Walk A Mile (Camren)

VI

They arrived back at the Jauregui residence within an hour of their departure. The two girls found common ground and actually bonded a little bit on their trip. They both felt a little more at ease with the thought of spending the rest of the summer with each other. As Lauren began to discover more and more about the shorter girl's past, she found that they did have a connection after all. It was like they'd skipped the small talk phase completely. Once conversation got going, they never really stopped. It was the most pleasant surprise. Lauren realized that if she'd just given her a chance from the get go, they could've been friends.

Once they moved from the topic of their family life, the conversations were much lighter. Given all of the new information she'd found out about Camila at Dairy Queen and in the car, Lauren felt like she knew a significant amount of random things about her. But she wanted to know her inside and out. She wanted to know her passions and her fears, what songs make her dance and what movies make her cry, which prejudices make her angry and which books placate her; She wanted to know her embarrassing stories and her proudest moments, her style icons and her inspirations; She was desperate to find out her plans for the future and if the thought alone scared her like it did to herself, and if she had any odd phobias or collections, or which insecurities she thought plagued her body and if she's ever had self image issues; She wanted to know every part of her story so she could piece together how she came to be the person she was today; Lauren just wanted to know her.

Amongst the frivolous facts and dismissive stories she was told throughout the day, only one had stuck with Lauren. One story in particular resonated with Lauren and lingered in the back of her mind. It was the one she'd told her in her room about how she used to cry because her dad had never taught her how to ride a bike. It made Lauren feel like she'd somewhat been robbed of her childhood. Bike riding played an integral role in her upbringing; It gave way to so many adventures. To think that Camila had never experienced that didn't sit well with her. As she pulled into her driveway, she got a grand idea. Both girls scrambled out of the car quickly and Camila stood to the side, waiting for Lauren to unlock the front door.

"I have a surprise for you," Lauren announced as she held the door open for Camila. The smaller girl sauntered through with an appreciative smile.

"What kind of surprise?" she responded interestedly.

"Go change into something more comfortable. When you come back downstairs, just wait here," Lauren ignored her question and instead briefed her with a set of instructions.

"Okay..." Camila agreed warily.

Lauren jogged towards her garage door and flipped on the light switch. She didn't really have an intricate plan for this surprise. It came to her out of nowhere after hearing about her childhood. However, she searched around the garage quickly before she found the desired object. She stepped up to retrieve it from where it was hung on the wall, then situated it near the door.

Camila was following Lauren's directions in confusion. She didn't know what occasion she was dressing for. By comfortable, she hoped Lauren meant American Eagle jeans and a light blouse. That's what she was wearing. She came down dressed in a new outfit and some more heels, but with softer soles.

"Camila... I said something comfortable... Why do you look like you're about to strut down the freaking runway?" Lauren asked incredulously. It was her less direct way of commenting on how stunning she looked. Her outfit was simple and casual, but Camila made looking flawless seem absolutely effortless. Lauren felt like there was no way she could pull that off herself.

"You said to wear something comfortable... These are very comfortable," she responded, bemused. She extended her leg and looked down at her pants. "Literally, American Eagle jeans are so comfortable."