Lauren had never loved the city. Everything was so busy and she was only one person. She could never keep up with all of the commotion happening 24 hours a day. But the New York Academy of Art was her dream school, and when she'd gotten accepted, she decided she could deal with living in the city. After all, she was living alongside her three best friends. Everyone assumed Lauren was living the dream.
Which she was, no doubt. After living in Miami for so long, Lauren was itching to get out. That's why immediately following her graduation, she took off into the sunset and arrived in New York City the next day.
Moving to New York had been a dream she shared with her three best friends. Lauren, Ally, Dinah, and Normani had all grown close in their freshman year of high school after working backstage on the school's production of 'The Little Mermaid.' When their junior year came around, they saved up enough money, sent in their college applications, and realized that they could actually make their dream a reality.
And now here they were, two months into the fall semester of their first year of college. Lauren loved how her life was turning out, but she couldn't help but feel increasingly lonely. It's not like she didn't have friends, because she had plenty of them. There was just something missing.
Her sophomore year, news had got out that Lauren was gay. She'd expected her three best friends to turn away from her, but surprisingly they could care less. They stood by her side during the incessant bullying she received. Lauren was forever grateful for her roommates. Without them, she'd be nowhere near as happy as she was now.
But in some ways, her sexuality held her back. It wasn't exactly hard to come across another lesbian, especially in New York, but Lauren was extremely inexperienced when it came to any type of relationship. So out of fear, she kept to herself.
The moment she pushed the door to their shared industrial apartment open, Lauren was greeted by her three roommates. Or should she say two, considering Ally was asleep on the couch. Normani and Dinah looked up from their phones and smiled in greeting to the dark haired girl.
"You'll never guess what happened today," Dinah gushed, forgetting about her phone and following Lauren into the kitchen. "You remember that cute foreign kid in my hip hop class?" she asked, but didn't wait for Lauren to respond. "He asked me for my number!" The Polynesian girl clapped her hands together excitedly and Lauren couldn't help but laugh.
"I didn't doubt you for a second when you told me you'd make it happen," Lauren teased, letting her backpack slip off of her shoulder and onto the floor by the doorway.
Dinah crinkled her nose at her roommate and hopped up onto the counter. "So what's for dinner, Lo?"
Rolling her eyes, Lauren sighed. "You couldn't have befriended a culinary major? That would've done us all a favor. I'm tired of being the only one who knows how to cook." She opened the pantry, scanning to see what she could throw together and call a meal.
"I got it!" Dinah called, causing Lauren to turn around in confusion. She hadn't even heard anything. Forgetting about dinner, she followed the other girl towards the door. Dinah's face held an unreadable expression when she opened the door, and Lauren instantly grew confused. They rarely got visitors, and when they did it was usually someone at the wrong apartment.
"Hi!" the cheery voice rang out from behind the door. Lauren instantly felt sick to her stomach. She jogged over to Dinah's side to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. And she sure wasn't.
"Camila Cabello?" Dinah asked. She was just as confused as Lauren was. Normani quickly came up behind them, too, glancing at Lauren with concern in her eyes. They all knew how Lauren felt about Camila.
The truth is, Lauren hadn't come out in high school. She'd been outed by the girl standing right in front of them. Camila Cabello, also known as the most popular girl at their high school. She was head cheerleader, prom queen, leading role in every school play. You name it, Camila had done it. Everyone knew her name.
"Yes," the small girl on the other side of the door nodded once, confirming who it was. When she didn't say anything else, the three roommates exchanged glances.
"I'll wake up Ally," Normani said. All three of them knew the oldest girl was the best at being friendly. Lauren couldn't believe the girl she hated with every fiber of her being was now standing at the door of her apartment, seemingly oblivious to everything she'd done to her. Dinah and Normani knew exactly how much Lauren resented the small girl. None of them had expected to see her again once they left Florida.
But now here she was, smiling like an idiot and trying to crane her neck to see into their apartment. Lauren and Dinah looked at one another, stepping aside when Normani and Ally came back over to the doorway. Ally still appeared to be half asleep, but she quickly snapped out of her daze when she saw the other girl at the doorway.
