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5hfanfiction · 6 years ago

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You Feel Like Magic To Me (1/2)

A/N: Hi guys! I’m back with a super duper long ass fic that i hope you guys will like :) It’s based off your typical ‘friends to lovers’ AU and the trigger warning is very mild as there are mentions of coming to terms with sexuality and coming out in general. I hope y'all stick around and read chapter 2 as well! :) Enjoy!

Lauren Jauregui was only six years old when she saw Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the theaters.

It was her first time watching a movie on the big screen and it was safe to say, she was enamored. Not only by the huge pictures in front of her eyes, but also because Harry was a wizard. The thought that someone could have magical powers and that a whole different world existed amongst humans was amazing to Lauren. She watched the entire movie with a new-found interest in magic and the imaginary school; excitedly telling her mom with a huge smile on her face and pigtails whipping pass her face, that “One day, I will be attending Hogwarts,”. She spent weeks talking with wide eyes about wands, moving pictures and broomsticks that her mother, Clara, knew exactly what to drees her up as for Halloween.

Lauren’s squeal could be heard by her neighbors when her green-eyes set on the Gryffindor robe presented to her by her mom. She had taken the liberty to rent it from a Halloween store near her house. Her tiny feet clad in socks covered in cartoon lightning bolts could not contain their excitement as they jumped up and down. Her father, Mike Jauregui, looked up from the daily newspaper he was reading, glasses perched up on his nose, with a small smile at his child’s antics. Lauren hugged her mother mercilessly mumbling small high-pitched thank yous into her body.

When the day to ‘trick or treat’ rolled about, Lauren was ready in her rented robe, circular glasses, a thin lightning scar on her forehead (drawn by herself with her mother’s lipstick) and a “potions pot” to collect candy, she was ready to hit the streets and get some sweets. She pretty much led the way with her mother trailing close behind to each of her neighbor’s houses, knocking on the door with heaps of other children dressed in their typical Halloween costumes; ghosts, Dracula, robots, zombies and the attire of random occupations. Lauren felt special in her robe that was threaded with yellow and red until she visited Mr. Howard’s house.

As it was already getting a bit late, there weren’t many children left. With a five-minute warning from her mother who was trailing behind her cautiously, she promised that this would be the last house. As she walked up to the house patio, she caught sight of another Gryffindor robe in front of her; worn by a girl who was most probably her age as well. Her brown hair was in a ponytail and her chocolate orbs was curious as to who was approaching and locked eyes with her. Lauren noticed that she had a broomstick with her and she felt stupid for not thinking about it. However, she was more excited to meet the girl who was also a Harry Potter fan. Walking closer to her and eyeing her outfit, Lauren smiled at the other girl; watching the other girl shyly smile at her back. She put out her hand, and said:

“Hi, I’m Lauren. What’s your name?”

The other girl looked startled at the polite gesture. She smiled, taking a while to understand her, and said “Camila Cabello”.

Her Spanish accent was strong, and Lauren was flabbergasted when the girl continued to talk to her, gesturing to her robe, in Spanish. Unfortunately, Lauren had very little knowledge in Spanish and could only nod. Camila must have realized that she couldn’t understand her, and her cheeks grew red. She looked helplessly to her mother, Sinu, who was also conversing with Lauren’s mother. “It’s okay,” Lauren assured her, causing her to look back at her, not sure if she could understand her, “I’m just happy someone else knows Harry Potter,” she declared with a small chuckle. After that, Mr. Howard finally came out to give them the candy they came for and they shyly waved to each other as they parted ways.

“Ma are they new here?” Lauren curiously asked her mom, as they walked back to their house hand-in-hand, her “pot” full of candy. Her mom looked at her with a smile.

“Yes, baby. They just moved her from Cuba a few weeks ago, it’s nice to have other Cuban people in this neighborhood,” Clara admitted, ruffling Lauren’s hair that was wild around her shoulders. “Apparently, the girl you saw today will be joining you in 2nd Grade next year. She’s taking English classes now so that it’ll be easier for her to follow the subjects here,” her mom clarified for her. Lauren nodded and thought about the girl in the robe. She wouldn’t mind being friends with her. Especially if she was nice, and she seemed like it.

—

A year passed, and Lauren was slowly riffling through the pages of the first Harry Potter book with her short chubby fingers that was in her hands as she sat in her 2nd Grade class waiting for the teacher to walk in. Her brows furrowed as she sat in class, trying to understand the difficult words in front of her. She made it her challenge to finish that book in a month. So, anytime she had free time, she would read the book. Her attention was snatched away when she heard someone calling her name, in a shy voice.

“Lauren?”

She looked up to find familiar brown eyes looking back at her and she smiled as recognition settled in. She got up from her chair and nodded, suddenly feeling shy in front of the Cuban girl; not knowing if she was better with English now. As if she was reading her mind, Camila’s eyes widened.

“Uh, I’m actually okay with English now,” she informed her, looking down at her shoes; her voice high-pitched and squeaky, then her eyes darted up to meet Lauren’s eyes, “I’m quite the fast learner, I mean, I still have more to learn and all but I-,” Camila rambled until Lauren cut her off with a hand on her shoulder and a smile on her face.

“Hey, that’s completely fine, Camila. You can hang out with me. I’ll show you around if you want,” the green-eyed girl politely offered her as Camila smiled at her and sat down next to her. After a few seconds, the teacher walked in, effectively cutting out any further communication between the two girls and Lauren shot her a sympathetic smile and silently gestured ‘later’ with her fingers to the Cuban girl.

Once class ended and it was time for their 30-minute recess, Lauren led Camila to the bench behind the school overlooking the worn-down playground in the yard; lunchboxes clutched in their hands as they sat next to each other on a bench. Coincidentally, the presence of PB&J’s could be seen in both of their lunchboxes and they exchanged a knowing look with each other; then quickly blabbering about how it’s their favorite food in the world. Unable to contain her curiosity, Lauren launched herself into a series of questions that ranged from “So, you’re from Cuba?” to “Do you like Frosted Flakes?”.

The two girls clicked immediately, bonding instantly over their shared heritage (“I’m Cuban too!). Camila entertained Lauren with stories on how she picked up learning English by watching TV Shows as well as through the classes she attended which helped her tremendously. She learned that Camila’s dad was still in Cuba and that he would find a way to come to America once he found a way to. Lauren noticed the mild sad look that flashed across Camila’s face even though Camila had denied it.

“He will come soon Camila, I’m sure of it,” remarked the raven-haired girl to her new friend. Camila simply smiled and asked Lauren to tell her about herself. Lauren talked to her about her obsession with Harry Potter which Camila quickly replied to with a “Me too!” and they ranted about the infamous movie together. She also talked to her about her favorite subject, English, and offered to help Camila in any way she could. The brunette smiled shyly but her reply was interrupted by the bell. They both shared a giggle before returning to class; the thought of making a new friend elevating both their moods. There was a certain ease that flowed between them; as if they were always meant to talk to each other.

Lauren had a feeling that this friendship would last.

——

“Laur……. wake up,”

Camila whispered as she nudged the sleeping girl next to her. This must be her 80th sleepover over the past 6 years. It was almost 5��oclock in the morning and Camila couldn’t sleep. The raven-haired girl was curled up in a fetus position next to her on the king-size bed in her own room. The thick duvet was tangled in between Lauren’s legs, naturally stealing the whole thing from Camila’s side. Her hair was in a mess; sprawled all over her shoulders and her face. Camila shifted her position, so she was propped up on her elbows and facing Lauren.

“Laur…. c’mon… it’s important,” the brown-eyed girl tried again, this time using her free hand to shake her friend’s shoulder slightly and sports a small endeared smile when she saw Lauren stirring awake with an irritated look on her face. She raised a hand and attempted to tame the thick mane of hair on her head; running her hand through her hair. An action that Camila had seen so many times throughout the years; knowing it to be a tick of nervousness, and in this case, restlessness. Sometimes Lauren reminded her of a cat when she woke up; the slight arch of her back and the lack of movement of her limbs.

“Camz,” Lauren said with her emerald eyes struggling to open, voice rough with sleep and tone threatening; causing Camila to slightly shuffle backwards instinctively. Camila had been on the receiving end of that tone many times, and it’s safe to say, it kind of scared her.

“I swear to you, if you woke me up just to ask me a stupid question I am gonna kick your a- “

“Do you think I’m funny?” Camila interrupted her, her voice low but determined, like she had been contemplating on this fact for hours (and she had); now sitting cross legged on the bed facing Lauren, a serious look adorning her face. Lauren, now fully awake, irritably sat up, wiping her eyes; hoping to make her tiredness vanish. She pulled down her slightly ridden up oversized black shirt and looked into Camila’s eyes; alarmingly intense for someone who just woke up.

