"I can't believe you burned the soup," Lauren commented blithely as she poked around her bowl with her spoon. They were only able to salvage like 0.2% of it, but hey. It's the thought that counts, right?
"You were distracting me..." Camila mumbled a reply, still significantly embarrassed from how Lauren had to swoop in and save the day. Again. Couldn't she do anything right?
"This is hilarious. I didn't even think that burning soup was actually a thing," Lauren burst into boisterous laughter again, then irritated her throat. She coughed and tried to clear it up before settling down.
"Karma," Camila said contentedly.
"What?" Lauren kinked an eyebrow, now looking at her instead of the scorched soup in her spoon.
"That's what you get for laughing at me," Camila explained and stuck her tongue out.
"It was funny. But don't feel bad, Camzi. I'm sure other people burn soup all the time," Lauren shared conveniently, undoubtedly still teasing her.
"I'm pretty sure I'm the first..." Camila sighed and dropped her gaze to the table and away from Lauren's amused expression. It was kind of funny, but she really was embarrassed. How does someone manage to do that?
"Hey, at least it didn't catch on fire... Right?" Lauren offered some positivity now that Camila was sulking.
"Right," Camila entertained her point. "But still I feel like Spencer from iCarly..." she groaned and buried her face into her hands as her face took on another shade of red.
"You didn't set it on fire," Lauren giggled, but didn't overdo it so she wouldn't suffer some more coughing.
"If I left it alone for a few more minutes it probably would have," Camila predicted sorely and crossed her arms over her chest.
"It's okay, babe. You tried. It's the thought that counts," Lauren smiled and blew a kiss over to Camila sweetly.
Camila was about to respond, but her endeavors were stalled by her surprise. Her mouth was parted slightly, caught in the midst of beginning her sentence. Lauren had just called her babe, and it sounded so natural falling from her lips. Though natural as it may be, it still roused a considerable amount of butterflies within Camila's chest. She was glad she wasn't standing upright, because she just might've fallen over from being weak in the knees. Now she'd forgotten what she even wanted to say. Great.
"Y-yeah," Camila stuttered, then cleared her throat to cover up her nerves. "It's the thought that counts."
"And it's actually not bad... I kinda like this," Lauren remarked with a sincere smile to ease Camila's worries. "Which is weird, because I don't even like tomatoes..."
"I get that. I love oranges but I don't like orange juice," Camila shared a peculiarity of her own.
"That's crazy," Lauren deadpanned.
"Hypocrite," Camila scoffed playfully. "I like everything banana, though."
"Oh, I know you do. I thought it was you. My mom refills the fruit basket every time she goes to the grocery store and every time I want a banana, they're always gone now. You raid the fruit basket for bananas. It's like clockwork," Lauren gave her a not at all threatening glare from across the table.
"Sorry," Camila giggled at how she'd been caught. "I love bananas..."
"It's okay. I do the same thing with the mangoes," Lauren admitted. "I love them, they're my favorite."
"I thought I was your favorite," Camila's bottom lip jutted out childishly, then she abandoned the act and shook her head. She was only joking.
"Oh, you are. My favorite fruit has got nothing on my favorite girl," Lauren affirmed smoothly, wearing a smirk that matched her tone. She was being a smooth little shit, and she knew it too.
While Camila sat there grinning at Lauren, the front door handle jingled. Both heads turned in the direction of it and anticipated who would walk through. None other than Alejandro appeared with his head bowed and several worry lines etched onto his forehead. He sighed and set his case against the couch as the two girls watched him drawing nearer to the kitchen. Lauren gave him a half-smile as he entered. Internally, she was hoping that his mood wouldn't rub off on Camila. They were both happy, for once.
"Good evening, Daddy," Camila greeted her father cheerfully, despite his demeanor. She thought that maybe her bright spirit would be infectious.
"Good evening," he mustered a halfhearted smile for his daughter.
"How was your interview?" Camila asked hopefully.
"It was fine..." Alejandro said to appease her and to get rid of the any doubts she might've had.
"Then what's wrong?" Camila asked intuitively.
Her question prompted him not to lie for once. His biggest problems came from sweeping things under the rug. He wanted to try being open for once. "Actually, it didn't go very well..."
"Why? What happened?" Camila continued sympathetically. Lauren was silently eating her soup and trying not to interfere with their conversation.
"Well, I don't think I answered their questions correctly," he said vaguely, excluding the part where he atrociously answered and subconsciously dismissed each of the questions regarding volunteering and customer service skills. He didn't work well with people. He was best in a position of power. Why he was applying for average, minimum wage, unskilled jobs was beyond him. But he was growing desperate. "But it's fine. Walmart doesn't seem like the job for me anyway..."