"What?" she asked, looking at Camila and then back at her roommates. "What's going on?" Lauren shrugged, and Dinah and Normani raised their eyebrows, as if to silently say they were just as confused as she was.
"Was there something you needed?" Ally asked, turning back to Camila, who still stood in the doorway with a smile on her face. Lauren found it quite weird.
"Oh, yeah, that," the smaller girl giggled and pursed her lips for a moment. "I need a bed." She slipped past Ally and into the apartment, standing in the middle of the giant room and spinning in a circle to take it all in. "Do you have one of those?"
Dinah closed the door, shooting Lauren a questioning look. All four girls turned to one another, keeping an eye on their old classmate.
"What the hell?" Lauren was the first to speak up, keeping her voice low so Camila couldn't hear her. Camila seemed to be off in her own little world. She seemed... different. All four girls were confused. It was like she'd become a completely different person.
"Camila?" Ally spoke again, giving the girls a nod to try and tell them she could handle this. The shorter girl walked over to Camila, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Why do you need a bed? Where'd you come from?"
"My house," Camila shrugged. She seemed completely oblivious to the fact that the other girls in the room all had been at the receiving end of her reign of terror in high school. "Do you have a bed? I need one of those."
"Don't you have your own bed?" Ally asked. She shot the other girls a pleading look, realizing she couldn't handle this on her own. Normani and Dinah stepped forward but Lauren stayed back. She had too much build up resentment for the girl. She'd much rather leave Camila out in the hallway.
"Yeah, but I have to walk a long way to get it," Camila turned away from Ally and walked over to the couch, sitting down and picking up the TV remote. Normani turned back to Lauren and made a face of confusion.
"Don't mess with that," Dinah quickly took the remote from the small girl's hands and set it on the coffee table. "Camila, you need to go home," the Polynesian girl adopted a serious tone, standing directly in front of Camila and crossing her arms over her chest. After Camila had outed Lauren, Dinah had become increasingly protective of the green-eyed girl. She didn't know why Camila was back, and she didn't care to find out.
"But we're friends," Camila pouted, looking up at Dinah with pleading eyes. She pursed her lips in thought for a moment before raising her finger in the air, as if she'd come across a type of revelation. "Remember? We had chemistry together!"
Dinah raised an eyebrow. The girl was right, even though she'd only shown up to half of her classes, she remembered occasionally seeing Camila across the classroom. That didn't make them anything close to friends, though.
"Camila, you really need to go home," Dinah reiterated. She didn't wait for a response, instead she took the girl by the arm and pulled her up from the couch. Camila only giggled as Dinah led her over to the door and out into the hallway.
"I have to go home?"
"Yes," Dinah nodded, pointing towards the elevator down the hallway. Camila's smile finally faltered, but she didn't get a chance to respond before Dinah was closing the door in the small girl's face. She turned back to her roommates.
"What the hell was that?" Normani walked up beside Dinah and made sure the door was locked. All three girls knew what Camila had done to Lauren, and they knew she didn't deserve any of their hospitality.
"She was acting like an idiot," Lauren observed, laughing bitterly.
"She's right," Ally nodded. The oldest girl suddenly grew concerned. "She was acting strange."
Lauren shrugged and dismissed the thought. "She's probably drunk," she chuckled and walked back into the kitchen. "It's supposed to rain tonight," she added, trying to get her mind off of Camila. What had she been doing here? Lauren crinkled her nose, thinking back to when her high school life had taken a turn for the worse.
-
4 years ago
"It's funny because it's true, Lo," Dinah laughed from across the table. Lauren looked up from her food and stuck her tongue out at her friend.
"There's no way he likes me," Lauren rolled her eyes. She looked back down at the table and bit her lip. "Plus, he's not even cute. I'm not into guys like that."
"Or maybe you're not into guys at all."
The voice from behind Lauren caused all four girls to look up from their phones. Except for Lauren, who realized her phone wasn't sitting next to her on the table like it usually was. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach and she turned around, knowing exactly who the voice belonged to.
"That's interesting," Camila laughed, scrolling through the phone in her hands. Lauren's phone. "I knew you were gay, but I didn't know you were this gay," she sneered, raising an eyebrow and looking up at Lauren.
