Courthouses are strange for me. Last time in my court house, my mom gained full custody of me. It hurt to say goodbye to my dad. But, thankfully, goodbyes don't last forever, as I have learned. That could be a blessing and a curse.
I arrived after a breakfast at the diner with Ken- I mean, Dad. It's weird having him back in my life, but I saw how much effort he put in to rekindle his relationship with his family. It's a good weird.
Speaking of a good kind of weird, Camila was waiting in front of the courthouse. Sofi was staying at my house because Camila didn't want her in a courtroom. Sofi would get bored, and she wouldn't feel comfortable in a court room discussing how everyone thought her sister's ex boyfriend was dead.
"I didn't think you'd show up this early." Camila remarked as I parked my car.
"Then why were you waiting outside? Babe, it's freezing out here." I slammed the car door, stuffing my hands into my pockets.
"I didn't want to go in without you." Camila confessed. "Come on, let's go."
We walked into the court room, sitting right behind Camila's parents. Nate, Ally, and Lauren sat in the next row. Sebastian Mendes, sporting a deceiving smile, was talking on the other side of the court.
"Seems now he's against his own brother." Lauren muttered.
"Was it really that hard to find a blazer?" Nate chuckled at me.
"Shut up, this is serious." Ally smacked his forearm. "Be quiet."
"Now, a while back, we thought this case was as good as done." The judge began. "But, Alejandro and Sinu Cabello have brought up some surprising evidence. Care to explain?"
Alejandro got up, adjusting his tie and taking a deep breath.
"Your honor, we have evidence and proof that Shawn Mendes is alive in Miami. The papers we have suggest that Sebastian Mendes, my client's brother, sent him on a plane instead of reporting his reappearance to the authorities. We think it's possible that his brother- somehow, got Shawn to escape out of jail."
"Humans make their own decisions, Mr. Cabello."
"I am aware. But, Shawn had very drastic injuries to his temporal lobes." Mrs. Cabello stood up. "It's quite evident by the way he fell."
"We would like to call up Y/N Allen and ask a few questions."
"Proceed."
I made my way up to the stand, feeling Camila's eyes on the back of my head.
"Ms. Allen, you encountered Shawn on the rock at Camp Jellystone, correct?"
"That's correct, sir."
"What was different about him?"
"It was as if he kept trying to be something he wasn't, like he was putting on a show." I explained. "He even got sentimental at one point with me- before- sorry, before he fell."
"Do you believe he learned this behavior from the friends he made at school?"
"Objection!" The plaintiff's attorney shouted.
"Let Ms. Allen answer."
"I mean- kids from my school don't really get along with the kids from Ridgeview." I looked at Camila. "They've done some pretty awful things to the people I'm close to. But, sometimes, you can tell when someone's their own kind of mean. Most kids learn how to be mean- or, a better word is stuck up, I guess- at Garrison. Some of them, at least."
"Do you believe Shawn is truly in Miami still like the plane ticket receipts say?" Mrs. Cabello asked.
I thought about it, until my thoughts were interrupted by a scuffle outside.
"I-"
The court doors burst open with four men, all wearing identical grey and black suits. Two held back one, grabbing his arms. The other was blonde, covered in tattoos, and walking towards the judge's stand.
"Your honor," The blonde man began. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but I have proof standing before me that Sebastian Mendes doesn't care about anybody but himself."
"Who the devil are you?" Alejandro shouted.
"Oh, sorry. My name is Kelly, but my comrades call me Machine Gun. I went to high school with Sebastian, and up until a week ago, I thought he was my friend. Then, I found out that he didn't send a kid to work for me. He sent his own brother- who, by the way, doesn't know anything."
"Shawn!" Camila exclaimed, as Kelly stepped to the side to reveal a battered and bruised Shawn, wearing an unbuttoned suit.
"Who the hell is Shawn?" He asked, confused. "Bas?"
Sebastian shifted uncomfortably, sweating profusely.
"Bas!" Shawn exclaimed. "MGK, that's my brother!"
"I know your brother too damn well, little man." Kelly shot back. "This kid came to my doorstep with tattered clothes and one hundred and fifty dollars. He said his brother sent him here for a job. I wasn't going to leave him on the streets of Miami. What's your name?"
"Ricky Baker." Shawn stated. "My name is Ricky Baker."
"He told me that's what his name is according to his brother, Bas. Only there's one problem."
Kelly pulled a piece of paper out of his shirt pocket, unfolding it for the judge to see.
"I'm Ricky Baker." Kelly smiled sadly. "I mean, that was my name growing up. I should've connected the dots sooner- Bas sent this kid for me to make him a better person. Or, so I thought. I ended up becoming a babysitter. I began to realize that Rick- I mean, Shawn- knew nothing about who he really was. We took him to the hospital and got him an MRI. His brain was damaged. We spent a lot of money trying to make him better, and he's getting there."
