Karla Camila Cabello's Point Of View

I stared at her intense gaze, seeing in the green of her eyes the glow that pleaded for a positive response. Her hand still held my arm firmly, preventing me from walking away. As soon as she saw me looking at her hold on my arm, she loosened her fingers around my skin, letting me take a more relaxed posture. I took a deep breath, battling in my thought a battle to accept or not her proposal. To give her a truce would mean to live in peace, would open certain doors that would give her a chance of getting closer to me. Would I be ready?

"I know I don't deserve this, but-"

"You don't." I interrupted quickly.

"I know, but we need this. If you want, we can keep our distance, I just want everything to work out. It's the first real project of my life, Camila. You know how much I dreamed of being a great businesswoman, and I'm so close to it."

As much as I tried to control my thoughts, asking my subconscious to deny that request, something in me prevented me from ruining her work. Lauren has always been hardworking, and I couldn't ruin her chance of having a promising career. She might have been the worst best friend, the worst lover, but she always was hardworking and intelligent throughout her student and professional life.

"Alright, I think we can have a truce." I said as I put a strand of hair behind my ear.

She nodded slowly, letting a brief smile appear on the corner of her well-drawn lips.

"This doesn't mean that we'll have a friendship, okay? We can treat each other professionally, without fights or provocations. I want to do everything as quick as possible to get out of this place."

"Sure, fine by me."

Lauren looked uneasy, as if she was nervous. We were alone on that part of the beach, the rest of the team retreated inside the house to enjoy the break of the photoshoots.

"So..." She whispered somewhat nervously. "Truce?" She asked as she extended her hand in a kind of closing the deal shake.

That deal would eliminate half the acts that I'd probably have in her presence, in that instant I'd be lowering my guard so that Lauren could enter my space, even if professionally. We'd spend days together, sharing ideas, conversations, moments.

"Truce." I said as I joined my hand to hers.

*Flashback On*

I stirred the rosy liquid inside the glass, it was a kind of milkshake, with ice, strawberry juice, condensed milk and vodka, lots of vodka. I took a sip of the extremely cold drink while I stared at the people dancing and having fun by the pool. I wasn't in a party mood, but my friends seemed excited that afternoon, especially Lauren. The girl was all smiles next to her... almost boyfriend. The two didn't unglue for even a minute; Ethan made absolute question of parading alongside Lauren, showing her off to his friends like a perfect trophy. I rolled my eyes tediously and looked away from the perfect couple.

"What's up with that face?" Vero asked as she approached. "You're not liking the party?"

"I'm not in the mood for a party."

I dropped the glass on one of the tables and walked inside the house, being accompanied by the girl. Vero greeted some people who walked by us, and then turned her attention to me. Her bright brown eyes stared at me somewhat curiously.

"What?"

"I'm waiting for you to tell me the reason for your frustration. It can't be that fruit punch, it's divine! I think they put those mints." She said as she rummaged through her glass to look for any trace of mint.

"The drink's fine, I just don't want to be here. Can I leave now?"

"No, you can't leave." She said after taking a sip of the strawberry milkshake.

"I can't stand being here."

"Is it because of Lauren?"

I frowned, looking at her again. Why the hell did Iglesias think that it was because of Lauren? I shook my head as I walked to the other side of the house.

"Don't make that face, I know you, Cabello."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're jealous over Lauren."

"What? No!" I said quickly, preventing her from continuing to speak.

"Camila..."

Vero walked around me as I headed for the exit. I didn't even pay her attention, just kept walking towards the garden, which luckily was empty. Veronica sped up, leaving her glass on a vase in the corner of the living room, until reaching me again.

"Can you stop with this nonsense? I bet you're already drunk, let me see." I said as I tried to smell her breath.

Iglesias let an amused laugh leave her mouth. I knew that she wasn't drunk, she was far from it. If there was someone prepared to drink, that someone was called Veronica Iglesias.

"Shut up! You know I'm not drunk." She continued walking, now holding my hand. "Come, let's talk."

