i can't explain it (i love the pain) - camren

Three

"Did she really do that?" Camila asked breathless from laughing so hard. She'd agreed with Ally to grab some lunch a couple of weeks later. Ally had just gotten done telling Camila a story about Dinah. Dinah had woken up one morning, eyes half lidded and sleepy. She'd walked up to what would've been She must've thought was Camila's bed in her sleepy haze. She'd insisted Camila get up or risk them being late for makeup. Of course she'd gotten no response, so after minutes of trying to get one she'd grabbed a couch cushion to use. She banged the pillow into the couch until she'd slipped and face-planted onto it.

"She did! Mani recorded the whole thing." Ally pulled up the video and showed Camila the whole ordeal.

"That's actually kind of sad," Camila said after sobering up from her laughter. "She thought I was still there."

"I don't think she was completely awake," Ally offered. Camila smiled when a small hand held her own. Ally squeezed before letting go. "Don't beat yourself up about it too much."

"Easier said than done," Camila grumbled sadly.

"Time heals all wounds," Ally said in an attempt to cheer her back up.

Camila sighed. Ally was right. Especially considering the shorter girl was sitting there having lunch with her, as if she hadn't left the group hastily. It didn't give her too much hope that Dinah and Normani would want to speak to her again any time soon. Ally was the most forgiving of the bunch after all.

"I have an idea!" Ally said with a grin. Camila raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Why don't you come over Friday? We all have the day off and I'm cooking for us all."

"Oh I don't know-"

"C'mon Mila, this could be good for all of us. Maybe we can put all this behind and be a family again."

Family.

Camila watched Ally's hopeful eyes gleam with excitement. She did have a point. Getting together in one place would be a good way to rip off the bandaid. And it had been long enough that Camila felt in a better place to interact with the other girls. She bit her lip anxiously and went over all the ways this plan could backfire on them. Ally munched on her food as she waited patiently for Camila to work through whatever was going on in her head.

"What if it's too soon?" Camila worried.

"Then at least they'll know that you care," Ally answered. Camila felt a pang of guilt. She realized Ally had probably wanted Camila to contact her on her own volition instead of running into her on a whim.

"Count me in," Camila said with a soft smile. Ally responded with a smile of her own.

"Yes! I'm so excited, this is gonna be great," Ally grinned while rummaging through her purse for her phone. Camila chuckled as she took a drink of water. "Just gotta let Lauren and Lucy know to grab some extra chicken."

Camila narrowly avoided spitting her water on Ally.

****

Camila paced in front of her bed frantically. Her arms flailed as she rambled to Sam about all the ways she could ditch the dinner. It was a mere day away and she had started to panic the closer it got. For several reasons. Sam watched amused as she took a huge bite out of a banana she'd snatched off the kitchen counter.

"So lemme get this straight," she spoke with her mouth full, "you're freaking out cause not only are you going to reunite with your ex friends-" Camila watched on annoyed while Sam took her sweet time to swallow the damn bite she'd taken. She planted her hands on her waist until eventually she flopped back on her bed with a groan.