Trials and Tribulations

Chapter 74

Camila and Lauren found the three of them sat at the kitchen counter talking animatedly to one another, their excitement for the evening's festivities and the fast approaching summer vacation palpable in the energy of their conversation. "Are you guys ready?" Normani asked hopefully as the pair of them crossed the room and came to a stop opposite where they sat. Lauren placed her hands down on top of the smooth granite counter and leant her weight forward on to them whilst Camila slid on to the last remaining stool and began to fiddle with her necklace anxiously. "Mmhmm," Lauren responded happily, casting a look in Camila's direction and smiling brightly. "Are the guys on their way here?" she asked, her eyes roaming the kitchen counters which were heavily laden with snacks and drinks for the party Normani had planned. "Yeah, they'll be about ten minutes," Dinah informed her. "Siope text me a few minutes ago and said that the limousine had just arrived. He's going to pick Troy up from his house and then they'll make their way here." "Great," Lauren responded, reaching down and picking up Camila's free hand in

her own out of habit. Camila relinquished it to her happily and dropped the one which had been nervously toying with her jewellery. "Do you guys want something to drink before we go?" Ally asked, offering Lauren a glass containing a cloudy, off white liquid which looked suspiciously like wine. "No, I'm good," Lauren said, waving her nonoccupied hand in front of her. "Camila, do you want some orange juice?" Normani asked, holding up a glass of the smooth liquid. "Thanks," Camila said gratefully as she reached over and took the tumbler from Normani's hand. "I'm so thirsty." "Wait Camz," Lauren tried to warn her girlfriend unsuccessfully, Camila having bought the glass to her lips and taken a large swig of it before the first word had even left her lips. "Jesus," Camila spluttered, choking on the strong tasting liquid as it hit the back of her throat. "What the hell is in that?" she asked gasping, as she placed the glass back on to the counter in front of her. "What were we literally just talking about five minutes ago?" Lauren asked her girlfriend, shaking her head in disbelief at Normani, astounded that she'd be so underhanded when it came to tricking Camila. "You should have known not to take any drinks from Ally or Normani." "Wait, it's spiked?" Camila said, still trying to catch her breath as Lauren rubbed her back soothingly with her hand. Lauren picked up the glass from the counter where Camila had discarded it and took a small sip, giving Normani a pointed look when she tasted the vodka in it.

"Vodka Mani? Seriously?" Lauren asked bemused, sliding the glass back over to her friend. "You know that Camz doesn't drink," she went on, her tone stern. "What if it had interacted badly with her medication?" "Ok, I'm sorry alright?" she apologised, taking the glass back from Lauren and having another sip herself. "I just thought it would be interesting to see Camila get drunk that's all, but you're right, I wasn't thinking." "Didn't we talk about this a few weeks ago?" Lauren questioned her. "Maybe," Normani acknowledged reluctantly. "I'm pretty sure we all agreed that getting Camila drunk was not a good idea." Lauren said. "I definitely agreed that," Dinah said, taking a sip of her own drink. "I was worried she'd make out with a stranger while she was intoxicated and leave me footing a return trip for five people to Hawaii." "I was more concerned that she'd end up knocking herself out." Ally recalled. "If I remember correctly you had a massive black eye that day, right Camila?" "Probably," Camila returned, not recalling the conversation they were referring to but astute enough to realise that she often ended up with a black eye after a seizure. "I can't believe that you'd do that to me." She aimed at Normani, her face taking on a sour appearance at the taste of alcohol which still remained in her mouth. "I'm sorry," Normani apologised again as Camila swallowed hard and reached over for Dinah's glass of water, her hand hesitating for the briefest of moments just in front of it, as though she actually believed that it might contain something else that she wouldn't

be expecting. "It's just water." Dinah told her laughing. "I promise you." Camila raised an eyebrow distrustfully but shot Dinah a subtle, yet meaningful look which didn't go unnoticed by Lauren, who was watching the exchange interestedly. "Really?" Camila asked, making a point of not trusting Dinah for the other girls' benefit. "You're sure it's not more vodka or something?" "What? You don't believe me?" Dinah asked incredulously as Camila took hold of the glass and lifted it up towards her mouth. She held it just beneath her nose and sniffed at the liquid doubtfully. "Well, no," Camila said still feigning indecision, "Of course I don't. I mean, I still vividly remember the time that you put cinnamon in my lemonade and I almost choked to death." "Oh yeah," Dinah said chuckling to herself at the memory. "I'd forgotten about that. Remember that time that I made you drink watered down washing up liquid by pretending that it was Mountain Dew?" Camila frowned at Dinah's reminder and put the glass back on to the kitchen counter. She wasn't willing to risk another assault on her oesophagus despite knowing for a fact that Dinah was telling her the truth, and that all the glass contained was water. Instead she stood up from her stool and traipsed over to the sink, removing a clean cup from the drainer and filling it from the cold tap, the other girls watching her from their positions looking entertained at her behaviour. She took a sip of the cool liquid and turned around to face her audience, a wide grin spreading across her face as her eyes met theirs. "You know, it really was just water