Trigger Warning// Sexual Harassment. Sorry if this is a touchy subject for anyone, I suggest you skip this chapter but I wanted to include it in my book.
"Alone again, pretty girl?"
"Please let me go," Camila whimpered, trying to pull her arm away but his grip was tight.
"Arguing with Jauregui, I can make you forget all about her," Justin smirked, turning Camila around so she was pinned up against the side of the house.
"I-I will shout, let me go," Camila's threats were pitiful and not enough to scare away even the most fearful person.
"Don't you think you should be with someone who will greet you right?" Justin was persistent and Camila looked around for someone, anyone, to help her.
But everyone was inside the house, about to sing happy birthday and she was all alone.
Camila's chest was tightening and Justin noticed.
"Don't be scared," He pinned her hands against the wall with one hand and used the other to trace her jawline. Camila clenched her eyes shut, wincing away because the last time she was in a situation like this she was with Austin.
"Please."
"Don't you want me to make you feel good? I bet Lauren doesn't have time for you, otherwise she'd be here," Justin held her chin, running her head to the side. Camila was whimpering incessantly and Justin ran his thumb over her lips.
"Stop it, I'm not going to hurt you."
When her whimpers continued he grew more frustrated.
"God damn it, stop it or I'll make you!"
All it took was for the first sob to escape Camila's lips for him to press his against hers. It wasn't soft and caring like Lauren's, his lips were cold and chapped and tasted like cigarettes.
"Let me go, please," Camila cried helplessly, trying to escape his grip.
"It won't hurt pretty girl, I promise," Justin's tone sent shivers down Camila's spine and she clamped her lips together to suppress a sob. Justin used his free hand to travel down her body but his caresses weren't gentle, they gripped her bruises too hard and caused her to help in pain.
"Help me," Camila shrieked but was roughly cut off by Justin pressing his lips to hers. This kiss was forceful and Camila gagged when he shoved his tongue down her throat with no warning.
His hands fumbled with her playsuit and when he realised her couldn't take it off easily, he just ripped the material between her legs. Camila fought, lifting her body from the bricks and slamming it back down, hoping it would loosen his grip. He slid his hands into her underwear and his hands were cold and large, nothing like Lauren's delicate, dainty ones.
And Camila could do nothing but cower against the wall.
She squirmed as he felt her, desperate to escape the situation.
"Please let me go," She sobbed, squeezing her eyes shut and lifting her head upwards.
She didn't know how long she was in the position, with Justin kissing her neck, his hands down her pants. If she whimpered to loudly, he'd squeeze where he knew her bruises where.
It was only when he undid his belt did Camila speak up.
"Please, please," Camila whispered, trying to scurry away from him.
"Shh, it's okay, it won't hurt a bit," Justin smiled sadistically.
"This fucking will," A voice growled and Justin fell to the floor seconds later, writhing in pain. A light came on and Camila blinked, wrapping her arms around her nearly exposed body. She looked like a deer caught in headlights as she caught sight of her rescuer.
Dinah.
Warm arms wrapped around Camila's trembling body, holding her tightly. They didn't speak, they just stayed like that until Camila had ran out of tears.
"I'm gonna take you to Lauren, okay?" Dinah asked.
Camila only shrugged.
With an arm firmly around Camila's waist, she guided her into the house, shielding her from everyone.
They found Lauren in a bedroom with Vero, Lucy, Alexa and Keana.
"What happened?" The color drained from Lauren's face the moment she saw what state Camila was in.
"I-I think Justin raped her," Dinah stammered, in shock and the girl's faces all paled.
"I'm going to fucking kill him," Lucy was the first one on her feet, stopped by Vero holding onto her leg.
"I'm gonna get Mani," Alexa was out of the room in a flash.
The only sound in the room were Camila's quickening breaths as she stood there in her torn playsuit, her hairband out of place and her make-up smeared by her tears.
"Oh his sorry ass is gonna pay," Keana growled, on her feet but Vero stopped her before she could exit the room.
