Or Is It Real?

CHAPTER 25: Spread the Love, Spread the Nutella

Lauren's PoV

After a long-ass meeting with our handlers about our upcoming South American tour, we're now back at the L.A. apartment which basically serves as Fifth Harmony's headquarters, and all five of us are hanging out in our favorite room in the house – the kitchen.

Since we all have individual plans for our day off tomorrow, and we get divided up to do promotions afterwards, today, my girls and I were spending quality time together. It's tradition to have our regular girl bonding, just the five of us, whether it's just staying in, or going to concerts, or getting piercings together – it's one thing I wouldn't wanna change in the hectic lives of Fifth Harmony.

And that's what we're doing now, bonding over food.

"Walz, what in Buddha's name is that thing you're making? Are you seriously gonna eat that shit?" Dinah was grimacing while watching Camila put seemingly random stuff on her bread; Nutella, sliced bananas, some Cheerios, peanut butter, and powdered sugar. She was adding other stuff but I would rather not look at it because I might vomit.

"Excuse you, China Jane, don't knock it till you've tried it." Camila scowled at her.

"I'd rather starve than put that thing in my mouth." Dinah laughed.

"We all know you've put nastier things in your mouth than Camila's sandwich, DJ, don't even pretend." I smirked.

I was busy laughing with Normani that I didn't notice Dinah throw an apple at me, and it hit my left boob. I yelped in pain, and was about to retaliate but Ally immediately intervened.

"Guys, guys! No fighting!" Ally probably knew it's gonna turn into a chaotic food fight, and as she always was the one who ended up cleaning, she has always made it a point to preempt anything that involved throwing shit at each other.

Dinah was sniggering and eyed me smugly, then threw a balled-up wet napkin at my face when Ally wasn't looking.

I managed to avoid it. "Stop throwing shit at meeee!" I plucked a grape and it quickly landed with a satisfying thump on her forehead. Softball skills, yo!

"I will not clean up your mess this time, so behave!" Ally stomped her foot.

Both of us grumbled, but nobody dared try to defy Ally again, not because we're afraid of her, but simply because none of us wanted to do the cleaning.

Camila finished slapping shit onto her bread and she looked so proud, it will be so hard to say no to her if she asked me to taste her "sandwich" which looked so abstract it should be in a contemporary art gallery. I slowly let my hair fall over my face to hide myself and pretended to be busy so she won't notice me, because I might just put up a fight before I take a bite from that icky-looking thing, and that might hurt her feelings, which I never want to happen.

"Who wants to try the CamSandwich!?" She looked around the room excitedly.

After several seconds of dead silence, and Camila's bright smile slowly dimming at the lack of volunteers, Normani rolled her eyes and glared at us. "Oh for god's sakes, y'all are pussies! Come here, Mila, let me try that CamSamwhatever."

"A CamWich." I suggested, to which Camila agreed.

Camila happily bounced towards Normani, almost tripping over the leg of the bar stool, and handed her creation with both hands to Normani as if she was offering it to the gods.

The room fell silent while Normani was chewing, as if we were just waiting for her to drop dead from poisoning or something, but then her face brightened up. "This tastes reallly good!" She said with her mouth full. "Sweet... kinda salty, probably coz of the peanut butter. It's really good."