Love Me (Normani)

Chapter 23

Lauren wasn't surprised when she returned to the ward and was told Normani had discharged herself the second she woke up. But she was surprised to hear she had gone home with her friend. Currently she was knocking furiously on Camila's door. The door opened and Sinu stood on the other side. "Oh, hello Lauren. Well the gang's all here it seems." "Hi Sinu, Normani's here too?" "Yes, Camila only brought her home an hour ago." "I see, can I come in please?" "Oh sorry, yes of course." The older woman stepped aside to let Lauren in. "They're both upstairs in Camila's room. Go on up." "Thank you, Sinu." Lauren smiled weakly and hurried up the stairs to confront Camila. "What the hell, Camila?" was the first thing Lauren said the second she laid eyes on her friend. "Lauren." She pressed her lips together awkwardly. "How could you literally help her ruin her life??" "I'm here too, you know.." Normani mumbled. "Oh I'll deal with you in a second, don't you worry." Lauren scoffed. "Come here." Camila grabbed Lauren's wrist and lead her out the room, shutting her door behind them. "She called me and asked me to pick her up." "And you just did?" Lauren hissed lowly. "Listen, I tried to get her back into a bed, but they just said because she had discharged herself and there was another patient coming in that needed her bed there was nothing they could do. I brought her home with me because in my eyes it was better for us to know where she was and that she was safe than for her to end up only God knows where by herself and getting sicker." Lauren sighed and nodded. It did make sense now Camila had explained it. "Okay, I guess you did the right thing, under the circumstances." Lauren relented. "Thank you." Camila sighed in relief. "So now what?" "I don't know, does she still hate me?" Lauren asked sadly. "I mean from what I've heard she's not very happy with you, but she's better now that she's out of there, well, mood wise I mean." "Yeah." Lauren breathed out. "But she didn't yell at you when you came in so that's a good sign, right?" Camila offered. "Can I go in and talk to her?" "Yeah, go on, I'll just go get us all some drinks." "Thanks." Lauren mumbled while Camila descended down the stairs. The Cuban girl took a deep, calming breath and opened the door to talk to Normani. "Hey." She muttered. Normani's eyes met Lauren's for a second before they fell on her hands. "Hi." "Can I sit?" Lauren gestured to the bed limply. "Yeah." Normani mumbled. Lauren sat next to the girl and dared to lay her head down on her best friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry Mani, I was only trying to help. That's all I'm ever trying to do." Normani leant her head on Lauren's and reached over onto her lap for her hand, which Lauren immediately gave to her. "I know..it's just..so, hard." Normani said through gritted white teeth. Lauren squeezed the girl's hand and closed her eyes. "I love you so much, no matter what." "I love you too Laur." Normani mumbled. Camila was outside, listening at the door, smiling gently. She just gave it a minute before she entered the room and set all of their drinks down, already knowing they would all be untouched. "I need to pick Sofi up from her friend's house, but my Mom said you guys can stay over if you want." "Thanks Mila." Normani smiled at her weakly. "That'd be great, thanks Camz." Lauren said, sounding extremely tired. "Why don't you two have a nap and just rest for a while? I can take Sofi out for dinner after I get her, you two can have some time to..talk, or, sleep. Whatever." Camila rambled. "Camila, you know you don't have to stay out your own house." Normani chuckled. "I know I don't, I just think you two might need to talk." Camila said, looking specifically at Lauren. Lauren met her eyes and shook her head subtly. "Okay, in that case, I guess we'll talk." Normani said, all while Lauren was ever so casually daydreaming of shooting Camila in the face. "Hmm, I guess we will." Lauren said through her gritted teeth painfully. She was absolutely dreading this talk now. Thanks Camila. "Cool. Well, bye then guys. Don't miss me too much." Camila joked. "Oh I certainly won't." Lauren grumbled when she left the room. "So let's talk." Normani said determinedly. She needed a distraction, and Lauren would provide that perfectly. "Hi." Lauren said awkwardly making Normani giggle. "Hi." "Well I don't know why Camila says we need to talk." Lauren brushed it off nervously. "Oh you don't?" Normani folded her arms. "No, it's all good, I'm all good." "Yeah, of course you are, you can cut the crap now Lauren, she's gone, it's me." Normani said simply. "Nothing's even wrong, everything's fine." "Lauren, you're lying to me." "No I'm not!" Lauren insisted. "Are you kidding?" Normani laughed out. "You sound exactly like me." Lauren sighed and fell back on the bed, so Normani went with it, laying down herself and then turned her head to look at her best friend. "What's wrong? And don't lie." There was a short silence before Lauren spoke up, but not looking at Normani. "I've been self harming again." "Oh.." "Yeah." Lauren mumbled. "Does Mila know anything or?" "No, but she seems to have picked up on something being wrong." "Can I uh, can I see?" Normani asked gently. "I'd rather you didn't." Lauren said before bringing her hands up to her face and exhaling heavily. It was hard keeping it all inside. "Lauren.." Lauren let out a sob so Normani guided her into her arms and pulled her closer. "No Mani get off of me!" Lauren tried to pull away but Normani was persistent and kept her hold on her just as tight. She had been in Lauren's position, and Lauren had been in her position many times. Normani knew the girl was actually desperate to be held, yet desperate to get away at the same time, but would give in any second now. In three, two, one... Lauren sunk into the girl's hold and hid her face away in the crook of Normani's neck. "I've got you Lauren." Normani whispered into the girl's hair gently. Lauren sighed deeply as tears spilled out of her eyes uncontrollably. This was all so tiring. She hadn't slept properly in weeks and it was taking its toll on her both physically and emotionally. "Nothing's the same anymore, everything's all