Keep Me Alive • Camren

Eighteen

Warning: Drug Abuse

Saturday is the day most people, including Lauren, use to sleep in, but today she was rudely awoken by the annoying ringing that exited her phone. "Hello?" She asks groggily. "Lauren? It's Dinah. Did you close up the store last night?" Lauren sits up, confused but now completely awake. "Yes..." She answers slowly. "Well, you better get down here fast because someone broke in."

"What?" The girl shoots out of bed. "Ok, I'll be right there." She nervously and quickly puts on a pair of leggings a t-shirt, and her coat. "I'll be back soon. There's an emergency at work." She explains, passing her family on the way out.  Rushing down the stairs and too scared to focus, Lauren clashes with Camila, who was turning the corner. "What the fuck?" They yell out in unison. Lauren rubbing her forehead, and Camila her nose. It takes a while, but after the pain subsides they acknowledge each other's presence. "Where were you going in such a hurry?" Camila asks, lightly pinching the bridge of her nose. "Someone broke into the shop."

"What?" Camila's eyes bug out. "How? Did they do anything?"

Lauren shrugs. "I have no idea. I was about to go there."

"I'll go with you." Camila offers, following Lauren to the elevator, and like most of their encounters recently, it was quiet. No one speaks until they're on the bus. "Where were you going?" Lauren asks, and Camila simply shrugs. "I was on my way to the roof."

Lauren nods understandingly. She knew where Camila was going and what she was doing to begin with, but she couldn't stand the silence. It was honestly more awkward now than when they first met. It was understandable then, because they didn't know anything about each other, they still don't, but that was the beauty of friendship. Finding out new things. Lauren was usually the one that spoke the most, but she had nothing to say anymore. A lot of questions, but nothing to say.

The bus screeches to a stop, and Lauren is the first one out the door. When she reaches her place of employment she's shocked. "Holy shit." Camila takes the words out of her mouth. There are puddles of ice cream all over the place. As if the intruders took the time to fill up containers just to simply pour them out. She notices Camila begin to take a few steps forward. "Careful." Lauren warns, but she's too late, and the clumsy girl is already on top of the glass. She cautiously makes her way toward her, helping her back to her feet. There is a thin stream of blood quickly running from the gash on her knee. "Does it hurt?" Lauren asks, going behind the counter to find something to clean Camila's leg with. She finds that the shelf full of sanitary objects was left untouched. Grabbing some napkins, Lauren wipes away most of the blood. "You're such a klutz, you know that?" She laughs meeting Camila's eyes. "Hm?" She asks absentmindedly, but before Lauren can answer, Dinah comes out from the back. "Oh thank god you're here! I already cal-what the hell happened?" Her eyes dart between Camila's leg and the blood splatters on the napkin in Lauren's hand. "She fell." Lauren answers as she gets back up onto her feet. "So, who did you call?" She asks, walking from the trash can. "Oh yeah. I called Ally, Normani, and Mrs. Peters. They should be here soon."

Lauren lets herself fall onto the stool next to Camila. She runs her fingers through her hair and let's out an irritated sigh. "I can't believe I forgot to lock up." She hears a soft giggle escape from the brunette and immediately looks at her. "That was pretty stupid." She begins to laugh. Lauren only looks at her with a smile. It's the first time she's seen Camila this way since what happened at the party. "Yeah." Lauren lets out a chuckle. "It was."

Their happy mood is short lived, however as Mrs. Peters bursts through the already broken door. A look of sheer terror gracing her face. "What happened?" She demands, and Lauren swallows a lump in her throat. "I was so sure I locked up last night. I'm so sorry. I-"