Serendipity (Camren)

Chapter 7: Rebel Yell

Luck is a very thin wire between survival and disaster, and not many people can keep their balance on it." - Hunter S. Thompson

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Camila allowed the intimate contact, thankful that she found Lauren alive and responsive. "Lauren, can you stand?"

Lauren's eyes closed, and she concentrated on moving her legs. They seemed to be working. Where the fuck am I? She sat up with Camila supporting her back, and then drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She was sodden and covered in dirt and gravel, and a relentless painful drum was rapping at both temples. She was immediately miserable and thought about lying back down. Hangovers suck.

"We need to get you up and to the car. I need you to walk with me. Can you do that?"

Lauren didn't say anything, instead gritting her teeth and shakily making her way to her feet. Camila took Lauren's arm and wrapped it around her neck, and then, holding Lauren by the waist, she began directing them back to the car.

Lauren stumbled a few times as her legs gave out, but they made it back to Camila's parking spot. Opening the passenger door, Camila helped Lauren into the seat and then buckled her in before walking around and sliding into the driver's seat. She wiped the rain off her face and looked over at Lauren, whose eyes were shut tightly, and sighed before picking up her phone from the console and dialing a number.

"Lucy? Yes, I found her... Yes, we're in the car now... It was dumb luck actually. I'll tell you about it when we get there." Camila hung up and put the car in drive.

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When Camila finally returned to Lauren and Lucy's apartment, Craig had already made a judicious exit. Carson and Lucy helped get Lauren cleaned up and in her bed while Camila sat on the couch in their living room, a towel wrapped around her shoulders, trying desperately not to fall asleep. Just as she felt herself beginning to lose the battle with exhaustion, Lucy walked in and sat quietly on the couch, leaning back against it and rubbing her face in both hands.

"Carson is on Lauren duty. You can go get some rest."

Camila turned fully to Lucy. "Does this happen a lot?"

Lucy chuckled humorlessly, "Getting drunk or disappearing?"

"Both I guess."

"Lauren doesn't disappear. She actually gets herself home most of the time. But- there's a lot on Lauren and she medicates herself. It's just- there's so much. She can't always handle it."

"So Lauren and Carrie-"

Lucy cut Camila off immediately. "I'm not getting into that with you. We take care of it."

Camila stared hard at Camila. "You mean like tonight? If I hadn't seen her, hadn't been very lucky, who knows what would have happened?"

"It's not your problem."

Camila stood up angrily. "Yes it is. Now it is. It's all of our problem."

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"You're going to need to babysit her."

"No way." Camila was back in her hotel. She'd finally fallen asleep after peeling off her cold and damp clothes, but awoke too early the next morning to the phone ringing on the nightstand by her head. Groggily, she reached for it. It was Normani, eager to know what had happened last night, and when Camila finished explaining the events of the previous night, Normani went into bossy Normani mode. It was Camila's least favorite version of her friend. "She doesn't like me, Normani."