“Yes.” Camila brightened up, a megawatt smile etched on her face.

“Really, are you serious?”

“No.” Lauren deadpanned and fell back into her previous position, turning her back to Camila, and mumbled something about “kicking ass”. Camila, flabbergasted at Lauren’s rudeness (not aware of her own) huffed and moved fast; grabbing Lauren’s shoulder, effectively turning her back around. Lauren’s eyes snapped to hers, and Camila pouted her bottom lip, hoping that it had the same effect on Lauren that it always has. Lauren’s eyes darted to her lips and she let out a sigh. Why did that always work? She brought her arm up to her forehead and focused her gaze on Camila; almost as if telling her to say what she wanted to say, now that she has her full attention. Camila took a deep breath and clapped her hands in front of her (something she always did when she was about to rant).

“Well, we’re starting high school in two months,” Camila ventured and played with her own fingers but was interrupted by a loud groan from Lauren; also earning an eye roll from her beloved best friend. The amount of times she had to hear Camila rant about high school was insurmountable. “Let me finish, you vampire,” Camila remarked restlessly, calling Lauren her favorite nickname for her as it coincides with her flawless alabaster skin and the sharp canines that are present in her mouth. She prided herself for coming up with that one. Lauren brought a pointer finger her to her lips; telling her she would be quiet now. Camila let out another sigh before she continued.

“We will be meeting so many new people and we will, unfortunately, have to interact with them. Ugh, interact!” Camila exclaimed loudly, causing Lauren to give her a look that said shut up or my parents will never let you sleep over again.

Camila got it (they have some telepathy link, don’t question it) and whisper-yelled, “I can’t do that! You, by first-hand, know how much of an awkward shy mess I was when I met you and now I must have more than one friend or else I’ll look like a total loser and complete loner! And we are gonna be stuck with the same group of people for 4 years! Don’t you think it’s a bit weird that we are our only fri-,” Camila stopped when she saw the glare that Lauren gave her.

“Okay, okay,” Camila surrendered with her hands up. “My point is, maybe if I’m funny, which to be honest with you, I really think I am,” Camila said with a small shrug of her shoulders, letting out a dramatic huff when Lauren coughed into her hand a strangled “yeah right”. Camila pointed an accusatory finger at her best friend with incredulity swimming in her eyes and justified her statement, “You know you laugh at my jokes, right? Who are you trying to fool, Laur? Hmmmm? You are the one giving me false hope!” Camila accused and ran her fingers through her hair and resumed before Lauren could interrupt her by putting up her pointer finger.

“All I’m saying is, to fit in, I think I need to be funny. People find funny people likable right? I can make more puns than usual…. Oh, I can even google some jokes online! People love jokes right? Ah, I’m just so stressed Laur, okay? I think I might have social phobia, I think I might need a therapist, I think i-“ Camila’s ridiculous speech is interrupted manually when Lauren leaned forward and put her hand over her mouth, a perfect eyebrow arched as she eyed Camila. There were too many rhetoric questions which the green-eyed girl couldn’t keep up with.

“Are you done yet? My head is hurting… listening to you speak,” She said with a yawn, taking her hand down from Camila’s mouth and instead taking Camila’s hand in hers and intertwining their fingers. She could see the heavy breaths that her best friend was taking so she looked intently into Camila’s eyes; hoping to calm her down.

“We’ve talked about this before Camz, just be yourself,” Lauren assured slowly, making sure Camila heard her, “And even then, if no one wants to be friends with you, then they don’t deserve to be your friend. And okay, I admit it,” Lauren said, rolling her eyes playfully, “You might be a little funny, but having a good sense of humor isn’t the only thing that makes someone eligible to be a friend. You don’t have to try to improve yourself so that others like you, likability isn’t everything. And besides, you still have me, right?” She told her in a low tone, brushing her thumb over Camila’s knuckles. Camila managed to even her breathing, listening to Lauren talk. Lauren was always the rational and sensible one, whereas Camila tended to overthink everything and make herself panic for no reason.

Lauren always had a way to bring Camila back to Earth and she was forever grateful for that. She didn’t even know she had her eyes closed until she opened them and saw emerald eyes focused on her with a smile that was infectious. Camila nodded, taking in Lauren’s words and holding them close to her heart. She fell back onto the bed; finding a comfortable position on her pillow. She turned her head to her right and she saw Lauren still watching her. Camila gave her a cheeky smile.

“I know I’ll always have you Laur,” confirming Lauren’s words from earlier, “but I think I’m getting a little sick of you,” she said feigning nonchalance as she checked her fingernails and a small smirk grew on her lips. She then heard Lauren’s laugh bounce across the room; causing her heart to jump as her best friend mumbled a quiet shut up, you love me, now sleep into her neck as she cuddled closer to Camila. Her quiet snores filled the room in mere minutes and Camila felt content.

She really did love her best friend.

Platonically of course.

——

Both took a few deep breaths before walking into the alma mater that would be their source of education for the next four years. They had picked out their outfits with slight panic (mostly Camila) the day before, hoping that they will be able to convey good vibes through them. Lauren particularly cared less, sticking to her standard skinny black jeans with a few torn holes in them and a faded band t-shirt, whereas Camila shuffled through her whole closet looking for the outfit that was the one. She emphasized to Lauren that “first impressions matter”, and she really didn’t want to look like a noob, especially since her elementary school clothes looked like they were puked out by a unicorn and suddenly seemed too small for her. All bright colors and glitter. The opposite of Lauren’s wardrobe. Lauren found it cute.

“Of course you do, you’re blinded by our friendship!” exclaimed a frustrated Camila to Lauren who was laying down on Camila’s bed, having gone through her wardrobe for the fifth time, still unable to find something that satisfied her. With that, Lauren, finally having enough of Camila’s antics got up from the bed and took her hand, dragging her out from her bedroom and down the stairs.

“That’s it,” she said with a definite tone to the brunette whose hand she was holding, “You are coming over to my place and you can borrow my clothes. And, no, don’t fight me, we are going shopping tomorrow after school to get you the clothes that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear. Okay?” she said without waiting for an answer from Camila and letting her walk with her free will once they were outside to Lauren’s house which was just down the street.

Finally, Lauren managed to find an outfit for Camila which was suitable in Camila’s eyes. She settled with dark blue jeans and a white flowery blouse. Lauren had to admit that Camila looked good, her eyes raking up her friend’s body proudly. Thankfully, they were around the same height, so they could borrow each other’s clothes if they wanted. Camila wore a white bow on her head (as she had an extensive bow collection) paired with the outfit, though she admitted to Lauren that she might stop wearing them soon.

As they walked toward the auditorium for their orientation, they felt as if they were fresh bait, and in this situation, they kinda were. Gone were the days of boys who were shorter than them and sported boyish looks that were immature and unattractive.

The boys they saw had chiseled jaws and towered over them; some wearing their signature sport jackets. It was obvious that there were a few boys who were crossing the line of appropriate and flaunted their ego as they whistled when the two girls walked by. Lauren wrapped a protective arm over Camila’s shoulder as she saw her best friend’s cheeks flush like she’s never seen them before. Camila eyed Lauren and mouthed “How are they so hot?” as they walked into the auditorium, finding seats for them amongst the sea of freshman. Lauren simply rolled her eyes at her response, not expecting anything less from her friend of 6 years.

She’s seen enough movies with Camila to know that her friend was easily attracted to boys. She’s heard her fawn over the lead actor and wish that she was in the heroine’s position. She was a romantic and a sucker for a good-looking dude. The only downside is that 80% of the good-looking dudes were also douchebags. And she has told Camila this fact many times but was often waved off by Camila asking her “not to kill her vibe”. The boys from the school hallways didn’t really phase her much.

She always found herself feeling as if boys didn’t really interest her much. Maybe she should give them some time.

Because Lauren was blessed with goddess-like features, she was often the target for boys, though she never pursued them; telling herself that she was too young for a relationship (but in truth, she was just scared). She had piercing green eyes and thick eyebrows that framed them, followed by a perfect nose and plump lips. Lauren did not look her age, and she blamed it on puberty. She only got the devil’s curse last year, but it had made some major progresses in the way that Lauren looked; sharpening her features and even making her voice lower than it already was, giving it a slight rasp.

Camila on the other hand, was a late bloomer, often complaining about the lack of boobs and butt her body possessed. The only real effect it had on Camila that was noticeable for now was her voice; her once high-pitched and squeaky voice was now low and controlled. Lauren assured her that her body will change, and it will take time, “Every person is different Camz, and please stop poking my boobs, you’ll get your own soon”.

