Bound To You (camren au)

past the point of breaking

tw for verbal & physical abuse, toxic sexual relationships, & brief mention of suicide

-

"Your mother?"

"Yeah." Camila is fidgeting on the bed, a sheet wrapped around her shoulders like a cape. Hailee is distracted, sweeping through their bedroom to their bathroom, getting ready for work, and it was probably a bad time for Camila to bother her about this but she got home late last night and couldn't tell her but she also couldn't keep it in. "She's coming in a few days. I just- I'm supposed to pick her up at the airport on Monday, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."

Hailee stops by the bed, then leans in to kiss Camila's forehead. "That's sweet, baby," she says. "Yeah, I'd love to come. You want me to drive?" It's basically a rhetorical question. Hailee would never let Camila drive her car.

Camila brightens. "Yes! Yay!"

"You're so adorable," Hailee says with this little smile, and then she lifts Camila's chin with her finger and kisses her softly.

It's a good Hailee day - good feelings, good everything. It might be a little pathetic of Camila, but that's enough to keep her in high spirits for the rest of the morning.

-

One night, all the girls get drunk. Camila can remember no reason why except Ally closed the club early and it's almost September so school is very, very close to starting up again and they want one more night to dick around before the pressure of college comes on.

At least, that's for the girls who are still in school. There are girls like Ariana, who have already graduated, and girls like Lauren, who have staunchly avoided the college path, but the UCLA trio - Camila, Normani, and Dinah - are amped up for and dreading school at the same exact time, which has bonded them together once more. Just the other day they all went out for "back-to-school shopping" which was just the three of them on Melrose spending exorbitant amounts of money and gossiping about the current drama going on at the club, and it ended in the waiter at this restaurant they went to hitting on Normani profusely. (Normani was totally into it and now they're going on a date this weekend. Go figure.)

Hence, their back-to-school party of sorts. Except it's all in their club and they're all getting super wasted, including Ally, which is a sight to see. She wears really drunk very well - she still manages to be very elegant even while knocking back vodka shots like they're water. Instead of floating above it all, she's in the thick of it, partying with the rest of them. It's quite the thing.

"Jesus christ," says Camila. She's currently entangled with Lucy for some reason, Lucy's arm slung around Camila's waist as they sit on the edge of the stage together, watching the insanity. Girls yelling, screaming, singing, dancing like crazy people around the center of the room. Lauren, the life of the party. She is drunk.

"I know," says Lucy, even though Camila hasn't specified anything. Camila leans her head on Lucy's shoulder, feeling very wise in her tipsiness. "You smell good," she says.

"I know," Lucy says again, and in a second the two of them are giggling like children.

"Camz!" shouts Lauren. She's sitting on one of the tables, wearing Camila's jacket and an entirely mismatching dress, her hair a wreck. "Lucy!" She beckons them both with grabby hands. "Camucy. Cucy. Camcy."

"Shut up, Lauren," Lucy gripes, and Camila laughs in delight, pulling Lucy up by her wrist. Lucy is about as drunk as Camila is, which is still fairly coherent, but Lauren is wasted. Like, wasted enough that Camila doubts she'll remember all of this night tomorrow. She looks good, though, and she looks happy and pretty and free.