Kelly turned to Sebastian, looking at him straight in the eyes.
"Your parents would've wanted to know. And, I don't think Shawn was friends at first with these people, but I can tell they're here and they want to connect with him, and they care."
"Kelly?" Shawn blurted out. "A-Am I Shawn?"
Camila held back tears.
"Yes." Kelly walked up to him. "Shawn Peter Raul Mendes. And I want you to know that Miami will always be your second home. But I'm gonna make sure you go back to your parents. Don't go to see Bas again."
"I think this calls for a recess." The judge slammed his gavel, exiting the room quickly.
Shawn looked like a character out of Shameless as he slumped down on the bench- battered, bruised, and a little clueless.
"We're gonna call your parents, okay?" Kelly smiled, going outside with his men.
Sebastian quickly darted across the room to try to get to him, but Camila and I ran to block him.
"You're not talking to him." Camila crossed her arms.
"And who are you?"
"I'm Shawn's friend." Camila answered, grabbing my hand. "And she's Shawn's friend also."
Nate came over as well, leaving his conversation with Ally and Lauren.
"He's our friend."
"You don't even know him." Sebastian laughed.
"He doesn't even know himself." Camila shot back. "Maybe you should go explain to your friend why you took his name."
Sebastian grunted, like his brother always used to, and went outside.
"You're my friends?" Shawn asked. "I'm sorry... it's just that I don't remember you... then again, I don't really remember much."
"That's okay." I told him. "You can start over every morning. I'm Y/N."
"I'm Shawn." Shawn nervously stuck out his hand. "Shawn... Mendes? Yeah. Mendes."
"Nice to meet you." I shook his hand. "These are my friends- Ally, Lauren, Nate, and Camila."
"Can they be my friends too?"
"Totally." Camila nodded.
"Shawn?!" A female voice called out. "SHAWN?!"
"M-Mom?" Shawn questioned, wondering where he has heard that voice before. "Mom!"
"Shawn, honey!" His mother sobbed. "I knew you weren't gone!"
Shawn hugged back, realizing that this was his mother. Everything was so new to him. But, it wasn't. He already knew it deep down.
Camila smiled, hugging me.
"Told you we'd bring him home." Camila whispered, tiny tears streaming onto my shirt.
Kelly walked back in, tapping me on the shoulder and breaking apart the embrace.
"Sorry if I interrupted something." Kelly apologized, scratching the back of his neck. "If you can, can you give me a call on how he's doing? He means a lot to me. He is so much like me. But, I don't want him turning out like me. I've done some bad things, and if you guys are his friends, you need to make sure he doesn't do those things, okay?"
"Thank you so much, Mr. Kelly." Shawn's mom told him.
"Anything for Shawn." Kelly smiled, handing Camila a business card and walking out.
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I spent the evening at home by myself, thinking about Shawn. I wanted him to be okay. I wanted him to get back to living his own life, just without the overwhelming weight to be a huge bully. Seeing him today was very unexpected, but in a good way. As the snow began to dash in flurries outside, I realized that now Shawn was my friend. My actual friend. I needed to defend him, no matter what people like Jacob would say. He was learning everything again.
The doorbell rang, and I opened it to reveal Camila, clad in her yellow raincoat holding plastic bags.
"Are you insane?" I yelled. "You clearly don't get cold, Mila. Come in."
Camila slowly walked in. I took her bags from her hands, setting them down on the table and taking off her raincoat for her.
"It's cold out there, are you out of your mind?" I asked, rubbing her shoulders from behind.
"I don't care if it's snowing golf ball-sized pieces of hale." Camila remarked. "If I wanna see you, I'm gonna drive to see you, love."
I smiled as I rest my head on her shoulder.
"Wait- you brought something."
"I know we had a rough day." Camila began. "So I got some grilled cheese and tomato soup and thought maybe we don't need to really go anywhere tonight because it's downpouring. Maybe, if you're lucky, I'll even let you pick a movie on Netflix. As long as it isn't the Bee Movie."
"What do you have against the Bee Movie?" I laughed.
"Every time I plan to watch it, I fall asleep." Camila answered, sitting on the stools in my kitchen. "I don't think it's meant to be."
I wrapped my arms around her, cuddling her as I broke off to go get plates.
"Hmm... how about Shrek!" I thought out loud. "Come on, Shrek is incredible."
"Fine." Camila began bursting out into laughter.
"What?" I smiled.
"Remember when Dinah, Ally, and I were the Three Blind Mice for Squad Day last year?" Camila clutched her stomach from laughing so hard. "That was the best day of my life!"
"You were the cutest mouse I've ever seen." I flirted.
We opened the styrofoam containers, revealing the still warm food.
"You're such an idiot for driving in this stormy weather to get this." I laughed.
"I'm your idiot." Camila smiled. "And if you want, we can be idiots together."
We set out the food on my kitchen counter, sitting across from each other. We had no candles, but we dimmed the lights and put on some acoustic music from Spotify.
