Chapter Text
PART ONE: THE VISIONARY
The truck was a piece of shit. A fixed up piece of shit that Lauren Jauregui drove to school every single day. Her dad couldn’t afford a truck for Lauren, so they just stole one that some idiot left at her dad’s auto shop in a hurry. Lauren loved her piece of shit though. There was something relaxing about driving something that was just as beaten down and frowned upon like her and her family in a neighborhood of junkies. She pulled her sunglasses down to the bridge of her nose as she slid the Fleetwood Mac CD into the player. The first chords of the “The Chain” played softly as Lauren leaned back into her seat.
“Listen to the wind blow, watch the sun rise
Running in the shadows, damn your love, damn your lies”
Lauren reached into her glove compartment and pulled out her small package of Marlboro cigarettes and placed them in her lap. She wouldn’t smoke yet, not when she was driving seventy miles an hour on the empty highway; but the moment she reached Harrison High, she’d light one up before any teacher could stop her. It was the perfect way to get rid of first day nerves.
“And if you don’t love me now, you will never love me again,” Lauren sang along softly as she gripped the steering wheel. “I can still hear you saying you will never break the chain.”
She adjusted her rearview mirror and let her voice die out as she listened to one of her favorite songs of all time. Fleetwood Mac was a genius band; Rumors was a genius album, there was no doubt about that.
Her gaze moved from the rearview mirror to the front of the road. In front of her was a small dot and a little bit of smoke coming out from it at the side of the road. The car must have been busted; and here came Lauren Jauregui, daughter of the mechanic Mike Jauregui, speeding down the highway to her rescue. Or not, Lauren wasn’t great at cars. She just knew what the hell was wrong with them.
Lauren pressed gently on the brake and slowed her car as she came upon the car. It was a white Mercedes-Benz, probably owned by someone who lived in the nice part of Silver. Even in a small town of barely over six hundred, there was a fine line between the rich and the poor. Sitting on the trunk of a car was a high school-aged girl in a royal blue and white cheerleading uniform. Obviously one of the twelve elite cheerleaders that got on the squad in their small high school. Silver loved their beauty pageants and football games too much. No girl on the cheer squad hadn’t won a beauty pageant at least once.
She pulled up behind the broken Mercedes and put her car in park. She reluctantly turned off her CD and flung her sunglasses off. Lauren hated pretending to play car doctor, but she had so much time to kill anyways. Why not be a good person for once? With her combat boots, she kicked the car door open and stepped out onto the dusty highway.
“Oh, thank goodness!” the cheerleader gushed out. “I was so worried for a second, it’s the first day of school and being late meant I was off the squad and-” Lauren slowly turned to face her and she watched the color drain from the cheerleader’s face. “L-Lauren?”
“Cabello,” Lauren replied coolly as she leaned against her own car. “Thought your daddy would prepare you better with a good car.”
Her face flushed and she bit her lip. “Well, yes, but-”
“No worries, I’ll take a look at it,” Lauren cut her off with a small smirk at her flustered face. She yawned and walked past the cheerleader and towards the hood of her car. “Still, a Mercedes-Benz? This looks fucking vintage,” she remarked.
The cheerleader nodded fervently as she watched Lauren. “It is. From the 80’s I think. I really wanted a vintage looking car instead of all the fancy stuff that’s out today.”
“Heated seats, good stereo, warning systems,” Lauren listed off as she popped open the trunk. She coughed when she was greeted by a large cloud of black smoke and waved it away. “A real fucking luxury-” She coughed again. “Worth more than both of my kidneys.”
“Ah, I’m sorry,” she apologized. “Can you just… tell me what’s wrong with it? And try to fix it?”
Lauren shrugged. “I don’t got any tools on me, but I can tell from here that the engine’s busted for sure.” The cheerleader groaned loudly in response. “You’re gonna definitely need to call my pop and ask him for a tow.”
The cheerleader sighed frustratedly. “Ugh! Really? I swear I didn’t do anything to mess it up!” she protested.
“And I’m sure you didn’t, Cabello,” Lauren agreed. “It’s just your poor choice in cars.”
The cheerleader winced. “Please, just call me Camila.”
“I only call my friends by their first name, Cabello, and we ain’t friends,” she shot back.
“Fine! ...Jauregui.”