"Don't you dare, Cabello," Dinah shot up out of her seat. The Polynesian girl wasn't exactly sure what Camila was talking about, but she'd seen the look of horror on Lauren's face, and assumed this was something important. All the girls at the table had fallen victim to Camila Cabello at one point or another, and they knew how it felt.
"You know, too?" Camila didn't seem at all afraid of the taller girl who was now hovering over her. She waved the phone in front of Dinah's face and turned away before she could snatch it out of her hands. By now, they'd drawn the attention of the cafeteria. It was as if all eyes were on them.
"I don't know, Tori," Camila mocked Lauren's voice. Lauren's heart dropped into her chest when she realized what Camila had found. "I told him I was gay, and he seemed like he was okay with it. I don't know how I'm going to tell my mother, though," Camila read through Lauren's messages and laughed, rolling her eyes.
"I knew it," Camila sneered. She tossed the phone in Lauren's direction and Normani had to dive out of her chair to catch the device before it fell to the ground. Lauren was still frozen.
"What the hell, Cabello?" Dinah yelled after the girl, who was already walking back to her table where the other cheerleaders sat waiting for her. Just as Dinah was about to go after her, a dark blur whizzed past her and out of the cafeteria.
Lauren took off down the hallway and into the upstairs bathroom, knowing it would be empty at this time of day. The tears fell freely as soon as she was alone. Lauren had only told one person that she was gay, besides her father. She'd met her friend Tori on an online chat board, and she was the one who'd encouraged her to talk to her dad. Luckily, her father had taken it well.
Lauren wished the same could be said for the rest of her school. Except she'd never even had the chance to come out on her own. Camila had just done it for her. And Lauren definitely hadn't been ready.
The dark-haired girl slid down with her back against the wall, and she let her head fall into her hands as the sobs rocked through her body. What was she going to do now? She felt sick when she imagined what everyone was saying about her right now. Even her best friends were going to hate her after this.
Lauren flinched when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Dinah?" she whispered, wiping her eyes and looking up at the girl standing above her.
"C'mere," Dinah said softly, holding out her hand to help Lauren to her feet. Hesitantly, Lauren stood up. Seconds later, she was pulled into a tight hug. She felt two other pairs of arms wrap around her and couldn't hold back the second round of tears.
"I'm s-s-sorry," she managed to say once she pulled away from the hug. Her three best friends stared back at her, looking extremely concerned.
"Sorry for what?" Dinah asked, reaching out and placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.
"That," Lauren sighed, motioning in the direction of the cafeteria. "Me."
"You thought we'd be mad at you?" Ally spoke up, shock evident in her voice. Lauren nodded slowly and Ally couldn't help but laugh. "Lo, we don't care if you're gay, honestly, we're happy if you're happy."
The other two girls nodded in agreement and Lauren brought her hands up to cover her mouth. "You don't?"
"God, Laur, of course we don't care," Normani added. "You're still the same Lauren that you were before, screw Cabello and whatever she thinks."
Lauren gave them a sad smile. "Thank you guys," she whispered, and seconds later she was surrounded in a group hug. "And just so you know, I don't... you know, like any of you guys in that way."
"What?!" Dinah pulled away and pouted. "Why not? What's wrong with me?"
The girls in the bathroom all laughed and Dinah crossed her arms teasingly. Lauren wiped her eyes, trying to make it appear like she hadn't been crying. She felt an arm link with hers and looked over at Dinah with a soft smile.
"Let's go show em' just who they're messing with, Jauregui."
-
"What do you guys want for dinner?" Lauren bit her lip and sifted through the pantry, trying to push the bad memories to the back of her mind. She looked over at the other three girls and raised an eyebrow when she saw the unreadable expression on Ally's face.
"I wonder if she's okay," the oldest girl finally spoke up. Lauren rolled her eyes almost immediately.
"She's either completely stoned, or drunk off her ass," Lauren ran a hand through her hair. "Or both, who knows. Just forget about her, that's what I'm doing." She grabbed a box of pasta and held it up for the other girls to see. "Does this work?"
"Only if it's cooked," Dinah teased, and Lauren threw the box at the younger girl. "Shut up," she laughed, pointing to the stove. "Make yourself useful and boil some water." The other girl raised a playful eyebrow at Lauren and set the box down on the counter, bending down to grab a pot from the bottom cabinets.
