*The next day*
Zayn:
"Zayn..."
"Zayn honey time to wake up."
"Zayn get up before I have to yell."
"Srsly Zayn."
"Zayn."
"Zayn."
"ZAYN!!"
"AUGHHH!" I screamed, finally waking up flailing, causing me to fall out of bed and land squarely on someone's lap.
"Holy fuck!!" Hope yelled from underneath me. "You weigh nothing!!" She exclaimed.
I blushed, and quickly got off of her, brushing my legs off only to realize that I was only dressed in a pair of boxers. Hope seemed to notice this detail at the same time as I, which caused a bit of blushing and me to apologize, with a response from her. "It's okay Zayn. I've already woken up all the other boys, and they were basically in the same thing. Except for Harry and Louis."
I gasped. "Harry and Louis were naked?? I mean, I know Harry would do that, but Louis too??"
She laughed -a beautiful twinkling sound, like church bells- and answered, smiling. "No, they were actually fully clothed, but spooning. Remind me later to ask if either of them are straight."
"Why??" I asked. "If they were, would you date one??" Somehow, saying that out loud made jealously spread through me, like Hope belonged to me.
She laughed again. "Oh no sweetie." Sweetie, she called me sweetie. Sweetie sweetie sweetie. "I sorta meant, they'd be a cute couple. I mean, not that they don't look straight, it's just that..." here she looked at me again. "Shit, I don't know how to explain this without digging myself into a downwards spiral." She paused again. "Oh that would be a great title for a video!!" Her eyes started to glimmer and sparkle, like the thing she was now taking about was her life, her passion. "Or a song. I can see it now."
Quickly, she hopped up, and started to walk out of the room, humming a random tune, her eyes still glistening, a goofy but cute smile on her face. She started to talk under her breath, her words quickly.
"Where are you going?" I called out, averting my gaze from her butt.
She turned around, snapping out of her daze to reply. "To write down some lyrics. Oh, get ready to go though, I'll do hair and makeup for you guys in a while. Breakfast is on the table, and if you want to eat, you might need to be a bit fast about it. Niall's stomach was grumbling louder than Louis's snores." She laughed again, this time it sounded preoccupied. "And Zayn??"
"Yeah?"
"Do me a favor and don't smoke right now. It's not really that healthy." She said, wincing as though she was reminded of a painful memory.
I stiffened up, feeling a role of rage coming in. "I can do what I want." I retorted, gruffly. "You don't control me, and neither does anyone else."
She coiled back, like a guilty five year old. "Look, I didn't mean it to sound mean." I backpedaled. "I'm just sick of people trying to change me, to make me something I'm not, and smoking helps."
She nodded, the stars in her eyes gone. "Okay. I just don't want you to get hurt like-" here she froze for a second, a ghost of a tear passing through her eyes "like everybody else who does drugs."
I froze. "I don't do drugs Hope, it was a one time thing. And I-"
She smiled. "Stop. I'm not going to argue with you okay?? Anyways, I'm going to go to the shops to get a few things, and hit up Starbucks. Get dressed -please- and eat at least half of a breakfast burrito downstairs, or you will be walking to the photoshoot today." She said, before walking out the door.
"Wait, what??" I yelled, running out into the hallway, forgetting about my clothing choices momentarily. She turned around, smiling sweetly at me, like she didn't just threaten me.
"What?"
I stood straight up, trying to use our height differences as an advantage, which just ended up making her look sassier. "You're saying that if I don't eat, I will have to walk all the way to the next town over??"
She laughed. "Yes. Now go put some clothes on mister, you have a big day ahead of you."
Stunned, I stood in the hallway, looking at her retreating ass, enjoying the view, and contemplating my cons and pros of her threat. If I didn't eat, I could work out on the way there, and that would make me lose at least five pounds. On the other hand, the only thing I've eaten in the last week was two chips and a carrot, plus I would get mobbed by girls on the way there. Quickly, I made up my mind.
**An hour later**
I had four pairs of prying eyes on me as I finished off my second burrito.
"Wha' 'u lookin' at?" I said, burrito still shoved in my mouth.
Niall chuckled slowly and unsurely. "It's just that" he looked around at the others, getting a signal I guess, to continue. When they all nodded, he finished his sentence. "you haven't eaten for so long mate. And now your shoveling two breakfast burritos at a time. Change of heart?"
I swallowed my food, and gave them the answer they'd want to hear. "Hope threatened to make me walk to the photoshoot if I didn't eat before she left." I left out the part where she said I only had to eat half of one burrito. "Where is she??" I asked.
