The Stage Door (Camren/Norminah)

Striking Up a Friendship

Camila POV

I woke up early, the sounds of Ginger Rogers Hall filling all the silence that I had fallen asleep to last night. Lauren and I had stayed up until just after midnight, unpacking our things and listening to music. There were few words exchanged, she seemed lost in thought, humming along to the music. I watched as she set up her books on the shared bookcase, leaving the same amount of shelves for me as she had taken for herself. 

"Shit," I mumbled under my breath, shaking my hand in hopes to reduce the throbbing in my thumb. 

"You okay over there?" Lauren questioned, looking over at me from across the room. I watched as her eyes fell to the hammer in my hand and a bubble of laughter emitted from her lips. "Here let me help, don't need you losing any digits."

She quickly padded across the hardwood floor and held out her hand. I passed her the hammer and passed her the large black framed photo board I had been attempting to hang. It was covered with photos of my family and the one friend I had back home, everything I had left behind. It wasn't much, but it was all I had.

After it was hung I watched as she ran her fingers over the glass, her teeth biting down on her bottom lip. "That's my little sister Sofi," I answered to the question she was silently asking. "My Dad took that photo of us at the beach in Miami. Thats where I'm from. Do you have any siblings?"

"Me too. Miami I mean. Southside." 

"Westside," I replied. "I've never been to the Southside."

Lauren hummed a response nodding her head and placing the hammer back down onto my bed. That was the extent of conversing between us, she walked away without having answered my question.

As the noise outside of my dorm room got louder I pushed myself out of bed and glanced at the clock. 8 o'clock. 'Are you kidding me?'  I was never a morning person.

Looking across the room I noticed Lauren's bed empty and the girl in question nowhere in sight. 

It was 9:30 by the time I showered. I pulled my favourite sweater from the closet and pulled it on over a pair of white denim shorts. 

"Lauren!" I exclaimed as I turned around to see my roommate standing in the door way. 
"How long have you been here?"

"Just a minute," she said to me with a smile. "Nice sweater. Harry Potter is cool." 

Nervously I tugged at the bottom of my sweater, it was scarlet red and had Gryffindor written across the front in gold letters. 

"Are you going to the student fair today? I was thinking about going to take a look at the extra-curricular activities they have. There's a Glee Club I was thinking about joining."

"Glee Club?" I asked excitedly, "I would love to join a Glee Club, do you mind if I tag along?"

"I wouldn't have asked if you were going if I didn't want the company," Lauren laughed, causing a red blush in my cheeks. 

"Sorry, hey, where were you this morning? I woke up early and you were gone."

"I was up early, actually," Lauren remarked. "You were passed out, how do you sleep like that by the way? You were half on the bed, half off and it looked like you were suffocating in all your pillows. Tell me Camila, why would one need 6 pillows?" 

"Did you check on me?"

"I did, you were breathing, so I left."

"Where were you?"

"Why do you have 6 pillows?"

"I like to have extra pillows to snuggle with. It makes me feel like I'm sleeping among the clouds," I answered as I grabbed my notebook and pen off my desk.