The Soulmates Series Camren

1.10

"I got your flowers," Camila said, her lip between her teeth as she held her phone to her ear, her legs curled up to her chest where she lay on the couch in her apartment, the room only dimly lit by no less than thirty candles. The sunflowers that Lauren had left in her work locker had now taken their place in a white vase on her coffee cable, bringing a smile to her lips every time she looked at them.

"Did you like them?" Lauren replied, her eyebrows knit together in tight line. She was scrolling through old pictures on her phone while she talked to Camila, and she couldn't help but feel ill when her thumb hovered over the image of her and Olivia the night before it all blew up. She bit her bottom lip and shook her head, hitting the delete button on the photo.

"Like them? I loved them!" Camila practically squealed, causing Lauren to laugh heartedly. The couple had taken to talking on the phone tonight because Lauren had said she was busy, and that Camila should spend time with her friends, which she wasn't, because Ariana had spontaneously disappeared and Dinah was spending the night with Nela. He had finally asked her out and they were going to watch a basketball game at his school.

"Uh, I'm glad," Lauren said, and when she spoke her voice cracked from the penned up emotion she felt inside. "Hey, spring break starts in two weeks," Lauren reminded her. "Do you want to come away with me?"

"Didn't you say you were spending spring break with your friends?" Camila inquired, biting down on the sleeve of her white sweater.

"Yeah, we've rented these super cool classic volkswagen camper vans for two weeks and we're gonna drive around pretty much all of break, but, uh, Camz... I want you to meet my friends, I want you to be a part of my entire life, you know?" Lauren said, as though it was a sales pitch more than an offer.

"That sounds amazing Lo, but I have to work," Camila sighed, her words weren't entirely truthful but not a lie either, perhaps she simply wasn't ready for Lauren's fast paced, college kid lifestyle.

"So quit. Come away with me Camz. Please," Lauren pleaded, desensitised to the situation Camila was in.

"Lauren, are you kidding me right now? Are you forgetting that I live by myself? That I support myself? Not everyone gets the priveledge of being born with a fucking silver spoon in their mouth!" Camila snapped, her breathing had become heavy, her fist clenching and unclenching rhymically in frustration. She was in disbelief at her own anger, perhaps it was Lauren's blatant misunderstanding of how difficult her situation was, but she supposed Lauren had never really been told. And she sure as hell had never experienced it.

"Is that really how you think about me?" Lauren asked, her tone hardened. She was disappointed that Camila had failed to see she was more than the layout of her house and Jauregui & Company.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow Lauren." Camila sighed, her finger hovering over the 'end call' button. She didn't feel like arguing with Lauren, not this early. It was too soon.

"We're going to talk about this now Camz," Lauren demanded, "Ple-" She began but her voice cut off when the beep sounded that alerted her that the call had been ended. She lifted her arm, firing her phone across the room where it cracked against the wall. "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." She chanted over to herself, picking herself up off her bed with determination. She grabbed her car keys off her drawers and made her way downstairs two stairs at a time.

"Where are you going?" Chris asked, looking up from his game of Grand Theft Auto. Ethan turned to look at her as well with a skeptical look on the face.

"I'm going to talk to Camila. I'll be back in an hour. There's twenty dollars in my tote bag, order yourselves some Chinese food or something and make sure to call the Cruz's to check on Taylor." Lauren said, giving her orders to the younger boys.