For once it was Camila who woke up last that morning.
"Good morning sleeping beauty," Keana beamed, watching her from her position perched on the arm of the couch opposite her.
"Hello," Camila rubbed her bleary eyes, looking around the otherwise empty room.
"Vero's cooking pancakes. She can't cook but she's really excited to show Lucy that she's learnt, it's over some argument that happened years ago. I stayed down here because Alexa always cooks the last of the mixture and she's a fucking awesome cook and if I haven't ate she has to let me have it," Keana explained eagerly and Camila nodded slowly as her tired brain struggled to absorb her plan.
As if on queue, they sound of the smoke alarm blared sounded, alerting both the girls. They leapt onto their feet, running up the stairs to find utter chaos in the kitchen.
Lucy was screaming at Vero who was brandishing a spatula in frustration, Normani was waving a towel to try and clear the smoke, Dinah was spitting some chewed up pancake into the trash, Lauren was pouring water onto the frying pan which was on fire and Alexa just looked kind of dazed.
"What the fuck?" Keana hollered over the turmoil, catching everyone's attention.
Camila blinked, not one hundred percent certain that this wasn't a dream.
"Oh hi Mila," Vero smiled and Lucy's jaw dropped in disbelief at the causal tone.
"Are you fucking dumb, pass me that spatula before I shove it up your fucking ass," She yelled, snatching the object out of her hands and throwing it in the sink.
"Vero that was fucking nasty, Luce was right, you can't cook," Dinah shuddered and Lauren, having finally put out the fire, scraped the charred contents into the trash before placing the pan into the sink.
"I'm hungry," Keana announced and was immediately met with cold looks from everyone.
"Not the time," Normani growled at the same time Vero exclaimed; "I'll cook you something!"
"No," Lucy shook her head violently, "no, you're not aloud near the kitchen again!"
"Okay then, chef Lucia will cook you your breakfast because she's obviously the best at cooking," Vero's tone was dripping with sarcasm and Normani flicked the towel at her so it hit the small of her back, causing her to yelp in pain.
"Shut your mouth," She commanded and Alexa handed Camila a plate containing some waffles.
"They're for you," She told her and the younger Latina offered her a small smile.
It was obvious to anyone paying attention that Camila was completely lost in the mass of chaos, looking like a dear caught in headlights but everyone except Lauren and Alexa were too focused on the pancake situation to notice and Lauren and Camila weren't even on speaking terms.
"Thank you," She said graciously, taking a seat at the island and cutting into her waffle.
"You okay Mila?" Normani placed her hand in between Camila's shoulder blades, concerned.
"Yes, thank you, I'm fine," Camila relied quietly and everyone picked up on how reserved she sounded but decided against mentioning it. "
"You have to leave quite early today boo, Lauren's Dad text her and she has to go see someone," Lucy informed her and Camila nodded wordlessly, despite dreading the time when she had to leave.
Much to Camila's disappointment, the time came much to quickly and she found her arms wrapped around Vero's waist.
"Can't I stay with you until Lauren is done, I won't be annoying," She pleaded desperately and Vero stroked her hair away from her forehead, looking down at her.
"I know boo but you have to go with Lo, she'll be fine," She assured her before leaning to whisper in her ear, "and if she gets too unbearable text me and I'll come save yo' ass."
Camila offered a weak smile before releasing her, walking to where Lauren was already waiting in the car for her.
She climbed in wordlessly, drumming her fingers against her thigh absentmindedly as they drove away.
Camila figured they were going straight to the person's house because the roads were unfamiliar and Lauren was unusually focused.
They soon pulled up outside of a single house and Lauren turned off the engine before turning to Camila.
"Stay in the car."
With that, she climbed out and walked straight up to the house, knocking on the door impatiently.
Camila watched in angst because although her and Lauren weren't speaking and there was a high chance their relationship would soon have ended, she still cared for her and didn't want her to get hurt.
The door swung open, revealing a tall man who looked to be in his early twenties.
Camila watched as they had a brief discussion before Lauren glanced towards the car and made her way inside.
The older Latina was scared the boy, whose name was Malik, would spot Camila and get her involved, which Lauren definitely didn't want.
Camila would not be good in a fight.
"I've not come to kill you Malik, calm the fuck down. I'm only here to deliver the message that if you ever try to corrupt the society again I will kill your sorry ass," Lauren growled.
