The Girl Next Door ➸ camren

four

After school on Friday of the first week of school, Camila is driving her truck with Lauren in the passenger seat and Luis and Lucy in the back, choosing to squeeze into one seat in order to be closer to one another.

⠀⠀⠀"Mike asked me if I'd take you shopping for clothes today," Camila says to Lauren.

Lucy scrunches her nose in distaste. "Why would he ask you to do that?"

"Because he thinks I dress like a skank," Lauren explains.

⠀⠀⠀"You're hot," Luis says. "You're allowed to show that off. It don't make you skank."

Lucy slaps him. "I'm the only girl you're allowed to call hot."

Luis nods his head and kisses her. "Of course, baby girl."

Camila pulls into the driveway of Lucy's ranch house and Luis kicks open the car door. He jumps out and places his hands on his girlfriend's hips, helping her out. The two wave to Camila as she backs out of the driveway and on to the main road again.

"So is that a no to shopping?" Camila asks.

⠀⠀⠀"Yes it's a fucking no," she growls. Lauren is never one to decline the opportunity to shop, but in this case, she'd rather fall face first into the pig pen than go. Mike wants her to change the way she is, and she's not going to. He's her step father; he has no right to try to change who she is.

Camila throws her hands up in surrender. "I was just making sure."

Lauren sits on the front porch swing, her legs crossed and her fingers tapping away on her phone, texting Brad, when she hears the gate next door slam shut. Her head snaps up in attention, and she sees a once again shirtless Camila carrying a bucket and a hose.

She drops the bucket down on the driveway next to her car and turns the hose on, spraying down her truck, the mud that has been caked on it all week slowly disappearing.

Lauren looks down at her phone, reading and replying to her boyfriend's text, and then looks back over at Camila. She's dipping a sponge into the bucket of soapy water and cleaning her car with it, the muscles in her arms flexing as she does, making it impossible for Lauren to look away.

Camila looks over her shoulder, very aware of the fact that Lauren is staring at her, and Lauren quickly tries to make it seem like she was looking at anything but her, busying herself with her phone. She can feel the heat in her face making it bright pink and prays that Camila can't see it from where she is.

⠀⠀⠀"Can I help you with something or are you just gonna keep creepin'?" Camila calls over to her.

⠀⠀⠀Lauren feels like she's choking on her tongue, and her mind can't form a coherent thought. "Um... Uh... I..."

Camila laughs. "I'm just teasin' you."

⠀⠀⠀"I changed my mind," she finally says, needing some reasonable explanation for her to be staring at Camila. "Can you take me to get a pair of boots and maybe a couple of flannels?"

⠀⠀⠀"It would be my pleasure," she replies. "Just let me finish up. Enjoy the show, Lo."