Camila heard a loud slam but she knew it wasn't from her own house so she glanced out her window to the house parallel to hers to see her best friend storm across the room to her bed. Camila rolled her eyes, wondering what had happened now as she took out her phone to text Lauren.
'What got you slamming doors at half past eleven?' She typed out as she walked over to sit on her windowsill.
After a couple of seconds Lauren's window opened fully and Lauren leant her elbows on her own windowsill. "Hey."
"Hey Mr Grumpy gills." Camila replied playfully making Lauren chuckle. "So, what's wrong?"
"My mom wouldn't let me go to the party tonight."
"Well, I am glad she didn't, Keaton has been trying to get you to sleep with him for weeks and that boy is not above drugging a girl."
"Keaton's just not my type." Lauren shrugged as she climbed out of the window and onto the branch, shimmying along until she reached the tree house.
"And what exactly is your type?" Camila asked as she followed suit, climbing into the tree house and sitting side by side with Lauren.
"You are my type." Lauren answered, smiling charmingly over at Camila.
"Ah, so dorky losers, then?"
"You aren't a loser."
"So you're saying I'm a dork?"
"You're the queen of dorks." Lauren nodded, smiling over at Camila. "But you're not a loser."
Camila just smiled and rolled her eyes as she leant her head against Lauren's shoulder.
"Why aren't you asleep? You complained all day about being sleepy."
"Lauren, we've been friends since forever, you should know by now that I am always sleepy, that doesn't mean I got to sleep early."
"How do you even survive school? You get, like, three hours sleep a night."
"I have trained myself to live with it."
"And you're ok? Like, there's no underlying reason as to why you can't sleep?"
"No, I'm good. I promise."
Lauren just nodded, laying back on the hardwood floor, pulling Camila down with her. "What are we doing tomorrow?" Lauren asked, unconsciously ghosting her fingertips up and down Camila's bicep.
"I don't know about you but I'm sleeping until at least noon."
"After that." Lauren sighed, glaring playfully down at Camila.
"I don't know, anything." Camila muttered sleepily against Lauren's shoulder.
"How about a sleepover? Tonight and tomorrow."
"I though we stopped calling them sleepovers when we turned ten." Camila said playfully, flashing Lauren a cheeky grin.
"I mean, like, out here, like when we were kids."
Camila frowned, pushing herself up onto her elbows and looked down at Lauren. "What's up?"
"Nothing." Lauren answered but Camila knew by the higher tone of her voice that she was lying.
"Tell me."
"It's just- well, we're going to college soon and I just want to spend as much time with you as I can."
"We're going to the same college, Lo. We will be living together." Camila smiled, watching her fingertips trail along the underside of Lauren's jaw.
"I know but it will be different." Lauren sighed, folding the arm that wasn't around Camila's shoulder under her head. "Everything will be different. Different people, a different state." Lauren huffed out a breath and looked down at Camila. "And, fuck, I'm scared."
"I didn't think you got scared."
"I'm fucking terrified, Camz." Lauren chuckled nervously, smiling when Camila calmly ran her thumb across her cheekbone. "I don't think I could do it without you. I mean I still can't work the fucking clothes washer and I'm just expected to live on my own in two months."
"You won't be on your own, I'll be there. I'll teach you how to be independent."
"When I become independent will you leave me?"
"Of course not."
"Then ok."
Camila's smiled, kissing Lauren's cheek before pushing herself up onto her feet, lightly knocking her head off the roof off the tree house. "Fuck, I keep forgetting I've grown." She murmured, rubbing the top of her head.
"Not by much, though."
"Fuck you." Camila growled, glaring up her best friend. "I'm going to get my duvet and some food."
"I'll be waiting here for you when you're back." Lauren replied casually, rolling onto her front to look at the paintings and drawings that had managed to stay tacked to the wall over the years.
To Lauren, this didn't seem all that long ago, both of the lying of the same floor she was lying on now scribbling on sheets of paper and talking about one of the recent Disney channel shows and now they were shipping off to college in a few months and then, before she knows it they would be kicked into the big bad world. She definitely wasn't ready for that.
