren and moves to the other end of the couch, leaving the older girl confused. "Sofi, don't be rude. They've never done anything to you. Did you tell them I'm in here?"

"Yeah," Sofi heads towards the door. "I'm going to my room until they leave. See you later."

Once Sofi leaves the room, Lauren looks over to Camila with flushed cheeks. "Can we cuddle again? I was really comfy and-"

"Sorry, Lo," Camila sends her a sad smile, "I can't cuddle you like that when they're here. They'll jump to conclusions and... I don't want that to happen."

"Oh," Lauren looks down, disappointed. "Okay. I'll just... stay here then."

She turns back to the TV and tries to concentrate on the show, about to open her mouth and tell Camila another fact about a certain part, when she's startled by loud screams coming from the doorway. Instinctively, Lauren's hand shoot up and she covers her ears, closing her eyes in an attempt to filter out any visual stimuli, because the last thing she wants is to go into sensory overload. She doesn't expect Camila to join in on the squealing as well, and she curls up in a ball on the couch in an attempt to make herself smaller.

She hums to herself and focuses on that, trying her best to tune out. She nearly has a heart attack when there's a hand on her shoulder and she looks up to see Camila and two unfamiliar girls staring directly at her.

Immediately, Lauren directs her gaze to her feet as Camila speaks to her. "Lauren, these are my two best friends from home, Marielle and Sandra Guzman."

Lauren swallows the lump in her throat and nods, not looking up. "Hello. I am Lauren Michelle Jauregui. I am Camila's... um, friend."

One of the girls – Lauren isn't sure which – clears her throat. "Oh, okay then. We were hoping for some catch up time with Mila, so..."

Camila mutters something to her friends and they laugh, and it makes Lauren incredibly paranoid, because usually when people whisper, they're saying bad things about her. She feels even worse when Camila and her two friends sit down on the couch and Camila won't even let their legs touch.

Lauren closes her eyes and tries to hold Camila's hand, because holding her girlfriend's hand always makes her less nervous. She feels like she wants to cry when Camila wrenches her hand away and mutters a sad not now.

"So... Laura, was it?" One of the girls she identifies as Marielle says. "How did you meet Camila?"

Lauren frowns, because she's asked two different questions and they're tangling together in her head. "I- um... can you slow down, please?"

Both Marielle and Sandra giggle, but Lauren knows it's not in a good way, and she wants to cry when Camila acts like nothing happened.

Marielle speaks again, her words all spaced out and slow like she's talking to a three year old. "Okay. How. Did. You. Meet. Camila?"