Exposed || Camren

Epilogue: The End

"Can you believe we're graduating tomorrow?" 

Camila turned her head, closing her left eye so her long, green grass wouldn't get into it. She frowned a bit, then shrugged, looking back up at the stars and the moon. For as long as she could remember, she had just wanted school to end so she could move on to bigger and better things. Camila was destined for college, where she could be herself and not have to worry about what others think. 

"Not really, but I'm glad we are," Camila replied, smiling a little as the stars seemed to twinkle above them. "How do you feel about it?" 

Lauren let out a long, tired sigh before she answered the question. "I definitely am ready, but I don't think I'm ready to not see everyone anymore. I mean, after this, I'm out of here. Packing up all of my things and moving to New York City to pursue my dreams," she said, smiling happily. 

But, when Lauren felt Camila squeeze her hand, her smile dropped just a bit. "Where are you heading?" she asked softly, looking over at Camila. 

"I...I think I'm just going to stay here. There's lots to do with cosmetology and teaching here. I'm not one hundred percent sure what I want to do, but it's somewhere between those two. I should probably go into cosmetology, since I have tons of experience. But, I think I've always wanted to be a teacher," Camila murmured, lacing her fingers between Lauren's. 

Frowning, Lauren turned her body to look at Camila, awkwardly still holding her hand. "What do you mean you think?" she asked. 

Camila met Lauren's eyes, then smiled back. "I've never felt like I had the time to really think about myself," she answered, scooting closer. "I've always thought for other people." 

Lauren gave Camila a side look, then hold out her arms for the girl. The latter scooted into her arms until they were touching, side-to-side. "You should think about yourself more often. You are way more important to you than anyone else on this planet," Lauren whispered, pressing a kiss to Camila's temple. 

Camila looked up at Lauren, then kissed her sweetly. "I don't know if I'm really the most important," she replied, smiling wide at Lauren, who smiled back. They shared one more kiss before turning back towards the stars, just holding each other close and wishing they could have more time. 

The next day, Lauren slipped on her short, black dress with floral print and nude high heels. She looked into her mirror, then smiled. Even though she didn't have her cap and gown on yet, Lauren still felt like she was ready to graduate. 

At the same time, though, Lauren was rather nervous. She was going to be leaving in two weeks to visit New York, to check out a couple colleges and internships there for journalism. She was going to be gone for a week, and that just seemed way too long to be away from Camila and her family. Lauren didn't know how she was going to handle being away for months at a time. 

Lauren sighed as she turned to her closet to grab her cap and gown. She looked at her honors stoles, wondering if she really deserved everything she had received. She had written an awful, ugly paper that she should have been punished for, but had been able to use for her power. The girl she wrote the horrible paper on was now becoming a serious girlfriend. And the confidence she never had was now showing up, gleaming through her like she was a disco ball. Lauren had never felt so good in her life before, and now here she was, wondering if she really deserved to feel that good. 

"Don't think too much, you'll get grey hairs," Clara said from the doorway, causing Lauren to jump. The latter turned to her mother, her eyebrows raising as a surprised smile surfaced. "Sorry for scaring you. I was coming up to see if you were ready yet. I'm going to assume that you're not."