Chapter Text
15 years ago
Karla sat on the edge of the playground, pulling out handfuls of grass and throwing them in the wind, watching as the green blades scattered and flew in different directions. She was torn from her blissful dream world by an ear-piercing wail that carried over across the blacktop. Her previous game was forgotten and she clumsily climbed to her feet, scurrying over to where a group of students had gathered.
“H-he said it was a crown!”
Karla stood on her tiptoes to see over the kids blocking her view. They were all focused on the small girl in the middle of the circle, her hands were tightly clutching her brown hair and tears were streaming down her face. Her teacher was knelt down next to her, trying to calm the crying girl down.
“They won’t come outta’ my h-hair…” the girl said softer, keeping her voice down as she was suddenly becoming aware of everyone’s eyes on her. She let go of her hair and let it hang down in front of her face, using it to shield her eyes from the group of children around her.
Lauren didn’t like crying in front of people. But she was too frustrated to keep that in mind. An older boy had thought it would be funny to tell her that a collection of burrs he had picked from the bushes was a crown, and not knowing any better, Lauren had placed it atop her head. She quickly realized she wasn’t a princess when her ‘crown’ wouldn’t come off of her head.
The teacher was saying something to try and calm Lauren down, but the young girl was too scared of the group of kids surrounding her to pay attention. She hated being the center of attention, especially for reasons like this.
The first day of kindergarten had been something she was looking forward to, but now she just wanted to go home and never go back.
“Hey everybody! Look! I’m a princess!”
The small voice rang out from outside the circle of kids, and the attention was immediately stolen from Lauren. She shyly looked up, curious to see what the other kids were now looking at.
There stood a tiny girl with curly hair, who now had a collection of burrs arranged in a circle around the crown of her head. Her white dress rippled in the slight breeze as she threw her hands in the air to gain everyone’s attention. The teacher gasped and Lauren’s classmates broke out into laughter, completely forgetting about Lauren and running over to Karla, who was now spinning around in circles and claiming she was the ‘best princess in the whole wide world’.
Lauren remained standing where she was, her shoulders drooping. The other kids crowded around Karla, and the teacher had run over to make sure no one else got the same idea.
“Why are you crying? You’re a princess!”
Lauren jumped when she heard the same small voice from before, only now it was just inches away from her. The small girl stood in front of her, proudly adorning her crown of burrs. She spun in a circle and giggled at Lauren.
“My name’s Karla, but you can call me Camila. That’s my middle name, and I only let special people call me it. I think we should be friends because no one else here is a princess, and I don’t want to be a princess all by myself. What’s your name?” she asked, leaning in closer to Lauren.
“Lauren…”
“Lauuuuuren,” she hummed, feeling the girl’s name roll off of her tongue. “Lauren. Princess Lauren!”
“I’m not a princess.”
“Yes you are, silly.”
Lauren tilted her head to the side, confused.
“Princesses shouldn’t cry, Lauren. Oh, and I have a secret,” Camila stated, leaning in closer to Lauren so she could whisper in her ear.
“My underwear has Sleeping Beauty on it,” she whispered, giggling into Lauren’s ear before leaning back and covering her mouth with her hands.
Both girls burst out into laughter, even though tears were still streaming down Lauren’s face. She wiped her eyes and looked back at Camila, who was itching at the burrs on her head.
“Ouch.”
The teacher interrupted them, coming back over and ushering both girls into the school and down the hallway to the nurses office.
“Do you think they’re gonna have to cut our heads off?” Lauren asked, looking over at Camila who sat next to her on a plastic bench, their legs dangling down above the ground.
“No, silly. They’re gonna give us real princess crowns and then we’re gonna go to Disneyland, cause’ that’s where Cinderella lives. And then Cinderella is gonna let us live in her castle and wear fancy dresses and we can all be best friends. Forever.” Camila replied with a curt nod, obviously satisfied with her explanation.
Lauren giggled. “You’re crazy.”
“I know,” Camila smiled proudly.
That same afternoon, their mothers took them both to the hair salon to get haircuts. Camila and Lauren now stood in front of the large mirror, leaning in closer to look at their short hair.
“I look weird,” Lauren whined, turning to her mom and pouting.
