She wasn't a fan of Mondays, especially when she was up half the night doing a stupid paper she had forgotten about until midnight.

"Come on, new kid. Say something!" A voice yelled, Lauren knew it was Jackson, and then there was a slam of what sounded like books hitting the floor. "Well?"

Lauren frowned because she only knew of one new kid that was starting today. Lauren pushed her was through the crowed and sure enough there was Camila knelt on the floor picking up her books.

"Hey, jackass," Lauren snapped, shoving Jackson roughly on the shoulders making him stumbled backwards. "Get the fuck out of here before I tell everyone just where you spent the summer, alright!"

Jackson mumbled something under his breath but turned and left along with his friends.

Lauren knelt down next to Camila, listening to just how fast and shallow the girls breathing had become, Lauren knew a panic attack when she saw one. She quickly picked up Camila's books and held onto her arm. "Come on, we need to get you away from here."

Lauren stood up and Camila followed suit, allowing Lauren to guide her through the hallways and into an abandoned bathroom.

"Hey, sweetheart, you've got to breathe." Lauren said but Camila didn't seem to be listening as she was still huffing out short breaths.

Lauren lightly grabbed onto Camila's cheeks, pulling her face up to look at her and looking straight into Camila's tear soaked eyes. "Listen, you have to breathe, ok? Just copy me." Lauren breathed a little more deeply than usually and Camila's bottom lip trembled as she tried to get her breathing back on track. "That's it. You're ok, I'm not gonna let them do that to you again."

Camila took a few more calm breaths making Lauren smile, "There you go, you alright?"

Camila nodded, her eyes moving from Lauren's to the ground. "Thank you."

"It's ok. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"It's not your fault." Camila mumbled.

"You're in my next class," Lauren pointed out, looking down at Camila's time table. "You up for going or do you want me to drive you home?"

"No, I'm fine." Camila said.

"You sure? I don't mind taking you home."

"I'm alright." Camila answered shortly, "besides, I have my own car."

Lauren nodded, "Ok, let's go to biology then."

Camila nodded, taking her things from Lauren and following her out of the bathroom.

"Ah, girls. Nice of you to join us."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I walked into an open locker and Camila was helping me." Lauren answered, sitting at the empty desk up the back with Camila.

Lauren leant back lazily in her seat, drawing random patterns on her book.

Her eyes moved from her own book to Camila's, watching as she scribbled down whatever the teacher was going on about, her eyes then travels to Camila's wrist that was showing bellow the sleeve on her sweater. She felt her stomach tighten at the sight of the darker lines of skin that were streaked across her wrist.

Lauren was jerked out I her thoughts when Camila yanked down her sleeve. Lauren looked over at the girl who was already staring her but looked down almost ashamed when Lauren looked at her.

Lauren wanted to tell her it was fine, that she didn't think any less of her but she knew Camila wouldn't want to attention if they were caught talking so instead, she reached across and took a hold of Camila's arm, surprisingly the girl letting her do so, and turned it over, lightly pulling up the sleeve.

She could feel Camila shaking as she lightly skimmed her thumb a crossed the raised skin. One of them looked recent and still looked raw and painful. Lauren lightly pressed down on it making Camila hiss in pain.

Lauren glanced up apologetically, pulling Camila's sleeve back down and lightly squeezing her hand before turning her attention back to the teacher.

Once class was over Camila was out of the room before Lauren had even started gathering her things.

"So, I heard you and Camila were late for class." Dinah said, wiggling her eyebrows at Lauren as she sat down at the table next to her.

"It wasn't like that." Lauren mumbled, still a little dazed by what had just happened in the previous class.

"What exactly was it like, then?" Ally asked, arching her eyebrow at Lauren.

"She had a panic attack. I wasn't going to just leave her."

"Why? What happened?"

"Jackson." Was all Lauren had to say and Normani, Dinah and Ally nodded.

"Is she ok now?"

"Yeah, I offered to take her home but she still wanted to go to class."

"I'm a bit wary of inviting you over to my house now." Ally teased and Lauren rolled her eyes.

-----

"I thought I wasn't going to be invited back round?" Lauren said as she sat on one of the chairs out Ally's back.

"I like you too much." Ally shrugged, running over to the pool where Dinah and Normani where.

Lauren watched them for a while, jumping when there was a light tap on her shoulder. "Jesus, Camila. You scared me."

"Sorry, can I talk to you?"

"Of course." Lauren agreed, getting to her feet and following Camila inside.

"Listen, what you saw today, you can't-I mean..."