Dinah and Lauren made dinner while Normani and Ally busied themselves by blasting music throughout the apartment. Their apartment was essentially one big room. The living room, kitchen, and office were all in the main living area of the apartment. There were 4 bedrooms up the spiral staircase, and two bathrooms across the hall.
"Dinner's ready!" Lauren called, banging a spoon against the pot of spaghetti so the other girls could hear over the music. Normani and Ally came running in, and Lauren handed them both their plates. The four girls grabbed their drinks and made their way into the living room, collapsing on the couch after a long day.
"It's Lauren's turn to pick," Dinah noted, pointing at the TV remote. Lauren set her plate down and took the remote from her roommate. She started searching through Netflix, trying to find something to watch.
"Are you guys cool with Fr—?" Lauren paused when she saw that her roommates' attention wasn't on her. She raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Shhh," Ally whispered, raising a finger to her lips and then pointing to the door. "Do you hear that?"
Lauren grew silent and listened along with the other girls. Just as she was about to argue that she didn't hear anything, there was a quiet noise from the other side of the door. It sounded like... singing? "What is that?" she whispered, standing up from her spot on the couch.
"Don't tell me it's—" Lauren was interrupted once more when Dinah, already at the door, waved her hand to tell Lauren to be quiet. She slowly opened the door and peered out into the hallway. The Polynesian girl's eyes widened when she saw Camila sitting in the hallway, leaning against the wall next to their door and humming softly to herself.
"What are you still doing here?" Dinah hissed at the smaller girl. Camila jumped, obviously unaware that she'd been spotted.
"I need a bed," Camila shrugged. Before Dinah could respond, she crawled under her legs and into the apartment, stumbling up to her feet and looking around happily. "Do you have a bed?"
Ally grabbed Dinah's arm and pulled her into the kitchen, along with the other girls. "Something's up," she said, glancing back at the girl who was now intently observing the TV remote.
"She needs to leave," Lauren said firmly, loudly enough for Camila to hear her. She didn't care if something was wrong. She wanted her gone. She didn't want to offer any hospitality to the girl who had single-handedly made her life a living hell. "We can call the fucking cops or something."
"Lo," Ally shook her head. "Something's obviously wrong if she ended up here." She glanced at the two other girls, silently asking for some sort of help.
"We should at least try and figure out why she's here," Normani spoke up, placing a hand on Lauren's arm. "Then we can take her back home or something."
Dinah and Lauren looked at one another and Dinah sighed softly. "It's worth a try, I guess," she said, raising an eyebrow at Lauren, who shrugged.
"Whatever," she mumbled. "I'm going to bed, I don't feel like dealing with her." Lauren pushed past the other girls and grabbed her backpack from next to the door. Moments later, her footsteps were heard, and her bedroom door shut with a bang.
Camila stopped what she was doing to cover her ears and look around worriedly. The three roommates quickly exchanged glances before walking into the living room. Ally sat down on the couch next to Camila while Normani and Dinah remained standing.
"Where do you live, Camila?" Ally asked, turning and looking at the confused girl.
"Here," Camila smiled proudly, pointing to the couch and patting it gently. "This is my bed."
Dinah and Normani raised their eyebrows. Ally quickly shook her head. "You don't live here," she glanced at her other two roommates and then back to Camila. "Where did you come from?"
"The plane," Camila nodded, remembering what she had done earlier. "See?" she reached into her front pocket and frowned when she came up empty handed. Quickly, the small girl stood up and reached into her back pocket, giggling excitedly when she found what she was looking for.
Ally took the crumpled up piece of paper from Camila and unfolded it, turning it around in her hands so it was right side up. She scanned the words and her jaw dropped. Noticing the change in her expression, Normani and Dinah crouched down next to her to read the writing on the paper.
"A plane ticket?" Normani asked, turning to Camila. The girl nodded excitedly, practically bouncing up and down on the couch.
"I came to see my friends," she smiled, pointing to them with both of her fingers. "We had Chemistry together. I remember."
"Something's definitely up," Ally whispered to her roommates between gritted teeth. None of them had a clue what was going on. "Camila, how did you know where we lived?"