"Well, it's okay. You tried your best. You can just go apply somewhere else," Camila said optimistically.
"Yeah, I can," Alejandro agreed distantly as he ventured over to their refrigerator. He helped himself to a bottle of water and closed it. "Back to the drawing board, I guess."
"You'll find something eventually," Camila continued to encourage him, knowing he was becoming discouraged by now.
"Yeah. Eventually," Alejandro smiled at her and took a swig from his water bottle. "Anyway," he said after gulping a big portion of it down. "I'll leave you ladies to it. I've got to go see about some other jobs and handle some... Adult problems. Have a good night."
"Good night," Camila waved from the table as he exited the kitchen.
"Are things getting a little better between you two?" Lauren asked, now having finished most of her soup.
"A little," Camila nodded.
"That's good. I'm happy about that," Lauren smiled supportively. "At least something's working out for him."
"Yeah. But I feel so helpless. I wish I could do something to help out..." Camila mumbled more so to herself than to Lauren.
"Did you want to see if you could try to apply for some jobs?" Lauren suggested and spooned some more of the soup into her mouth.
"Yeah, I told him I would if I had to... But I don't really want to, you know?" Camila admitted with a little laugh.
"I know. But like... Money..." Lauren animatedly weighed the two options and laughed. Then she realized that in Camila's past, money was always supplemented. There was no need to work because she's never had to. This could prove to be a challenge in the future, but Lauren was sure she could manage.
"Yeah. I'd mostly be doing it to help out my dad," Camila nodded, understanding Lauren's disposition.
"What about your mom? Have you seen her lately?" Lauren brought up cautiously, knowing very well how sensitive Camila was to the subject.
"Not really. But honestly, I don't really care now. It's becoming way too obvious that she's like a gold digger or something," Camila rolled her eyes. Any decent wife would be receptive to their situation, but Sinu had just dipped out. If there was no money involved, it was clear that she most likely wouldn't be around.
"Maybe," Lauren shrugged and tried to suppress her smirk. Camila was finally figuring out what she caught onto long ago.
"No, there's no maybe. It's obvious as hell. I've been thinking about it ever since she left and I just realized that she never even did anything but spend my dad's money and brag... She didn't even have a job herself. She's a freaking trophy wife and that's it," Camila scoffed. Coming to terms with reality was often bittersweet to her.
"Well... Yeah. I was just being nice," Lauren laughed. "It's not like you're like that, though."
"I'm not. And it really annoys me when people think I'll end up just like her. No one believes me when I say that I don't care about my dad's money. People always act like I don't have any skills or that I'm not college bound when I am. They just assume that I'm like London Tipton or something," Camila ranted briefly and rested her chin in the palm of her hand.
"Wait, no. Don't get me wrong, I know how you really are... But at first sight, you do sort of come off that way," Lauren shared tentatively.
"I know. I'm working on it," Camila subtly agreed.
"I can tell. Dinah and Normani liked you, and they usually call people out for certain things. Those two do not have a filter. You were obviously a lot better with them than you were with me at first," Lauren continued, now that she knew everything was different between them.
"I was happy they liked me. It made me feel good," Camila smiled as she reminisced on that day at the pool. "Except I did notice how Dinah suddenly started treating me like I was freaking royalty once she found out that I was from Palm Island."
"What's it like out there, anyway?" Lauren probed as she just stirred around the soup that had grown stiff again.
"Very pretentious. Everyone is like my mom," Camila briefed her.
"I feel like it would be cool to get out there and see it," Lauren predicted as she distantly stared at Camila. She was trying to picture her in that type of environment and couldn't.
"Well, it's definitely an experience. Just like this is an experience for me... You'd probably be slow to adapt to living there too," Camila laughed as she tried to imagine the same thing.
"Yeah, probably. I don't think I could deal with people that are literally there to cater to my every whim," Lauren shook her head and scrunched up her face at the thought.
"It's a little annoying sometimes but they're always pleasant. They leave you alone if you don't ask for them. They don't just follow you around and wait for orders," Camila explained in little detail. "I don't know what's going on with our house or anything, but I want to take you up there one day. Just so you can see it."
"That would be great. I'd really like to see where you come from," Lauren smiled at the distant idea. Because of heir financial troubles, it probably wouldn't be any time soon... But one day, hopefully.
"One day," Camila affirmed the thought Lauren just had.
