Miss Cabello (Camren)

12

Lauren's PoV

"S-Shawn." I gasp.
His mouth is still wide open, his brown eyes oozing with confusion and shock. His fingers are nervously trailing across the strap of his brown duffel bag, and he bites his lip hard enough to draw blood.

"Lauren." He speaks eventually, removing his teeth from between his lips. "What was that about?"

"Nothing-."

"You're not hooking up with Miss Cabello are you?" He asks.
I shake my head slowly, staring at his large hands that fiddle with the ends of his jacket.
His expression turns from shocked, to neutral, and eventually I have no idea what he is thinking.

"I-it's not what it looks like okay."

He furrows his brows, biting on his lower lip. "Well Lauren, I just heard a whole conversation along the lines of you and Miss Cabello kissing! So, pardon me for thinking it's exactly what it looks like!"

"Shutup." I cover his mouth with my hand, scanning around the hallways to find relief when I see it's empty, everyone else already in their second period class.

Shawn sighs slowly, and I retract my hand from his mouth, watching as he opens his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it.

"I know what you're going to say." I mutter, fiddling with the ends of my dyed-black hair hanging out of my black beanie. "It's disgusting and I'm disgusting, and you're going to go tell the principal and you don't want to be friends with me anymore."
I pause. "Honestly Shawn, I understand all of that. But please, just don't tell the principal. Camila would hate me, she'd never look at me again. But worse...I don't want her to go through that humiliation and pain. I just-."

"Lauren." He cuts me off quickly in a firm whisper, his solid manly hands grasping each one of my shoulders. He smiles and lets out a small chuckle, and I frown. He must be tricking me. He's going to tell the principal. He's going to-.

"You're not disgusting Lauren." He says, his eyes boring deeply into mine. "And neither is your..." he stumbles, "Relationship with Miss Cabello. I'm not disgusted...surprised, yes, but not disgusted. I'm just upset you didn't tell me, that's all. I thought you trusted me."

"Y-you're not mad?" I ask.
He shakes his head, bringing me in for a tight hug, his warmth and security radiating from his muscular arms.
"I'm not mad Lauren. You'll be eighteen this month, Miss Cabello is an adult. Just...be careful. You know what people at this school are like..."

I nod, stepping out of the hug. "Thanks Shawn."
He smiles.
"And I'm sorry I didn't tell you. From now on I promise I'll tell you everything and anything."

He grins, linking my arms with his.

"So what do you say we ditch the rest of the day?"

I raise my eyebrows, my lips turning up into a smirk. "You...as in the Shawn Mendes, straight A student, goody two-shoes, wants to skip school?"

He blushes and smacks my arm playfully. "Okay whatever. How about just this lesson? We can go and get a coffee then come back to meet Ally and Normani at break."

I smile. "Sounds like a plan."

////

The next day before English, Shawn is smirking by my side, his eyebrows raising in mock playfulness.

I shove his arm and stroll up to the billboard, my eyes searching for the sheet for the Senior English trip to New York.

"There it is." Shawn points at a piece of paper at the top right corner, and I look closely, searching for our names.

I find them in the bottom corner of the sheet, under the header of Miss Cabello and Mr Rogers.

A smile finds its way to my lips when I see i'm grouped with Camila, but I cough and quickly try to disguise it.

Shawn looks to his side and notices my seeping blush. He nudges me playfully, and grabs his right hand, pretending to thoroughly kiss the back of it.

"Shut up." I shriek, smacking him on the shoulder. "You're such a kid, Shawn."

He grins. "That I am."

I roll my eyes. "Men."
He raises his eyebrows, and I scowl, turning into the opposite direction to Miss Cabello's English class.

"Hey, wait!"

////////

"So," Camila says as she writes the date on the board, her fingers slender and tan as they move across the white frame. "Today you'll be performing your poems that you finished last week."

She looks up from the board and takes a list out from her drawer.
"We'll go in order of the genres on my paper. So, first up, horror."

Two gruff looking boys make their ways to the front of the classroom. They both hold a crumpled piece of paper, and Miss Cabello smiles at them encouragingly.

They begin to recite the poem, and I try not to let my eyes roll to the back of my head.

"I'd rather watch someone pick their toenails." Shawn mutters, resting his chin on the palm of his hand.

"That's fucking disgusting." I whisper-shout, whipping my face round to stare at him incredulously. He blows me a kiss from the palm of his hand, and the boys at the front of the class return back to their seats, making me sigh in relief.

Another pair make their way to the front of the room, then another then another, until Shawn and I are the only ones who haven't gone.

"And last but not least, romance." Camila smiles at me, an honest, non-forced smile. Her eyes gleam and her lips twitch at the edges, and I find myself having an extra leap to every step.

"Start whenever you're ready." Camila says. And that's the only cue I need.

"The sad truth is, so many people are in love and not together, and so many people are together and not in love. Something within me knows we're meant for each other, but your silence just isn't enough."

Shawn takes the paper from me, gently clearing his throat.
"I know you're trying to hide it, this tide pushing me forwards to you. But the universe knows it's meant to be. You're the shining sun and I am the moon."

We take deep breaths and speak in unison.

"Before you everything was grey, but now my world is full with colour."

We smile at each other.

"I wish our hearts could collide, but you're busy sharing yours with another."

The class is silent. Dead silent. And my heart pounds. Vigorously, thumping so fiercely I feel as if it will burst through my chest.

My breath is held, the silence still there. And then... and then everyone is clapping, genuinely, surprised smiles adorning their faces, and I finally let myself breathe. Miss Cabello is grinning, so widely I see each and every one of her pearly white teeth. Her cocoa eyes are gleaming brightly, and the sight alone takes my breath away.

"Wow." Camila says, jumping down from the edge of her desk. "Lauren...Shawn-. That was...that was incredible wow."

Shawn grins at me and I grin back, giving him a high five.

I walk back to my desk with my eyes locked in Miss Cabello's, and for once we aren't scowling, arguing, or rolling our eyes. For once we are smiling freely, a little more than a teacher and a student, and for once I know I won't have to worry about her regretting it at the end of the lesson.

A/N
Please vote and comment if you enjoyed.
-Nikki 💗