Lauren groaned when there was an unexpected weight on her back, glancing over her shoulder to see Camila smiling at her from her place sitting on her back. "Where were you?"
"Just thinking."
"Oh, that's a dangerous ground." Camila teased, sliding off Lauren's back and lying down next to her, pulling the duvet up over both of them.
"Shut up, dork." Lauren groaned as she turned on her back.
"You're going to be ok, you know?" Camila said, leaning her chin on Lauren's shoulder. "When we leave, it's daunting, I know and it will be different but a good different, I promise."
"I know, I'm just a little overwhelmed. It's mad how that expect you to make a life choice when you're to young to even go out and enjoy life, you know? Like, you can't just go on a road trip or travel the world when you're eighteen because you can't afford it so the only experience you really have is the town you grew up in and they expect us to make choices now that will define our whole life."
"I know. It's all backwards." Camila agreed, cuddling into Lauren's side. "We will be ok, thought."
"Mm. Night, Camila."
Camila just yawned in response, leaning against Lauren's shoulder to fall asleep.
-
Camila hopped along the old tree branch and into the tree house, sitting cross legged and pulled out her phone to text Lauren.
'Where you at, Jauregui?'
'Im just coming, chill out, Cabello'
Within a few minutes Lauren was walking across the branch and into the tree house.
"Sorry I'm late, Keaton just left."
"Keaton? Why was he here?" Camila frowned, watching Lauren as she sat down against the wall across from her, that in itself was strange, her sitting so far away.
"I called him, invited him over."
"Why? I thought you didn't like him?"
"He's cute." Lauren shrugged nonchalantly.
"So is a mountain lion but you don't go petting them."
"Why are you on my back? It's none of your business."
"Of course it's my business! You're my best friend, I'm supposed to look out for you and Keaton's a jerk."
"Best friends are also supposed to be happy for you." Lauren shot back, pushing herself up onto her knees.
"I would be if it wasn't that idiot, he's not good enough for you."
"Then who is, Camila? Who's good enough for me?" Lauren snapped, looking at Camila with almost pleading eyes, as if she knew exactly what she wanted her to say.
"I don't know, but not him."
"You have no right to tell me who I can and can't date, Camila." Lauren growled as she got to her feet.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm not really feeling this anymore."
"Fine, call Keaton. Maybe he'd want to hang out." Camila shot back spitefully.
"Fuck you." Lauren grumbled as she attempted to swing her feet over onto the branch but her foot slipped and before she could make any attempted to grab onto something she stumbled forward.
Camila scrambled the door of the tree house just as there was sickening thud. "Lauren!"
Camila quickly rushed down the ladder that was rarely even used, rushing over to her best friend who hadn't moved a muscle.
"Lauren, open your eyes! Come on, I'm sorry, please." Camila begged as she knelt down next to Lauren, her eyes running over the girls leg that seemed to be bent in an unnatural way and the blood on her hairline.
"Camila, what's all the noise?"
"Mom, she fell and won't open her eyes. Come on, Lauren, open your eyes! I love you, please."
"Honey, don't move her. I'm going to call an ambulance."
Camila didn't show any indication that she heard her mom, she was to busy moving the hair away from the cut on Lauren's head. "I love you, ok? And I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been angry with you but he's not good enough, nobody is."
"Camila, is she breathing?" Her mom asked, rushing over with the phone to her ear.
"Yes, how long will they be?"
"Just a couple of minutes."
Camila just nodded, using the heel of her hand to wipe away the tears from her eyes before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Lauren's lips, frowning when she felt Lauren kiss her back.
She pulled back to look at Lauren who was looking up at her with cloudy, half open eyes and a lazy smile on her lips.
"Knew it." She huffed out breathlessly, her eyes drooping close again.
"Hey, no, you have to keep your eye open for me, ok?" Camila insisted, placing her hands on Lauren's cheeks and giving her a water smile when she opened her eyes again.
"Everything is blurry." Lauren murmured, her words slurring together as she spoke.
Camila heard her mom tell the person in the phone that she was awake but was fighting hard to stay awake and was slurring her words.
"Yeah, you hit your head real bad."