Lauren rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Am I supposed to be insulted by that?” Camila barely shrugged her shoulders and bowed her head. “You’re cute, I’ll give you that.” Her cheeks flushed once again. “And since I’m somewhat amused by you right now, I’ll give you a ride.”
“Listen, I can just call Shawn-” Camila began to protest.
“The quarterback?” Lauren snorted in disbelief. “Pussy whipped for Camila Cabello, who would have thought?”
Camila’s jaw clenched and she slid off the car, making several menacing steps towards her. “Why are you so vulgar and rude?”
“Why are you so fucking innocent and sweet?”
Lauren lips curved into a smirk at Camila’s lack of response and widened eyes. Camila just huffed and moved to grab her bag from the front seat of her car. Lauren took that as a cue to slam the hood down of Camila’s car. She looked up and saw Camila waiting for her with her backpack on her shoulder.
“I’m, uh, thanks for the ride…” Camila mumbled.
Lauren laughed quietly. “Don’t thank me yet, I could still decide to just leave you.” She had to stop herself from laughing again when Camila’s expression changed to a look of worry. “I’m kidding, Cabello, I’m not a total jackass.”
Camila shrugged. “Some say you are, Mani says you aren’t,” she said in reply as she walked to the passenger side of Lauren’s truck. She couldn’t help but grin at the way Camila glanced at her car and cringe in disgust at how cheap and crude it looked.
“Well, Mani is one smart cookie. She’s got good judgment,” Lauren remarked as she slid back into the car and turned it on.
“Right, I forgot you’re friends with her,” Camila muttered.
Lauren raised a brow as she turned her wheel to the left so she could get out from behind Camila’s car. “Of course, I work with her. Why wouldn’t I be friends with her? She’s the only cool cheerleader.”
“Hey! I’m cool!”
Lauren chuckled and shifted into drive. The truck rumbled aggressively as she pulled back out onto to the highway.
A few seconds later, she felt Camila slap her arm. “Ow!” Lauren cried out as she jerked her head to the side to glare at her. “What the fuck, Cabello?”
“Tell me I’m cool,” Camila ordered.
“No.”
“Please?”
“Fuck you.”
Camila whined and reached over to the top of the glove compartment to grab the Fleetwood Mac CD case. “If you don’t say it, I’ll throw this out the window,” she threatened, waving the case in front of Lauren’s face. Lauren nearly swerved off the road because of Camila’s distracting.
“Do you want us to die?” Lauren shot back angrily as she focused her gaze on the road.
“Well, obviously you do, because you’re driving fifteen miles over the speed limit, “ Camila replied with a shrug. “Ariana’s dad’s the sheriff, I could report you.”
Lauren sighed agitatedly and slowed the car down. She could practically feel Camila glowing because she listened to her.
“I still think you’re missing something,” Camila sang out.
She groaned at the cheerleader. “You’re not a cool cheerleader,” she said flatly and hid her laugh when Camila gasped loudly. “You’re a fucking adorable cheerleader.” Lauren briefly glanced to the side to see her reaction. Sure enough, Camila’s cheeks were turning crimson. Something about her effect on her made Lauren proud of herself.
Camila cleared her throat. “Uh, well, for someone who says we aren’t friends. You sure make a lot of friendly compliments.”
“Who says they’re supposed to be friendly?” Lauren asked, surprising herself. She bit down on her inner cheek to stop herself from showing her worried expression. She didn’t want to cross a line or anything. Hell, she didn’t even know Camila all that well. Lauren only made suggestive comments to people she knew were comfortable with it.
“They shouldn’t be more than friendly or anything like that, it can’t,” Camila said finally in a light voice. “Pastor Hernandez said that homosexuality is a sin-”
“-projected onto humanity by the lust of the devil?” Lauren finished for her with a forced smile. “Please, I wasn’t flirting, Cabello.”
Camila nodded slowly and muttered something to herself. Lauren didn’t quite catch what she said but it sounded like something that made Lauren’s heart speed up at the thought. Though she wouldn’t let her mind wander to that territory, not when half of the town looked upon any two people of the same sex near each other with great scrutiny. She turned her attention back to the road and hummed quietly. The drive to the high school wasn’t too far, a solid fifteen minutes away; it was mostly because the high school also included students from the towns of Delta and Webster and it needed to be in a centralized location.
