Broken, Honest, Beautiful

Honesty

"Camz?" Lauren called out, there was no one in the bus supposedly, no one but Lauren. Still, she could have sworn she heard someone else wandering around the bus.

Everyone else had gone out to eat but Lauren didn't feel like it. She much preferred the option to stay in.

"Yeah?" Camila answered conforming Lauren's suspicions that she wasn't alone on the bus

"Can we talk?" Lauren asked sitting down with her

"Sure." Camila paid more attention looking at Lauren

"Please be honest, what happened with you and Austin last year?" Lauren begged to know the truth

"I don't want to talk about it Lauren." Camila insisted but her voice was shaky

"Camz you can tell me. I won't tell anybody. I want to be there for you like you're there for me." Lauren told her

"Austin, he beat me last year. He wouldn't let me end things and it was my punishment for suggesting it, I wished I hadn't. It just wouldn't stop, no matter what I said or did!"

"Oh my god Camila." Lauren gasped hugging Camila as soon as she'd heard the words he beat me

"All I'd wonder each time was why me? What did I do wrong?"

"It wasn't your fault! Camila don't even say that! Please don't say that." Lauren answered seriously

"Camz you are literally the most beautiful, kind and honest girl. I love you so so much, I feel terrible that I wasn't there for you." Lauren admitted

"It's okay, you had your own shit going on. But I wish you'd been there too." Camila cracked on the last sentence as she let out a sob

"Oh Camila." Lauren sighed tightening her hold on the girl

"I wish I'd been here too, I love you Camz."

"I love you too." Camila gulped between her cries

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Lauren questioned playing with Camila's hair

"I don't know, I didn't tell anybody." Camila admitted

"Then how did the others know?" Lauren asked

"They walked in on us while he was doing it and they caught Austin red handed."

"Oh god." Lauren breathed

"It's fine. It was only a few bruises." Camila played it off

"It's not fine! He should never have laid a finger on you let alone a fist! I'll fucking kill him!" Lauren shouted angrily

"No Lauren don't, it's like you said; he's not worth it." Camila tried to calm her down, angry Lauren was serious and never good

Lauren closed her eyes taking slow deep breaths recollecting herself

"You're right. I'm sorry. But I'm gonna take care of you, okay? I'll make it up to you that I wasn't around." Lauren agreed

"You don't need to do that. I know you would have been here and that's enough." Camila told her

"Obviously not. He hurt you Camila, that isn't okay. Did you go to the police about this?"

"No. It would have caused a scandal, all hell would have broken loose."

"Camila! Fuck that, he can't just get away with this!"

"Don't worry. He didn't. Dinah really beat him up, so bad he didn't even remember who did it." Camila laughed