❝You seem to be mistaken. I did not see you as the damsel in distress so that I may rescue you. I merely followed the light. The one that shines bright from within you in your darkest moments. So as much as I would have liked to save you, it was you...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Kendra, I don't think I can do this." My stomach churns as I stare down at the stage, "I... I'm going to be sick. I barely made it through Infinity, and there is no way in hell I'm going to survive History. I need to go-"
"Oh no, no you don't. You'll regret it if you leave, not to mention all of them will be hurt if you miss it.."
"B-but, I'm on the verge of an anxiety attack, I can't-"
"So is everyone else in the world right now. Those boys backstage are probably scared shitless. This is their final performance, it's a big deal. Now you sit your ass down."
Kind of scared of her now, I follow her instructions and don't ask any questions.
"Fifty seconds left until airtime," I hear Niall's mom say from behind me.
"Love you look a bit green. You alright?" Anne looks at me with concern in her eyes.
"I'm uh... Uh, I..."
"Oh dear, come here." She puts her arm around me, "I think we all feel that way."
Just as I somewhat begin to calm down, it starts. The audience is cheering so loud that it makes my brain feel even fuzzier.
Breathe, Wren. Breathe. Don't throw up.
Do. Not. Throw. Up.
Of course, my mental self-coaching is rendered pointless when Harry's beautiful voice fills the arena.
You gotta help me, I'm losing my mind
Keep getting the feeling you wanna leave this all behind
Thought we were going strong, I thought we were holding on
Aren't we?
Then Niall, looking cute as a button in his suit that I had spent the whole previous night altering, takes over,
No, they don't teach you this in school
Now my heart's breaking and I don't know what to do
Thought we were going strong, thought we were holding on
Aren't we?
Anne grabs onto my hand, and I try to soak up at least some of the comfort.
Pictures of them in various stages of their career show up on the screens behind them, and I don't even bother to stop the tears from flowing.
I'm seriously over here crying as if I was a fan of theirs since the beginning... But I didn't even know that they existed until about nine months ago. But these boys mean the absolute world to me.
They have changed millions of peoples lives, but they've fully transformed mine.
Minibars. Expensive cars. Hotel rooms, and new tattoos
The good champagne and private planes, but they don't mean anything
Cause the truth is out, I realize that without you here life is just a lie
This is not the end, this is not the end, we can make, it you know it, you know
Gemma, who is sitting on the other side of Anne, grabs hold of Anne's other hand and I feel Kendra of all people, leaning her head on my shoulder.
What an iconic moment we're experiencing together right now, and how lucky am I to even be here?
So don't let me go, so don't let me go
We can live forever
Baby don't you know, baby don't you know
We can live forever
Before they finish that final note, we all rise to our feet and join in on the loud applause. Harry grabs Niall for a hug, and I stifle a sob.
They all have a long, intense-looking group hug and there is not one single dry eye in this whole entire arena. Or likely the world.
I can't.
Thankfully Kendra grabs ahold of me.
"See? Aren't you glad that you stayed?" I quickly nod. "Alright, now lets hustle on backstage. We have a few people back there to squeeze."
Dazed, I follow everyone through the arena, repeating specific lyrics in my head.
This is not the end. This is not the end...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
