Replacing Them (Camren)

18.

CAMILA

I stormed out of Lauren's room furious. What the fuck was that? She strangled me. I pushed her twice but still, the look in her eye, fucking hell. Then she kissed me. It was so soft. I touched my bottom lip. 

"Mila" I jumped at Sofia calling me. 

I walked in seeing her laying with her left leg elevated. "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing, what happened? I heard shouting" 

I smiled at my younger sister and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Nothing happened, don't worry." 

"Okay" 

"How's your ankle?" 

"It's better, the painkiller and ice-pack are helping a lot" 

I nodded, Lauren had helped her and given her those things but she wouldn't of had to if she didn't put her sheets in the hallway. 

"Try and rest, I'll bring you up some food" 

"Okay" I could just about hear her whisper

I kissed her forehead and went downstairs to start cooking. 

______________

"Oh my God, who's looking forward to today?" Dinah asks excitedly 

"I am" Ally responds 

Normani smiles at her

"Normani, why aren't you going anyway?" I asked her 

She looked down and picked at her chips "I've got some things to do" 

I could tell she didn't want to talk about it so I didn't press her on it. 

"You excited Mila?" Dinah asks

I shrugged "I was, but I'm not that much anymore to be honest" I thought about everything that happened in the last few days and getting invited to go to a diner was definitely not up there with the most exciting. "I don't know, I'll probably be more closer to the time" 

"Cheer up" Ally smiled at me

I smiled back but it faded as I thought back to what happened yesterday. Lauren strangled me and then kissed me. My stomach flipped involuntarily as I thought of her soft lips on mine. 

"Woah, where'd you go?" Normani asks

My head shot up "What?" 

"You just went somewhere, it must be something really special you were thinking about because you frowned and then smiled in a space of a few seconds" 

I blushed. Did I really just smile thinking about Lauren kissing me. I just smiled and didn't even realise. What the fuck was happening to me? 

"Awww, what were you thinking about?" Ally pressed

I diverted my eyes from the group "I don't even know. You know when you think about something which turns into something else and before you know it you don't even know how you got to what you were thinking about?" I hoped they bought it

They all nodded "I do that all the time" Dinah confessed

Phew. 

LAUREN

It's Friday and Camila has gone out to some Diner place, I know because Dad told me, he somehow thought I'd be going too but I soon let him know that wasn't the case. 

"LAUREN" Dad shouted from downstairs. I rolled my eyes and got up from my bed. I made my way downstairs and saw Normani at the front door. I stared at her in shock. What the fuck was she doing here? 

"Hi" She says

"Normani, why?" 

She shrugged and walked past me on the stairs "I don't want you to block us out again" 

I followed her as she entered my room. She took a seat on the edge of my bed. 

"You shouldn't have come" 

She rolled her eyes "Lauren shut up" 

I couldn't help but smile. 

"How have you been?" 

I looked at her as if to ask her why she was asking stupid questions. "Rule number one; don't ask me questions like that when you already know the answer" 

She pursed her lips and nodded her head. 

The door to my room opened and in walked in Sofia looking at the floor. I don't blame her. The last time she came in here I shouted at her and made her cry. 

"Hey" I tried to get her attention. 

She looked up at me and walked over to me "Thank you for helping me the other day" 

She was talking about her ankle. Don't find her cute Lauren. Don't do it. 

"It's okay, it was my fault after all" 

Sofia smiled at me and gave me a quick hug before she ran away. 

"Who was that?" Normani interrupts my thoughts. Shit. I never told them about Sinu moving in. Fuck.

I took a deep breath and sat down next to Normani. "So you know 8 months ago my Dad got a girlfriend?" 

She nodded "When you blocked us out" 

"Yeah, she kind of moved in with her two daughters" I confessed. 

"What? When?" She seemed surprised. 

"A few weeks ago, like 4 maybe, I don't know the exact date" 

"Lauren, why do you always keep things to yourself?" 

"I like to be mysterious" I tried to joke. 

"How old is she?" 

"6" I replied and I knew what she was thinking. That shes the same age as what Taylor was before she died. 

She didn't say anything though and nodded. "And the other daughter?" 

I squinted my eyes. Should I tell her it's Camila? 

"Promise me you won't tell the others?" 

She nodded.

I sighed "Okay so.." I paused wondering if it was the best decision to tell her "basically" 

"Lauren" she was becoming impatient. 

"Okay, okay. Camila is the other daughter" 

"WHAT?" She shouted. 

"Sh" I shushed her

"Lauren, what the fuck?" She couldn't keep her shock in "Camila is living with you and neither of you decided to tell us?" 

"I asked her not to" I admitted. "When we went to Texas I told her to keep it a secret" 

"Why?" 

"Because I didn't want you to know okay" 

"So did you guys share a room?" 

I nodded

Normani laughs "Sneaky fuckers" 

I laughed with her. "We turned up together at the station and the cinema, I don't know how you guys didn't suspect anything" 

"Shut up" 

We stayed silent as she let the new information sink in. 

"Does she know anything about what happened?" 

I shook my head "No, and I would appreciate it if she didn't find out" 

"Hey, I wouldn't tell her." 

I knew she wouldn't but I had to verbally tell her not to in case she didn't know I didn't want her to know. 

"I know" 

"You really are something else, all these secrets will be the death of me. Anymore you're hiding?" 

I thought about Camila and everything that's happened between us and so I replied "No, that's all"