Over the next two days Lauren was extremely irritable.
Camila knew it was the medication and the lack of sleep that caused it but that didn't make it any less difficult.
"Lauren it's time to wake up," She whispered, sitting beside her on the bed.
"No it's not," Lauren groaned.
"Yes it is," Camila told her, gently tugging on the duvet but Lauren only gripped if tighter.
"Fuck off Camila, I'm tired," She snapped and Camila's smile faltered.
"I know you're tired but you need to get up so I can change your bandage," She kept her voice unfazed, tugging on the duvet again.
"I can do it myself," Lauren said indignantly and Camila sighed, standing up and making her way towards the door.
"I'll be downstairs," She announced softly before leaving.
Camila was sat on the sideboard in the kitchen when Lauren came down wordlessly, grabbing two tablets and swallowing them dry.
"Shall I make breakfast?" Camila asked and if was a few silent moments before Lauren replied.
"I'm not hungry."
"Oh, okay. Tell me if you want anything then," Camila smiled.
"Why don't you call Dinah to pick you up and go to her house?" Lauren suggested.
"Why, I thought I was looking after you," Camila blinked in confusion.
"I don't need looking after, I'm not a child," Lauren's voice was cold and bitter.
"I know, i didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry," Camila rushed.
"Whatever," Lauren muttered, walking into the living room and leaving Camila alone.
Camila made several failed attempts of conversation throughout the day that Lauren quickly shot down.
It was only when a loud smash came from the kitchen that Lauren decided to see what her girlfriend was doing.
There was a glass shattered on the floor and a small puddle of water. Camila was bent down with her back to Lauren, picking up the broken pieces and mumbling to herself.
"What happened?"
"I'm cleaning it up," Camila didn't answer her question but Lauren noticed how defeated she sounded.
"Okay," Lauren deadpanned, making her way back to the couch.
"Because all I do is pick up the broken pieces," Camila muttered under her breath and Lauren looked back over her shoulder.
"Shut the fuck up," She scoffed and Camila looked down at the floor, her hair falling over her shoulder and revealing the nape of her neck, "if it's such a hassle just leave it."
"Just stop talking Lauren, I said I'm cleaning it, just go back to the couch," Camila ran a hand through her hair and Lauren did as she said, walking away and leaving her alone once again.
Around four o'clock Camila went upstairs to tell Lauren that she'd made a pizza to find her laid on the bed.
"I've made food," She announced and Lauren looked at her.
"I don't want any."
"Okay, are you in pain?" Camila asked.
"Of course I'm in fucking pain Camila I got shot," Lauren snapped.
"That was a stupid question, I'm sorry. Why don't you get some sleep," Camila suggested.
"Because i can't," Lauren deadpanned.
"Do you want me to sing to you?" Camila offered.
It was a generous offer because she was reluctant to sing in front of Lauren usually but the older girl didn't care at this moment.
"Singing doesn't fix anything, we aren't all immature. Some problems can't be fixed with a hug to make you feel better," Lauren scoffed and Camila bit on her lip.
"I'm-I'm not immature, you said so yourself," She shook her head.
"Things change Camila, if you aren't then why are you nearly crying?" Lauren demanded.
"I'm not, you're being mean," Camila's voice trembled.
"Life's mean Camila, you..." Before Lauren could continue the strong smell of smoke filled the room, "the fucking pizza!"
Both girls ran downstairs, coughing as the smoke hit them fully and Lauren the bath towel that Camila had used to mop up the water she spilt, covering her hands before reaching in the oven and pulling out the pizza.
It was burnt to a crisp.
"Fucking hell Camila!" Lauren shouted.
"You distracted me," Camila protested feebly, "you were being a bitch!"
"You were being useless," Lauren snapped back and Camila froze at the comment.
"Fuck you," She spat, turning on her heel and storming upstairs.
She returned about five minutes later with a bag thrown over her shoulder.
"Where are you going?" Lauren asked coldly.
"To Dinah's house," Camila contained walking and Lauren grabbed her arm, "don't touch me!"
"It's five miles away," Lauren said incredulously.
"I said don't touch me," Camila yanked her arm away, wrapping them around herself.
"Camila..." Lauren started.
"Don't Camila me," Camila continued making her way out of the house.
"You can't leave, someone will see you," Lauren told her.
"Probably, because I'm useless," Camila shrugged, slamming the door behind her.
She felt quite weird, having the freedom to walk away and she'd half expected Lauren to follow her and put up a fight but she never.
She made her way to the sidewalk when the gardens ended, glancing back at the house now far away.
She started walking along the sidewalk, ducking her head every time a car passed.
Thankfully, the road to Dinah's was quiet.