“Are you thinking of joining any clubs?” Camila asked to break the silence that overcame their car for seven minutes and twenty-three seconds, not that Lauren was counting or anything.
Lauren shook her head. “No, why would I?”
Camila shrugged. “Dunno. I don’t see you around school much.”
“When I’m not at school, I’m working at the diner or jamming with the band,” she replied. “I don’t want to hang around that place longer than I should. Once I graduate, I’m fucking booking it from this shit scene.”
“And go where?”
“Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, fuck if I know…”
Camila tilted her head to the side. “And what if you come back?”
Lauren pursed her lips. “I won’t. There’s nothing here for me.” She glanced over at Camila who was watching her interestedly. “No decent family, no high school romances to rekindle-”
“What about your friends? Your bandmates?” she inquired curiously.
“They’re coming with me,” Lauren answered. “All of us. We’re gonna stay a band after high school. Rent some shitty apartment and busk until some scout picks us up.”
Camila sighed slowly and adjusted her high ponytail. “That doesn’t sound like much of a plan, I’ll be honest. Small town girls with big dreams often get crushed.”
Lauren was taken aback by Camila’s pessimistic tone. Girls like her were supposed to be ditzy, optimistic, too dumb to even understand what was going on in the world, maybe Camila was more different than she thought she was. “For someone of your stature, you sound pretty doubtful.”
“I’ve just accepted that I’m probably never going to leave Silver,” Camila answered with a hint of sadness laced in her tone. “I’ll go to college, sure, but it’s right back to Cabello & Associates as my father’s partner.”
“Is that what you want in life?”
Camila didn’t respond at first. She just drummed her fingers on the console in between them.
“Cabello?” Lauren tried again.
The cheerleader exhaled softly. “No, it isn’t. I want to be a writer.”
A genuine smile formed on her lips as she turned the car into the parking lot of the high school. Lauren turned her head to look over at Camila as she pulled into a parking space. “I think you can. Fuck your parents, go write the next The Great Gatsby or some iconic best-selling shit like that.”
Camila smiled back at her. She chewed on her lower lip and grasped onto the seat. “You really think so?”
“I don’t believe in a lot of things, Camila Cabello, but I do believe that if you have a dream then you should fuck what other people say and follow it,” Lauren stated, leaning in closer to her. To people watching, it would look like Lauren was about to kiss her, and maybe Camila thought it too because of her flushed cheeks and apprehensive expression. Really Lauren was just reaching into the compartment for her box of cigarettes. “Nice chat we had, but don’t you have some school to rule with your pom-poms and tiny skirts?”
Camila nodded quickly. “Yeah, uh, I should go…” she mumbled awkwardly as she adjusted her backpack. “Thanks for taking me to school again, Lauren. I’ll catch a ride with Ariana next time so…” she trailed off and opened the door to Lauren’s car. “See you later?”
“Nope,” Lauren hummed in reply. Camila raised a brow and Lauren gave in, succumbing to a soft laughter. “I’m kidding. You probably will.” The cheerleader laughed along with her. Both girls stopped laughing and stared at each other. Lauren wasn’t good with keeping eye contact with people, but for some reason, she liked looking into her soft brown eyes. “See you, Camila.”
Lauren could tell Camila was shocked by her suddenly calling her by her first name, but she decided not to wait for reaction. She reached into the backseat and grabbed her backpack. She slipped her sunglasses on and started marching through the parking lot to Harrison High. People were already flocking to their respective friend groups. The cheerleaders were already grouped around the football players, like always. The nerds were hanging out on the walls of the school engrossed in their phones and devices. Lauren searched the grounds for at least one of three people that she actually wanted to see.
“Look who it is! It’s Miss ‘It’s Ninety Degrees Out But I’mma Still Wear Black’!”
Lauren scoffed and turned around. “I know, ain’t she beautiful?” she joked, playing along with the tall blonde known as Dinah Jane Hansen in front of her. “Do you want an autograph on your tits?”
“Oh, come here, asshole,” she huffed and threw her arms around Lauren. Lauren squeezed her tightly and rested her head on her shoulder. She rubbed her back comfortingly and sighed into Lauren’s hair. “I missed you so much.”
“We hung out all summer, Dinah,” Lauren reminded her.
Dinah snorted. “So? I’m allowed to miss my best friend.”
