"It is my birthday?" Camila asked quietly from the backseat of Ally's car. After they had calmed Camila down, the smaller girl had been ecstatic that they were going out for pizza.
Lauren had explained to her that it was her birthday, but Camila still couldn't quite believe it. The brown eyed girl assumed she would automatically remember when it was her birthday. She felt out of place.
"It's March 3rd, Camz, that's your birthday," Lauren laughed softly, placing her hand on Camila's knee and absentmindedly tracing circles in her jeans.
"Are you sure?" Camila tilted her head to the side.
"Yes, goofball," Lauren laughed and shook her head. "Why would we be lying about that?"
"I did not remember," Camila looked down at the ground and sighed. "I did not know my birthday."
"Well now you do," Ally spoke up from the driver's seat. "You were born on March 3rd. Which is today. Which makes today your birthday."
"Oh," Camila whispered. Lauren reached out and took her girlfriend's hand, pressing a kiss to the back of her palm.
"It's no big deal," Lauren said softly. "You know now, that's all that matters. Now we just get to celebrate."
"With pizza," Camila mumbled, a small smile creeping onto her face. Lauren couldn't help but laugh.
"Speaking of pizza," Normani pointed out the window as Ally pulled into the parking lot of the brick restaurant. Camila's face lit up, and Lauren had to grab her hand to stop her from hopping out of the moving car.
"Someone else is having dinner with us, too," Lauren smiled, noticing Toby's black truck in the corner of the parking lot. Camila paused, giving her girlfriend a look of confusion.
"Who?" she asked. All the girls unbuckled their seatbelts and exited the car once Ally parked. Lauren pointed in the direction of Toby's truck, where Maia was just exiting the passenger side.
"Be careful!" Lauren called after Camila, who had already taken off across the parking lot. Luckily, Maia saw her coming, and practically had to catch the girl when she wrapped her in a hug.
"It is my birthday!" Camila smiled widely when she pulled away from the hug. Lauren jogged over to meet up with them, motioning for her roommates to follow.
Toby fist bumped Camila, causing both of them to make exploding noises. Lauren and Maia both made eye contact, and the smaller brunette rolled her eyes.
"Sometimes it's like raising a child," Maia joked, causing Lauren to burst into laughter.
"I know what you mean," the green eyed girl reached out and fixed the beanie on Camila's head, just as her three roommates caught up with them.
"Uh, guys, this is Maia and Toby," Lauren turned to introduce her friends. "They're in our art class."
"And these are my roommates," she turned to Maia and gave her a soft smile. "Dinah, Ally, and Normani," she pointed to each girl. Camila giggled behind her.
"Dinah is mean," Camila whispered to Toby, earning a playful glare from the Polynesian girl.
"I'm hungry," Normani announced, nudging Camila in the direction of the entrance. The smaller girl laughed, running back to Lauren's side so she could grab her hand and lead her into the restaurant.
They all slid into a circular booth, with Camila squished happily between Dinah and Lauren. She glanced down at the menu she and Lauren shared, running her fingers over the small type.
When their food got to the table, Lauren had to grab Camila to stop her from burning her hand on the hot pan. Laughing, the green eyed girl cut them both a slice and pizza and sat back down.
"Happy birthday to me," Camila mumbled with a mouthful of food. Giggling, Lauren kissed Camila's cheek and nodded.
"Happy birthday to you, goofball," she crinkled her nose and took a bite of her own pizza.
"How does it feel to be 19?" Maia spoke up from the other side of the booth. Camila furrowed her eyebrows, thinking about this for a moment.
"I feel... the same," Camila shrugged. "Just happy."
"I think that's pretty good, then," Lauren nudged the smaller girl. Camila smiled and leaned against Lauren, taking a sip of her water and sighing contently. She was surrounded by her favorite people, and she loved the feeling.
"I missed this feeling," Camila confessed quietly. Everyone had already moved on to different conversations, and Lauren was the only one that heard Camila's hushed words.
"Missed what?" Lauren whispered, reaching out to smooth out Camila's hair. The small girl smiled up at Lauren, realizing she had made an effort to listen to her.
"This. Love," Camila motioned around the table. "I like these people, and I think they like me. It feels good."
Lauren couldn't help the small smile on her lips. She was glad Camila was slowly getting to know that feeling. The girl deserved it more than anyone in the world.
"I like the feeling too," Lauren whispered, poking Camila's side and making the girl giggle.
The rest of the dinner went smoothly, at least, until the end. Just as the waiter was taking away their empty plates, a different plate was placed down in front of them. Camila furrowed her eyebrows and looked up.
"We heard it was someone's birthday," the waitress smiled, pulling a lighter out of her pocket and lighting the candle on top of the small slice of cake. Everyone pointed to Camila, and the cake was slid in front of her. Lauren grabbed the smaller girl's hand to let her know it was okay.