She wasn't sure how far she'd walked when her feet started to ache and the bag over her shoulder started to rub.
The sound of a car driving slowly startled her and she ducked her head, waiting for it to drive past.
It never did.
She quickly glanced behind her and saw a car almost driving on the sidewalk.
Her heart sped up a bit and she started walking a bit faster.
To her horror the car continued following her.
"No no no," She whined, holding her bag closer to her.
After another five minutes she heard the car stop.
Thank god, she thought, it must've stopped.
She heard the door slam closed and jumped a little but continued walking.
"Hey," A voice called out and her heart just about stopped, "hey! You're Jauregui's girl, aren't you?"
Camila felt immense relief. It must've been someone Lauren knew who'd seen her at a party.
"Um, yeah," Camila turned around, the smirk that spread across his face at the answer causing her to feel uneasy.
"Your girlfriend thinks it's acceptable to steal some money off me and my friends," He told her, gesturing to the car which contained two more people.
"Oh, I'm sorry about her," Camila apologised, confused on why they were telling her this.
"We want you to get it us back," The man elaborated.
"I-I can ask her to give it back, I don't even know who you are though," Camila shook her head.
"Do this make it clearer?" The man made a gun with her fingers and shot it at Camila's stomach.
The brown eyes followed his fingers and her heart dropped when it finally clicked.
"I'll ask her to give it you back, I promise. I'll get it for you," She rushed, backing away and a strong pair of arms grabbed her from behind.
She froze.
"You know Lauren, she's too stubborn for that. But if there's a risk that you'll get hurt then, she might be a bit more persuaded give it back," He smirked and Camila's hands flew to the muscular pair of arms, trying to pry them off of her.
"You-you don't have to hurt me, I'll make sure she gives it back," She assured him desperately.
"But our way is so much simpler," The man sighed, stepping closer.
"Please don't hurt me," Camila pleaded, squeezing her eyes shut and tugging on the arm.
The man laughed at how pathetic she looked.
"Please," Camila'a voice shook as tears trickled down her cheeks, "please don't do this."
It was a blur.
The next few hours were a blur.
She knew that she got beat up by three of the men whilst the fourth held her and she knew that she'd cried for help but no one came and no one rescued her.
She knew that her phone was constantly ringing and flashing with texts and that one of the men had smashed it against the sidewalk.
She knew that after what felt like a lifetime, she'd been thrown on the ground and the men had driven off, leaving her to slip in and out of consciousness.
She knew that she had to get home.
"Answer your phone Camila," Lauren ran a hand through her hair, her heart picking up when she heard a response.
"Hey, it's Camila..."
"Fuck," Lauren exclaimed, clicking the button to leave her fifteenth message, "hey Camila, it's me, look, please just text me to tell me that you're safe. I'm sorry."
She sighed as she hung up, pacing up and down the tiled floor.
She'd debated on driving the route to Normani and Dinah's house but decided that if Camila came home then she'd have no way of getting inside.
So she called Normani.
"Is Camila at your house?" She asked the minute her friend picked up.
"Why would she be at my house?"
"We had a fight and she said she was walking to your house, is she not there?" Lauren's heart dropped.
"No."
"Fuck, will you do be a massive favour and drive down the road looking for her, I don't want to leave in case she comes back," Lauren told her.
"Yeah, no of course I will, I'll tell Dinah to text her and to keep an eye out, I'll text you if I find her."
"Thank you, and, if you do find her, tell her to come back home," Lauren pleaded.
"I will, but hey, if she doesn't want to see you right now you can't hold it against her. People get upset Laur, she'll get over it."
"Yeah, I know," Lauren sighed before hanging up and muttering, "I hope she does."
The walk back home was tedious.
Camila could feel the blood dripping down her face and every step made her head pound.
But eventually she made her way back to the house, staggering up the porch steps and knocking on the door.
Footsteps could be heard running and the door flew open.
The color drained from Lauren's face when she saw the state her girlfriend was in.
"What the fuck happened to you?" She whispered, her hand flying to her mouth. "Camila, what happened?"
She pulled her into the house, closing the door behind them and examining Camila's face.
"It hurts," Camila whimpered, her hand reaching up to hold the side of her head. "Help me."
Lauren cupped her face in an attempt to stop the flow of blood but there was too much and she couldn't see where the cut was.
"I-you need a shower, to clean the blood so I can see the cut," She stammered, pulling her blood-covered hands away.
"No, it hurts," Camila repeated and Lauren took her by the arm, guiding her out of the kitchen.
They walked to the bathroom, Camila stumbling up the stairs and Lauren sat her on the toilet whilst she ran the shower.