"Hey, she needs us right now, he can be taken care of later," She nodded at Camila who had was staring at the floor.
"Hey, Mila," Lucy began cautiously, placing a hand on Camila's arm but the brunette flinched away, immediately whimpering.
Camila was frozen, repeating the same words in her head. 'It's not him.' She had to remind herself that she was with her friends, that she was safe because otherwise she'd start crying and she'd never stop. She could hear the sound of someone crying but they weren't hers. She looked up to trace the source back to Dinah who was being held by Vero tightly. The Latina was stroking her hair whilst the Polynesian sobbed.
The sound of the door slamming open made Camila jump and Normani flew in, followed by Alexa. She could hear people making different comments but they all morphed into one.
"Is she in shock?"
"She looks like she might faint."
"Someone needs to say something."
Camila sunk to the floor, clamping her hands over her ears.
"Mila honey, do you want anything?" Lucy asked, crouching down at the side of her.
"Lauren," Camila finally spoke up, hoping that the raven-haired girl wouldn't decline her request after their argument earlier.
Lauren climbed to her feet, walking towards the smaller girl and holding her gently by her sides.
"Camila?"
"I-I need a bath," Camila stammered and Dinah was the first to react, immediately running to a bathroom and to start running the water.
Lucy and Keana disappeared to 'teach Justin a lesson', not that Dinah hadn't already helped.
Lauren stood up, pulling Camila up after her and guiding her to the bathroom. Dinah was sat there being held by Normani.
"Oh Mila," Normani said softly, reaching out to embrace the younger girl but Camila leapt backwards, cowering against the door.
"Hey, easy there. She won't hurt you," Lauren told the quivering girl softly but Camila only shook her head.
"The bath's ready, we'll leave you alone," Normani excused them, tugging on Dinah's hand. She had stopped crying as hard but her eyes were still welled with tears and she was still sniffling.
"Do you want me to stay?" Lauren asked and Camila shook her head. She didn't want her Lauren to see her.
The three girls left and Camila pulled her ripped playsuit off with trembling hands. She couldn't even look at herself in the mirror.
Lauren waited outside the bathroom, reluctant to leave her alone.
"How's she doing?" A voice broke the silence and Lauren shook her head. "How are you doing?" Lucy approached her further, sitting opposite her and taking her hands. It was obvious to the girls that it hadn't hit Lauren yet, she was way too calm.
"I'm good," Lauren shrugged it off. It wasn't her who it had happened to, why was Lucy concerned for her?
"Laur, you're in shock," Lucy sighed, squeezing Lauren's hands.
"Seriously Luce, I'm fine! I'm just concerned for Camz," Lauren exclaimed and Lucy nodded softly.
"Okay then, as long as you're sure," She bit her lip but left her anyway, knowing continuing the conversation would only frustrate her.
Lauren ran her hand through her hair, tugging it gently. A muffled shriek drew her out of her thoughts and she jumped up, running into the bathroom to find Camila sobbing in the bathtub, viciously scrubbing her arms.
"Hey hey hey, you're hurting yourself," Lauren took her hands in her but that only caused Camila to thrash out.
"Please," She cried out, squeezing her eyes shut.
"It's me, hey Camz, look at me," Lauren took Camila's face in her hand, stroking her cheek with her thumb and Camila opened her eyes hesitantly, "it's Lauren, it's just me."
"I'm dirty, everything is dirty," Camila sobbed and Lauren ran her eyes down her skin. It was rubbed raw but it wasn't dirty. But she decided it was probably best not to tell her right now.
"I'll help you, does that sound okay, it'll just be me," Lauren suggested and Camila nodded through her tears. However, when Lauren touched her shoulder she immediately flinched away. "It's just me, focus on my voice, it's Lauren."
She gently massaged the tanned skin, talking to Camila all the while. She didn't get a response but she hadn't expected one.
"I can feel him, he's still touching me, I can feel him on my skin," Camila sobbed, writhing. To others it looked like she was crazy but Camila could feel his touch all over her body and she wanted rid of it.
