Chapter 13

"Lauren!" Camila called out as she chased after the older girl. The green eyed girl just kept walking.

"LAUREN!!" she called out again as she saw Lauren walk out of the building through the back entrance. Camila was about to chase after her when Austin stopped her.

"Hey Camila," he greeted her.

"Not now, Austin," Camila said.

"Now is all I have. So, have you thought about that second date yet?"

"I said NOT NOW," Camila snapped as she pushed past him. Austin just watched her leave in confusion.

~

Camila walked out and found Lauren pacing back and forth with a lit cigarette in her mouth. Camila approached her but stopped when Lauren started screaming. The older girl didn't seem to be aware of her presence. Lauren put out the cigarette before she kicked a trash can with her boots. She ran her hands through her dark hair in frustration as she looked up into the sky.

"Lauren," Camila said quietly.

Lauren spun around and froze when she saw the young brunette approaching her.

"I'm sorry-"

"What do you want, Camila?"

"Are you okay?"

"What do you think?"

"You're upset," Camila said.

"You're DAMN RIGHT I'M UPSET," Lauren snapped.

"Where did you get that footage from?" she asked.

"Ally came over and she gave it to me," Camila said quietly.

"DAMN IT ALLYSON!!" Lauren exclaimed as she kicked the trash can again.

"Why are you so upset? What did I do wrong?"

"You're frustrating!! That's what!" Lauren exclaimed. Camila could see the tears running down from her eyes. Lauren was angry but this was a different kind of anger.

"That's not it," Camila said.

"You're not angry because of me. You're angry because of yourself..." Camila trailed off as she tried to piece together the puzzle.

"Oh my god!" Lauren huffed as she started pacing again.

"It was you," Camila said.

Lauren stopped in her tracks as she looked up and met Camila's gaze.

"You were the one who saw me play that first day, not Austin. You made sure that Austin didn't treat me like all his other conquests. You protected me from that pig from taking advantage of me. It was never Austin, it was you," Camila said.

"What's your point?"

"You're not angry at me for showing that video. You're angry at yourself for allowing those things to happen. Why?"

"I'm done talking," Lauren said as she grabbed her backpack from the ground and tried to walk away but Camila grabbed her wrist before she could.

"I'm not done," she said.

"Let go of me, Cabello," Lauren said harshly.

"Not until you tell me," Camila said, her grip tightened.

Lauren yanked back her wrist, "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, OKAY?!"

Camila felt like her heart had stopped beating. The girl with the blackest heart in the school was in love with her. Camila looked at her and her heart almost shattered. Lauren looked so broken, so vulnerable. She was crying. Not out of anger. She was heartbroken.

"I've loved you since the day I heard you play. And I kept falling ever since we met. But... I'm not good enough for you, Camila," Lauren said. Her voice betrayed her as it started breaking.

"Lauren," Camila said as she approached her. She cupped the older girl's face and crashed her lips to Lauren's in a desperate attempt to keep her from pulling away. Lauren grabbed her hands and pulled the younger girl away.

"No, I can't," Lauren said as she looked down.

"Lauren-"

Before she could say anything else, Lauren walked off. Camila dropped to her knees as she burst into tears.

~

Camila stared into her reflection in the girls' bathroom. Her eyes were starting to look normal even though it wad still red from crying. She turned on the faucet and washed his face with water. Luckily, Camila didn't wear much make up that day. She wiped her face dry with a tissue before she reapplied her eyeliner. She took a deep breath before walking out just before the bell rang, indicating that lunch was over.

The entire day went by incredibly slow. Camila just wanted school to be over so that she could go home and cry her eyes out. Lauren wasn't in class for the rest of the day, which didn't surprise her. Camila had a gut wrenching feeling that the older girl hated her and Camila actually hated herself for causing the green eyed beauty pain.

After last period, Camila bolted out of her seat and ran to her locker, desperate to get what she needed before she headed back. Just as she got everything and shut her locker, Austin approached her.

"What?!"

"Whoa, what happened to you?"

"I'm not in the mood, Austin," Camila said bitterly.

"Let me cheer you up."

"Austin-"

"Please, one more date. Camila, I know my timing sucks and I haven't been talking to you since the date but I'm scared, okay? I've never liked anyone as much as I've liked you," Austin said.

But you don't love me like Lauren does, Camila found herself thinking about Lauren again. And just thinking about her, broke her heart.

"When?"

~

"ARE YOU CRAZY, MILA?!" Dinah exclaimed as soon as they entered Camila's room. Dinah found out what happened and she was pissed.

"Lauren just told you that she's freaking in love with you and you still want to date that dorito?"

"His name is Austin," Camila said.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I hurt her, Dinah. Something I promised myself I wouldn't do. But I did and now she hates me," Camila said as she walked towards the closet.

"She doesn't hate you, she loves you," Dinah said as she sat on Camila's bed.

"Not anymore," Camila said as she looked for an outfit.

"You don't know that," Dinah tried.

"Just drop it, okay, Dinah? I don't want to talk about her anymore," Camila snapped.

Dinah sighed, "Fine."

"Now, help me pick out something nice," Camila said as Dinah got up and walked over.

~

The entire date, Camila found herself thinking about that dark haired green eyed girl that she hurt. She thought about the way Lauren smiled when she was with her and only with her. She thought about how Lauren was so gentle with her as if the older girl was afraid that she might break. She thought about how Lauren looked at her and made it seem like nothing else mattered to her.

"I'd give you all my attention and ignore everyone else."

"Would you really?"

"I'm doing that right now. So why not?" Lauren said with a smile.

Camila hated herself for not seeing the signs sooner.

"I'd probably do anything for you," Lauren said as they sat under the tree at the courtyard of the school,

"I'd do anything for you," Lauren blurted out in a faint whisper after she had saved Camila from Drew.

"Camila?"

Camila was snapped out of her thoughts and she remembered that she was on a date with Austin Mahone.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just a lot on my mind," Camila said distractedly.

"Let me send you home."

"But our date?"

"Maybe another time. You should rest," Austin said. Camila nodded, not wanting to argue. Austin drove her back home and kissed her cheek goodnight. Camila headed to her room and flopped on the bed.