Should Have Known (Camren)

Chapter 17

"Fifth Harmony for life' on three," Ally instructed. "One...two...three!"

We all chanted the words as we threw our hands in the air, and I knew that we would be together until the end. We were meant to be. We were sisters, and nobody could tear that apart.

"Let's kick ass tonight," I encouraged.

...

The girls and I made our way to the buffet for dinner before the show. We sat in our usual booth against the window and laughed at nothing and everything all at once, enjoying ourselves and reflecting on how far we had come.

"Isn't it weird to think that this could be the last time we ever eat dinner in here, all together?" Dinah realized, her softer side showing through.

"Every time we've eaten in here could have been the last time," Camila chuckled.

"No, I mean, this is it. This is our last chance," Dinah continued. "Whatever happens tonight decides if we go to the finale or not. If we don't, it's the end. If we do, next week is it. After that it's just...hoping to be signed."

"You do realize that if we make it through tomorrow we'll be eating in here every day until the show next week, right?" I pointed out.

"No, that's not the point," Dinah argued, slamming her fork on the table in frustration. "This is it guys. If we mess up tonight, we don't get to redeem ourselves. There are four competitors left. Four. They're the best of the best. If something goes wrong we don't get another chance. It doesn't matter if we're here for another week. This could be the last time we ever sit in here like we always do before every show and reflect on how far we've come."

The weight of her words finally hit me. We'd be in there the following day to eat as always, anxiously awaiting the results of our performance, but it wouldn't be the same. That evening, that moment, right then and there, was the last time we would ever sit in that booth and discuss the week ahead. We had one chance to prove ourself during our performance, and we would know whether we advanced or not the following night. We either had one day or one week of competition left. After it was all said and done, we had nothing left to talk about. It would all be over.

"It's just the end of the chapter," Camila said to Dinah, but speaking to all of us at once. "We all knew the show would end, and I'm glad it's finally coming to a close because now the only place we can go is up. We've got our entire career ahead of us. It's just the end of the first chapter, not the end of the story."

We all nodded in agreement. She was right. We made a pact to stay together and we knew we would. How would we ever progress if we never expected the show to come to an end?

We continued with our dinner, putting our underlying fear and excitement of what the future would hold behind us for the time being. I got up to throw my trash away, leaving the other girls behind momentarily. I felt a strong hand on my shoulder as I was cleaning off my plate and whipped around to face the owner, already knowing who I would see.

Keaton removed his hand from my shoulder and placed it behind his neck, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Can you come with me for a second?" he asked, his voice low and uncertain.

"Are you really going to pull me away from the girls again after what happened?" I groaned.

"It's not about that," he promised. "Just...please. It'll only take a second."

I followed him to the balcony, squeezing Camila's shoulder as I walked past our table to let her know that I'd only be a minute. Keaton walked outside and shut the door behind us, his back against the railing.