Broken Memories

Unbelieveable

A week had finally passed and Camila and Lauren were both stood outside of their new apartment shared with the other 3 friends. "You ready for this?" Camila smiled and Lauren nodded, she knocked on the door and before she even withdrew her hand the 2 girls had been tackled to the floor by their 3 friends who had been waiting eagerly for their arrival. "LAUREN, CHANCHO YOU'RE HERE!!" Dinah screamed excitedly "NORMANI, DINAH, AND ALLY GET OFFFF!!" Camila shouted back and Dinah helped them both up. "I missed you." Dinah said shyly when it came to Lauren. "I missed you too." Normani pulled Lauren inside excitedly "You've gotta see the apartment, it's huge!!" She dragged Lauren around the place, and while Dinah did the same with Camila. They both had to admit Ally did good choosing it. "Nice job." Normani patted Ally on the back as she went to get out the cookies she'd made. "Can I talk to you please?" Dinah asked Lauren shyly and Lauren nodded, she got up and lead Dinah into a different room. "Why are we in he-" Lauren cut Dinah off with her lips and pinned her against the door. "God I missed you." She breathed as she pulled away. Dinah smiled widely. "You have no idea how much I missed you too." Lauren looked down blushing, "How did it go in court then?" Dinah asked and Lauren tensed, she was silent for a minutes before she threw open the door and tried to get away, somewhere, anywhere. Camila grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled Lauren back to face her. "Lauren why are you in such a hurry?" She stroked her hair out of her face to see Lauren on the verge of tears. "The last few days were pretty rough on you, I know that babe." Camila pulled her into a hug as Lauren wrapped her arms around her gratefully. "Dinah asked and I just, I can't believe it." Camila played with her hair gently "Bad things happen to good people. I wish they didn't, but they did. I can't believe it either." Lauren tried to hold back a sob, but it was unsuccessful and more followed after. "No Lolo.." Camila whispered and rocked her side to side gently in the deserted hallway. "Camz I don't know what to do next!" Lauren cried, Camila sighed and looked over her shoulder to see Ally coming. "Hi." Camila mouthed so she didn't freak Lauren out who didn't hear her coming. "What's up?" Ally mouthed as she looked to Lauren "Don't worry, I've got it." Camila mouthed back to Ally, tightening her grip on Lauren when she started to cry more. Ally smiled softly and quietly tiptoed down the stairs so as not to disturb the two's moment. "I love you Lolo. Please don't cry." Camila mumbled, placing a kiss on her temple. "I love you too Camzi." She gulped and reluctantly pulled away when Normani had called them down for dinner. "Go and clean yourself up Laur. I'll go tell them you're just coming. Don't be too long." She squeezed her shoulder and left Lauren to it. Camila slid into a chair next to Dinah and met Ally's eyes who stared back concerned. Camila gave her a half smile of reassurance and Lauren appeared, sat on Ally's side. "Dig in guys, I made cookies for afters." Ally grinned and everyone ate quickly because they all knew how amazing her cookies tasted. They were now say in front of the large TV, darkness looming over them except the beginning credits for the next film, dimly illuminating the room. Lauren was cuddled up to Dinah with her legs on Camila's lap. "Are you okay?" Camila mouthed to Lauren in the dark room, Lauren could only just make out it was her. Lauren shrugged and resumed playing with Dinah's ring. Dinah was texting her Mom so she was oblivious. Suddenly there was a scream on the film and pleading for someone to leave them alone. They were all just watching a random horror movie, but it made Lauren start crying in memory of what happened. "Lauren..don't it's okay," Camila pulled her closer, the action made Dinah look away from her phone at the loss of her girlfriends contact. "What the-" Dinah looked at Lauren in tears and dropped her phone. "Lauren what's wrong?" She grabbed her hand but Lauren yanked it away from Dinah and just clung onto Camila like she was a teddy bear. "Shh Lolo it's alright." Camila soothed and supported her position, Dinah tried to meet her best friends eyes but Camila refused to let her. Normani rubbed her best friends back while Ally stopped the film to get popcorn, Dinah decided she couldn't help any more so followed the smaller girl out. "Ally what the hell is going on?" Ally turned to Dinah "Just leave it to Mila, okay?" Dinah huffed "But she's my girlfriend." Ally scoffed, "Lauren's not a prize! Dinah, she does not need your silly competitive shit, girl she needs her friends. Camila is trying to be there for Lauren, for gods sake let her do that." Dinah sighed and decided to go up to bed. "Don't be a kid and go to bed and sulk over it Dinah. Get your butt in here and help comfort Lauren." Ally said fiercely, Dinah groaned. "She ran away from me earlier, why can't I for once to the same!" Lauren scoffed as she emerged from the room, she was a picture perfect mess. "See, I told you we needed a break." Dinah swallowed heavily. "Lauren I just want you to talk to me." Camila wrapped an arm around Lauren's shoulder supportively. "Then