Chapter 12

"Camila!"

"Huh?" Camila snapped out of her thoughts as she blinked. She looked around and saw all eyes were on her. She sank in her seat as she looked up at Miss Lovato and gave her a sheepish smile.

Miss Lovato smiled, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine," Camila said nervously.

"Would you like to present your project with the class?"

"Not really."

"Very well then. Miss Jauregui?"

Camila turned and saw Lauren looking up from her notepad and looked at the teacher.

"Would you like to present your project?" the teacher asked.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really," Miss Lovato said smirking. Camila frowned at the exchange between the two. For some reason, she was upset. She watched as Lauren stood up and walked to the front of the class and plugged in her thumb drive into Miss Lovato's laptop. She clicked on a file which opened up to a video.

"My partner's name is Karla Camila Cabello, but she prefers to be called Camila," Lauren's voice said in the background of the video. The video started off with Camila walking towards her, smiling as the wind blew on her face.

"She's incredibly smart, more than she give herself credit for. She's a loving sister and an incredible person," the video showed Camila writing, which Camila wasn't even aware that Lauren filmed it, then it faded to her being tackled by her sister and laughing.

"She's awkward and doesn't really talk to many people but once you get to know her, she's pretty crazy, " the video showed Camila sitting alone on a couch, and that was when she realized that Lauren had been filming the entire time she was talking to Ally. The video was then cut to when Lauren grabbed her from behind and carried her as she spun around. Then it faded to her jamming out to One Direction.

"Is there a particular reason why you wanted to go to the beach?"

"I just like it here. The smell of the ocean the sand in your toes... It's calming. The way the sound of the waves as it hits the shore. It's just beautiful," Camila said with a shrug, "Especially when the sun set," she added.

"What do you want the whole world to know?"

"Love yourself. It may be the hardest thing to do but it'll be worth it," Camila said.

"If this video doesn't make you fall in love with her, I don't know what will. She's beautiful," the video showed Camila smiling, "She's compassionate," the video showed Camila hugging her sister, "She's crazy talented," the video showed Camila playing the piano but it was filmed outside of the music room.

Camila watched the video carefully and her eyes widened. She was singing Ellie Goulding's version of 'Your Song' by Elton John. It was the first song she had played in the music room.

"And she has the biggest heart I've ever seen," the video ended with Lauren talking to the camera.

"Even a person with the blackest heart could see that. So by the end of the video, I expect you guys to have fallen for her. I know I did," Lauren said before the video faded to black.

Camila looked at Lauren, stunned. Lauren just gave her a shrug and a smile.

~

"My partner's name is Lauren Jauregui," Camila's voice said in the video.

"You may know her as the badass troublemaker," Camila said as the video started with a montage of Lauren rolling her eyes, ignoring people, giving people death glares and simply not caring about anything.

"But she's entirely a different person."

"What do you want most in the world?"

She looked at her, gave her a smile before putting down her fork. She looked into the camera and said, "What I want most? I don't know yet. Maybe when I do, I'll let you know," she said.

"What do you want the whole world to know about you?"

"The whole world? Don't you think that's a little bit exaggerated?" Lauren asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, come on!"

"I'd want the whole world to know that I'm not who you think I am," she said.

Camila looked at her through the small screen of the camcorder as she zoomed in, "And can you elaborate on that?"

"What are you? A reporter?" Lauren asked jokingly.

Camila smiled as she let out a light giggle, "Hush you! Just answer the question," she said.

"There's a reason why I'm the person I am today. But I promise you, I'm not that bad. I just don't give a BEEP," Lauren said.

"Lauren isn't as complicated as she put out to be. She's just broken," the video showed Lauren looking through the window, staring at the sky.

"She's lost a lot in her life and that broke her. So much so that she hides her true self behind a façade," the video showed Lauren sitting alone in the cafeteria with ear buds on as she listened to music.

"She's caring," the video showed Lauren and Camila at Austin's party. Lauren was asking her if she was okay.

"She's protective," the video showed Lauren threatening Drew at the party.

"She's passionate," the video showed Lauren singing 'Lego House' by Ed Sheeran.

"I'm gonna paint you by numbers and color you in."

"So Miss Jauregui-"

"Seriously?"

"Stop interrupting me!"

Camila cleared her throat as Lauren rolled her eyes, "So, Miss Jauregui.."

"Yes, Director Cabello?" Lauren mocked.

"Ignoring that," Camila said, "When did you realize that you had a passion for music?"

"I grew up in a very musical family. My father would always blast music in the house and I've always loved it."

"And she can be a dork," Camila said as the video showed Lauren rocking out to a THE 1975 song. She was dancing like a mad person but she didn't care. Then the video showed a montage of Lauren making adorable faces and dancing like a total goofball.

"Lauren, please don't kill me for adding these but it had to be done so suck it up," Camila said in the video.

"Behind the mask, Lauren's just a girl. A girl with fears," the video showed Lauren talking in the music room.

"So Lauren, serious question."

"Okay..."

"What is your biggest fear?"

"My biggest fear?"

"Yeah."

"Losing people I love," Lauren said.

"I've lost so many people in my life that I can't bare to lose another. That's probably why I usually keep to myself."

"And dreams..."

"What is the one thing you really want to do?"

"I want to inspire people but that's not gonna happen anytime soon."

"Why not?"

"I'm not in that place yet."

"But if you were, what'd you say?"

"Be confident. Be compassionate. Be intelligent. Be generous. Be humble. The universe returns what you put out," Lauren said.

"But she doesn't show it as often as you'd like," Camila said as the video faded to an end. The class clapped but Camila couldn't hear it. Her focus was only on the green eyed girl. Lauren had an unreadable expression on which worried her. The bell rang and Lauren was the first one out as she bolted from her seat.

"Lauren, wait!" Camila exclaimed as she grabbed her backpack and ran after her.