The Backup

Chapter 34

Through the Woods

Everyone was ready and embracing their surroundings, Zendaya had joined the group last minute and no one really paid it any mind.

"We should camp out here, especially by the waterfall." Gabriella suggests, admiring a caterpillar.

"Which waterfall?" Normani questions.

"There's more than one?" Gabriella wondered.

"Of course, there's the one in the river or the one at the end of the river." Normani explained.

"When did you venture out in the woods?" Rihanna intervened.

"Last time I did was before the competition." Normani recapped.

"Fair enough, let's go to the second waterfall." Rihanna ushered and they nod then followed.

As they made their way to the water, Normani crossed the river, so does Dinah with no questions asked.

"Is there something we should know before we advance?" Ryan stops causing everyone else to.

"Hm? No it's safe over there, there's something that I want to see." Normani waved and begin to move, not before Ryan and Chloe appears behind them and trails them to the location.

Upon arrival, they see an open plain field with a lot of forest animals, there were deer, bunnies and rabbits, squirrels, foxes and owls. Normani look to see a mother deer licking her fawn.

"You sure do love animals." Dinah whispered to not scare any of them.

"They are just amazing, come on before they leave us since they probably are at the waterfall." Normani left carefully along with the rest and jogged to the waterfall to see everyone in awe of the place.

"Who knew this forest was so big." Montero says in star struck as he uses his binoculars to scope the area.

"The water down there is deeper than the other waterfall so we can swim in that." Normani explains.

"How far have you gone?" Chloe giggles.

"I have not gone past that giant tree right there." Normani points and their eyes widened not even noticing it at all.

It was massive, stood tallest than the rest and taller the cliff they stood on. Normani seen it from her room one day and decided to check it out and boy was she not disappointed. But enough about trees, Normani makes her way down the trail to the lake of the water fall and with Dinah impeccable trust to the girl, she was first to follow which caused everyone else to follow. When they made it to the bottom, they touched the water and it was cold but more on the warm side so not freezing cold since it is summer.

"Are we throwing a party for your birthday, baby?" Dinah sat down and let her feet sink in the cool water.

"When have I ever celebrated my birthday?" Normani pulls out one of the chocolate bars that Rihanna have gotten her for winning the competition.

"When have you have any friends to celebrate with?" Dinah countered.

"Touché." Normani giggles.

"When's your birthday?" Chloe wonders.

"The 31st of May." Willow answered without hesitation as she is already submerged in water.

"IN A WEEK?!?" Chloe exclaimed in shock.

"I'll handle the party, just enjoy your break." Rihanna tells Dinah, well whispered it and Dinah nods before turning her attention back to Normani who was looking at Rocky.

Montero is also in the water so he offered Rocky to be his floaty since Rocky doesn't know how to swim and now Rocky is on his shoulders while he swims through the water.

"Do you want kids?" Dinah unexpectedly asks and Normani blushes with her jaw dropped.

"Eventually but definitely not now!" Normani squeaked.

"I don't mean now, I'm just saying." Dinah also blushes and Normani sighs.

"I mean, we should talk about this in a more private setting." Normani stood up and Dinah does so as well, moving to a more private spot which everyone respected and not eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Now that I remember, you have never really talked about your future." Dinah started and Normani gave her a soft smile.

"After meeting you, I just assumed you'd always be in it...Then." Normani looked away and Dinah sighs but more like inhaled and exhaled deeply through her nose.

"I left?" She finished Normani's sentence.

"Yeah, after you left, I didn't really know what to do. Going about life with no intents or purposes just seemed right but now...I don't know. I don't have a clue as to what I wanna do." Normani rest her head on her knees with her arms wrapped around her legs.

"Well, I'm the same really, I know I don't want to be a dancer forever. I don't even want to be one now but I'm one so I can have a good life and that is what this is providing me." Dinah responds.

"Didn't you say you wanted to be a scientist?" Normani asks.

"I mean, yeah but that'll take too long. I'll probably just become an influencer, youtuber or some type of streamer." Dinah reveals and Normani giggles.

"That's new." She comments and Dinah shrugs.

"It's fun." Dinah joins her in her laughter.

"Maybe I'll be an actor, or model.." Normani thought.

"Or singer?" Dinah added and Normani shrugs this time.

"Singer is a lot of commitment." She finally locked eyes with her girlfriend.

"So no college?" Dinah wonders.

"I already started college." Normani reveals.

"You did!?!" Dinah asks in shock.

"Online and yes." Normani laughs at her reaction.

"I guess I won't need college for what I want to do." Dinah lays her head on Normani's shoulder.

"I guess not." She laid her head on Dinah's head and interlocked their hands before pecking them.

"I love you, Manz." Dinah mutters and Normani smiles.

"I know Dinah, I love you too." She responds and cuddles more into the taller girl. They watch with laughter as Rihanna scold Kehlani and Willow for splashing everyone which had everyone else laughing as they were on their hands and knees, apologizing to the older woman. "One more year, I'll do this for one more year." Normani tells Dinah and Dinah gave her a confused look.

"What do you mean?" She wondered.

"This dance thing, I only really joined to get off the streets like you but now...I think I have one more year of this then I'll actually start my life in the world." Normani debriefed.

"You know me, wherever you go, I'll be right behind you." Dinah pledged.

"Really?" Normani rose an eyebrow with a teasing demeanor.

"From now on yes." Dinah laughs nervously causing Normani to giggle.