Chapter 6

At lunch, Camila sat across from Lauren, which was considered odd, since no one dared to sit with her before. She took out a camcorder and pointed it at her. She hit the record button and started recording.

"What are you doing?" Lauren asked, looking up.

"Shh! Pretend I'm not here," she said.

"Really? You're seriously doing this right now?" she asked.

"Yup," Camila said.

"What do you want most in the world?" she asked.

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.

Camila smiled behind the camera, "Okay," she said.

At a table behind them, Austin was glaring at Lauren as he watched the two bond. Austin grabbed his plastic fork and stabbed his food in frustration.

~

"Hey, Jauregui," Austin said as he draped an arm around his old friend.

"What do you want, Mahone?"

"Say... You've gotten pretty close with Camila... Anything you want to share?"

"Her favorite color's blue. She's has a passion for music, which is very obvious. She's an unreasonably obsessed person. She likes to read, write and play music."

"But those are general terms. What does she look for in a guy?"

"Dude, I've only known her for a day," Lauren pointed out.

"I don't give a shit. You said you'd help me."

"I never said that," Lauren said as she pushed his arm off of her shoulder.

"I never promised you anything! If you wanted to know her better, try asking her! Or hanging out with her! Instead, what do you do? You use me and you decide to ignore. Real nice, Mahone," Lauren said before she walked away.

~

After school, Lauren headed to Camila's house and parked the motorbike in front of her driveway. She took of her helmet and set it down as she walked towards the front door and knocked. A young girl answered the door.

"Um, is Camila home?"

"KAKI!" the younger girl called out before she looked back at Lauren.

"You're so pretty," the girl said.

Lauren smiled as she bent down, "Thanks, cutie. I'm Lauren. What's your name?"

"Sofi."

"It's nice to meet you, Sofi," Lauren said gently.

When she looked up, she saw Camila approaching them.

"Hey, Sof, why don't you go and watch some cartoons?"

"Okay! Bye Lauren!" said the six year old as she skipped to the living room.

Camila let Lauren in and the two headed to Camila's room. She opened the door to her room and walked in slowly.

"Wow, nice room," Lauren said as she walked in. The room had a faded shade of pink paint on all four walls, including the ceiling. Her bed was right next to the window. Her desk was position at the corner of the room and her laptop stood there nicely. Her walls were covered in pictures of her and her family and her friends. There were several books and CDs on her shelves and there were acoustic guitars hung up on the wall. Lauren was really impressed.

"Thanks," she said shyly.

"I um, I've never actually brought anyone in here before," she said.

"Not even Dinah?"

"Well, Dinah is an exception," she said.

"She'd just come through the door without asking or knocking."

"Well, it's pretty cool."

Camila smiled, "Thank you. I um, decorated it myself," she said.

"So should we get started?" she asked.

"Yeah," she said as she sat on the floor and Camila on the bed.

She took out the camcorder and started to film her.

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

"The whole world? Don't you think that's a little bit exaggerated?"

"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 fuck," Lauren said.

"Can you repeat the last line? I don't really want to put that in there," Camila said.

"Director Camila," Lauren said teasingly, "You do know that you can bleep it out right?"

Camila blushed, "I.. Pfft, I knew that."

"Of course, you did," Lauren said.

"So, what does the infamous Lauren Jauregui look for in a guy?"

"I'm not into guys," Lauren said as she looked at Camila.

Camila blushed, "Okay... What do you look for in a... person?"

Lauren chuckled, "I don't really care."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, all the preferences... It doesn't matter to me. Of course, I prefer girls but I don't have... a type."

"I just want them to be themselves. Like if they try to be someone they're not because of my preferences, what good would that do?"

"Wow... That's.."

"I'm deep, I know," Lauren said as she brushed her shoulders jokingly.

"Now let's not get too carried away," Camila said before she ended the recording and kept the camcorder.

"So what do you look for in a person?"

"I don't know. I've never really thought about it," Camila said with a shrug.

"Think about it now then."

"I want someone who would hold my hand for no reason, to talk to me on the phone until it's late, to hold me tightly when I'm upset or crying... I don't really know to be honest," Camila said.

"It's kind of stupid."

"No, it's not," Lauren said as she smiled.

Camila looked at the older girl and found herself smiling as well. Camila jumped when she heard someone knock on the door. Camila got out of bed and answered it.

"Oh hi mama," Camila said.

"I thought you were in here with Sofi," said Sinu Cabello.

"This is Lauren. She's my partner for my English project?"

"Oh right."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs Cabello."

"You too, Lauren."

Sinu looked at her daughter, "Dinah called. She said she's coming over with a friend that she wants you to meet. I'm ordering pizza. The usual?"

Camila smiled and nodded.

"Would you like to stay for dinner, Lauren?"

"I'd love to."

Sinu smiled before she left. Camila shut the door and sat on the floor, in front of the green eyed girl.

"Your mom seems cool."

"Yeah, she is."

"You seem to have a loving family," Lauren said.

"And you don't?"

"My family loves me, don't get me wrong but I've disappointed them too many times to count."

"I wasn't always this way. I was a good student. I went to a good school on an academic scholarship, I got straight As, and I was a good student. A good daughter, a good person."

"What happened?"

"My grandmother passed away from cancer and I lost it. I started acting out. I drank, I smoked and I got into trouble. So much that I lost my academic scholarship, sent here and got held back another year," Lauren said.

"I don't want to be the person I am, Camila. But I can't help it. It seems easier."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Lauren said as she met Camila's gaze.

Before Camila could say anything, the door burst open and Dinah entered the room.

"Hola, oala!"

"Hi China," Camila said as she got up.

"Whoa, Lauren Jauregui," Dinah said as she saw the older girl.

"Sup, Hansen?"

"Nothing much," Dinah said as she looked at Camila.

"You said you brought a friend?"

"Oh yeah! Camila, Lauren, this is-"

"Well, well, if it isn't Normani Kordei Hamilton," Lauren said as she stood up.

"It's been a while, Hamilton," she said.

"Yes, it has," Normani said.

Lauren smiled as she hugged the girl, "I missed you."

"Ditto," Normani said as she pulled away.

"You two know each other?" Dinah asked.

"Yeah, Lauren and I were best friends in middle school. We kinda lost touch in the middle of high school... She went to a different school.""Then she got kicked out and sent to your school and I graduated and she didn't-"

"Wow, thanks, Mani," Lauren said sarcastically.

"Anytime, Lo," Normani said with a wink.

"Lo?" Camila asked with an amused smile.

"We used to call her Lolo all the time," Normani said as Lauren blushed in embarrassment.

"We?"

"Me and Ally. Oh, which reminds me!" Normani said as she turned to Dinah, "We should really meet up with Ally. You can come too, Camila," Normani said.

"Um, okay," Camila said as she smiled happily.