If I Were A Boy (camren)

Chapter Fourteen

Before I knew it I was checked out from the hospital and back playing multiple shows across the country. It was weeks after my recent incident with Austin where we had our final concert, ending the tour we were on for a couple of months. I was sprawled across a couch that was located in the back of the moving bus; my reading glasses propped on the ridge of my nose as I glared harmlessly at the closed paperback book that sat in my lap.

All the trauma in my head caused reading to be much for difficult than the doctors had imagined. They said it would be hard for the first few days during the time I was sent out of my first hospital experience. Now it was probably a month later, and I still couldn't process the black outlined words as well.

"Are you tired or something?" A small voice muttered. 

I tilted my head to face the doorway where Camila stood, leaning against the open edges. 

"No," my tone growled. 

She frowned and took a step closer towards the couch, "Then why are you just sitting there with your glasses on, but not even reading."

"It's none of your concern," I replied roughly. The truth was that I was embarrassed, afraid, nervous of how people would react once I told them I struggled with reading; something I was an expert at before.

"I just think you're tired," Camila pushed. "You've got the mood for it too."

"Can you just leave me alone?" I spat angrily just as I picked up the book from resting on my legs and swung it as hard as I could at the door. 

Camila's facial expression didn't change as the object hit the wall beside the open door with a loud thwack. I was even more shocked when she casually slumped over to the book and picked it back up to inspect it.

"To Kill A Mockingbird," she read aloud before raising an eyebrow and making eye contact with me. "Mind if I borrow it?"

"It's not like I can read it anyways," I rolled my eyes, but immediately took back my words after they flowed from my mouth.

"What do you mean, Laur?" Camila questioned with now both eyebrows floating as she looked away from the book.

"Nothing, never mind," I quickly tried to cover, but that didn't stop her.

"Can you" -Camila made an obvious gulp- "not read?"

"No! I mean, I don't know," I admitted to her sheepishly as I removed my glasses. "I can with some words, but others are too difficult."

"Does it have to do with hitting your head?" Camila asked, making her way over to sit down next to me.

I grunted, "Of course it does! It's not like one day I woke up and just forget how to read!"

"I don't think you're tired," Camila shrugged and rested her head against the coach cushion to her side. "I think you're exhausted."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Lauren I'm serious. Just take a nap or something, I promise you'll feel so much better afterwards."

"If I do, will you leave me alone?"

"No," Camila answered with a straight face.

"Camila Cabello," I faced her. I opened my mouth to continue, but closed it shut when I realized Camila's eyes were staring, intrigued, down at my lips. "W-what are you doing?"

"I'm sitting here with you talking about reading," she simply answered without moving her glance. "And how you have trouble with it."

There was a long period of silence before I decided to speak up again, "Do it."