Camila thought for a moment, petting her hand on her knee and feeling the material of her jeans. "This," she suddenly realized, reaching into her other pocket and handing her phone to Ally. The oldest girl studied the iPhone, unlocking it to see a picture of Camila and two other cheerleaders.
"Are these your friends?" she asked, holding out the phone and showing Camila the lockscreen. Upon seeing the picture, the girl's face twisted into a face of confusion.
"No," she shook her head. Her eyebrows suddenly furrowed and she took the phone back, holding it inches away from her face and studying the picture even closer. "They're not my friends," she confirmed, setting the phone on the cushion next to her.
Dinah sat down next to Ally, and Normani sat on the coffee table so she was facing all three girls. "Camila, cut the crap," Dinah said firmly, sending the girl a warning glare. "Why are you here?"
Camila pouted, sticking out her bottom lip and staring up at the ceiling in thought. "Oh, yeah," she nodded, holding up her finger to show she'd remembered something. "I came here on a plane, see?" she reached into her pocket and frowned. She went to reach into her back pocket, but Ally reached out to stop her.
"You told us already," Ally reminded her, holding up the crumpled plane ticket. The flight had happened that same day, which told the girls that Camila had flown here with the intention of seeing them. Her reason was still unknown, though.
"Oh," Camila took the plane ticket from Ally's hands and studied it closely, running her fingers over the folded corners. "I need a bed," she nodded and pointed to the large window in the back of the apartment. "It's getting dark."
"Oh my fucking god," Dinah groaned and motioned for Ally to scoot over. The oldest girl obeyed, and Dinah switched places on the couch so she was sitting next to Camila. Dinah grabbed Camila by the shoulders and held her firmly in front of her. "Why are you here?" she asked, keeping her voice strong and intimidating.
Camila lifted her shoulders, cowering under the Polynesian girl's touch. She shook her head and pushed Dinah's hands off of her. "Please," she murmured, shaking her head and scooting back on the couch.
"Please what?" Normani asked, holding out a hand to tell Dinah to pause for a moment.
"Please," Camila repeated, shaking her head once more. Dinah and Normani looked at one another and Dinah groaned.
"Camila, what's going on?" Dinah tried once more to get some sort of answer out of the smaller girl.
"It's getting dark," Camila pointed at the window once more. "And I need a bed," she added, looking down at her jeans and patting her palms gently on her lap.
Ally placed a hand on Dinah's shoulder and the Polynesian girl turned around to face her. Normani stood up and sat on the arm of the couch so all three of them could talk.
"What are we supposed to do with her?" Normani was the first to speak up, glancing back at the girl on the other side of the couch, who was poking at the buttons on the TV remote once more.
Ally shook her head and sighed. "I don't know, but this feels like something out of some crappy reality show," she ran a hand through her hair and glanced in the direction of Lauren's room, wondering how the green eyed girl was feeling about this whole situation.
"Do you have a bed?"
All three girls jumped when they realized Camila had stood up and poked her head into their conversation.
"I need a bed," the girl repeated, reaching up and smoothing out her own hair.
Dinah rolled her eyes in defeat and stood up. "Fine, Camila," she sighed. "One night. You can stay for one night, and then you go home, okay?" She glanced at Ally and Normani, asking for some type of approval. Maybe if she just gave Camila what she wanted, the girl would leave the next morning.
"Yes. But I need a bed," Camila clapped her hands together and reached up to twirl the ends of Dinah's hair around her fingers. Dinah hit her hand away and Camila gasped, looking down at her hand and holding it close to her chest. Ignoring the small girl's dramatic reaction, Dinah bit her lip.
"Is this okay?" she whispered, bending down next to Ally and Normani. Ally nodded softly.
"Whatever is going on, she seems... different. We can at least give her the benefit of the doubt for one night, right?" Ally said, looking to Normani for her approval. Normani puckered her lips for a moment before nodding.
"I don't see why not," the dark skinned girl shrugged, glancing at Camila. "Where is she sleeping, though?"
Dinah huffed, forgetting that one very important factor. She sighed and stood up, turning to Camila. "You can sleep in my room for tonight," she nodded once. Camila hopped up on her tiptoes in some sort of expression of excitement.
