Walk A Mile (Camren)

VIII

The card incident didn't necessarily leave Camila in high spirits. Lauren was pretty much sulking the entire drive home, which Camila detected easily. She was wondering why Lauren was so upset by the change in plans, but didn't dwell on it. They were going tomorrow. Same thing, just a different day.

If she were to ignore the way her card malfunctioned, Camila would say their shopping spree was a success. It brought them closer and provided bonding time, which was her goal. Camila was skeptical about the idea, being aware of Lauren's rapid and unpredictable mood swings, but it worked out nicely. They could even say that they'd developed a bit of a flirtacious vibe. Each girl noticed odd behavior in the other. They kept it under wraps and chose not to comment, but they did notice.

Just now, both girls were bustling out of Lauren's car. The ride back home was significantly less exciting than the ride there. Lauren was more reserved now that Camila was acting the same way. It wasn't her intention for her mood to rub off on the older girl, but Camila couldn't help it. Internally, her thoughts were running at a mile a minute. What was the matter with her card? She could recall a few times in the past where there had been a problem with the machine and the card didn't go through, but it had never been declined. That information didn't sit well with her. She was trying to stay in high spirits for Lauren, but failed as more scenarios began to plague her mind.

"Maybe you should talk to your parents about it," Lauren offered a quiet suggestion as she fumbled with her key.

"I will. I'm hoping it was just that store, though..." Camila mumbled, despite the way her subconscious was telling her otherwise.

Lauren chivalrously let Camila walk in before her, then she trailed behind her. When she pulled the door closed, she sauntered into the kitchen to speak to her mother as Camila scoped out her father. The girls went their separate ways for the moment. Camila was determined to get details on this predicament before the overthinking consumed her. Without any answers, anything was possible. She was driving herself insane.

Alejandro wasn't in the living room, but Michael was. He was comfortably sprawled out on the couch watching a show. He heard Camila quietly padding over to him and sat up to greet her. "Hey, Mila. How's your day going so far?"

"Well, good - I guess. Except for the part where I tried to buy something and my card got declined, I'd say my day is going pretty well," Camila smiled optimistically, thinking about how much time she was able to spend with Lauren today. That was a plus.

"What's going on with your card?" Michael asked, but looked around suspiciously. Camila had the feeling that he knew something she didn't. And he did. He had a very good idea why her card wasn't working. He just thought she'd be a little more responsible with her money, given their situation.

"I bought a few things with Lauren and it was working perfectly fine before, but I tried to do it a little while ago and it wouldn't go through. I tried a few more times but the same thing kept happening. Then I looked at it and it said that it had 'insufficient funds'. Doesn't that usually mean I don't have enough money to buy what I'm trying to get?" she asked Michael, hoping he'd discredit that statement. She needed some sort of reassurance.

"Well most of the time, it does mean that you don't have enough..." he affirmed awkwardly, now focusing his attention on the remote in his hand. "But it could just be because Ale hasn't replenished your account yet," he fabricated after seeing how distraught Camila was about it. He knew good and well that there wouldn't be any replenishing for a while.

"He's never had to actually do that before. It's just always there," Camila sighed and slumped back against the couch.

"That's not true. You've probably never seen him doing it, but he does. Don't worry. I'm sure it's just a temporary problem," Michael offered and pat her knee sympathetically. He assumed that Alejandro hadn't exactly broken the news to her or Sinu yet. He definitely wasn't going to be the one to tell her that Alejandro had been fired from his position months prior. It wasn't his place.