The dragonfly tattoo artist

9

Things at home weren't better.

Camila arrived completely devastated. She tried to cry quietly on her way to her room so no one would hear her, and for 15 minutes all she could do was sob against her pillow.

She was crying for her broken heart, because of herself, because of Parker, because she had a lot on her mind. She was crying because she wanted to call someone, but at the same time she knew that Lauren had forbidden her for a reason.

She was crying because it hurt, but she knew she couldn't compare any of it to the way Lauren felt.

Camila didn't know how Lauren was feeling.

She wondered how many times a situation like that had affected Lauren's life. She wondered if anyone knew. She wondered how many things Lauren was hiding.

"Have you had a bad day too?"

She would have recognized Ally's voice in any place or situation, but she had to admit that the sad tone accompanying her words was not typical of her.

Sometimes Camila forgot that other people could also have bad days.

"Do you want a hug? I need one too" The eldest offered, who cried under the covers of the other bottom bunk.

Camila ran to her. She knew how much could help a hug, and at the time they both seemed to need a lot of help.

"Why are you crying, Ally?"

Asking also helps. Camila knew it.

"If you tell me your reasons I will tell you mine."

Camilla sighed and wiped her tears. It was a good deal for her, and she couldn't refuse one in that situation where she felt so guilty and shattered.

If only she hadn't gone that day.

If only she hadn't taken that box juice.

If only she hadn't pulled that man's jacket.

It was all her fault. She was sorry. Still, Lauren had been willing to protect her from Parker.

It was her fault. Camila felt it. Still, it wasn't her who was suffering.

"It's Lauren."

She still didn't want to talk about the rest. She wasn't ready for it.

"Why are you crying?"

Ally looked at her, and there was a broken heart in her eyes.

"Troy and I broke up."

***

She got a text message that night. Camila could hear the sobbing of Ally, who was being comforted by Dinah, just a few steps away, but at that time another person was also broken.

And it wasn't exactly the tattoo artist.

"I'm fine" It was the first thing the painter wrote to her, but it didn't really look like it. Who is completely fine doesn't say it, Camila knew. Who's completely fine just is.

"What did he do to you, Lauren?"

"I'm fine, Camz" Even by messages her questions were ignored.

"You have to report something like that. What happened is not legal, Lauren, and it's not good for you either."

"Don't worry about any of this. Please."

But she did.

"How many customers like him do you have? How many times have things like this happened, Lauren?" Camila was desperate to know.