youth. (camren)

(four)

[11:23 pm] hey

Hi?
Who are you?

it's me

Doesn't exactly answer my question.

you'll block me.

If you don't tell me your name I definitely will.

Midnight and still no new messages. Lauren concludes after getting ready for bed. But just as she's about to tap the Block This Contact-option a notification appears at the top of her screen. She has to be dyslexic. Or crazy. Because she definitely cannot have read that right.

[12:03 am] its camila

No it's not.

Lauren types back furiously, the screen getting a little blurry due to a growing headache.

ok. then its not lol

This really isn't funny.
I'm blocking you.
Whoever you are.

im not playing tho

No fucking way. Lauren mutters to herself before she turns off her phone and places it on her nightstand like it's got the plague.

She decides this is either a dream or a joke. There's no way. She eventually drifts off with the help of a few sleeping pills.

•

This was a mistake. Camila concludes when she wakes up to no notifications from her estranged neighbour.

She'd gotten the number through a friend of hers that's on the football team and coincidentally friends with Lauren's ugly meathead boyfriend but now she's pretty sure she's been blocked.

"Whatever." She sighs before getting ready for school. She's gotta be consistent even if she just caught that block.

So 20 minutes later she's leaning against her motorcycle waiting. Another 10 minutes pass and Lauren's late and when she finally exits the house she looks a mess. She doesn't even see Camila until she's started her car. But once she sees her there's no concealing it. Her eyes widen in what can only be described as fear and she doesn't hit the gas for at least 10 seconds. And Camila just stands there, luckily succeeding in keeping her cool until the girl's out of sight.

i know you saw me [8:01 am]

She presses send and sees that her message has arrived. She smirks at the realisation that she hasn't been been blocked before following Lauren's car on the road to school.

It's not until lunch that she receives a reply.

[11:59 am] Stop texting me.

why havent you blocked me?

Please give it up and save yourself as much of the embarrassment as you can. I don't feel like texting the creep that watches me leave school every morning.

so you notice that?

Your motorcycle is bigger and shinier than most expensive cars.
Show off.

i know you like it

No I don't.

u do tho

You're hopeless. And learn how to spell, Cabello.

When Camila feels her mouth form into a smile while she's watching the newest message she feels eyes on her. She looks up from her phone at her friends, all three of them squinting at her.

She spends the remnant of lunch suffering through their questions. Once she's on her way to her next class they all believe she's texting a girl named Elizabeth that goes by Beth, has blonde hair and attends private school 30 miles away so they can't meet her anytime soon. And all Lauren did was call her hopeless.

She doesn't even really have an explanation for why she wants to be friends with Lauren again. Maybe it's because ever since they grew apart and went to high school Lauren's become so unattainable and, well, straight. And Camila sure loves a chase. Or at least that's what she tells herself.

•

"Ready, Camz?" a 6 year old Lauren asks, hands clasped onto her Ninja Turtles-themed backpack to which Camila responds with a soft nod but also a nervous lip bite.

"Hey don't be nervous. You'll be fine." She releases one of her backpack straps in favour of holding out her hand for her best friend to take, "Será realmente divertido." [It will be really fun.]

Camila lets out a sigh before taking the other girl's hand, "If you say so." And Lauren entwines their fingers and smiles at the Cuban. "I know so."

And Lauren doesn't let go of Camila's hand the whole 10 minute walk to school and Camila's mother walks a few feet behind them because getting any closer feels like invading a moment. The next morning isn't any different. And the morning after the next. They hold hands until long after Camila's fluent. In fact by the time fourth grade rolls around Camila's English is above average and her grades are the same as Lauren's.

Fourth grade is also when both girls stop walking to school. They each get bikes, Camila's all pink and glitter and Lauren's army green, with spoke beads to match. Every morning they meet outside their house at 8:10 in the morning, Camila always the first one outside and ready. The younger girl thinks she must've practiced leaning against her bike without falling over for over an hour before getting it down.

•

During parking Lauren barely misses their mailbox and once she stops the engine she bangs her head against the steering wheel in defeat. And she doesn't move until she hears her phone from inside her bag. Immediately her heart rate picks up though it returns to normal as soon as she sees the only notifications on her screen are from her boyfriend and the Tumblr app. Sad thing is she's actually more excited about the latter.

She grunts as she grabs her bag from the passenger seat and gets out of her car right as she hears a motor cycle approach. She quickly gets inside, just barely avoiding her neighbour. After closing the door behind her she slams her back against it and slides down, breathing too heave for a sprint that short.

She plants her head on her knees as she recovers. "Get it together, Jauregui."

She doesn't text her boyfriend back until way later that day, after dinner and hovers over her conversation with Camila for at least half a minute before swiping left and deleting it entirely.

Out of sight, out of mind, right? Or at least until tomorrow morning.