-
Camila was sitting alone on the couch. Lauren had grown sleepy due to her cold and the medicine she'd taken to fight it. It took effect quickly and made her drowsy in return. Camila watched as she gradually grew less and less attentive to her surroundings and coaxed her to go upstairs and lay down so she could be comfortable while she was resting. After Lauren abided by Camila's wishes, she realized that this household was a lot less fun without her there. With little motive or energy, Camila milled around the house. Everyone was either sleeping or busy. If that was the life of an adult, she really wanted to put it off for a few years. She wanted to do something. Anything. Lauren's suggestion from earlier crossed her mind and she figured she didn't have anything to lose by enacting it.
Soon enough, Camila found herself in front of Michael's door. She didn't want to disturb her dad or be a burden to whatever he was busying himself with, so she turned to Lauren's instead. She didn't quite know how Clara felt about her yet, but Michael practically adored her. If she asked him for his one favor, she was pretty confident he'd submit to her requests. With that knowledge, she knocked on his bedroom door.
"Yeah?" Michael called from inside, obviously lacking the energy to formally get up to answer it.
"Hi. It's Camila. Um, do you think you could do me a favor?" she worded tentatively as she twiddled her fingers just outside of his door.
No response came, and Camila was beginning to second guess her faith in Michael's willingness to help her out. However, her worries faded when he unlocked the door and opened it. He stood before her with a curious expression, silently prompting her to continue. "What do you need, Mila?"
"Well, I wanted to see if you could take me around the area so I can apply for a few jobs. I'm trying to help out my dad as much as I can. I think that if one of us had a job, we'd be a little better off," Camila explained nervously and shied away from making eye contact during her request.
"That sounds like a great idea. Give me a minute to get ready and I'll be right out," Michael grinned at the selfless girl before him and closed the door to go change.
-
Camila had no idea what she was getting herself into. Applying for jobs was apparently hard as fuck. And it was such an extensive process. As Michael drove her around from plaza to plaza, she spent the rest of her day going in and out of possible places of work. She'd donned herself in professional clothing, complete with a nicely fitted business suit and a pair of classy heels. She tried her best to wrangle her hair into a bun, trying to make herself look as presentable as possible. She was genuinely under the impression that all she had to do was dress the part, sell herself and her rigor to the manager of some store, shake hands, and she'd have the job. She had a big storm coming.
Apparently, there was an entire application process that she knew nothing about. She'd never really been in the work force and had no idea what it entailed. Camila was dismayed to find out that there was more to the process than a simple in and out policy. While getting a nice dose of reality, she began to wish she'd dressed more comfortably. Only half of the stores and businesses and restaurants she went in were hiring, and an even smaller portion of those statistics were offering job positions to people her age. She was awkwardly in the middle of being able to be employed at all and assuming greater roles, being seventeen. Anywhere that served alcohol was out of the question, which knocked out a bunch of potential employers.
"I give up," Camila grumbled as she slumped into Michael's car after another let down.
"Hey, there's one more place you can try," Michael informed her as Camila began putting on her seatbelt.
"Nobody is going to hire me. And I've got like a million applications to fill out now," Camila sighed and added another packet to the growing pile on the floor.
"Just try one last time," Michael encouraged her as he inconspicuously drove towards Dairy Queen.
"Where are we going now?" she questioned from the passenger's seat.
"You'll see," Michael grinned to himself as they made the short journey over there. Once in the parking lot, he exited the car with Camila and guided her inside. "This time, you let me do all of the talking."
Camila followed his lead and was genuinely surprised by how highly he spoke of her. Through his example, she learned exactly which phrases and descriptions she really needed to sell herself. With the way Michael was talking about her, he made that manager seem like a fool to not consider her for a position. By the time Camila walked out of there, both she and Mike were extremely confident that she at least had an interview. The job wasn't guaranteed, but Michael had definitely helped to get her foot into the door.
"Thanks, Papa J... I don't even know how to thank you," Camila gushed from sheer excitement as she buckled herself in once more.
"You're most welcome, Camila," Michael said earnestly.
"I thought I was hopeless," Camila giggled and rested against the window.
"No one is hopeless," he discouraged her self depreciation and started on their way home. "I got Lauren the job that way."
"You're obviously a miracle worker," Camila joked and couldn't help her smile at how sweet his gesture was. He didn't have to do that, but he did. And he wasn't even getting praised for it. Good people really do exist in the world.
"Aw shucks," Michael gushed playfully, giving into Camila's flattery. "I try my best..."
"I see where Lauren gets it from," Camila commented blithely as she watched her goofy father in amusement.
"Gets what? These devilishly handsome good looks?" Michael asked as he ran his hand through a receding hairline. "Yes, it's all from my side of the family. Clara's alright, I guess..."
"Papa J!" Camila feigned outrage as she listened to him go on. Her giggling got even louder as she held her hands over her stomach.