“Hey, dykes! Leave some room for Jesus, will you?” Austin Mahone, a dumb as hell football player, shouted from the group of popular kids.
Dinah and Lauren quickly broke away and took a few steps back from each other. Lauren glared in the direction of the group and noticed that two cheerleaders were practically on top of each other, yet none of them said anything. Her jaw clenched in response. She started advancing towards them but Dinah grabbed her arm.
“Don’t,” she pleaded. “It’s not worth it.”
“Really? Bashing his face in ‘cause he called me a dyke ain’t worth it?” Lauren shot back. “It shouldn’t fucking matter about who likes who! This town is trapped several decades in the past-”
Dinah pulled her in the direction of the school’s front door. “Lauren, you really gotta watch what you say,” she hissed under her breath. “People talk, and then your family finds out like that.” She snapped her fingers to prove her point.
Lauren rolled her eyes and pulled her arm away from Dinah. “Find out what!? That I got pissed cause I got called a homophobic slur? I mean, fuck him!” She pushed open the doors to the school harshly. “We were just hugging! There’s nothing gay about that. He doesn’t have the right to-”
“Lauren, calm down,” Dinah urged as she grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. “It’s mean. It’s dumb. He’s an ignorant fool.” She glanced around the hallway and then leaned in to whisper in her year. “We have to be careful, Laur. Not everyone is as accepting as Niall and Harry.”
Lauren swallowed nervously, realizing her best friend was right. She chewed on her lower lip and nodded. “I know. But… they don’t know, do they? Austin doesn’t know that I’m-”
“Secrets are hard to keep in Silver,” Dinah interrupted her. “But surprisingly your secret, and mine, has been kept quiet.” She wrapped her arm gently around Lauren’s waist and walked her down the hallway. “One more year, then we don’t have to hide,” she whispered.
Lauren forced a smile in return. Dinah was right, for once. They had one more year to pretend that they only liked dick and Zac Efron. One year, 270 school days, that shouldn’t be too hard.
“Um, speaking of hiding,” Lauren mumbled into Dinah’s ear. “Guess who got in my baby this morning?”
Dinah shrugged. “Hm, a possum? Nasty fuckers have been roaming around the farm and eating our shit.”
She laughed and rolled her eyes. “No, Dinah, Camila Cabello.”
Dinah’s jaw dropped and she pushed Lauren away from her. “What!?” She gasped loudly. “Why? How? Did you drug her, you sly dog!”
“No! Keep your voice down,” Lauren growled. Dinah covered her mouth and mumbled an apology. “Her car broke down. And me, being the great person that I am, came to her aid.”
“You’ve been lowkey crushing on this girl for years and your first like real interaction, you come to her rescue,” Dinah gushed. “And not only that, you give her a ride to school instead of calling your dad to go fix it for her and then leave. You’re fucking whipped for her already, Jauregui.”
Lauren’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Shut up, Dinah, when you say it like that you make me look like a pussy.”
“Well? Did you try anything? Did you flirt?” Dinah rushed out excitedly.
“I did. Then she gave me the whole ‘I’m not gay’ and ‘homosexuality is a sin’ shit. Man, it went from 60 to 0 real quick,” Lauren remarked with an eye-roll.
Dinah smiled. But it wasn’t a sympathetic smile, it was more of a smile that was used when someone experienced schadenfreude. Lauren didn’t know what to think of it.
“Oh, I’m sorry…”
“I’m not giving up just yet,” Lauren said. “All spaghetti is straight until it’s wet.”
Dinah rolled her eyes and grabbed Lauren’s arm again. “Sure, we’ll go with that.” She looked down at Lauren and grinned. “Now, let’s go loser, we got a school to rule.”
“What do you mean we can only perform songs from an approved list!?” Harry Styles shouted as he slammed his fist down on the table he was sitting on in the band room. Well, the band room was a joke. It was just a medium sized room with a piano, drums, and a few chairs and tables. Once upon a time, Harrison High used to have a great marching band, but that died years ago.
“It’s probably Pastor Hernandez’s doing,” Niall Horan replied as he looked over Harry’s shoulder. “His daughter’s the president of the student council and the principal worships that man almost as much as God.”
Dinah, who was standing next to Lauren, rolled her eyes. “Ally wouldn’t go out of her way to regulate what we do.”
