*• April 2012 •*
- Los Angeles, USA-
~< One Step Closer >~
"ADDIE, MY LOVE, COME AND EMBRACE ME!" Louis shouted across the room, spreading his arms. Addie didn't hesitate to run straight into Louis' arms.
She threw her arms around him, and he let out a small 'oof' from the sudden force. Yet, he still wrapped his arms around her tightly, and even added a dramatic sway from side to side.
Louis and Addie had grown close over the last six months, staying in touch through texts and audio messages.
Calls were rare because the two were traveling constantly in completely different places and always switching time zones.
It was difficult for the two to find a time where they were both awake and not sleep deprived. But they found ways, and they'd managed to become best friends.
"What, I don't deserve a hug?" Niall asked, and Addie let go of Louis, laughing as she hugged the boys.
The hug with Harry was a lot less awkward than it would've been six months ago, but he still mostly kept to himself. A stark contrast to the outgoing, bubbly personality Louis described.
On a call late one night, Addie had confessed to Louis that she thought Harry might dislike her. Louis had apologized, saying Harry could be very awkward sometimes, and told her he usually wasn't like that.
Louis had ended up telling her a million stories about Harry, lots of them making her end up with a stomachache with how hard she laughed.
But the Harry everyone got was different to the Harry Addie got. And that wasn't in a good way.
"I love the new single, Addie," Zayn told her. She looked up at him, eyes wide and displaying a glimmer of pride.
Though she'd never admit it, a compliment from Zayn about her music mattered her ten times more than from any of the other boys. Zayn was hard to impress, and in Addie's opinion, he had the best taste in music.
"Hey, thanks a lot. I love the album," Addie said, fiddling with her belt loop.
Louis elbowed her playfully, smiling tauntingly. "Oh, I know. Didn't you have the album memorized within a week?"
Addie scoffed, slapping his elbow. Louis pouted as she said, "Shut it. I did not!"
(She did.)
Louis laughed, poking Addie's cheek. She slapped his hand away, but he kept going anyways, until she tried to bite his finger, and he barely managed to escape her sharp teeth.
"Children!" Max called as he walked into the room. "Did'ya miss me?"
Addie rolled her eyes at Max's dramatics, but nevertheless greeted him with a hug.
Max slapped her shoulder, and Addie yelped. Max ignored her protests, and said, "You horrible girl. You left me on read last night!"
Addie scoffed. "We were going to see each other within a few hours, it wasn't that deep."
"You left me on read, Adela."
"Don't call me Adela. And you sent me a meme, what was I supposed to reply?"
"You were supposed to laugh," Max groaned, dramatically dragging his hands over his face. "Have I taught you nothing?"
"You're supposed to teach me how to dance, not how to reply to memes."
"It's a general education."
Addie stared at Max.
He stared back.
"I'm sorry, okay?"
Max snapped his fingers, pointing at Addie. "Now, was that so hard?"
Addie rolled her eyes. "Sorry you're so dramatic."
It wasn't long until they found themselves knee-deep in the disaster that was rehearsals. They were supposed to sing 'I Want', because despite protests from the boys' management, it was a personal favorite of Addie's, and she needed to sing it with them.
They'd manage to settle the debate by singing two songs. She'd join them for 'I Want', and then they'd sing her new song, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.
But it did mean a much more elaborate choreography than the boys were used to. There were several complaints, a lot of them from Zayn.
After a lot of whining, a bunch of stumbling around, Harry falling at least ten times, and Addie getting elbowed a lot, they managed to get half of the song done with a mostly coordinated choreography.
"Ouch!" Addie exclaimed, holding her chest where Louis had just elbowed her, "Lou, you hit me in the boobs!"
"What boobs?" Louis teased.
Addie didn't think it was funny and proceeded to bite his shoulder.
(Louis screamed.)
(Addie rolled her eyes.)
(She hadn't bitten him that hard. There wasn't even a bite mark)
After Max forcing Addie to promise she wouldn't bite anyone again, they got back to work for another half hour before Max got exasperated with the boys and sent them away for a break.
Addie ended up rehearsing her part alone, while the others watched so they could understand how it worked. To her surprise, she only tripped once.
Louis made fun of her. A lot.
By the time their lunch break came along, Addie was ready to throw herself on the floor and never move again. Which is exactly what she did.
Niall followed suit, lying down spread eagle on the floor next to Addie. "'M tired."
"Same," Addie mumbled, words muffled as her cheek pressed against the cold floor. A bead of sweat rolled down her spine, making her shiver. "Kill me. Put me out of my misery. Please."
