Our Deepest Scars

Chapter 20

Camila's blood ran cold and her previous overpowering exhaustion evaporated immediately as the full magnitude of the situation hit her.

"Dinah...what are we going to...how can we...how did they..." the small girl was finding it difficult to speak, her breath coming in short gasps. Dinah's phone had fallen from her weakened grip to the floor, but neither girl was concerned about that right now.

"Hey, hey, Mila," Dinah whispered softly, trying to console Camila. In her heart she knew that the circumstances looked very bleak. However, she wasn't about to let her best friend suffer any more than she was going to later. "It's okay, everything will be fine, management will sort it out," she cooed gently, her arm making its way around the shaking brunette's shoulders.

"N-no they won't," Camila stuttered, shivers overtaking her body as she let Dinah embrace her tiny frame, enveloping her in a warm grasp. This can't be happening, she thought. Please let this be a dream.

Little over an hour later however, it became clear that this was not a dream. Quite the opposite in fact; it was a nightmare.

Despite the early hour, all five girls, the majority of their team, their PR people and several important men and women from management were gathered in the living room space on the bus. There were numerous newspapers and magazines lying in front of them on a table, and most of the congregation (except for the girls) had their phones open on webpages displaying various articles about Camila and Lauren.

The two girls themselves were in very different states both physically and emotionally. Camila was curled up on the couch against her girlfriend, trying to make herself as small as possible. Her previously-completed makeup was now in streaks down her face; she had spent a large amount of time crying softly into the older girl's neck since she had read the articles for herself the first time. 

Lauren, on the other hand, was sitting upright and facing the men on the opposite side of the room. She was forcing herself to appear calm, although inside she felt deeply anxious and shaken up. Mainly though, her main concern was Camila. She was fiercely protective over the smaller girl.

"We could still try and do some damage control...pretend it was some other people, say it was for publicity..." one of the members of their PR team suggested, and Camila lifted her head from Lauren's chest to listen to the older woman.

An incredibly stern and angry looking man from their management shut her down instantly. "That's no good. It's obvious it's Lauren and Camila," he snapped, throwing the two Latinas a look of deep loathing, as if they were the cause of all evil in the world.

"Or we could somehow try and shut down some of the rumours while everyone is still asleep..."

The man banged his fist down sharply upon the table, shutting everyone up at once. "Don't be ignorant about this! People all over the world have already seen this, and the rumours are flying wild everywhere! For God's sake, I've already had multiple calls from the UK, Brazil and about ten other countries that know all about this. And they want to hear more about it, not less."

"Nick, calm down," muttered the woman next to him reproachfully. The man was red in the face and looked ready to punch someone.

Instead, he decided to use some well-chosen words against the two girls involved. 

"Camila," he spat, knowing that the younger girl had been the one who asked Lauren to be her girlfriend; had been the one to take her to the butterfly centre outside which they were caught kissing. "This is all your fault. Do you have no consideration whatsoever for the future of this group? Are you so selfish that you would risk everyone in this room's career, all for a stupid, meaningless kiss?" His voice was rising angrily as he spoke, and he brandished a finger threateningly at Camila.