I was dragged across the lawn by the girl to a corner where there were some seats and decorative objects. Ethan's mother seemed to like decking the garden. Once I settled into one of the wooden chairs that looked more like a small couch, Iglesias sat beside me.

"Come on, out with it."

"Out with what?" I played stupid.

"You can't be that stupid, Cabello." She let out with a tedious expression. "Tell me about Lauren, and your feelings for her."

"I don't know what you're talking about, seriously." I looked away from her accusative gaze, seeing the faint movement of people inside the house.

"Are you in love with her?"

I turned towards her, with my eyes wide in pure surprise. An excited smile rested on her mouth, accompanied by a cocky look, as if she was absolutely sure of the answer.

"Jesus, where did you get that from?" I asked incredulously.

"I got it from your look, Camila. I've known you for so long. I know that you have no problem with your sexuality, never treated it like rocket science. And don't even tell me that you prefer boys, we've exchanged a lot of kisses to believe in such a lie."

"We were kids, Vero." I retorted impatiently, nervously. "And I've always dated boys."

"Fucking hell, you've kisses feminine mouths and you liked it." She said and laughed. "It was my mouth, how could you not?! But anyways, do you like her?"

I turned my body aside, sitting properly on that kind of couch. I didn't want to look Veronica in the eyes, I didn't want to have to talk about Lauren, or even about my possible feelings for her. Things were too confused, to the point of driving me crazy.

"You know you can trust me, don't you?"

I took a deep breath, feeling that cold in my belly consume me; my hands tingled in sheer nervousness. I felt like I was having the same conversation I had with Sinuhe years ago. I remember exactly her kind gaze, and her motherly affection after the talk, when the older woman spoke about the true meaning of love. My parents had a broad and liberal view on sexuality, from a very young age I was instructed that family could be formed in many ways, with people of the opposite sex or the same, separated or together. However, it wasn't my sexuality that was messing with my head, but the person I felt attracted to.

"I know, Vero." I whispered.

"Then? Why don't you tell me? Camila, we've never had problems with these things. You know I've hooked up with girls, and I know you'd do it too even having dated boys."

"The problem is not my sexuality, I already accepted that I'm bisexual. The problem is..."

"What?"

"It's her." I said as I faced my friend. "I didn't want to like her, Vero."

"Why? Lauren is a wonderful, intelligent, beautiful girl. Honestly, after me she's your best option." She joked to lighten the atmosphere.

I flashed a weak smile, slapping her left thigh with my hand.

"Stop, I'm being serious."

"Alright! Tell me, why didn't you want to like her?" She asked as she settled closer, right in front of me.

In that instant my head traveled through the countless moments I had with Lauren. From the first moment we met, we introduced ourselves, to the others we shared together, just me and her. It has only been a few months, months that seemed like years. It was an immediate connection, just like it had been with Vero and Ally, but with an important difference, a carnal attraction that I didn't have with my other friends. Lauren didn't know this, nor would she ever know, but I couldn't deny to myself that she awakened something different in me ever since the moment she laid those emerald eyes on me.

"Falling in love with your best friend can lead you to a dead end. Or it can work out, it's the person you know the most, the one you trust, and even love. I'm not belittling the other friendships, of course, I love you and Ally like my own family." I said quickly, and Vero just smiled reassuringly. "But with Lauren it's different, she consumes me, you know? I want to be close to her, to have her eyes on me, her attention, her caresses. I don't know for sure what I want from her, for now what we have is enough for me. But I also can't say that seeing her in Ethan's arms is easy, it's not, I feel that I could be better for her, you know? I'm not being prepotent, much less cocky. But I know her so well, that if she let me, I'd know exactly what to do to make her feel loved, wanted and cared for. But it's not that simple, I'm her best friend, her confidant, it's with me that she vents to. It's to me that she tells how wonderful it is to have the most handsome boy in high school as a boyfriend." I let out with a bitter smile, feeling my eyes burning. "She sees me like a sister, and she loves me, I feel it, but it's a sisterly love that is not enough for me. I can go to her and declare myself, and hear a big no, which consequently will ruin our friendship. I don't want to lose her, I know that I can't have her the way I truly want to, but I have an important part, which is her sincere friendship. I just need to get over it once and for all, and stop letting it all affect me so much."