you fight to try and get me to do that, Dinah. You don't run away from me." Dinah shifted her gaze to the floor. "Can we go upstairs and talk?" Dinah asked timidly, Camila answered for her "Lauren's with me tonight." Dinah was obviously annoyed with Camila. "By my request." Lauren said firmly, Dinah had no excuse now. "Night." Dinah went to kiss Lauren but she turned her head so her lips met her cheek. "Lauren." She gulped on the edge of tears. Camila was sympathetic to the situation and gave her best friend a koala hug. "Cheechee I love youuuu." Dinah smiled and kissed her nose playfully, Camila giggled and smiled widely. "I love you too Chancho. Goodnight then guys." Dinah directed to Ally and Normani who returned the goodnight and watched as Dinah went up the dark stairway. "Ally and I are gonna stay up to watch last weeks Mariah Carey performance runs tonight. We'll see you two tomorrow, night Camren." Normani teased and Camila slapped her arm before following Lauren up the stairs. Lauren huddled up into a ball in the bed waiting for Camila. "You have to tell Dinah soon Lauren. She'll only keep asking." Lauren sighed deeply and turned to lay on her back. "I just don't want to believe it happened." Camila nodded in understanding. "Tell her tomorrow Lo. You can't keep it up forever." Lauren stared up at the ceiling until Camila fell asleep, before she tiptoed her way into Dinah's room. "I thought you were mad at me." Dinah said softly when she saw Lauren. "I was but I just need someone." Dinah patted the small space next to her and wrapped one arm around her. "Camila was with you, wasn't she?" Dinah said and Lauren nodded "She fell asleep." Dinah hummed and resumed what she was doing on her laptop, scrolling on tumblr for the most part. Lauren was content just sitting with Dinah, without a word. Dinah seemed to pick up that she just needed quiet company, and so she gave Lauren just that. Lauren leant her head on Dinah's shoulder, relaxing as she watched her scroll aimlessly. "I love you Lauren. I missed you the past week." Dinah said without taking her eyes off the screen, Lauren hummed and pointed to some posts on tumblr she wanted to read every now and then, Dinah always stopped so Lauren could read them. After a while Lauren got up and stretched put her limbs. "Are you going already?" Dinah asked turning her eyes away from the screen, Lauren nodded. "I'm gonna go downstairs to Ally and Mani, but thank you." She said quietly before leaving the room. Dinah was suspicious, Lauren was acting so weird since her and Camila had gotten to New York from Miami. "Have you got room for one more?" Lauren asked and Normani turned around smiling, she held out her arms and Lauren sat on her lap gladly. "What are you doing down here?" Lauren kissed her cheek. "I wanted to see you guys." Ally pouted in adoration "Couldn't sleep I take it?" Lauren nodded to Ally in confirmation. Normani stroked Lauren's arm lightly, by now she had known about Lauren's issue. So Lauren felt more at ease after Normani reassured her it was okay -well as okay as it could be- and that she couldn't judge her for it. "Ally, can you get Lauren a drink please?" Normani asked and Ally nodded "You want any specific drink?" Lauren slowly shook her head "Water's good thanks." She didn't know why Normani sent Ally off but she was curious. "What was that for Mani?" Normani smiled sadly. "I know somethings wrong. I'm not stupid Lo." Lauren averted her eyes from her best friend. "You can talk to me, maybe I'll even understand." Lauren gulped "It'd hurt you, it's messy." Normani worried what it was now, "Lauren you can trust me. If I get hurt, I get hurt. At least it'll be for a purpose." Lauren considered it for a moment. "Back in Miami..a little while ago, something happened. Dinah and Camila found me after I ran off late at night. I got..I was raped..by a few guys and I went to court last week with Camz. They lost my evidence and they didn't believe me on the stand, because of my mental health history. They all got off Mani." Lauren was in tears at the end and Normani could barely process her words. "Holy shit, Jesus Christ, Lauren I'm so sorry." Normani held the girl closer to her, Ally came in the room again with a glass of water puzzled by the sight before her. "Laur are you okay?" Ally set the glass down and rubbed her knee, Lauren shook her head and held onto her best friend in search of comfort. "What happened?" Lauren choked out a sob and Normani kissed her temple to soothe her. "She'll tell you in time Al, she just needs us to be here for her right now." Ally nodded and took her hand squeezing it tightly. "We love you Lauren. We'll always be here." Lauren gripped Ally's hand back as she cried into Normani's chest. The cries were so loud Camila and Dinah had come down to see what was going on. Camila's eyes softened, she knew exactly what happened. As for Dinah, she was oblivious. But she knew there was something wrong, and she would find it out somehow. "Lolo?" Camila crouched down in front of Normani but Lauren didn't look up. "You were there, weren't you." Normani asked subtly, Camila nodded. "It was awful Normani. I've never seen her so distraught." The words brought tears to Normani's own eyes. "I have."