BELONGS TO ME

Chapter 19

Camila

Finally home, I strip out of my clothes and head for the shower.

The second the warm water soaks into my scalp, Hailee's voice reaches me from the hall.

"Hey!" She knocks twice and opens the door to slip inside. "How was the workout with Harry?"

"About as successful as you'd expect."

"How many times have they told you to stick to jogging?"

"Too many to count." I smile, massaging shampoo into my scalp. "How'd your test go?"

"Good until I got to the stupid essay question, but I don't think it'll hurt me too much. I basically made up a bunch of shit and worded it like a mastermind, so I'm hoping he just gets confused and gives me the points anyway."

"Sounds like a solid plan."

"I thought so," she jokes. "Hey, so, I'm going to dinner with some of the girls from the first floor. I can wait for you to get ready if you want to come?"

"No, I'm going to stand here with my eyes closed for a solid ten minutes, and then it's spanx game strong."

"Sounds like a blast." Hailee chuckles. "I'm going to change and head out. I'll be in late; I think Zayn's picking me up from the restaurant after for a movie or something."

"K. Love you."

"Love you."

Hailee takes off and I soak in the shower until the water runs cool. Slipping into a pair of spandex shorts and an old varsity T-shirt Carl tried to toss out, I make my way to the kitchen.

My stash of meals isn't exactly low, but I'm in the mood for something fresh, so I drop onto the couch, deciding to text Lauren.

Me: my freezer sucks right now.

I set my phone on my chest and begin scrolling through the new movies on Prime. A couple trailers in, my phone beeps.

Champion: Running low, are you, Queen.C?

Me: I'm running on empty...

Champion: Taking it back?

Me: That's the great thing about music, Champion. It's timeless.

Champion: Kind of like Shakespeare?

I can't help but laugh.

Me: Yeah, Lauren. Just like Shakespeare.

Me: I happen to have the necessities to make college girl spaghetti. Meaning I have a can of cheap sauce, meat, and noodles. Want to come over and make sure I don't burn the place down?

I bite at my lip. She could have plans and that's totally fine.

Maybe I should have asked what she was doing before I invited her over?

Maybe she's with someone.

Maybe... she's with Cindy.

I frown but shake it off when my phone beeps again. I squeeze it, but now I'm too nervous to look at the screen.

"Screw it." I hop up and make my way back to the kitchen, deciding even if she can't or doesn't want to come over, I'm cooking. It's not like I don't help Hailee make stuff for the boys a lot, usually I'm the utensil grabber or box opener, the stirrer and stuff, but still... I help. Plus, Lauren's taught me some basics, so yeah. I can make it by myself.

Only, I don't want to make it by myself.

Once I have everything lined up on the counter, I flatten my palms and stare at it for a while. With a heavy huff, I pick up my phone to check her message. Instantly, my smile breaks free.