surrender.

TASK ONE: “about me.”

Camila Garcia (Jessica Alba) is a fiercely loyal and tempestuous woman who grew up in a tumultuous household, to say the least; considering her parents were both substance abusers who left her to raise her three younger siblings. She gave up on any dreams of attending a school in NYC for dance and took up a job at the local florist instead to make ends meet. Over the years she worked her ass off and eventually saved enough to buy She Loves Me after the owner wished to retire. Eight years ago, Cam gave birth to a baby girl, Sage, after a one night stand, and has been keeping the father’s identity a secret ever since. 

starter for: @camilagvrcia​ location: the annual carnival  time: a warm summer night, nine years ago 

Tugging a piece of pink cotton candy away from the stick he held, Marcus popped it into his mouth, still grumbling over the very apparent loss on his part at the dunk tank. “I still can’t believe you beat me, Garcia.” he said, giving Cam yet another once over, as if he had misjudged her. “You sure you didn’t bribe the guy operating the tank with a date like this one to get him to let you win?” This was all just part of the act, he convinced himself. He wasn’t actually admitting defeat just for the sake of it. There was a purpose behind his words, behind hanging out with Cam tonight. He was going to get her to drop this ‘I Hate Marcus Turner’ act and admit she actually liked him if it was the last thing he did. 

       “Aww, feeling sore after that dunk sesh, Turner?” Cam couldn’t help but grin victoriously knowing she’d defeated Marcus. The universe was on her side today. “Your greatest downfall was doubting me in the first place.” He brought out a competitive streak in her that, honestly,  remained dormant more often than not the last few years. She missed her drive and determination; she missed the adrenaline. However, Camila had retribution to bestow upon the shoulders of what she believed to be an incredibly selfish man, and so she snapped out of her momentary enjoyment and reminded herself why she was here in the first place. To bring. Him. Down. “Ohhh..” Smirking, the brunette picked a piece of cotton candy, bringing it to her lips before licking her fingers. “So this is a date now, huh?” Ugh, he was just too easy. 

—

As Cam lets out a chuckle, Marcus wishes that he could easily fall into the moment. It was easy to picture himself, in different circumstances, easily laughing with Cam about how completely out of his depth he was in this whole situation. Despite their… past, he knew deep down that if he dropped the rich, cocky, asshole facade, he and Cam could get along. But there was too much hurt right now, the sting of finding out all these years later was simply too fresh still. And while Marcus was trying, truly putting in an effort to better himself for Sage’s sake, he wasn’t quite ready to completely move past it all just yet. 

He was contemplating what that would look like, him being able to move forward, when she offered a walk or coffee. If he was ever going to get to that point, this was about the only way to do so. “Sure, coffee would be good. It was a long day at the gym.” he agreed, pushing himself away from the doorframe and waiting for her to follow him out of the room. 

       “I can’t believe you drink black coffee without sugar,” she hands over said coffee and finishes stirring sugar in her own before taking a sip. Of course, Cam intends to lift the mood to something a little more lighthearted, nervousness consuming her knowing the inevitable depth of their impending conversation. She wants to avoid it at all costs, but she knows that isn’t feasible. She was knee deep now, and there was no turning back. They find themselves in an isolated waiting area, which seemed a little more comfortable than the somewhat busy cafeteria — at least, for this time of night. Her nervousness surprised her, the weighted silence between them growing increasingly uncomfortable. “I.. honestly don’t know what to say or where to begin. —But I guess.. what do you want to know?” She guessed everything, but she was willing to focus on as much as he was comfortable with. Who in the hell was she?! 

+

Tapping away the excess ashes into the ash tray, Celestina didn’t entertain Camila as she didn’t want to feed into her amusement. The way she was reacting to it would have been the exact same way the dancer would have handled it if the roles were reversed. Therefore, she focused on smoking the blunt in between her fingers and nodding along in silence. 

‘You can do better than that.’ 

Oh, a hundred percent Celestina could. She was confident and believed in herself. Therefore, if she needed to make a point, she wouldn’t hesitate to not hold back. Her gaze hardened as she hated the fact that her sister knew how to get under her skin. “You’re so annoying.” she muttered under her breath while she took another hit. 

“Look Camila…What do you want from me?” Get straight to the point and don’t look back—that was Cel’s current mindset right now. “I understand. I get it. I comprehend. How else do you want me to say it? You know what’s best for Sage. You deal with the fact that Marcus knows and I want nothing to do with any of it. It’s fine. I even forgave you!” She sighed and massaged her temples, as a means to calm herself down. This blunt was not helping at all as she smushed it on the ash tray after finishing it off. If anything, it made her antsy. “You want things to go back to the way it was? Fine.” She then lets out a cheeky smile, “How are you sis? Want to go shopping? Watch a movie? Have dinner?…Want to talk about life? Tsimis? Tell me. What does Camila Garcia want to do on this lovely day? Oh! You want me to eat your donuts?” She picked one up and ate it. “Mmm, fucking delicious. Thank you so much for the peace offering!!!” 