"That's my name, don't wear it out," he smirked.
"I can't deal with you," Camila tried to catch her breath and looked back over at him.
"Man, I thought we were really getting along, too..." Michael made a face as he turned into their neighborhood from the short trip back from Dairy Queen.
"We are. You're the best," Camila retracted her previous statement and gave him an awkward side hug from the passenger's seat.
"Oh, I know," he childishly flipped his nonexistent hair. "You're alright too, kiddo."
"Thanks," Camila smiled over at him as they pulled into the driveway.
"No problem, but don't let it go to your head," he admonished with a cheesy grin.
"No, really... Thank you. Thanks for taking me out and getting me that interview," Camila had a moment of seriousness and grasped his forearm before he unlocked the front door. It was a strange thought, but she was almost more comfortable with this man than she was with her own dad. He'd been much more of a father figure than Alejandro had been lately.
"You're welcome," Michael abandoned his jokes and paused for a second when he understood the sentiment behind her words. It surprised him. And she surprised him even further when she threw her arms around him, springing a full-fledged hug on him. The sudden act gave him that same familiar warm feeling as when Lauren did it. He really did care for her like she was his own. To convey it without saying it, he rubbed her shoulder warmly and kissed her on the crown of her head. When they separated in silence, the two just filed indoors.
Camila made it back to Lauren within just enough time to start missing her. She was excited when she ascended up the stairs and drew nearer to Lauren. However, it was every short-lived. She pushed open Lauren's door, only to find that the ill girl was still resting. Disappointed would've been an understatement, but she soon found a reason to smile. Though she was sleeping, Lauren was still wildly entertaining just from her sleeping position alone. The said girl was completely sprawled out on the bed with her limbs hanging off of the sides. Her head was turned at an awkward angle. Her mouth was slightly open and there was some faint snoring going on, but nothing major. Poor Lauren, she looked so out of it. It was definitely photo-worthy, but Camila wouldn't embarrass her like that.
Deciding to simply greet her with a chaste forehead kiss, Camila saw no other reason to stick around in there if she wasn't awake. She was wondering what she could do to waste time. After doing most things with Lauren right beside her, Camila found it strange to do them without her. Watching movies wasn't very fulfilling if she wasn't cuddling with Lauren. And reading just bored her now that she'd experienced much more exciting things. She decided to go on tumblr. Real life had been sufficiently distracting her and she hadn't really felt the need to check up on social media of any sort. It was relaxing to scroll past so many quotes and excerpts that made Lauren come to mind. Camila reblogged the fuck out of anything remotely pertaining to the green-eyed girl as a sly form of subliminal messaging. She knew she'd see them. She hoped she'd know they were all about her.
Then, a horrible feeling of guilt began in her stomach. She should've been scrolling past those things and thinking of Darren. Lauren's stern words about their relationship hit home, although she didn't let it show much. She knew Lauren was right, but it just wasn't easy to do something like that. It made her feel like a horrible person, but in truth, Camila was elated to get away from everything. That did not exclude Darren. He was overbearing with his presence and far too affectionate for her liking. She was kind of thrilled to get away from all of that pretending. It was relieving to abandon her façade and to finally be allowed to be none other than herself. If she could've left Darren behind just like everything else about her past life, it would've been ideal.
But, of course, that didn't happen. And it wouldn't happen unless she grew a pair and broke things off officially. He was just baggage that she constantly had to burden. And she recognized that she shouldn't have been viewing him as a burden, but she couldn't deny the truth. It wasn't fair to him to continue this. She needed to abandon her selfish pride and do the right thing. With her phone in her hand, she drew in a deep breath to muster the confidence before she dialed his number to have a conversation that was long overdue.
"Hello?" Darren answered the phone after only a few seconds.
"Hey," Camila greeted him diffidently. "It's Camila..."
"I know who this is, babe. I'd know that cute little voice anywhere," he said charmingly, and Camila was annoyed at the immense lack of feelings it roused within her. Most girls would've been a blushing mess or something right now. Camila was under no such influence. "How are you? I haven't talked to you in a while."
"I'm okay," she responded monotonously, having already grown bored with him. They weren't even thirty seconds into the call yet. It only validated her reasons for needing to do this. "Actually... Can I be honest?"
"Of course... Is everything alright? What's up, Mila?" he asked worriedly, and Camila could easily grasp how sincere his concern was. It made her feel like shit.
"Um..." she stalled. How could she put this? "Lately I've just been kind of... Uh..."
"Whenever you're ready," he said sweetly, obviously in no big rush to make her spit it out.
"I don't think things have been going all that great," she began dumbly.
