Chapter 3

"I don't like this plan. This is a stupid plan!"

"Austin, please, how long have we been friends?" Lauren Jauregui asked.

"Since we were in middle school," Austin Mahone replied.

"But then I moved away and we haven't spoken to each other since," he added.

"Whatever, dude. Will you stop being such a wuss?" Lauren asked.

"This is a very stupid idea, Laur! Breaking and entering is illegal!"

"It's not called breaking in when you have the keys," Lauren pointed out.

"But why the school auditorium?"

"It has killer acoustics," Lauren said simply.

"Why else would I bother to break into the most boring place in this school?"

She unlocked the lock door with the key and then opened it quietly. They snuck in and shut the door behind them. Lauren got on the stage and turned the stage lights on. Austin squinted his eyes at the bright light before his eyes adjusted.

Lauren suddenly ran towards the center stage and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Woo Hoo!!"

The sound bounced off the walls of the auditorium as it echoes. Austin grabbed his friend by the elbow and pulled her away from the stage light.

"Jesus, Laur!" Austin yelled in a whisper.

"Are you insane? Do you want us to get caught?" he asked.

Lauren just laughed. Suddenly they heard a man shout. The green eyed girl realized that it was the security guard.

"Oh shit!" Lauren grabbed Austin by the collar of his shirt and pulled him along with her as she ran.

~

Once they were out of the auditorium, they ran down the hallway and bumped into two girls.

"Camilla!" Austin said in surprise. Lauren frowned at his friend before she looked at Camila and her friend.

"What are you doing here?" Austin asked.

"I could ask you the same question, Austin," Camila said as she folded her arms. Camila looked behind him and saw Lauren staring at her.

"Lauren," Camila greeted unamused.

"Cabello. Hansen," Lauren said as he greeted the two girls.

"How do you two know each other?" Lauren asked Austin.

"Now's not the time, Jauregui!" Austin snapped.

The four teenagers heard footsteps approaching.

"We have to go," Camila said, "Now," she emphasized as she grabbed Austin's and Lauren's and ran.

Camila lead them to the music room and they hid them behind the wall. Camila was still holding onto Lauren's hand. Camila was looking back and forth as she saw the shadow of the security guard through the window above them. Lauren was just watching her every movement. Camila turned and found Lauren staring at her. For a moment, their eyes locked. They stayed that way as the footsteps and shadow faded.

"Um, we better get going," Camila whispered.

"Hmm," Lauren said as she looked from her eyes to her lips.

Camila pulled away from her gaze and released her grip from Lauren's hand as she got up and walked out of the room quietly. She lead them out of the school through the back entrance and in no time, they were out of the school.

"Thank god!" Austin breathed out.

"What were you guys thinking? Your screams could be heard from the music room!" Camila exclaimed once they were out of school grounds.

"It wasn't my idea!" Austin said.

"You're lucky that we saved your sorry asses," Dinah said.

"What about you two? You just happened to be there?"

"Unlike you two, we weren't breaking and entering. We had permission to be there," Camila said as a matter-of-factly.

They began to argue while Lauren kept quiet. Her eyes were fixed on one thing; Camila.

"Why are you so quiet, Lauren? I thought you'd be gloating by now," Camila said.

She kept quiet.

"Are you deaf?" she asked.

"Hey, I'm talking to you! I-"

She cut her off. She walked straight up to her and was inches away from her face. Since she was taller, she looked down as Camila met her gaze.

"I didn't need your help. I didn't ask for it," she said. Her voice was raspy and husky and her green eyes never left Camila's chocolate orbs.

"You don't know me," Lauren said bitterly.

"So instead of talking like you do, I think you should just mind your own damn business, cupcake," Lauren said.

"Lauren," Austin called out.

"We gotta go," he said.

"Mila, c'mon," Dinah said.

Dinah and Austin pulled their friends away from each other and ran separate ways. Camila and Dinah ran towards Camila's house while Lauren and Austin ran towards Lauren's house.

~

The girls walked through the front door, exhausted. She shut the door behind her as Dinah headed towards Camila's room. The young Latina walked into the living room to find her mother passed out on the couch. She let out a sigh as she covered her body with a blanket. She leaned in and kissed her forehead gently before she walked up to her room.

"Oh my god," Dinah said as she sat on the bed.

"We never speak of this again, do you hear me?" Camila said.

"But Mila, what if Mr Cowell finds out? You know... Our principal?"

"Then we'll deal with it. We weren't doing anything wrong."

"But Mila-"

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?!"

Dinah looked down as she kept quiet. Camila's face soften as she sat beside her friend and hugged her.

"I'm sorry. I'm just stressed out."

"It's okay..."

~

Meanwhile, Austin was lecturing Lauren on her recklessness. Lauren just sat on her bed as she rolled her eyes in annoyance. She had zoned out whatever the boy had been lecturing her about. She just looked at him unamused, unfazed.

"Are you done?" Lauren asked as she interrupted Austin's rant.

Austin gritted his teeth and he glared at her.

"Lauren, I've known you for a long time. The Lauren Jauregui I know wouldn't jeopardize her future like that."

"The Lauren you knew is long gone. She's dead," Lauren said bitterly.

"I don't believe that. You're still there. Somewhere in that black heart of yours."

"What happened to you, Lauren?" Austin asked.

"You're not... You..."

"How would you know who I am?" Lauren snapped as she stood up.

"You don't know me! You fucking left me for three years and you decided to ignore me for another three. So if you think that you know me, you're fucking wrong. You don't know shit!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW HALF OF THE SHIT I WENT THROUGH!! So don't lecture me," Lauren said.

The door opened and Lauren's sister, Taylor walked in, half-asleep.

"Lauren, is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, Tay," Lauren said. Her voice was shaky.

"Just go back to sleep."

"M'kay," the youngest Jauregui said as she left the room.

"I think you should go."

Without saying anything else, Austin grabbed his jacket and left the room. Lauren took a deep breath as she walked over her window and opened it. She felt the cool breeze against her face as she took in the cool air. She looked up at the sky and counted the stars.

~

Camila was staring at the sky by her window. She couldn't sleep. Dinah was snoring loudly and Camila chuckled at the thought. She looked up and smiled at the twinkling stars.