Lauren let out a strained hum as her eyes slipped closed for a few seconds before she forced one of them open again, seemingly only having the energy to keep one open.
Camila glanced down at her leg, wondering why the hell she wasn't screaming in pain because it was very apparent that the leg was snapped. She had never broken a bone but she was sure it hurt.
"Hey, can you do me a favor?"
"Mm?"
"Move your left foot, and only your left foot, ok?"
Lauren forced the uninjured foot to move and Camila sighed in relief, at least she wasn't paralyzed.
Camila could hear the paramedics rushing over but the only thing she was focusing on was the fact that Lauren's eyes had completely closed again. "No, open your eyes, Lauren."
Lauren didn't move and Camila wanted to kiss her again, see if that would wake her up but before she had the chance her dad had his arms hooked under her arms to pull her away. "No, dad. Let me go, I have to make sure she's ok!"
Camila struggled against her dad, watching as the paramedics opened Lauren's eyes and shone a light into them before cautiously setting up a brace around her neck and sliding her onto a stretcher.
"Can I go with her? Please, in case she wakes up. And I can tell you everything you need to know." Camila pleaded, looking at one of the paramedics who looked unsure at first but nodded.
"Ok, but you have to do everything we tell you, ok?"
Camila nodded without hesitation and her dad let her go. "We will go pick up her parents and meet you at the hospital." Her dad said as Camila's rushed over to the ambulance.
"How old is she?" The of the medics asked as he hooked Lauren up to a heart rate machine, clamping the monitor onto her finger.
"Eighteen."
"Allergies?"
"Penicillin and bee stings."
The man hummed, "So she's good with morphine?"
"Yeah, she got it last year when she hurt herself during softball."
The man nodded, setting up a drip and sliding the needle into Lauren's vein.
"What about her leg?"
"She's snapped the femur, which is the thigh bone and the one that takes the longest to heal. We won't know for sure in how many places it's broken for now but I can grantee that she will be in a wheel chair for about a month, walking on crutches for about six. Depending on how bad it is, and it looks pretty bad, she might need physical therapy."
"What about college?"
"Is she going out of state?"
"Yeah, New York."
"Then she can do her treatment there."
"Is she hurt anywhere else?"
"We won't know until we get her back and do a few tests on her."
"She moved her foot." Camila mumbled, looking up at the doctor. "The uninjured foot, I got her to move it while she was awake."
The man nodded, checking Lauren's vitals as they stopped outside the hospital.
The back door was thrown open and Lauren's stretcher was dragged out, Camila stumbling to keep up.
"We are taking her in for a CT scan and an x-Ray of her leg and also shoulders. We will have to take her in for surgery on her leg as soon as possible so we will try and keep you update. You have to stay here, ma'am. There's a waiting room just down there."
Camila watched helplessly as she best friend was wheeled through the doors and disappeared out of sight.
Camila didn't know how long she stood there for but she jumped at the feeling of someone lightly touching her arms, making her look over to see a nurse smiling down at her. "Come sit down, sweetie."
"I don't like that she's in there on her own. I can't protect her when she's in there and I'm out here."
"Honey, there's nothing you need to protect her from in there, ok? She's safe, she's in the best hands." The woman assured, guiding Camila to sit down and handing her a tissue. "Are your parents here? Or her parents?"
"They're on their way."
"Ok, do you want me to sit with you?"
"No, thank you. I'll be fine."
The woman nodded, smiling as she walked off.
About ten minutes later her parents and Lauren's parents rushed through the door, Lauren's mom striding over to her when she noticed her. "Where is she? What happened?"
"She fell from the tree. She's in getting tests done now. I'm so sorry, this is my fault."
"That's ridiculous, Camila." Her mom said, wrapping her in a hug.
"No, I was mad at her for asking Keaton over so I had a go at her and she got angry. I'm so sorry."
"It isn't your fault. It was an accident." Lauren mom said as her husband went over to the front desk.
--
It was about three hours before someone came out to inform them that Lauren had broken her leg, fractured her collarbone and a few ribs, and had a concision but other than that was fine but she did need the bone in her leg pinned into place which would take a good five hours.
Camila's parents had insisted she went home with them but Camila flat out refused, she wasn't leaving until Lauren was awake.