"Wow! That was intense." The girl said somewhat confused. "I didn't know you liked her that much, Camila."

"Me neither, Vero."

"I don't know if Lauren is as assured of her feelings like that. Sure, we see that she's all over Ethan, but maybe it's just excitement. Why don't you try? I don't know, after all this you've told me, I already want you getting married and having lots of babies."

I wiped a stubborn tear that fell down my face as an amused laugh escaped my lips. Iglesias always knew how to make me feel better.

"I don't want to ruin our friendship. This would put everything on the line, and what we have is wonderful. In a short time, we connected in an inexplicable way."

"I know, I'm even jealous, but now I understand."

"You're jealous, huh?" I teased her as I grabbed her, filling her cheek with kisses.

"Of course! Now you only hang out with Lauren everywhere." She grumbled with her lips making a pout. "You forgot about me."

"You're my baby, don't forget that."

"Hmm, can we exchange a few kisses like in kindergarten?"

I stared into her brown eyes for a few instants, and bit my lower lip as seductively as I could.

"Low blow, Cabello! Come on, don't start. I'm your friend, but I can't say no to your kisses."

We stayed there for a few moments, joking around and laughing. I loved how Vero had the ability to make the atmosphere lighter, and push away all and any feeling of sadness, even if only for a few minutes.

"Come here, just a little kiss, Camila!" She said amid laughter.

Her hands settled around my head, pulling me closer; I received her soft lips on my cheek, in an affectionate kiss that made me laugh. As soon as I pulled away to return the kiss, we noticed the presence of someone else who cleared their throat impatiently.

"Found you." Lauren said as she stared at us rather seriously.

"Sorry, I wanted a quieter place. And well, Vero brought me here, right?"

I looked at Veronica who had a cheerful smile on her lips; she just nodded, without pulling away from our proximity. Lauren stood there in front of us, staring at us strangely.

"Did something happen?" I asked as I played with the tip of Vero's fingers, she had her arm resting on my shoulders.

"No, I just found it weird that you weren't on the deck with the others, I didn't know you went somewhere else with Vero."

"Oh, Camila just wanted to give me some kisses, but we already did that."

"Don't be an idiot!" I said smiling.

"Right." Lauren completed dryly, making the atmosphere weird. "I'm going back to the deck, Ethan is waiting for me."

"Okay, we'll be right there." I said calmly, seeing the young girl walk away.

As soon as Lauren was far away enough, a sigh escaped my lips.

"Did you see?"

"What?"

"I saw, I don't know what I saw, but I know I saw it."

"You're crazy! Come." I got up from the chair and pulled my friend by the hand.

*Flashback Off*

I stayed in front of the mirror while my hairdresser finished her last touches, soon my next photoshoot would start. Through the reflection of the mirror, I saw Lauren in the background, she was chatting amiably with Patrick, the photographer in charge. She seemed intent on controlling every detail of the collection, nothing could come out differently from her planning. After our brief conversation on the beach, the atmosphere became mild, without provocations, arguments or murderous looks. I felt bothered, as if there was a huge gap between us. Not that I expected something from her, I didn't, but I came to the conclusion that fighting a battle with that woman was nothing more than a way to keep her focused on me.

"Is everything alright?" Normani asked.

"Yes, why?"

"You're very distracted. You've been too quiet for the last few hours... Are you feeling ill?"

"Everything's fine, Mani." I said with a smile. "I just want to do everything right."

"Everything right?"

"Yes, the photos and the videos."

Normani remained standing there, looking at me as if she was analyzing me. Perhaps she was finding my so peaceful behavior strange. But on a second thought, I was absolutely sure it was that.

"Karla, do you want to be the first?" Lauren asked as she approached with her iPad in hand.

My friend turned towards Lauren, and then towards me. Her eyes expressed confusion, a huge question mark on her face. I confess that I felt like laughing, but I kept my firm and indifferent posture.

