Fatal Attraction

Chapter 13

Lauren couldn't get the smile off her face, no matter how hard she tried.

She had just dropped Camila off at her apartment, and although she was upset that their first amazing night together had to end, Lauren knew that she wasn't going to be able to stop thinking about her.

For the remainder of their evening together, they continued to talk about each other's lives. Camila talked a lot about her favorite books ("To Kill a Mockingbird" was one of her top favorites,) while Lauren talked about her addiction to collecting vinyl, regardless of the fact that it was an expensive habit to keep.

Camila spoke candidly about her family history, and explained that she worked very hard for her money. Lauren realized immediately that Camila was one of the most hardworking people she had ever met. Getting into NYU was one thing.. But working full time, and paying your way through college while also keeping up with your classes? Lauren couldn't help but feel intimidated.

Lauren learned that Camila had a younger sister named Sofia, who she always felt pressure to be a role model for. Throughout her entire life, Camila felt as if she couldn't make a single mistake, because she felt responsible for her younger sister's future.

Camila learned that Lauren's upbringing was the total opposite - her parents understood that neither her nor her siblings were perfect, and gave them room to develop. Lauren went through all of the "normal" teenage phases- the addicted MySpace phase, the emo phase, the super preppy phase, and, of course, the "oh my goodness drinking lukewarm beer in my friend's backyard and pretending to be drunk is so much fun," phase.

Of course, her parents had certain restrictions, but they wanted to make sure that their children never beat themselves up over the small stuff. They instilled certain values in them, and it was clear that those values were drilled into Lauren's brain.

And the second that Lauren received a humongous scholarship from NYU, they couldn't have been more supportive. Both of her parents took on second jobs to help her afford the remainder of the tuition, and she applied for various other scholarships as well. Lauren's main goal was to pay through college as much as she possibly could.

They spent those twenty five minutes walking around learning such intimate details about each other, that neither of them wanted the night to end. They both said "goodbye" at least eleven times until Lauren finally gave in, and hailed a cab to take her back to her apartment.

Once Lauren got back to her apartment, the original spring in her step suddenly disappeared. Suddenly, the events from earlier that evening came back into her mind.

The fight, the tears, Ally.. Everything just came back. Everything that was said started floating around her mind.

She started noticing the wine glasses that were still full, the untouched food, the TV that was still playing.. It was almost as if nothing had happened at all.

Lauren went to check her phone, and realized the battery was dead. She plugged it in immediately, and started to get ready for bed. There was no point in cleaning the remainder of the apartment at this hour.

Once she finished brushing her teeth and changing into clean pajamas, she walked into her bedroom, noticing her phone was lit up. Lauren furrowed her eyebrows, checking her notifications.

She had various missed calls, voicemails, and text messages.. All from Ally. Lauren decided to save the voicemails for tomorrow, she couldn't bear to hear her voice.

However, her finger slipped, and she accidentally opened up one of Ally's iMessages.

"I don't know where you are, or what you're doing, or even if you're okay.. But please know that regardless of all of this.. I care about you.. So much. I don't know if we are in a place where we can continue a monogamous relationship, but I would love to be your friend. Call me if you need anything. Love, Allyson."