"She walked by really fast 'bout am hour ago, mumbling about smoking and some boy named Blaine." Harry said in his slow morning voice, as he gave Louis a massage.
"She's still gone??" I asked. They all nodded, and I decided to go through Hope's bio that Lou sent us while he was gone. Maybe I could learn why he tensed up when I asked about here dad, and who this Blaine kid is. "Okay." I said, getting up an brushing myself off for the second time today. "Well Louis if you'll just give me Hope's bio, and my cup of coffee that Niall is currently drinking out of, and I will be on my way."
Louis blinked, quite a few times, before answering. "I-I-here." He stammered, sliding me a folded piece of paper.
I grabbed it and scanned the first few sentences. "Shouldn't there be more here??" I asked, looking through it.
"This was all I got."
I cursed under my breath, before walking out of the room and into mine.
"Good morning Zayn!" Niall yelled from the kitchen, probably confused.
"Okay!" I yelled back, before closing my door. Time to read everything I could about Hope, and her mysterious past.
**MEANWHILE**
Hope:
"No." I laughed.
Ed chuckled. "Yep."
I shook my head, still laughing. "Edward Sheeran there is no way that you, a random ginger from England, has met Perez Hilton. There is simply no way in hell."
(I had decided to meet up with Ed at Starbucks after I bought a few things, including the one thing I truly needed. Something about Ed was different, like he was sweet, but not too sweet. I felt like he and I would be great friends, even though he was a random stranger I had just met.)
He took a sip of his coffee before answering. "Well believe it Hope Stillwell. Now tell me about you."
I shrugged. "What is there to know? My life is quite boring."
"That." Ed said. "I find very hard to believe. Lets start with why a little Brit like you is in America with all the mean people??"
"It's a bit hard to believe." I replied. "And by the way, I'm the same age as you."
"But you're as tall as a sixteen year old."
"Shut up Ed. Anyways, I was an accountant back in Liverpool, along with being a pretty famous vlogger, when Lou -my cousin- called me and offered me a job. 'The job of a lifetime.' She said. I wasn't sold until she told me how much it would pay. For a thousand pounds each month, I could finally get a new computer and a new camera. Plus, I get to travel the world!! I've always wanted to, and now I get to go for free! It really is the job of a lifetime." I said, smiling.
Ed chuckled again -like an old man that knew all of the secrets of this world- and replied. "Hop, you still haven't told me what the job is."
"I was getting to that par- wait, did you just call me hop?? Where the hell did you get that from?"
Smiling, Ed answered sheepishly. "I was gonna say Hope, but it came out Hop, which by the way, is your new nickname." I sighed. "Anyways, continue talking Hoppers."
Sighing, I continued. "Anyways, I got here, and my job ended up being hair stylist, makeup artist, and babysitter of a famous boyband."
"Who?"
"One Direction."
He sat up abruptly. "No."
"Yes." I smiled.
He leaned back into his chair. "Now Hops, how would your life be boring with those boys in it?"
I snorted. "I'm guessing it won't be boring anymore. They're all, scared. In their own ways and I really really want to help. So I'm starting with Zayn."
"So tell me about this plan to help."
"Well it's sort of crazy-"
"Which is normal."
I laughed. "Are you sure you want to hear it?? It's not for the faint of heart."
"Who said my heart was faint?"
**BACK AT THE HOUSE**
Niall:
Zayn hadn't eaten like that in months. He'd always passed it off as him being too full, but I knew. I knew he was starving himself. I knew because I had tried before. Because maybe, just maybe, if I was skinnier, I'd get more girls. Or I'd find my girl, and I'd finally be happy like I was before 1D. Don't get me wrong, I love these boys to death, they're my brothers. But they're all just so perfect. Zayn is perfect. Louis and Harry are perfect. Liam is beyond perfect. And I'm... not. I'm just me, Niall Horan, the Irish one, the blonde one, the one who doesn't deserve to be in One Direction. The fat one. The one who deserved to die.
But I didn't last long starving myself, food is just to good. So instead I took to cutting. Slicing my thighs open with a blade was relieving, like an ocean of calmness washed over me when I did it, and when I was finished, I would look at my leg and think about how much I deserved this. I deserve the pain, I deserve these scars that sit there, and remind me who I am. Nobody. A useless nobody, that should be dead by now.
But I'll keep going. I'll keep going for my four best friends, my four perfect best friends. Because Zayn needs someone, and even though I'm worthless, he makes me feel like I'm wanted. Not that I'm gay, he's just a great person who will always be close to me.