changed so much." Lauren spoke shakily and breathily. "How do we fix it?" Good question. "I really don't know Lo.." Normani admitted. "I wish I did." "Me too." Lauren mumbled. "I wish we were who we used to be, y'know? Before all this shit happened. Before I started..this and before you got sick." Normani swallowed the lump in her throat at her words. I'm not sick though. I'm just fine. "Yeah." Normani settled on saying, it was vague enough. "I'm sorry." Lauren apologised suddenly after a couple of minutes. "Why are you sorry?" "You're going through something much bigger than I am and I'm coming to you when you're dealing with-" "Ah! You stop right there." Normani interrupted. "You can't help struggling with self harming just like I can't help struggling with.." you don't have it. Normani cleared her throat. "anyway, I come to you, and you come to me. That's what friends are supposed to do. They're there for each other. No matter what." Lauren took a deep breath and looked at Normani. "Right. Thanks Mani." "You're welcome boo." Lauren giggled at the sweet nickname. "You're so weird." "Made you laugh though." Normani nudged the girl with a smile. "Camila was right you know, I'm unbelievably tired." Lauren said, yawning on cue. "Me too." Normani agreed. "Let's get some rest." Normani felt Lauren cuddle up to her and sighed contentedly. "Love you Mans." "Love you more Lo." While they slept, Camila had collected her little sister and was currently taking her to her favourite place to eat, Chucky E. Cheese. "Camila!" Sofi whined. "What?" The older Cuban looked down at her sister questioningly. "I said can we go in now?" "Oh, yeah, sorry Sof." Camila apologised distractedly. She was worried about Normani, it was upsetting to see someone you loved so much going through all this pain and suffering. "Can I get this?" Sofi pointed to something on the menu and Camila nodded. "Yeah, whatever you want." "Are you eating too Mila?" "That's okay, I don't really feel like Chuck E. Cheese's today, I'll just eat at home." Sofi shrugged and pointed to what she wanted on the menu when a friendly looking waitress came over. "And can I get you anything?" They asked Camila. "Uh, just a soda, thanks." The girl smiled. "Coming right up then girls." She smiled warmly, dotted the notepad with the pen and walked away. Oh how she wished she was in that position too, so simply carefree, with no worries in the world. I guess it doesn't always work out that way. Not for Normani. "Kaki look! I'm finished!" "Good job kiddo, I'll just pay." Camila waved the same waitress over from before and paid the money for the food. "Okay, let's go." "Can I have a piggy back ride home?" Sofi batted her eyelashes persuasively. Camila sighed and gave the girl a displeased look. "It's too far." "No it's not. Pleeeeeaaaaseee?" She pouted, and at that, Camila was undeniably sold. Camila reluctantly turned around and bent down a bit so her little sister could climb on her back. Sofia giggled and jumped on excitedly, Camila hoisted the girl up and thanked the woman at the desk as they left. "So what did you do at your friend's today? Did you have fun?" Camila asked. She didn't spend all that much time with her little sister these days. With all of the school work, Austin, and her friend's personal problems, she had been slacking on her sister duties. "We had so much fun Mila! We played hopscotch and her Mom took us out, we went to the park and then we went back and snakes and ladies-" Camila giggled. "Ladders, Sof." "Yeah that! We went on the swings and the roundabout but we got dizzy and we had to stop." "Wow. That does sound like a fun day." Camila smiled up at her sister when they stopped at a road. "Uh huh!" Sofi grinned back down at her before she lifted her head to look at everything around her. "It's so high up here! You can see everything!" "You know you'll grow up and be this tall one day as well, maybe taller." Camila chuckled when the green man lit up and she started to cross the road. Sofi's eyes lit up. "Really??" "Yeah! But enjoy being a kid for me, 'kay? It sucks growing up." "Okay." Sofi agreed as she hopped down at their front door. "Promise?" Camila asked her, kneeling down to her level and holding out her pinkie. Sofi nodded and linked her pinkie with Camila's. "I promise Kaki." Camila kissed their hands and Sofi did the same. "Have all the fun in the world and enjoy your youth." "I will!" Sofi called over her shoulder as she ran inside when their father opened the door. "Good, it passes by so fast." Camila mumbled. "What does mija?" Alejandro asked. "Hm? Oh, don't worry, it's nothing papi." "Okay honey, your friends are still upstairs, dead to the world." Hopefully one isn't actually dead. "Thanks Papi. I'll go up now. Oh, and Sofi's had dinner, so don't let her con you into a second one." "Duly noted." He chuckled as he followed his youngest daughter into the kitchen. Camila went upstairs and opened her door to see two sleeping girls, but she felt terrible having to check Normani's pulse. Normani noticed and opened her eyes, snatching her hand back. "Uh, rude much?" "Sorry." Camila mumbled, laying next to the two girls. "How's Lauren?" "She's out for the count." Normani said. "Did you get some sleep too?" "Yeah, I did." Normani said, looking at the Cuban properly. "I'm sorry if I offended you, I'm just really worried about you Normani. Please don't make me regret picking you up and bringing you home, well, here. But you'll always have a home here too." "I know. I appreciate you doing that for me. You won't regret it Mila." Normani kissed her cheek, the sweet action made Camila smile and she threw an arm over Normani's waist. "How's Sofi?" "She had fun at her friend's, I feel like I've been neglecting her a little though. You know, what with Austin and.." Me. Good going Normani. "stuff." Camila finished awkwardly. "Can I get you something to eat? Something small? Just like, jello, or something." "Uh.." You'll regret it if you do...I have to do it, for Camila. She can't regret getting me out of hospital. I'll burn it off as soon as possible. "yeah, sure." A smile lit up Camila's face and she heaved herself up from the bed, going downstairs gladly to receive the light dessert. I'll just purge it later.