"She's gone,"
"Sweetheart," Clara flipped her hair to one side and took another gulp of wine. "I need you to relax. If you don't think she's going to go to the police, then why do you care?"
"Because you're a freaking psychopath!" Lauren exclaimed. "Am I supposed to react some other way?"
Clara glared at her daughter. "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to find her. I don't know, get me Sinu's phone number or something."
"Her note said she needs time. Why aren't you honoring her wish?"
"Because, mom,"
"Because?"
"I love her. Is that what you wanted to hear? That your daughter is in love with the one girl you've told her to stay away from her entire life?"
Clara expelled a soft breath. "She's not enrolled at the school anymore," Clara waited a second to see Lauren's reaction. "My friend who works as a faculty member says her name has been withdrawn from all classroom rosters."
"You're lying," Lauren muttered. "You're lying," she repeated herself again. "Camila would never—"
"Her apartment is collecting dust, she hasn't picked up any of your calls, she's not enrolled at the school anymore—don't you get it, sweetheart? Camila Cabello is gone."
-
"I need to leave this here," Camila placed the small box containing her most valued things down by the basement door. "Is that alright?"
"Mija," Sinu frowned. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"
"I hate Yale, ma. It's nothing like how they made it out to be."
"So, you just up and leave?"
Camila huffed as she ran a hand through her hair. "I just need you to trust me, alright?"
"You're leaving for Europe, Karla. Do you even know how stupid you sound right now? Our family is here."
"Our family is just us," Camila said angrily. "There's nobody but fucking us here, ma. Everybody left us for dead, why the hell should I stay and show pity for them?"
"I can't leave my job,"
"And you won't have to. I'll get a job working somewhere on campus and send money whenever I can. We'll make it work. Like we always do."
Sinu sat down at the dining table, a grim look on her face. "How am I supposed to survive when my baby is across the ocean?"
"Ma," Camila kneeled down in front of her mother and rubbed her shoulder. "This is an opportunity that I can't turn down. No matter what we both want. I need to do this. For me, for us. I'm tired of seeing you work these horrible jobs where you clean up after these snobs. Let me get to where I need to be so I can take care of you."
"Karla," Sinu weeped. "Promise me you'll come back home to me. No matter what."
"I promise," she said, not once breaking eye contact with her mother. "I promise I'll come back home,"
-
This is just a brief filler—hence the name INTERLUDE. The next chapter will be another small time jump. Thank you all for your support!