"Bed," she nodded. Dinah looked back at the other two girls, who looked completely shocked. She bent down next to them once more and laughed softly.
"Keep your friends close but your enemies closer, right?" she raised an eyebrow. Ally chuckled softly and shrugged.
"Just try to be nice, okay?" the older girl asked, and Dinah nodded slowly.
"Alright, Cabello, let's get you that bed you want so badly," she sighed, standing up and grabbing Camila's hand. Before the smaller girl could respond, Dinah was pulling her towards the spiral staircase. Camila paused at the bottom stair, taking her bottom lip between her teeth.
"I don't have all day, Cabello," Dinah groaned, tugging Camila's hand. The smaller girl hesitantly took one step on the stairs, and gripped the railing with her other hand.
"Ouch," Camila mumbled, looking down at her feet. Dinah just sighed and tugged Camila's hand once more. "Ouch. Ouch. Ouch," Camila muttered with each step, but eventually they made it to the top of the staircase. Camila immediately clapped her hands, reaching for the first doorknob she saw.
Dinah quickly grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back, away from Lauren's room. That was the last thing Camila needed to do. "That's not my room," Dinah pointed to the next door over. "That is."
Camila clapped her hands excitedly and jiggled the doorknob violently until it opened. She walked slowly into Dinah's room, observing the posters and memorabilia that hung on her walls. "Bed," she noted, pointing to the king sized bed in the corner of the room.
Dinah sighed and shut the door behind them. "That's a bed, yeah," she mumbled, walking over to her dresser. "Where's your bag?"
Camila looked at her cluelessly.
"Did you bring a suitcase or something?" Dinah suddenly realized Camila had been empty handed when she had entered the apartment.
"I came on a plane," Camila nodded, reaching into her pocket. Dinah rolled her eyes, grabbing Camila's hands before she could realize she didn't have the plane ticket for the second time.
"I know. You told us," Dinah nodded, growing slightly frustrated with how she was acting. Something was definitely wrong. "Here," she turned back to her dresser and found a t-shirt and pajama pants that would fit the smaller girl. "You can wear these for tonight."
Camila giggled excitedly, hugging the clothing to her chest. She brought the t-shirt to her nose and inhaled, smelling their detergent. "Do I change?" she asked, holding up the shirt for Dinah to see.
The Polynesian girl nodded, turning to the door to show Camila where the bathroom was. But Camila beat her to it, and when Dinah was about to lead her out into the hallway, she turned back around to find Camila in only her shirt, underwear, and shoes.
The girl was tugged angrily at the pants, trying to pull them on over her black converse. Dinah sighed and closed the door once more, walking over to Camila and grabbing her hands.
"You have to take your shoes off," she pointed to the black shoes on Camila's feet.
"Ouch," Camila shook her head and pulled away from Dinah. "Ouch."
Dinah raised an eyebrow. "Ouch?" she asked, pointing down to Camila's shoes. Camila nodded.
"Sit down," Dinah instructed, pointing to the bed. Camila did as she was told, with a wide smile on her face. Dinah knelt down in front of her and pulled on the shoelaces to untie them.
"No, ouch!" Camila protested, pulling her foot away from Dinah. The Polynesian girl grew frustrated and grabbed Camila's foot again, gripping it tightly despite the girl's protests. She slipped the first shoe off her foot and gasped.
"Ouch," Camila pouted, her bottom lip trembling. This time, Dinah nodded in agreement. Camila's sock was stained red, with holes in the bottom where small shards of glass had wedged themselves into her foot. Dinah checked the shoe, but it appeared as if the shoes had been put on after the glass was already in her foot.
"How'd this happen?" Dinah asked, gripping the girl's other ankle and pulling off the second shoe.
"Ouch," Camila nodded, as if it were a perfectly good explanation for Dinah's question. Dinah groaned.
"I'm going to try and get these out, okay?" she asked, nodding to the pieces of glass in Camila's foot. The smaller girl shook her head furiously.
"No. Hurt," she furrowed her eyebrows.
"If I don't take them out, it'll get infected, and you'll get sick," Dinah huffed, standing up and walking over to her nightstand.
