Thinking of Your Skin: The Truth Behind Camren - Book Two

Chapter 11: Come Fly with Me

December 11th, 2016

2:00 P.M.

Lauren

It had been a few weeks since the AMA's, which also meant a few weeks since I had basically told Camila that I wanted her gone. I didn't know what had come over me. I wasn't planning on everything coming out as terribly as it had, but the champagne coursing through my veins made me a tad more blunt than I had wanted to be.

It wasn't necessarily that I wanted her gone; I just wanted to be mentally prepared. Plus, I was sort of ready to move on with the next phase. Obviously, I was going to miss her, but I had dealt with all of the drama for long enough. We all needed to move on, and prolonging it was just stupid in my opinion.

Regardless, Camila and I had spoken a lot less since that night. I had really struck a chord in her and, as usual, I was too chicken to apologize. I hadn't really said anything I hadn't meant, after all. Unsurprisingly, Camila and I talking less meant her distancing herself from the group again, with the exception of Dinah. I was really glad that those two had patched things up. She needed someone totally in her corner, and it just couldn't be me anymore.

The two of them were out that day, leaving Ally, Normani, and me to chill by ourselves on our day off. The jingle ball tour had been underway for about a week now, and it was always great to get a day of rest in. We were sitting in Normani's hotel room munching on snacks and just chatting. I loved these moments with them where I could just feel so...ordinary. However, the peace was short lived, because soon we heard a knock at the door.

"Look who's here!" Normani beamed after opening the door for Will.

"I am indeed." he returned with a weak smile.

"If you're looking for snacks, we're not sharing." I teased.

"Lauren. Don't be mean. Give the man some food." Ally scolded me.

"It's ok, Allycat.", Will chuckled, "I'm not here for food."

"What's up?" Normani asked as she sat down on her bed.

"I just got some news."

The three of us stared back at him, immediately noting the gravity in his tone. This didn't sound like it was going to be good news.

"What happened?" Ally asked, her voice dripping with concern as she stood up from the floor.

"Nothing happened, per say.", Will reassured her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "It's not exactly news. It's just news that it's confirmed."

Will made it a point to look into each of our eyes before he continued.

"Camila will be leaving next Sunday." he finally said.

"Next Sunday?" Normani echoed.

"As in the 18th." Will clarified.

"Does Dinah know?" was the first question that popped into my head.

"Not yet. We just found out and we didn't want to interrupt her day with her family so we'll tell her when she gets back."

"What do you mean you found out? From who?" Normani asked.

"Roger. Well, it's obviously been something we've been discussing for quite some time now but he officially confirmed it. Last Jingle Ball and then...she's out."

The four of us fell into a deep silence. I wasn't sure where the rest of them were looking, but I knew that I couldn't meet anyone's gaze. I simply stared down at the floor, running my fingers through the grooves in the carpet, as if it mattered at all; as if anything mattered.