Through Her Eyes (Camren)

Chapter 7: Things Stolen

It was raining again. Not nearly as harshly as it had weeks before, not nearly as cold, and Lauren knew Camila had her hoodie, so there wasn’t anything to worry about.

Lauren wasn’t worried.

If she was worried, it was only because once Lauren had grown used to Camila’s presence, the weekends seemed desolate and dull, too quiet. It was hard to think that Lauren had been spending all her free time alone for almost a year. It felt insubstantial now, unreal - like waking up from a dream. The world seemed alive with Camila in it, brighter and real. Somehow Camila’s strange introduction into Lauren’s world had changed it.

For one thing, she worried a hell of a lot more.

Sighing, Lauren glanced again at the clock.

What did Camila do all day, anyway? Why couldn’t Lauren have her all the time?

Lauren startled at a loud noise, jumping to her feet. Camila was ringing her doorbell.

Lauren knew it was Camila because no one else ever came to her door and no one else rang a doorbell quite like Camila did. Which was to say, holding down the button until the once friendly chimes were screeching wails of death and pain.

“You’re early,” Lauren said as she swung the door open, trying only half successfully to keep the grin off her face. She moved aside to usher Camila in, who was soaked, dripping on the floor, her skin slick and bare except for a small tank top. “Where’s your sweatshirt?” Lauren admonished with a frown.

“Away,” Camila responded miserably. “Took it away.”

Lauren stopped abruptly in her hustling Camila down the hallway, turning to see her friend and realizing that Camila did not look happy and carefree the way she usually did. Her eyes were too dull, her lips pressed too closely together. Lauren didn’t like it. “Someone took your sweatshirt? Really?”

Camila nodded frantically and Lauren noticed her eyes were wide and wet, shimmering in the dull hallway light, and oh God, please don’t cry.

Camila bit her lip, scrunching her nose and making an odd little noise in the back of her throat.

“It’s okay,” Lauren assured her anxiously, raising her hands uselessly into the air, unsure of what to do with them.

Camila shook her head, wet hair flinging water drops against the wall. “My warmth. They took it away.” She was biting her lip with slightly crooked teeth now, shoulders trembling faintly.

Lauren swallowed nervously.

Camila made a sad little hitching noise.

“Don’t cry!” Lauren blurted out, waving her hands around pointlessly. Camila did not look convinced, her lips trembling. “Please don’t,” Lauren begged. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll get you another hoodie, we’ll go to the mall and I’ll buy you one. A purple one, okay? Any color you want. Just please, please don’t cry.” Lauren had never known what to do with sobbing people and she certainly didn’t know what to do with a crying Camila. She would buy Camila a whole new wardrobe to avoid having to see that.

“But Lauren,” Camila whined and Lauren waited nervously for more but that seemed to be the extent of Camila’s protest. They stared at each other for a long moment, Lauren at a complete loss, until Camila’s lip stopped trembling and she blinked away tears.

“Yeah, you’re fine, nothing to get upset about,” Lauren assured, letting her shoulders slump and taking a relieved breath when Camila began to look calmer. “Who took your hoodie?”