The Onstage Phenomenon (The Backstage Pass Sequel)

Chapter 10

Camila's POV

This was absurd.

How did I blank on a huge project required for my overall credits? I had stopped listening to the man on the other side of the phone about a minute ago as he rambled on about me being persistent in possibly finding a way to make up for this assignment. We were only weeks away from graduation and I was basically guaranteeing myself an absence from the stadium by not completing this assignment.

Lauren was still staring at me hopeless once she had tried a relentless amount of times to get my attention and possibly get some insight on what was wrong.

"I might not be able to graduate this semester..." It finally came out of my mouth.

"What? Why? You're doing fine in school, amazing actually." She asks, coming closer to me to get my eyes to meet her.

"There was an assignment last semester that I apparently blanked on and it was the do or die one, I can't graduate unless it's complete and all of the off campus scheduled events for a performance that were given to us as options are gone. I'm done. Unless I can come up with an alternative somehow." I sputter, my mouth going dry as I say it myself. This is unreal.

"Well-"

"I've worked so hard this year, never missed a single class and still manage to forget about an assignment, my luck..."

"Camila-"

"There's no coming back from this. I want to graduate with my spring class, not the winter one. I need to be by Dinah's side on graduation day, we weren't able to do it in high school, but we have to do it now." I say, lips quivering into a pout as unshed tears fog my vision.

"Camz!" Lauren shouts, making me jump before she wraps her arms around me and cradles my head while I take deeper breaths as I calm down.

"I don't wanna be there for another semester, baby."

"I know, I know. Look what are the obligations for this project if you find an alternative?" She coos into my ear, still rubbing my head.

"Um I don't know," I sniffled. "Well when I wasn't tuning him out I heard him say that the performance has to be at least 2 minutes, it has to be recorded and the song has to be an original."

"Mmmmkay." She slowly dragged out, pulling me apart from her a bit so that I could look into her eyes.

She had her lips sealed together, eyebrows raised in excitement and a question written all over her features.

"What are you thinking?" I ask her skeptically, she was plotting something.

"Is there a rule against you doing a show with your insanely hot, super famous girlfriend?" She smirks.

-

Normani's POV

"You shouldn't have done that Addison, I thought you wanted Lauren to like you?" I questioned her rhetorically.

"She's never going to like me, you and I both know that." She shrugs nonchalantly. "I just don't see the point in being dishonest about how I clearly feel about Camila."

"Um, maybe so Lauren isn't forced to beat you to a pulp." I respond with the obvious answer, no hint of humor in my voice.

Dinah was up at that counter currently getting me another Birthday Cake Remix cup. While she was up there I used this time to talk to Addison about the obvious elephant in the room, and see why that bullshit had decided to leak from her mouth earlier tonight.

"I'm not scared of Lauren." She insisted, this time making me gaze at her questioningly. "I'm not! She makes me very uncomfortable but not the least bit fearful." She stands her ground.