Camila sat in her car for what felt like forever, watching the stream of people go into the banquet hall. All of them dressed in elegant suits and dresses, it was clear they were here to impress their old classmates.
Huffing, Camila got out of the car. "It's just two hours. You'll be fine! Gwen got you the nice champagne at the hotel, it'll be fine." She tried to convince herself.
The DJ continued playing his worst playlist as everybody mixed and mingled with one another. Camila walked to the open bar where she ordered herself some whiskey in hopes the reunion would go by faster if she was drunk.
"Thank you," Camila tipped the bartender before taking her drink. She avoided making eye contact with Dinah when she sees the tall blonde woman walk in, Normani attached to her side and a woman she'd never seen in her entire life staying close to them.
"Hey," Dinah's chirpy voice drew some of her attention away from her drink. "Getting started already?"
Camila snorted. "You couldn't have possibly thought..." She froze when she finally looks in Dinah's direction, not expecting to see intimidating emerald eyes staring right back at her. "...That I was going to be sober during this entire thing."
Who the hell is this woman?
"Ralph here," Dinah patted the green-eyed woman on the back. "Is going to be our designated driver for the night. So, she and Normani are just going to make sure we don't do anything stupid."
"I don't need anyone to babysit me," Camila chuckled. "I can handle my liquor,"
"I'm sure you can," the woman mumbled under her breath, annoyance written all over her face.
"I'm Camila. Camila Cabello." She held out her hand. "And you are?"
"Lauren," was the unenthusiastic response she gets.
Normani cleared her throat. "Lauren and I are going to find Ally, make sure to answer your phone if I call you."
"Got it," Dinah nodded. Once Normani was out of earshot, she glared at Camila. "Stop flirting with Ralph,"
"I'm not flirting," Camila said defensively. "I just wanted to know who she was,"
"You were looking at her with those 'I-want-to-fuck-you' eyes! Quit it! She just got out of a bad breakup and doesn't need an asshole like you right now."
Camila rebuttoned her jacket as she held her drink with her other hand. "You used to boss me around all the time on the court even though I was your captain. Nice to know things don't change."
"Eh, you were an easy target back then,"
"Go to hell, Dinah Jane," Camila grinned. "But, seriously, who is she?"
"You don't recognize her?"
Camila shook her head. "She looks kind of familiar,"
"That's Lauren Jauregui, she dated Nick in high school. That one nut head quarterback? Ring a bell now?"
"I knew it," Camila snapped her fingers repeatedly as she tried to recall more information. "She used to wear blue all the time and carry around that stupid book."
"It's her favorite book," Dinah grabbed a glass of champagne for herself. "She stayed in Miami after graduation until Normani convinced her to come here."
"Was the guy that bad?"
"He's worse than you could ever imagine," she responded vaguely.
"What does she do for a living now?"
Dinah raised the glass to her lips. "Well, wouldn't you like to know?"
"Answer the question," Camila scowled.
"She's a professor at Northeastern with Mani," the tall blonde woman smiled at her wife who was looking in their direction. "Psychology, I think,"
"What a smart ass," Camila murmured. "I wonder if she knows who I am,"
"Who the hell doesn't know who you are? Why do you think everybody has been staring at us the second I came over here?"
"I like to think I'm a regular woman,"
Dinah scoffed. "You're far from regular, Cabello. How about we go meet up with them now? I have to say hi to Ally still."
She was taken aback by Dinah's kindness, and how welcoming she had been the moment they saw each other in the deli despite them not having any form of a bond besides a surface-level one back then.
Hesitantly, Camila agreed. "Sure, why not?"
The two women walked over to where Normani and Lauren were standing—talking to a much smaller woman she assumed was Ally.
Ally immediately noticed Camila. "Holy shit, Cabello. I didn't think you were going to show up."
"Your best friend is right here and you're worried about her." Dinah pouted.
"Why does everybody think that?" She referred to the last part of Ally's sentence. "I'm not that bad of a person."
"Sure," she heard Lauren say quietly from behind her.
Camila turned to look at the raven-haired woman. "I'm serious. You barely know me, Lauren."
