Lightning (Camren)

Chapter Fifty

A/N: So guess who goes back to college tomorrow? This girl! I'm going to try to keep up with my stories, but the updates will be slower than they are now. As for this story, it will probably be coming to an end soon, and I will start working on one of my other current works. Which of my other stories would you guys want to see updated next? Also, would you guys like to see a sequel to this story? Anyways, here's the next chapter!

A few weeks had passed since the two girls decided on making their permanent move out to Los Angeles, and the competition was getting fierce. All four of the girls were still in it to win it, but it wouldn't be like that for very long. There were only eight people still pushing on for the prize now. 

Lauren sat in the crowd as the show was about to eliminate a pair of singers from the competition. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach about tonight, and those feelings were confirmed once Ally and Dinah were eliminated from the competition in a single blow. Lauren's heart dropped when two of her best friends had been dismissed from achieving their dreams. She was relieved that Camila was still going strong, but she still felt sorrow for her pair of friends. 

Ever since the show had started, Camila had avoided being in the bottom half of the singers. It was unknown to them how far up she was, but they hoped and prayed that she was at the top of the list. Lauren had a feeling that her fiance would come out on top of everything, in turn winning the record deal and the prize money that came along with the show. If there was anyone in the show that deserved any of it, it would have been Camila.

The five girls met up backstage after the show, and they all joined up for a group hug in effort to cheer up their friends Dinah and Ally. Both girls had worked really hard to get to where they were, and it was just so sad that they had to be voted off like this. It was bound to happen that at least three of the four would get voted off, but it was upsetting nevertheless. On the bright side of things, Lauren knew that Camila still had the chance. As did Normani.

"I'm so sorry that this had to happen." Camila broke the silence. "We all should have stood there in the top four. I don't get why America didn't see things the same was as I do."

Dinah and Ally both smiled at the kind words, then wiped their tears away. "It's okay," Ally began. "It was such an adventure to be on this show, and I'm glad that I was able to get this far."

"Same here." Dinah stated. "I didn't bet on winning anyways. Honestly, I didn't even think I'd get as far as I did. It actually makes this whole process less stressful. This competition could have made a monster out of the four of us if we had all gotten to the semi-finals. Granted, I don't think any of us here are poor sports. Besides, it's not like we don't have the chance to get signed by another record label. There may be more chances a little ways down the road."

"Why don't we celebrate our achievements with some dinner? We all have successful futures in our sights. Normani and Camila are still in the game, Dinah and I have many possibilities ahead, Lauren is going to school for what she really wants to do, and she and Camila are getting married in a few months! Who's in?" Ally asked the group with a wide smile on her face.

Everyone agreed to Ally's dinner proposal, and they all decided upon going to an Outback Steakhouse. As the girls ate, they talked about Lauren and Camila's future wedding.

"So. Who's the bride and who's the groom? Or are you both just going to be brides? I don't exactly know how that whole kind of thing works." Normani asked.

Camila giggled at the silly question, but she was able to answer. "We decided that Lauren is going to be the groom figure. Apparently she's more manly than I am. This was actually a sort of discussion that the two of us had the other night. Lauren convinced me when she told me that I'd get to wear a beautiful wedding dress. Obviously, I wouldn't be able to turn down that offer."

"I still haven't decided whether I'd be wearing a black dress or a tux, though." Lauren added in. "That's just something that I'll have to decide in time, I suppose. There's more important details to worry about than what I'm going to wear to the wedding. Like, we need a theme, a wedding cake, and an actual place to hold the wedding and the reception party afterwards. There are so many things that I still haven't even talked over with Camila yet, and I'm beginning to question whether or not we should be having it so close to today. We really want a summer wedding, though. Maybe we should push it back to late August or something, Camz. What do you think?" Lauren turned to face Camila, waiting for an answer.

Camila thought about the question for a moment before answering. "But I want to marry you as soon as possible. I only thought of the summer because it isn't too far away from today's date, and it's not close enough to the point where we can't pull it off. Honestly, I don't even want a big, fancy wedding. I just want it to be small with all of our family and closest friends. I'm not sure if that's what you wanted, Lauren. I just thought that I'd tell you what I've been thinking. We could get married in Las Vegas if you allowed it. My only wish is for us to be bound together in marriage, and I don't care about the means."

"I suppose we could just have a tiny wedding in a church. Any recommendations, Ally?" Lauren asked her religious friend.

"Of course. We could go to the one that is right down the street from the house we lived in. It's the one that I've been attending for a while. They're really kind there, and I'm sure that they'll marry the two of you." Ally explained to the couple.

"But what do they think of gay couples? I know a lot of churches aren't big into that, so I don't want to upset anyone by asking." Lauren questioned.

Ally giggled at the question. "Our pastor is actually gay himself. He has a husband that tends to help around the church on Sundays. They're a really nice couple. That's the reason that I suggested that church, since the pastor would most likely feel honored to marry the two of you."

"That's great!" Lauren and Camila exclaimed together. 

"It would probably be better for the two of us to marry in Miami." Camila began. "Lauren and I's families live there, as do you guys. It would probably be much easier for us to marry where most of our guests live."

The group of girls agreed that the decision they had made was for the best. Even though Lauren and Camila were going to be residing in Los Angeles, Miami was their home. Having a wedding there would not only be more efficient, as it would also allow the two girls to say goodbye to the town that made them who they were now. Camila would also be able to gather her things for the big move to Los Angeles. All of her stuff still needed to be packed up, and all of the girls decided upon helping her out.

As dinner concluded, the girls said goodbye and parted ways with Lauren for the night. She had to get back to the twins that Annabelle's parents were more than happy to watch for a few hours. 

That night, Lauren went to bed with a smile on her face. She dreamt about her and Camila's wedding that would be taking place at the beginning of the summer. Everyone was there; Ally, Normani, Dinah, her family, Camila's family, and Annabelle's family. It was a happy and beautiful dream, and Lauren just couldn't wait for it to come true.