blue ➸ camren

three

Camila crinkled her nose, rolling over to try and avoid the blinding light streaming through the windows. A few moments later, her mind caught up with her and she sat up quickly. Her eyes scanned the room and a state of panic set in.

"Lolo?" she said anxiously, looking over the empty spot on the bed where Lauren had been. She rolled off of the bed bit her lip nervously. Where had Lauren gone? Camila was always the first to wake up.

"Hello?" Camila raised her voice, beginning to pull the blankets off of the bed and look for any hints to where Lauren might be. "Lolo?"

She jumped when the door to the bedroom flew open and Dinah appeared, raising an eyebrow at the smaller girl.

"She's at class, Camila, you know that," Dinah wiped her eyes.

"She did not say goodbye," Camila shook her head and slumped down on the bed. "She is mad at me."

"Or maybe she was just running late," Dinah sighed and walked over to Camila, sitting down next to her. "She'll be back before dinner. She always is."

"I know," Camila crawled back up on the bed and pulled the blankets up, completely covering her body. Dinah looked at her questioningly.

"What are you doing, Mila?" Dinah laughed, nudging the figure under the blanket. Camila scooted away and shook her head.

"I am sleeping. Please go away," Camila curled the blanket around her fists and took a deep breath. She didn't want Dinah knowing how much it bothered her that Lauren hadn't said goodbye.

Goodbyes scared Camila. But at the same time, they comforted her. She'd had way too many goodbyes in her life. What if Lauren never came back? She wouldn't even remember the last words that they exchanged.

Dinah sighed, deciding against trying to get Camila to move. She left the room without another word, causing the smaller girl to flinch when the door shut behind her.

Camila lifted her head carefully and bit her lip. She slowly untangled herself from the blankets and padded down the hallway. Music was blasting from Dinah's bedroom, and she assumed Normani was still asleep. Ally and Lauren both had class.

Quietly, Camila sat down on the floor by the door and pulled on her worn converse. She wasn't quite sure what to do with the laces, so she just allowed them to hang freely. Scrambling back up to her feet, she checked to make sure no one had seen her before slipping out of the apartment door.

The park was just across the street, she remembered. A soft smile graced her features when she remembered the flowers Lauren had planted there. They'd been so busy with the holidays that they hadn't been back to visit them in a while. Camila figured it was time she gave them some attention.

She shivered when she made it outside, watching the cars buzz by in the busy street. Cars were bad. Unless you were inside them. If you weren't inside a car, walking around them wasn't too safe. Lauren had taught her that.

Lauren had also taught her how to cross the street so she wouldn't get hurt by the cars. Camila looked up at the sky and smiled, happy to be outside. It was cold, but she wasn't too bothered.

She stood patiently on the edge of the sidewalk, watching the light across the street that signaled to her when it was time to walk. Only a few moments later, the traffic slowed down and the light changed colors. Camila giggled excitedly and jogged across the street.

She quickly followed the path into the park, picking up the pace as she neared the familiar corner where her flowery friends resided. They reminded her of Lauren. Pretty and colorful. But Lauren was annoyed with her, so her flowers were the next best thing.