“No you don’t! We look like just Rapunzel, remember? She got all her hair cut off, but she was still a princess. A beautiful princess,” Camila defended, giggling and spinning in a circle in front of the mirror.
“But the kids at school are gonna laugh at me.”
“I won’t.”
Lauren thought about this for a moment.
“Will you be my friend?” she asked Camila, turning back to look in the mirror.
“No.”
Lauren’s shoulders dropped.
“I’ll be your best friend, silly!” Camila exclaimed, hopping forwards and wrapping her arms around Lauren. The other girl was taken aback by the hug and stumbled back a few steps before returning the gesture.
Lauren giggled. She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror, deciding that this was the most she’d ever smiled in her life.
“Hey mom! Look! I made a best friend! Her name is Lauren!” Camila called across the store, drawing looks from a few of the customers.
Little did those two giggling girls know that that day would be the first of many to come, that they would spend.
11 years ago
“I brought you a flower. It’s purple, the kind you like.”
Camila glanced up from her book, smiling when she saw Lauren. The small brunette scooted up in her bed, leaning against the headboard.
“How do your tonsils feel? I mean… wait…” Lauren said, causing Camila to giggle.
She took the flower from Lauren, spinning it between her index finger and thumb before placing it on her nightstand.
“My throat hurts…” she whispered, clutching her hands to her throat to prove her point.
Lauren sat down on the end of Camila’s bed, crossing her legs and facing the smaller girl.
“Did they give you ice cream?”
“No. They gave me water. With ice. But it hurts to drink it.”
Lauren frowned, looking around the room. Camila’s room was a perfect representation of her personality. The walls were covered with a pastel yellow paint, which Camila had insisted on painting herself. The flowers that Lauren had been bringing her daily were tied to a long piece of string, handing above her dresser so each time she looked in the mirror Camila was surrounded by a halo of Lauren’s gifts.
“Well we should get ice cream when your throat feels better. It’s really nice out today, I’m wearing shorts for the first time this year,” Lauren smiled, motioning to the pair of denim shorts that hugged her hips.
“It’s that nice out?” Camila asked, glancing towards the window.
“Yeah, wanna see?” Lauren asked, not waiting for an answer before walking over to the window and pushing it open. A cool breeze flew through the room immediately, causing Camila to shiver. Both girls laughed.
“Why aren’t you outside, then?” Camila asked, looking back at Lauren.
“Cause’ it’s no fun when you’re up here all alone. Besides, I brought stuff for us to do. Oh, and Mrs. Baldwin gave me your homework to give to you, but I already filled out your math worksheet because I know you hate it.” Lauren giggled and grabbed her backpack from the floor.
Camila laughed and shook her head, sitting up and scooting closer to Lauren while she dug through her bag.
“I brought movies. I snuck one of my dad’s favorites. It’s called ‘The Dawn of the Dead’. It’s rated R,” Lauren said, excitement evident in her voice.
“Are you crazy?” Camila asked, sitting up straighter to look over at the DVD Lauren held in her hands. Lauren was just beginning to show interest in being a teenager, while Camila was still perfectly content with being a kid. Little did she know, she’d never fully accept the fact that she was growing up. Lauren had come to love her best friend’s childish nature. She found it endearing.
“I am,” Lauren confirmed, walking over to the DVD player and inserting the movie.
“You know if I get nightmares and wake up screaming, I’m blaming it all on you. And then I’ll get revenge. When my throat isn’t on fire, of course.”
Lauren rolled her eyes playfully, hopping onto the bed next to Camila.
“I’m not the crazy one here, Camz.”
“I know.”
Both girls laughed, and snuggled up under the blankets before the movie started.
6 years ago
“I think Gregory likes Hannah.”
"Hey! Don’t say that!”
“You’re blushing! Hannah! Do you like him?”
“No.”
“She does. Look how red her face is.”
“He is kinda cute…”
“Told you.”
The group of girls burst into laughter around the bonfire. Camila could barley make out Lauren’s face in the darkness. Lauren met her gaze and smiled softly. Camila laid back on the blanket, laying her head in Lauren’s lap and looking up at the stars.
“Reagan, did you talk to Joey?”
“No. He likes Beth.”
“Beth is gross.”
“I like Beth. She’s nice,” Camila spoke up, turning her head to look over at the other girls.
