Why we were chosen.

Chapter 46

It had been four months. Four months of therapy. Four months of feeling absolutely drained, and four months without Camila.

Things weren't the same. After Camila's passing, the girls were excused from school for a month for obvious reasons. Nightmares haunted them when they slept, making it difficult to get any sleep, making them tired all of the time. It was difficult at first, dealing with their trauma, but as time passed, the girls slowly started to find reasons to smile, even if it was a smile a day.

Olivia's family had welcomed Jeffery back into their lives after finding out he had helped the girls. Zendaya had recovered from her shoulder injury and was now able to pitch for softball season again. Dinah had officially decided to join the medical field after high school, so she picked up on medical classes. Ally became official with Jake, making him her first boyfriend. Normani had decided to join a dance class in an attempt to keep herself busy, no longer wanting the memories of what had happened to resurface. Alyssa finally admitted that she had feelings for Austin so the two were now together. Amy had given birth to two healthy twins, making her focus on them more than what had occurred. Becky, aside from being by Amy's side, had taken up kickboxing as a past time.

Everyone had slowly started to cry less throughout the day, smile more often, have a genuine laugh, and even enjoy themselves when out with one another. Everyone but Lauren.

Lauren had been struggling. The nightmares hadn't gone away. Most nights she would sleep with her parents or siblings after waking up in terror. She found herself staring into the abyss with tears running down her face as memories of that night replayed in her head. In class, she could only think about how it would have been had Camila been beside her. At night, she would stare up at the ceiling holding onto the stuffed bear she had 'won' Camila. She was miserable.

Lauren would hangout with the other girls, but she wasn't present. Maybe a chuckle would escape, but that was all. Lauren had become morose and withdrew from everyone around her. On days where no plans were made, she found herself in her room, sad music blasting, curtains closed, scrolling through photos and videos of Camila as she cried. She would cry to videos of Camila laughing and smiling at her until she would sleep from how tired she was. The only time she would get out of her room on those days was when her parents made her eat, even if it was a slice of pizza a day. She had undoubtedly lost weight due to her lack of hunger. In her head, she knew she was supposed to take care of herself, but how could she when she felt no hunger? She felt nothing.

With a sigh, Lauren sat up, placing Teddy, the stuffed bear, on the pillow beside her before tiredly looking at Camren, who was pawing at the door. Camren had attempted to get Lauren out of bed to let her out so she could use the restroom for the past ten minutes, but Lauren had ignored the whining. She was lost in her head again, but Camren's bark snapped her back to reality.

Wiping away a tear, Lauren slowly stood up and walked to the door. She pet the Dalmatian on her head before letting her out of the room. Lauren followed suit, descending the stairs and walking to the back doors. Camren ran outside once Lauren slid them open. The green eyed girl leaned against the frame and watched Camren as she sniffed around the backyard. Lauren wondered if the Dalmatian knew one of her parents was no longer with them. Did Camren miss Camila as much as Lauren did? It made Lauren frown. Of course Camren missed the brown eyed girl. Camila raised the puppy after all, she did a great job too. It made Lauren wonder how much better Camila would be at raising their children.

Lauren quickly brought a hand up to her face, squeezing her eyes as they grew teary once more at the thought. She would never have a chance to see it, and the thought only broke Lauren more. She could feel her chest tighten again, making her take in deep breaths. Once she calmed herself, she called in Camren, making sure to lock the door before going back to her room. She quickly grabbed a jacket and a beanie before placing a harness around Camren. Realizing it was cold out, she grabbed one of Camren's sweaters, one Camila had purchased for their dog, before Lauren fixed the piece of clothing on her. Without a second thought, Lauren was out the door with the Dalmatian by her side.