"Really? Why not?" he asked, full of apprehension.
"Well, you know... We haven't been talking that much lately... And it makes me feel bad..." Camila started off ungracefully. "I don't like where we are right now. It feels really unnatural and just weird... That's why I haven't been talking to you a lot... Because it makes me feel weird..."
"Yeah?" Darren responded to show that he was listening. Camila could tell that he was genuinely hanging onto her every word.
"Yeah. I know we have an open relationship and everything but I just don't feel like that's working..." Camila said slowly, trying to decide how exactly she wanted to word it. This was a lot harder than she was prepared for. She didnt know how to force herself to blurt out that she was breaking up with him without beating around the bush with it. Despite the revelation, she continued to do just that. "It doesn't make me feel good. Like, it's great that we're open and honest with each other about it... But... I don't want to do that anymore. And I hope this won't be too much for you, but-"
"I think I know what you're trying to say..." Darren interrupted Camila, who was obviously struggling to articulate her thoughts on the other line.
"Really? Thank God. I was so scared I was just making a fool of myself. I'm glad you understood what I was trying to say. I would've felt stupid actually saying it..." Camila expressed her relief. It really felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She was pleased to find out that he wasn't taking it too harshly.
"No, I totally understand, Mila. You don't like our open relationship because you miss me too much when we're apart. With the distance right now, I think you're just scared... But I love you, you know that," Darren tried his best to reassure Camila.
"Wait, what...?" Camila stuttered, ultimately caught off guard. She didn't even think she'd heard him right.
"Yeah, of course! I know you're not comfortable admitting your feelings, but I get that you want me to come up there. I miss you too, Mila. And I want to see you just as much," Darren claimed, throwing Camila for a complete loop. He continued before she could discredit his train of thought. "And don't worry. It's definitely not too much. I'm pretty sure I can make the drive in less than an hour."
"...What..." Camila deadpanned, not even bothering to hide the contempt in her tone for his idiotic interpretation. "No..."
"Yeah, traffic shouldn't be that bad. Hey, how about I bring Ally and we can all make this one big reunion?" Darren thought ahead and paid no mind to how unenthusiastic Camila sounded on the other side. He was much too busy planning this apparent trip of his.
"Darren, hold on. That's not what I was trying to say. I don't want you to-" Camila attempted to lay it out for him, but she couldn't get through to him.
"Mila, I get it. You don't have to be embarrassed for wanting to spend more time with me. And it's not a big deal to me. I'll drive down there first thing tomorrow. Don't sweat it, alright?" he promised.
"Darren, listen to me. I literally do not want you to come up here. That's not at all what I was trying to say-" Camila tried to be blunt, but still couldn't get out enough before he cut her off again. Her take at being straightforward wasn't nearly as effective as she was thinking.
"Sure it isn't," he crooned into the receiver condescendingly, like she was still too shy to say it out loud. He thought it was cute. Meanwhile, Camila actually wanted to strangle him. "But hey, I've gotta go. There's this big dinner soon and I haven't even started getting ready yet, so..."
"You're not listening to me-" Camila stressed through clenched teeth, actually becoming angry at how he refused to let her get a word in.
"Sorry, I really have to go. But I'll see you tomorrow. Love you," Darren quickly bid her goodbye without waiting for her reply. Then he hung up.
Camila stared blankly at her phone and wondered what the fuck had just happened. She groaned and threw her phone onto her bed in exasperation, then she flopped back onto it. Darren was coming here - to Lauren's house. She was supposed to be breaking up with him, not indirectly agreeing to a meet up session. That couldn't have gone any worse. Careful not to get too worked up about it, she tried to think optimistically. Maybe she'd have better luck telling him in person. In a face to face confrontation, she was sure he could gauge the true intent behind her words. While somewhat dreading what tomorrow would bring, Camila just sat there and wondered how to tell Lauren's family that they were apparently about to accommodate two more guests.
A/N
Lol. Yikes.
QOC: What do you think of Darren so far? I think he's a really nice idiot :)))
GUYS OH MY FUCKING GOD GUESS WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT. LAUREN. FUCKING. JAUREGUI TWEETED ME. THIS IS MY SECOND LAUREN TWEET. SHE HAD THIS Q&A TYPE THINGY THAT SHE DOES SOMETIMES AND SHE ANSWERED MY QUESTION, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS REALLY STUPID. I CRIED MAN. I WAS SHAKING SO MUCH LOL I LOVE HER.
I'm bald. But you can follow me on Twitter if you want. @lovatoftcamren
I hope your day is as lovely as mine. Find something that makes you smile daily and stick with it. I love you guys and all of that mushy shittt. ily xx