Not Weak, Just Stronger

Chapter 40: Nothing Stays Hidden

"Cruz, do you have everything?" Camila asked in a rush as she finished stuffing his homemade lunch into containers and a bag to hold it all.

She was running around the kitchen at 7am with a robe on—so he wouldn't see her in the bedtime outfit she wore specifically for Lauren—and creamy coffee she had in a mug she was holding. The boy zipped up his full bookbag then grabbed his duffle bag for the school gym and soccer training. He didn't bother doing his hair or looking presentable for today; he had dark circles under his eyes, a wrinkled shirt he threw on last minute, shorts he already wore but didn't wash, and overall looked exhausted and unhappy.

"I got everything, ma. Except for my will to live," he replied dryly. Camila approached him and handed him the bag full of lunch. He took it and threw it inside his duffle bag.

"That's not funny," she kissed his head and gave him a warm hug. "I know you're tired and in the middle of an episode, but you can't miss any more days of school. You know I'd let you stay home if it were optional but I need you to pass and move on to the next grade. Tu entiendes?" (You understand)

"Yeah, I understand. Can I at least go home early?" he pleaded. And if she forced him to finish a full day of school, he was just going to skip classes.

"You have soccer practice, you can't. Mijo," she paused to hear if the bus had come for him yet, "I know it's hard. Believe me, your mother isn't exactly in the best state right now either. She's a mess and I have to take care of her. But you need to power through it and remember you only have a few more weeks of school left, and you want to get on the varsity team next year and get into a good college. To get everything you want, you need to put in the work. We'll talk about a new kind of treatment for you both when you come back home, but for now just go do what you have to do and make us proud. Okay?"

Cruz simply nodded with a dreadful sigh and carried his stuff all the way to the front door past the living room. She escorted him and waited to hear the familiar sound of the honking before opening the door to let him go.

"Have a good day in school. Te amo," she gave him one final hug that he barely reciprocated, then sent him out the door to walk down the driveway and trigger the opening of their sliding black gate. Cruz didn't look back as he climbed into the school bus and took a seat all the way in the back as it drove away. She huffed then closed the door. "One down, one more to go."

Climbing up the white steps after finishing and leaving her coffee in the kitchen, Camila slowly undid the robe and walked freely in just her panties and baby doll. She opened the drapes to get in some sunlight in the hallways, lit a scented candle so that it'd smell fresh, then walked back into her and Lauren's room to find the green eyed girl still and bed and not getting ready for work.

Lauren had her eyes open and the covers all the way up to her chin. She was lying in fetal position and looked more dead than Cruz did. She blinked every couple of seconds, the pain visible in her eyes that barely focused on any particular thing in the room. Camila felt terrible knowing there was nothing she could do to stop it or get her to get up and get things done. Last night, Lauren handed her the engagement ring without explaining why but she assumed she didn't want to get married anymore. Lauren still didn't provide an explanation but she needed one right away so she wouldn't feel crazy all day.

Camila went around the bed to climb in behind Lauren and pull the covers over her body as well. She brought her arm around Lauren's body and rested her cheek on top of hers, pressing their bodies together so there was no room for space. Lauren closed her eyes and squeezed a tear out as her chest contracted and her jaw tightened. She reached up to intertwine her hand with Camila's and kept it to her chest, squeezing tight for support.