"Will I die?"
"Yes," Dinah lied, too tired to try and reason with the girl. She regretted her decision immediately, though. Camila let out an ear piercing screech and Dinah dived across the bed to cup her hand over the girl's mouth.
"You're not going to die," she shook her head. "I was kidding. It was a joke."
Camila pursed her lips against Dinah's hand out of confusion. "Oh," she mumbled when the other girl drew her hand away. She thought about it for a few moments before giggling at the 'joke.'
Dinah just shook her head and slipped out of the hallway, searching through the medicine cabinet until she found what she needed. Camila was still sitting in the exact same place when Dinah came back, which she was thankful for.
"This is gonna hurt a bit, but I have to do it, otherwise it'll only hurt more in the long run," Dinah explained, sitting back down on the floor and laying a paper towel down next to her.
"I don't want to run," Camila shook her head.
"You don't have to," Dinah rolled her eyes, deciding she was speaking to a child instead of Camila. "It may hurt, but when it's over, you can play a game on my phone, okay?"
"Game?"
"Yeah," Dinah nodded. Camila clapped her hands excitedly and Dinah took that as her cue to keep going. Slowly, she rolled Camila's socks off of each foot. The girl on the bed winced each time, but surprisingly kept quiet.
"Why did you come here?" Dinah asked, trying again to get some sort of information out of the girl. Using a pair of tweezers, she lifted Camila's foot and slowly removed a piece of glass from her heel.
"I—ouch—needed a bed," Camila mumbled, crinkling her nose and trying to lean over and look down at her foot.
"I know that," Dinah said, continuing to remove the glass from the bottom of her foot, setting the pieces on the paper towel next to her. "But didn't you already have a bed?"
Camila shook her head. "Ouch," she muttered once more. Dinah sighed, giving up on getting any answers. Once she removed every piece of glass she could find, she poured a few drops of hydrogen peroxide onto a cotton ball and glanced up at Camila.
"This is gonna sting a bit," she warned, pressing the cotton ball on the open wounds and beginning to clean the dried blood on the bottom of her foot. Camila whimpered from above her but remained silent. "See? All done," Dinah nodded, satisfied with her attempt at cleaning the wounds.
"Game?" Camila asked, remembering what Dinah had told her earlier.
"Not yet," Dinah shook her head. "I have to finish bandaging these," she grabbed the gauze she'd brought from the bathroom and went to work on covering the cuts on Camila's feet, making sure to use antibiotic ointment to keep them from getting infected.
Once she was finished bandaging, she stood up and retrieved a pair of large socks from her dresser, hoping they would fit loosely over the gauze. Camila frowned as Dinah slipped the socks over the bandages.
"Ouch," she shook her head.
"It's gonna hurt for a while, that's just how it's gonna be," Dinah took a deep breath, trying her best to remain patient. She regretted not passing the girl off to Normani or Ally.
"Game?"
Dinah pointed to the change of clothes next to Camila. "Once you change," she nodded once and Camila quickly grabbed the clothes. She stood up slowly, testing the bandages on her feet. She clapped her hands when she realized her wounds didn't hurt as badly as they did before.
Camila struggled for a few minutes, but finally managed to get her pants and t-shirt on. Dinah had to stop herself from laughing when she realized the pants were on backwards, but decided against saying anything.
"Here," she handed Camila her phone and crawled into her bed. Moments later, Camila bounced up on the bed and was curled up smack dab next to Dinah. She held the phone close to her face, tapping at the screen aimlessly.
Dinah groaned and pushed the girl off of her. "This is my side of the bed," she mumbled, placing a pillow in between them. Camila opened her mouth to protest, but Dinah glared at her, causing the smaller girl to set the phone back down and burrow under the covers. Ignoring the humming noises from Camila, Dinah turned so her back was facing the other girl and closed her eyes.
All four roommates fell asleep with a million questions circulating their heads that night.
—
a/n: here's the first chapter of my brand new fic! i figured since reasons to stay, reasons to go ended, i'd get a head start on another fic. i am SO excited for you guys to see this one, omg. so let me know what you think!!
have a great day bbies.
- lena (@lenajfc on twitter, txrches on tumblr)