“You like everyone, Camila.”
Camila shrugged, laughing softly and looking back up at the sky.
“Camila, do you like-like anyone?” someone else from the circle spoke up.
Camila furrowed her eyebrows, sitting up a bit and leaning against Lauren, who was also looking at her for a response.
She shrugged. “No one catches my eye.”
“Not even Austin? He’s all over you, Mila. Right Jessie?”
Jessie shot the other girl a glare, nodding softly. “Yeah... Right.”
“Jessie likes Austin!” one of the girls blurted out, and Jessie scowled while a few of the girls giggled.
“You should talk to him,” Camila said innocently, looking over at Jessie.
“But I thought you liked him?”
Camila shook her head.
“You’re crazy, Camila. He’s like… the hottest guy here. And he totally wants you.”
“She knows.” Lauren spoke up for the first time that night. Camila looked over at her but Lauren refused to meet her eyes.
“Really, Jessie. I don’t like him, you guys would seriously be cute together. I can talk to him for you, if you want,” Camila laughed.
“You would?” Jessie beamed, and Camila nodded.
“You need to find a boy you like, Camila.”
“Yeah, you do. You’ve turned down like… every guy this summer.”
“I’m not interested.” Camila shrugged.
“In guys?” one of the girls giggled.
Camila swallowed hard and shook her head. “In dating. Not right now, at least. It’s summer, I want to enjoy it.” She felt Lauren squeeze her hand and smiled softly.
“Oh, right. I forgot. Camila loves Lauren.”
A few of the girls covered their mouths to muffle their giggles.
“I do.” Camila shrugged.
The girls around the campfire all whipped their heads to look at Camila. She felt Lauren tense next to her and grew confused.
“She’s my best friend…?” Camila scanned the circle of girls.
“Oh thank god, Camila. We thought you were gay for a second,” one of the girls broke the silence.
Now it was Camila’s turn to tense, and she quickly shook her head. “Nope. She’s just my best friend. That’s all.” Lauren relaxed.
“Even if she was gay, that shouldn’t matter,” Lauren said, causing all of the other girls to turn their attention on her.
Lauren lifted her hands in the air as if she was surrendering. “I’m just saying.”
“I’ll tell Austin to kiss Jessie,” Camila blurted out, wanting to break the tension between them. Jessie gasped and all the girls erupted into laughter.
The conversation soon found a different direction. Camila was thankful, but she could tell something wasn’t right with Lauren. She didn’t take Camila’s hand that night when they were walking back to their cabin, like she normally did.
Camila had never realized how lonely she would feel without it.
4 years ago
It was 3am. Lauren was half asleep, staring blankly at her laptop as the unwritten essay she was trying to find the inspiration to start mocked her. Sighing, she shut her computer and shoved it aside, disappearing into the bathroom to get ready for bed.
She smiled when she stopped to admire the drawings Camila had made on her mirror after finding a dry-erase marker on Lauren’s desk. For someone who was just learning to drive, Camila still had the artistic skills of a three year old. Lauren thought it was adorable.
Once she finished her nightly routine, she yawned and walked back into her room. At first everything seemed normal, but she froze when she saw the figure in her bed, curled up under the blanket. If was thinking clearly, she could’ve sworn the blanket was shaking.
“Camz?” she whispered, and the object under the blanket stilled.
“Mila…” she said softly, sitting down on the edge of the bed. The girl hummed from under the covers and Lauren sighed softly.
“You’ve gotta start warning me before you show up out of nowhere, kid. You scared the shit outta’ me,” Lauren chuckled, walking over to the window and closing it. “Plus you’re gonna hurt yourself climbing through the window. I could always just let you in the front door.”
“I’m pregnant.”
“All the more reason you should start using the front d —“
Lauren froze while her mind took a second to fully grasp what Camila had just said.
Her mind quickly caught up. Luckily Lauren knew how to handle these situations, especially with Camila. She was aware that if she made a big deal of it, Camila would panic even more than she already was.
“Okay…” she said softly, moving over to sit on the edge of her bed. Her composure remained fairly calm. “How do you know?”
Camila didn’t reply and Lauren could tell she was crying. Sighing softly, she gently pulled the blankets off of the girl.
