Something Great

36

Cassidy’s POV

“Toronto, you guys have been the best audience this tour!!” Niall exclaimed into the microphone. It was the end of their first concert.

“Niall, they’ve been the only audience this tour…” Louis speculated.

“And look at that, they’re already the best!” Niall insisted, earning laughs.

“Thank you for coming out tonight! I hope you had as much fun as we did! And hey, join us tomorrow for another fun time here in Toorrronnntoo!” Liam bellowed as they waved goodbye to the fans. I met them by the back of the stage as they made their way to the tour bus.

“Phew, it was hot up on that stage,” Niall stripped his shirt off and laid it on his shoulder. “Did you enjoy the show?”

“Of course! I’ve never been to a concert before!” I smiled as we stepped up the stairs to the bus. The bus was super fancy inside, complete with granite countertops and marble floors.

“You should get to bed soon, Cass,” Harry advised as he drank a swig of water. “You can pick out your bunk.” I nodded and walked down the small hallway to the bunks. I picked a bottom one since I wasn’t exactly tall enough to crawl into the top ones. After changing into my PJ’s, I slid into the bunk and Zayn came to tuck me in.

“Aren’t you guys gonna come to bed soon?” I asked sleepily.

“Nah, we still have a lot of energy from the concert. We’ll try not to be too loud out there.” Zayn leaned in and placed a kiss on my forehead. “Sleep well cupcake, and remember we’re right next to you if you need us during the night.”

“Ok,” I mumbled, and pulled the covers up. I could hear the television playing in the background, but fell asleep rather quickly.

**Next morning**

I woke up to the sound of cupboards opening and closing. Rolling over, I slid the little curtain open to allow light to pass through into my bed. They must’ve been making breakfast. I crawled out, and found them lounged around, snacking on some breakfast.

“Morning beautiful,” Liam complimented, despite my tired state.

“Morning,” I mumbled, sitting on the edge of the couch.

“Up for some eggs?” Louis questioned, holding up a pan of what appeared to be scrambled eggs.

“Yes please.” Louis brought a plate over to me and thanked him.

“You’re awful quiet this morning,” Liam observed, pulling me into his lap.

“Just tired is all. What are we doing today?” I asked as I finished my plate of eggs.

“Usually we just rest most of the day, considering we didn’t get to sleep until four this morning. So I guess just hang out. Sorry it’s a bit boring.” Liam explained.

“It’s ok.” I thought this over. They still had my laptop, even though they’d given me my phone back for ‘safety’. “Can I have my laptop back? Please?” They all exchanged serious glances until Harry spoke up.

“When you get your schoolbooks tomorrow you can.” I sighed, defeated.

“I guess I’ll go get dressed then.” I pouted and stood up.

“Don’t be grumpy,” Louis fake frowned.

“I’m not!” I objected, turning around and smiled a big, sarcastic grin.

“Go get dressed,” Niall swatted teasingly at me. I changed into my ‘I’m With the Boy Band’ sweatshirt with white jeans and white converse. After applying some quick make up, I went back to the kitchenette to get a sip of water.

“Hey, Cass, guess what?!” Zayn said excitedly.

“I’m getting my laptop back?!” I replied just as excitedly.

He frowned, but continued. “No. But they unpacked out laser tag gear!! We’re gonna play a round now, wanna join?”

“Sure,” I answered, placing my water bottle down. Tom (Lux’s dad) and Josh decided to play too, so we divided teams. It was Niall, Louis, Tom, and Zayn on one team and Josh, Harry, Liam, and me on the other. The boundaries were anywhere in the arena. After a few rounds of staying with Harry for protection, I decided to defend myself. I was ducked behind stage equipment when I saw Louis spot me. I quickly moved before he could shoot me and sprinted backstage. A door to the storage room was open, so I ran into the room, climbing down behind a box. I heard Louis footsteps pass the door, and I held in my breath.

“Oh, Cassidy? Come out, come out wherever you are!” Louis sang. But he didn’t round the box to see me. I gripped my gun tight with my sweaty hands, waiting for the right moment to pop out. All of the sudden, the lights went out and I heard the door click shut. I hadn’t heard Louis footsteps, so he must’ve left. It was pitch black, I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. Becoming nervous, I stood up, using my glow in the dark gear to guide me to the door. I tripped over a box though, and landed on my hands and knees. Once I regained my footing, I carefully found the door. I jiggled the door knob but it didn’t budge. My heart raced as I tried to turn the handle. It was locked. A crew member must have locked it, not knowing I was in here. I cursed and pounded on the door, yelling for Louis. But I didn’t hear anything. I pressed my ear flat against the door, hoping to hear something. Nothing.

This is when I began to panic, my chest clenching up. “HELP,” I croaked out, frantically clawing at the door. What if nobody knew I was in here, and they never found me?! My mind raced as I banged on the door, screaming. Everybody was probably out by the tour bus by now, getting ready for lunch. My mouth felt dry and I was breathing unsteadily. I felt like I was having a panic attack. I collapsed to the ground by the door, my whole body trembling. Being along when it was this dark scared me. I tried to move, but my body would listen to my mind. My head was screaming at me, but I could only let out a few whimpers.

“Somebody!” I cried, knocking weakly on door. What if they were ignoring me? I finally grew strong enough to stand up, supporting myself with the door. Even though it was freezing in the room, my skin trickled with sweat. “HELP!” I tried once again. This time, I heard footsteps, they were running.

“CASSIDY!” Someone called. I cried into the door frame.

“I’M STUCK IN HERE!” Suddenly, the door was torn open and I fell onto the other side. Luckily, this person caught me, pulling me to their chest. I tried to wipe away my tears, so that is looked as though I wasn’t crying.

“Shh, baby, you’re alright.” It was Liam who had his arms wrapped around me. I sniffled and blinked my tears away. “It’s ok to cry, love.” Liam stroked my hair. I shook my head, pulling away.

“Thank you… for finding me.” I swallowed the tears away. The panic attack was terrifying to be honest. I had lost complete control over my body, but I couldn’t let the boys know this. They’d just feel bad, and they’d see me as weak. I had to learn to be stronger. I didn’t want them to think of me as vulnerable. Because when you’re vulnerable, you get hurt. And I was tired of being used by other people. How did I not know they wouldn’t do the same to me? “I’m alright.” I half smiled, but Liam frowned. “I am.”

Liam slung an arm around me. “Whatever you say. Let’s go eat lunch.”

**I’M SO SORRY THAT SUCKED I KNOW UGH**