Trials and Tribulations

Chapter 25

"Hi," Lauren greeted Dinah and Ally as she carefully slid into an empty chair at the desk behind the pair of them in home room. "Hey Lo," Ally said, waving her hand slightly in welcome, a smile on her lips. "Hi," Dinah replied, her eyes scanning the empty space behind Lauren for something. "Where's Camila?" she asked concerned. Lauren pulled her notebook and a pen out of her bag, placing it on the desk in front of her as she answered. "The hospital," Lauren informed Dinah openly. "She has another appointment with her doctor today." Lauren sighed as she threw her bag onto the floor at her feet. "I wouldn't be sitting here otherwise." She continued sadly, sharing a meaningful look with the taller girl. "She hates me," Dinah said to no one in particular.

"She doesn't hate you," Ally reassured Dinah, rubbing her arm
comfortingly with her hand. "She's just got a lot going on right now..." "It's been two weeks since she last spoke to me," Dinah interceded dejectedly. "She definitely hates me." "She doesn't," Lauren reiterated, leaning her elbows onto the desk in front of her. "Ally's right Dinah. She's just..." Lauren paused for a moment trying to think of the best way to describe Camila's current state. "Struggling," she finally settled on, reaching one hand forward and placing it on Dinah's shoulder, prompting her to meet Lauren's gaze. "Try to give her a little more time," Lauren suggested. "She'll come around eventually. You two have been friends too long for her to just throw it all away. She's not upset with you. Not really." "She could have fooled me," Dinah replied sadly. "She's barely even looked at me since it happened...I can still remember the look on her face when I opened the door to let her mom in...it was like I'd stabbed her in the gut with a blunt knife..." "She'll get over it soon enough," Ally said trying to stay optimistic and repeating Lauren's previous opinion. "You'll see." "I don't think she will," Dinah countered. "We've never fought like this before. I can't even remember the last time we went longer than twenty four hours without talking to each other...I mean, willingly that is." Dinah clarified. "Obviously there was...I mean... after the accident we...but...that was different." Dinah expressed and Lauren knitted her brow together thoughtfully. "Didn't she and her family come to your house for Thanksgiving dinner last

week?" Lauren asked remembering that she and Camila had discussed it briefly. "She must have spoken to you then..." "Not one word," Dinah admitted. "Our parents even sat us together at the table and she still managed to maintain radio silence." "She didn't say anything?" Lauren asked Dinah disappointed. "Nothing?"
"Nada," Dinah repeated, playing mindlessly with the bracelet on her wrist that Camila had bought her as a gift a few years ago. Dinah raised her eyes to look at Lauren after a moment, desperate for more information regarding Camila's current condition and the reason for her newest visit to the hospital. "She's...alright though?" Dinah asked Lauren worriedly. "I mean, she's ok..." "She's...ok." Lauren said thinking about Camila and her recent difficulties. "It's just a routine follow- up appointment today. At least, that's what she told me. Sometimes I wonder whether she tells me everything that's going on with her." Lauren admitted. "They still think it's her medication?" Dinah asked continuing to fiddle with the bracelet around her wrist. "They're sure that it's got nothing to do with her head injury?" "The doctors did a lot of scans and investigations when they admitted her after...you know..." Lauren trailed off, not wanting to directly refer to the events that had followed their group date when Dinah had stayed over and woken to find Camila, in the midst of a nightmare with her nose bleeding

heavily. "Everything came back normal according to her mom. The scans didn't show anything new and her blood work was all clear." "Is she still getting the nosebleeds?" Ally questioned with interest. "Not as much," Lauren replied. "She had one a couple of days ago but they're nowhere near as bad as they used to be. The doctors are hoping that changing the Aspirin and Naproxen she takes to something else will stop them from happening in future." "I can't believe they admitted her," Dinah said wretchedly. "She hates that place...she was so scared that's what would happen..." "Dinah you did the right thing," Lauren reassured her. "It doesn't feel like it," Dinah replied. "Sometimes I wish I'd just done as she'd asked and kept my mouth shut." "Well, I'm glad that you didn't," Lauren admitted genuinely. "I could have killed her when Ifound out what happened. Ithought she was getting better at sharing things with us...I don't understand why she'd hide something that could have potentially been really serious..." "She was terrified," Dinah interjected. "I don't think I've ever seen her look so scared in the whole time that I've known her. She couldn't bear the idea of having to go back in to hospital and look what happened..." "Camila will realise that it was for the best," Ally offered. "She knows you were only doing what you thought was right Dinah. You were worried about her..." "I'm a complete traitor in her eyes though," Dinah cut Ally off. "The seizures...they weren't planned...so...she had to go back in to hospital. She had no choice in the matter, but, this, it was something she could