Niall laughed, rolling over onto his side to face Addie. "I really want to sleep."
"Same."
"Do you say anything other than 'same'?" Niall asked, mocking her american accent on the last word.
"Same."
With another laugh, Niall grabbed Addie's hand, pulling her up.
"Noooo," she groaned, going limp despite Niall's best efforts.
"C'mon, let's go get food."
That caught Addie's attention. "Food?"
Niall nodded slowly. "Food."
Sure enough, they were brought sandwiches and chips for lunch. They devoured their food, with exception of Louis and Liam who kept throwing chips at each other.
Zayn ended up stepping in, scolding both of them for being wasteful and telling them to stop acting like children.
Addie set down her metal water bottle with chipped magenta paint, Louis stole the bottle, inspecting the dents on the bottom. When he looked wide-eyed at Addie for an explanation, she ripped the bottle from his hands and said, "It's lived through a lot."
"Get a new bottle," Louis scoffed, running a finger over the unstable metal.
Addie shrugged. "I'm lazy. And cheap. If it's still functional, why get a new one?"
"'Cause it's bloody horrible, that's why."
Addie ignored him, rolling her eyes, and then caught Harry's gaze, who was watching the interaction between her and Louis.
Harry's eyes fell on her legs. She was leaning against the wall next to Louis, one leg thrown over his.
Harry looked back up to her, and his face flushed bright red as he realized he'd been caught staring.
"Where are you guys staying?" Addie asked, turning to face the others. She decided it was easier to just ignore Harry's weird attitude.
"That's a good question," Louis commented. "A really good question."
"Okay, so Lou's a complete idiot," Addie concluded, ignoring Louis' gasp of mock offense. "Anyone know the answer?"
Zayn looked up, giving her the name of their hotel.
Addie recognized the hotel. It was a five-minute walk from her house. She told them so.
"Why don't you guys come over for dinner or something?" Addie asked, feeling a small pit of nerves forming in her stomach.
As a general rule, she hated to do anything that might lead to rejection.
To her pleasure, they all agreed, seeing as they had nothing better to do than stay locked up in their hotel the whole time.
***
"Shot! Shot! Shot! Shot!" Addie chanted.
"Shut! Up! Shut! Up!"
Addie glared at Louis, snatching the bottle from him and serving herself a glass. She swirled the transparent liquid around the glass, taking a dramatic sniff of it.
Never breaking away from Louis' gaze, she downed the shot, ignoring the sharp burning in the back of her throat.
Addie didn't flinch even a bit, unlike the others who were very loud and dramatic while drinking shots.
Louis had tried to stop Addie from drinking alcohol, seeing as she wasn't even sixteen yet, but she'd protested, saying that if she didn't get drunk with them, in a safe environment, she'd end up doing it by herself.
Louis had gritted his teeth, but wasn't one for tattling, and had relented, allowing Addie to drink "a reasonable amount".
'A reasonable amount' was thrown out the window by the second shot.
Turns out, everyone here were fun drunks.
Addie also pretended this was only her second time getting drunk, as if she didn't do it almost weekly at this point. But as far as Louis knew, she'd only gotten drunk once before, which was an incident he wouldn't stop bringing up.
Every once in a while, Louis would whisper in her ear, "What secrets do you have?" or "So, what plans do you have up your sleeve?"
Addie would try to bite him, punch his arm, or even once managed to pinch his nipple in response.
About four months ago, Addie had gotten drunk and called Louis and admitted to him she had a plan to become close to Harry, and most importantly make him hers.
Addie said several very cheesy things and lots of very strange things she'd rather never have to think about ever again.
But admitting to Louis she thought Harry was her soulmate was an incident he refused to ever forget or let her forget. Although the drunk call was a good thing to bond over, and it became a way for them to grow a lot closer. It was the main reason Addie began trusting Louis.
Sure, he made fun of her a little, but he talked to her and helped her seem not so insane (She was a little insane, she had to admit).
"My parents were going to call me Meredith if I was a girl," Liam admitted after a round of truth or drink.
There was a chorus of laughter.
Addie exclaimed, "No, 'cause I feel so bad for you. Like, who calls their kid Meredith? No offense to your parents, but unless you're in Grey's Anatomy, that's not allowed."
Liam chuckled. "I know! I kept telling my mom, that's such a bad name."
"I feel bad for any of your fans called Meredith," Addie joked.
Liam rolled his eyes. "Alright, now I need to know, Addie, what were your parents going to call you?"
Addie grinned. "My parents were going to name me Townes, after my grandma." Liam groaned in response.
