Bound To You (camren au)

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up next: we get a little more backstory on Camila and Lauren (and Lauren's former relationship with Normani). trigger warning for eating disorders, homophobia, and very brief mention of blood/gore

as always, if you enjoyed this chapter vote and comment <3 and if you're reading this dumbass story ily

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Camila's first week at House of Hernandez passes in a whirlwind. She's swamped with work, constantly - class, to rehearsal, to performing. It keeps her pleasantly busy in that way she always liked in high school when she participated in so many extracurriculars she barely had time to breathe. Mostly, she likes her life like that, though. She'd get too bored otherwise.

All the girls are bubbly and friendly and talked a whole fucking lot. The only one who seems to be consistently quieter was Normani, and Camila doesn't think that's because she's shy - more likely because she doesn't seem to like Camila all that much. She's seen her a bunch of times bickering playfully with Dinah.

Dinah and Normani seem to be especially close. Camila learns that they're roommates at UCLA, and they promise to invite her over to her dorm sometimes. They also offer to give her rides, but Camila hasn't taken them up on that offer yet. She thinks she will soon. She can't justify spending so much money on Ubers every time she needs to get to House of Hernandez. But Normani makes her nervous, and she's so gorgeous and so intimidating, and Camila usually gets along with everyone but so far she hasn't managed to get on Normani's good side yet. Well, assuming there is one.

Camila and Lauren are basically inseparable during rehearsals. They're always caught giggling with each other or trying to push each other off the stage, and it always ends with lots of eye-rolls and huffs from the other girls. Still, Camila's managed to bond with Dinah somewhere along the way. Ariana, too, because after you sleep with a girl it's hard to go back to being just vague acquaintances, especially when you see said girl every day.

Working at House of Hernandez is hard, but Lucy is kind and fair, helping her through the motions, easing her into the different dances. She seems to be almost endlessly patient. Camila appreciates that a lot. And what Lucy doesn't help her with, Lauren is more than happy to jump in.

"You're gonna be a star," she had said near-solemnly when Camila had asked her about it. "I'm just helping you shine the brightest you can." Then they had cracked up into unstoppable laughter because - could she get any cheesier? But secretly Camila had liked it a lot, had liked the warmth that bloomed in her chest at Lauren's rare moment of serious sincerity.

Camila kept opening every show - it was, for all intents and purposes, her slot now. Lauren had pretended to be mad ("you really are stealing my gig, whore") but she had wrapped Camila in the tightest hug ever after Lucy officially designated her as the opening spot. The girls really were like a family. Honestly, Camila had expected a lot more jealousy, especially since she kind of just wandered in off the street and immediately got a premium performing spot, but the girls were very welcoming and she felt more at home than she had in ages. Sure, she had made friends in her classes, but something about the fast-paced, always-moving nature of their job at House of Hernandez made it so she and the girls had an ever-present drunk-girl-in-the-bathroom kind of relationship: affectionate, sweet, very genuine. Even though she had only known them for a few days they treated each other as comfortably and closely as if they had been friends for years.

Of course, Lauren was the most affectionate, the most sweet, the most genuine. But maybe that was Camila's bias talking.

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"You like her."

Camila squints at both her and Dinah's reflections in her mirror. She's become very used to her spot in just a few short days - on the very corner right next to Lauren, with Ariana on the other side of the green-eyed girl. Camila's seen other girls put up photos on their mirrors. Lauren has a couple of herself and the rest of the performers, arms wrapped around each other, grinning or making lewd gestures at the camera. Maybe Camila should do that. She needs to find out who has a Polaroid camera - they're always more aesthetically pleasing.