Professor C (camren)

23 - Deluge

***SURPRISE! This is shit and rushed but I'm tired, I'm sick, I'm stressed but I just really needed to write because writing keeps me sane, keeps me from thinking. I just needed a break because I was vindictive somehow of the people in TYG and I did consider killing off one of the main characters to spite people. Yes, it would have ruined the story. So, the break is necessary. Oh, and congrats, @meerkat93!!!

Camila's first few memories of Lauren were riddled with raindrops and tears.

The first one began with a misunderstanding after their first kiss; tainting what should have been a memorable homecoming dance. It was unforgettable, but it wasn't the kind that Camila wanted to remember. All night, Lauren hadn't bothered to talk to her and it was only when she chose to leave that Lauren abruptly decided to tag along.

"Are you okay?" She'd asked, driving her beloved pick-up truck on their way to the dance.

"Yeah." Lauren answered vaguely.

Camila never believed her then. It was nearly impossible to when Lauren was a different person amidst affliction. She often wondered how Lauren even thought she could conceal her anguish, her troubles but she admired her for trying anyway.

That was Lauren's coping mechanism. It wasn't healthy but it kept her at peace with herself somehow.

Camila long figured Lauren wasn't the greatest at pretending she was alright. The girl was easy to read just because Camila paid her too much attention and still, to her, it was never enough.

She could remember the next two so vividly that the spell of nostalgia constricted her throat as she laid there with Lauren; skin to skin, heart to heart. And suddenly, she had to protect her all over again; unconsciously squeezing Lauren in her arms.

Lauren had gone drinking with Jette and three other people one night. Despite the heaviness in her chest, Camila took Lauren to her apartment and reluctantly drove home. Hours later, she would receive one of the most heartbreaking calls with Lauren's broken voice, painfully squeezing her heart.

"Camz, I'm sorry." Lauren's pitiful tone had filled Camila's body with cold dread amidst the melody of the rain mercilessly crashing down on the earth. "Please pick me up. I need you."

Camila would end up braving through a thunderstorm that night, simultaneously talking to Lauren in an attempt to keep her as calm as possible while battling against her own trepidation. She didn't even want to think about what could have happened had Jette not barged into Lauren's room. She may have been extremely enraged by her careless ex-girlfriend but Camila couldn't help but feel immense gratitude because Lauren was safe thanks to Jette.

It made for a tumultuous night that preceded an even more complicated day when Lauren walked out on Camila after learning the truth behind the tension cloaking her every interaction with Jette.

For a moment, Camila wondered how Jette was doing. They hadn't been in contact since their high school graduation despite being unsuccessful in their endeavors to mend their friendship. Words of gratitude were due, and somehow, Camila wasn't too reluctant to utter them anymore.

Camila wasn't one to seek symbolisms or trends, and perceiving rain as an allegory wasn't the first thought in her mind. But maybe it was trying to tell her something.

Rain could be emblematic, a metaphor she had to decipher. Nothing ever grows without the rain. And each time they forgave themselves, every single time they forgave each other, they grew. Rain was supposed to cleanse away the hatred and begin healing.

Perhaps, that was what they had been missing. Because when Lauren left in the early hours of twilight on June 17th nearly nine years prior, rainclouds were nothing but a dream or a memory. If it weren't plastered on her mirror, Camila would still remember the words inscribed on the note she found hours later.