Love Only

II

Lauren is perfectly snuggling with Nala in her hotel bed and a closed 'To Kill A Mockingbird' book beside her when a hand begins to shake her awake rather frantically. She is deep in slumber as they have just finished doing sound checks for tomorrow's show here in Brazil. The green-eyed girl is so tired that she wants to snarl and snap at the person trying to wake her, whoever that is.

"Lauren... Lauren.." Lauren heard Ally's soft voice which follows the shake and the sleeping Latina groans. "What?" She whines and flutters her eyes open, frowning immediately as she sees Ally's tear-streaked face. "What's wrong?" She croaks out.

"Wake up," Ally's voice is hoarse and her nose is red, complimenting her bloodshot eyes. Lauren frowns even more as she hears sniffling from the other side of her bed.

"W-What's going on?" Lauren sits up and looks at Ally, then glances at Normani who is hugging and consoling a crying Dinah in her arms. "What happened?"

"It's.. I-It's Camila.. She was shot at her concert earlier.."

"My god.." Lauren's lips part as tears start to make her eyes glossy, her vision blurry as Ally begins to explain what happened to Camila. Her heart pounds mercilessly in her chest as only one part of the news sticks to her: Camila was shot.

"Wha--H-How?" Lauren rambles. "W-What happened? Is she okay? Ally, please tell me she's okay.."

Ally hesitates and Lauren thinks the worst. "Oh no.. N-No no no.." Her voice quivers and she holds the cuff of Ally's blouse. "No.. Ally! Ally, please tell me she's okay!" She is begging now, her tone desperate. She wants to know if Camila's safe.

She wants to know THAT she is safe..

Ally hugs Lauren tightly as the green-eyed girl breaks down, tears streaming down her face and drenching the fabric of the older Latina's blouse as her body wracks in heavy sobs. "She's alive, but barely.." Lauren hears Ally whisper softly on her ear, rubbing her back as the four of the girls cry together. Yet Lauren is still inconsolable, her mind can't help but think of the worst scenarios possible as her heart keeps breaking, tearing into pieces at the thought of the woman she is secretly still in love with throughout the years barely hanging onto a tiny thread of hope to make it alive.

"I need to see her.."

Ally pulls away slightly and looks at Lauren right in the eyes. "We can't. Atleast not today. I've already asked Tara about it but--"

"I don't give a fuck what Tara says, Ally!" Lauren spits out, and for a second, she feels bad for snapping at Ally but the green-eyed girl has a one-track mind. She wants to see Camila and she wants to see her NOW.

Lauren stands up, Nala momentarily forgotten as she heads to the door like a woman on a mission.

"Where are you going?" Ally asks while she sniffles.

"I'm going to talk to Tara myself. Contract be damned. I don't know about the rest of you but I'm going to see Camz tonight," Lauren answers with such finality Ally knows that the green-eyed girl won't care about getting sued right now. Lauren casted them one last glance before walking out of her hotel room, heading straight to her manager's.

-

"Tara, I don't care about the contracts right now!" Lauren yells in exasperation. She has been trying to talk to their manager about the situation for almost half an hour now but Tara won't budge, saying that she should atleast do the show tonight before heading to Miami. But Lauren knows that with every second that passes by, is another second of Camila fighting for her life and Lauren wants to be there for her. She can't miss another moment.

"Lauren. I get how you feel right now--"

"No, I don't think you fucking do, Tara!" Lauren spits out. She is getting more and more angry at her manager and all she is asking is a permission to use the private jet and get the necessary clearance to fly straight to Miami as soon as possible. "Whatever. I'm going to book a commercial flight myself. Either way I'm going." Lauren turns to leave.

"Lauren, you can't just--"

The door opens and in comes Ally, Normani and Dinah--all with the same look of determination on their tear-streaked features.

"I'll go with you," Dinah speaks for the first time and looks at Lauren, her voice hoarse from all the crying. The sight of Dinah only makes Lauren want to cry harder. Dinah rarely cries, Dinah is the one who usually cheers people up. But now, Dinah is one breaking down; leaving all of them at an utter loss.

"Dinah.."

"Mila is my sister. You bet I'm going with you," the Polynesian says firmly, the tone of her voice leaving no room for an argument.

"If Lauren and Dinah goes, then we'll all go," Ally speaks up as well, Normani nodding in agreement. "Mila needs us right now."

Lauren turns to look at Tara, who is looking distressed by the second. "Either you postpone the concert and let us board the jet immediately to see Camz or none of us will show up at the concert tonight," she says firmly, and Tara sinks into her chair, rubbing her forehead and contemplating on what to do. Lauren feels bad for the woman, as she knows they're possibly going to jeopardize Tara's ass on the line here to the recording label and not theirs, but Lauren is beyond caring. She needs to get to Camila immediately.

-

"I can't believe we just stood up to the label," Normani says quietly as they are two thousand feet up the air. Lauren is fidgeting in her seat, chewing on her bottom lip as she replays what she had just read online on their way to the airstrip earlier. Camila is now on her way to surgery and may be in critical condition.

'God, please save her...' Lauren stares out of the window of the plane and silently utters a prayer. Flashes of Camila's smile play in her memory and it sent a shot of pain in her chest knowing that she might not get to see her smile anymore, to hear her voice even just through interviews and not in person anymore. She is secretly following Camila still, sorrow eating away at her as she tries to live with the guilt of hurting the one person she loves the most before.

Lauren hopes she isn't too late to right the wrongs of the past..

"Yeah, I hoped we stood up to them for Camz before," Lauren finds herself responding to what Normani said. "We hurt her so bad and now it took her g-getting shot for us to want to make amends with her."

That shuts everybody up as they know the weight of truth behind every word Lauren said.