Camila opened her mouth to protest again but Lauren crouched down in front of her, speaking before she could.
"I'll help you," She assured her, pulling her dress over her head, her stomach twisting at the already blue bruises and scratches scattered on the skin, "what the fuck happened to you Camila?"
"Ow," Camila muttered, tracing her fingers over her stomach and Lauren gently caught them.
"Don't do that," She told her softly, stripping her of her underwear before sitting her in the bathtub.
She sat hunched up, her chin rested on her knees as the stream of water poured on her back. She had her eyes shut tightly and was mumbling something inaudible as Lauren washed her.
It was only when her body began to tremble did Lauren notice she was crying.
"Hey, it's okay Camila, am I hurting you?" She questioned but there was no response, "will you look at me please."
Camila hesitantly opened her eyes but instead of looking at her girlfriend, they were fixed on the bloodstained water running through the drain in horror.
She scrambled to crouch on her feet, her hands clutching the sides of the bathtub.
"I want out," Her voice shook.
"It's just because of the blood, I just need to wash your face," Lauren tried persuading her.
"Please, I want to get out," Camila pleaded and Lauren relented, holding her under her arms and lifting her out before grabbing a towel, "i am going to dirty it."
"Well, you're a bit more important that a towel," Lauren said as she wrapped it around her.
"Will you hug me?" Camila whispered and Lauren pulled her into her arms.
"I'm so sorry, I can't even tell you how sorry I am," She told her and Camila sniffled, "you don't have to accept it, I just needed you to know."
Camila was sat on Lauren's bed muttering to herself whilst the older girl tied her hair into a messy bun.
"What're you saying?" Lauren asked, climbing off the bed and walking to the closet.
"Dirty," Camila frowned and Lauren pulled her bloodstained t-shirt over her head, throwing it on the floor before walking back to Camila.
"You aren't dirty, you're clean, I promise," She said firmly and Camila nodded, "now, can I look at your injuries?"
Camila nodded again and Lauren unwound the towel from around her, exposing her bruises and scratches. They mainly covered her stomach but there were a few scattered on her arms and thighs too.
Nothing was as bad as the open gash on her forehead.
"Who did this to you?" Lauren's voice was barely audible.
"In a car," Camila whimpered.
"They were in a car?" Lauren questioned.
"It's cold," Camila shivered, changing the subject without meaning to and Lauren wrapped the towel back around her.
"I'll get you some pyjamas," She told her, grabbing some out of the closet.
She ended up in one of Lauren's oversized t-shirts and underwear, although she took off her bra only minutes later because it was too tight and pressed on her bruises.
She was currently sat on the island whilst Lauren placed a large bandaid on her forehead. Lauren had gave her a couple of Advil to try and take away the pain but it wasn't very effective.
"There we go, now you're even cleaner," Lauren told her but Camila's eyes were fixated on the door. "It's locked, I've locked it."
"They-they knew me, they know we're us," Camila said and Lauren placed a hand on her cheek and turned her head to face her.
"They know you're my girlfriend?" She raised an eyebrow and Camila nodded, her eyes filling with tears, "hey, what's wrong?"
"They're going to hurt me because you won't do it," She cried.
"Do what, I'll do whatever to keep you safe but who's they?" Lauren questioned.
"You won't be aloud," Camila wailed and Lauren rubbed her thighs.
"Aloud to do what, I don't understand," She frowned.
She never got any more answers because Camila's lip began to wobble and she lowered herself onto the floor, hiding her face in Lauren's chest.
"Hey, are you feeling okay?" Lauren questioned but Camila only gripped onto her, "woah, you're really wobbly, let's get you sat down," Lauren said as she guided her to the living room.
Camila practically collapsed on the couch, curling into a ball and using her thumb to gently stroke her cheek.
"I'm gonna call Mani and let her know I've got you, okay?" She informed her and Camila nodded.
"Have you got her?"
"She got fucking attacked Mani, she's been beat. And I don't even know who did it because she can't form a coherent thought," Lauren snapped.
"Are you fucking serious? The road to our house is practically dead, someone must have been following her."
"She said someone's going to hurt her again because I won't do it but I don't know who or what, I'll tell you tomorrow when she tells me," Lauren sighed.
"Tell her I hope she feels okay soon and that I'm glad she's got home."
After Lauren agreed and hung up, she sat next to Camila who was looking even worse than before.
Her usually tanned skin was pale and clammy and the bandaid only made her look more vulnerable and scared.
"Normani?" She questioned and Lauren sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her in closer. "You need to tell her, you need to or Dinah will get hurt."
"Tell her what?" Lauren questioned.
