Addicted | Camila x Reader / discontinued

He Knows

The first thing I do when I wake up for the second time is scramble out of the bus and search for my sweatpants, or more specifically, for the pills in my pocket. I can't let anybody find them, not after yesterday. I sigh in relief when I find the sweatpants bundled up in the bathroom, but freeze when I hear a throat clear behind me followed by motion and the door closing quietly. Turning slowly, my eyes widen when I see Larsen taking up most of the space in the bathroom, his arms crossed as his hazel-eyed glare cuts right through me.

"I'm missing something," he states calmly, voice just a touch deeper than usual. "I don't suppose you've seen it anywhere?" He knows I have his Blu. He definitely knows I took one last night. Shit.

I shake my head rapidly, cautiously tightening my hold on my pants behind my back. "What are you missing?"

He sniffs sharply, almost a scoff, and rolls his eyes. "She doesn't know, does she?"

I feel my temples throb as my jaw clenched. This only causes him to smirk.

"Keep 'em." With that, he cracks a strangely-friendly smile and leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

A weight leaves my chest, allowing air to rush out as I slide the lock over and quickly rummage about in the pocket in search of the baggie. I sigh again when I find it intact, the pills still sitting inside. For a moment, I consider giving them back or burying them in the small trash can beside the toilet. A second later, I remember how I felt last night. Somewhere among the blurry moments that don't quite make sense, I had her arm around my waist, and I had her laying beside me in bed once again. Gulping, I squat down, opening the cupboard beneath the sink and carefully feeling around the pipes leading up to the faucet. With a smile, I find a common nook, just big enough to hide something small like the bag, and slot it there. Some part of me tugs at my sleeve and begs me not to fall back into it, but another brings the effect of Camila's touch back to the forefront of my mind and I close the cupboard door before moving on to brushing my teeth.

...

Another week passes before I remember the pills. The bus is almost silent, filled only by the tense music playing through the rattly speakers in the corner of the back room. I'm sitting with my legs up, a bowl of chips by my side, watching a horror movie just to freak myself out and pass the time. Everybody is inside the venue for a rehearsal, even Maria, while I'm left alone.

I thought the pill fixed things last time. Camila's attention was on me for quite a while after a took it, but it faded a few days later when she realized I had no more symptoms of the mystery illness she thought I'd contracted. I come to realize that maybe I just need to take it more often. Maybe then she'll stick around for longer. Plus, I'm bored out of my mind and it's only been a fraction of the day.

I push myself up from my rather comfortable seat and make my way into the bathroom, squatting down and awkwardly feeling around for the baggie. I smile when I find it, drop a pill in my palm before replacing it, and stand to head into the kitchen for some water to take it with. I could definitely dry-swallow it, but I'd rather not have the aching throat that comes after doing so.

I don't even think twice about what I'm doing, even after I swallow the pill and head back to the movie just as the main character squeals, the murderer having found his way inside her house. I flinch, but settle, challenging myself to stick through it. Unfortunately, my phone rings, and part of me is glad for the excuse to step away from the movie. I head into the front lounge for a quiet space before answering the FaceTime call.

"Hey, Ari!" I smile as soon as I see the girl's face pop up on my screen.

She grins in return, waving happily. I look around her and realize she looks to be in her bedroom. "Hey, Y/n/n. I was just thinking about you and thought I'd check in. How've you been?"

"Good, good, I'm fine." I nod, running a hand over my neck. "Same old me, y'know?"

She sighs but nods. "I would've thought the 'same old' you would've liked tour more, Y/n. Didn't you used to talk about wanting to be a singer or something?"

My jaw clenches but I shrug it off. "It's not all it's chalked up to be, I guess. But what about you? How are you holding up?"

She smiles again. "I have news!"

"Oh?"

She nods excitedly and turns the camera around, revealing a small caged-off area in the corner of her room. I squint and lean closer to the screen, but still can't make out what she's showing me. She chuckles, probably at my face, and the camera moves wildly as she makes her way closer. When it finally becomes clear, I raise my brows in shock.

"Is that a dog?"

She turns the camera back around so I can see her face again, and nods once more. "Yeah, my therapist said it'd be good to have something to keep me company and to take care of, so I adopted her like two days ago. Her name is Coco, and she's... are you okay?"

Shit. Her words start blurring together and I've no idea what she just said at all, but I see her concerned look. A distant scream from the TV echoes in my ears.

"I, uh... I'm sorry, I have to go," I rush out, hanging up the call and simply staring at the black screen, watching as it pulses and swirls in my hand.