Camila was surrounded by tension. Coach Sylvester was lurking everywhere, waiting to tell her off about her relationship with Lauren. Vanessa hated her guts. The people she regarded as her friends now thought she was a bitch. Tori wasn't that bad, but the awkward tension came from within herself about her unrequited feelings. Lauren had quickly become the only person she felt comfortable talking to or being around at all.
When she made it back to her room, she didn't even attempt to speak to Vanessa. She couldn't needlessly upset herself further with the effort. Going to sleep was her primary goal. She wanted the day to be over with already. She took a quick shower without addressing her roommate at all and slipped into bed. Finding comfort in Lauren's hoodie once more, she tried to drown out everyone's hypocrisy with pleasant thoughts of Lauren. It worked as her saving grace, for a while.
-
The next morning, Dinah had it out for Camila. Down at breakfast, she obnoxiously tried to occupy the free seat where Camila usually would've sat. Dinah stuck her leg out to guard it from her, all while glaring in her direction. When she had fixed her plate with the terrible hotel food, she noticed her act. Apparently, she was being ostracized. Camila found that to be unbelievably petty. She couldn't be bothered with that mess, so she sat aside at a table by herself.
Camila poked around her plate and wished Lauren were there with her. She was never one to give into drama, but she betrayed herself by reflecting on it. For the first time, she found herself wishing that basketball season in general was over. Everything could dissipate once this damn tournament was out of the way. After all, the tournament was what had everyone so bent out of shape. She would never say that the problem lied within herself or in Lauren, because that just wasn't true. All of this felt so juvenile. It was ridiculous. Hadn't she escaped high school's bullshit?
Camila could hardly stand being in their vicinity any longer, when she was so unwelcomed. Without even making a dent in her food, she got up and discarded it. If Vanessa was down here, she knew she'd have the room to herself. That was exactly where she was retreating back to.
Vanessa, Ava, and Tori paid no mind to Dinah's new hostility in regards to Camila. It went unnoticed, much like Camila's departure. What they did notice was how distant she'd been acting since they'd gotten back. Dinah was generally quiet whenever her feelings were damaged or something bad had happened, but she'd been too quiet for Tori and Vanessa's liking. Considering Camila's reaction, she wasn't too eager to tell them and get the same speech. Figuring she wouldn't come to them about whatever had gone down, they addressed the problem first. They were huddled around that table together, giving her the opportunity to vent even more about Normani. After breaking through her tough exterior and her I'm fine facade, they were finally getting the answers they wanted.
"I just thought we were really connecting... I thought she liked me," Dinah explained with downcast eyes. Through her version of the story, she hadn't been looking up at Tori or Vanessa much. Ava already knew.
"I know how you feel," Tori nodded solemnly. She wasn't so obsessive over Camila since their conversation, but she could definitely still relate. The wound was healing nicely, though.
"I really... I really thought that something was there. We went out to dinner... And we just kept talking the whole time. It never even got awkward. Even when we went to her room and she said it was her first time... Why would she do all of that if she was straight the whole time?" Dinah struggled to understand as she bitterly looked back on how much fun they both seemed to be having.
"Oh no, she was experimenting?" Tori asked regretfully, feeling even worse for Dinah now.
"Damn, that makes it even worse... I'm sorry, Dinah..." Vanessa frowned, genuinely sympathetic.