"You need to tell her, tell her that-that..." Camila trailed off as she tried her hardest to remember, squeezing her eyes shut. She'd climbed onto Lauren's lap and gripped the material of Lauren's pyjama top in her hands.
"Camila..." Lauren sighed.
"No, stop it. You don't call me Camila, you call me Camz or baby or munchkin and princess if you're being silly, not Camila," She shook her head and Lauren pried her hands off of her, holding them in hers.
"Okay, I'm sorry, can you please tell me what I need to tell Mani?" She coaxed.
"Tell her, tell her that... I can't remember! It was important and I can't remember. Why can't I remember?" Camila whimpered.
"You will remember..." Lauren began to reassure her.
"I knew what it was, I knew, I've forgotten, I'm..." Camila pulled her hands away to rub them against her temples.
"You're normal, you're going to remember, I promise that you will. You just need to relax right now and remember later," Lauren cut her off, pulling her hands away from her head in case she hurt herself.
"But if I don't remember Dinah will get hurt," Camila mumbled.
"I'll text Mani and tell her to make sure she keeps Dinah safe, we won't let her get hurt," Lauren told her firmly.
"Okay," Camila agreed warily and Lauren grabbed her phone from where it had been throw on the couch, clicking on Normani's contact and typing a message to inform her.
Camila watched intently the entire time, only relaxing when Normani responded.
"Dinah will be okay, now can we focus on making Camz okay?" Lauren raised an eyebrow and Camila leant forward, resting her head on Lauren's chest sideways and loosely using one hand to loosely hold her t-shirt and the other to play with the waistband of her shorts. "You're really hot," Lauren stated, feeling the clammy skin when she placed her hand on the back of Camila's neck.
"Yes," Camila hummed in agreement.
"You should've told me, I can't help you if I don't know how you're feeling," Lauren told her.
"Scared," Camila frowned.
"You're scared?" Lauren questioned and Camila nodded. "You don't have to be scared baby, you're safe here, I've got you."
"Will you not let them hurt me?" Camila asked and Lauren looked down at her, patting her back.
"Who is them, you keep mentioning them," Lauren tried to get an answer for the umpteenth time, knowing it was useless before Camila even answered.
"The people who hurt me!" Camila wailed exasperatedly because Lauren just wasn't getting it. She pulled her head back to look at her girlfriend, her eyes filling with tears; "you're not understanding me!"
"I understand you, I just wanted to see if you knew who they were," Lauren explained, "don't cry, it's okay, you're okay."
"I'm not making sense," Camila lifted her fists to rub her temples and Lauren pulled them away, holding her wrists together with one hand and using her other to rub her shoulder.
"It doesn't matter, stop worrying about trying to remember. Stop worrying about things that you can't help, you couldn't help getting hurt and you can't help what happens as a result of being hurt. But you helped Dinah and that's more important than any of that," She told her softly.
"I'm helpful?" Camila questioned doubtfully
"You've helped more than anyone else has, you're always the one who is there for everyone and you never get anything in return, I'm sorry," Lauren apologised, sighing and Camila shrugged.
"It's okay, you aren't everybody so it's not all your fault," She tried to console and Lauren smiled affectionately.
"Thank you, you deserve so much better," She moved her hand to cup Camila's cheek, stroking it with her thumb and Camila melted into the touch, resuming their original position. "Are you tired, do you want to go to bed?"
"No, stay down here, I don't want to sleep tonight," Camila told her.
"You can't not sleep Camila," Lauren argued, keeping her tone kind.
"No," Camila repeated, her voice rising.
"Hey, okay, we can stay down here," Lauren caved, rubbing her back to calm her.
"And you'll stay awake too, to keep me safe?" Camila questioned warily.
"I'll keep you safe, I've got you," Lauren assured her.
"And if they ask for the money you'll say that even though you can't give it to them, they can't hurt me 'cause it's not my fault," Camila mumbled and Lauren tried her best to decipher her words.
"What money?" She asked cautiously.
"The money you stole from them. You are meant to give it them back or I'll get hurt. But you can't give it back so..." Camila trailed off and Lauren squeezed her.
"You won't get hurt, not again. I'll fight for you or-or I'll give them the money from my own pocket," She said, finality in her tone and Camila nodded. "Is that all you have to tell me, did they say anything else? Can you remember anything else?"
"I-I, you're asking too many questions," Camila screwed up her face, Lauren's frantic tone stressing her out.
"You've done so well at remembering, you remembered baby! I'm so proud of you," Lauren told her sincerely, hugging her head and Camila let out a shaky breath.
"I remembered, and-and they won't hurt me again?" She stammered, shaking her head.
"They won't hurt you again, no one will hurt you, I've got you, you're safe now. I love you."