Camila and her friend both looked at Lauren, the other girl finally acknowledging her presence.“Sorry,” she apologised. “I hope she wasn’t bothering you.”“Actually, I was bothering her,” Lauren replied slightly confused. “She dropped her notebook. I was just…giving it back to her.”“Oh, thanks…” The other girl said searchingly.“Lauren,” she informed her.“Thanks Lauren.” The other girl said now that she had a name. “I’m Dinah.”“Hi,” Lauren greeted before turning back to Camila who was watching the interaction silently. “Maybe I’ll see you around Camila?”“Maybe,” Camila agreed causing Lauren to smile.“You don’t really say too much do you?” Lauren questioned noticing Camila’s lack of small talk.“Can’t,” she answered simply pointing at the scar on her head.“Oh,” Lauren said feeling bad for the second time in ten minutes. “Sorry.”Camila looked at Dinah expectantly.“She sometimes has trouble with her words.” Dinah informed Lauren for Camila. “You know, since the accident. She’s getting better though, right Mila?”Camila gave Lauren a thumbs up with her right hand. “Right,” she said in response to Dinah’s words.“She can manage a few short sentences but, when she tries to talk a lot the words get jumbled up or she gets stuck and she doesn’t want to look like an idiot.” Dinah continued to explain.Camila pouted as Dinah spoke and Lauren couldn’t help the feeling that swept through her at the adorable expression on the other girls face. Camila nodded after Dinah had finished speaking and smiled at Lauren.“Well,” Dinah continued chuckling to herself. “Any more of an idiot then she already was, that is.”Camila pulled a stupid face and spun her finger around by her head to emphasise Dinah’s words causing a wide grin to spread across Lauren’s features.The warning bell rang to signal that they should all start moving towards their first class and Lauren glanced back in the direction of Normani and Ally who’d been watching the interaction with great interest from where they’d been standing by the lockers further along the hallway.“I should go,” Lauren said turning back to face Camila and Dinah.“Thanks for your help,” Dinah said sincerely.“I didn’t really do anything.” Lauren replied.“Yeah, but, still…thanks” Dinah reiterated.“No problem,” Lauren answered smiling at Camila who was watching her closely grinning. “Bye Camila.” She said.Camila waved her right hand slightly.“Goodbye Lauren.” Camila reciprocated enunciating each word slowly. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”Lauren smiled as she repeated Camila’s own words from earlier back to her, “maybe.”Camila laughed a loud, reflexive laugh, which reached deep down into Lauren’s soul and made the butterflies in her stomach flutter even more than they already had been. It was one of the most infectious laughs that Lauren had ever heard and the reaction that it gained from Dinah, told Lauren that it was probably something she hadn’t heard from her friend in a while the other girl was grinning so much.Lauren smiled at the pair of them before turning around and making her way back towards Ally and Normani, casting quick glances back at Camila and Dinah as she did so. Dinah was rummaging through Camila’s locker in search of her notebook whilst Camila watched Lauren as she left, curiosity etched on her face.“Ok,” Normani said when Lauren reached her and Ally. “What was that?” she asked as they started to head down the hallway towards first period.“What was what?” Lauren asked, trying to stifle the grin that was plastered across her face.“Oh my God,” Ally said reading her friends face. “You like her don’t you?”“What?” Lauren asked surprised. “Don’t be ridiculous Ally. I just met her.”“Then why do you look like you’ve just won a million dollars?” Normani asked.“I don’t,” Lauren protested, casting a look over her shoulder back in Camila’s direction and feeling her stomach drop slightly when she noticed the other girl struggling to explain something to Dinah who was reading something out of her notebook.“You can’t keep your eyes off her,” Ally observed. “You like her.”“I’m just worried about her.” Lauren responded.“You didn’t even know her two minutes ago,” Normani reminded her of her own words.“She’s interesting,” Lauren acknowledged. “I mean, if what you said is true then she’s been through a lot this summer. I find it kind of inspiring that she’s already back at school and pushing through it.”Normani and Ally shared a meaningful look which didn’t go unnoticed by Lauren.“I don’t like her,” Lauren repeated stubbornly.“Yeah ok,” Normani said sarcastically as Lauren cast another glance back at Camila just before they turned a corner and she was out of sight.“I would just kind of like to know her story that’s all.” Lauren continued as they came to a stop outside of her classroom.Normani raised her eyebrow slightly and Ally just looked at Lauren knowingly.“Crap,” Lauren said finally admitting it. “I like her.”
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