"Haaaappy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you,"
Camila didn't see who started singing, because the minute the song started her entire body froze. This was too familiar. Her grip on Lauren's arm tightened just as she was swept away.
[[TRIGGER WARNING - VIOLENCE/ABUSE - Skip to the end of the italics if you'd rather not read.]]
"Happy birthday to you..."
Camila smiled softly and looked up from the makeshift cake in front of her. When Sydney had found out Camila would be spending her birthday home alone, the blonde girl had driven over immediately. All they had available was a leftover slice of apple pie, but the two girls had stuck a candle in it and made it work.
"You really don't have to sing," Camila laughed, crossing her legs on the couch and looking over at her friend who sat next to her. Sydney just shrugged and continued singing.
"Happy Birthday to you..."
Camila froze when she heard the garage door opening. Her uncle wasn't supposed to be home for another few hours. Her heart immediately dropped in her chest and she looked over at Sydney with a panicked look on her face.
"Happy Birthday, dear Cami-,"
Camila leaped across the couch, cupping her hand over Sydney's mouth and shaking her head. Just as Sydney opened her mouth to question the girl, they both heard the echo of the door closing.
"You can't be here," Camila whispered, grabbing Sydney's hand and practically dragging her down the hallway. "Stay here," she pushed her friend into the bathroom and gave the girl a pleading look.
"Karla?!"
Camila flinched, refusing to meet Sydney's eyes as she closed the door. This wasn't going to end well. She practically sprinted back into the living room, blowing out the candle and throwing it behind the couch.
"Yeah?" she called back as casually as she could, sitting down on the couch. As soon as he entered the room though, she stood up. She could tell just by the way he was walking that he was drunk. Great. Happy Birthday to her.
"I thought I told you to clean this house?" he spat, moving towards her. Camila flinched, and he wasted no time in grabbing her arm, causing her to stand up straighter.
"I-I did," Camila bit her lip and glanced behind him. "I cleaned the whole kitchen and the entire downstairs... I-,"
"The garage is a fucking mess," he growled, pushing her up against the wall. Camila internally cursed herself.
"I didn't realize the garage counted as part of the house," she half-whispered, squeezing her eyes shut when he leaned in even closer to her. She could smell the alcohol on his breath.
"Are you fucking stupid?" he whispered between gritted teeth, taking his time to fully pronounce each syllable. Camila held her breath, bracing for what was to come.
When the smaller girl didn't respond, a beer bottle was smashed against the wall beside her head. Camila inhaled sharply as the glass fell around her feet and she felt what was left of the liquid now dripping down her side and soiling her clothes.
"Clean it up," he growled, letting go of her and taking a step backwards. Camila instantly bent down, looking around nervously before trying to scoop the shards of glass together with her hands. He stood above her, laughing at the brown eyed girl's flustered state.
"Hurry," he chuckled, stomping his foot and making Camila jump. Before she could react, she was being pushed backwards. Camila stumbled onto her bottom, her back hitting the wall.
"I can clean it tomorrow," she quickly scrambled to her feet, cursing herself when she felt the glass crunch underneath her shoes. "Or... or I can even do it tonight, I-I..."
"You will do it tonight," he took a step forwards, pressing the sharp end of the broken bottle right underneath her collarbone. Camila whimpered, inhaling sharply and trying to remain as still as possible.
Her shirt ripped as the man drug the sharp glass across her skin, leaving a crescent shaped cut directly beneath her collarbone. Camila bit down on her lip as hard as she could, feeling pain sear through her body.
"I hate to do this to you, Karla, but you just never learn," he slurred, leaning forwards and letting the last piece of glass fall to the ground. Camila could feel the blood seeping through her shirt, but she wouldn't dare look in fear that it would make her sick.
"I-I'm sorry," Camila whispered, feeling tears forming in her eyes. She couldn't cry. Not now, not ever.
"Don't say it if you don't mean it," he hissed, shoving her backwards into the wall. Camila squeezed her eyes shut, but sighing in relief when she heard his heavy footsteps disappear up the stairs.
The first thing that crossed her mind when she opened her eyes was the glass digging into the bottom of her shoes. She quickly grabbed the dustpan from beside the couch, wincing as pain shot up her arm each time she moved her torso.
Just as she stood up to throw the broken glass away, she saw movement out of the corner of the eye. The second Camila saw Sydney staring at her from the hallway, she dropped the dustpan and quickly crossed the room.
"You need to go," she said between gritted teeth, refusing to meet the girl's eyes. She grabbed Sydney's hand, pulling her towards the back door.
"Oh my god... Camila, what just happened?" Sydney whisper-yelled, grabbing Camila's arm once they made it to the door. Camila stared straight ahead, opening the door.
"You need to go, Sydney," Camila voice grew low in the back of her throat as she tried to hold back tears.
