Camp Hansen

Chapter 5

"Do you – do you actually think that I – that I..." Camila spluttered, her wide-eyed gaze darting between Normani and the others. "Are you serious?"

Normani crossed her arms, the frown deepened on her face. "Don't play with me, Camila. You know very well what this is all about."

"I thought you were mad because I wrote a song with Shawn and that it got released! Not that I..." Camila shook her head, looking stunned. She turned to the other girls, searching their eyes. "Is that what you all think? That I did it because... because I want to pursue a solo career?"

The girls shifted under her stare until Ally and Dinah broke the eye contact first. Lauren simply raised an eyebrow, but it was more out of curiosity than accusation.

"We all auditioned for X Factor to be solo artists," Ally muttered when nobody else spoke up. "We're all different... it wouldn't be so far off to think that, Mila... and then you released that single."

"But it wasn't... it wasn't intentional," Camila argued weakly, still meeting Lauren's questioning eyes. "It was never meant to... You know that I love writing and I love music... I didn't know they would release it as a single! How often do I have to say this?" She tore her eyes away from the green ones and instead looked into the dark brown orbs of Normani. "I thought you knew me better than that."

"Funny, I thought so too," Normani replied coldly. "Yet here we are."

"After all these years of being friends," Camila started, "I really thought that you'd believe me over your fans. That you would take my word over their stupid rumors. What did I do that made you feel inclined to listen to them? And what do I have to do to make you see that I'm dedicated to this group? Do I have to write Fifth Harmony  on my forehead with a permanent marker or, better yet, get it tattooed?!"

Lauren let out a little giggle and the others threw her amused to exasperated looks.

"Seriously, Lo?" Dinah muttered, shaking her head. "After all this time?"

"That was funny," Lauren defended herself.

"Our  fans have a point," Normani said to Camila. "You've been distant and you can't deny that. It got so obvious that even they  noticed! If you're really so committed and that song was an accident, then why are you always absent from group activities?"

"As if you don't already know why," Camila spat with narrowed eyes. "You are the ones who don't want me around! You think I'm annoying, you always have some kind of inside joke going on, you're always doing group things without me!"

Normani shook her head. "That's not even true! We tried to include you numerous times, but you rather sit in your room or your bunk all day or hang out with Shawn or friggin' Taylor Swift!"

It was silent for a moment and Camila looked at her with an unreadable expression. "I can't believe it... are you fucking serious, Normani? It's all about that?"

"Do I look as if I'm joking? You don't have any time for us and –"

"I didn't know that Taylor would throw me a party."

"– rather hang out with people who you just met instead of your real friends  who have been with you through everything –"

"I didn't know about that party until literally the minute I walked in," Camila raised her voice slightly and Normani fell silent. "Like I told you the next morning, I had no fucking  idea! I wasn't lying when I said that I wanted a quiet day with my family!"

"You certainly looked happy in those pictures," Normani grumbled.

"Of course I was happy!" Camila exclaimed and threw her hands up. "I was spending my birthday with my idol!  What if Beyoncé threw you a surprise birthday party? Wouldn't you have been happy too?"