mending the pieces ~ camren

chapter twenty eight

Camila's POV

"It's beautiful out here, thanks for showing me this place." I broke the unbearable silence between my best friend and I.

"Yeah," she breathed.

"Lauren, how can I make you feel better?" I asked, getting frustrated because of feeling helpless.

"You can't, Camz. it's okay." The sad one replied without any emotion in her voice. Her eyes were dull, no longer bright green, but blue-ish, almost grey.

"It's not okay, I hate seeing you like this, you know that." I continued while looking at the girl who seemed lifeless. She shrugged her shoulders and made a move to lie on the grass.

A day after Leigh had left the country to join her parents in Europe again, Lauren couldn't deal with the way she felt, although she had tried with all her strength. She really did her best. I don't blame her for feeling this way, I went through the exact same thing when I was forced to leave Cuba and my two dearest friends, Theo and Duardo.

But it doesn't mean I don't want Lauren to suffer less, because I do and I decided to get the girl out of her house and spend the day amongst nature. She came up with an idea and guided me to a secluded area in of the many parks. We had to walk all the way through it, but boy, was it worth it. She found a gate between bushes and we found ourselves at an open field with nothing but green grass and flowers. I made sure to bring some snacks and a blanket with me, and we ended up having a little picnic.

She's been nothing but quiet and sad, and I didn't know how to help her, it was killing me.

"How many days are there left until the first day of school?" I tried getting her attention again.

"Three weeks," she answered flatly.

"Are you excited?" I carried on.

"I guess," one more emotionless reply.

" I'm a bit scared." I confessed.

"Why? I'll help you." she assured me with a caring face.

"I know, I'm sure your presence will be very helpful. Believe me when I say I would have been freaking out if I had ended up at a different school." I explained and that gained a small chuckle from the girl. Success!

"Everything will be okay, Camee." She offered me a gentle smile and I smiled in return as well.

"You make everything okay," I added quietly. I lay next to her and observed her face. Her cheeks were flushed pink and I couldn't help but smile and squint in my eyes in the process, because of how adorable she was being. "Do you want to cuddle?"

"Yes, please." She answered immediately and repeated the course of movements which felt like a routine by now. As she put her head on my left shoulder and wrapper her right arm around my waist, she sighed deeply and I gave her head a short kiss while pulling her in closer with both of my arms. "It's overwhelming," she stated.

"What is?" I asked curiously.

"How a simple embrace can make you feel better, I can't get over it." Lauren explained and I hummed in agreement.

"That's true. But let's not question it, as long as we get to do it, I'm fine." I said humorously and chuckled.

"Yeah," she giggled.

"So you're feeling a bit better?"

"I am," she replied, looking up at me and smiling lightly. "This happens every time she leaves, though. I can't help it."