The Curse

Chapter 12

Selena loved coke as much as she loved pricking her skin with needles. It was a revelation that Lauren would soon come to despise as their friendship progressed.

The band carried on with their tour as usual. With bursting chemistry on stage and smiles that fooled the entire world—little did everybody know that the second they stepped off the stage, they all walked on eggshells around each other.

Camila remained cold and distant while Normani and Dinah burrowed in a hole together to avoid her wraith. Selena avoided the three of them and spent most of her time bothering Lauren and Simon.

To put it in simpler terms, The Curse was a dumpster pile slowly being lit on fire.

"Lauren," Selena wiped her nose with the sleeve of her shirt. "You seriously need to stop overanalyzing everything,"

"I need these pictures to be perfect," Lauren clicked through the ones she took of them last night while they were on stage in Milwaukee.

"And they are, so stop freaking out. You're going to make me freak out next."

"You're too high to be worried about anything else,"

Selena grinned mischievously. "Some things aren't meant to be said, Lo,"

Lauren looked up from her camera when she heard the elevator ding and was met with a pleasant vanilla smell.

Camila.

Selena rolled her eyes and stepped to the side, resting one of her hands on the bottom of Lauren's back to move her over. Camila stood on the other side of the elevator and, suddenly, it was like the metal box shrunk in half. Lauren shifted uncomfortably underneath her touch and moved away so that Selena's hand fell back to her side.

Selena frowned and placed her hand back. "Why are you acting weird?"

"Sel..." Lauren moved her hand away again. Selena had rarely touched her like this and she knew that the guitarist was only doing it to make a show in front of Camila.

The last thing she needed was for Camila to hate her even more. They weren't on the greatest terms, but when Lauren would hold up her camera, Camila willingly smiled back. And she wasn't going to risk losing that privilege because Selena decided to engage in a pissing contest.

"She doesn't want you to touch her," Camila finally spoke up, her voice raspy and delightful in a million different ways. "What don't you get?"

"I didn't know you were her bodyguard," Selena bristled and folded her arms across her chest. "Is there anything else you want to say? Or can Lauren say it herself?"

Lauren watched as the muscles in Camila's jaw twitched before speaking up, "It's not a big deal, I just hate having my personal space invaded, that's all."

"Great! It's not a big deal! You heard it from the lady herself. Now, if you'll excuse us." Selena flung her arm around Lauren's shoulder when the elevator made it to their floor and was halfway through the heavy doors when Camila grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.

Selena squeaked and nearly dragged Lauren to the ground with her, but ultimately failed. "What the fuck is your problem, Cabello?"

"She told you she hates her personal space being invaded and you decide to touch her again," Camila pressed her against the wall. "Did all the coke fry your brain?"

"Oh, please. You're just looking for any reason to start with me because I'm the only person with enough balls to stand up to the dictatorship that you run around here." Selena shoved Camila off of her and straightened out her shirt.