On a few alarming events, Lauren had found herself admiring a girl or another at random places. Maybe at the shopping mall, or the streets or even the theaters. She had always admired heroines on screen (Hermione Granger, duh) and lead actresses, but she always chalked that up to admiration. She wanted to be like them. She idolized them and their qualities. She didn’t dwell on it much, even today when she noticed the cheerleaders and the beautiful girls in the hallway alongside the jocks too. She told herself it’s admiration like a mantra; for she was afraid that it might be something that she couldn’t come to terms with then.

She was snapped out of her worries when she heard the deafening screech of a microphone as the Principal tried to talk into it. Half the auditorium flinched, including the brown-haired girl next to her.

“Hello everybody, and welcome to Miami High!” announced the grey-haired Principal with an excited tone. The students clapped, though rather unenthusiastically, and listened to the rest of the Principal’s speech. After that, the students were divided into five groups and escorted around the high-school so that they were able to see the field, the gym, the cafeteria, the likes of their classes, the office, the teacher’s lounge and so much more. Excitement and slight apprehensiveness filled the air as the freshman felt like their lives were going to accelerate from this point on.

At the end of the day, all the students were gathered at the gym so that all clubs and societies that wished to promote themselves, could. Clubs like Science and Mathematics, Debate, and even those that revolved around religion made their short presentations, giving the freshman the details of where and when their meetings would be held and what to expect if they joined the club.

Camila, however, perked up when the Glee Club made their speech. She always felt at home with music; it always being there no matter what language she understood. She remembers listening to the radio on the way to America for the first time, the notes and the melody of whatever song that was playing calming her instantly. Ever since then, music had always been her passion. She learned the guitar at the age of ten by herself and found equity doing so. Naturally, she started singing as well. Lauren, after hearing her for the first time, was flabbergasted at her talent. She complimented her with wide eyes and a bright smile, telling her that her voice was “amazing and unique!” and proceeded to give her a tight hug; telling her she was going to be a superstar. The alabaster skinned girl always found a way to boost up her ever-unsteady confidence.

On the other hand, Lauren was always inclined to sports. She had a history of playing softball with her family and even in elementary school. She loved the thrill it always brought her; the air stacked with competitiveness and the hammering of her heart when she felt sweat roll off her face. It also helped that she looked damn good in a uniform, as pointed out by Camila. “You’ll have an ass like mine soon, don’t worry Camz”, Lauren had cheekily retorted to her best friend; earning a playful punch to the shoulder for that.

So, when she saw that the Softball team was recruiting, she was excited to join. Not to mention the fact that the girl who was presenting was breathtaking with her wavy blonde hair and lithe figure, but Lauren would never admit that to herself.

“Lauren, I think I know what club I’m joining,” A distracted Camila with reddening cheeks remarked, still eyeing the cute boy with the blue eyes and curly hair who had presented for the Glee Club. A minor perk, she thought; attempting to get rid of the butterflies in her stomach. She always found colored eyes beautiful, ever since she saw Lauren’s.

“I think I know too,” Lauren replied as she followed the blonde head until she disappeared out the gym; a thundering heart conflicting the staged thoughts in her head.

——

“Who the hell picked Mulan for the five-hundredth time?” Camila huffed as she sat down on the carpeted floor of Lauren’s living room in her pajama pants and faded Spongebob t-shirt; eyes catching sight of the Disney symbol appearing on the TV.

“Don’t look at me, Chanch…. you much rather look towards your best friend over there,” a tall dirty-blonde haired girl remarked from her slumped position on the black leather couch. She was in the process of checking Twitter for the umpteenth time that day and indignantly pointed her finger towards the kitchen where her green-eyed friend remained preparing the popcorn.

“How do you even know it’s Mulan? … It hasn’t even started, also, I’m pausing it because the girl of the house isn’t here yet, Lauren hurry up!” a dark-skinned girl with flawless skin and perfect teeth bellowed, taking the remote from the tall girl next to her on the couch and paused the DVD player.

“Mani, the kitchen is really not that far away, I can hear you fine if you talk with your normal volume thank you very much,” the raven-haired girl sassed as she walked into the living room seconds later with two green bowls filled to the brim with popcorn in each hand; the buttery smell causing everyone to whip their heads to the delicious snack; earning collective “That smells so good” and “God, I’m hungry”.

Lauren passed one bowl to the two girls on the couch and maneuvered around them, sitting next to Camila on the floor and placed the other bowl in front of them.

“I know it’s Mulan because,” Camila directed her narrowed gaze to Lauren who had a messy bun on her head as she sported a done-with-your-shit tone when Lauren pretended to pay attention to the movie that had just been resumed, “It’s the only Disney DVD that this vampire possesses. And we have watched it a million times,” she finished with a whine; head tipped back.

“I don’t mind though. Mulan is such a badass,” retorted the dark-skinned girl, munching on popcorn and Lauren turned her head around with a huge smile on her face and gave her friend a high-five with a “Yes, Mani understands”.

“It wouldn’t hurt to have a Lion King disc in this house,” the dirty-blonde retorted, sending an unamused glare at Lauren and holding it; her phone finally put down. “I mean, its only the best movie Disney has ever created,” she said with a small smirk as she saw Lauren whip her head to the opposite side of the couch with her jaw comically open; ready to start a debate.

“Okay, y’all better stop before it even starts,” Camila quipped, putting both her pointer fingers up, one directed at Dinah, and the other at Lauren. “Forget I said anything, lets just watch the movie okay? Okay,” she answered herself.

Lauren simply narrowed her eyes at the blonde and the other does the same back. She playfully does the I’m watching you gesture with her hand and the other girl does the same back to her with a smirk placed on her face. Lauren broke her serious façade and chuckled throwing popcorn at the other girl who, with surprisingly fast reflexes, caught it and popped one into her mouth; giving her a victorious wink. Lauren childishly stuck her tongue out at her and whipped her head back to the TV with a chuckle; entertained by her friend’s antics.

Dinah, the dirty-blonde, became friends with Camila through Glee Club. When Camila attended the audition for Glee Club, looking like a scared puppy, Dinah, the ever-active social butterfly who was also a freshman, approached her with her boisterous attitude and personality. Camila was majorly shy at first, thinking Dinah was older than her because of her height and her looks. Who the hell looks like this at fourteen, she thought to herself eyeing her mature features.

But when Dinah sat with her throughout the meeting and made funny jokes and highly inappropriate comments about the teacher as well as some seniors, the brunette had her hand covering her wide-open mouth as she couldn’t believe the straight-forwardness that the blonde had; deciding that she needed this person in her life and unable to deny the spontaneity of their friendship. It continued to progress as they talked about their passion for music and their favorite artists and deepened even more when they heard each other sing.

Dinah’s voice was smooth like silk but at the same time strong and soulful; it had Camila’s mind reeling with disbelief and amazement.

“Are you sure you’re not related to Beyoncé? Because you kinda look…. and sound like her” Camila extolled her with genuine curiosity, totally starstruck after listening to her new friend’s audition.

“Pfft, I wish,” the dirty blonde flipped her hair over her shoulders playfully, giggling after that with a shy smile on her face and voiced a soft thank you.

After Camila’s audition, the blonde practically ran towards her and engulfed her in a bone-crushing hug. Camila, not used to that type of contact with a person she had met only a few hours ago, had cheeks red as a tomato once put down by the other girl whose smile was so pretty that it was hard to look at.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized sheepishly, still grinning at Camila, “I’m just so happy that you’re amazing at singing, cause I want to stay friends with you cause you’re really nice, and I can’t be friends with you if I have to lie to your face all the time, that’s just cruel, so thank God that you can sing,” she rambled, gesturing wildly with her hands; her chocolate orbs meeting another hue in Camila’s.

Camila’s smile couldn’t go any wider.

And when she introduced her to Lauren the next day during lunch at the cafeteria, her heart soared when they clicked instantly, comparing passions and jokingly throwing jabs at each other. Both of their carefree spirits clashed, and a new friendship bloomed right in front of Camila’s eyes. She was so happy.

Lauren met Normani Kordei during the softball tryouts. The other girl was warming up, bending in positions that Lauren couldn’t even dream of reaching and found herself staring. Embarrassingly, that’s how they met for the first time.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” the dark-skinned girl mocked as she felt the green-eyed girl’s eyes boring into her.

Flushing a deep red, Lauren instantly looked away and attempted to explain herself; just realizing just how creepy it was to stare like a moron.