"He's not got you, it's just me. He can't touch you anymore Camz, he can't get you," Lauren told her but Camila didn't calm down. Her breaths were increasing rapidly and Lauren stood her up, wrapping her in a towel before pulling her onto her lap. "He can't touch you, I've got you, it's me."
Camila stopped fidgeting and collapsed against Lauren's chest.
"I was scared," She cried hysterically. The shock of the incident had worn off, leaving her terrified and shaken up.
Lauren didn't reply, she just knotted her fingers into the brunette hair and pulled her head into her chest.
"I didn't want it to happen, he wouldn't let me go Lauren, he shouted at me. I told him no, I said I had a girlfriend but he wouldn't listen," Camila rambled between cries, her chest heaving up and down.
"This isn't your fault, none of this happened because of you. You know that, right?" Lauren frowned and Camila gave a small nod, "can I help dress you or do you want to do it yourself?"
Camila bit her lip because she didn't want Lauren to see her naked but she couldn't do it herself because she was shaking too much. She nodded her head towards Lauren, standing up and allowing Lauren to do the same. She got dressed into a spare pair of clothes Dinah had brought because she was sleeping over; a pair of leggings and a tank top. Lauren smoothed over her dishevelled hair, smiling softly.
"It's gonna be noisy out there 'cause there's still a party but I'm right here," She informed her and Camila nodded, wiping her face free of tears but fresh ones instantly sprung to her eyes. "Okay, I'm gonna take you hand so we can go, it's only me," Lauren warned her, grabbing her small hand and opening the bathroom door. The music hit them and Camila whimpered, her hands flying over her ears.
Lauren placed her hands on her waist, guiding her out of the room and starting to walk to the bedroom, shooting glares at anyone who looked at them funny. She pushed open the door to the bedroom and the girl's expressions immediately softened when they saw the crying girl.
Camila wasn't sure which girl it was who tried hugging her but she jumped back, stumbling into Keana who held her upright.
"No," Camila mumbled, trying to wiggle free. "Lauren," She cried out frantically and Keana released her grip so Camila could run into Lauren's arms.
"They won't hurt you Camz, they're your friends," Lauren told her but Camila shook her head, tightening her grip and pressing her body impossibly closer to Lauren's.
"Mila, can you tell us what happened?" Alexa asked but Camila shook her head again.
"You can tell us in your own time, just... please," Lauren pleaded and Camila squeezed her eyes shut.
"I-I was walking away and he-he grabbed me and pushed me against the side of the house. It was dark and I don't like the dark and I-I shouted because I didn't want to kiss him, I was sad but I didn't really want to leave," Camila looked up at Lauren helplessly.
"You're not going anywhere baby, don't worry about that. Just-just say what happened," She assured her, despite how much she didn't want to hear it.
"He kissed me and if I tried to wriggle away he squeezed my bruises. Then he-he.... he put," That was as far as Camila got before her sobs became to frequent for her to be intelligible.
"Did-did he.." Lauren trailed off and Camila shook her head. "Did he touch you?" She stammered and Camila nodded. Lauren's face visibly paled and the shock from the situation had clearly worn off. Her jaw clenched in anger and she released Camila from her arms.
"I'm going to fucking murder him."
"No, Lauren, you aren't thinking logically," Normani rushed to stop her from exiting the room, knowing there was a high chance she actually would kill him, "breathe. Look, Camila needs you, think of her first at least."
"Normani he raped her, is that not enough logic for you. He raped Camila, my Camila. Look at what he did to her, he's ruined her," Lauren shouted, her eyes filling with tears.
"Hey, I know. I know, he will pay, just, not right now," Normani rubbed her arm.
"We-we can phone the police, they-they can lock him up," Lauren suggested, pulling free from Normani's grip.
"Babe you know we can't do that, as far as the police are concerned Camila's still missing, you'd get arrested, never mind Justin," Keana reminded her.
