(This is a long one, like 11,314 words long)
The following Monday after their impromptu sleepover at Camila's, Lauren and Camila found themselves back wandering the halls of William McKinley High. Camila wasn't sure how to act around the dark haired girl after the intimate lovemaking and subsequent cuddling sessions that had consumed their weekend. She assumed things would go back to being awkward like they had been following their initial hookup. She couldn't deny the fact, however, that she very much desired a relationship with the cheerleader. Something about the way their bodies fit together felt so right. With Brad and Austin, the only other people she had ever even kissed, everything had been clumsy and just plain sloppy, but Lauren was delicate, controlled and wonderfully soft.
Camila wasn't sure if cornering Lauren and forcing a serious discussion concerning their feelings for each other or simply waiting for the girl to come to her was the best plan of action, or lack thereof. Nevertheless, she was anxious to find the head cheerleader. She needed to know whether she was wasting her time mooning after her, though, even if she was rejected the possibility of a romantic partnership, she could be persuaded to continue a strictly physical relationship if it meant she could continue to be intimate with the dark haired girl. She would take what she could get.
Camila took a deep breath, sent herself a reassuring look in the mirror and left the relative safety of the first floor girls' bathroom to collect her things from her locker. She felt an odd sense of satisfaction as she weaved through hordes of her peers who thought that they knew everything there was to know about Camila Cabello. However, now that she had something, though she was still unsure what that something was, with Lauren, it felt like she had her very own secret to hide from the world. The other students still believed that she was madly in love with Brad and though she would admit that he was a very handsome male specimen, the pull of attraction just wasn't there anymore, but with Lauren...
She shook her head quickly to clear her thoughts as she reached her locker. She honestly had no idea what she was going to do or say when she encountered the head cheerleader and that was a situation that didn't happen to her very often. And though she had seen the dark haired girl in some of her most vulnerable moments, she knew that at school she would be dealing with Lauren Jauregui; head bitch in charge. She wasn't naive enough to believe that just because she had been intimate with the other girl on multiple occasions and knew her darkest secret that it suddenly made them best friends, especially considering Lauren's little problem was absent for the moment. Still, there were some deeply rooted feelings and important questions that she needed to get off of her chest that couldn't and likely wouldn't wait for a month when Lauren would undoubtedly come crawling back to her, craving release.
On her way to English, she caught her first glimpse of the Cheerio that had consumed her thoughts for the past month. Hazel eyes found her across the sea of students and a shy smile quirked up the corners of her pink lips. A quick wave was sent her way before the dark haired girl disappeared into the mass of bodies.
Camila grinned to herself before almost skipping to class out of giddy relief.
She was sitting at a table in a corner of the cafeteria discussing the various types of wireless microphones used in musical productions with Troy when Lauren walked up and took the seat next to her. Normani and Shawn gave her matching incredulous looks while Ally's jaw dropped and Troy just looked annoyed that he'd been interrupted.
Camila attempted to contain her excitement and settled for shooting the girl a blinding smile. "Lauren! To what do we owe the unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome surprise of your presence at our table?"
Lauren frowned. "Is it so bad that I just wanted to talk to you?" Her voice was low so that only Camila would hear, and tinged with vulnerability. "I can leave." She made to get up.