“I’m so sorry, you’re just so flexible,” she explained with a shy grin, her eyes unable to meet the other girl’s; reprimanding herself for being a weirdo. Attempting to steer clear of an awkward conversation she added, “Do you do gymnastics or something?”.

The dark-skinned girl who had been watching the girl with a lopsided grin adorning her face, let out a small giggle; getting up from her position on the ground, sweat shining on her forehead. “Yeah, I actually did,” she confirmed, showcasing her pearly whites. “What’s your name?” she asked.

Lauren sputtered, not expecting her to engage in conversation after acting like she did. “Um, I’m Lauren. Lauren Jauregui, I’m a freshman” she told her, a shy smile on her face. The other girl gave her a toothy smile in return and told her, “My name’s Normani, I’m a freshman too and it’s nice to finally meet someone new… even though you kinda forced our interaction,” the black-haired girl who had her hair in a ponytail teased her with a smirk on her face.

Lauren’s eyes widened.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to stare, I know it’s rude, but I swear I’m not a weirdo,” she ranted, her eyes meeting the dark ones of the other girl’s pleadingly; hoping to have repaired some damage. Normani just lets out a laugh and slings an arm around Lauren, urging her to walk with her on the field, effectively turning her around in the process. “I’ll be the judge of that,” she commented, smirk still in place. Lauren was about to respond but got interrupted by the blow of a whistle. Normani only shrugged and let go off her, leaving Lauren to let out a frustrated sigh.

The tryouts carried out flawlessly for Lauren. She managed to meet the coach’s expectations and she even passed the fitness training that they had. She felt content with her tryout and felt ecstatic when the coach gave her two thumbs up after she was done. She met Normani’s amused glare a couple of times and simply shrugged. She also realized that the blonde who had presented on the first day was there with all the other team members, watching and assessing the newcomers and she felt a blush warm up her cheeks as she managed to get a closer look at the girl.

She noted her long blonde hair that was in a ponytail just like hers was and her sharp features, especially her jawline. She shook her head, getting rid of her wandering thoughts; not wanting to be distracted on this important day.

Normani wasn’t far behind; her speed and agility were prominent. She would be perfect to run base, Lauren thought, amazed with her skills. The coach seemed to like her as well, giving her two thumbs up as well.

As she gathered her stuff in the locker room, the blonde from the auditorium approached her and Lauren felt like throwing up. Out of fear or out of excitement she couldn’t tell.

“Great play out there, I’m looking forward to seeing more of you,” she complimented, a soft palm on her shoulder; causing Lauren’s brain to short circuit for a second before replying with a soft “Thank you. I hope so too” before the blonde, flashed her perfect white teeth and rushed off. Holy shit, she’s so beautiful, Lauren thought absentmindedly; as she replayed the moment in her head repeatedly, not realizing just how incredibly gay she was acting. It’s probably just a minor girl crush. People have those right?

Before exiting the locker room, Normani caught up with her; her outfit changed after taking a shower and proceeded to sing her praises. Lauren blushed and thanked her, before finally starting a conversation that did not start on a bad-note. She fawned over her amazing skills as well before asking her about her previous school, her parents, her passions and Normani did the same with her. They spent their time walking and talking back to the entrance of the school and they exchanged numbers. Lauren found out that Normani had a great sense of humor and was a very humble person; it warmed her heart.

She introduced her to Camila and Dinah the next day and felt her smile grow when they speedily gelled with each other; questions and puns bouncing off the bubble that the four of them had created for themselves. She met Camila’s eyes at the table and smiled at her; holding her gaze, knowing that they were thinking the same thing.

They couldn’t have asked for a better pair of friends.

This lead to them hanging out whenever the four of them could. Basking in each other’s company and building a bond that was solid. So much laughter, meaningful talks and even inside jokes developed between them. Trips to malls, theaters, amusement parks, and the regular sleepovers that happened in either girl’s house were a constant for them. Because they also had classes together, they even studied together and opted to be paired with each other whenever there were paired assignments or groupwork to be done.

“We have successfully formed a clique! Isn’t this exciting!” exclaimed Camila one day; effectively interrupting the heated debate that was going on between Normani and Lauren about the likes of pineapple on pizza; causing them both to turn to Camila with annoyance.

“Mila, why do you make everything sound uncool….,” Dinah said uninterestedly from her position on Camila’s bed, during their first ever sleepover together as a foursome.

“Shut up CheeChee,” Camila huffed her nickname for Dinah and rested her head on Lauren’s shoulder next to her. Lauren instantly lost her irritation.

“Aw, Camzi, don’t be sad, you’re uncool, but we like that about you,” Lauren purred into Camila’s ears with a baby voice; causing Normani in front of her to wince.

“Girl, speak for yourself,” the dark-skinned girl supplied, feigning indifference, and got a high-five from Dinah who had leaned over Lauren and Camila with a loud “Yas girl!”; practically shoving her boobs in front of their faces.

Camila sat up abruptly and shoved Dinah away from Normani with one hand and got fake angry, trying to suppress a smirk as she pointed a finger at her. “You traitor! You will pay!” she yelled as she jumped on top of her, simultaneously grabbing a pillow and straddling her and whacking Dinah’s body with it.

(Camila can be coordinated if she really wanted to, even though she was an uncoordinated mess 80% of the time)

All of them knew that Dinah was strong enough to beat all of them up without even using half of her strength, but she feigned weakness as she cried “Stop it! I’m dying! You’re a monster!” to Camila in a British-accent (nobody knows why), with her hands outstretched in front of her and trying to stop the blows from the pillow Camila was holding.

Lauren and Normani exchanged a look that can only be translated to why are we friends with these children before smirking at each other and snatching the pillow from Camila’s hand. They then pull Camila off Dinah into the space next to her. She screamed bloody betrayal as all three of her friends ganged up on her and tickled her, her laughs ricocheting and echoing through the room.

Which brings us back to their Mulan movie night a year later, where Camila heard Dinah and Normani’s slight snores behind her. And where Lauren’s head was on her lap and her fingers subconsciously ran through her luscious hair. Camila silently watched as the heroine in front of her saved China and she couldn’t be more satisfied.

——

No matter how much time the foursome spent together, Lauren and Camila would always find time only for the both of them. They hung out mostly at their own houses, just reveling in the presence of the other girl. Lauren laid down on Camila’s bed as Camila strummed a few notes on her guitar, sitting on the chair adjacent to the bed.

Sophomore year is about to end soon, and it scared them how fast the years are going by.

There were small changes that resided between both the girls, externally and internally. Externally, it was more related to the reputation that they had in school. Lauren was known as one of the best softball players on the team. Her name was chanted during every game; often being the player which manages to win them the game. Every time, she sees Dinah and Camila on the stands, shouting their heads off; faces painted with their school’s softball team colors. Knowing how much Camila despised sports in general but still took time to learn the rules and regulations of the game just so that she could come and support Lauren, meant everything to her.

Dinah was much more aggressive than Camila, shouting expletives at the referee at every foul he gave the school team (even though sometimes he would be right); causing Camila to clumsily cover her mouth and try to calm her down before they got kicked out from the stands. Every time Lauren would hit a homerun, she’d run all bases and whip her head to the stands just to give Camila a flying kiss.

(She convinced herself it was for Dinah too)

(But deep down, she knew that was not true)

The emerald-eyed girl found out the blonde girl from the auditorium’s name as she played on the team as well. It was Ashley Frangipane and she thought it was the most beautiful name ever.

It got harder and harder for the girl to dismiss the way her body reacts whenever she sees the other girl.

She had only ever exchanged friendly-teammate conversation with her; mostly talking about the game or new tactics that they could use. The blonde was also the captain of the team, so she was always there for every practice and it made Lauren’s heart trash around. As they always played mock games, Lauren’s eyes would find themselves trained on the blonde girl and her limber figure.

They trailed over the curves of her body constantly and spent the most time on the girl’s face. Plump lips, prominent cheekbones and a sharp jawline had turned Lauren into complete mush; unable to control her ever-growing crush. Normani had caught her staring and being distracted one day, and she confronted her about it; noting the dreamy look in Lauren’s eyes.

“Something you want to tell me, Lauren?” Normani asked with exhortation lacing her tone as their practice ended, a small smirk on her face as her black eyes shifted to Lauren’s.

Lauren flushed and gave Normani an angry look, suddenly feeling defensive but mostly fear. “There’s nothing to tell, Normani. Now back off, and mind your own business,” she reprimanded with an annoyed gaze aimed at Normani, tone hard but faltering at the end, reflecting the fear she possessed as she rushed to the showers without waiting for Normani.

