L.A. Dreaming: Destinations and Detours

Chapter 11: Colorado

(December 20th 2025)

The girls woke up in a panic, realizing they had overslept for their much-anticipated holiday break trip to Colorado. Phones buzzed with alarms that had been snoozed one too many times, and the once peaceful morning was now a flurry of activity.

"Get up, we're going to miss the flight!" Camila shouted, throwing a pillow at Ally, who was still half-asleep.

Brynn was already up, pulling on a sweater while trying to balance a toothbrush in her mouth. "Why didn't we set a second alarm?" she mumbled to herself, the toothbrush muffling her words.

Chamile hurriedly stuffed the last of her things into her suitcase. "We're never going to hear the end of this if we miss that plane," she said to Dinah, shaking her head with a mix of frustration and amusement.

Lisa, still bleary-eyed, was frantically searching for her phone charger. "Where's my charger? I can't go anywhere without it!"

"Forget the charger, we need to leave now!" Normani urged, grabbing Lisa's arm and pulling her toward the door.

Dinah, always calm under pressure, was trying to organize the chaos. "Everyone just grab your stuff and let's go. We can figure out the rest at the airport."

Dara was double-checking that they had all the essentials. "Passports, tickets, wallets—everyone got them?"

Ludermary nodded, her hair still wet from a hasty shower. "Got everything. Let's just hope the traffic isn't too bad."

As they rushed out of the door, Ally asked, "What about Sherie? Is she coming?"

"No, she's staying behind for her collab with Emilia Laurent. It's dropping tonight, remember?" Chamile reminded her.

With that, the girls piled into the cars waiting outside, speeding toward the airport, hoping to make their flight just in time.

The ride to the airport was a tense mix of silence and hurried conversation, the girls anxiously checking their phones for flight updates. The early morning traffic in Los Angeles was light but still unpredictable, and every red light felt like it added another minute closer to disaster.

Brynn sat in the passenger seat, refreshing the airline app. "We still have a chance. If we can get there in the next 20 minutes, we should be fine."

"Let's hope security check isn't a nightmare," Dara muttered from the back seat, clutching her bag tightly.

Camila leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse of the road ahead. "This is all my fault. I'm the one who insisted on watching that extra episode of 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' last night."

"Don't worry about it, Mila," Lisa said, her voice soothing. "We all agreed. Let's just focus on getting there."

As they finally pulled up to the departures drop-off, Dinah glanced at her watch and swore under her breath. "We've got 15 minutes before they close the gate. Move!"

They all jumped out of the cars, grabbing their luggage and sprinting toward the entrance. The automatic doors whooshed open, and they were immediately hit with the buzz of the airport—announcements blaring, travelers hurrying to their gates, and the unmistakable smell of airport coffee.

"Come on, this way!" Normani urged, leading the group toward the check-in counters.

They managed to find an airline employee to help speed them through check-in. Ally smiled her brightest, most charming smile as she handed over their IDs and tickets. "We're really cutting it close, but we're here. Please tell me we made it."

The attendant, sensing their urgency, quickly processed their information and handed back their boarding passes. "You're just in time. Head straight to security and then to your gate—don't stop for anything."