Me and Mila have known each other s

Me and Mila have known each other since we were born,” Dinah explained unoffended. “I know her inside out and since the accident I’ve gotten pretty good at speaking on her behalf.”

Camila frowned slightly.

“She’s always quick to correct me if I say something she doesn’t agree with though.” Dinah went on.

“Don’t you get sick of listening to the sound of your own voice?” Ally asked jestingly.

Dinah laughed and Camila nodded her head vigorously.

“I don’t,” she admitted. “I could listen to myself all day and never get annoyed. Mila gets sick of it though. It gives her a headache.”

“So….loud,” Camila says in a form of explanation.

“The nerve,” Dinah responds playfully. “Honestly though, it’s not been too bad recently. I think last week were almost back to having normal conversations weren’t we?”

Camila nodded in acquiescence.

“So what happened?” Normani asked.

“Scchhooolll” Camila said slowly struggling to say the word out loud.

“Stupid school,” Lauren responded and she cringed inwardly at how lame the words sounded as they escaped from her lips.

“Well,” Ally offered meeting Lauren’s gaze and grinning at her embarrassment. “Now is time to recuperate and eat.” She said standing and heading over to the BBQ to start cooking the meat ready for dinner. Dinah got up offering her help which Ally gladly accepted whilst Normani, Lauren and Camila remained seated.

“So Camila,” Normani started getting the other girls attention, “seeing as you can’t talk quite as well this afternoon, let me tell you a story about the time that Lauren peed herself in front of everyone during elementary school.”

Lauren, who was just about to swallow her mouthful of drink almost choked on the liquid instead, spluttering in disbelief and spitting it out to prevent herself from inhaling it.

Mental note. She thought. Kill Normani.

After they’d eaten, the girls had sat chatting and listening to music, the light slowly diminishing as the evening grew later. Camila, her body aching slightly from the increased amount of activity she’d done today in comparison to the last few months had shifted position to lay on a nearby sun lounger, listening whilst the rest of the girls talked, nodding and shaking her head appropriately with the conversation and offering a few words here and there as able. At some point she had fallen asleep and the girls, unwilling to disturb her had moved further away from her to laze on a blanket on Ally’s lawn.

“Should we wake her up and take her home?” Lauren asked after half an hour had passed and Camila remained deep in sleep.

“No, not yet,” Dinah replied. “She hasn’t slept through a whole night since the accident.” She informed them. “Any undisturbed down time she gets is a blessing.”

“Nightmares?” Ally asks.

“For the most part.” Dinah confirms. “I can’t remember the last time I didn’t wake up to find a text message that she’d sent to me at 3 o’clock in the morning.”

Lauren glanced towards Camila on the sun lounger, her relaxed features and steady breathing suggesting nothing but a peaceful slumber. She sat watching for a moment, noting how the girls left arm fell across her abdomen, here right hanging limply over the side of the bed. Her hair had fallen across her face slightly, obstructing her face from Lauren’s view but she could make out her soft lips, slightly purse together as she exhaled.

Another twenty minutes passed with comfortable conversation and an impromptu game of ‘Would you rather’ when Lauren went to pour herself another drink only to find the jug of ice tea was empty.

“I’m going to get another drink,” she said, picking up the jug and standing up. “Does anyone need anything else from the kitchen?”

“No thanks,” they all replied.

“Ooh,” Dinah asked as Lauren made a move towards the house. “Can you just check on Camila as you come back? You know, make sure she’s still breathing?”

“Why is that a problem?” Lauren asked worriedly casting an eye at the sleeping girl.

“No, I mean figuratively speaking,” Dinah answered apologetically.

“Oh,” Lauren said relieved, “yeah no problem.”

Lauren left Normani, Ally and Dinah, disappearing inside the house to get herself another drink.

“Ok,” Normani said hurriedly. “What’s the deal with Camila? Is she gay, straight, bi or undecided?”

“Why?” Dinah asked looking between Ally and Normani who were waiting eagerly for a response.

“Lauren likes her,” Ally informed Dinah. “She really likes her.”

“Girls got it bad,” Normani confirmed.

“I knew it!” Dinah said keeping her voice low. “She spent all lunch staring at her.”

“So…?” Normani prompted when Dinah didn’t answer. “What’s the deal?”

“Honestly,” Dinah started. “I have no idea.”

“How can you have no idea?” Ally asked bewildered. “I knew Lauren was a lesbian before she even did it was so obvious.”

“I don’t know,” Dinah admitted. “It’s just never come up before. Camila was so bad at flirting before the accident that she never even tried. She’s never had a boyfriend….or a girlfriend. She’s never ev