BLACK CRESCENT

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

ZAYN'S POV

"Ariana you need to testify because hearing it from you is much better than hearing it from a tape."

I reached into my front pocket and pulled out my phone.

LAUREN

"LAUREN!" Sofia yelled as she ran towards me.

I had just called her, didn't I? How did she get here so fast?

Looking up at the clock, I realized that four hours had somehow slipped by. It had taken me some time after... after it had happened to call her. But she was the only person who I knew Camila needed most.

"Have they said anything? Do we know anything? We couldn't get an immediate flight out and they kept saying that she was in critical condition. And—"

"Breathe," a teenage boy, about seventeen or eighteen, said. He had dark brown skin and black eyes. He placed his hand on her back and rubbed it soothingly. I hadn't noticed him until now.

"I'm sure she's fine—"

"She was shot Sofia! She is not fine! My Camila is not fine and I don't know what to do!" I cried.

Never in my whole life had I felt as useless as I did today. I was failing everyone and everything.

"I haven't heard anything yet," I said to her, which only made her cry more.

In the four hours that had passed, I had heard nothing.

"Sofia?"

She broke away, wiping her eyes and turned to face a worried, older woman who was making her way towards us with the aid of a cane. She was short, with white hair and dark wrinkled skin. Though she was two generations above, there was no mistaking the resemblance. This was Grandma Cabello.

"No word yet," Sofia said and the woman looked to me. "Grams this is Lauren Jauregui. She's not just dad's lawyer—"

"Sofia, it's fine. It's nice to finally meet you, ma'am."

I extended my hand towards her but she just stared at it and then back to me.

"So you're the one who's dating my granddaughter?"

"N—" I began, but Sofia elbowed me.

"Yes. Yes I am." DO I?

But I couldn't deny how good it sounded to say it out loud.

She nodded, finally shaking my hand and taking a seat.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Don't go outta your way for me Daughter, just sit," she said as she took a deep breath. "You saw it didn't you? You were there."

I didn't want to talk about it. I was trying to block it out. I made no reply.

"You took this case for Kaki?"

I looked at her blankly who the hell is kaki? I looked at Sofia for help

"Grams is talking about Mila, Lauren . everyone in our family calls her kaki" 

"Oh okay and Yes," I told her. There was no point in lying now. "But she made me believe."

She smiled, "Yes. She's a passionate one."

"I know."

"You take a case on for her? So she takes a bullet for you?"

I sat up, blinking as I thought about it. Her on the ground, staring up at me, trying to speak, but before she could her eyes had slipped shut. I thought she had died. Right in front of me, with my hand on her stomach, trying to stop the bleeding. I thought she had died, and I wanted to die alongside of her.

No.

Sniffling, I wiped the corner of my eye and sat back in my chair.

"I don't mean to chastise you, Kaki does what she wants. It wasn't your fault. But when she wakes up, you'd better knock some sense into her." She paused and placed her hand over her mouth, and I took her other hand into my own. "You better tell her she can't be jumpin' in front of no bullets just because she's in love with someone. I would yell at her myself, but I know I will end up crying right in the middle of it."

"That would make her feel worse. You should do it." I forced a laugh. "She's going to be fine."

Why didn't I believe myself?

"You better not pull any stunt like this Sofia Cabello, either of you. You're always following Kaki's lead," she pointed to the couple in front of us.

Sofia nodded, as she lay her head against her boyfriend's chest.

"I won't let her," he said to their grandmother, and she nodded.

When the doctor came out, none other than Dr. Cindy Kimberly, she looked over us all. Her eyes fell on me in shock, before she smiled knowingly. "Are you all Camila Cabello's family?"

"Yes," her grandmother answered as I helped her up.

"The bullet struck her liver, causing her to go into hypovolemic shock due to the loss of blood, which in turn caused her heart to give out. But she's in a stable condition now and is currently asleep. She will make it." She smiled. "A nurse will take you in to see her soon."

"Thank god," Her grandmother said and I looked towards Cindy. She Smirked and nodded before she turned and walked back down the hall.

Taking a deep breath, I fell back onto the chair.

She was going to be fine.

CAMILA

"Urgh," I groaned as I tried to force my eyes open. It was a lot harder than normal, and when I did, all I felt was pain.

What the hell had happened to me?

My eyes adjusted, and as I looked around, I noticed the IV drip in my arm and the heart rate monitor that stood beeping next to my bed.

"What?"

I tried to move my hands, but looking down, I saw that Lauren was there holding it. She was asleep, and dressed in a pair of scrubs. Her hair was messy, Drool dripped from her mouth. She looked beat down.