Lauren's mom had fallen asleep and her dad had to leave for work so eight hours after the accident Camila was sitting in the waiting room, to tired to move but to worried to sleep.
She shot up when the door opened, the doctor walking into the room.
Camila lightly knocked Lauren's mom making her wake up.
"Ok, Lauren's out of surgery and in her own room so you both can see her but she's pretty drugged up and will probably sleep for the next few hours."
Both Camila and Lauren's mom stood up, following the doctor into the room. Camila could feel a lump forming in her throat at the sight of her best friend, sitting down on the seat on the opposite side of the bed than Lauren's mom.
They both settled in, Lauren's mom trying to fight the sleepiness but ended up falling asleep after an hour and a half.
Camila looked down at her hand that was joined with Lauren's, lightly running her thumb over Lauren's palm.
"I know your doped up and won't remember this but I love you, so goddamn much so just wake up and punch me for getting you so angry."
"It's not your fault." Lauren whispered, her words running together and her eyes remaining closed.
"I am so sorry, Lo." Camila rushed out, sitting up and pressing a kiss to Lauren's forehead.
"Hey, you got me legally high. Thank you."
Camila laughed quietly at that, smiling when Lauren opened one eye.
"How do you feel?" Camila asked, lightly running her hands through the hair on the side of Lauren's head that didn't have stitches.
"I don't know. I can't really feel anything." Lauren groaned, her eyes fully closing again. "Did you kiss me?" She breathed, her complete lack of energy clean in her voice. "I feel like you did but then I'm pretty doped up so I could've imagined it all."
"I did. Now stop talking, get some rest."
"I will if you do it again." Lauren opened her eyes slightly, grinning lazily up at Camila.
Camila laughed, placing her hand on Lauren's cheek and pressing a lingering kiss against her lips. "I love you."
Lauren smiled sleepily, her eyes remaining closed as she whisper 'I love you, too.'
Camila smiled, pulling the chair as close to the bed as she could and sat down, lightly running her fingertips up and down Lauren's arm as she leant her elbow on the bed and her chin on her fist.
-
Camila tried to fight the sleepiness but she ended up falling asleep still in the uncomfortable hospital seat, her head leaning against Lauren's arms.
When she eventually woke up her hand was still tangled with Lauren's and when she looked up Lauren was smiling down at her.
"Hey, how long have you been awake?"
"About an hour and you're kind of lying on my only useful limb."
Camila quickly sat up, smiling apologetically at Lauren. "Sorry."
"It's ok."
"Not just for lying on your arm. For making you fall."
"Hey," Lauren whispered, bringing he hand up to hold onto Camila's chin. "It's not your fault. I wasn't careful."
"Because you were angry with me."
"No," Lauren lightly shook her head. "I was mad at myself because everything you were saying was right."
"Then why did you invite him over?" Camila asked in a low voice, taking Lauren's hand and placed her knuckles against her lips.
"I didn't think you felt the same way about me as I feel about you so I had to try and get over it."
"You're an idiot." Camila muttered, smiling against Lauren's knuckles.
"Mm." Lauren hummed. Everything was quiet for a couple of minutes before Lauren spoke up again. "I broke my leg."
"Yeah, and fractured your collarbone and a few ribs."
"My leg had to be pinned."
"Yeah, so technically your part wolverine."
Lauren grinned, letting her head fall to the side when Camila leant her chin on the bed. "How long have we been here?"
"It happened at about eight o'clock last night and it's a little after noon now so sixteen hours."
"And you've been here the whole time?"
Camila nodded, staring over into Lauren's eyes. "I wouldn't leave you."
Lauren bit down on her lip to try and hide the smile that was fighting its way onto her lips.
"Where's your mom?"
"Work." Lauren answered simple, leaning forward and taking Camila's lips in between her own.
"Oh," Camila breathed, her eyes remaining closed as she dragged her tongue along her bottom lip.
"I should have just told you how I feel instead of being stupid and thinking that dating someone else would help."
"Especially Keaton. That boy is disgusting."
"Mm, and he definitely wouldn't have stayed with me for sixteen hours."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."