The Next Big Thing

Chapter 11

Lauren's stomach was in knots as she stepped into the studio the next morning. It was the band's last day of recording—although Camila would probably stay all weekend, perfecting the vocals, and, Lauren could now admit, working harder than any of them. They had to finish everything today or else production would be pushed back, and the wrath of Simon Cowell himself would fall upon them. Lauren had heard enough about schedules and 'buzz lifespan' to last her a lifetime.

Lauren was annoyed by the idea that they were rushing the record because Syco was worried that the X-Factor fans would forget about Camila, annoyed for herself and the rest of the band, for having to work so hard on a flash-in-the-pan album.

But now she let herself think about it from Camila's perspective. The kid had gained a massive following on X-Factor, doing what she was good at—singing. And now she was being told by rich and powerful men that people only liked her for her face or her hair, or the fact that she had been on T.V. That she was on the verge of being forgotten, irrelevant. That no one cared about her talent.

It would probably sting, Lauren realized. Or, you know, feel like a fucking knife to the heart.

As Lauren stepped into the studio and saw Camila, sitting cross-legged on the floor with Dinah, smiling wide at something the other girl said, she almost wanted to say something, to tell Camila that she actually was talented. That if she kept at it, people might still love her when she was fifty, just for sounding good on an album. That's what Lauren wanted for herself, after all.

But Camila's eyes flickered up when Lauren stepped into the studio, and then instantly cut away. The other girls called out a greeting, but the only indication that Camila knew she was in the room was a slight tensing of the girl's shoulders.

Not twelve hours before, they had been shouting at each other in this room. Now Camila was pretending she didn't even exist.

And the strange part, Lauren thought, as she set her bag down and went to talk to Normani, was that it wasn't much different from every other day that week. Except, it had been Lauren giving Camila the cold-shoulder, barely acknowledging the girl's presence.

The camera guy was already there, circling them in the small control room, zooming in on their every expression. Lauren ducked her head to hide her face and the frown that she knew was etched there.

The morning wore on, and Camila wasn't actually ignoring Lauren, but she was certainly going out of her way to avoid her. She looked away whenever their eyes met, keeping her gaze firmly on the floor in front of her for most of the day. Whenever Tim tried to get her to play up for the cameras, she just shrugged. Lauren saw Tim and James exchange annoyed frowns as they realized their little star wasn't shining as brightly as usual.

When they talked about the songs, Camila directed all her comments about guitar to Normani, her gaze slipping right over Lauren. She was tense throughout the morning, flubbing line after line, and Lauren wasn't doing much better. The atmosphere of the studio was awkward and chilly by turns, as the other girls tried to figure out what was wrong, and Camila looked at nothing but her own trainers.

James was annoyed, making them do the songs over and over again, and the other girls were becoming tense and irritable as well. And the camera was there to pick up every frustrated sigh, every grumble and every frown. Recording it all for Simon Cowell's inspection.

When lunch was called, Lauren couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

"Sandwich place around the corner? Dinah offered, tone hopeful. She seemed the most bewildered by the change in dynamic, and Lauren felt bad. Normani fed off of Camila in the studio, responding to the girl's charismatic energy, and with Camila being so closed off, Normani was faltering too, suddenly unsure of herself.