Over (camren / clexa)

9. The 411

Another Monday morning rolled around with no word from Lauren. Camila pulled herself out of bed, stretching her arms up to release the tension that had built in her shoulders and upper back.

She rose from the mattress, rubbing her eyes on her way to get ready for the day. She glanced to her window, looking out to the uninhabited summer house on her way to the bathroom.

Lauren had generally kept out of the older Cabellos' way, so they hadn't noticed when she'd gone missing.

This was good for the time being, it meant there was no explaining to be done, and it left Camila and Dinah to get on with their own investigation. But soon Camila's parents would be expecting Lauren's monthly rent, and Lauren wouldn't be around to pay up.

Camila quickly washed up, looking at her drained features in the bathroom mirror. The soft blue light leaking into the house caressed Camila's skin, lulling her awake.

She traipsed her body back into her room, to throw on some clothes to be ready in time for Dinah taking her to school.

Camila didn't care for school all that much anymore. She often found herself sat in the middle of a class, in a distracted haze with something Lauren related.

"You're a real inconvenience Jauregui." Camila mumbled to herself, shoving some papers into her school bag, and making a mental note to get some coffee on the way to school. Dinah and herself had stayed up until dawn broke, sifting through boxes in the tree house.

Camila didn't know why she was so involved. Why did she care so much? Dinah was in out of support for her best friend, and curiosity. But Camila had to be more than curious to be in so deep. Why couldn't she just let the authorities handle it, that was their job after all. Although she knew nothing would be done had they left it to them.

Lauren was already 18, with no family around here. She could leave it to the police but they wouldn't look very far. Lauren had picked up and left on her own accord, and their was no evidence to suggest she was in any trouble other than Camila's gut feeling.

Camila wondered if that's what Lauren meant when she said the law didn't care about her, in their last conversation before she took off.

The young Latina was pulled from her thoughts by the familiar text tone on her phone; a sound she had probably heard more than her own name.

Dinah: hurry up im waitin out front.

Camila pulled her shoes onto her feet, and grabbed her bag and keys before heading down to meet Dinah.

"Morning." Camila cracked, being the first time she had properly used her voice that morning.

"Hey, you as tired as me?" Dinah asked, pushing her sunglasses further up her nose.

"Coffee?" The older girl suggested.

"Absolutely."

__________

The girls walked together through the familiar dull hallways of East Bailey High, toward their respective lockers that were positioned next to each other, coffee in hand.

"You coming by the tree house tonight? I found some new stuff in Lauren's shack we could look into." Camila said, opening up her locker, and depositing a few books from her bag that had been weighing her down.

"Sorry Chanch, I can't. I need to catch up on school stuff. Plus i'm exhausted, I could use a break from the Case, and so could you." Dinah said, closing her own locker and leaning her back against it. The look of disappointment in Camila's face was clear.