Together

Chapter 5

Camila grasps the wheel tightly at '10' and '2', her jaw clenched. She stares forward with such focus, I don't think she realizes I'm gazing at her. Trees pass us by as we make our way down the road.

"Where are we going?" I ask the fiery brunette, bending my head to try to get a glimpse at her face. As her hair drapes like a curtain blocking her facial features, I can't tell if she angry or very focused.

"No idea," Camila growls, and she shakes her head. "I have to wait for Austin to call me."

"Why?" I question, leaning against the seat.

"Reasons I'd rather not tell you." Camila sneers, making a sharp turn to the right. My body swerves along with the car, and I grip onto my seatbelt. Camila steps on the brake, drifting into a different lane and spinning parallel next to a long, cement bridge.

"Jeez," I mumble as Camila pulls off her seatbelt angrily. "Are you trying to kill us?"

"I think you're trying to kill yourself," Camila mutters, gazing at me for the first time in about an hour. "Following me. Lauren,—" there she goes again, using my actual name. I'm so used to her calling me 'Lo' or 'Baby', but never 'Lauren'. "— this is basically a suicide mission."

"I want to be here, Camila," I say, and I notice her eyebrows crinkle along with her nose and lips mold into a grimace. I realize that she hates that I don't use her nickname anymore. When we dated, I called her 'Camz' far more often than 'Camila'.

"You don't understand how much you miss someone when they aren't around for a while. I want to be here, with you, even if that means death for both of us. You mean so much to me, and even though you went away— my affection never did." I confess, staring Camila steadily in the eye.

Something seems to change in her eyes, I can see the gears clicking into place and morphing into something new. She opens her mouth to say something but quickly shuts it and slips out of the car without a word. I scramble to get out of the vehicle and to my feet, closing the door behind me and following Camila.

Camila climbs up the cement bridge, the wind whipping through her hair as she scales the stone. I slowly, but steadily, keep a good pace behind her, making sure not to slip. She reaches the top, sitting down and letting her feet dangle off the side above a decent sized lake.

I sit down beside her, glancing around. Dead trees are randomly planted everywhere, as well as some bushes. Leafs scatter the cement sidewalk, making the whole area seem much more colorful than it actually is. The water below us is black and churning as if it's in a blender. I see no bubbles and no splashing fish, and I begin to wonder if it's even water.

"I've spent a lot of time here." Camila says suddenly, her voice cracking as she hasn't spoke for a while.

"Why?" I ask, surprised by her soft tone.

Camila just shrugs, but I can see the amusement glint in her eyes as she smiles softly. Pulling on her scarf, she shifts her body slightly closer to mine. "I can see our middle school from here. It gave me hope."

"What do you mean 'hope'?" I cock an eyebrow, staring at Camila's perfect facial features.

The wind dies down, gently blowing against our skin. Leafs skid across the ground, the wind pushing them away. The sun is covered by clouds, creating a grayish hue in the air around us. Camila sighs slowly, turning her head to look at me. Our eyes connect— chocolate meets emerald— and her smile fades.

"I would hope that I'd see you again one day." Camila shares, her smile returning momentarily but disappearing almost as quickly. "You think it was hard. At least you knew, or thought because it isn't true, I was dead. I still knew you were alive, well, I hoped you were alive."