Behind The Scenes

Chapter 18

"Is she asleep?"

Dinah's voice sounds in the night air and Lauren's head turns fast enough to give her whiplash. She thought Dinah had already gone to bed with Normani, after all, there were two lumps on Ally's bed and it would make more sense for Normani and Dinah to be sleeping together than Ally and Normani.

Dinah seems to read her mind, shrugging and leaning back against the cold metal chair that faced away from the hotel room, looking at the view. She had gone outside on the balcony to think about everything she witnessed today. Their room had a beautiful ocean view. It was calming, unlike the atmosphere had been.

"Ally fell asleep, I didn't have the heart to kick her out of her own bed. It's okay, I'll take the couch." Dinah explains, watching the calm waves gently lap onto the shore.

Lauren sighs, taking a seat next to the girl in the other metal chair. It seemed impossible that such a calm moment could be part of such a hectic day. "Camila fell asleep about fifteen minutes ago. Her cheek is already turning purple.....God." Lauren shakes her head, running her fingers through her hair and tangling them in the messy of thick waves. "I-I just....I hate him. It makes me so angry th-that anyone would lay a fucking finger on her!" She huffs, visibly frustrated.

It goes silent and although Dinah doesn't speak, Lauren knows that she understands. That she feels the same way. After all, Dinah cares for Camila just as much as Lauren did, just in a different way. They are both angry. And sad, so so sad. It hurts to see Camila in this position. It hurts to see Camila hurt.

After a few minutes of just listening to the waves and letting Lauren calm down, Dinah speaks. "The-they've never hit her before..... not that it makes it any better." She sighs, leaning back in her chair and keeping her gaze on the ocean. "I used to always be so worried about that. I hated the verbal abuse but she always convinced me not to say anything. Every time we were together I would check f-for bruises....marks.....anything that hinted that they took it too far. I told myself that if it ever reached that point, that was when I had to say something, whether she wanted me to or not." Dinah's voice fades.

"It's so fucking....hard." Lauren's voice shakes as she talks. She takes a deep breath before continuing. "I hate the way that they talk to her like she isn't a person just like them. Like she isn't worth their kindness or attention. I can't stand the way that they treat her! I hate how when she gets thinking she somehow convinces herself that she's the one in the wrong, that there's something wrong with her. I fucking despise that she didn't even know there was something wrong with the whole situation until a few years ago." Lauren breathes out shakily a dry laugh escaping her lips. "Hell, I've only known her for a few weeks. I can't even imagine knowing her for years."

Dinah shakes her head. "I did what I could, but I don't think that I, myself, even understood the extent until this tour. She kept it mostly to herself, you know? We always hung out at my house and well, you've met Cat, she's.....she's a charmer when she wants to be. You wouldn't ever think that she would do anything so horrible. But this tour is the first time that I really saw it firsthand..... I feel terrible."

Lauren pulls her fingers from her hair and turns to Dinah with glistening eyes. "Don't blame yourself Dinah. Don't do that."

"That's what Normani says too." Dinah chews on her lip, not once making eye contact.

"You should listen to her." Lauren suggests. "The only people to blame for this are Camila's parents and Cat. You may not have known to what extent they were treating Camila, but you helped her so much. She always talks about how you are one of the only good things in her life. How she would have never made it through without you. How you and your family showed her love and what it was like to be treated like a human being. How you made her feel less lonely. You did so much Dinah."