Never Look Back (A Lauren Jauregui Story)

I'm Not Crazy

Never Look Back (Chapter 41)

Normani

When I got Taylor's phone call regarding the whole Lauren and Camila mess, I called Ally and we immediately packed our things and booked the earliest flight to Florida. We had to be there for Lauren, I know this is not her, from what I've heard from Taylor, but I have to make sure my friend Camila is also alright.

"She's not answering." I sighed, clicking my phone as Ally tried dialing Camila's number. I was driving, so it's her turn now.

"I have a feeling she won't be answering our phone calls." Ally looked at me sadly.

"But I just want to know if she's okay. If Ava's feeling better?" I said as Ally's face changed.

"Mila! Hey." Ally said slapping my leg repeatedly.

"I am driving, Allison!" I groaned, pushing her arm away from my leg.

"Loudspeaker!" I mouthed to her as she nodded her head putting the phone on loudspeaker.

"Ally, I can't really talk that long right now."

"Mila, we're not taking sides, so we really need to know what happened. Is Ava alright?" I asked her as she sighed on the other line.

"But you're on your way to Lauren's right?"

"We are, Mila."

There was about a minute of silence on Camila's line. I sensed she didn't want to tell us anything.

"Hey, it's okay if you're not ready to talk—"

"No. It- It's okay." She sighed. "Can we face time?"

"Yeah! Of course." Ally said as she immediately grabbed my phone and dialed Mila's number on Facetime. "Hang up, Mila. Mani will call you on Facetime."

"Hey." Camila smiled on the screen. Well, tried to smile was the perfect word. She looks exhausted. She was in bed, probably in her own house now. It looked like a room she would have. There were books on the shelf behind her. I could faintly see the Twilight Series.

"Hey Mila. It's good to see you." Ally said as I looked for a parking space. Publix, the grocery store, is still packed at this time of the day. It's almost 7 in the evening, Miami time. So it would be 4 in the afternoon in California.

"I'm sorry about all this mess Lauren and I made. I know you girls have been friends with Lauren first, so it's okay if you're taking her side."

"We're not taking anyone's side, Camila---" Ally started but she was interrupted by Camila.

"But you're not on your way to California to check up on me and Ava right? So I guess that's not taking sides, in your opinion. Anyway—"

"Mila. That's not fair—"

"It's fine. I guess. Anyway, Lauren and I had an argument about Ava's behavior, and one thing led to another, she almost forced her self. In to me." Camila's eyes was starting to water. "I don't think she was herself, you know. But - but it maybe partially my fault for not telling her about Cuba, but everything came back to me. Like I was---"

"Camila. What happened in Cuba?" Ally asked softly as Camila sobbed in her arms.

I don't think she needed to explain things to us to know what happened in Cuba fucked her up, literally and figuratively.

"But she also hit Ava. But she didn't mean to do it. I know she didn't mean to do it. I know Lauren is not capable of doing these things. Lauren is not like this. She isn't like this, right?"