She felt guilty for letting out her frustration at the dark-skinned girl and immediately apologized to her as she exited the shower; finding her in the locker room with a sad smile and an apologetic look on her face. Lauren simply shook her head and wrapped her arms around her; mumbling a “sorry” into her neck. Normani nodded; she understood.

Lauren thought about her feelings for Ashley that night. She had been feeling this way for a long time and Ashley was a senior. And to make it an even more impossible catch, she had a boyfriend and was very blatantly straight. She often caught Ashley talking about boys or gushing about the cute things her boyfriend did for her. She always felt a twinge of jealousy in her heart and she despised it. It makes her feel sticky and disgusting, but it hurt her even more because she knew that her love could never be reciprocated.

She doesn’t know why it’s so hard for her to accept. She supported the LGBT+ community with her whole soul, but it didn’t occur to her just how much of conflict they go through finding themselves until she experienced it herself.

It made sense, she figured. The constant excitement to see heroines in action, the constant rejection of boys who had asked her out, the confusing dreams, the way her heart thumped against her chest when she saw beautiful girls like Ashley, or even Cami-, oh no, that was her best friend, she dismissed.

(She thinks of the word beautiful, and all she can come up with are two names. Not knowing the significance of the latter until later)

But she finally realized that it wasn’t admiration, it was longing. She was finally coming to terms with who she was; a tear slipping out of her eye as she thought about how her traditional family would ever accept her or how her beloved mom would react. It’s the uncertainty that was killing her.

Camila was popular in her own way. She was known for always performing at school events with the Glee Club by her side. She enjoyed it, feeling the rush of a combination of both excitement and nervousness before grabbing a mic and giving her all into it. People seemed to love her voice, often getting compliments from random students after her performance and people begging her to start her own YouTube channel. She even had the chance to play a side character, Anita, in her school’s adaptation of the musical “West Side Story”.

With each performance, Camila’s shyness was slowly stripped away to bare a much more confident woman that wasn’t scared of social interaction anymore. She had a shining new attitude and Lauren beamed at the changes her best friend was going through; watching from the sidelines and feeling so proud. Lauren was there for every single performance, shouting at the top of her lungs once they were done; clapping her hands ferociously and catching the sight of Camila looking at her with huge smile on her face.

Sometimes, Camila looked for her in the audience and when she found her, she cracked a smile and winked; Lauren’s heart thundering in its cage for the sole reason that she was in love with Camila’s voice. Yes, her voice.

That’s what they did, support each other.

Camila’s crush for the blue-eyed boy in her club was slowly growing to be unmanageable. He had a smile that made Camila’s knees weak and a voice that made her heart skip a beat. They would usually sing together as their voices go well together.

(Camila liked to think that they would go well together too.)

“Cheechee, I swear Drew looked at me when he was rehearsing today,” she informed Dinah excitedly, daydreaming about his broad shoulders and lean body along with the angular features that shaped his face. She just wished she could run her fingers through his shabby black hair. Dinah simply yawned, “Ugh, why are you so gone for this boring white boy, haven’t you seen Mario?” Dinah retorted, licking her lips thinking about the senior. “Mmmm, now that’s a tall drink of water,” Dinah fantasized, thinking about the chocolate-skinned hunk who was also in Glee Club with a voice so smooth it made butter seem rough, as Dinah would put it.

Camila would just roll her eyes, mumbling something about “not getting it” as she daydreamed for the rest of the club meeting. She had talked to him a few times, mostly about practice and which notes she could improve on, but nothing more. However, sometimes, she would catch him staring at her during practice; only for him to quickly turn away when she does. She internally squealed every time, so sure that it could mean something.

Does he like me back? The brown-eyed girl pondered; a little excited but scared at the same time having no experience in relationships at all. He was a year older than her, but that was because he had to repeat his sophomore year.

Camila was determined to find out though, she had to shoot her shot.

Returning to Camila’s room, Lauren’s head swam as she thought about ways to break the news about her new discovery to the brunette. She slowly sat up and leaned against the headboard of the bed; her eyes darting over to the brunette who was concentrating on her guitar as she strummed a few notes that strangely sounded like “Hello” by Lionel Richie. Her eyes raked over the messy brown hair that framed her friend’s face; noticing how her face had been looking a little bit more mature lately. It had become longer in a way, making her cheekbones stand out; giving Camila a strong Latin look. Lauren smiled as she took all of this in in awe and thought, my best friend is so beautiful.

Camila looked up then, feeling Lauren’s intense eyes on her; goosebumps rising on her skin. She gave her a lopsided smile, putting her guitar down and climbing onto the bed next to her. Her long legs stretched out in front of her; matching Lauren’s position and looks over to the emerald-eyed girl who is still staring ahead. She had a tense air around her which made Camila frown.

“Hey,” she said, putting a few fingers on Lauren’s chin and turning it so she would face her; but her eyes were trained on Camila’s plain red shirt instead. Camila saw the furrows between Lauren’s eyebrows and coaxed, voice low, “What’s wrong, Laur?”. Lauren visibly tensed up then, her eyes slowly making their way up to Camila’s face and settling on the two chocolate orbs that always seemed to be there for her when she needed them. They looked into each other’s eyes for a moment and Lauren’s heart pounded in her chest; not because of their proximity (that’s what she told herself) but because she was about to reveal a part of her that she had kept hidden from Camila for a few weeks, and her acceptance meant so much to her; it hurt for her to think otherwise.

Lauren took a deep breath and looked away from Camila, breaking their eye contact. She then shifted her position to sit cross-legged so that she was fully facing her. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath, putting a finger up to silence Camila’s worried “What’s going on?”.

“Camz, I’m going to tell you something and you have to promise me you will not say anything forat least 30 seconds, not until you process it, okay?” Lauren drawled nervously, her voice shaking slightly; like she was holding in tears (and she was). Camila opened her mouth to say something but closed it and nodded instead, now sitting cross-legged as well as she faced Lauren as well; feeling like she could cut the tension with a knife.

There was pin drop silence before Lauren blurted out the two words that she had been dreading for weeks.

“I’m gay,”

Lauren kept her eyes on Camila and was slightly mesmerized by the series of expressions that passed her face.First, it was very neutral, her eyes just looking at Lauren like she was trying to connect the words she just heard to the person who was sitting in front of her. Then, it was recognition. Her eyebrows arched higher than Lauren knew they could ever go and her mouth parted slightly, like she was dumbfounded by the information. And lastly it was happiness, a wide grin taking place on her face as she processed the new information and Camila felt her eyes brim with tears of joy and relief, worried that Lauren would tell her some horrible news; and this was nowhere close to that.

Before the 30 seconds was up, Camila had jumped forward into Lauren arms, hugging her like a Koala Bear; her face buried into Lauren’s neck and long arms clutching onto her. Camila felt Lauren hugging her with equal desperation and she felt tears on her neck; her heart wobbled in her heart and she moved her hands up and down Lauren’s back trying to tell her that everything was going to be okay. She didn’t say anything though, keeping her promise to Lauren that way. After what felt like 2 minutes but was probably only 20 seconds, Camila pulled back and brushed the tear tracks that were on Lauren’s cheeks with a watery smile and chastely kissed each one before hugging her tightly again.

“I’m so happy you decided to tell me, Laur. You know this doesn’t change anything for me, right? You’ll still be my vampire, Laur, you can’t get rid of me that easily,” she murmured into Lauren’s ears; lips brushing her earlobes. Lauren was ticklish, so she let out a little giggle and kissed Camila’s cheek when she pulled back.

“I love you,” Lauren said, her eyes shining with happy tears.

"I love you more,” came the instant reply from Camila. “I’ll be with you every step of the way, Laur. I’ll always be by your side,”

And Camila kept her promise when Lauren decided to tell her family the next week, standing right next to her. She was there when her mother simply smiled at Lauren and replied, “And the sky is blue,”.

She had the pleasure to see the blatant dubiety in Lauren’s eyes before they filled with tears and she ran into her mother’s arms. Clara and Lauren both told her father later in the evening when he came back. Camila simply waited in Lauren’s room assuring her that she will be right there; not wanting to intrude on an unofficial family meeting. When Lauren opened her bedroom door, walked in without a word and sat on the bed, Camila assumed the worst. She quickly shuffled closer to Lauren, ready to comfort her when Lauren simply burst out in laughter. Camila was slightly worried until Lauren collected herself and searched for Camila’s eyes.

“He said the same thing, Camz. The same…. freaking…thing,” she declared, wiping the tears from her eyes and hugging Camila tightly.

“I’m so grateful for all of you. So grateful,” Lauren croaked, her voice breaking in the end.

When the news was broken to Dinah and Normani after they came over after school, they simply shrugged and said, “We know,”. Dinah gave a pointed look at her and disclosed, “Haven’t you seen the way you dress?” with a raise of one of her perfectly trimmed eyebrows.

