FATED | camren

11

One day, five days post-party, Lauren is on her way to meet Camila at the fountain so they can go grocery shopping together.

She doesn't expect Camila to be standing there with none other than Dylan.

Even from the distance, she can see that Camila is flirting and blushing and her heart sinks.

Camila looks up, "Oh, hi Lauren!"

Lauren nods and stares at Dylan with a 'wtf' look, but the son of a bitch just smiles innocently at her.

"Dylan, this is Lauren, Lauren, Dylan," Camila says a bit shyly, cheeks rosy.

"Hey," Dylan says coolly and gives her a nod, "Nice to meet you."

Lauren wonders if he's deliberately pretending that he wasn't hitting her up a few days ago or if he genuinely can't remember because he was drunk and high.

Before she can even attempt to ask, Camila lunges into the story of how they met in the café where Camila clumsily bumped into Dylan, spilling all of her hot chocolate all over Dylan's shirt, which explains the brown smudge on his white t-shirt that Lauren first now notices.

She can't quite get over how horrifyingly cliché it is, mostly because Camila lives for clichés and the way she's looking at Dylan has her wanting to throw up the tuna sandwich she ate a moment ago.

"I'll see you around," Dylan tells Camila, letting his hand brush her arm and Camila all but fucking keens into the touch.

"No," Lauren says as soon as he's gone.

"What?" Camila says, still staring after him.

"Forget it," Lauren says and loops her arm under Camila's, forcefully tugging her along. "You can't like him."

Camila finally tears her gaze from Dylan and blinks at Lauren, "What, why?"

"Because I know his kind! The most fuckboyest of the fuckboys."

Camila frowns at her, "That's horribly judgmental of you, Lauren. You don't even know the guy."

"Except I do," Lauren sneers in distaste, "He was all up in my business at the frat party a few days ago, thinking that I was ready to jump into bed with him just because he's decent looking."

She looks at Camila and Camila looks surprised but not appalled the way Lauren had hoped for.

"So," Camila shrugs, "That's what people do at frat parties. Look for a hook-up. That's hardly a crime. It doesn't mean he's the incarnation of evil."

Lauren groans frustrated and she wishes Camila wasn't so goddamn naïve. "

"But he is," she insists, "He just wants to get in your pants, Camz!"

"Hey, you don't know that!" Camila pouts, "He's actually...really sweet and charming."

"Yes," Lauren sneers, "Because he wants to fuck you." She stops up and grabs Camila's shoulder, looking pleadingly into her eyes, "Please, anyone but him Camz. Please don't see him again."

Camila looks back at her for a moment, "Jesus, Lauren, you're not my mother and I'm not a child. I'll decide for myself what I think about him. I appreciate your concern but I'm a big girl now."

And the thing is, Camila is as stubborn as she's naïve, so Lauren knows she's lost this battle. The only thing she can do is hope that Dylan shows his true colors before it's too late.