"Oh yeah, and I'm sure you're also gonna be the one who'll kill me, in all your five foot glory," The tanned boy scoffed, looking down at her.
"Oh, I was also meant to do this," Lauren's fist collided with his face and he barely flinched before he returned the punch.
"You little bitch," He hissed, his tall frame towering over Lauren's and at this moment in time, the Latina had no idea why her father chose her to do this when there were plenty of men twice her height who were fit for the task.
Lauren didn't think twice before lifting her leg to kick him in the shin but Malik caught her leg, twisting it around before throwing her to the floor.
Apparently, despite his great fortune, he couldn't afford a cleaner because there was broken up class scattered on the wood that grazed her skin.
Lauren hissed in pain but she barely had time to register what had happened before she was kicked in the ribs.
Lauren had always expected that her job would get her killed one day, but she expected it to be in a gang fight for major drug deal, not just one person beating her up.
She hadn't expected her rescue mission to be a small fist flying into his face. Camila yelped in pain and Malik was shocked enough to stumble back in surprise, away from Lauren on the floor.
"Leave her alone," She shouted, her voice sounding much more childish than she had intended it to.
At the sight of her girlfriend, Lauren managed to summon the last bit of strength in her and clambered to her feet.
Great, now she had two people to protect.
"I'm not even gonna kill you, I'm gonna beat your little girlfriend here up instead," Malik reached out and placed his hand on Camila's shoulder, gripping tightly. The brunette shuddered from fear and because of the strong stench of alcohol coming from him.
"Let her go," Lauren growled, the fear in Camila's face enough to install some strength back into her.
Her strong front wasn't enough to convince even the most oblivious of people. She was shaking with pain and her face was even paler than usual.
The boy's grip on Camila only tightened as he spun her around, using one arm to pin across her neck. Camila
"Don't touch her!" Lauren yelled, seeing how Camila was shaking with fear along with the sudden lack of oxygen.
"She's a lot more quiet this way, what's wrong small one, lost your voice?" He smirked and Camila used her hands to hold onto his arm, trying to pry it away from her.
Lauren tried to muster the last strength within her to fight against him but the minute she swung he caught her first, twisting her arm around and pushing her to the floor.
"Leave her the fuck alone," She shouted, her head spinning as she laid there trying to catch her breath.
"Ooh, it's clearly working, don't you agree small one?" Malik asked Camila smugly, running his finger across her cheek. "Answer me," He roared when she never answered.
Camila nodded frantically, unable to speak.
"You're killing her," Lauren yelled, "please, you're going to kill her, " she pleaded.
Her voice was frantic and lacked any sign of bravery.
"Well obviously, I wasn't doing it to tickle her," Malik laughed dryly and Camila couldn't help the tear that slipped down her cheek.
It trickled down onto his arm and he looked down, spinning Camila around so she was facing him. She gasped for air, coughing and Lauren forced herself onto her feet to try and get to her aid but she was quickly kicked back down without so much as a glance.
"I take it you aren't part of the fighting gang, married into the business?" Malik asked, his grip on Camila's arms firm. "Fucking answer me!"
"Stop it," Lauren growled, having successfully climbed onto her feet, "you can see she isn't one of us, leave her alone."
"But she got herself involved, don't you think she's kind of asking for it?" He asked innocently, tracing Camila's collarbone and electing a whimper from the younger girl.
"You're scaring her!" Lauren shouted, "she didn't ask for this, let her go."
"Well, just to be sure," He mused before his knee slammed into Camila's stomach, not even a second later his fist connecting with her face.
The sheer force of it sent her to the floor, moments away from unconsciousness. Her lips were slightly parted as she sucked in as much air as she could, her chest rising abnormally fast and her eyes squeezed closed.
If it wasn't for the way her chest heaved and her body was trembling violently, Lauren might have thought she was dead. She bent down, crouching protectively in front of the younger girl before turning to glare at the tanned boy; "if it wasn't for the fact that she was terrified of violence, I would fucking kill you."
"Get out of my sight Jauregui, and if your father tries to send anyone else here, show him what I've done to your precious girl," He spat and Lauren scooped Camila up bridal style, walking out of the house.
She got to the car but before she placed Camila inside, she slammed her body against the door.
"Stay in the car Camila, stay in the fucking car. What part didn't you understand?" She shouted and Camila let out a whimper as her answer. "Oh Camila," She breathed out, pulling her into a hug.
Camila didn't relax until after a few minuets but she eventually pressed her body against the older girl's, although she refused to hug her back.