"I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Not even Ally, I know she's your best friend but she'll tell her mom who will tell my dad and I just..."

"Calm down, Camila. I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you."

"On one condition." Lauren said and Camila looked up at her. "You talk to me next time you're thinking about doing it."

"No." Camila said instantly.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know you. Besides, talking doesn't help. Why do you ever care?"

"I don't know. I just do and I don't like that you're doing this to yourself."

"Well don't worry about me, I'm none of your business."

"I'm making you my business and whether you like it or not I'm not gonna stop looking out for you."

"What're you guys talking about?" Ally asked as she walked into the kitchen and headed straight for the fridge.

Camila seemed to shrink back into herself and the sight of Ally. "Nothing, just biology."

"You ok, Camila?"

"Yeah, fine. I'm just gone go upstairs." Camila mumbled, turning and heading upstairs.

"What'd you say to her?"

"Nothing."

"She looked upset."

"I was asking her is she was ok after today. That's it."

"I don't believe you."

"I wouldn't have come here if I knew I was gonna but under some sort of interrogation. I'm going home."

"Lauren..."

"Save it." Lauren huffed, turning and heading out of the house and down to her car.

She understood where Ally was coming from, she just wanted to look out for Camila but Lauren cared about her too.

Lauren got into the house, falling down onto the sofa to watch TV.

She had been watching TV for about an hour when the door went.

Lauren groaned, pushing herself off the sofa and opening the door to a sheepish looking Ally. "Hey."

"Have you came to yell at me some more?" Lauren mutter, glaring over at Ally.

"I came to apologise. I was just trying to look out for Camila." Ally said, nodding back towards the car where Camila was with her head bowed as if she was reading.

"Where you going?"

"Camila has therapy."

"She sees a therapist?"

"Once a week since the accident."

"Jesus, that must be expensive." Lauren said and Ally rolled her eyes.

"Of course that's what you'd focus on. I'm gonna go for something to eat while she's in there, wanna come?"

"Will she mind?"

"Not, I don't think so. I mean she talks to you, it took her about two months to talk to me."

"Yeah, ok." Lauren reached behind her and quickly grabbed her keys before locking her door.

"You don't mind if Lauren comes along do you?" Ally said as she and Lauren got into the car.

"Looks like I don't have a choice." Camila mumbled, her eyes not leaving her book.

"Aren't you just a little ray of sunshine?" Lauren mumbled making Ally glare at her through the rear voice. "What? She's depressed, not a child. I'm not gonna treat her any differently than I would treat anyone else."

"Lauren!" Ally hissed and Lauren shrugged, looking at Camila who still had her eyes on her book but the corner of her mouth was turned up into a tiny smile.

Ally pulled up outside a large building a few minutes later. "I'll be back in forty minutes."

Camila didn't answer, she just got out of the car and closed the door.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Ally hissed, turning in her seat to look at Lauren.

"What? Why should I treat her any differently than I would anyone else."

"She's depressed."

"So? She's still a human being and I wouldn't let anyone else act like that."

"You're insufferable." Ally muttered as she began driving to McDonald's.

-----

"These chairs are so comfortable." Lauren sighed as she settled into the seats in the waiting room of the office.

"I have to go call Normani." Ally mumbled, clearly still a little mad at Lauren as she got up and walked outside.

Lauren yawned, sliding down the chair and resting her head against the back of it.

"You're just charming aren't you?"

Lauren opened her eyes stop in mid-yawn to see Camila standing there. "I thought you had another ten minutes left?"

"We finished early."

"Ah, alright." Lauren nodded, not making any move to get up. "So, do you actually lie on a sofa and look at ink things?"

"You watch too much TV." Camila said, looking down at her feet. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Not treating me differently I guess. Everyone just seems to walk on egg shells around me, like if they say or do something wrong I'll freak out but you, you just treat me normal."

Lauren shrugged, "You were rude to me so I'm not gonna let you away with that. Ally's outside, we'll go get her." Lauren pushed herself lazily off the chair.

Camila nodded, walking with Lauren out of the building. "So, what do you do in there?"

"Just talk and stuff."

"You're paying money to 'just talk' to someone?"

"We do other things too."

"Is he as patronizing as they are on TV?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes he talks to me like I'm a five year old but he is alright."

"Oh, hey, I thought you still had time left."

"Finished early." Camila mumbled, walking past Ally and getting into the car.

"She alright?"

Lauren nodded. "Think so, I'm not a mind reader." Lauren shrugged, climbing into the back seat.