blue ➸ camren

fifteen

Trigger Warning - There is abuse/violence portrayed in this chapter. PLEASE do not read it if it will trigger you in any way. If you would rather skip it, just start reading when the italics (Camila's flashback) end. Love you all.

Camila stood in front of the mirror, wiping carelessly at the makeup on her face. She hadn't even wanted to go to the stupid party, but the girls on the cheer team had convinced her to go. As soon as they had gotten there, though, she'd been completely abandoned. Having no one to talk to, Camila walked home. In the rain.

She huffed, curling her small fingers around the edges of the counter and hanging her head down to take a deep breath. As if her day couldn't get any worse, she heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs.

Frantically, Camila flipped the light switch off and pressed her back against the bathroom door. As the footsteps got closer, she could practically hear her heart pounding against her chest. Not now. Not tonight.

The footsteps paused outside the door, and moments later her uncle's loud voice appeared inches away from her ear.

"Where have you been?"

Camila winced, squeezing her eyes shut. Just stay quiet. He would eventually give up and go downstairs. Unfortunately, she couldn't stop herself from gasping when he slammed his hand against the door.

"Karla, where have you been?" his voice was low and intimidating. "Get out here. Now."

Camila shivered. Clenching her jaw, she slowly turned around and pulled the door open. Right away, she smelled the alcohol on the older man's breath. It made her sick to her stomach.

"I was just-"

"Don't," he cut her off, taking a step forwards. Camila took a step backwards in return, biting her lip when her back pressed up against the wall. Her eyes darted around the empty hallway, desperate for some kind of escape.

"You've been sneaking out again?" he sneered, tilting his head to the side and leaning forwards. Camila just remained silent. Silence was better than anything she could say. "I thought you learned your lesson last time," he growled.

"Speak up, girl," he jabbed her shoulder with his index finger. The small girl took a deep breath and bit her lip, avoiding his eyes. The air reeked of alcohol and it stung her eyes, aiding the tears that were already threatening to fall.

"The cheer team wanted me to go to this party..." Camila said softly, hanging her head down. She closed her eyes, wishing that she could click her heels and magically make all of this disappear. But this wasn't a movie. This was real life. Too real, in her opinion.

"Bullshit," he spat. Camila inhaled sharply when he grabbed her chin with his hand, pulling her forwards and forcing her to meet his eyes.

After a few seconds of tensed silence, Camila glanced over at the small table in the hallway. Her eyes landed on a picture of her Aunt Susie and her, at one of her birthday parties. For some odd reason, a small smile formed on her face.

It quickly diminished, though. The second her uncle saw what she was looking at, he shoved her back and sent the frame flying across the hallway. It collided with the wall, sending glass flying in all directions.

Without thinking, Camila gasped and ran forwards, sliding down to her knees and grabbing the photo from underneath the broken glass. She yelped when a hand grabbed the back of her sweatshirt, practically throwing her up to her feet. Camila met her uncle's eyes pleadingly.