Or Is It Real?

Chapter 35: Stuck On You

Warning: a bit of skin color/body-shaming etc. (totally not my opinion, it's just for the sake of plot. I think all of them are insanely beautiful)

Title Inspiration: Stuck On U by Khalid
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Camila's PoV

I never thought things could get worse, considering that I was already rock-bottom - mentally, emotionally, physically, even socially - but apparently, Jesus loves me so
much that he thought maybe what I suffered these several months weren't enough, so he piled more and more shit in my already overflowing shit-filled plate, because you know what the bible says, He won't give you shit you can't overcome. No offense, but that's a big lump of bullshit.

How could one song change everything so drastically?

Harmonizers have started this crusade of hate against me - cyberbullying me nonstop. My fans telling me to go solo - as if that's what I wanted when I did this collaboration. My bandmates barely even talk to me anymore, and even Dinah, at some point, has kept her distance.

If I knew that doing a song with Shawn Mendes would create such a backlash, if a stupid spontaneous jamming session at the backstage of Taylor Swift's concert would get me so much hate, I wouldn't have done it. I never intended for this to happen. All I know was we were all hanging out, with Shawn randomly strumming his guitar, and I was working on that song I wrote about the whole debacle with Lauren, and I just thought that maybe he could assemble a melody for it. It was simple and quick. When we finished, we sang it together, and Roger started recording us on his phone.

What happened next was totally beyond my control.

Roger presented the idea to our label and Shawn's manager, showed the video clip, the execs loved it and thought that a collaboration between us would be beneficial for both sides. I'd get more exposure since Shawn already has a big fanbase, which in turn, would get his fans to notice Fifth Harmony. Shawn's image would get a boost if word got out that he's dating a girl from the hottest girl group in the country. It's a win-win situation.

Except that it backfired mostly on me, which has triggered my anxiety, constantly threatening my sanity, and upending the already shaky dynamics of our group.

I was informed about it on a Tuesday morning, only when everything has been carefully planned out already, and I had to literally get dragged by Roger inside the car, in my sweatpants and "I Hate Mondays" top, because Shawn was already at the studio waiting for me so we could do a trial recording session.

The one thing I hate about this industry and being in a girl group is that a young artist doesn't really have a say when it comes to decisions about projects and image. Management decides everything for you.

And you don't even know how much I have it worse. Being the chosen frontrunner of the group, I had more obligations than I would have liked to have. The thing about girl groups is that every record label is aware of the short life span of any manufactured musical group. Aware, and yet they don't really care. They just want to milk the shit out of each successful groups they discover for as long as they can, and in the process, groom the most promising member to be a future solo artist. That way, even when the group has disbanded, the label would continue making money, since they now have an upcoming successful solo artist in their hands. That's why I have my own manager. That's why they are more lax with me when it comes to solo projects, and that's why I get more media attention. It's all a giant game of chess.