Not Just Friends (Camren)

Chapter 27

Countdown: 2 days before the graduation ceremony 

As soon as I got home, I ran to the mailbox to grab the mail before I went inside. As I walked up the driveway, I flipped through the envelopes to see if I got anything. It mostly junk apart from my mothers Kohl's catalogs and coupons. But one envelope in particular caught my attention. 

The words that stuck out the most were: Columbia University and Lauren Jauregui

My eyes widened as I realized that this was my letter of rejection or acceptance. I ran inside and called for my parents. I stared in awe at the envelope in my hands as I heard my parents frantically running down the stairs. 

"Lauren, whats wrong?" I heard my mom ask as she entered the kitchen. I looked up at her and saw her eyes on the envelope in my hands. I looked at my dad who had a fearful look in his eyes. 

"Do I open it?" I asked to no one in particular. My parents stole a glance at each other before turning back to me. 

My dad sighed at nodded, "Go ahead Laur, open it." 

I slowly ripped the envelope open and took the letter out. I looked up at my parents who had an encouraging smile on their face. With the encouragement from my parents, I opened the letter and began to read. 

Dear Lauren Jauregui...

~~~

After Lauren dropped me off at home, I decided to think about how I was going to tell Lauren that I didn't get into Columbia University. I found out a few weeks ago when she dropped me off at my house after school and I got the letter in the mail. How I didn't get in was beyond me, I mean, I haven't gotten anything below an A since 1st grade. 

I knew Lauren hadn't received her letter yet, that's why I held off on telling her. She was so excited that we'd be able to go to the same college together and I didn't want to make her lose hope. I did, however, get accepted into my back up college and I know its going to kill her.

As I was contemplating how I was going to break the news to Lauren, I heard a series of frantic knocks on my front door. I ran downstairs while yelling, "I got it mom!" As I opened the door, I was surprised to see the person who had just dropped me off not even ten minutes ago. "Lauren?" 

"Hey, if your mom doesn't mind, can I take you somewhere for a little while?" She asked nervously. She had a blanket tucked under her armpit and a small bag on her back. In the pocket of her jacket I noticed a white, folded up piece of computer paper with the 'CU' emblem on the corner. I think she noticed that I saw it because she quickly moved to hand to her pocket and shoved it further into her pocket. 

I grabbed my black converse and yelled to my mom that I'd be home in a little while and had my phone if she needed me. After she yelled her response about not being home too late, Lauren and I walked hand-in-hand down my driveway and onto the sidewalk. 

After a few minutes of walking in silence, I decided to break it. "So where are we going?" 

She chuckled and placed a small kiss onto the back of my hand, "I don't know really. I just wanted to find somewhere peaceful to talk to you."

I nodded and turned my attention onto the sun that was fading behind the clouds. A vibrant red-orange sunset settled on the evening sky. I felt Lauren give my hand a small squeeze before leading us to the beach. We both kicked off our shoes and stepped onto the cold sand. It was nearing the end of the day so the beach only consisted on a few people. I looked around the find an empty spot with nearly no one around. 

Lauren set down the blanket gently and smoothed out the corners before placing herself on one side and patted the spot next to her. I sat down close to her and promptly cuddled into her. She wrapped her right arm around me and held my hand with her left.