Camila lifted her head so their eyes met and burst into tears seconds later. As she always did when her best friend was upset, Lauren pulled her into her arms and held her close to her chest.
Pregnant? Her best friend was pregnant?
She knew better than to push any questions, so she settled for rubbing small circles in Camila’s back while the younger girl cried into her shirt.
“Sometimes the tests can be wrong, y’know… when my mom was pregnant with me the test told her twice that she wasn’t pregnant when she really was…” Lauren said cautiously.
Camila shook her head furiously. “I took fifteen.”
“Fifteen what?”
“Tests.”
“You’re crazy.”
“I-I know.”
Lauren laughed softly, scooting back on the bed and laying down so Camila was still in her arms. A few minutes passed of pure silence before Lauren spoke again.
“I’m gonna be the best aunt ever.”
“Lauren!” the smaller girl hit her.
“What?”
“This is serious!”
Lauren nodded softly, her expression softening.
“You’re not dating anyone… I thought you were a v —“ Lauren started, but Camila’s panicked eyes met hers and Lauren quickly shut herself up.
“Was.” Camila mumbled. “I was.”
A sudden realization hit Lauren and she sat up quickly, startling Camila.
“Were you…?”
Their gazes met and Lauren saw a fresh set of tears threatening to spill over Camila’s eyes. The small girl pursed her lips and nodded softly, the first tear breaking its way down her cheek.
Lauren quickly pulled her friend closer to her, wiping the tears off her face with the pad of her thumbs. Camila buried her head into Lauren’s shoulder and Lauren could tell how hard she was trying to not cry.
“When I find that fucking bastard he’s gonna regret ever c—“
Camila’s body shook at Lauren’s words and she let out another sob into her shoulder.
“No.. no, Mila. I’m sorry, I—“
“I don’t k-know who… I didn’t see h-him…” Camila’s squeaky voice interrupted hers.
“Oh, Mila,” Lauren said softly, brushing her friend’s hair out of her face. Truth be told, she wanted to crawl into Camila’s mind and see just exactly what had happened so she could track down the man who stole her best friend’s innocence and make sure he wouldn’t do it again. But she contained her questions, knowing that Camila would tell her in time.
“What do I do?” Camila asked, her eyes pleading into Lauren’s.
“I-I don’t know, exactly,” Lauren said honestly, squeezing Camila’s hand. “Whatever happens, I’m gonna be there, okay? I’ll always be here. I promise.”
Camila nodded, staying quiet in fear she could cry even harder if she spoke again.
The girls laid in silence for what felt like hours, Lauren humming softly as Camila fell asleep on her chest. Lauren wondered how someone with such an intricate mind could seem so peaceful.
She decided something that night.
It was her job to take care of Camila. She didn’t trust anyone else to.
Camila was her responsibility.
2 weeks later
Lauren hadn’t seen Camila since that night... the night Camila told her she was pregnant. Lauren had walked home with her to be there when she told her parents, which ended in a screaming match between Camila and her father, and Lauren was asked to leave.
Camila wanted to keep the baby. That was just the way she was. Everything had value to her, and Lauren knew that the pain of knowing she ended that possibility would be even more painful to Camila than actually going through with the birth. Camila could barley handle killing a spider, and Lauren knew if she went through with something as emotionally tolling as an abortion that it would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Unfortunately, Camila’s parents didn’t want her to have a choice in the matter. Her father claimed having a pregnant daughter would ruin his reputation. Her mother did nothing but agree.
And that’s about all Lauren knew. She’d tried contacting her best friend every day, but Camila had gotten her phone taken away. Lauren even shown up at her house a few times, but she was never allowed inside.
She felt powerless. There was nothing she could do to help Camila, but Lauren’s parents assured her that once the baby came, things would calm down. She hoped that was true.
She never got to find out if it was true.
It had been one of the coldest nights of the year, and Lauren was locked in her room, curled up in her favorite hoodie and cramming for an exam she had the next day. Looking back, Lauren considered it ironic that the weather outside was an exact representation on how she had felt on the inside.
There was a knock at the door and her father peeked in, sending his daughter a small smile.
“There’s an emergency at work, they need another pair of hands. House fire. Bad one. I’ll be home when I can.”
