Chapter Text
Camila had always felt a strong connection to music. It brought her peace; it made her feel loved. It had even carried her through some of the worst moments of her life. It kept her calm during her first move, kept her company when her parents decided to divorce, and mended her heart after it was broken for the first time.
Yes, music was special to Camila—almost as special as the lyrics she wrote for her songs. So it came as no surprise that when the time came to choose her path in college, Camila chose to study music.
There were several options: becoming an artist, a singer, a producer... but Camila wanted something different. She wanted to write, and one day be able to create her own music as well. That was why she decided that the best path for her would be composition.
Her parents enrolled her in the best university, and before long, Camila was on her way to becoming the best version of herself—or at least, that was what she thought. The first two years went by as quickly as possible. Between different jobs and boring classes, Camila felt that nothing truly interesting had happened during that time. But at the beginning of her third year, she started making more friends. Shawn, Dinah, and Normani became inseparable from Camila. They studied together, went out together, and sometimes even stayed together at Camila’s small apartment. Around that same time, Camila would meet someone who would change her life forever.
“Shawn, I already told you, I don’t need help composing my song.”
“I’m not saying you need help,” he replied. “I’m just saying you’re not the best at writing melodic lines.” Camila turned to look at him, mouth open in indignation.
“You’re lucky we’re at university, otherwise I would’ve punched you already.”
Shawn laughed in response. “Maybe you just need inspiration.”
‘Inspiration,’ Camila thought. What could possibly inspire her to write better? She had never really struggled with that before, but now there simply wasn’t anything worth writing about.
The two of them began walking to their next class together. Shawn had to leave, which meant Camila would be alone for at least half an hour before her next lecture. During that time, she decided to walk around the faculty building, just in case she happened to run into someone interesting. In the distance, she spotted one of her classmates.
“Hey, Ally!” she greeted enthusiastically.
The other girl looked up and greeted her just as warmly. “Cami! Come sit with us.”
As she approached, Camila realized Ally wasn’t alone—she was with another girl. Camila didn’t think much of it and sat down beside them.
“You have no idea what gossip I have to tell you,” Camila said with a grin.
Ally laughed softly. “Okay, okay, but before you continue, let me introduce you to Lauren. She’s new to the faculty.”
“I’ve been here the same amount of time as you,” Lauren said, rolling her eyes playfully and smiling. The two girls had started a year after Camila, which was why her friendship with Ally had begun a little later. Ironically, they had become friends because their exes became friends, which led them to talk shit about them together. Lauren looked at Camila but only greeted her with a wave. Camila thought it was a little rude, but decided not to dwell on it.
“Well, nice to meet you,” Camila said, trying to sound sincere. “So, can I tell my gossip now or what?”
Ally smiled at her. “Of course. I’m dying to know.”
“Well, remember my friend Dinah?” Ally nodded. “She has a partner—they’re long-distance. You know how that is, so lately they’ve been fighting a lot. Which isn’t unusual by itself, but—and here comes the juicy part—Dinah’s been acting a little wild lately.”
“What do you mean?” Ally asked, trying to pay attention to the conversation while failing because she was busy working on her computer.
“Well, I’m not saying it’s okay, but she’s been seeing other people behind Tyler’s back,” Camila said, hoping to get a reaction from her petite friend.
“Wow, that’s interesting,” Ally replied, still trying to process everything while typing on her computer. Lauren quietly scoffed at the situation but still chose not to comment.
“Yeah, so yesterday Shawn, Normani, and I decided to talk to her. We understand if she doesn’t want to be with him anymore, but we don’t think it’s right for her to be seeing other people behind his back.” Ally nodded. “Although it would probably be for the best if they broke up. All they do is fight, and she says he sometimes treats her really badly. But you know how Dinah is—she doesn’t give many details.”
“Wait, I got a little lost. Why does Dinah want to break up with Tyler?”
“Because the guy treats her badly and she apparently wants to start dating other people,” Lauren said, trying to downplay the drama.
“Thanks, Lauren. At least someone’s actually paying attention to me.” Ally looked up and laughed, and Lauren laughed too.
“Lauren, I thought you didn’t like gossip.”
“I don’t, but I wanted to know what happened next with her friend.”
The three of them laughed, and then Camila glanced down at her phone. She was running late for her next class. She quickly said goodbye and headed off, slightly distracted by thoughts of Lauren. She liked her voice—it was a really beautiful sound, somewhat deep but very melodic. She also found herself wondering why she had never seen her around campus before that day.
Lauren and Ally remained in a comfortable silence, each focused on their own work. When they finally got up to leave, Lauren said,
“I like your friend. What did you say her name was again?”
“Camila.”