“We are a school-sponsored club. Technically they can do whatever they want,” Niall said.
Harry groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “We’re not a club though! We’re a band that just has permission to meet after school every Tuesday and Thursday.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “We don’t need them. They need us.”
Lauren sighed. “Maybe we just… don’t listen to them?” Three pairs of eyes moved towards her in amusement and surprise. “I mean, we’re seniors. Fuck what they say. No freedom, no music entertainment.”
“People will talk if we go against what the school says,” Niall argued. “I want to agree with you Lauren, but we have to think about this.”
“I’m sorry, but I really don’t feel like singing ‘Kumbaya’ in front of the school when we could be covering real artists.” Lauren flipped her hair to the side aggressively. “We can - I don’t know - do something modern!”
Dinah chuckled quietly. “The only thing approved will be modern Christian rock.”
“Nobody likes Christian rock though,” Harry said. He slid off the table and smiled in Lauren’s direction. “I think Laur’s onto something here. We can just… play something country.”
“Everyone loves country,” Niall commented sarcastically.
Dinah snorted at her band mate’s remark. “Says the one who listens to it all the damn time,” she fired back and placed her hands on her hips. “Boy, I see you and all those CDs.”
Lauren and Harry burst out laughing while Niall flushed in embarrassment. The tall blonde walked over and pat him on the back. “Don’t worry, we all still love you and accept you, despite your terrible taste,” she teased.
“You think Mozart is capable of giving orgasms for the ears. Eargasms, was it? Yeah,” Lauren said with a small smirk. “So you’re one to talk.” Dinah stuck her middle finger up at her and then laughed along with her bandmates. They were certainly an interesting group of friends. They all had different backgrounds and opinions, but yet they all came together on the grounds that they loved music and roasting each other.
A knock on the band room door pulled the four of them from their conversation. The door swung open seconds later to reveal the short, student council president Ally Brooke Hernandez. “Hi, sorry to interrupt, but I have the list,” she said shyly and handed the paper to Harry. Harry glanced down at it and then raised a brow. “If you have any questions, please ask them now!”
“‘Good with God’ is on here,” Harry stated in disbelief. “But that’s a song about God being a female?”
Ally pursed her lips. “Really? My dad picked it because it shamed sinners that said they repented.”
“No offense, Ally, but your dad is an idiot,” Dinah chuckled as Ally’s ears turned bright pink at the insult directed at her father. “I’m kidding, Smallz, don’t tell the pastor or he’ll kick my siblings out of the choir.”
“Oh, um, o-okay,” Ally stuttered with a flushed face. “Is that all for questions?”
Lauren raised her hand and Ally glanced over at her. “Yes, I have one. Are you going to be at work today?”
Ally nodded vigorously. “Yeah, I am.”
“Good.” Lauren flashed her a sweet smile. “Just thought I’d ask.”
Ally smiled back at her and adjusted her sundress with shaky hands. She was always a nervous girl, Lauren assumed it was because of her scary father. It was so strange that Pastor Hernandez was intimidating and aggressive while Ally was tranquil and kind. Something must have happened when genes were combined and mixed in her DNA.
“Anyways, I should get back to class.” Ally sighed. “If y’all made up your mind, let me know ASAP.” She sent them a wave and then dashed out the door without another word.
Niall chuckled slowly. “She’s like a little mouse, a cute little mouse.”
“Paws off the pastor’s daughter,” Dinah warned with a glare. “He doesn’t think anyone is good for Ally.”
“She’ll die an old maid with ten cats,” Harry added on.
Lauren grinned and chuckled at her friends. “That sounds like the perfect life.”
“Anyways,” Harry elongated the word as he looked between each of his band members. “Are we okay with doing ‘Good with God’?” he asked with a shy smile. “It’s one of my favorite songs of all time. Rhett Miller is a lyrical genius…”
Lauren shrugged and looked at Dinah and Niall. Judging by their faces, they seemed okay with it too. She turned back to Harry, smiled at him, and then nodded.
Harry broke out into a grin and he clapped his hands together excitedly. “Great! I want Lauren to do the female solo.”
“You mean… I get to play God,” Lauren said as she raised a brow. Harry nodded. “Oh, you’re kidding. Pastor Hernandez would rather denounce his faith than let poor trash like me portray anything to do with Our Heavenly Father.”