"Sure, Jauregui. The sooner I finish, the better. I'm tired."

"Then we'll start with you, and then you'll be released to rest, okay?"

"Okay."

Lauren walked away, and I promptly returned to my initial position, letting the makeup artist take over.

"Alright." Normani stared at me. "What did I miss?"

"What?"

"You spoke to each other without any offense. This is a miracle. Did Jesus come back and I didn't know?"

"Don't be an idiot." I said amid a laugh.

"I'm serious, Camila! What happened between you?"

"A truce! We made a truce."

Normani tilted her head with a cynical smile on her lips. If I knew her as well as I knew I did, I was absolutely sure of her mischievous thoughts behind that sarcastic expression.

"Don't even look at me like that, it's not what you're thinking. We just want to get this job done as quick as possible. And it's just a test, while we're here. If it doesn't work, we'll go back to how things were before."

"Can I ask another question?"

"You can." I sighed impatiently.

"Why did you decide to give her this truce precisely here in Miami?"

"I don't know, Mani."

"You're letting-"

"Look, if you're going to bug me about it, I'd rather not stay here listening to you." I exclaimed sharply before signaling the makeup artist to stop, to then get up.

I heard Normani mutter some things in the background, but didn't even pay attention. I didn't want to understand why I felt the need to agree to Lauren's request. I didn't want to put any more doubts in my confused head, it was enough what that woman did to it. So I left my friend behind and headed to the outside area of the house. The photoshoot lasted about three hours, including the breaks to change outfits and location. Everything was going as planned, and for the first time since the beginning of all this, Lauren and I didn't even exchange an angry glare, and as incredible as it may seem, I felt light, tranquil.

"That's all for today, girls." Lauren exclaimed excitedly to all the models, including me. "You were incredible, I'm very excited!"

"Lauren is absolutely right, I'm delighted with this work!" Dinah completed smiling. "So much so, that tonight we're going to throw a little party in celebration of our summer project. So it would be good to see everyone, it will be right here in the mansion, okay?"

I heard the excited murmurs of the Angels, who just like me, loved parties and drinks. But unlike the other times, that night I just wanted to relax. The next day would be as laborious as this one. One of the assistants approached, handing me Victoria's Secret's pink robe. I put it on quickly, and then said goodbye to all my co-workers before heading back into the house.

"Camila?"

I heard Lauren's voice as soon as I entered the mansion, making me stop in the middle of the way. I spun on my heel, and stared into the green eyes that were now fixed on me. Lauren kept her distance, standing near the entrance.

"Yes?"

"I want you to be present tonight. You're the main part of this work and wouldn't be fair not to participate."

"Lauren, I'm tired..."

"Just stay for a little while, Camila." She said as she took a few steps towards me.

"Fine, I'll come down for this party, don't worry."

"Alright." She said nervously. "And Camila..." I just stood there waiting for her to speak. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, Lauren. See you later." I said before walking up the stairs.

Lauren Jauregui's Point Of View

I stood at the edge of the stairs, seeing Camila disappear down the corridors of the second floor. A smile left my lips as soon as I realized that we really had made a truce, and that for the first time since we met again, we were getting along fairly well. I walked outside with my spirits reinvigorated, I knew that that wasn't much, but the first step had been given, and with Camila's consent.

"Hmm, what's with that face?" Dinah asked as she stood beside me. "Are you happy, Jauregui?"

"I am."

"May I know why?"

I looked around, and faced my best friend's curious look.

"Camila and I made a truce. We agreed that we're going to try to get along during these days here in Miami."

"Wow, that's really good! I was actually surprised by the lack of arguments and heavy atmosphere this afternoon. For someone who wanted to kill her a few hours ago, to see you excited about this truce is at least comical." She said thoughtfully, in sheer irony.

"The important thing is that the beast is slightly tamed. Camila annoys me when she wants to attack me, but you know my desire is to get along with her."

I walked farther away from the house, close to the stairs that gave access to the beach. I sat down on the first step, and watched the movement of the waves up ahead.