Lauren looked dumbfounded, superbly confused at all the nonchalant reactions she had been getting from the people who were close to her, well, excluding Camila, but Camila was a master at being oblivious, so no surprise there.

Normani simply said one word, “Ashley,” and Lauren’s cheeks turned a deep red. Seeing the fierce reaction from only the mention of a name, Dinah gasped loudly and glared at Lauren, “Oh girl, you better have not be keeping the details of a juicy relationship from me,” she taunted, cracking her knuckles and taking a step closer to Lauren.

“You better tell me who this Ashley girl is, or so help me Lauser, I wi-“

“Okay, okay jeez guys, can ya’ll just chill, there’s no such relationship” Lauren tried to calm them down but only managed to heighten Dinah’s feeling of being left out; “Oh, I am chill, you haven’t seen me not chill”.

Camila, however, felt a sudden pang in her chest at the mention of the girl’s name and the implications behind it. It confused her, a frown taking place on her face, but she categorized it to feeling left out as well. She then joined in on Dinah’s you-better-tell-me-now-or-I’ll-kick-your-ass speech to Lauren. Lauren waved her arms up and down yelling “Okay!”multiple times before diving into her story of her crush and the total failure it came to be.

Camila felt a bit better after that.

(It’s only because Lauren isn’t keeping anything from her anymore, nothing else)

——-

Lauren and Camila got their first kisses in the middle of their junior year; both their kisses happening in slightly different ways that they had imagined.

Once junior year started, Lauren had fully embraced her new self and was completely open with her sexuality in school. News travelled like wildfire throughout the narrow hallways of the school and the students took it relatively well, though she still got some dirty looks from her peers. She didn’t really care though, because those that were most important to her were right next to her with their never-ending support. Lauren became sort of a safety beacon, as after she came out, other boys and girls alike came out themselves. It was as if they needed someone to do it first for them to have the confidence to. A few of them had come up to Lauren with words laced with candy, praising her bravery and her confidence. She could only blush deeply and say “thank you” when they did.

It also seemed like puberty had decided to take another round on her.

She had become taller, curves shaping her body at all the right places; highlighted by the torn black skinny jeans and low-cut t-shirts that she always wore. Her cheekbones and jawline were much more prominent than they were before, bringing out her eyes more than usual. Also, because of softball, she gained a toned body that was flawlessly showcased whenever she wore crop tops; her slight abs peeking through. She lost all the excess baby fat that she had. She looked hot and the stares she often got confirmed them.

However, she was not the only one.

Dinah had pleaded and begged and probably bribed Camila (Lauren chose to believe that) to join a beginner hip-hop dance class with her that was just outside town. The excuse she used on Camila was connected to the lack of coordination that she possessed and convinced her that she needed it if she wanted to be the lead actress for the musical production of ‘Grease’ that the Glee Club was going to produce for their senior year. Camila reluctantly agreed and followed her to the first class. She had almost quit right after because of the obvious lack of dancing skills that she possessed, but Dinah (like the Devil) pestered her, persuaded her that it was very common and all she had to was just be a bit confident with herself. Class after class passed by, and major changes were being achieved in both Dinah and Camila. Both weren’t even plump to begin with, but with the unusual sweaty activity that was foreign to both of them, their bodies slowly started to lose all the baby fat that resided in it as well.

Dinah lost weight in her face and her hips, making her look leaner and taller than usual. Her cheekbones making a more pronounced appearance, and her curvalicious body turned heads. Camila’s face was slowly losing the fat in it which made her jawline only that much sharper. She also ditched her lengthy bow collection and got a better hairstyle; side bangs and layered brown luscious hair flowing from her head.

Puberty finally made an appearance as well, making her grow a few centimeters. Her butt curved considerably more and even a slight presence of boobs had Camila sprouting exuberance.

Lauren still remembered the day she noticed the obvious change that had happened in Camila. It had been a few months into junior year when Camila wanted a sleepover at Lauren’s house; claiming that she needed her “Lauren Time”. Lauren was reading ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ on her bed for probably the third time in her life whilst waiting for Camila. She looked up from her position on the bed when she heard the door open and sure enough, Camila walked in with a loud “Hi, Lo!”; throwing her overnight bag on her bed. She had come straight from her hip-hop class with Dinah (Lauren still laughed at that, always earning an unamused glare from her best friend), so she was still sweating. She was wearing a gray crop top that was drenched in sweat and black tights; her hair up in a loose ponytail, a few strands escaping to frame her face along with her bangs.

Lauren’s eyes found Camila’s body over the cover of her book, and it widened comically; thanking the Gods that Camila was focused on her shoes so that she couldn’t see her reaction. Camila suddenly looked like a stranger; causing Lauren’s jaw to silently drop. Her eyes ran down her body and choked slightly when Camila bent down to untie her shoes. She did get an ass like mine, Lauren’s subconscious chimed somewhere in the daze that Lauren was going through.

It was a struggle to tear her eyes away from her best friend as they found the silver of abs peeking through the exposed caramel skin between the hem of her crop top and tights. It didn’t help that they were glistening.

Get a fucking grip, Lauren.

She didn’t even notice that her bottom lip was held captive by her teeth until she let it go, running her tongue over it. She cleared her throat and forced herself to look back at the book; playing it cool. “Hi, Camz,” she replied after what felt like an eternity; mortified when her voice came out low and husky. Camila walked close to her and grabbed the book out of her hands; Lauren’s eyes snapping to her face and widening slightly again. Her eyes graced the once familiar face she had known, now mature with new lines and prominent cheekbones and a jawline that could cut her decorated with shining eyes; strikingly attractive.

Lauren was speechless as she watched Camila’s lips move, but not hearing her; still caught in her stupor.

“-again. And-, Lauren are you even listening to me?” Camila accused, snapping her fingers in front of Lauren’s gorgeous face. It was then Lauren finally got a grip of herself, slightly hypnotized by the movement of Camila’s plump lips.

“Sorry babe, I spaced out,” Lauren tried to play off. She returned to her best-friend mode right away though, “Maybe you should take a shower Camz, you smell like something the cat dragged in,”.

Camila only dropped her jaw in offense and gave Lauren a push that barely moved her; mumbling “Shut up” under her breath loud enough for Lauren to hear. She proceeded to take her clothes from her bag and step into the shower that was right next to Lauren’s bedroom.

Lauren willed herself to stop the irregular beats of her heart as she tried to calm down. I like girls, so it is normal to feel attracted to pretty girls, and my best friend is pretty. That’s it, Lauren reminded herself like a mantra in her head. Never mind the fact that her friend suddenly looked like a supermodel. She cleared her throat and tried to get the image of Camila in sweat out of her head.

When Camila returned, she had to get these new (or so she thinks) thoughts out of her head by normalizing it. She was always open with Camila anyway. So, when Camila walked in with only booty shorts and a faded black shirt with Spongebob’s face on it and wet hair, Lauren was rather harshly reminded that this was a girl that she had known forever. She situated herself next to Lauren on the bed and grabbed a book from Lauren’s nightstand, but before she opened it to read it, Lauren jokingly faced her and asked her:

“So, when did you get an ass?” she questioned with a sly tone and a wiggle of her eyebrows. She smirked when she saw the blush to rise to Camila’s cheeks as her jaw dropped opened.

Camila let out a playful scoff and pushed Lauren’s shoulder away from her. She pursed her lips and gestured with her right hand to nothing.

“Turns out, all I needed was some exercise,” she confessed playfully flipping her wet hair over her shoulder (a habit she learned from Dinah), “who knew I had to sweat a little for puberty to finally hit me,” she joked, her tone incredulous and eyes wide.

“Well, you still got a long way before you get an ass like mine so…,” Lauren trailed off, lying through the skin of her teeth and pretended to resume reading her book, her voice raspy.

She then felt Camila chuckle next to her and her heart warmed up.

“Wow, you’re so humble,” Camila said eyeing Lauren’s symmetrical side profile, silently admiring it; identifying a crack in her façade, “but it’s true though, your ass is amazing,” she concurred, admitting to Lauren’s submission and causing Lauren’s breath to hitch.

(She was so used to Camila complimenting her, so why does it suddenly have new effects on her?)

Lauren, begging her upcoming blush to go away, looked at Camila then with a hand on her heart; simulating shock. “Oh my God, that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me Camz,” she whisper- yelled at her, dramatically wiping a non-existent tear from her eyes; causing Camila to have full-fledged laugh, her wide smile stimulating feelings in Lauren she couldn’t explain.