Dinah scoffed and slapped Lauren lightly on the shoulder. “You’re being dramatic, Lauser. It’s just a song.”
“A song that we’re performing at the pep rally on Friday,” Lauren pointed out. “In front of all the cheerleaders and jocks… and they’re gonna say shit!”
“Since when do you give a fuck about what they think?” Niall asked in confusion.
“Since Mawhore called me a dyke this morning for hugging Dinah,” Lauren grumbled.
Harry’s head snapped around to face her so fast she was worried he broke his neck. “He what!? Oh, that boy is dead!” he shouted as he kicked a chair to the side angrily. “Why didn’t you screw his face up?”
“The wife told me not to,” Lauren replied as she gestured to Dinah with a wink.
Dinah pretended to swoon and wrapped her arms around Lauren. “Aww, I’m your wife? That’s so sweet,” she cooed as she nuzzled her head into Lauren’s neck. Lauren felt her cheeks heat up and she moved to push her away. Dinah just shook her head and squeezed her tighter.
Harry pretended to gag. “Ugh, stop it, you guys are so gay that it’s a miracle you haven’t been caught.”
“Fuck off,” Lauren and Dinah chastised him at the exact same time.
“Lauren doesn’t even like Dinah,” Niall teased. “She likes Camila.”
Lauren’s cheeks flushed and Dinah’s grip on her loosened. “Shut up, guys. She was pretty adamant on saying she wasn’t into girls.”
“That shouldn’t stop you from trying!”
“I should have more self-respect than that, but I don’t,” Lauren grumbled. “Besides, she’s so far up the quarterback’s ass that it’s kind of gross.”
Dinah smiled sadly at her. “It’s okay, Lauren. You can still be my wife and we can run away together from the homophobes.”
Lauren turned to give her a grateful smile and nuzzled into her neck. She heard Dinah’s breath hitch from above her. “Thanks for being such a good friend.”
“No problem,” Dinah said slowly.
Harry clapped his hands again to get Lauren and Dinah’s attention. “Okay, fellow gays, it’s time for band practice! Let’s go!” he hollered as he moved to unpack his bass guitar from his case. Lauren gave Dinah another smile and then moved to take a seat at the piano.
Lauren didn’t have much of an eventful first day since the morning incident. She shared four classes with Camila and five classes with Dinah, two of them overlapped.. Since it was such a small high school, juniors and seniors had classes together so both years were very tightly knit and close to each other. In fact the high school was so small that included kids from grades six to twelve. In total that made the student body about 456 kids. After school, she had to work at the diner anyways so she sadly declined when Harry asked the band to hang out after school.
It was six o’clock, two and a half hours into Lauren’s shift, and she was exhausted. The diner was filled with teenage couples on dates and having dinner. Lauren found it sickening that she even had to serve them. The judging looks and smirks always made her uncomfortable.
“I need a cigarette,” Lauren complained as she entered the break room, “because I hate everyone out there.”
“Aw, poor Lauren,” Normani Kordei, Lauren’s only cheerleader friend, said sarcastically in response as she fixed her hair.
Lauren rolled her eyes. “Please, you may be popular, but you can’t like everyone in the school.”
“That is true. I hate everyone on the squad except for Mila, I hate all jocks, and I hate most of the student body.” Normani chuckled as she tucked a few stray hairs behind her ears. “I must be the worst cheerleader.”
“Better than I would ever be,” Lauren said. “I have no school spirit. Harrison can suck my twelve-inch, non-existent dick.”
Normani burst out laughing at her remark and turned around to look at her. Lauren smiled proudly at her ability to make the most quiet and reserved cheerleader loosen up and laugh. “Fuck, that was really funny.”
Lauren winked at her and bowed her head in response. “Thank you. I try, I try.” The door burst open a few seconds later to reveal a frazzled Ally. She adjusted her blue blouse and white apron before running her hands through her hair.
“Hey,” Ally greeted tiredly as she moved to put her bag down over in one of the chairs. “Ugh, I don’t feel like working at all,” she groaned.
“You okay, girl?” Normani asked Ally softly as she moved over to help her smoothen out her hair and work uniform.