It wasn't until Lauren felt Camila sway that she realised she was supporting most of the younger girl's weight, and looked down to find her face as white as a sheet of paper.
"Hey, stay awake for me," Lauren said upon noticing her drooping eyes, not wanting her to fall unconscious. "Camila, come on, don't fall asleep."
Camila furrowed her eyebrows, the pounding in her head only increasing the longer time went on. She didn't realise she was backing away from Lauren until the older Latina reached out to place her hand on the arm. Camila jumped at the contact, flinching away and shaking her head viciously.
"Camila," Lauren said softly but the Cuban girl cut her off with another shake of her head. Lauren reached out for her anyways but Camila backed up until she felt her body hit the car in attempts to avoid her. "Lets go home, get in the car."
Camila shook her head, reluctant to be alone in the car with Lauren only to have to stay in the house with her.
"We have to leave, we can't just stay here in the street," Lauren sighed, rolling her eyes. She felt a small hand grip onto her hoodie sleeve, the fingers tightly pried onto the material. "Camila what do you want, you refuse to let me touch you but now you won't let me go?" Her tone was harsher than she'd intended and she never failed to pick up on how the younger Latina visibly flinched at it.
Camila looked up at her with pleading eyes, releasing her grip on Lauren despite her reluctancy.
"I'll call Lucy and Vero to pick us up," Lauren said exasperatedly, pulling out her phone and dialling the number she'd grown to know so well.
"Miss me already?"
"I need a favour. Can you and Vero pick me up from Malik's house, Camila's acting funny and I'll love you forever," Lauren pleaded, pouting despite not being able to be seen.
"You owe me, he freaks Vero out and you know it, you're lucky we love you."
"I know I know, hurry up and get your asses here," With that she hung up, turning around to find Camila had sunk to the floor, her eyes squeezed shut. She walked back towards her, grabbing under her arms and pulling her to feet.
Before she knew it, Camila's hands had shoved her away with as much force as she could muster before she'd cowered against the car.
"Hey, it's me," Lauren stepped forward cautiously, wrapping her arms around the thrashing girl, "it's Lauren, it's only me." Camila stopped hitting out but her breaths were uneven and ragged, her face fearful.
Lauren lowered them both to the floor, pulling Camila onto her lap sideways and cradling her.
"Breathe, it's okay, just breathe, in and out," Lauren instructed, sensing her being on the verge of a panic attack. Camila's body didn't relax and Lauren bounced her knee slightly. "It's me, no ones gonna hurt you anymore, Lucy and Vero are going to take us home, no ones gonna hurt you."
Camila whimpered, refusing to open her eyes until Lauren gently stroked her thumb over her eyelid.
"Can you open your eyes for me so I can make sure you're okay?" She asked and Camila looked up from under her eyelashes. Lauren interlocked their fingers and held the entwined hands against her chest, "copy my breathing, can you do that for me?"
Camila nodded, copying Lauren's exaggerated breaths whilst the older girl patted her arm soothingly. After what seemed a tedious amount of time Camila's chest began to fall less rapidly and her eyes began to droop.
"Stay awake for me remember," Lauren reminded her and Camila nodded, "can I hug you?"
Camila nodded again and Lauren repositioned her so her legs were wrapped around her waist, her arms snaked around her flat stomach firmly. Camila balled her hands into fists, clenching so hard her finger nails made indents into the soft skin of her palms.
"Can you talk to me?" Lauren questioned and Camila shook her head. She didn't particularly want to speak to Lauren anyway but even if she tried her throat was too tight. "Do you want me to talk to you?" It was a while but eventually Camila gave a small nod, "You know, I didn't believe in Santa from the age of eight? All my life I've been focused on one thing and that was The Society. I never went to prom or homecoming, I don't remember the first important memories like my first date or my first crush. All I cared about was proving myself to my father. From the age of fourteen I've been getting into fights and volunteering myself for the killings, I thought it made me look brave. But it didn't, it made me look stupid. The first time I got beat up was by a girl a few years older than me, I was being a loudmouth, not surprising. She broke two ribs and fractured my wrist. But watching you get beat up in there, the pain I felt was different. You weren't meant to be with someone like me, you were meant to fall in love with a doctor and have children and go to festivals, not me. You aren't meant to have met someone like me, someone who can't protect you against danger. I was helpless in there, I was useless to you. That's what was going through my head yesterday. I don't know if it's too late but it wasn't Dinah's words that made me think about us, it was you."