       “And you love me for it,” Camila smirked, unable to help herself. Ordinarily she’d be fucking pissed that Cel was speaking to her this way, holding onto some of that eldest complex. But Cam knows she fucked up, and her little sister had every right to be damn pissed at her for as long as she wanted. She hopes that they can work through it, even if it’s a longer process than she initially thought. “Because I know you’re still fucking pissed at me. I know you better than you know yourself. I’m not expecting things to go back to the way they were but I’m just trying to open a conversation here to talk it out ‘cause I just don’t believe you.. and I don’t care how long it takes.” But she knows boundaries, and she knows not to force it. She’s earnest in her response. “However, if it’s not today, I’ll respect that and I’ll go. And.. you can keep the donuts.” 

marcus: maybe, but at least I got you to call me baby!

marcus: oh, it is ON!

marcus: see ya in a few

marcus: I mean... only if you promise to call me daddy while doing it ;)

marcus: it's on. meet at the fair in a half hour?

marcus: if you're lucky, I MIGHT even buy you some cotton candy

camila: we both know the only place i'll be calling you daddy is in your dreams, baby ;)

marcus: I never said anything about you showing me...

marcus: I just don't want this crap town getting the wrong idea about what REAL skill looks like.

camila: oh so you DON'T wanna see me kick your ass?

marcus: sofia says that you're the best at dunking people at the dunk tank.

marcus: don't believe it for a second.

camila: you're full of it.

+

Nope. Camila never gave up. It’s one of the traits that Celestina admired so much as they were growing up. She was up there as someone who she considered as a ‘role model’, especially when she went up against her parents. That kind of fire, Cel never forgot as a child and instead, used that to fuel her own. It’s why they were so similar. However, they were flawed in their own way, especially when it came to taking a rational approach. Camila already knew that with the space she had given Celestina. 

The dancer eyed the donuts and still shook her head. “It’s not a cheat day.” she deadpanned as if she was watching her weight. She didn’t need to, but she was using every excuse in the book not to make truce yet. “Well I can still do it…” Was that true? Not quite. It was difficult, especially after knowing that Marcus was trying to be involved with Sage. Was there a point to still being man when efforts are now being made? On top of that, just seeing her niece and remaining neutral was a task that she found troubling since she didn’t want to alarm the young girl that something was wrong. 

“I already told you—you’re forgiven.” She picked up her blunt and played with her lighter as she contemplated. “I don’t want your apology. I don’t want anything to do with you and your choices. Clearly it’s not my business. So just drop it. It’s fine. Just don’t tell me shit period.” Meeting her gaze she then flashed a smile, in hopes that it would reassure her before lighting the blunt and taking a deep exhale. “It’s in the past, I just don’t care anymore. Congrats by the way, now you probably can milk child support off of him. Oh and maybe you could have your ‘normal’ life with the whole white picket fence shit. It’ll be good for Sage. The kids won’t be as nosey wondering why she has no dad.” 

       Her little sister had always had bite, much like her. Cel’s words elicited something of a snicker from within, lowkey amusement knowing just how alike they were. “Who knew forgiveness could be so icy?!” Another bite, another attempt at acting nonchalant about the whole ordeal. She hadn’t missed Cel’s fleeting smile though, and that gave her enough comfort to know that things were on their way to being amended. If not today, then one day. “Ouch... is that all you got? I’m pretty sure I deserve a lot worse than that, hermana. I was a shitty sister. You can do better than that. But to answer those thoughts, hell yeah, honey, I’m all about those dollar signs and white picket fences.. Fucking bring it.” And with that she polished off said donut, not a regret in the world. “—You know.. I spent a long time terrified that she would be taken away from me.” The raw, open honest truth. She couldn’t give much more than that. “That fear still hasn’t left me, to be honest. I also spent a long time hating that it was Marcus, given how much I publicly loathed him. But here we are. I’d call it the fuck up of the century, but that kid is the best thing I ever did.” 

—

He let out a breath of relief. “A broken arm? That’s not too bad. Kids don’t die from broken arms, right?” Normally, he would never let anyone see him being so uncertain. But he was so beyond anything even remotely close to his element here. He felt uncertain about everything. He glanced again over Cam’s shoulder at Sage, a almost smile tugging at his lips. “I think my uncle might have used that phrase to describe me a few times during my summers here as a kid.” It was uncanny how little he had truly had to do with Sage’s life and yet now, he couldn’t help but find the similarities between him and his… his daughter.  “I’m glad you called.” Once again he brought his gaze back to Cam, sincerity evident in his eyes. “Really. I’d uhh… love to know about these things… anything, really.” Reaching up, he rubbed his temple for a moment, a little unsure what to do or what to say or how to even have this conversation with Cam. 

.