Ally nodded meekly and gently pushed away Normani’s hands from her waist. Normani looked a little taken aback at first, but her features softened and her expression returned to her normal indifferent one. Lauren furrowed her brows at the odd exchange.
“Yeah, uh, my dad wanted me to finish some things up and it took longer than expected,” she answered Normani’s inquiry with a sigh. Ally moved over to the mirror that Normani was previously standing in front of and began fixing her hair further. “I wish he’d hire some actual helpers instead of relying on me. It really takes a toll on me-”
“Hernandez, Jauregui, Kordei! Break time’s over, get out and to work!” Their manager yelled from outside the break room. All three of the girls groaned and began gathering their things. Lauren was the first to leave the room and get back to work. She yawned and walked over to the window to the kitchen. Two meals were already done and ready to be served. They weren’t for her table, but the girl who previously had them ended her shift and left right away so it was now Lauren’s responsibility.
Lauren balanced the two burgers on her arms and sauntered towards table four. No doubt a couple would be sitting there and Lauren would have to swallow her own puke. “Alright, alright…” she said enthusiastically. “I have a Lake Burger with extra barbecue sauce and a regular cheeseburger.” She placed the plates down on the table and then looked up to smile as fakely as she could. Except when she was met with familiar brown eyes and a cold blank stare from the dude across from her, her face paled.
“Oh,” Lauren exhaled. “E-Enjoy your meal.”
“Thanks, Jauregui,” Shawn said coolly as he began to put ketchup on his burger.
Camila smiled brightly up at her and slid her cheeseburger towards her. “Thanks, Lauren!” Lauren’s cheeks flushed and she practically ran back behind the counter, right smack dab into Normani.
“Woah, watch it!” Normani exclaimed. Lauren glanced up and gulped. Her friend’s expression looked slightly pissed off. She grimaced at Normani and took a step back. “The hell you running from?”
“Cabello’s here,” Lauren hissed like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Normani raised a brow and took a step closer to her. “You got an issue with my best friend? You can say it to my face.”
“Fuck,” Lauren cursed, realizing her mistake. Normani didn’t know. Normani probably didn’t even suspect that she wasn’t straight in the first place. “I-I don’t. I was just surprised.”
She pursed her lips at Lauren incredulously. “You do realize that this diner is crazy popular? Of course, you’re going to see her.” Lauren shrugged in response and Normani lightly slapped her shoulder. “You know, you look like this total bad bitch, but you’re really just a cute and confused puppy.”
Lauren’s cheeks flushed again at Normani’s remarks. “Shut it. I’m just-”
“Ladies,” their manager warned from the other side of the counter. “This is exactly why I hate hiring high school girls. Y'all are no better than the old ladies at the senior center, get back to work!”
“Yeah, yeah, one sec,” Normani grumbled. She turned to Lauren and grinned. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” Her cheerleader friend licked her lips and gently flicked her forehead causing Lauren to wince. “But this is Silver, so I doubt it won’t be long until the secret’s out.”
Lauren scoffed in reply and threw her rag down to wipe down the counter. Her gaze moved towards the booth where Shawn and Camila sat. He was talking about something amiably while Camila was nodding along and looking rather bored with the conversation. Lauren narrowed her eyes as she watched that exchange. They seemed to fit perfectly with each other. A tall, handsome football player with a short, gorgeous cheerleader - straight out of the movies. Lauren rubbed at one part of the counter a little harder than she should have because it started squeaking loudly. She scowled and adjusted the pressure so she wasn’t trying to wear the counter down.
When Lauren looked back up at Camila, she was looking right back at her. She had to bite her lip to prevent herself from smiling so eagerly. Camila smiled easily though like she just let herself feel and show her kindness. It was a warm smile that took Lauren’s breath away and Lauren didn’t stop the same giddy smile from returning.
All good things had to end when Shawn snapped his fingers in front of Camila to force her to look back at him. Both of their smiles faded quickly and Lauren tried to ignore the dull ache in her heart at how quickly Camila looked away from her.
Maybe Dinah was right. Maybe she was already acting like a pussy because of one real interaction with her longtime crush.
Lauren got back to work waiting tables and cleaning up after messy customers, but she still snuck in time to glance over in Camila’s direction. More than half of the time she found that Camila was staring right back at her. She felt a little proud to know that she was a good distraction from someone as dull as Shawn Mendes. Camila didn’t have to say it outright for Lauren to figure out that she was bored with their date.