At the end of her explanation Camila could no longer contain the sob that had been building up in her throat. Her shaky hands gripped onto the material of Lauren's hoodie and she buried her face in her neck. Lauren held her trembling figure firmly, whispering soothing comments into her ear in an attempt to calm her down.
"Hey, they're here, we can get out of here," Lauren announced as she saw Vero's car appear in the distance. The two Latina's jumped out of the car as soon as Vero pulled up, running over to the two girls sat on the grass.
"What happened Lo... woah is Mila okay?" Vero questioned, catching sight of Camila bundled in Lauren's arms.
"It's a long story," She mouthed and the two friends nodded.
"Camila, will you stand up so I can climb up?" Lauren asked, subtly trying to pry her hands away. Camila shook her head and Vero bent down and pulled her off of the raven-haired girl, holding her in her arms until Lauren was on her feet. Camila instantly fought her way back into her embrace, making it extremely hard for the older girl to move.
"Does she want a hoodie from my car, she's freezing," Vero asked and Lauren cursed herself for not offering her hoodie. She thanked Lucy who had ran to get the hoodie before pulling away from Camila's grip.
"We're just gonna put a hoodie on you, you're freezing," She explained, helping her girlfriend into the clothing item. "Lets go."
They made their way to the cars, Vero climbing in her own and Lucy climbing into the drivers seat of Lauren's whilst the other two sat in the back. Camila was laid across the seats, her head on Lauren's lap.
"Explain please," Lucy looked at Lauren through the rear-view mirror as she started driving, Vero close behind.
Lauren recited the story, one hand playing with Camila's hair and the other drumming a pattern on her thigh. Camila drifted in and out of consciousness throughout their conversation, her head continuing to pound.
"Camz, can you hear me baby?"
The nicknames slipped out of Lauren's mouth easily, having became second nature to her. Camila nodded her head slightly. She was barely awake so she hardly noticed when she was pulled from the car by Vero and carried inside. The moment Lauren sat down the familiar weight of Camila settled on her lap.
To say Lauren was starting to get concerned was an understatement. Camila was yet to speak and her body still hadn't stopped trembling.
"Do you want to change into some comfier clothes?" Lauren questioned but Camila shook her head. "Do you want to go to bed?"
"I think that's a good idea," Vero inputted and Lucy agreed.
"Yeah, you're shivering, it'll be warm in bed."
"Please speak Camz, you're scaring me," Lauren pleaded helplessly and Camila frowned, letting out a whimper as her response.
"We should go, call us if you need any help," Lucy excused the pair, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on Camila's forehead, "sentirse mejor pronto Mila."
Camila's lips turned into a flicker of a smile as she heard her friend talk Spanish, giving her a sense of familiarity and home.
"Eras muy valiente, debes saber que," Vero added, squeezing her shoulder gently before they exited the house.
"Go to sleep Camila," Lauren instructed but the younger girl stayed persistent, forcing her eyes open. "Why? Why not fall asleep and you won't be in as much pain, I don't understand."
"I don't want to be alone," Camila's voice was raspy and low from crying and it finally clicked for Lauren.
How clingy she was, how reluctant to leave her ever since the house. She thought Lauren was still debating on breaking up with her.
"No, no. I'm not going to leave you, I promise," Lauren assured her quickly, "you can sleep down here, I'll stay with you, yeah?"
Camila nodded, shifting position so she was straddling Lauren, her head rested on her shoulder. The older girl traced her nails down her spine, her other arm slung across her lower back.
"Sing."
Lauren was taken aback by the command but obliged anyway. "What song?" Camila shrugged and Lauren racked her brains for a suitable one.
"We'll do it all
Everything
On our own
We don't need
Anything
Or anyone
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel
Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads
I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see
I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?"
Camila was asleep by the end of the song, her breathing slow and steady. Lauren waited for a few minutes before prying herself away from Camila's grip, laying her on the couch. The younger girl whimpered and Lauren stroked her hair soothingly. "I'm just gonna clean your cuts, go back to sleep."
She disappeared, returning with a first aid box. The cuts didn't seem too bad, they were just grazes but Lauren didn't trust Malik's house to be hygienic. She cleaned the grazes, thankful that Camila stayed asleep, before pulling the brunette onto her lap again in the same position as before, smiling at Camila's content sigh.
"I've got you," She mumbled into the mass of hair, "forever."