Broken, Afraid, & Sensitive

Hold me?

*time skip to a week when they have to perform for simon*

Lauren POV

The girls and I were all just pulling up to the school for us to perform. Camila had been especially anxious this past week and more so today. She'd been saying how she felt like she was gonna throw up all day, not to mention the poor kid simply couldn't sleep last night.

I held her hand as we walked into the school, it was empty aside from some teachers and kids staying after for cheer practice, some of them snickering insults at Camila, who was already torn. The other girls noticed and stood closer to Camila, Dinah taking hold of the hand I wasn't holding.

We made our way into the auditorium and went backstage. Camila wrapped her arms around my waist and rested her head on my chest. I rubbed her back comfortingly. "Camz it's going to go great okay? I'll be right next to you." She nodded and he called us out.

I held Camila's hand the whole time we performed. After we finished Simon stood up and clapped. I squeezed Camila's hand to say I told you so.

"Girls that was absolutely phenomenal! I'm very impressed and I would be honored to sign you all to my record deal, I have a feeling that I'm looking at a group of future stars here. There will be a meeting tomorrow at 12pm. I have all of your contact information and I will get the address to you all okay?"

We all nodded and said thank you in disbelief. "I'll see you girls tomorrow, you did amazing today." We told him thank you again before we went backstage. We all took a moment to celebrate everything before we made out way out of the school and back to my house.

We all got inside and Normani and Dinah went straight for the couch and turned on the tv and Ally followed behind them, calmly taking a seat next to Normani.

As soon as I shut the door behind myself, Camila crumpled into my arms. "Woah.. Camila what's wrong love?" She gripped my shirt, hiding her face in it as I rubbed her back, trying to comfort her.

She mumbled something quietly. I held her arms at her sides, bending down and looking deep into the smaller girl's eyes with a gentle expression on my face. "Hold m..me." Camila stuttered as she held back a sob. My heart broke a little more for the girl standing infront of me.

I let out a small sympathetic sigh towards her and picked her up underneath her arms, allowing her to wrap herself around me. "Don't cry... Shh." I said, slightly swaying from side to side. I left a caring kiss on her cheek, the girls gave me a puzzled, yet concerned look.

"Maybe take her upstairs okay? She didn't sleep last night, she's probably exhausted, poor thing.." Normani suggested, I nodded. "Camila were gonna go upstairs and you can rest okay?" Camila clung to me tighter as I ascended the staircase.

I got into my room and set the distraught girl on my bed before picking up the remote and turning on a kids channel, I'd learned that Camila preferred to watch kid shows when she was more distraught or shaken up.

I stood infront of her to comfort her and went to pick her back up, but before I could she'd thrown herself into my arms and started to cry softly. "Hey Camz, it's okay." I cooed to her, picking her up. "Shhh.." I layed down, laying her on my chest and letting her cry.

"What's wrong Camila.. Talk to me; you're okay." I said, trying to convince her to tell me what was bothering her so badly. "Nala." She said softly, sounding rather vulnerable and sort of childish. I reached over and grabbed a hold of my stuffed Nala, it was one of my stuffed animals I had on my bed. More specifically, it was a stuffed animal that Camila had become rather attached to over the past week.

I handed Nala to Camila and she wrapped an arm around Nala. I gently traced my fingers along the sides of Camila's face, calming her down. She wasn't crying any more, she was laying on my chest with an arm aroud Nala and she had one of her thumbs in her mouth.