"You're awake," Sofia smiled, as she came in with a pot of flowers.

She was wearing color! Not a single black item on her...

"What happened?"

"You thought you were Supergirl, and flew yourself in front of a bullet," she snapped at me, as she put the flowers down to give me a hug. "Don't scare me like that. Grams is so angry with you."

"I'm sorry," I said, as my memories began flooding back to me.

She let go, and when she moved I noticed that Lauren was now awake and sitting upright. She had a smile on her face with her arms crossed, half of her face was slightly red from sleeping on it, but I couldn't care less. She just kept smiling at me and as she stood up, I took her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"I'll give you love birds a moment before I call Grams," Sofia said, as she kissed my cheek and left.

She looked so different now, like she had grown up overnight.

"Camz, Are you alright? The pain, I mean?" She sat beside me.

She caressed my cheek with the back of her hand and I found myself so overwhelmed with emotion that I couldn't speak, I just leaned into her hand and nodded.

"Good, because I'm livid with you Karla Camila Cabello. How could you be so stupid? How could you do that?"

She kissed my forehead before cupping my cheek. I was trapped in her emerald green eyes, unable to move.

"I thought you were dead, Dead. Do you understand Camila " she whispered, as a tear dropped from her face onto mine.

Reaching up, I wiped them away. "I'm so sorry—no, that's a lie. I wasn't really thinking. I saw him moving towards you, I saw his intent and I just... But I'm glad I did. I'm glad I ran forward. You're always saving—"

"That is never the way I want you to save me, especially because you feel indebted to me Camz." she scolded me 

"I don't," I said. Looking into her eyes I don't know why I didn't say it before.

"I did it because I loved you Lauren... because I love you Lauren. I'd rather die than lose anyone I love."

The corners of her lips twitched and turned upwards, but she fought it. "You can't say that now "asshole". I still have a whole speech—"

"oh No, asshole title is yours's professor J" I kissed her.

Lauren kissed me so softly... softer than any kiss I ever had before. It was as delicate as a first kiss, and all too soon she broke away.

"If you think you're running away from me now Camila Cabello, then we should get your head checked too," She whispered, brushing back my hair.

I grinned. "Oh you have no idea what you're getting yourself into Miss Lauren Jauregui. I now have the I-literally-took-a-bullet-for-you card."

"Well I have the I-got-your-dad-get-out-of-prison card, Miss Cabello" She said as she got up, and for a moment my heart rated quickened as I stared at the door.

Instead of my father, it was Sofia, my Grams and another boy that I had never met before, who was holding on to Sofia's hand. I looked at them with judgmental expression

"I don't understand, And who is this boy, why is he so close to her and why is he holding Sofia's hand" I Asked Sofia hastily and looked at her with question mark on my head.

my Grandmother walked over to me and took my hand. She kissed it with a large smile on her old face.

" Calm down kaki! He's is Sofia's boyfriend , Now shut up Just watch," she replied as Lauren turned on the television.

The screen flickered once before turning on. Lauren flipped through the channels and finally, there stood Zayn, making his way on to the screen and standing before a podium. The ticker underneath him read: Ariana Van Allen's SHOCKING confession.

She sat behind the microphone, as bold and as regal as ever, with her head held high as she addressed the audience before her— "My Name is Ariana Van Allen, when I was twelve, my mother was murdered in a motel room in Woodstock, Connecticut. Her case made national headlines and our family was given an overwhelming amount of support from all of you... support that we didn't deserve.

"I was there when she went to go see her lover Alejandro Cabello. She wasn't kidnapped, we drove there. And she wasn't raped, she loved him openly. The truth of the matter is that she was not murdered by Alejandro Cabello.

"Her killer was my brother, Frank Van Allen, who I had called to come get me that night. For seventeen years, I've held my tongue and allowed an innocent man to pay the price for my brother's sins. And after seeing Frank's actions once again today in the attempted murder of Lauren Jauregui, I realized how far this has gone, and I feel that I can no longer lie for him.

"To Alejandro Cabello's family, I'm so sorry for all the pain we have caused you and the rift we have left in your homes. Though my words mean nothing at this point, I will say it again for all of you to hear; Alejandro Cabello is an innocent man and I urge the six court of Connecticut to free him."

"What?" I cried wiping my face, "I... why? How did you—?"

"Breathe, Love" Lauren whispered taking my hand, "it's over."

 It's over.

"Oh my god! LAUREN" I shrieked, as I latched on to her and cried.

It was finally over.