Trials and Tribulations

Chapter 47

Rachel pushed herself away from the door where she was leaning and back on to her feet again, walking across the tiled floor towards Camila, one intimidating step at a time. "When did you get back in town?" Rachel asked with interest as she stopped in front of Camila, ignoring all recognised rules regarding appropriate personal space and squaring herself up against the

smaller girl, her taller frame towering above her. "I thought your parents had sent you away to live with the other psychos at rehab." "I'm not crazy," Camila informed Rachel, moving backwards a few paces in order to distance herself from the other girl, "and I'm not back. I'm just...visiting." She finished timidly. "Oh, you're not crazy?" Rachel asked, laughing malevolently. "Are you serious?" she questioned, stepping closer to Camila again so that she had to step back in order to avoid physical contact with the blonde. "The last time that I saw you I ended up having unplanned facial reconstruction." She reminded Camila, "or have you completely forgotten that?" "Listen Rachel," Camila said, putting both hands up in front of her in an attempt to keep some space between them. "I'm really sorry about what happened and I would have apologised to you for what I did sooner but, I haven't had the chance because I've been away," She told the other girl sincerely. "I should never have hit you," she acknowledged ashamedly. "It was a mistake and I know that I can't take it back, that I can't change the past between us, but, honestly, I feel so guilty about it and it'll probably be something that I regret for the rest of my life." "You'll definitely regret it," Rachel told her aggressively, striding forward again and forcing Camila back up against the restroom wall so that she was trapped. "You broke my fucking nose," she apprised her angrily. "Plus you gave me a fucking orbital fracture. Do you know how painful those are?" "Well, your face broke my hand if that makes you feel any better

about what happened," Camila responded, lifting up her right arm emphatically as she tried to resort to humour in an attempt to defuse the situation. "I'd rather break your face," Rachel said through gritted teeth, her resentment palpable as she leant forward, pressing Camila further back against the wall. "What is it they say?" she asked rhetorically. "Oh yeah, an eye for an eye." She stated. "It's kind of fitting, don't you think?" she questioned menacingly "After you almost blinded me it would be kind of poetic to inflict the same punishment on you." "I'm sorry," Camila apologised again, shrinking back in to the wall behind her. "I didn't mean to...I..." she hesitated, thinking for a moment, "it was an accident." "It was an accident?" Rachel laughed unkindly again. "You're a fucking accident," she told Camila, her tone spiteful. "You're not even supposed to fucking be here. You should be fucking dead by all accounts. You're a mistake Camila, one big cosmic fuck up." She spat maliciously. "Did you ever wonder why you keep ending up back in the hospital?" Rachel asked her. "It's the universes way of trying to erase its fucking error." "That's not..." Camila began but Rachel cut her off, forcing her back against the wall hard with the palm of her hand as it pushed solidly against the brunettes' shoulder. "You can't cheat death and not expect it to come back and bite you in the arse," Rachel ploughed on thoughtlessly. "Fate had its plan for you Camila and you fucked it

up, just like you've fucked up everything else that you've done with the additional time you've somehow been fortunate enough to be granted." Rachel moved the hand on Camila's shoulder up towards her neck, squeezing the flesh there painfully between her fingers and making the smaller girl grimace. "I can't believe that I ever thought that I had feelings for you," Rachel practically hissed, releasing her grip on Camila's trapezius and reaching her hand up as though she was going to hit her across the face, stopping it just short and enjoying Camila's fear, the brunette wincing in response to the stimulus. "Who the fuck would ever want to be with you?" Rachel asked her and Camila suppressed the urge to say, 'Lauren'. "You're fucking pathetic, look at you." The blonde said vehemently. "You're not so fucking tough when you don't have the element of surprise on your side are you?" "I don't want to fight you," Camila told Rachel, shrinking back against the wall. "Please, I'm sorry for what happened but..." "I don't give a shit what you want," Rachel interrupted loudly. "I want you to pay for what you did to me and I'm not leaving here until you have." Camila tried to make a move towards the door and side step around Rachel in order to get past her, but, the blonde grabbed hold of her wrist tightly and flung her back against the wall hard. "You don't get to fucking leave yet," she told her angrily. "I didn't get to fucking leave when you lost your shit and projected your own selfloathing on my face." Camila raised her eyebrow in response to the comment, herself growing angry at Rachel's