Paper Scars || camren

Chapter Fourteen

It had been a little over two weeks and Lauren and Camila hadn't spoken. Lauren was in obvious distress, anyone could tell. Even over the phone, her mom was worried. She threatened to take her back to the hospital, but backed down when Lauren got Normani to talk her out of it. The girls were all worried, but no one said anything. Of course, they had tried, but each time Lauren got more defensive and annoyed. Camila, on the other hand, came off as the most happy camper Lauren had ever seen. She was smiling and laughing and dancing. Lauren was happy for her, but couldn't help to feel a little hurt. She had never seen Camila act this happy in her life, and all this when Lauren was out of it? That stung a little.

They were in Florida now, Lauren and Camila's home state, and Lauren was more than excited to get the distraction she needed: her friends from Miami. She felt content as they were in the tour bus alone together, the people she trusted with her life. The ones pre-X-factor. The ones that were in her life before all of the craziness began.

"So. We have to ask." Alexa looked at Lauren for a response and frowned when she didn't see one. "About Camila."

"Yeah?" Lauren responded without emotion.

"What's happening in that department?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing." Lauren repeated.

"Good." Alexa looked at the group around them nervously. Lauren noticed.

"Is there something that I don't know?" Lauren questioned. She watched as everyone shook their heads no. "So we're going to wait for me to have another breakdown? Is that it?"

Alexa shifted uncomfortably at the thought. "There's been some rumors."

Lauren felt a weight on her chest immediately. "Rumors?" She barely breathed out. She knew exactly what this meant. "W-where?" Silence. "Where did you hear this?" Lauren demanded.

"It's all over social media." Alexa spoke quietly.

Lauren looked away, "She's been so happy lately."

"No one confirmed anything." Alexa said quickly, trying to salvage the rest of their night.

"I've never seen her so happy." She whispered.

-

Something in Lauren broke that night. Camila had moved on. She was happy with someone else. Someone that wasn't Lauren. Why hadn't the girls said anything to her? To save her the embarrassment? She had to find out from her friends that barely even got to see her, the friends that were looking out for her, even though they knew it would risk their only night together. Fucking ridiculous. Lauren thought. Camila can find someone like that so quickly and I can't? Lauren would show them. She would show all of them. She couldn't wait.

The first time she brought in a boy was two nights after she had heard the rumors of Camila and Austin. She was drunk when she entered the tour bus, the four girls looking up at Lauren draped around some guy that looked way too old. "This is..." Lauren looked at the guy for a name.

"Jake."

"This is Jake!" Lauren yelled. She pulled him in, laughing. "Hi, Jake."

Camila stood up immediately, walking over to the pair. "Get. Out." She looked up at 'Jake'.

"Woah, baby. Don't be jealous." He smirked.

Lauren giggled. "Move, Camila." She slurred. "Right this way." She led the older man to the back of the bus, smiling at the four girls before shutting the door.

"What the fuck?" Camila hissed at the three girls. "You're just going to let her have sex with him?" Sounds of Lauren's drunk laughter filled the bus and Camila shuddered at the sound.

"You're talking to Austin." Normani stated.

Camila looked at her in disbelief. "So? Austin's not gross."

"Debatable." Normani replied. She looked at Camila's unchanging face and explained herself. "If Lauren needs a one night stand to get over you like you're choosing to do with her by basically rubbing it into her face, I'm not going to stop her. I don't think I could, even if I wanted to. I've never been able to stop her doing this with someone who doesn't care about her before." Normani faked a smile to Camila. "But you'd know that better than anyone."

"Normani." Ally looked at her with wide eyes.

Lauren made sure to be extra loud, she figured that would piss Camila off the most. That would hurt her the most. This guy's hands would rough and Lauren felt dirty but at least she felt something.

The three girls put in their headphones, drowning out the sound. Camila could not believe no one was saying anything about this, no one was stopping her. Then again, she herself wasn't going to jump in there and pull that man off her. She didn't have the right. She had been talking to Austin and maybe, just maybe, she was trying to rub it in Lauren's face, but she had never meant for it to go this far. She was almost sick to her stomach hearing the man's voice over Lauren's. This wasn't right. This shouldn't be happening right now. This is all your fault. Camila thought to herself. This was the first time Camila realized just how toxic her relationship with Lauren was. Maybe it's just a one time thing. Camila thought. But that was the thought she hoped for after everything bad in their relationship. If Camila knew anything about her relationship with Lauren, she knew this wouldn't be the last of it. Camila hadn't realized how long she had been in thought until she looked up at the sound of the man coming out of the back. Dinah, Normani, and Ally were all asleep together on the couch, cuddled up to one another. Jake came out with lipstick all over his mouth and neck. Lauren's lipstick. Camila felt her stomach hurl when she saw the marks on his neck. He smiled at her.

"That girl... is fucking revolutionary." He chuckled. "One of the best fucks I've ever had."

"Had a lot of those?" Camila asked.

"I've had enough." Jake spoke confidently. "What time is it, beautiful?"

Camila checked her phone. "Around three."

"I'm going to head out." He smirked.

Camila narrowed her eyes. "Just going to leave her there, are you?"

"She's fast asleep. Probably won't remember me in the morning, but she has the marks on her neck for that. And I have the scratches on my back." He kinked an eyebrow. "Na' mean?"

"I wish I didn't." Camila whispered.

"You got a past with her, huh?" He asked, feeling proud of himself when he saw Camila look at him in shock. "She's beautiful, gotta be a heartbreaker." Camila nodded slowly. "But so are you. Two heartbreakers in a relationship?" Jake raised his eyebrows. He frowned a little when he saw the pain in her eyes. "You should get some sleep. And hey, don't let her meet another guy like me." She gave a subtle nod again. "Best of luck..." He trailed off, not knowing her name.

"Camila." She told him.

"Best of luck, Camila." He winked at her, kissing her hand before heading out of the bus.

Camila crept to the back of the bus, slowly sliding the door open to peek at Lauren. Tears brimmed at her eyes when she saw her. Her body was mostly covered with a thin sheet as she laid in the small bunk. Her hair was a mess and her lipstick smeared. Most of all, she looked alone. Like she was craving someone to be next to her. Camila had to forcefully stop herself from crawling up there next to her and wrapping their bodies together. No sex, just being together. Just sleeping next to one another. That was what Camila missed the most.

This was the last night Lauren had even a little bit of an idea on what she was doing. The last night before she lost it completely.