Shake Your Skeleton (Camren)

Chapter 7

"Okay, wait," Lauren said through giggles, propping her head up with her arm to look at the ghost lying beside her. "You actually ran across town naked?"

Camila grinned sheepishly, blushing as she shrugged. "It was a dare! How could I not?"

"Here's a thought: say no."

"But... It was a dare , Lauren," Camila said again, pouting. The young brunette chuckled, rolling her eyes. It was the next day, and Lauren had once again come by to visit the ghost before she went to school. They were lying side by side on the mattress, Camila hovering next to the young brunette as they took turns telling random goofy stories and anecdotes they had gone through before. Lauren's ankle was equipped with a walking cast, her mother having brought her to the doctor the night before once the two had calmed down. He had stated it was a simple sprain, but since Lauren had put a little too much strain on it, most likely when she had run away after injuring it, he had said it had been worsened enough to be a concern. Lauren hadn't really wanted a cast at all, but she was glad it was one she could at least walk in without crutches.

"Stop snickering," Camila reprimanded playfully, her ghostly hand moving out to swat at Lauren's arm. It phased right through, and the young brunette involuntarily shivered, grin never faltering. "It's your turn to share a story."

"Okay, okay," Lauren said, sticking tongue in her cheek to hold back her smile. "Um, let's see... Well, when I was four, my dad took me to my uncle's farm, and he had a really big golden retriever. His name was Toby, and like most dogs do, he started barking and jumping all over me. Since I was so little at the time he knocked me over in his commotion, and I got really freaked out because it was my first time seeing a dog in real life. My dad was able to get the dog off me, but ever since then I've been afraid of big dogs," Lauren finished her story with a sheepish grin.

"That's kind of adorable," Camila chuckled. "You know you're big enough now that dogs won't be able to knock you over, right? Though maybe you're not that much bigger," she said teasingly.

"Shut up!" Lauren laughed incredulously at the short joke, rolling her eyes. "I can't always be a super bad ass."

"You realize you were cowering in fear the first time I saw you right? I think you lost your bad ass title that day."

"You're never gonna let me forget that, are you?"

Camila giggled, sticking her tongue out. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm afraid of the dark."

Lauren sobered slightly at this, raising an eyebrow. "Doesn't it get dark out here every night?"

The ghost averted her eyes. "Well, yeah, but I've gotten used to it. It doesn't freak me out as much as it used to anymore."

Lauren stared at Camila's bowed head thoughtfully. "I'll find a way to get you out of here eventually," she promised.

"Lauren..."

"As much as I love spending time with you, you don't deserve to be stuck in this disgusting shed. You're too nice a person for that," the teenager spoke, and Camila chanced a glance up at Lauren, heart warming at seeing the pure concern on the young brunette's face. She barely registered how close their faces had become as her eyes locked with Lauren's, the inensity of her gaze taking Camila's breath away. She absentmindedly began to admire Lauren's eyes, getting lost in the varying shades of green. Lauren's eyes were really pretty, she mused silently. Heck, Lauren was really pretty.

"You have pretty eyes," she whispered to the younger brunette, watching Lauren blush and duck her head bashfully.

"Um, thanks. They're nothing really amazing or anything though. I mean, your eyes are like so bright brown and breathtaking," she said, her voice low as she looked back up to stare into Camila's bright glowing orbs. "They're really beautiful."