undercover | caminah

attempt four

The girls were disappointed with Dinah at lunch.

"We went through all of this trouble, and you didn't even ask her?" Normani said, gesticulating her arms wildly.

Ally even did her best Tyra Banks impression, "We were all rooting for you!"

"Listen, I tried okay? The bell rang before I could ask. But let me explain, please?" Dinah begged, tired of hearing the bickering from her friends.

The three other girls sat expectantly, waiting for Dinah's big reveal.

"We spent some time together, and I like her even more now. She showed me poetry books and she even let me see her own poems. Tomorrow when I give it back to her, I might just ask her, no gimmicks," Dinah finished, folding her arms over her chest, "Now see? I told you, everything was fine. More than fine."

The other girls exchanged glances for a moment, then burst into smiles. Normani and Ally were holding hands, chanting about how Dinah had a girlfriend, and Lauren told Dinah she was proud of her. Dinah grinned back at them, a bit embarrassed, but ultimately happy, nonetheless.

--

That Thursday night, Dinah had been impatiently waiting for some alone time. She couldn't wait until she could go into her room, close the door, and open the journal of Camila's poems. She knew that the girl had claimed her work wasn't good, but Dinah didn't believe her.

After an evening of a family dinner and being harassed by her siblings, Dinah rushed to her room. She unzipped her backpack, found Camila's journal, and opened it. She read each page of poems, some of them she read twice, and kept turning the pages. The poems were about sadness, flowers, and loneliness.

Dinah's heart was metaphorically breaking, until she saw a poem titled 'DJH'.

She wondered if maybe this could be about her, but Dinah tried not to get her hopes up. She read the short poem, her eyes scanning each word carefully.

DJH
maybe she's the
brightest star
in an otherwise
empty sky
-kcce

Dinah wondered if it was about her. Even if it wasn't, she would pretend for just a second that it was, and savor the way it made her heart pound.

--

"Hey," Dinah said as she slid Camila's notebook across the table, "I read your poems, they're really beautiful."

Blush rose to Camila's cheeks, "Oh, thank you. I'm glad you liked them."

Dinah bit her lip, hesitant to say anything, but she figured this was her only chance, "I have one question though. It's about your poem 'DJH'. I don't know if it's just a funny coincidence or I'm looking too far into it, but is that about me?"

Camila blinked, her moon saucer eyes looking even wider, "I forgot that poem was even in there."

"That doesn't answer my question," Dinah responded, "I'm not asking you to be cruel, I was just extremely flattered because I thought maybe-"

"It's about you," Camila answered, gazing down at the table, "Sorry."

Dinah put a hand on her forearm, "Hey, what are you sorry for? I loved the poem, I've never had anyone be so kind to me."

Camila glanced at Dinah, and then she smiled a little, "Well, in that case, I'm glad you liked it."

They were both quiet for a second, and Dinah realized she was still touching Camila's arm. She removed it, then silently prepared herself for the worst.

"So, Camila. In the library yesterday, I wanted to ask you this but I was rudely interrupted by the bell," Dinah wiped her sweaty hands off on her jeans, "I wanted to know if you were going to prom?"

Camila shook her head, "No, I don't have anyone to go with, and I'd feel a little silly since I don't have many friends."

"Then why don't you come with me? I bet you'd look like a princess in a prom dress, because you look like one when you're just wearing a t shirt and leggings," Dinah pointed to Camila's outfit, causing her to flare red again, "So, will you be my date to prom?"

Through a wide grin, Camila responded, "I thought you'd never ask."