"This may not be much, but-"
"Are you kidding, me? Being here with you on a night like this is more than enough, Camila." I grabbed her hand across the table. "It's all I wanted."
"Hey." She smiled. "Happy Valentine's Day."
I smiled back, brushing my thumb against her fingers slowly.
"Happy Valentine's Day."
Camila and I finished our dinner, and cleaned up so we could go watch Shrek. We lied on the couch, cuddling together. Camila was wearing my sweatshirt, laughing at the weird jokes onscreen.
"We should get married." I blurted out, immediately covering my mouth.
Camila's head shot up, pausing the movie and looking straight at me.
"Wait, what?"
"Sorry, I just was thinking about a lot of things, and I know we're way too young for that- but all I want is to see you every day, and I'm getting that next year. But, I want to be your wife, Camila. I really would love to be yours one day."
Camila smiled, looking down and playing with the ring on her finger.
"I wanna be your wife, too." Camila replied, looking up and placing her hand on the back of my neck. "But, I think we need some stability first in our lives. We need a house, and jobs. One day, I'm gonna marry the hell out of you. But right now, everything is crazy. Y/N, I need you to trust me. Please?"
"I've always trusted you." I replied, staring down at her lips.
"Y/N, my eyes are up here." Camila snapped.
"Sorry." I nervously giggled. "It's just- um, you're really hot when you talk intellectually and profoundly- and genuine- and"
I couldn't finish that sentence because she connected her lips to mine, innocent and slightly nervous as the first kiss we shared.
"There were no cars in the driveway." Camila breathed out, kissing my neck softly.
"They won't be back until midnight." I replied, trying to form words as Camila's hands roamed my body.
"Oh, we'll definitely be done by then." Camila winked, grabbing my arm.
This time it was different. This time it felt like love. I don't know what made this time so special. But I knew that Camila loved me from the way she touched me and held me in her arms. We felt as if nothing else mattered in the world at that moment, like time stopped and we were the only two people existing in the world at the same time.
"Camila."
"Y/N?"
"Go to prom with me."
"You need to prompose-"
"I've never proposed to you." I said, bolting upright. "Hoy shit. We've done everything else, but I've never promposed."
"Babe-"
"Monday at school. I'll do it then." I nodded to myself.
"Babe, you don't have to-"
"Nate made Ally a cake. Jarryd took Dinah to a football game. Lauren got Lucy a piñata with a puzzle that spelled 'prom?'. No, I gotta do something."
"Promise you won't stress over little old me." Camila chuckled massaging my back in bed.
"Y/N, I mean it." Camila ordered. "Don't. Stress. Out."
"Aye, Aye, Captain." I saluted. "Wait. I have an idea. Follow me."
We went downstairs, and I plugged my computer into my home speakers.
"This is really rough." I began. "I recorded it in my bedroom one night, and I didn't know what to do with it until now, I guess."
Camila sat on the couch, legs crossed and eager to listen. Hesitantly, I hit a key on my laptop as the song began to play.
We fell in love
Right by the ocean
Made all our plans
Down on the sand
And from the tips of your fingers
Down to the soles of your feet
A glimmer in your skin
That I can't believe
And take a trip to the sea
Let your hair run, run free
You're a rebel in disguise
Is that the devil in your eyes
We fell in love
Right by the ocean
Made all our plans
Down on the sand
We fell in love
Right by the ocean
Made all our plans
Down on the sand
Wider smiles than I've ever seen
Your little arms hug your body
This is more than I can take
You're the fruit that I can taste
You only seek what you give away
You'll only speak what you wanna say
You ululate like a warrior
I'll make you shake like your bed girl
We fell in love
Right by the ocean
Made all our plans
Down on the sand
We fell in love
Right by the ocean
Made all our plans
Down on the sand
This is our garden girl
We live in a fractured world
Willing to be the same
Same as it always was
We're in a rapture girl
We live in a lonely world
Willing to be the same
Same as it always was
We fell in love
Right by the ocean
Made all our plans
Down on the sand
We fell in love
Right by the ocean
Made all our plans
Down on the sand
I got up, walking towards a silent Camila, in awe of what she just heard. I knelt down, grabbing her hands in mine.
"Camila Cabello, will you do me the honor of going to prom with you?" I asked, eyes bearing into her soul. I have never felt more vulnerable in my entire life. I felt like I was hanging off that cliff in my nightmare, like the first few months I would stutter accidentally when I said her name- everything stopped.
"Yes." Camila responded. "Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes."
Camila pulled me onto the couch, kissing me and locking our pinkies together.
"I love you." I whispered.
"I love you too." Camila whispered back. "Now, when are you going to teach me that song on the guitar?"
"Are you sure, Cabello?" I chuckled. "I don't think you're ready."
"Is that a challenge?" Camila smirked.
"I thought you like challenges."
"Oh, I do. But, I love them when they involve you."