girl next door › camren

57

My mother looked around the room, picking up some things. Lauren’s things. It wasn't a mess, nothing out of the ordinary, but still had some of her stuff like her other combat boots, her folder with her drawings among other things because she really can't leave anything in the right place. She made my room hers.

"Camila, what are these things?" she asked seriously. "No more lies this time!”

I swallowed hard, she was really scaring me.

"Answer me.” she said sternly.

“Camz?” Lauren called.

"I- I will call you later." I said after hanging up quickly.

My mother looked at me waiting and I took a deep breath before answering.

"They belong to Lauren. She has spent the week here.” I told her quietly waiting for the worst.

"What?!" my mother practically screamed and I wanted to run away but she went to the door and closed.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you!" I said quickly.

"Yes, you should have told me! Since when?"

"Since I came back." my mother glared at me, she was so mad, I wish I could disappear right now!

"All week? Camila how could you lie to me all this time?!” she said angrily.

"But it's temporary!”

“Oh, it's temporary? Now I'm feeling better because you have lied and have acted behind my back.”

"I had no choice. You wouldn't allow and dad would kick her out the minute she walked through that door.” I explained quietly. It was the truth though.

She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"You should've trusted me. I meant when I said you could tell me anything. Especially when it's about Lauren.”

"I honestly didn't know how you'd react." I admitted. "There's a lot going on and I just needed that time for me. For us."

"I'm on your side, mija. I'm sorry that you and your father haven't been on good terms before, but I'm trying to help you."

“I know, and I don't know what Lauren and I would do without you, mom.” I approached carefully. “Look, she was only here until she told her parents the truth and she already did."

"What truth?" she questioned and from the authoritative look she was giving me I shouldn't underestimate her.

"The truth of where she really was, she lied to them and to me... She had to.”

“But why would she do that, Camila?" she frowned, starting to walk around the room.

I was sweating cold, she could snap and put me grounded any second but I thought for a moment and it would be better if she knew now. She would one way or another.

"It was dad. He made her break up with me. He threatened Lauren to stay away from me. All this time-“

"What? Alejandro wouldn't be able to do that-" she frowned. "He couldn't have done this, you're his daughter, for God's sake!"

"But he did! Lauren told me everything. I just didn't have the guts to confront him yet." I confessed and she shook her head as she absorbed everything.

"I knew he was hiding something from me that day." she commented thoughtfully about the day Lauren broke up with me and left days after.

"He promised me he didn't do anything wrong, but she broke up with you just the same day and it couldn't be a coincidence."