Bully or friend (Camren)

Chapter twenty two

Hell had a pretty good display board. Curiously, Lauren observed the black and white photos of the cheerleading squads over the past decades. Each girl with their ponytail pinned back tightly whilst they wore a proud toothy smile and posed their bodies in the most flattering position. It had been a couple of months since she had done cheerleading and she missed it but she missed Camila more. She was worried about getting her maths grade back and how it would affect her and Camila's relationships or what was left of it. She was yet to see her too, she was waiting for the bell to go for the first period which was maths for her. She was would be getting her grade back and seeing Camila for the first time after their argument. Currently, she was deeply regretting ever talking about her feelings but how she was wrong.

Over Christmas break, she had felt lonely. Lonelier than ever. Despite being surrounded by her parents and friends, she could feel something was missing. When she was sat having coffee with her friends, she knew her mind wasn't fully there. When she was having dinner with her parents, she knew her focus wasn't there and when she was at a party, she knew she wasn't truly present. Every day she showed up at the diner, hoping she'd accidentally bump into Camila yet she was left alone in their regular booth and her heart would sink. She hadn't missed Camila this much since they fell out. She remembered what it was like losing her and it was so hurtful that the pain numbed her but she survived. She learnt to live with the longing feeling for Camila. When she back into life again, it was something Lauren didn't prepare for. After years of being apart, Lauren had thought she had completely burnt the bridge between her and Camila but she was wrong. She couldn't go through it again, losing Camila was traumatic enough. She had got used to having Camila around and it was too late to change that. The lonely hours she had spent in the diner made her realise something; Camila was one of the most important things in her life. There was no denying that.

After viewing the display board, she strolled into the maths classroom that was empty, it was too early for lessons to begin but she was hoping Mr Phillips would give her the grade she got on the test. It would be a massive factor between her and Camila. To her luck, Mr Phillips was sat at his deck with a gloomy expression matching the dark clouds through the windows. His nose was stuck in a textbook, reading over a few complicated equations he was ready to challenge his class with. With a blank expression, he lifted his gaze an inch above his book where he continued to stare at Lauren who was awkwardly stood in front of his desk.

"I just came to see how I did on the test?" Lauren asked simply, her heart pounding in her chest, this was about to decide her fate with Camila because she knew if she passed, Camila would leave her life again. She knew if she failed, Camila would have no choice but to be hangout with her again through their tutoring lessons.

Mr Philips slowly pulled open his draw, whipped out the test and through it on the desk where Lauren read the grade that was written in red and circled. She was in disbelief. She stared down at the mark, her mind zoning Mr Philips' voice as her eyes glued to the red letter in the top left corner. When the bell rang, it snapped Lauren back into reality and she quickly nodded at Mr Philips before taking her usual seat. One by one, students poured into the classroom whilst Lauren flipped through her exam then placing it in front of her. All of sudden, she heard someone tapped her table and, to her surprise, it was Jenny. When she saw the exam, she grabbed it from the table and instantly read the grade.

"You're finally a cheerleader again," she smirked with a tone full of relief. 

"Yay," Lauren replied with an unsatisfied voice, her head staying lowered.

"What's up with you?" Her friend asked as her face distorted into a confused expression, she definitely thought Lauren would be over the moon to be back on the squad.