Please be my nightingale (Camren)

Part 77

Hey guys :) Here's another chapter and Camila is coming back really, really soon!!!!! be excited :D

So, about this whole 5h hiatus - I'll not say much other than that I'll still continue to write and update this stroy simply because I enjoy writing and the world isn't over, just a little sadder without them. ♥ I hope you're still interested since I still believe in their bond and friendship and after all, it's "just" a fanfiction. But let me know :) I love you guys! :)

Part 77.

It's a normal Sunday for the girls and they are happy to have Lauren around for once. She started working less and spent her time upstairs in her room or even asked the girls for help to catch up in school. She seems happier and Normani knows that the festivities this year will be harder for Lauren since there's no guarantee for Camila to be there and it'll be the first year without any trouble which will trigger her though to thinking back to what it used to be. The girls all agreed that no matter what happens, they'll try to distract her.

Normani is actually realizing that Lauren hasn't come down in a while and since the other two are taking a nap she decides to go up and check on her friend.

She knocks on the door and barges in after waiting in front of it without hearing a response. She sees Lauren sitting on her bed, her messy hair surrounds her face as she looks up surprised to see her best friend there. It clicks as she removes the headphones from her ears and finally reacts.

"Hey Mani", her voice croaks. She hasn't been speaking a lot if her voice is that scratchy.

"Hey Laur, watcha doing?"

She shrugs her shoulders before looking down onto her notes. "I was thinking about presents for the girls because I have less time for them."

Normani who is now sitting next to Lauren takes a look at what the girls has scribbled down until she completely understood what her friend has said. "Why do you have less time for theirs? And by the way, I hope you know that you don't have to get us anything, right?"

Lauren looks away shyly until she finally answers. "I don't have as much time for theirs because I want them to go home for Christmas."

Normani is taken by surprise and is shocked for a few seconds. "But why?", she asks after she gets her voice back.

"I'm getting presents because I want to thank them for being here and I want them to go home because I don't want to make them feel like they're obligated to stay here. They sure must miss their families and I still have you and your mom like always. You're my family."

Normani puts the notes away and takes Lauren's pale hands, "Lauren, I accept the reason that you want them to spend the holidays with their families back home, but you finally have to understand that they are here because they are your friends like they are mine now and they like it here with you. You're no burden to them. Please stop thinking that way."

"Ok", she softly shrugs. "I still want them to go home though."

"That's ok but you should better tell them because of what I've heard, they are planning to stay here."

"I'll talk to them."

"What else have you got here?", Normani spies at what's spread out on Lauren's bed.

"I was kind of trying to write a song."

"For what or whom or about what?", Normani chuckles unsure of what question to ask first.

"Uh, I was..I was trying to write a Christmas song."

"You never had to perform anything in front of my mom, Laur, you don't have to come up with anything", Normani smirks.

Lauren shakes her head quickly and is about to answer as Dinah barges in without knocking.

"Are you planning secret missions without me?", she asks and plops onto the bed. She doesn't seem to sense that she interrupted anything and goes on. "I hope you're not as boring as Ally who's still napping. What's been going on here", she asks and looks at them expectantly.

"Well, Lauren was just about to tell me why she's trying to write a Christmas song."

"Oh, Lauser, there are enough sappy Christmas songs in the world, I don't think there's any need to do that."

Normani shoots her a look and Dinah mouths a faint "Sorry". She's always saying things before thinking about them.

"I don't want to perform the song we chose", Lauren admits as she lays around with her pencil.

Both girls sense that this topic is rather serious and exchange a quick glance, but they are both clueless as to why Lauren has changed her mind all of a sudden. They have been practicing the song for a few weeks now more or less without Lauren since she fell asleep most of the times, but they never heard complains when they chose the song.

"How come, Laur?", Dinah asks gently.

"I don't feel like singing it", she mumbles.

"But how are we supposed to learn a new song within a week, hun?", Normani adds.

"I don't know", her chin begins to wobble, and tears fill her eyes. The girls are quick to embrace her in a group hug. "I just- I don't know if I can sing that – that song", she brings out.

"You know that we'll be there right by your side, Laur. We are there, and nothing will happen."

"But you're not her", she whines. That's when it clicks. The girls agreed on singing "All I want for Christmas" and all Lauren probably wants for Christmas is to have Camila around.

"You really want Camila to be there, huh?", Mani asks cautiously while playing with her hair.

"Duh", she sniffs. "But that's selfish and I know it", she adds and then tears her papers into pieces. The girls look at her shocked but as Lauren wipes away her tears, angrily, they realize that she's made up her mind.

"We will do the best we can and change the song if you want to, Laur", Dinah reassures suddenly feeling bad for her. For most people it's a normal song and people wish for presents, health and to have their loved ones around which is exactly what Lauren wishes for and she's certain that her dream won't come true so she doesn't see any sense in singing such a stupid song.

"What can we do to make you feel more comfortable?", Normani asks while taking another strand of hair to play with from the long mane of her friend.

Lauren stays silent. She wants to say that she'd feel most comfortable by just not performing at all but since it's not open she doesn't say anything at all.

Dinah comes up with an idea and smiles confidently, "Would you like to design some dresses with us and talk about our choreography?"

Lauren's eyes light up and she immediately nods. She thinks she'll feel more comfortable in case she's wearing an outfit which makes her feel safe and beautiful.

"Let's brainstorm then. Mani, do you think you can come up with four dresses within a week?"

Normani nods, "I'll try my best."

"Ok, we need a color scheme."

"White?", Lauren suggests unsure.

"White not red?"

"yeah, I feel red is too aggressive and will earn more attention."

"White is good, Dinah. I still have a white dress and I'm sure you two must have one as well and we'll simply design a perfect dress for Lauren."

"You ok with that, Laur?"

She nods. "It's easier if you already have white dresses and Mani doesn't have to sew too many."

The girls create a cute outfit for Lauren, measuring her size and all the things Normani needs to know, while the couple knows that they aren't sewing the dress like that at all. They want her to look fierce and not like a bag of potatoes. They agreed on a leg slit and some cleavage and the rest's for Normani to figure out but the twinkle in her eyes proves that she's got it all figured out already. Lauren will look absolutely stunning.