"Holy shit, you're bleeding," Sydney pointed to the gash in Camila's shirt. The brown eyed girl reeled backwards and shook her head. "You need to call the cops or something," Sydney started at her with wide eyes.
"You need to leave!" Camila snapped, yelling in panic at the girl in front of her.
"Camila, you-,"
"What was that, Karla?!" the man's voice boomed through the house once more. Camila's eyes went wide and her skin practically turned white.
"Go," Camila hissed quietly, turning to Sydney. The blonde opened her mouth to protest, but hesitated when she saw the distressed look in her friend's eyes.
Her uncle turned the corner just in time to see Camila shoving Sydney outside and slamming the door behind her. A look of panic flashed across the brown eyed girl's face when she turned around and came face to face with the drunken man.
"Who was it?" he growled, his voice practically emotionless. Camila attempted to back up, but was only able to take a step until she hit the wall.
"I said, who was it?" he took a step forward to match her pace.
"Sydney," Camila confessed, squeezing her eyes shut and looking down.
"She's not allowed here again," he raised his voice. "Do you hear me?" Camila brought her hands up to wipe her eyes, unsure of what to say.
"I said, do you hear me?!" he yelled, grabbing the front of the younger girl's shirt and practically lifting her off of the ground to meet his height. His other hand was used to land a hard slap against her face, causing Camila to yelp in pain.
"Y-yes sir!" she gasped, struggling to try and plant her feet on the ground. She was sent stumbling backwards moments later, immediately bringing her hands up to cup her stinging cheek.
"I told your mother she should've fucking killed you before you were even born," he laughed bitterly. Camila watched as he moved to storm down the hallway, but stumbled into the coffee table, which sent a flower vase crashing to the ground.
"Clean this up," the man spat, kicking the broken pieces of the vase aside and storming upstairs. Camila stood frozen until she heard the slam of the bedroom door, which threw her back into reality.
Camila gasped, suddenly being whisked back into an entirely different place. She could hear muffled voices, but her ears were ringing so heavily that she couldn't understand what they were saying. There was only one thought on her mind. Get out.
Somehow the small girl managed to clamber over everyone and scramble out of the booth. The moment her feet hit the ground, she made a mad dash for the nearest door.
Lauren didn't hear the waitress' petty comment, or the confused whispers of the other restaurant-goers. No, the only thing on her mind was getting to Camila.
The green eyed girl ducked under the table, taking everyone by surprise when she nearly knocked over the other diners as she made a mad dash for the door. The moment she pushed through the glass doors, she looked around desperately for Camila.
Her eyes landed on the small figure moving ahead of her, and she took off.
"Camila!" she called after the smaller girl, practically leaping forwards. Her fingers enclosed around the brown eyed girl's wrist just before Camila left the curb. A car whizzed by, sending Camila stumbling backwards into Lauren's arms.
"Camila," Lauren turned the small girl around to face her. Brown eyes met green and Camila panicked, attempting to pull away. Lauren tightened her grip.
"Camila, look at me," Lauren grabbed Camila's shoulder and held her in place. The smaller girl froze, searching Lauren's face for any possible threat.
"It's not real," Lauren whispered, feeling Camila's muscles relax slightly.
"Camz, breathe," the green eyed girl inhaled slowly, motioning for Camila to do the same. The younger girl took in a deep breath, her bottom lip trembling. Moments later, her shaky knees gave in underneath her and she fell to the ground. Without hesitation, Lauren knelt beside her and pulled her into her arms.
"It's not real," Lauren repeated, feeling Camila's arms wrap around her neck as the smaller girl buried her head into Lauren's shoulder. "It's not real," she continued to whisper softly.
Rubbing circles in Camila's back, Lauren rested her chin on the top of her girlfriend's head and continued to whisper the same three words over and over again. She'd say them forever if it would make Camila believe them.
Camila continued to cry into Lauren's shoulder for a while, and Lauren jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Is she okay?" Normani whispered, squatting down next to the green eyed girl. Lauren took a deep breath and glanced down to Camila before nodding softly.
"Can I....?" Lauren glanced towards Ally's car. "Is there any way you guys can get a ride home with Maia? I need to take her somewhere," the green eyed girl nodded down to Camila.
"Consider it done," Normani gave Lauren a soft smile before standing up. "Make sure she knows she didn't ruin anything, yeah?"
Lauren nodding, sending a thankful smile in Normani's direction before tapping on Camila's shoulder.
"I need to show you something, Camila."
—
a/n: tried my best not to leave this on too much of a cliffhanger lmao
if you didn't see it already, i posted the first chapter of my new fic - 'the truth about tomorrow', and you should go check it out!
as always, let me know what you think and have a great day babes <3
- lena (@lenajfc on twitter, forbrighterskies on tumblr)