publicity stunt ⊸ a lauren/you story

prologue

I sat in the lobby of Mr. Cowell's office, waiting for my chance to speak with him about the job. Me, along with other avid fans of a girl group called Fifth Harmony, were given a sliver of hope we'd meet our idols when we saw that flier. Of course, you only received that chance if you got the job.

However, the job itself was not given on the sheet of paper, only a time and a place. You were to meet Mr. Cowell at his office, and he would interview you to see if you were the one to carry out whatever job he had.

My head shot up when the door opened and a girl ran out, sobbing. I heard Simon was very straight forward, but I knew he had some sort of filter. Either the girl was very sensitive, or Simon wasn't.

"Next, please."

I stood up from my seat, seeing as I was the last person in the room. Straightening my skirt, I walked in with confidence. That confidence shriveled up and died when I saw the stern glare Mr. Cowell was giving me. It almost made me feel uncomfortable—almost.

"You're..." he looked down at his paper, "... Y/N Y/L/N?"

"Yes, sir," I answered too quickly. I could tell he saw my confident facade wearing away, and I knew he'd try to use it to his advantage if he got the chance.

"Please, take a seat."

I nodded and sat down across from him as he eyed me down from behind his desk. He seemed to be evaluating me thoroughly, despite his little knowledge of me. All the information he had on me was on my résumé, and that wasn't a lot. In other words, I wasn't very qualified; I just needed the money.

"I assume you're here for the job."

I nodded again.

"Good. It's yours," he said, standing up to shake my hand. I followed in suit, my confusion portrayed on my face. I shook his hand as he gave me a warm smile and shooed off the man at the door that had, so kindly, directed me in.

The door opened and clicked shut, and now Simon and I were sitting in silence in his office. I looked around, anxiously avoiding his gaze until I had nowhere else to look but his eyes. "What did I do, sir?" I asked, playing with my fingers that sat in my lap.

"Absolutely nothing. That's why I chose you," he answered, only spiking my curiosity. "Everyone that had walked in here practically begged me for the job. You were the first person that hadn't. Plus, you're kind of my last option."

"Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Cowell," I smiled, taking the chance to sit back in the chair, as did he.

"I suppose you're wondering what the job is," he chuckled lightly, "and I assume you know who Fifth Harmony is."

"That would be correct," I reassured, looking back on the many times I'd seen them in concert, only dreaming I'd meet them one day.

"And if you know who Fifth Harmony is, then you know who Camren is," Simon continued slowly, making sure I understood every word.

"I do."

He seemed impressed, even though almost every Harmonizer knows who Camren is. But soon that impressed look faded and he was serious again. "Good."

"And...?" I egged him on to finish, eagerly wanting to know what the man had in store for me.

His eyes moved from me to the door behind me, and in came the five girls. All but one had a welcoming grin on their faces; you can probably guess who.

"I need you to help get rid of Camren," he said shortly, bringing the girls closer with one wave of his finger.

"I'm sorry? What?"

"You heard me. I need you to help draw attention away from the Camren relationship," Mr. Cowell explained.

At first I thought I didn't hear him right because of his thick accent, but I did. And to say I was surprised was an understatement. "With all do respect, I don't think that's possible."

Lauren scoffed and crossed her arms, earning a smack from Normani and Ally, but it didn't stop her from rolling her eyes to China and back.

"It is, believe me. You don't have to do anything too drastic, just be spotted with the girls and keep people guessing who you are. To do so, you'll be going on tour with Fifth Harmony. It'll help Camren die down a bit, which is exactly what we need." He stood up and walked us (the girls and I) out, even though I wasn't anywhere close to finishing this conversation. "Just some bait for the paparazzi. Now, if you don't mind, I'm a very busy man, so I must be getting back to my paperwork."

Simon tried to shut the door, but I stopped it with my foot. "So you want me to be some sort of... Publicity stunt?"

"Pre-cisely."

•••

A/N: keep or delete?

~yours truly