twenty four

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Lauren didn't see much of Camila the following days until the night before her performance. Camila knocked and appeared on Lauren's porch as she was watching old reruns of National Geographic.

"Camila what's up?" Lauren asked her, amused to find the brunette at her porch in that hour.

Camila was wearing a big hoodie on her pajamas. She shuffled in her flip flops. "Uh I just wanted to talk to someone, I'm getting the nerves."

"Oh I'm sure you'll do great Camila. I barely see you 'cause of your practice, plus you've got a track record for your achievements. " Lauren assured.

"What are you doing? Are you busy?" Camila asked, evading the compliment. Her nerves were very evident as she seemed to need a good distraction.

"I'm watching National Geographic actually, you're free to stay."

They ended up watching two hours straight of the show. It was following a cheetah then went over to a pack of lions. It was a bit dull due to the lack of music and monotonous narration but interesting enough as it was attention catching and that's what Camila needed. None of them talked, just sitting mere inches apart as they watched. Even in silence, Lauren liked Camila's company.

When it was around eleven, Camila said she had to sleep as she had to wake up early. Lauren shut off the television and escorted her out of the door.

"Goodluck tomorrow, can't wait to watch you." Lauren said.

Camila smiled shyly. "Don't expect too much."

"Just another check off your bucket list huh?"

Camila smiled. "Yeah, goodnight Lo." She waved goodbye as she ran back across the street. Lauren shut the door, smiling at the pet name Camila called her.

--

Lauren asked her mom to drive her to the gymnasium, as it was in another school's. Her mom happily obliged. She wore a red varsity jacket over her white shirt, their school colors in order to show support.

She arrived just a little bit early as there were still a few spaces left in the lot. Her mom dropped her off and she made her way to the gymnasium which was near filled. There were family members and people her age all sitting down to see the competition. She saw near the back was Shawn already sitting down with a banner. He was wearing a red hockey shirt that looked too big for him. She made her way to him. He smiled when he saw her. It was the widest he had seen in a long time.

"Hey Lauren, glad you made it in time, it's just about to start." He made space for her in the bleachers.

Lauren took a seat, watching the hosts and referees move about in the gymnasium floor below. "Is Dinah coming?"

Shawn looked over Lauren's shoulder. "Think she's already here."

Lauren looked over to see a Dinah who looked like she just got out of bed. She had a white tank top on and a white cardigan, the only red was the scarf she had draped around her neck. "Hola, amigas."

"Right in time, Hansen." Shawn said.

The announcer said that they were about to start followed by cheers. Lauren looked at Shawn's sign that simply said in big red bold letters GO ARIANA. The school that hosted the competition came first, wearing their blue and yellow uniforms. Lauren just watched as they performed, not really knowing what to expect since she didn't watch cheerleading that much. They did some stunts and flips, in the end their mascot, a bulldog came out and they spelled the initials of their school, ending the performance. They were met with applause, Dinah commenting on how good their routines were. Dinah obviously was an expert, knowing if something was good or not and she made lots of side comments as the competition went on.

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