"I'm surprised you remembered my name,"
"Hard to forget such a pretty name for a pretty girl," Camila said smoothly, her smirk curving into a frown when Lauren doesn't even bat an eye at her compliment.
"I'm going to get a drink," Lauren informed her friends, ignoring how Dinah kept saying she was the designated driver for the night.
"She doesn't seem like much fun to be around,"
"You're intimidating," Normani piped up. "It's good to see you again, Mila. You look great."
"And you look just as beautiful as I remember. But careful, Dinah might rip my head off if you keep talking like that." Camila gauged her old friend's reaction. "I hear you're a professor now,"
"Only for a few more weeks. Then I'm on bed rest for God knows how long."
The dark-haired woman swiveled the dark liquor around in her cup. "I'm sure Dinah will take great care of you. I just need a refill, if you excuse me." Camila departed from the group, hyperaware of all of the people staring her down as she stands next to Lauren at the bar.
"Gin and tonic," she's pleasantly surprised by the professor's drink of choice. "Good choice,"
Lauren merely shrugged in response. "I could say the same for you,"
"My dad used to drink it all the time and... I guess it rubbed off on me."
"I can't imagine someone as rich as him drinking anything else,"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
The raven-haired woman avoided making eye contact with her. "What are you doing here?"
"To see my old classmates," Camila answered. "Why do you sound so surprised that I'm here?"
"Because you didn't peak in high school," Lauren thanked the bartender as he refilled her drink.
Camila briefly thought about what Harry told her the other day. "Are you saying you did?"
"Absolutely not," Lauren laughed for the first time all night, her melodic laughter making Camila want to laugh too. "I had braces and no sense of style all four years. I'm here on a favor."
It was the truth. Lauren wasn't exactly a target for the popular kids, but she was a nobody. She'd wear long sleeves all the time and always have her hair pulled back in a ponytail, it shocked Camila to see how beautiful and luscious the black locks were now.
"I thought it'd be nice to get out of the house," came Camila's response.
"To spend your night at an open bar talking to a girl you ignored ten years ago?"
When Camila didn't have a witty response, Lauren smirked. "That's what I thought. Anyway, nice seeing you again. Make sure you sign Normani's magazine that she brought along."
"Normani has one of my magazines?"
Lauren disappeared out of her line of sight before she can even answer her question, leaving Camila alone at the bar.
The night carried on at a brutally slow pace, she sat alone at one of the tables in the back, watching the entire football team go up and give some random drunken speech that was just them reminiscing on their golden years back then.
Harry (8:19 PM): Are you still alive?
Camila (8:21 PM): Barely
Harry (8:21 PM): If it makes you feel better... Shawn made you some apple pie for tomorrow night
Camila (8:26 PM): I might just steal your man if he keeps baking me shit
Harry (8:35 PM): Never mind, I'm eating it all tonight
Camila (8:35 PM): Fuck you, Styles
Harry (8:37 PM): You wish! Make sure to take pictures ;)
She shoved her phone back into her pocket, undoing another one of the buttons on her shirt when it begins to get more stuffy in the banquet. It was almost nine and she figured it'd be better to leave now and avoid all of the awkward goodbyes.
The second she's outside, she pulls out a much-needed cigarette and lights it up, feeling the anxiety vanish from her body almost instantly. But a dark figure in the parking lot alone catches her attention.
"Stop fucking call me, Nicholas. I don't know how many times you want me to say it! Leave me alone." Camila instantly recognizes Lauren's voice. "No... Absolutely not. You can throw whatever shit that's still there. I don't need you to bring anything. I'm—are you out of your fucking mind? I'm done speaking to you."
Camila stomped out her half-finished cigarette, walking over to the professor who picks up on her approaching footsteps. "Are you—"
"Save it," Lauren held her hand up to silence her. "I don't need your fucking pity. Have a good rest of your night, Camila."
Without another word, Lauren stomped back inside the banquet hall, leaving a stunned Camila behind. "I cannot believe people call me the asshole," she scowled before unlocking her car.