Lauren simply nodded, too tired to think much of anything. She heard the front door shut and her dad’s car speed down the road.
She didn’t remember falling asleep. The only thing she remembered was waking up on the floor with a stiff neck. She checked the time. Noon.
Noon? Oh god, she was going to be late for school.
She got dressed quickly, hopping downstairs while simultaneously pulling on a pair of sweats. She didn’t take the time to observe her childhood pictures like she normally did. Camila was present in almost every one, and Lauren regrets not taking a few seconds to glance at them that morning. Maybe if she had, the inevitable wouldn’t have happened.
When she entered the kitchen, it grew silent. Both of her parents were sitting down at the kitchen table, looking at her with an unreadable expression on their faces.
“I can explain,” Lauren started, shaking her head.
“I-I didn’t think you’d notice it was missing. It was just one beer. It wasn’t even for me.” Lauren quickly said, but her voice trailed off when she saw the confusion on her parents faces.
“What are you talking about?”
"Uh… nevermind. I need to get to school.”
She saw her parents glance at each other, and her mom stood up. “Lauren, there’s something we should talk about first.”
Confused but curious, Lauren followed her parents and took a seat next to her dad at the kitchen table. She fooled with the sleeves of her sweater. An awkward silence fell over the room.
“Remember the house fire I got called out to last night?” Her dad finally spoke up. Lauren nodded, unsure of where this was going.
“It was on Windsor Drive.”
Lauren’s head shot up. “That’s Camila’s street.”
Both of her parents nodded, and Lauren felt her breath catch in her throat.
“You’re not….” Lauren shook her head “It was her house? Is she okay?” Her heart was racing. She hated how her parents were jumping around the subject.
“She was home alone when it happened. The paramedics found her and took her to the hospital, b—“
Lauren pressed her palms on the tabletop and hopped to her feet. “I’m going to visit her. I need the keys.”
Her parents just stared at her.
Lauren’s heart stopped.
“Honey… she… she took her own life at the hospital..”
Lauren’s heart broke. No, it shattered. Into a million tiny Camila-sized pieces.
“N-no… you said… they t-took her to the hospital, right? The hospital w-wouldn’t let that h-happen…. You’re lying… r-right? You have to be lying…” Lauren said, feeling tears brimming her eyes. Her hands were shaking and she stood frozen in the middle of the kitchen.
“She must’ve gotten a hold of something overnight, and used it to....” Her dad nodded, hoping he wouldn’t have to explain any further.
“Her parents called about an hour ago…” her mother softly added, moving forward to place a hand on Lauren’s shoulder.
Lauren moved out of her mother’s reach, shaking her head and taking a few steps backwards.
“You’re lying! Camila would never d-do something like that!” she yelled, balling her fists.
“Sweetie… I know this is hard for y—“
Lauren’s fist collided with the wall and she fell to her knees, sobs racking her body.
“Y-you… you have to b-be lying…”
Earlier that day
Camila winced, pain shooting up her legs, but thanking the nurse as she adjusted the bed so she could sit up.
The nurse offered her a small smile before disappearing into the hallway, leaving Camila alone in the hospital room once again.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by a knock at the door, and she looked up to be greeted by an older woman holding a clipboard. Her social worker.
“Is Lauren coming?” she asked for the millionth time, sitting up straighter in her bed.
Silence.
The woman walked over to her bed, pulling out a chair and sitting down next to her.
“You remember what we talked about, about how you were attacked a few weeks ago?” Attacked. Camila hated that word. She nodded.
“They still have no leads on who the attacker is.”
Camila nodded again. She already knew this.
“But there was evidence at your house yesterday. We have reason to believe that the fire was intentional.”
She paused. Camila raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“You’re being targeted by a gang, Camila.” She pursed her lips, studying Camila’s face, which was blank. “You… and your baby. You aren’t safe here.”
"We can move,” Camila shrugged.
“We?”
"My family.”
She saw the woman’s expression change and suddenly became concerned.
I’m going to be completely honest, okay?”
Camila nodded.
“For your own safety, Karla Cabello is dead.”
Everything that followed was just empty air to Camila. Practically going deaf, she stared down at her hands and dug her nails into her palms.
Camila suddenly found herself wishing she was actually dead.