"Your grandma?" Niall frowned. "Aren't you mexican?"
Addie nodded, shrugging with one shoulder. "My grandma Townes is the one and only relative I have that isn't from Mexico. Actually, when I first moved here to LA, I lived in her apartment."
"Hold on, this is her house?" Louis exclaimed, as if expecting Grandma Townes to come marching through the doorway at any moment.
"No, idiot. I clearly said apartment. I lived there for about a year until I made enough money to buy myself this house," Addie explained, gesturing with her hands.
Grandma Townes had been Addie's role model growing up. A fierce feminist, an ally and an activist even as a senior. She was smart and brave and traveled the world.
Whenever Addie was afraid to keep going with music, to socially climb, to grow, Grandma Townes had encouraged her.
Addie hadn't even seen herself as a west coaster, didn't even think about moving to LA until the first time she visited, and when she fell in love with the city, she rambled about it at length to Grandma Townes.
Grandma Townes had encouraged her to move there, and seeing as it would work to her advantage for her music, Addie had moved into Grandma Townes' old apartment, and had lived rent-free for a year in LA.
Then, Addie had made a lot of money when Fearless became a big hit, and she'd bought herself this house. It was huge, in Addie's opinion, but that was mostly because her family wasn't around much to fill it.
"Damn. Townes Heathers," Zayn said, enunciating each word, trying the taste of the name on his tongue. "Sounds kinda cool."
Louis frowned. "Hold on. You're mexican and your last name is Heathers?"
"Middle name," Addie corrected. "Last name is Castillo Vera."
"Holy shit, we've been friends for months and I found out now that your last name isn't Heathers?"
Addie shrugged. "'S not my fault. I never said it was my last name."
"You introduce yourself as Addie Heathers, and you except people to know it's not your middle name?"
Addie snapped at Louis, "Look, Adelaide Heathers sells a lot better than Adelaide Castillo, okay? Especially seeing as my listeners are mostly white americans."
Louis frowned. "Wha- Oh." His eyes widened with realization as his mouth fell into a small 'o' shape. He whispered, almost as if afraid to talk too loudly, "I didn't realize."
Niall frowned, looking between the two. "Wait, what? I don't. I don't realize."
Zayn's eyebrows knitted together. Addie felt a pang in her chest as she realized he understood better than anyone what she meant. He probably lived it just as much as she did.
"Castillo sounds Mexican, Heathers doesn't," Addie explained to Niall, in a gentle tone.
Half of her yearned to say it in a 'duh?' tone. She lived this, and it was frustrating that no one realized it. No one else saw it. Only she had to. But it wasn't his fault he had privilege.
"So?" Niall asked. "What does that have anything to do with it?"
Addie sighed. "The people who listen to country music are mainly Southern Americans, who happen to be mostly conservative. I don't think they'd like the idea of someone who's Mexican being famous. 'Cause of racism... and stuff..."
Niall's eyes widened. "Oh. Oh, shit."
"I'm lucky. I have pale skin, so I can pass as American, combined with my middle name, most people don't know I'm Mexican unless they look for it."
Harry frowned. His lips slipped into a sympathetic pout. "That's so wrong. I'm sorry you have to go through that."
Addie swallowed. "I'm used to it by now. Which, sounds even worse, but hey, there's people who have it worse, right?"
Addie dealt with a lot of pressure to be perfect.
She couldn't be too Mexican, because then she'd lose her main audience. She couldn't be too feminine or she'd be criticized. She couldn't be too masculine or she'd be criticized. She couldn't date anyone or even mention dating anyone without getting attacked.
Addie couldn't even admit she was an ally of the LGBTQ+ community. She had to hide the pictures from the pride parade she went to two years ago.
Addie kept most of her life under lock and key, only showing off the parts of herself people liked.
Even when Addie was just starting out, she'd been so excited and energetic in interviews, until people started criticizing her, saying she was childish and immature.
It wasn't long before Addie learned people liked for her to shut up, keep quiet, keep her head down. Nice girls are quiet. Nice girls don't talk too loud. Nice girls laugh but not too much. Nice girls are pretty and perfect but not too perfect or we'll think you're plastic.
Addie learned to keep her mouth shut, and avoid any personal questions, because that would only lead down a path she didn't want to follow.
And that was a struggle no one else in the room would ever understand, no matter how hard they tried.
Addie had learnt long ago she was alone in life.
And that was okay.
Right?
***
Feet padding across the cold tiles, Addie made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Careful not to make too much noise, she grabbed a cup from the shelf above her head, pouring some water in.
