Blame It On Bad Luck (Camren)

Chapter 9

A/N: flashbacks are in italics, very slight trigger warning (to be on the safe side, I guess)

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Lauren flicked the ash from her cigarette and drew in a deep breath that seemed painfully unsteady when she exhaled it. Camila saw her eyes glistening as she turned to finally look at her.

"She's my daughter."

"Yeah, I figured that much. What I don't understand is why you're banned from a damn elementary school." She could see the panic etched onto her roommate's pale face but her own stomach was refusing to settle. Lauren put the cigarette out and dropped it into a cup filled with some disgusting colored water and a handful of old cigarette butts. Camila had convinced her to start using it so she would stop throwing them over the fire escape and littering; she didn't know when she started listening to her. Lauren wiped at her eyes with her sleeve pulled over her hand but made no effort to respond. "Lauren...what the hell did you do?"

"What did they tell you?" she asked, sounding more nervous than before. And it was always so weird for Camila to hear the green eyed girl sound anything but confident. She shook her head.

"I want you to tell me." She knew she wanted to know the truth and she also knew that those stories going around the school couldn't be true. Well, she hoped that they weren't true. She knew Lauren had done some terrible things, and she even admitted to that fact, but she wasn't capable of doing something like that to her own daughter, was she? And Lauren looked at her like she didn't believe she was actually asking her for her side of the story, like she expected her to be the one to tell her the truth. Because no one ever did.

"Really?"

"Yes. I feel like at this point, you have no reason to lie to me anymore." Lauren mulled that over, pressing her tongue into her cheek, and she nodded her head. She hadn't thought of that but it wasn't far off—she had a point. "Plus, if I'm going to risk my job by pretending I don't know you or see you when you sneak around the school...you better have a damn good reason for it." she said and the green eyed girl finally looked back up at her, lips slightly parted and fresh hopeful tears lingering in the corners of her eyes.

"Are you serious?" she breathed out. Camila knew it was potentially hazardous, to allow all of it to happen when she could easily get caught and possibly lose her job. But if Lauren had a good explanation for it all then who was she to stand in her way of wanting to see her own daughter? She swallowed and carefully nodded her head.

"Yes."

"I don't..." she trailed off, struggling to collect her thoughts. She never anticipated this conversation with anyone, let alone her roommate she only just started to sort of barely get along with. "I don't even know what to say."

"Why don't you start from the beginning? Here..." She held her hand out to Lauren who looked at it hesitantly. "Come inside. I'll make us some tea or something, if you want. And you can tell me everything." She wiped her eyes once again, making sure they were definitely dry—finally—and took Camila's hand.

"O-okay." She surprised even herself by agreeing to explain everything. She had sworn to herself that she would go about her college life keeping her home life a secret from quite literally everybody. But even Lauren knew deep down that if she should spill her guts out about the one thing she was adamant on keeping to herself, it would be Camila; her painfully kind roommate who just so happened to be the only one willing to help her out.

The shorter brunette helped pull her back into the living room of their small shared apartment and led her to sit on the couch while she busied herself in the kitchen. She set up two mugs and put some water in the boiler. She glanced over while she waited and saw Lauren staring nervously at her hands. Her breathing never really evened out; she still looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack.