Paper Scars || camren

Chapter Four

The next morning at breakfast, Camila was absent. On their break, Camila was absent. At the beginning of rehearsal, Camila was absent. Lauren didn't dare to ask anyone, for fear of the answer. She was angry with Camila, furious even, for what happened the night before on the roof, but even more angry with herself for leaving her alone. It was a terrible feeling that Lauren knew all too well and she wouldn't wish it on anyone. But, because of her unclear thoughts last night, she left Camila by herself after harsh words. As much as she was trying to forget that, she couldn't. It was eating away at her slowly, and the fact that Camila was a no-show didn't help. She kept redirecting her eyes back to the door, hoping, praying even, that it would open and there Camila would stand. The guilt was weighing hard on Lauren and she wasn't sure how much longer she could take it. And if she was still being honest, she wasn't sure how much longer she could take being here. She'd always had doubts during the time off that she might be rushing back into things too soon, but she had made a commitment to the girls. All of them. She would do anything before breaking a commitment to the girls who had worked so hard for their futures and their friendships. Lauren's thought process was interrupted as they were given a break. She walked over to her mom who was getting her stuff ready. They walked into the hallway, Lauren keeping her head down to keep a low profile.

"Okay, here you go." Clara placed two pills into her daughter's hands and then reached for a water bottle out of her purse which she also handed to her. She watched Lauren swallow the two pills quickly, afraid of being seen. She opened her mouth to show her mom evidence of swallowing and gave a small smile. "Good girl." Clara patted her daughter on the shoulder.

When they returned to the room, there was still no sign of Camila. While Lauren felt bad, there was a part of her that couldn't help but feel irritated at the fact that Camila wouldn't show up. This is exactly what Lauren predicted would happen: feelings out in the open the night before, but no obligations the next day. Classic Camila. She had never been one to confront her feelings, mostly because she had no idea what they were herself. It frustrated Lauren so much, especially at times like these.

The rest of the day went on with no sign of Camila. As they were dressing up to go out to eat dinner, Lauren finally had the courage to ask her mother. "Where is Camila?"

Clara turned to her daughter. "Sinu says she's not feeling well. She won't be going with us tonight." She watched as her daughter's face grew disappointed. "Sinu says she hasn't left the bed all day. Maybe you should talk to her."

Lauren shot a look up at her mother. "What?"

"I said maybe you should talk to her. You need to talk things out, it's part of your deal with Dr. Palmer. It doesn't all need to come out tonight, but progress helps." She smiled at her nervous daughter. "We will miss you at dinner." She said, making up her daughter's mind for her. In what felt like a split second, her mother was out the door as she heard her fading voice compliment Sinu's.

Lauren swallowed hard, knowing the task at hand. Okay, Lauren. You can do this. She encouraged herself. You spent months prepping for this. Months. She decided to go for it, immediately grabbing at the doorknob. She walked down the hallway and stopped in front of Camila's room. She stayed there for a while, weighing out her options. She walked away from the door and right back about seven times, she'd counted, as she huffed in annoyance at herself. It's just Camila. She reminded herself, and with that she brought herself to knock on the door. It was silent for a moment before Lauren heard someone get up.

Camila began to say, "Sorry, we don't—" as she opened the door. Her breath hitched at the sight of Lauren. "...need housekeeping," she finished her thought. "What are you doing here?"

"You won't come to dinner?" Lauren asked, cursing herself for knocking on the door so suddenly. She watched as Camila shook her head no. "Well, then I guess I'm staying here, too." She walked in.