For You ... -Camren

**CHAPTER 11**

"Maybe to you. But for those of us who are a bit slower on the uptake..." She trailed off, giving Carol a significant look.

"Lauren, let me ask you this. What do you think your problem is?"

"I don't have a problem." Carol raised her eyebrows, and Lauren felt herself deflate. "Fine. I don't know. Anger issues?"

"No."

"Anger management issues?"

"No."

"Mrs. Cabello, just tell me. This could last all day."

"Since the accident, you've let everyone walk all over you." Lauren felt her mouth fall open, immediately shaking her head in denial. But Carol wasn't done. "You have. You've let Camila treat you terribly, you forgave your friends rather quickly even though they mistreated you, you came here. Do you understand? You said yes to Camila when she asked for your help even though she'd been ignoring you."

"That's not how it went."

"But essentially, it is. When you first came here, I told you that you needed to grow a backbone, show some fire."

"I remember."

"Didn't you wonder why? Didn't you wonder what would make someone you just met say that?"

"I assumed it was your personality."

"It was because you were broken, hun. You were beaten down. Do you know what it's like to see that your own granddaughter has hurt someone so much that there's literally no fight left?" Lauren swallowed, once again shaking her head.

"Camila didn't—"

"She did. She did. And she's trying, she's trying so hard to make up for her mistakes, but she's terrible at it."

"Mrs. Cabello—"

"Don't you dare. Don't you dare defend her. I know everything. I talked to Camila and I've talked to you, and I can easily fill in the gaps. She has abandonment issues, you have trust issues, and it's all a mess." She sat in the chair across from Lauren, reaching out to take her hand, squeezing it tightly. And Lauren could do nothing but stare, could do nothing but shake, could do nothing but sit. "Listen to me very carefully. I don't agree with Ally's methods. But she did what I couldn't do, what Camila couldn't do."

"And what's that?"

"She made you angry. And not just a little flare that spluttered out minutes later. She made you furious, filled you with justified anger that lasted. And you stood up for yourself."

"She forced me to find my backbone. My fire. Etcetera." Carol smiled, nodding.

"Exactly."

"You should've yelled at me, Mrs. Cabello. Taken care of this ages ago."

It was a weak joke, she knew that, Carol knew that, but they both laughed anyway. And Lauren felt her heart grow lighter. She'd always felt a certain fondness for the older woman. In many ways, Carol had basically taken Lauren under her wing, had provided a sense of stability and safety and shielded her from the full brunt of her own feelings. But now, sitting across from Carol, she felt more than fondness. There was genuine affection, a sense that Carol Cabello truly did think of her as family, truly did mean it when she offered Lauren a place on her couch.

"I don't have the heart to yell at you," Carol said, grinning, patting Lauren's hand. "I thought that if I pushed you, though, if I said at it again and again, you'd get the hint. But..." She shrugged, getting to her feet.

"Why did Camila really ask me here?"

"Ask her."

"She won't tell me. And she won't tell me why she wishes I'd just say the safe word and leave." Carol pressed her lips into a thin smile, shrugging again.