The Curse

Chapter 13

"Did the two of them ever work it out?" Lucy took a small sip of water after she finished writing.

"The damage was done. Camila broke her nose that night and almost had charges pressed against her until Simon convinced Selena not to. I was too overwhelmed to even think straight. All I could hear was the two of them arguing and then my life flashed before my eyes."

"I remember reading the articles that came out shortly afterward. So many rumors, so many accusations—what's the truth?"

"Selena was an addict that cared more about the high of being famous than actually maintaining the fame. She was kicked out for being selfish, ignorant, and too egotistical. What band would've worked with somebody like that?"

Lucy hummed. "People could say the same about Camila,"

"No," Lauren disagreed. "The world might've seen her as some heartless person, but she was so much more than that. She was the love of my life and the only person who would've scorched the earth to look for me. Camila Cabello had a heart of gold and it was all mine."

-

"Do you think she's going to sue us?"

"She can't, we didn't do anything,"

"She could totally sue us for emotional distress,"

Normani sighed heavily. "Don't give her any ideas when she wakes up and we might get lucky,"

Lauren winced at the bright fluorescent overhead lights, raising her arm to cover her eyes. "Where am I?"

"Congrats, Ralph! You landed yourself a first-class ticket to the ER after you decided to faint." Dinah helped her sit up. "How are you feeling?"

"My head is killing me..."

"Mila told the doctors you took a pretty heavy hit," Normani poured some water into the hospital cup and held it out for Lauren who gratefully accepted it.

"Simon says you're going to sue us," Dinah blurted out.

"Jesus..." Normani mumbled under her breath. "Please ignore her. She starts saying stupid shit if she goes too long without sleep."

"I'm not going to sue anybody," Lauren cracked a half-smile. "Though, considering you guys sold out this tour, I'd get a pretty penny if I did, huh?"

"I have kids at home to feed, Ralph. Don't be cruel."

Normani sat at the edge of the hospital bed and laughed. "But... Seriously, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I promise,"

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Dinah moved to sit on the other side, giving Lauren's leg a supportive squeeze. "I know how to throw a real nasty uppercut,"

"She's just so fucking high all the time," Lauren whispered. "She gets in these weird moods and starts crying about how everybody hates her. It's so... Saddening to watch. I couldn't take it anymore. She wasn't talking to you guys and she barely talked to me if she was sober. After the concert ended, she wanted to shoot up and I dumped all of it on the ground before she could."

"What a fucking bastard," Dinah said immediately in response. "So, she decided to put her hands on you?"

"She didn't hit me," Lauren was quick to clarify. "She just grabbed at my hands to get me to stop, but when it was too late, she smashed my camera instead. I guess it was payback."

Normani's face hardened. "I didn't know it was getting this bad,"

"The second she wakes up, she's snorting coke," Lauren said dryly. "Even when she's on stage she's high out of her mind,"