Her throat was dry and her head was pounding with an incoming hangover. Addie would suffer the brunt of it within a few hours when she woke up properly.
For now, she settled for drinking a bunch of water a little too late.
"Hi," a voice sounded through the darkness.
Addie jumped, flinching so hard she knocked her head against the shelf behind her and her hand hit the sharp edge of the counter.
Cursing under her breath, Addie shook her hand out, trying to relieve a little bit of the flaring pain. "My god, make some noise, would you? You're going to give me a heart attack."
In the haze of her sleep-riddled brain, She'd forgotten completely about the five boys crashing in her spare rooms.
After their little drinking session, it had gotten so late that Addie insisted they stay over, persuading them with the offer of a hangover breakfast. No one fought it too hard, seeing as they were all too drunk to walk straight.
(And if anyone recognized them and caught them while this drunk, they'd get into a PR mess they couldn't dig themselves out of)
"Sorry, are you okay?"
Addie realized it was Harry who was standing in the kitchen with her. She felt like she was in the presence of a small animal.
Harry was a butterfly, and if Addie got too close too quickly, he would fly away.
"I'm fine, just a little bit bruised," Addie murmured, soothing his anxiety. "Didn't see you, sorry."
"No, I'm sorry," Harry apologized, scratching the back of his head. "I do this constantly at home. I'll be in the kitchen in the middle of the night, and my mom walks down for water, and bam! I scare her. She tells me I'm way too quiet for my own good. Sorry."
Addie shook her head. "'S fine."
In the dark, she could barely make out his silhouette, but as she walked over to the fridge and grabbed some ice for her head, the fridge light washed over his body.
Addie froze for a second. Harry wasn't wearing a shirt, and the sweatpants he had on were slightly baggy and hung low on his hips.
For a moment, Addie forgot where she was and what she was doing.
"You okay?" Harry asked, frowning. His face was all scrunched up in worry, and Addie could feel herself wanting to smooth the wrinkles away, calm him down and murmur that everything was okay.
Fuck, she was whipped.
Addie shook her head, trying to clear it. "Uh- yeah," she said, but it sounded weird and too high-pitched. Addie cleared her throat. "Yeah, yeah. 'M fine."
Harry nodded, and Addie shut the fridge door, grabbing a towel and wrapping the ice pack before pressing it to the back of her throbbing head.
"Could you pass me my water?" Addie asked.
When she said it, she would never have known the impact her words had, the tidal waves of change it would create. A single simple question would change her life forever.
Harry didn't know either, as he nodded again, hurrying to grab her water and hand it to her.
And when she grabbed the cup of water, and their hands brushed against each other, electricity coursing through their veins.
A single touch of hands in the dark lit the fuse, beginning a chain reaction of countermoves, a game of chess no one could lose.
And if she'd known in that moment the massive impact the brushing of hands on a normal April 29 would've had, Addie would've memorized every little detail, every line on Harry's face, and the curves and angles, would've memorized the exact place the cactus in the corner was.
And when Harry slipped the cup of water into Addie's hand, their hands brushing slightly, there was butterflies in both their stomachs.
It was as if until that moment, Addie had seen everything with a gray filter, colors never as alive as they should've been, the sun never quite as bright, but the single brushing of a hand in a darkened room brought her back to life.
And when Addie looked up, trying to see if Harry had experienced the same thing as her, there was a strange look in his eye she couldn't quite understand.
An invisible string tying them together as they made the slightest bit of eye contact, green and hazel mixing together in a clash of chaotic perfection.
"Thanks," Addie mumbled half-heartedly, unable to think straight over the the butterflies in her stomach.
Harry cleared his throat. "Okay."
And without another word, Harry left, stiff and emotionless as he walked out.
The kitchen started to feel cold without him.
A gray filter washed over Addie's life once again.
After a while of hopelessly trying to make sense of it all, Addie gave up, leaving the ice pack on the kitchen counter.
Leaving it to melt like the ice around her heart.
- - -
a/n: hi!!! welcome to chapter 2 of mastermind, i hope you enjoyed it as much as i'm enjoying writing it.
since it takes me a lot longer to write mastermind than it takes for me to write keep driving, i've decided that mastermind will only be updated on tuesdays and thursdays.
hopefully, i'll be able to keep up with my regular posting schedule for keep driving.
anyways, just a reminder this isn't where the story truly begins, it's more of a prequel that comes before the story, like a few chapters to set the scene.
thanks you for reading and i hope you enjoyed it, and please remember to vote and comment because i crave validation. love ya <3
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