The Roommate // Camren

Delusions

"Ready to raise some hell?" Dinah said as she threw on her leather jacket.

Lauren nodded. "You know I'm always ready for some hell-raising."

"Thought I'd ask just in case."

The older girl snorted as she followed her friend out of her dorm completely. Neither girl initially spoke as they walked side by side.

"So what kind of adventure are we going on today?" Lauren suddenly asked.

"Well, considering that I just woke up, I'm hungry as fuck. So I was thinking that we should go eat at the cafe," Dinah answered. She pointed at the small restaurant, which stood directly across from them.

"Okay, I could eat a bite or two."

"Don't lie to me. You would eat a horse if given the chance."

"That's not true! Horses are friends, not food," Lauren scowled.

The Polynesian managed to stifle her laughter, but only because they were entering the cafe at the time. The two ordered their food and sat down at the table furthest in the back. As Lauren's eyes roamed the cafe's walls aimlessly, it took her awhile to notice her friend's blatant staring.

Adjusting her gaze to match Dinah's, she said, "What?"

"Do you remember that chubby ten year old girl who used to love the color pink?" She asked, not hesitating a beat.

"Indeed I do. What about her?"

"She would've eaten a horse," Dinah chuckled teasingly. Lauren laughed along nervously, only trying to cover up how she really felt.

"Leave that poor girl alone. She went through a lot," the raven haired girl sighed, sadness shimmering in her eyes. It was obvious that the subject of her past brought up some painful memories.

The next words out of Dinah's mouth were an apology, which Lauren accepted with indifference. The older girl knew her friend hadn't meant to hurt her, that teasing was a large part of Dinah's personality. And it didn't matter; that chubby ten year old version of Lauren no longer existed. She died many years ago, along with other things.

Not long after, their orders were called, so the younger girl went up to get them; giving Lauren a minute to herself. Sighing heavily, the green-eyed girl looked out the window beside her table, quickly tuning out everything around her when she did.

She hated that after nine years, things from her past still affected her. She still had nightmares every now and then, ones that usually involved her father. Her past was still controlling her, no matter how much she fought it.

When Dinah returned with food, she automatically noticed Lauren's aloof state. "Hey, you okay?" She asked softly, reaching to place a hand over her friend's.

"Just peachy," the girl spoke flatly.

"I think everyone should realize by now that when someone says they're, 'Just peachy', they're definitely not peachy," Dinah paused as she looked carefully into Lauren's eyes. "Come on, I've got your food," she singsonged cheerfully.

Just the slightest bit of a smile broke across Lauren's face. "Thanks DJ," she said gratefully before taking her cappuccino and cinnamon raisin bagels.

Dinah smiled warmly at the green-eyed girl in return. They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes until the Polynesian spoke again.