Titanic

Chapter two

Lauren and Camila walked together, side by side. They passed people reading and talking in the steamer chairs, some of whom glanced curiously at the mismatched girls.

"So, you got a name by the way?" Lauren asked.

"Camila. Camila Cabello."

"Camila. That's a beautiful name." There's an awkward pause.

"Miss Jauregui, I-"

"Lauren." She cuts her off.

"Lauren... I feel like such an idiot. It took me all morning to get up the nerve to face you."

"Well, here you are."

"Here I am. I- I want to thank you for what you did. Not just for... for pulling me back. But for your discretion."

"You're welcome. Camila."

"Look, I know what you must be thinking! Poor little rich girl. What does she know about misery?"

"That's not what I was thinking. What I was thinking was what could have happened to hurt this girl so much she though she had no way out."

"I don't... it wasn't just one thing. It was everything. It was them, it was their whole world. And I was trapped in it, like an insect in amber." Camila said in a rush. "I just had to get away, just run and run and run and then I was at the back rail and there was no more ship... even the Titanic wasn't big enough. Not enough to get away from them. And before I'd really though about it, I was over the rail. I was so furious. I'll show them. They'll be sorry!"

"Uh huh. They'll be sorry. But you'll be dead."

Camila lowered her head. "Oh God, I am such an idiot."

"That penguin last night, is he one of them?"

"Penguin? Oh, Shawn! He is them."

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"Worse I'm afraid." She shows Lauren her engagement ring.

"God look at that thing! You would have gone straight to the bottom." They laugh together. A passing steward scowls at Lauren, who is clearly not a first class passenger, but Camila just glares at him away. "So you feel like you're stuck on a train you can't get off cause you're marrying this fella."

"Yes, exactly!"

"So don't marry him."

"If only it were that simple."

"It is that simple."

"Oh, Lauren... please don't judge me until you've seen my world."

"Well, I guess I will tonight."

Looking for another topic, any other topic, Camila indicates to her sketchbook. "What's this?"

"Just some sketches." Lauren answers her.

"May I?" The question is rhetorical because she has already grabbed the book. Camila sits on a deck chair, opening the book. "Lauren, these are quite good! Really, they are."

"Well, they didn't think too much of 'em in Paree."

Some loose sketches fall out and are taken by the wind. Lauren quickly scrambles after them... catching two, but the rest are gone, over the rail.

"Oh no! Oh, I'm so sorry. Truly!"

"Don't worry, they're not worth anything anyway." For emphasis she throws away the two she had caught. They sail off.

Camila laughs. "You're crazy." She goes back to the book, turning a page. "Well, well..."

Lauren laughs to herself as she sees Camila has found her nude drawings. Camila blushes, raising the book as some strollers go by.