It was June when Lauren got her first kiss. Being the Casanova that she was in high school and earning looks of longing from many people, she was bound to get a few date proposals. Ashley was long gone but she still rejected most of them, due to just pure fear of a full-blown relationship; knowing that she must concentrate on her studies to get into the university that she had always dreamed of going to along with Camila; and commitment just takes up a lot of time.

However, when a petite-brunette called Ariana Grande that was in her Biology class asked her out with fluttering eyelashes and a sly smile, she had to reconsider the ‘rules’ that she had made for herself in her mind. This girl was beautiful in every sense of the word. Dimples at the side of her mouth whenever she flashed her toothy smile at Lauren along with Italian features that popped out; high-key causing Lauren to stare at her a few times. Her wavy brown hair rushed past her shoulders, making Lauren’s hands itch to run her fingers through them. So, when Ariana shyly approached her after one class, her heart jumped up to her throat and found herself automatically saying “Yes” to her when she asked her if she wanted to watch a movie that night.

Camila, who was beside her at that time, suddenly felt a pinch in her heart. She was confused as to why she suddenly felt like throwing up and slapping Ariana at the same time. She forced a smile on her face when Lauren squealed and jumped up and down with her after Ariana left the class; three words leaving her lips that caused Camila’s stomach to ache, “I have a date!”.

The Latina chalks up her confusing body reactions to just pure concern for her friend’s feelings. This was her first date, and she wanted it to be great for her. It didn’t help that she barely knew this Ariana girl, and she felt slightly jealous.

No, not of Ariana. But, of Lauren.

She had been trying to get Drew’s attention for so long. Camila had hinted that she liked him so many times every time she talked to him, but it always ended up with him chuckling awkwardly and fleeing the conversation.

But it was so easy for Lauren to get dates. People were throwing themselves at her.

(Maybe it’s cause she’s so hot, a distant part of Camila’s brain blurted, and Camila merely pretended not to hear it)

“What is it about me, Dinah?” she had asked Dinah, frustrated and a little hurt after a particularly useless interaction with Drew after a Glee Club practice they had.

“I have no idea, Chanch, maybe he just can’t handle the fact that you’ve turned into a hot mama in the past few months,” Dinah assured her, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder but Camila only rolled her eyes; mumbling something like “I’m not a hot mama” under her breath.

“He’s just shy. Maybe you should make the first move,” advised the dirty blonde to the girl with the sad milk chocolate eyes the week before. Ever since then, Camila had been building up the courage to ask the boy out, ideally during the Glee Club practice they were going to have tomorrow.

Maybe that’s why she was feeling a little put off with Lauren getting a date before her.

She texted Lauren before her date, commanding her to tell her all about it after she came back from the date; finding her rationality after the minor emotion lapse she experienced at school. She had offered to help her with her outfit, but Lauren had declined distractedly. She said that she already knew what she was wearing. So, as enthusiastically as she could, Camila hyped the raven-haired girl for her date seeing that her best friend was incredibly shy.

“You’re gonna be fine, go kill it, Laur,” she had encouraged her. She waited patiently by her phone; knowing Lauren would keep her promise and call her.

It was half- past ten when she received the call from Lauren. Unsurprisingly, Camila had fallen asleep and was woken up by the steady ring of her phone. She shot up and grabbed it as soon as she remembered the occasion when she saw “Vamp” flash across her screen.

Breathlessly and living vicariously through Lauren, she impatiently questioned her. Without even a ‘hello’, Camila garbled, “Oh God, how was it? Tell me everything!”.

It was quiet on the other side for a while, and Camila felt her smile slipping off her face; suddenly worried that the date was horrible. But before she could cajole Lauren, she heard her soft voice through the phone, and this time, her smile did slip off her face.

“She kissed me,” came a low voice, emotionless, until it was repeated, much louder and dripping with excitement, “She kissed me, Camz! I just got my first kiss holy shit,”

Camila felt her heart beating in her chest, and that’s all she could hear for a while. She felt the same pinch in her heart earlier and this time she knew she was jealous of Lauren. She had gotten her first kiss before her.

(It couldn’t possibly be anything else right?)

She really wanted to be happy for her friend, but the thought of her kissing someone else only made her skin crawl. The thought of Ariana kissing her best friend was causing her to feel sick.

“Camz, say something! I’m freaking out here!” Lauren exclaimed, and Camila was so thankful the alabaster skinned girl couldn’t see her right now. She didn’t know how she would have been able to control her expressions.

She didn’t know what she was expecting. People kiss on their first dates, that was normal. So why was she so shell shocked? She used her drama skills to feign excitement and scream back “Oh my God Lauren! That’s amazing,” as her chest heaved and her voice high-pitched, “Spill the tea!”.

And she heard how Ariana held her hand through out the whole movie and shared her popcorn with her. How she had bought her chocolates. How she looked so cute in her floral summer dress. How she picked Lauren up and kissed her on the doorstep.

“It felt amazing, Camz,” Lauren gushed to her and Camila could only hope that her first kiss would be like that; the burning in her heart intensifying. It gave her everything she needed to ask Drew out the next day.

After Glee Club practice and some supportive thumbs up from Dinah who was creeping from outside the room, Camila sauntered over to Drew; confidence and determination radiating from her pores.

She couldn’t pine over him anymore, she had to grow a pair.

So, she took a deep breath as she stood in front of him and asked him out to a dinner date with her. Drew could only stare at her for a moment; unable to comprehend the fact that Camila had just asked him out before he could. He then nodded stupidly, a small “Sure” coming out from his mouth. Camila grinned victoriously and gave her his number, and also taking down his. She finally did it, she’s finally going on a date with someone she had a crush on since freshman year.

Why the hell did it take Lauren getting into a relationship for her to pursue one as well? She waved goodbye to him shyly and turned around; catching a glimpse of Dinah’s happy dance outside the room. She rushed over to her and joined her in it.

She was finally going to get her first kiss that she had always dreamed of!

Oh shit.

She was finally going to get her first kiss that she had always dreamed of.

After school, Camila had texted Drew and confirmed the date to be on next Friday so that she could get to know him more and pick a restaurant that would appeal to both of them. She had told Lauren and Normani the moment she saw them after their softball practice, jumping for joy. Normani had given her a proud tap on her shoulder and announced, “My baby is growing up,” before taking her into her arms.

Lauren, on the other hand, had a bittersweet feeling swirling in her heart.

(Actually, quite like the feeling that Camila had gotten)

Camila was finally going on a date with the boy that she couldn’t stop talking about since freshman year, and knowing about how romantic she is, this must seem like a sign to her. Lauren was afraid for Camila. Afraid that she would get manipulated by the boy, afraid that he would take advantage of her, afraid for her security, at least that’s what she told herself; but then again, she had never really talked to the boy.

Sure, she had been pointed to his direction a few times by an effusive Camila and that was it. He could be an actual nice guy for all she knew, he already had the good-looks part down. But she was happy for her, she was gaining new experiences just like she was with Ariana. She had no say because Camila had been completely nice and supportive about her growing relationship with Ariana. They had planned to go out again after school, and Lauren was smitten by her. With that thought in her mind, she dismissed any weird feelings in her heart and embraced the brown-eyed girl, mumbling into her ear with her low voice, “I’m so proud of you, Camz,”.

“If you need any help with your outfit, you tell us Chanch. We will be there in no time,” assured Dinah with a hand on her hip, and Normani nodding beside her.

“Yeah, Camz,” Camila’s attention snaps to the emerald eyed girl, “Just let me know if you’re doubtful about anything okay?” she said to Camila, grabbing onto her hand and brushing her thumb over her knuckles. Camila’s cheeks flushed for some reason at the action, and she thanked all of them. She went back home with two words drilling into her head: first kiss.

And it was those same two words that caused her to panic a few days before the date.

Camila paced around her room, overthinking the whole situation as usual. She had managed to pick out a suitable restaurant, but her mind was going haywire over the fact that she might be kissed in a few days.

She didn’t know how to! She thought about all the possible situations where she drastically embarrasses herself and she felt anxiety course through her veins.

What if she accidentally bites him? Or what if he wants to use tongue? What if she drools on him? All the what ifs were only heightening the nervousness in her. So, she did the one thing she could think of, she called Lauren.

Hearing the troubled tone in her voice, Lauren had abandoned her plans to call Ariana and instead rushed to Camila’s house with distress. Camila hadn’t told her the problem and she was worried. She reached her house and greeted her father on the way in.