"I don't care Keana, I'd do the fucking time, what else can we do? He needs to be punished, I need him to be punished," Lauren's voice cracked and she had tears streaming down her cheeks. She felt herself be pulled into a strong pair of arms and buried her face into their chest, clutching at the material of their dress. "He raped Camila, he raped her, she-she... no no no."
Lauren was hysterical at this point, sobbing into Alexa's chest. If this was what Lucy meant happened when the shock wore off, she wanted it back.
"It's my fault, it's my fault," She gasped, unable to catch her breath.
"It's not Lo, don't blame yourself," Alexa sighed, stroking her hair.
"You don't understand, I accused her of flirting with him, I told her to leave and not come back. Who does that? If she hadn't left he wouldn't have got her," Lauren cried, "I'm going to be sick."
With that she ran to the bathroom, Normani hot on her heels.
When she returned she found Camila on the floor, her hands clamped over the ears.
"We broke her," Dinah looked on the verge of tears again and Normani pulled her into a hug.
Lauren shook her head, willing herself to stop crying before crouching down in front of her girlfriend who had started to whimper subconsciously.
"Can I touch you?" She asked and Camila hesitantly held out one of her hands. Lauren entwined their fingers, waiting for Camila to initiate any more proximity.
"I'm scared," She whispered, the fragility in her voice blatant.
"I know, do you want to go home?" Lauren asked and Camila looked up at Normani before shaking her head.
"Mila, don't stay here because of me," Normani sighed.
"I don't like it, make it stop," Camila pleaded to Lauren.
"Make what stop?" She frowned, confused.
"Make it stop," Camila repeated, her gaze fixed on the ground, "make it stop," She shouted when no one did anything, causing Lauren to jump back in surprise.
"I-I don't know what to do," Lauren looked at the other girls helplessly and Lucy placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Still doing okay?" She asked quietly, referring to their conversation earlier.
"How am I meant to be doing okay? Look at her, I don't know how to help her and I feel fucking useless and everything's ten times worse because it's my fault," Lauren rambled hysterically and Lucy pulled her to her feet before embracing her tightly.
She stayed like that until she heard Normani's frantic voice.
"Camila don't do that you'll hurt yourself."
Camila didn't listen, continuing to do whatever she was doing.
"Stop it Camila," Normani shouted and Lauren whipped her head around just in time to see her girlfriend's lip wobble.
"I can feel him," She exclaimed, scratching her arm, "I can feel him touching me."
"He's not touching you baby, he's not here," Lauren told her quietly, kneeling in front of her, "it's only us in the room, see."
Camila looked around and sure enough there were only the concerned faces of the girls.
"Then how is he touching me, I can feel him," She whispered with a frown.
"I'm going to hug you to show you something, is that okay?" Lauren asked and Camila nodded, hesitantly opening her arms. Lauren sat her on her lap, wrapping her arms around her waist loosely so as not to scare her. "It's just me, relax, it's me who's got you. Do you think I'd let Justin get anywhere near you?"
Camila shook her head slowly, her hands fumbling with her tank top.
"And do you think the girls would let him touch you?"
Camila shook her head again, blinking to try and rid her eyes of tears.
"I've got you baby girl, he won't touch you anymore," She told her softly and Camila buried her face in her neck.
"This is horrible, I don't like it. It's hurting me," She sobbed, wringing her fingers.
"What's hurting you?" Lauren asked, trying to pull her head back so she could look her in the eyes but Camila clung to her like a limpet.
"My skin is burning, you can't see it but it is," She cried and Lauren figured it was either burning physiologically or because of how hard she scratched it in the bath.
"Okay, hey, we'll make it stop burning. My hands are cold, I'll put them on your skin to cool it down," Lauren told her.
Camila wasn't completely sure but when she felt Lauren's hand press against the skin of her waist she gasped a little.
"Oh," She sighed breathily, relaxing a little and Lauren let out a small, shaky laugh, placing her other hand on her opposite side.
"Thank fuck for that," Lucy whispered, speaking for all of them. Dinah pulled her head out of Normani's chest, looking at the two girls sat on the floor.