"And what do you intend with that?" I heard the blonde ask behind me.

"To have Camila back."

I knew that regaining the Latina's trust would be one of the most difficult tasks of all my life, but I felt that it was the right thing to do. For many years I imagined what it would be like to see her again, I imagined everything that I'd do to fix the big mistake I made. And thanks to fate's ironies, we were here, together again.

"Lauren, I know that you really want to fix everything..." Dinah said as she took a seat next to me. "But don't you think that she may-"

"I know that she may not come back to me, Dinah. I'm aware of that, but I need to try, do you understand? I spent many years thinking about how everything would be like if I had done things differently." I turned towards the blonde, who had her eyes focused on the movement of the waves up ahead. "I think God gave me a second chance, and I will not waste it."

"So you're determined to win back Camila Cabello?"

"I am. I'm going to show her that I can do it differently now, that I've changed! And that even after so many years, I never forgot her."

Dinah looked uncertain, somewhat apprehensive. She was afraid that the final outcome might be different from what I expected, because I was as well. But this wasn't the time for cowardice, it was my second, and maybe last chance, and I couldn't waste it. Today I was a strong woman, resolute and determined to conquer what I wanted. And what I wanted in that moment was to have Camila back in my life.

"Well..." She sighed, resting her hand on my shoulder. "I wholeheartedly hope you succeed. I know it was just the first step, but I'm rooting for her to forgive you. I'm here for whatever you need, Lauren."

I felt the woman pull me by the shoulders, enveloping me in her embrace.

"Even if she doesn't come back to me, I want to make sure that there are no more wounds between us, you know? It's my biggest wish."

"You'll succeed, Laur. I know you will."

*Flashback On*

I looked at the group of people gathered by the pool, while Ethan told his latest experiences with the school football team. As soon as I approached, the young boy waved at me, calling me to come closer. I stood beside him, and just stayed there watching the admired look on people's face while he told his stories, but on the other hand, my thoughts hovered over Vero's and Camila's proximity, they looked so happy, close, intimate. For some reason that bothered me, I knew that there was something wrong, Camila has been acting weird for the past few hours, she hardly spoke or got closer; what intrigued me was the fact that she didn't run to me, but to Veronica. Was she angry? Was she and Vero... No, Lauren, no.

I felt Ethan envelop me with one of his arms before depositing a soft kiss on my lips. I stared into his light eyes, and just smiled. In the background I could see Camila and Vero exiting the house, they were chatting and laughing, just like minutes ago. I looked away from both of them, to face the captain of the football team standing next to me. I didn't want to be annoyed with my friends, after all, what was the problem of seeing them so close?

"Did something happen?" Ethan whispered in my ear.

"Why?"

"You look so serious, you seem angry."

"It's nothing, Ethan. Don't worry."

"Alright! What do you think of going for a walk in a little while?"

I swallowed hard as soon as the boy finished his sentence. I remained silent for a few seconds before nodding briefly; Ethan let a broad and happy smile grace his face, to then turn his attention to his group of friends.

Great, two things to worry about now!

The rest of the afternoon was slow and torturous. Camila didn't unglue from Veronica not even for a minute, and I also didn't bother to approach them, I felt weirdly annoyed with the Latina and her lack of attention. I stood by Ethan's side the whole time, letting the chat between my friends and me be totally brief and trivial. It was night already, and the party at Ethan's house was at full steam, I had the feeling that at every instant the place got more and more full, maybe half of the school was present in that house.

"Now I'm going to truly start drinking!" Iglesias exclaimed excitedly as she approached beside Ally and Camila.

"I think you'd better stop, you're getting exalted." Camila said with a smile. "Don't you think, Lauren?"

"Must be."

"It has been so long since we were at a party like this, I feel exhausted." It was Ally's turn to groan as she stretched her arms.

"You all sound old, we still have the whole night ahead!"

"Oh, no way! I'm going to my room, enough party and drinks for today." Camila commented in a casual manner.

"You're going to leave Vero alone?"

The four of us stood in silence, while Camila and I exchanged glares. She looked confused, but didn't express herself more than that. Veronica approached me, resting her arm on my shoulders.

