Riptide (a camren fic)

chapter 11: white siberian

A/N: okay so it's like a several hours late. sorry. apologies for any typos :) it's :) almost :) three :) in :) the :) morning :)

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Nerves immediately spring upon her, like she knew they would, the moment Lauren pulls up to an unfamiliar house.

Camila recognizes the area for what it is – the richer side of town. Every lawn manicured (a result of routine sprinklers going off despite the potential drought threatening Miami), with a neat patterned walkway down the middle. Two stories follow the same mold as the rows upon rows of houses form the cozy neighborhood.

"Snob hill," Dinah mutters from the backseat.

Camila glances at Dinah through the rearview mirror, and catches the smug look on her face. Probably from making another Disney reference. Why someone thinks that's a noteworthy accomplishment, she doesn't know.

Camila rolls her eyes, and Dinah's smirk only grows.

Lauren shuts off the car, making the music come to an abrupt stop. The distant atmosphere the music created breaks, allowing the awkwardness and doubt to leak right through the newly created holes. It seeps through like water dripping through a make-shift cup of cradled palms.

Despite not recognizing the song (or any songs recently for that matter), Camila really wishes she would just turn the car back on.

She drums her fingers against her thighs to an uneven rhythm. She sees Lauren's eyes darting towards her hands, as if willing her to stop the nervous tick.

"We don't have to go," Lauren begins slowly, as if reading her thoughts. Though at this point, from the body language Camila is blatantly exuding, she's not sure mind reading abilities would make that much of a difference. "I can turn right around, and head back home."

"You were the one who invited me," Camila mutters distractedly. She tugs at the loose ends of her denim shorts.

"Looks like she's having second thoughts," Dinah murmurs from the backseat.

Camila doesn't acknowledge Dinah's comment with words, but exchanges a worried look with her through the rearview mirror. Her eyes then dart towards Lauren again in the driver's seat.

Her neighbor is tense, beginning to look as tense as Camila feels. And suddenly she begins to wonder if Dinah's observation is correct.

"I'm fine," Camila replies stiffly.

It's the last thing that's said between them before they're walking up the white steps to Alexa's house.

They pause before the door, and Camila takes a moment to study the intricate design of the wooden mahogany door. It looks too fancy to be in house that was practically identical to the next door neighbors'.

She clears her throat, attempting to say something before Dinah decides to make some kind of dumb Hunger Games joke.

But the words fail make it past her lips when the door suddenly flies open.

Out pokes the head of a girl who looks vaguely familiar.

She swings the door open fully, and Camila gets the chance to see her from head to toe. The first thing she notices – because, well how could she not – is that the girl is pretty. Like ridiculously pretty. The kind of pretty that would swallow up the whole attention of everyone the moment she steps into a room.

"I saw you pull up," the girl says with a wide smile.

It's at this moment that Camila understands. She was one of those girls that had picked Lauren up that time Camila had approached her on her doorstep. The Jeep girl.