Journals (Camren)

Chapter 5

Ever since Lauren had confirmed Brad was the author, she'd been particularly close with him. Actually, the two had been inseparable. It was repulsing and satisfying to Camila all at once. She hated the fact that Brad was constantly lying to her, but she loved seeing how happy he made her.

Lauren and Brad had exchanged numbers. While she was texting him, he seemed different. Something about him was off, compared to the way he wrote. His vocabulary wasn't nearly as expansive, and he never really talked about the things he'd mentioned in his journal. He was able to keep conversation going, but it wasn't what Lauren was expecting. She was hoping to have intellectual conversations with him about the world and life, but he kept the topics pretty neutral.

She was confused. The writing in his journal wasn't all about her. There were his opinions on a wide range of topics along with his beliefs about certain things. Lauren was able to recall some of them and broach them to Brad so they could discuss it further, but his answers were evasive and gave her little to work with.

"It's so weird. It's like he's one person through writing and a completely different person in real life," Lauren expressed to her friends at lunch.

They were all huddled around the table, listening to Lauren update them on her status with Brad. That's how their lunch periods had been going recently. They sat down, greeted each other, caught up a little, and listened to Lauren divulge more details about her and Brad's budding relationship.

Brad reminded Camila of a potato. He was so boring and not right for Lauren at all. He was without substance. He just stole everything Camila said and attempted to mold it into something he could reiterate. Camila called him a potato in her head. What could be more boring than a potato? Bread was pretty boring. She decided to start calling him Bread instead.

"Maybe he just gets nervous when you ask him about stuff he knows he wrote about," Normani inferred.

"Yeah. That's like when people ask me to sing. I'm like no. But I be belting out them notes in the shower though," Dinah added with a laugh.

"Not Ally. She does her Shakira impression at the drop of a hat," Camila said dryly.

"That's because she can sing," Dinah countered.

"You can sing too, Dinah," Lauren laughed.

"Mila can sing," Dinah added as she wiggled her eyebrows.

Camila side-eyed her. She wished Dinah would stop trying to talk up Camila in front of Lauren. She knew it wasn't going to do any justice. She knew that she could be painted in the most beautiful light and still be outshined by Bread. He had Lauren's focus. Camila had been painfully friendzoned now. She was almost coming to terms with it.

Dinah, on the other hand, was not. She resented how she couldn't tell Lauren. She hated the way Camila acted now. She was emotionally drained. Everything concerning Brad had sucked the life out of the brown-eyed girl. She was merely going through the motions. She missed her old Oala.

"I know she can," Lauren acknowledged. "Oh my god, and Brad can sing too," she tacked on with a reminiscent smile.

Brad this. Brad that. She was growing to resent the curly-haired piece of Bread. He took over Lauren and corrupted her mind. All of her thoughts were now tainted or linked with him in some way. And Camila hated every second of it. Lauren's voice didn't make her smile anymore. Her presence didn't make her feel like she was on cloud nine now. Now it just reminded her of what had been taken from her.

"So are y'all dating now or...?" Ally assumed.

"I guess we are. He hasn't asked, so I guess it's not official or anything... But we kiss and stuff so basically," Lauren answered.