If I Were A Boy (camren)

Chapter Twenty-One

"Chancho," Dinah was the first one to finally speak up. "You need to think about this. Where is this coming from?"

"I've thought it about it, Dinah," Camila responded almost instantly, leaving behind her best friend's usual nickname. "And that's my final decision. Now if you excuse us, Austin has to be in the studio and we have dinner plans after."

As Camila and her boyfriend stood, I felt stares latch onto me. I tilted my head slightly to glimpse at the burning eyes, then fixing my look at Normani.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to stop her?" Ally butted in as the couple were already halfway out the door. 

"Why would I do that?" I laughed at the furrowed eyebrows before standing up from my seat. "It's her choice."

"You do realize that this effects our careers too?" Dinah questioned eagerly. "For all we know, there could be no more Fifth Harmony without Mila."

"So what? This dream has been dead ever since I started have my panic attacks," I admitted while maneuvering my hands in gestures. "Now that I have that heart disease, I don't know what I can do anymore!"

"I think we should take you back to the hospital now, Laur," Normani cleared her throat and stood up as well. 

"Fine. Whatever," I mumbled and rolled my eyes while turning my back to the three other girls. Exiting the restaurant alone as Normani said goodbye to the rest, I noticed Camila standing at the trunk of Austin's car. Her drained eyes could be spotted from a mile away, and the amount of sorrow that was poured through her cell phone wasn't exaggerated. She seemed almost in complete regret. I stopped myself from walking towards the van, taking in a good final glimpse at the girl I once called my crush or best friend. 

Camila moved her eyes from the ground and met them with mine. Her mouth stopped talking into the reciever as we made eye contact for a moment. I narrowed my eyes at her in that short moment, and then took off for the van. I didn't even turn back when I heard her call out my name. 

*

I was relaxed into my hospital bed with Normani sitting in the familiar armchair while I messed around with a Rubix cube. I knew there was an ending to it, but I didn't care at that time. So instead I was just flipping the puzzle around in hopelessness.

After about twenty minutes I noticed Normani stand up, but I didn't move my focus from the toy. Before I knew it, her hand had swiped the cube from my grasp and threw it onto the ground; smaller squares breaking off and flying all over the room.

"What the fuck was that for?" I growled at her and finally looked up. She seemed frustrated, almost angry at me.

"Fifth Harmony is basically over and you're sitting here in your small little hospital room wanting everyone to feel bad for your stupid heart condition and for everyone to feel sorry for how horrible Camila treated you," Normani hissed in my face. "Do you want all of our careers to go down the drain?"

"I mean, why not? We all have other dreams," I shrugged and leaned back to keep my cool. Normani would never lay a finger on me, or even on a fly. "Ally could start a bakery, you could go dance. I'm sure Dinah can go find something."

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Lauren?" Normani complained. The madness that glowed in her eyes halted, and the orbs went soft and gentle for a second. "Did you even ask Camila why she decided to leave?"

"No. Why does it matter anyways? She quit, big whoop," I fought. "Maybe she was as sick of this group as I am. Maybe I want to leave too."

"Slow your horses, Lauren!" Normani stood up, big and bold.