When Lauren was serving Hailee Steinfeld and her boyfriend, Shawn called her over for the check. She forced herself to smile brightly at the quarterback and then take the plates from them. “Remember, we take cash only,” she reminded them as she ripped her check from the book and placed it on the table. She was always well prepared for that by writing down what everyone ordered and their prices before they asked for the check.
“Ugh, $35. I shouldn’t have gotten that large cheese fries,” Shawn complained as he pulled out his wallet.
“No.” Camila placed her hand on his arm. “I’ll pay for it.”
Shawn furrowed his brows. “I asked you on the date, Mila, so I get to pay.”
“Fine,” Camila said as she leaned back against the booth. “But I’m giving her a tip.”
“A tip? Why-”
Lauren chuckled nervously. “Uh, I’m just going to go take care of some things at another table,” she lied through her teeth. “I’ll be back when you’ve made up your mind.” She didn’t want to stick around and wait for Camila and Shawn to argue and figure things out. Lauren didn’t need a tip anyway because she knew she wasn’t the best waitress ever.
She walked back behind the counter and grabbed a water pitcher. Lauren swiftly made her way to table six and refilled their water glasses with a forced smile as she welcomed all of them to Twin Lakes Diner.
“Why are you so difficult, Camila!? Gosh, darn it! It’s so hard to be around you when you act like an annoying little-” Shawn yelled loudly as he stood up and slipped his varsity jacket. Normani looked up from the table that she was serving and narrowed her eyes. “You know what? Screw this! I’m going home.”
“Wait, Shawn! I don’t have a car,” Camila cried out worriedly. But it was too late, her asshole of a date was already out of the diner. She sighed loudly and buried her head in her hands.
Lauren clenched her fists and moved over to Camila’s table to get the check. She moved to collect the money but she stopped when she noticed that there were twenty extra dollars.
“Uh, I think you paid too much,” Lauren said timidly in fear that she would set the girl off.
Camila looked up with wide eyes, but she quickly shook her head. “No,” she croaked. “I gave a tip."
“Oh,” Lauren couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice. “But… you didn’t have to,” she mumbled.
“I wanted to,” Camila replied. “It was the least I could do after you saved me this morning.”
Lauren pursed her lips. “Yeah, but I-”
Camila snorted and curved her lips into a smile. “It’s your thank you gift. Take it or I’ll stuff it in your pocket unnoticed so you’ll have to!”
She seemed to consider Camila’s words for a moment, but she didn’t want her money. There were so many more things in the world that were more valuable and lasting than money. “What if I…” Lauren trailed off and slid into the seat across from Camila before continuing, “wanted something else besides your kind donation?”
The cheerleader tilted her head to the side. “What are you suggesting?”
Lauren licked her lips and inhaled sharply. Here went nothing. “Your number?”
Camila hesitated for a second. She looked around the diner and then back at her. Her smile turned into a solemn expression. “I can’t.”
Her face fell at her rejection. “I, um, didn’t mean it like t-that,” she stuttered, “if that’s what you’re implying. I’m not, you know...”
Camila’s facial expression changed to one of relief, or maybe disappointment, it was kind of hard to tell. “Oh, okay, I-” A car honked loudly from outside the diner. Camila bit down on her lip and stood up. “I’m sorry, Lauren. I have to go.” Lauren didn’t even have a chance to protest before Camila was speeding out the door. She let out an exasperated sigh and leaned back against the booth. So much for that. Maybe Camila didn’t even want to be friends with her in the first place.
Lauren pulled her phone out and sent a message to her friends.
Group Chat: fuck me gently with a cactus
lauren: i just tried to get camila’s number and she blasted faster than jimmy neutron.
nail: it’s probably bc u smell lyk cigarettes and grease
hairy: omg lauren i’m so sorry
hairy: YOU ARE STILL LOVED AND APPRECIATED BY ME
dinah pain: i’m gonna kill that thot
nail: that that hoe over there is gramatically incorrect
dinah pain: niall james i will grab a knife from my kitchen, chop off your balls, and then shove them down your throat
hairy: LMFOA DINAH WHERE IS YOUR CHILL
lauren: i love you all so much. <3
dinah pain: <333333
She sighed sadly and then got back up to work.