"I'm not going to be alone, Laur. I have you, Ally and so many other people. Camila really needs to rest, she had a very busy day."

"Of course she had, better to go really."

"Aren't you tired?"

"No, I'm not. I'm still going out with Ethan..."

"Speaking about him..." I heard Ally say, and then the young boy approached.

"Hey, girls" What do you think of my party so far?"

"Great! It just has a lot of douches, but other than that it's okay."

"Vero..." Camila scolded her. "It's really good, Ethan. But I'm going to go now, I have to go to my room."

"Already? Don't you want to stay and have more fun? We still have the whole night ahead of us."

"Better not, I'm-"

"Well, alright!" Ethan interrupted, clearly not interested in what she was going to say.

"Good night to you all, we'll talk later."

Camila said goodbye to everyone, but her eyes stayed on me. She knew that I was angry, but she also knew not to approach me and ask, and her pride stopped her from doing so. I also didn't make things easier for her, on the contrary, I let her leave. She didn't seem to miss me when she had Vero with her.

"So, you want to hang out with me? Josh brought his jeep, we can go for a ride."

Ally and Vero looked at each other, but remained silent. I flashed a fake and weak smile at the boy, and nodded.

"See you later, girls."

Before walking away next to the boy, I saw Camila standing by the door of the house, she was staring at me with an indecipherable expression. But then I felt the boy's fingers intertwine with mine and looked at his face, which had a happy countenance. I had nothing to fear, everything was right with him, right?

Wrong.

I closed my eyes tightly as I felt Ethan's messy kisses on my neck. We were on the seat of Josh's jeep, near his house, where people were enjoying the party. I took a deep breath, trying to get into the mood that only the boy seemed to be in.

"What is it, Lauren? You're so tense." He grumbled as he pulled away.

"I'm not in the mood for this."

"Why? You fought with your friends?"

I accommodated myself better on the car seat, looking at the huge house in the background. The music was loud, and even from somewhat afar we could see the cluster of people on the deck.

"Yes, I mean... No." He stayed quiet, staring at me in confusion. "Camila is acting strange, barely talks to me. I thought she was upset about something, so I let her be, and when I went after her, she was fine and joking around with Vero."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Excuse me? She's only acting this way with me, Ethan! Or she's only fine with Veronica! You needed to see how intimate they were, I even thought they were going to kiss." I exclaimed harshly.

"I don't doubt that at all." Ethan let out with a chuckle, and moved his body closer to me.

I frowned in confusion, when I felt the boy's wet lips on my skin again.

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"What? You don't know? There are a lot of rumors that your little friend is a lesbian." He said before biting the skin of my neck.

"I know that Vero likes girls, but she's not totally lesbian."

Ethan pulled away again, he was impatient with my talk.

"I'm not talking about Vero, I'm talking about Camila."

"What?"

I think he caught my surprised tone, and he let out an amused laugh as soon as he looked at me.

"I know! It's disgusting, right? But don't think about it, beautiful. You have a boyfriend, Camila is not going to hit on you."

I didn't have time to respond, immediately his thick lips sealed mine with want. The weight of Ethan's body was almost all over me, while his mouth remained glued to mine. He tasted like beer and cigarettes. I moved slowly, and then felt his hands on my legs, stroking them up and down, making me completely nervous, and not in a good way.

"Ethan..."

"Shhh, quiet."

"It's just that..." I tried to speak, but his mouth joined mine again.

My willingness to be there was almost nil, unlike Ethan, who seemed very excited about the occasion. I closed my eyes again, trying to concentrate, and even relax to surrender myself to the moment, but nothing had any effect. I felt uncomfortable with his hand on my body, with his lips on my skin. I always imagined my first time as a special moment, not that I expected candles and red roses on a bed; I expected a romantic, intense and sensual aura. I liked Ethan, but he still didn't convey me trust, complicity, maybe it was because of the short time we had spent together, or the lack of a serious relationship. I didn't want to give myself to him, not that night. He was drunk, and wasn't respecting my wishes.

