Let's Get Lost (Camila/You) Prequel To This Isn't Love

Chapter Five

After Y/N's love confession for Camila their relationship steadied, they became more open with one another yet, Y/N couldn't bring herself to tell Camila about her family issues, she tried, she gave Camila hints but being straightforward was difficult.

"Well you see...my father used to abuse my mother but it's ok! Um...he's in jail now."

Y/N scratched the side of her head, she had been rehearsing lines to herself in the mirror but every sentence was a jumbled mess. She couldn't express herself well enough, admitting her life story to Camila was a level of vulnerability she wasn't ready to show.

"Camila, remember my busted lip? Yeah...about that..."

She examined herself, tracing her finger over the scar on her bottom lip. It was the fault of both Harry and her father, and now she had a reminder of each bad memory.

The scar was manifesting itself into an insecurity, the longer she stared, the more she hated it.

"I miss you so much...I'm doing all I can..." Her mother's voice traveled through the walls, it was hoarse and gravelly, it reminded Y/N of sandpaper.

"Have you got money for the commissary?"

Y/N rolled her eyes, her mother spent her days hunched over the phone, crying into it to her father. She had exhausted her savings, simply by giving him every cent she had. Y/N had regained peace in her relationship but the peace in her household wavered.

Getting rid of her father was supposed to make everything better but her mother was still broken, more of a mess than she had ever been.

The balance she had regained was tilting and as her mind began to race with anxious thoughts, she felt a slight pressure build up in her chest. That was her cue to leave, before something else escalated her into a panic attack.

Usually, she'd go to Camila's house to escape the toxicity in her household but this time, Lauren was going to be her outlet.

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Y/N observed the tall steel gates that covered the base of Lauren's house, she pushed it open and stepped into the brick built pathway leading to the front door. Her steps were instinctively slow, no matter how many times she'd visited Lauren, she always took time to admire her house.

The lawn had just been trimmed, she could tell by the odor of the wet grass and the even texture that remained throughout the entire field. No uneven patches could be detected.

Y/N entered the house, her shoes clacked against the hardwood floors, she examined the smooth white walls in the entryway that carried photos of Lauren's family. Her sister and brother were plastered in frames against the wall, and as she turned the last corner, she found the frame of her and Lauren holding their volleyball tournament trophy.

"You're failing half of your classes!"

Y/N leaned against the wall, she had been the first to arrive at Lauren's hang out session, and she walked in to Lauren getting reprimanded by her father.

"I'm not failing! I've got C's in only a couple of classes-"

"Well that's barely passing. Lauren, your only job is to be good in school, you need to focus more!"

"I'm trying, dad. I really am..." Lauren's voice trailed off as she followed her father's eyes, "Maybe you should try to be more like Y/N."

Y/N gulped, her presence had finally been noticed and used against her. Lauren's expression grew sour, her eyes narrowed, Y/N picked up a hint of resentment behind them. Lauren's father fixed Y/N a drink, the awkwardness heightened as the sound of water poured into the glass, then he walked away, leaving a lingering tension between the two girls.