        She can’t help the small chuckle that escapes her lips, soon vanquished by a wave of something like sadness? The knowledge that Marcus really had no idea, and he hadn’t had that opportunity to be a parent or to learn. There was that guilt again, eating away at her. “No, they can’t... I mean, I don’t think they can?” Glancing back at Sage, Cam felt a momentary wave of panic wash over her.. before logic settled in. For the most part. 

       “Yeah,” Cam agreed with a small smile — the memory of Marvin recalling Marcus as a child, and how many similarities he said they’d shared, even then. She remembers, though, that Marcus isn’t privy to that memory. At least — not yet. Looking up at him now, she’s quiet for a moment or two, deliberating her next moves. There was a lot to mend here, and a lot of explaining to do, all of which exhausted her just at the mere thought. But she knew that’s what she owed him, and at the same time, she had to find out how they were going to navigate this going forward.. and to address her innermost fear of Sage being taken away. Before she could let her thoughts run rampant, she silently reminded herself to take one step at a time. “—Do you wanna take a walk? Maybe.. get some coffee or something? I know it’s late..”

+

Celestina didn’t know which was louder, her neighbours yapping away whenever they had bingo night or Camila, trying to make peace outside her door. It’s been a couple of weeks since their argument and her sister had so graciously gave her space.

Up until now, of course. 

Currently, she had been casually rolling a blunt on her dining table and as much as she wanted to smoke it, the nagging and the constant knocking just overall killed her mood. Therefore, she begrudgingly got up to unlock her door and didn’t bother being the hostess with the mostest, as she returned to the dining table and took her seat. “You really don’t know when to quit.” she called out with a hint of irritation. “I’d call the cops on you for loitering on my private property, but I have a feeling they’d still side with you. Now what the fuck do you want? And bribing me with donuts won’t do shit, so you can gladly take that elsewhere.” 

.

       The sound of the lock turning was enough to send a wave of relief to wash over her, knowing there was a chance. Knowing that despite all the bitterness she was about to immerse herself in — which she undoubtedly knew she deserved — there was hope. “That’s my whole M.O. I don’t give up. Ever,” she announces matter-of-factly and almost nonchalantly after pushing through the door. As casual as her entrance was, she was shaking beneath the surface. There was so much to be said, so much to go through that it already exhausted her. Talking about deep shit was not her thing, contrary to popular belief. Camila found it much easier to just skirt over issues with a sarcastic comment or two. Or alcohol. 

       “That’s cool. I’ve been known to smash a dozen on my own,” she shrugs, taking one of the donuts out of the bag and placing it on the dining table as a peace offering, semi in reach of Celestina, before moving to lean on the kitchen counter. She didn’t quite feel like it was time to sit at Cel’s table, not just yet. She’d pissed her off enough. Taking a bite of her donut, Cam silently considers her question. “I came because.. Cel, we’ve never gone this long without talking. I can’t do it anymore. I—” A weighted sigh escapes her, lifting her gaze from the bite-sized hole in her donut and looking over at her little sister. These words didn’t particularly taste nice; they were hard for her to say, truthfully. But she meant them. Well and truly. “I’m sorry. For everything. For keeping you in the dark and not telling you when I should’ve.. for not telling you this whole time. I’ve never kept anything from you, ever. I don’t know why I did. —I guess maybe I thought I was protecting Sage?” From having her being taken from me. It was her greatest fear. “I was fucking stupid, okay. And I’m just—I’m really sorry.” 

—

Having just finished up his rounds, Sam was preparing to head home to an empty house since Kennedy was with Jamie, when Cam caught his attention. A friendly smile immediately came to his face, albeit a bit of a uncertain one. Was Sage back in the hospital? “Sam, please.” he corrected as he approached, but his confusion quickly turned to pleasant surprise as she explained why she was here and what she had brought him. It was all beyond unnecessary, but he was touched nonetheless. “Wow, Cam, you really didn’t need to do all this.” he said, as he surveyed the gifts she had brought. “And are you kidding me?? It’s practically a rule that all doctors forget everything they learned in med school when it comes to their diet.” As he finished speaking, he sent her a friendly wink. He considered the prospect of heading home for a moment before turning to face her squarely. “Although, if I take these home with me right now, there’s a pretty good chance they’ll all be gone by tomorrow morning. What do you say, do you wanna head to the cafeteria and we can split the goods? Save me from a cavity or two?”

       “Oh, please.. it’s just donuts and coffee. Not a grand meal but just an expression of gratitude, for doing what you did and uh.. being so cool about it.” She offers a warm smile, a genuine one indeed. Sam was a cool guy, and she genuinely appreciated good people. “In fact, so cool that my daughter's now determined to be a doctor just like you. So much so, I had to buy her this whole kit and she hasn’t stopped checking my heart rate and wrapping my arm up since.” Amusement colours her features; he was good with jokes too. Camila pauses in consideration, before nodding and allowing her feet to propel her forward before she could even respond. “You don’t have to tell me twice. I’ll never turn down a good donut, and I promise you.. these are good. Fresh out the oven from Sugar Daddy.”