Diva Princess (Laurmani / DC3)

Chapter 8

Unfortunately, we didn't get to finish things later. I wasn't feeling well and fell asleep early. The next morning, I woke up coughing and sneezing.

"Aw, Lolo. Can I get you some cough syrup?" Normani offered when she discovered me sick in my room.

"No, thank you. I don't want any pharmaceutical poison. But, do you mind making me some hot tea with lemon and honey?" I asked.

"See, this is why I didn't get sick. I eat meat and take medicine like a normal person. Your granola crunch ass is living off of grass and the movie Blackfish," Normani commented. "I'll get you that tea, though, Lolo."

"Um, thank you," I said.

Normani had a way of switching between being mean and sweet. I started to learn not to take offense to her slick comments. I think that's just how she expresses endearment. But, with the help of heavy doses of Vitamin C and honey/lemon tea, I got over my cold in a couple of days. Over-the-counter medications only deal with the symptoms, so Normani can shove it.

I had plans to go to an event by myself that weekend, but since I discovered that Normani had similar interests, I decided to invite her. "Hey, Mani. Do you want to go to the Black Lives Matter rally? I'm leaving in about five."

"Oh, my God. Yes! Dinah, do you want to come?" said Normani.

"Not really. Let me know when there's an All Lives Matter rally," Dinah responded.

Crickets.

"I don't know you right now," Normani said to Dinah. "Give me a second to get ready," Normani said to me.

Once again, Normani refused to ride in my car. I thought it would look funny to show up to the event in a pink Range Rover, but at least there wasn't the danger of her vehicle breaking down. When we parked and got out of the SUV, Normani surprised me by taking my hand. We were soon greeted by one of the event's organizers.

"Hello, my sista," he said to Normani. "Here's the program for today's speakers." Then, he turned to me and handed me a program. "Thank you for coming. We could use more white allies."

Normani looked at me and grinned. "What did I tell you?

Screw them. I don't identify as white. Moving on, the first speaker was great, but we were soon interrupted by a counter-protest from an All Lives Matter group. And, I could not believe who I saw.

"Normani, isn't that your ex-girlfriend with all those All Lives Matters protesters?" I asked.

"Oh, my lord! Yes," she answered.

"Dude! What were you thinking when you dated her?" I questioned.

"I was young and dumb. Don't judge me."

Camila eventually saw us staring at her and walked over to where we were standing. We both braced for something nasty to come out of her mouth, and she didn't disappoint. When she was in front of us, she stared at me up and down. "I can see you're still downgrading," she said to Normani.

"It just so happens that Lauren, here, is studying to be a medical doctor," Normani replied.

I interjected, "That's not really acc-,"

"Shhh," said Normani.

"Well, that's strange, Lauren," Camila commented. "Normani is a known gold digger, and you're going to be broke for several years until you finish your residency."

"I don't care if you're a former beauty queen. Your attitude makes you ugly," I snapped.

"Not as ugly as that flannel you have on. Normani, I didn't know you were into the masculine types. No wonder why we didn't work out," said Camila. Then, she turned and went back to her group of protesters.