chapter two

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i've literally got 12 chapters written already out of a planned 30

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Camila waits outside of the McDonald's, anxiously playing with a loose thread on the hem of her shirt. She'd considered just not showing, because when she'd woken up that day, the nerves she felt weren't her usual Friday nerves. Those are feelings of excitement, looking forward to what her viewers will think of her next video. This week, she'd gone back to her roots and posted a cover, scheduled to make itself available at 6PM, and she'd almost finished editing together her vlog for her second channel, which she plans on posting tomorrow. Usually, she vlogs Monday through Friday, and posts it on the following Monday, but she isn't sure if Lauren will want to be in it, or if she's even going to bother bringing it up to her.

She decides not to as she waits, her heart sinking when she realises that Lauren is late. Granted, it's only 1:35, a whole five minutes after the time they'd decided to meet, but the feeling of worry is all too familiar. She's no stranger to making plans with Lauren and getting stood up because something better came along.

When the clock turns to 1:36, the anxiety in her chest bubbles up, and she considers just turning around and leaving. She almost does it, and she's just about to push away from the wall she's leaning against and walk back home when she hears that familiar raspy voice.

"Camila! Hey!" Lauren comes to a stop in front of her, pausing to get her breath back. "Sorry, my roommate borrowed my keys last night and didn't put them back where I usually leave them, so I had a little bit of a freak out when I was about to leave the house."

Camila isn't sure if she's relieved that she's shown up. Instead, she puts on a polite smile, her walls securely up. "Hi. It's okay. It's only five minutes."

"Yeah, but still, I usually pride myself on my timekeeping skills," Lauren comments, nodding towards the automatic doors to their left. "Come on. Let's get a seat."

Camila nods, and follows her inside, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. It's weird to her; at one point, Lauren knew everything there was to know about her, but now she's virtually a stranger. A few years ago, Camila and Lauren were closer than two people could be, and now she doesn't know anything about her. She doesn't even know something as mundane as what Lauren is studying.

When Lauren spots a table, she doesn't hesitate to grab Camila by the wrist and pull her over to it, and the younger Latina shivers under her touch. The last time Lauren had touched her, they were kissing, and Camila swears she was in love.

"You guard the table," Lauren says, letting go of her arm as quickly as she'd taken hold of it, "I'll get the food. You still get the twenty nuggets share box with barbecue sauce?"

Surprised that she remembers, Camila nods. "Um, yeah."

"Okay. And diet Coke?" Lauren asks, and Camila nods again, bewildered, "Alright. Be right back."

Camila watches after her as she walks over to join the queue to order. She sighs, wishing she didn't feel so weird and uncomfortable. Clearly, Lauren isn't having any trouble talking to her, but Lauren had always been like that. She can't remember Lauren ever struggling to make conversation with anyone. It was one of the big difference she'd noticed between them when she and Lauren started growing apart; Lauren was an extrovert, and Camila was an introvert.

When Lauren comes back with the food on a tray, she sits down across from Camila and sends her a shy smile. Admittedly, when she passes over Camila's big twenty nugget box and drink, she feels like she's maybe ordered a little too much, because Lauren's just ordered a double cheeseburger and a small drink, but she tries not to care.

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