Journals (Camren)

Chapter 3

The following day at lunch, Lauren was the first to sit down. She patiently waited for her friends to gather around her. She'd brought her numerous lists and was prepared to analyze them with her friends. She needed their opinions, just in case hers were biased. She didn't think she was. She wasn't shallow or anything, only considering good-looking people. Because someone who had a mind like that was amazing. No matter what.

The line seemed to move extra slow today. As she watched them from their table, she saw that they were in no rush either. They were so busy talking, they didn't even notice when other people moved in front of them. She groaned and strode over to them as she grew impatient.

"Hey," Normani said with a smile, pulling her into a quick side-hug.

"Hey Lo, what's up?" Dinah greeted her.

"Hi," Ally said enthusiastically.

Camila simply waved. She was always awkward whenever Lauren first came around. It took a few moments to calm the butterflies. She thought it would've gotten better with time, but apparently that wasn't the case. The butterflies she had right now were relentless. Probably because Lauren's form of greeting Camila was with a warm hug. It always lasted a few seconds. Just long enough to make her heartbeat spike. When Lauren pulled away, Camila wore a contented smile. Lunch was definitely her favorite part of the day.

"Can you guys hurry up? I have something I really want to show you," Lauren stated tentatively.

"Don't rush me," Dinah said as she jokingly flipped her hair.

"Yeah, we can only go as fast as the line is going," Normani laughed.

"Not true. You could pay attention and realize when people are skipping you. Like he just did," Lauren said as she pointed to the boy who had stealthily slid in front of the girls.

"What's the rush? What do you need to show us?" Ally questioned.

"I made a list. I was serious about finding out who it was," Lauren informed them.

"What kind of list?" Normani asked interestedly as she attempted to grab it from Lauren.

Lauren pulled back and figured out how to get them to come to the table. Bribery. "I'll show you when you guys decide to come sit down," she smirked as she walked back towards their table.

Well, Camila was dreading this lunch period. Perhaps it wasn't her favorite after all. Maybe she should replace it with math. She liked math second-best. Chemistry would definitely be at the bottom, because why?

Camila frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. She really was not looking forward to this conversation at all. There wasn't any chance of Lauren putting her on that list. She didn't see her that way. Camila wanted her to, though. Once again, she went in circles with herself. She really needed to consider sorting out the pros and cons of all of her wants and needs. Because being a world of contradictions wasn't very fun.

Soon enough, Camila found herself perched at the table along with her other friends. Lauren was finally sated. She barely let Dinah take her seat before she divulged her theories.

Lauren presented her lists on the table and spread them out. She pointed to each of them and gave a brief description of what they entailed. It wasn't necessary. All of the girls could read. And the lists were all clearly labeled. Camila took a special interest in gazing at all of the names. She thought of it as her competition. Lauren thought of it as possibilities. Except for one. One of those names was a mistake. Several mistakes.

Camila shared that mindset too. When she saw her name written in Lauren's perfect print, she couldn't believe it. Her heart swelled and dropped within the same instance. Her name was there, yet it was crossed out. Of all of the names on the list, hers was the only one that was crossed out. The only one. That information didn't exactly sit well with her.