"I can't..." I said impatiently, trying to push him away.

"Lauren, relax. It will be good, I promise."

The boy continued to kiss me, making me even more nervous. If I backed away, he'd see me as a spoiled girl, but if I continued it would be against my will. There was a battle going on in my thoughts, but all of them summed up to me saying no.

"No, I don't want to! I can't." I moved my body away, pushing him away from me.

I heard him huff angrily as he returned to his seat.

"Dammit! Why can't you?"

I moved closer to the window, looking at the sea water in the background.

"I can't..." I whispered.

"Lauren, it's not a big deal, it's just sex. Everyone does it."

"I know, Ethan, but I don't want to do it now. I don't feel ready!" I exclaimed nervously.

"This is what I get for messing with a virgin." He grumbled angrily.

I felt a knot forming in my throat, followed by that damn urge to cry. I looked away from his indifferent gaze as I straightened the shirt on my body. I was embarrassed, intimidated and confused. I wanted to get out of there, evaporate, disappear. My eyes burned as I tried to control the stubborn tears that wanted to come out.

"Is it because you're a virgin? Or are you also a filthy lesbian like your little friend?"

In that instant I felt my whole blood boil, not only because of the way he spoke to me, but because of the way he referred to Camila. My breathing got heavy, and I stared into his disgusting eyes and hit him with a sequence of slaps.

"Stop!" He tried to get hold of my hands. "Lauren!"

"Go fuck yourself, asshole!" I exclaimed nervously, still slapping him.

"Stop now!"

"Go to hell!" I shouted.

I quickly opened the jeep door and stepped outside. I saw his perplexed look before I slammed the door shut. He frowned angrily, and then drove out of there. The dust trail grew with his abrupt exit, but I didn't even care. I stood still while my breathless breath tried to calm down. It was then that it hit me, and I realized what had just happened. A knot formed in the middle of my throat, and that urge to cry took over me. I took a few deep breaths, trying to stay firm, but nothing was enough; the tears came, and in a large amount.

"Idiot! Stupid!" I exclaimed as my eyes melted with tears.

Uncontrolled, nervous and sad tears. It was all that I could feel in that moment. My almost boyfriend, a guy who I thought was someone good with a good heart, forced me to have sex, when I knew I wasn't ready. Was it so hard to understand? I didn't feel safe, I didn't want to do it, I didn't feel like doing it. And to make matters worse, he referred to my best friend in the most disgusting way possible. Dammit, who was that Ethan?

"You stupid fool, Lauren!" I slapped my hand against my head as I walked away from there.

I didn't want to go back to that house, to face Ethan's friends or even him. I felt ashamed, sad, as if everyone there knew what had just happened. I thought about going back home, but it was practically impossible, it was late and my house was on the other side of town, making it impossible to walk all the way there. I sat on the soft beach sand as I thought about what I could do now. I lowered my head, resting it on my knees, remembering every second inside that car. The tears fell again, this time with the taste of powerlessness. How could I have been so naïve? How could I see a good man in that little boy? So many signs and warnings were given by my friends, who at all costs tried to open my stupid and in love eyes. Camila had been right all along.

"Camila..."

Ethan's words came back to my head, hitting me hard, and then the images of Camila so close to Vero filled me with rage. Was it true? Camila really liked girls? No, it can't be. I shook my head, pushing such ideas away from my head. If she really was a lesbian, she would have told me, we're best friends. But what did it matter if she was? It wouldn't affect at all our friendship, nor her way of being. She'd still be the most amazing person I've ever had the pleasure to meet, right?

I lifted my head and stared at the illuminated house in the background. The wind brought the loud music to my ears, not with the same intensity, but with the certainty that the party was at full steam. I couldn't stay there, alone, I needed someone, I needed Camila. She was the only one there who could understand me, and bring me calmness in the midst of this storm.

*Flashback Off*

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NOTE: Well damn... The next chapter will be interesting... And it's even bigger than this one lol so I don't know if I can finish it all tomorrow, so maybe expect it on Monday.