(Camila’s father had finally made it to America when she was nine)

When she reached her bedroom after taking two steps at a time, she opened the door to find Camila sitting cross-legged on her floor and biting her fingernails; a nervous tick of hers. Lauren quickly shuffled next to her, sitting in the same position and putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Camz, tell me what’s going on, what’s worrying you?” Lauren coaxes, removing Camila’s fingers from her mouth causing her to finally look up into her eyes. Lauren’s tone was rough but smooth at the same time; calming Camila instantly. She wondered how Lauren did it. Lauren noticed how Camila started fiddling with her fingers before she let out a sigh.

“Kisses,” she whispered, looking anywhere but at Lauren, feeling her cheeks ablaze with the shame from her confession. Lauren only gulped, Wow this is new, she thinks. She knew that her date with Drew is in a few days and that is probably the source of this lip virgin panic. Lauren slightly shuddered at the sex panic that Camila would go through if she was this panicked about a kiss.

Lauren herself had kissed Ariana a few times, feeling her heart soar whenever she did. She used to think that it probably didn’t feel that great, but she refuted her thoughts once she felt her lips touch Ariana’s. It felt like she was floating. She only used tongue once with her, and the sensation made her feel like she was drowning; her pupils dark after. But she was still an amateur and only a little bit more experienced than her brunette friend.

“Camz, c’mon, look at me,” Lauren started, cupping her face and turning her back to face her. “It’s fine to feel nervous, but please don’t overthink it,” she cajoled, meeting Camila’s watery eyes.

“All you have to do is let the vibe guide you, just pucker up and you’ll be fine,” Lauren advised her with a smile, intertwining their fingers. Camila frowns, running her free hand through her hair and flipping it to the side (a habit she learned from Lauren).

“I’ve watched enough movies to know that Lauren, I just don’t want to be bad at it, it’s the worst scenario,” she frustratedly explained, her eyes dimming. “He has had girlfriends before, Laur. And he’s gonna compare me to them, and what type of girlfriend will I be if I can’t even kiss right?” she whined, a stray tear running down her cheek.

Lauren’s heart ripped at the edges as she watched her best friend crumble in front of her. She felt like she would do anything to stop her from crying; to make her stop. She hated to see her friend hurting. She shuffled closer to her and hugged her from the side, running her hand over her lithe back.

“Camz, you’ll be fine. I have gone through this before. I went in unprepared but look at Ari and me! We’re still together right? And she’s even complimented me on my kissing skills, Camz,” she informed her with a smile, her voice soft and soothing; reaching her hand over to tuck a stray hair behind Camila’s ear, “Practice makes perfect, Camz,”.

An epiphany had hit Camila when she heard those last words, like she had just found a tool in her toolbox that could finally complete her project. It made so much sense, it was the perfect plan.

She didn’t have to go in unprepared…. not when she could practice.

She looked up abruptly then, facing Lauren with wide eyes and parted lips. The tracks of her tears drying.

(It’s a decision that Camila would come to regret…or be thankful of, later)

“Kiss me,” Camila softly told Lauren, her cheeks on fire. This was one way she could have an honest opinion about her kissing skills.

Sure, she would be giving her first kiss to Lauren, but she rather it be with her; someone she trusts with her life, than a boy that might leave her in a few months for a petty reason.

Lauren could barely hear her, she thought she had to clean her ears. She was sure she heard wrong. Or Camila had gone crazy. It had to be either one. Though her heart was racking up a storm in her chest, she didn’t want to get her hopes u-believe it.

Her eyes bulged out of her skull and she had one eyebrow arched. Camila would laugh at the comical look if the atmosphere around them hadn’t thickened like oatmeal in the last two seconds.

“I’m sorry……what?” a dumbfounded Lauren looked at Camila; praying to God that she was joking.

But Camila was dead serious.

The 16-year-old turned her whole body to face Lauren, having a determined look on her face.

“Just think about it Laur! It’ll just be a peck! Just so I know what to expect with Drew,” Camila explained, her hands gesturing wildly around her, eyes wide. “Please Lauren, it’ll just be two seconds and then it will be done! We will keep this between ourselves, its just practice, Laur,” Camila begged her, still eyeing an expressionless Lauren who couldn’t find any word in the dictionary that she could use to reply to Camila.

“We don’t have to do it if you’re uncomfortable, I understand, but please think about it, please,” Camila drawled out, catching onto the hesitation her friend was exuding. She had a partner for God’s sake.

Lauren realized the extent of the situation, she would be kissing her best friend. Her beautiful best friend. The best friend that induced a few feelings in her that she didn’t understand. The best friend with doe eyes that could make her do anything, and oh shit- she has pouted.

Lauren covered her face with her hands, needing to not look at Camila’s full lips right now. The image of Camila’s bottom lip jutting out replaying in her mind for more reasons than one.

But it’s Camila. And she would do anything to stop her from hurting.

She was gonna regret this.

“Okay,” she murmured dejectedly into her hands before she heard an excited shriek erupt from the brunette. Lord have mercy.

Camila calmed down after that and smiled cheekily at her, not paying attention to who she was about to kiss but more to the action that she was about to commit. For Lauren, it was the complete opposite. Camila’s smile was wide before she closed her eyes and she took a deep breath, calming herself and taking both of Lauren’s hands into her own. She peeked one eye open to see an incredibly nervous Lauren and said the magic words,

“Ready when you are,”

Lauren wanted to get it over with, so she inched as close as possible to Camila’s face. Taking in her long eyelashes, the slope of her perfect nose, her plump lips; she shuddered internally.

Fuck, what am I doing? She thought disbelievingly as she felt Camila’s breath hit her face and suddenly felt like she had to prove something.

She held her breath and leaned forward to place her trembling lips firmly on Camila’s, feeling all her senses heighten as she felt electricity course through her veins; as if Camila was a power source. Lauren’s heart pounded against her chest and she worried that Camila might hear it.

Even though she had kissed Ariana multiple times, none of those kisses matched this and she was afraid that this would happen, feeling like she finally found a missing piece of a puzzle while she kissed her best friend.

It literally took her breath away and she couldn’t control herself for the life of her. Lost in all things Camila, she enclosed Camila’s bottom lip in between hers for a second before letting it go, her forehead resting on hers; breathing in her air for a few seconds before pulling away to see Camila open her shining eyes the same time as she did.

The kiss lasted for less than 3 seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Camila then simply brushed her lips with her pointer finger and thumb. As if she was trying to inspect or recreate the feeling that she felt a few seconds ago. She tasted like cherries, Lauren thought licking her lips as she eyed Camila’s lips, still swimming in a charged stupor.

What she didn’t notice was Camila was looking at her lips too.

She snapped out of her daze and gave Camila a shy smile, flipping her hair to the side with her fingers and trying to play off the now painful beats of her heart. She felt as if things were slipping into place, but she felt sick because it was.

She couldn’t explain it.

She couldn’t explain why Camila made her feel things Ariana couldn’t. Too mortified to even consider the other option.

(Actually, she could, she just didn’t want to)

“So,” her voice came out husky and cracked, “How was it?” she asked Camila, who had been staring at her the whole time; like she was ruminating something. She took a few seconds to reply, giving Lauren a smile that didn’t really reach her eyes.

“It felt magical,”

Lauren almost choked on air.

“And,” Camila resumed, voice vulnerable, “How was I?”

Lauren felt her throat dry up, as she felt an inevitable lump forming in her throat as the thoughts in her head went wild. She identified the truth burn on her tongue, but she couldn’t say anything. She couldn’t admit it. She couldn’t for now, so she simply gave her a winning smirk, her eyes missing the way Camila’s chest heaved for a second.

“Eh, you need a little work,” Lauren joked, earning a chuckle from Camila; effectively cutting the fiery tension between them. Camila shuffled back to be situated on Lauren’s side as she just laid her head on her shoulder, her eyebrows furrowed. Lauren felt like she had to clarify; like she had to let Camila know at least half of the truth.

“I’m kidding Camz…. you felt magical too,” Lauren uttered to her after she gathered her confidence, her cheeks ablaze as her voice became shaky. Camila turned to look at her then, her eyes fixed on Lauren’s for a few seconds and Lauren felt the air get charged around her. But it was broken just as swiftly when the Latina broke eye contact with her and gave her a lopsided smile, playing with her own fingers.

“I’ll let Drew be the judge of that,” she delivered with her tongue stuck out and her voice teasing, and although Lauren smiled at her, she felt her heart fracture at her words.

There’s always gonna be another Drew, Lauren.

So, stop, while you’re ahead. Unless you want to ruin this irreplaceable friendship that you have, her inner voice barked at her.

So, she listened.

#UPDATE #series #AU #camren #laurmani #caminah #normila #norminah #laurinah #angst drama #humour #romance fluff #submission #You Feel Like Magic To Me

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