You Help Me Live (Camren)

Chapter 9: Keeping Secrets (Lauren's P.O.V)

Lauren's P.O.V: 

As I lay on top of Camila kissing her, I wasn't even thinking about the world around me. My heart was racing and my brain was spinning, and my attention was fully taken by Camila. It wasn't until I heard the voice behind me that I ripped myself from Camila and focused on the problem that was about to come upon us. 

As I turned my head, I was greeted by the shocked face of Normani standing near the front door. She wore a button up coat and red skinny jeans along with Ugg boots. In her hands were a pair of keys and I knew that they must be mine. 

"Normani, what are you doing here?!" I said while getting off of Camila only to remember that I was only in a bra and pants. Although Normani had seen me in such a state before, something in my mind told me to cover myself. I ended up bending down and picking up the shirt I had discarded from before and slipping it on before I walked over to Normani's speechless, and motionless body. I took one last look at Camila before leading Normani outside.  

I couldn't see Camila's face because she had tucked it down into her knees which she had pulled up to her chest. Somewhere in my chest I knew she was crying, and I really wanted to ignore Normani and console her, but she won't get better if I don't clear this up. 

Normani and I left out the front door and I sat her down in a swing that my parents had put on the porch years before. I sat on the porch railing and placed my head in my hand. How do I even begin to explain this to Normani, or anyone for that matter? 

Normani still had said nothing when I finally got the nerve to look at her. She was looking straight ahead and her mouth was closed, but her eyes said she had so much to say. 

"When did this happen Lauren?" The sudden change in the silence startled me, but I recollected myself and began thinking of an answer. Was she talking about when I decided that I might like girls, or when I decided that I love Camila, because both had been decided pretty recently? 

"What do you mean?" My reply obviously wasn't the correct answer, because the next thing I knew, Normani had whipped her head in my direction, with a look of annoyance on her face. I was probably supposed to have known what she meant. 

"Oh, what do I mean, maybe around the fact that you're a fucking lesbian?!" She screamed this in my direction, and I prayed that no one over heard her. Her calling me that name struck a nerve, and I went from being worried to being enraged. 

"What right do you have to call me a lesbian? Yeah sure I was kissing a girl, but that doesn't mean I don't find guys equally appealing. I could like doing dogs and you wouldn't have a right to label me as anything!" I said as I jumped off the railing and positioned myself right in front of Normani. My arms were crossed in front of my chest and my face was hopefully saying that I wasn't going to take anymore shit from her. 

"I sure as hell have a right to label you! I just walked in on you making out with another girl!" Normani stood up after she said this and attempted to copy my stance. 

"I can make out with whoever I want to. Or have you forgotten your vivid demonstration of such a notion from Friday night?" I said getting myself closer to Normani's face in an act to intimidate her. Apparently it did the trick, because she ended her pursuit to copy my stance and backed up a bit. 

"Whatever, just know that I'm not going to hang out with someone like, 'you'." She walked past me and dropped my keys on the porch before walking off of it and heading in the direction of her house. Before she got to the driveway I called her name one last time to make sure what I had just said had sunk in. 

"Remember this, if my secret spills, so does yours. Do we have an understanding?" I said as I waited for her answer. She nodded her head and walked away without another word. I stood watching her walk away for a while until I remembered that I had a crying Camila in my house, and that I was the only one that she probably wanted to see right now. I grabbed my keys and went inside.