"Is she going to be okay?" She questioned shakily and Normani kissed her cheek.
"She'll be okay," She confirmed rubbing her back.
Slowly Camila's sobs turned into little hiccuping noises and with her head laid on Lauren's shoulder, her lips slightly parted and the occasional tear still leaking out of her eye, she fell asleep.
"You should go home," Alexa broke the silence and Lauren looked around the room, seeing how much this had affected everyone. The girls were all sat on the floor, Dinah on Normani's lap and Vero with her head on Lucy's lap half asleep whilst the older girl played with her hair.
It was safe to safe the alcohol had caught up to her.
"I want to go with them," Dinah spoke up, clambering to her feet.
"Babe no," Normani sighed, standing up as well.
The rest of the girls did the same, including Lauren who had Camila's legs around her waist, supporting her under her thighs.
"I want to make sure Mila gets home okay," Dinah protested.
"Lauren's got her, she'll be okay," Normani assured her.
"But what if she isn't? Then it'd be my fault because I was the reason she didn't want to come to the party in the first place and if she wanted to come they wouldn't have argued and then Mila wouldn't have left and he wouldn't have got her," Dinah's pitch rose as she spoke, tears burning in her eyes.
"Don't be so fucking stupid," Lauren's voice was affectionate but had a hint of laughter at the same time as she hugged Dinah from the side. "You aren't the reason any of this happened, Mila won't blame you. This isn't your fault, okay?" Lauren wiped away the stray tear that had fell down the Polynesian's cheek and smiled softly. "Promise me, you won't blame yourself."
"I promise," Dinah mumbled and Normani pulled her into a hug.
"You can come over tomorrow morning, you can't leave your girlfriend's birthday," Lauren joked and Dinah looked at Normani for permission.
"Of course," She kissed Dinah's lips tenderly, wiping away her remaining tears.
"We'll walk you out," Keana offered and Lauren smiled gratefully. They made their way downstairs which was still crammed full with people bouncing to the music. It was less busy outside and it wasn't until Alexa spoke up that they noticed he was there, only more bruised than when Dinah had last saw him.
Lauren stepped forward, ready to fight before realising she had Camila in her arms. "If you ever come near my girlfriend again I will rip off your dick before you can try anything," She hissed, "if I wasn't carrying her I would kill you!"
"Oh don't worry Lauren, I'm ready for round two," Lucy pounced on him before he even had a chance to process her words, Keana not far behind her. Dinah and Vero both cringed, averting their eyes from the scene whilst Lauren held Camila to her tightly, like she was afraid she'd be snatched away. It wasn't until the sound of a bone breaking did someone speak up.
"Lucy stop it," Vero shouted desperately, catching their attention, "you're scaring me," She added in a whisper and that was all it took for Lucy to climb off of Justin and take her friend into her arms.
"Will you be okay walking home Lo, we could walk you back," Alexa offered, keeping a firm grip on Keana who she'd managed to pry off Justin.
"I'll be fine, I'll see you soon," She smiled slightly before turning to Normani, "enjoy the rest of your night, I'm sorry."
"Hey, you need to listen to your own advice. We can all blame ourselves for the things that happened tonight but at the end of the day, it's his fault, no one else's," The African-American told her, squeezing her shoulder, "are you sure you'll be okay?"
"I'm sure, I just need to get her home," Lauren nodded and after saying goodbye, started the walk home.
Camila only woke up as they entered the house. Before she even had chance to freak out Lauren's voice was there, reminding her that it was only her.
"Do you want me to sleep in a different room tonight?" Lauren asked once she was changed into pyjamas. Camila thought about for a second before speaking up.
"Can we just-just not touch," She pleaded and Lauren nodded. Camila climbed into bed and Lauren did the same, making sure she stayed on her half of the bed.
The bedsheets were rolled down because Camila said that her skin was still burning and Lauren was perched on the very end because Camila slept always rolled over to her end. But she didn't complain or move to a spare room, she felt to guilty.
Because, deep down, she knew this was her fault.