Time To Grow

Chapter 3

Lauren managed to make it through the night without being sick again. The show went on without any issues, and she was grateful for that. She was pretty sure the other girls were grateful for it too. It would have sucked to explain to the fans why she was getting sick so much. It would be easy to lie, but she didn't want to break their trust since they'd eventually come to learn the truth.

The next several shows went better. She dealt with sickness in the morning when she got up, and at night time as she was getting ready for bed. Nobody on the bus had questioned her about it, and so she assumed that meant that they were still in the dark. Even if they did somehow know, they weren't saying anything.

Today they had checked into a hotel, and the girls were getting themselves settled. Being in a hotel room was much nicer than being stuffed into the small bunk on the bus. They had gotten two rooms, one for Camila and Ally, and another that Dinah, Lauren, and Normani were sharing. Lauren was happy with the arrangement. She loved all of the girls, but Dinah knew about what was going on, and Normani was just fun.

They didn't have to go on stage until the next day, thankfully. It was nice to have a day to unwind with. It was something that they all needed at this point. Anyone could tell that they were all pretty tired. Lauren was laying on the bed, flicking through the channels on the TV when there was loud banging on the door. The dark haired girl rose from her spot to open it, flashing a smile at Ally and Camila.

"Hey, what's going on?" she asked.

"Mila found out about a library about a block away, and we're going to check it out. Do you want to come? Where are the others?"

"I'll pass. Mani is showering, and you know how long she takes. I think Dinah went to wander the hotel to find a good vending machine. The one down the hall doesn't have what she's looking for apparently. You two have fun though. Let me know if you find anything good."

Both girls wrapped Lauren into a hug and nodded, before making their way down the hall. She was about to shut the door when Dinah bolted in, causing a laugh from Lauren.

"Babe, what are you doing?"

"My lovely Laurenza, I'm just happy because I got my chocolate fix."

Lauren put a hand on Dinah's shoulder as she closed the door. "Wait, you already finished it?"

Dinah nodded slowly, looking at the ground. Lauren looked at her with a smile, shaking her head softly. She wasn't event that surprised by her younger friend's actions.

"I did. But that doesn't matter, how are you feeling?" Dinah asked, looking Lauren up and down.

"I'm fine, for now.. I wish we weren't on the road, I just want to go see a doctor. Y'know, find out how far I am, make sure the thing is doing okay. But I don't want to do it while we're out here because that just makes it seem suspicious."

"That makes sense," Dinah said, hesitating a moment. "I think Normani might be a little suspicious. In fact, I know she knows something is up, she was giving me a look that day that you threw up at the venue during the soundcheck."

Lauren groaned, and flopped back on the bed. That's not what she wanted, but she was glad that Dinah had given her a heads up. Dinah moved to lay down next to her, pulling Lauren close.

"Lo, I really think you ought to tell all the girls.. It seems like a good idea. Secrets are never good with this group, and if some know and some don't it might cause tension, y'know?"

"You make a good point. I don't know, I'll think about it."

They had stayed there in silence for several minutes before they heard the water in the bathroom turn off. The two girls glanced at each other, both of them expecting Normani to take longer than that. Roughly seven more minutes passed before their friend joined them in the room, walking to the bed they were on.

"I swear, y'all are cuddling every damn time I see you."

"C'mon Mani Bear, join us."

Normani didn't need to be asked twice, and cuddled up to Lauren, keeping the green eyed girl squished between herself and Dinah.

"So.. Lauren," Normani began, "I wanna talk to you about something. I kept my mouth shut for a while, I'm not gonna keep doing that.."

"I know what you're going to say. You're going to talk to me about what happened during soundcheck, you're going to tell me that you're worried, and you'll stat listing off what you suspicions are," Lauren replied in a huff.

"It's like you read my mind, girl. Seriously though, are you...?" she asked, trailing off as her eyes went to Lauren's midsection.

"Yeah. Dinah knows too, but the others don't, and my family doesn't.. so just keep it hush hush."

Part of Normani was hoping that Lauren wasn't serious, but by the tone of the girl's voice, she knew that she was. "We're here for you, whatever you need."

"I don't need anything, I'm fine. Just because I decided to be a fuck up doesn't meant that I need you guys acting like I can't handle myself," Lauren snapped. "I'm sorry, I'm just...yeah."

Normani shared a look with Dinah, and both girls moved closer to Lauren. Lauren could act like she was fine all she wanted, but it was clear that she was still struggling with this. It made them sad to hear her call herself a fuck up. She was anything but that, but they knew that they probably couldn't change her mind about it. She was stubborn like that.

"Don't apologize. It's okay, it's understandable. Just relax and enjoy the cuddles."