mean girls

vi. the lunch table mess

"Why so serious?"

Camila jumps a little on her seat, startled by Normani's voice. She fiddles with her mechanical pencil and exhales.

"You've been spaced out for a while."

"Sorry," she murmurs, facing her friend. "I was just thinking."

"You're obsessing over her again, aren't you?" Normani sighs, placing a hand on her leg, close to the knee. Camila drops her pencil to find Normani's hand and lace their fingers together. She accepted long ago that Normani keeps her grounded and keeps her in check. "Mila, you gotta stop that."

They're in homeroom for the first period of the day and there's a low buzz of sound around them since Ms. Diaz doesn't care what they do in that time as long as they don't walk around the classroom.

"She's been staring at me since we got to homeroom, Mani," Camila explains, biting her lip.

"And how would you know that if you weren't staring back at her?" Normani says, lips pursed and one eyebrow raised.

"She's sitting in my line of sight," Camila huffs, elbowing Normani to get that smug expression out of her face. "I mean it, Mani. I think she's planning something and it's freaking me out."

As if knowing they're talking about her, Lauren chooses that moment to chance a glance at them. She does a quick salute when she notices they're both already looking her way, a grin forming on her lips.

"Did you see that?!" Camila whisper-shouts. "She doesn't just smile when she looks at me! She usually scowls or tries to kill me with her eyes!"

"I think the lady doth pay too much attention to the new girl," Normani jokes. Camila glares at her. "Honestly, who cares if she has something planned?"

"I do," Camila grunts, letting go of Normani's hand and crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Mila, you're the smartest person I know," Normani says, patting her leg. "Whatever Lauren comes up with, you'll just come up with something even better. I don't get why you're so worried."

"I don't either." Camila rests her head against Normani's shoulder, deciding she's done with her tantrum. Physical proximity always helps when she's feeling anxious and Normani knows that. "She just gets under my skin."

"Don't you have that interview with Zayn Malik today?"

"Yeah, after lunch." Camila hides her face in Normani's shoulder. "I don't like him. I thought I could go without an interview like last year."

"No offense but last year no one ran against you," Normani teases, kissing the top of Camila's head. "You'll be fine, baby. I have faith in you."

"Pray for me?"

"Bitch please, as if you needed divine intervention," Normani taunts, making Camila laugh. "But I'll make sure to squeeze a prayer in for you when my family tries that new church next Sunday."

"I need it today, Mani, you suck," Camila whines, cuddling closer to her. "I'll take the Sunday prayer anyway, though."

Lauren looks at them again as Camila is shifting to face forward and their gazes meet. Camila wets her lips out of nervousness but she notices that Lauren's eyes lower to follow the motion.

It fills her with a... weirdly satisfying sensation that boosts her confidence, and when Lauren's eyes lift back up, Camila smiles at her with a wink.

Lauren rolls her eyes and turns towards the front of the classroom.

Camila just smirks.

It's pure coincidence that Camila is walking behind Dinah and Normani when they enter the cafeteria that day. Not that they walk in a particular order, but Camila is typically the first one entering the cafeteria when they walk there together because she's always starving by lunch time. As luck would have it, she'd stopped for half a minute to confirm the interview's place and time with Zayn Malik as their paths had crossed in the hallway, and the two traitors had kept on going as if it was none of their business.