The Backstage Pass (Camren)

Chapter 7

"Slow down would you? Its like you've never eaten in your entire life." Dinah places a hand on mine as we eat our lunch in the cafeteria.

"I didn't have breakfast. Sorry for being hungry, did you want me to starve?" I raise an eyebrow. Dinah simply rolls her eyes and returns her attention to her cell phone, typing rapidly.

"How about instead of pestering me about my eating habits, you put down your phone and eat something as well." I say lightly tapping her hands with my right one, my left hand holding the fork I was using.

"Ugh, stop it you dork." She fidgets around trying to avoid my contact as her hands remain attached to her phone. "I'm texting Lo. She texted me this morning." Dinah smiles.

"Who the hell is 'Lo'?" I quirk an eyebrow as I raise my bottle of water up to my lips. She lowers the phone a little bit so that its just below her eyes and she smirks.

"Your secret crush of course." She replies with a cheeky smile.

As I slowly tighten the too back on the bottle I pretend to think of who she's referring to. "Hmm...Logan Lerman?" I respond with fake enthusiasm.

"Heh, if only." She laughs. "Come on didn't Lauren text you this morning? She told me she just got some free time to actually reach out to us since we met at her concert." She smiles excitedly.

"Yeah she texted me." I nonchalantly shrug as I twist my fork around in my spaghetti, lifting it up to my mouth and taking in the contents of it.

"Soooo....what did she say?" She beams.

"I don't know, because I didn't look at it." I shake my head, not meeting her gaze as I play around with my food mindlessly.

"You're kidding right? Why are you playing so hard to get with her?" She questions me.

"I'm not playing hard to get, I'm playing she's not going to get." I put on a fake smile as I close up my container, pushing it to the side as I cross my arms and look at her.

"Mila why don't you like her? You've witnessed first hand at how much of a genuine and caring human being she is, so you have no reason." She says with a confused expression on her face.

"Just because I don't like her in the way you seem to want me to?" I ask incredulously.

"And...because you act as if you hate her and her music in general." She waves her hand around.

"That is exactly the point. I do!" I raise my voice slightly. "Dinah, her music is absolute trash. It's catchy, whatever. The point is, the Lauren Jauregui I see on stage is not someone I want to be 'crushing' on." I explain as I put air quotations around 'crushing', using the term very loosely.

"She's not that person all the time Mila, you know that. Her stage presence is amazing though, you can't deny it. So what if you don't like her music? You got to see her off stage as well, shouldn't that be enough? Seeing the girl behind the mic...or whatever type of deep, profound stuff you're interested in?" She shrugs.

"Do you hear youself right now?" I ask with raise eyebrows. "Listen, here are the facts. Her music sucks, her stage presence is highly intimiating but mostly cocky, she dresses in way too tight clothing." I say sticking out a finger as I list every detail I come across. "...she's just not, my type if you may." I smile fakely.

"When will you stop judging her?" Dinah questions.

"When will you hop off my ass?" I retort. She gives an exasperated sigh as I roll my eyes.

The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch hour. As students start to pick up their items and disperse back to their classes, I and Dinah do the same.