And that was how I came to find myself in front of my best mate's room, yelling over the loud music for him to open his door before I broke it down.
Quickly, he opened the door, ushering me to come into his room, the cleanest room in the house. "Christ lad," I muttered. "Could your room be any cleaner??"
He snorted, hunching over a piece of paper on his desk. "Yes, it could Niall. You left about twenty wrappers in here, and three pints of Spanish beer in here last night."
"Well excuuuuse me." I said under my breath, before looking at him again. "What are you doing anyway??"
He whipped his head around, shoving the wrinkled piece of paper in my face.
"What is this??" I asked, looking at it closely.
"Read it!" Zayn yelled at me, obviously confused about whatever was on the paper.
"Okay okay mate. Cool down, I can see the steam coming from your ears." I replied, before turning my attention to the paper.
Name: Hope Marie Stillwell
Age: 21
Race: White
Birthplace: Mullingar, Ireland
"Oh cool!" I yelled. "She was born where I was born!"
"Niall!!" Zayn yelled back. "Focus!!"
"All right, okay." I whined.
Mother: Unknown
Father: John D. Stillwell
Date of Birth: December 4
Hair Colour: Silver
Experience: famous youtuber
Short Bio: Hope Stillwell lived with her father until the age of 19, when she was aloud to leave, to where she loved with me, Lou, until she was 20 where she proceeded to move into her own flat. Her mother is unknown.
"Wow." I breathed.
"I know right?!?" Zayn said. "It's so confusing!! Who's her mom? Why does it say 'aloud to leave'?! What's wrong with her dad?!? And why" he was yelling at this point. "Do I care so much?!?"
"Zayn." I said calmly. "Calm down. I don't know these answers, but I do know that you look a bit sick. Maybe you have a fever??"
Zayn sighed, a sad sigh and replied with his eyes half open. "Smoking withdrawals. I'll be okay as soon as I smoke."
I sighed in reply, and gave him a hug, before getting up and walking out of his -I guess our- room. He knew I hated him smoking, it could kill him.
Somehow, in the midst of all of this, he's still so much better than me.
Hope:
I walked into the house at the same time Zayn walked out, a cigarette in his hand. I hurriedly walked towards him, the thing I bought burning I hole in my pocket. "Hey Zayn!" I yelled, smiling all the way.
He jumped, and then relaxes when he realised who it was. "Hey Hope."
I smiled at him before leaning on the wall next to him. "So did you eat??"
"Yes."
"And if I ask any of the boys, they'll have seen you eat?"
"Yes."
"Good." I said, looking at him, looking at me.
There were a few silent moments that were quiet, but not awkward. Then, Zayn ruined it by taking out his lighter and lighting a cigarette.
Quickly, I grabbed my purchase from the store out of my pocket, and calmly asked him for the lighter. He turned to me, cigarette hanging from his mouth, his facial expressions changing from confusion to surprise, to rage as he saw what was in my hand.
"No." He choked out, reaching to grab the box of smokes in my hand and failing. "You can't smoke- it'll kill you!!" He started walking towards me. "Your lungs will turn to black!" He yelled.
I grabbed the lifter from him as he advanced on me. "You don't control me." I replied. "I can do what I want to, I am a grown woman."
He sighed, and put his hands on his heads. "Why are you doing this?" He whispered.
"Every time you smoke, I smoke. End of story." I said.
He looked at me through his hands, eyes peeking through the cracks of his fingers. "But why? Why are you risking your lungs -your life- for someone you just met?"
I smiled sadly. "Because I know a fake smile when I see one. And I want you to be happy. Truly happy, not just 'fine' which, by the way, is a horrible word. That's why Zayn."
He sighed. I could practically read his thoughts, smoking was all he had left, and wasn't about to go down without a fight. Well game on Zayn. "Fine." He grumbled. "Smoke at your own risk."
I smiled, lighting my cigarette. I had always hated these things, they killed people in my life I would never forget. And now, I was risking my life for this, this, boy. This lanky, skinny, boy who had problems that I was determined to fix. I had no idea why I wanted to, but I did, and I would fix him. I would.
I took a drag from my cigarette at the same time Zayn did, smoke immediately clogging up my throat, causing me to start a violent coughing fit, falling to the floor.
My brain was more focused on getting the smoke out of my lungs than on my surroundings, so when Zayn grabbed my arm and pulled me up, I could barely hear him talking.
"Hope... breathe... fine... okay??" Was all I could make out.
As the fog cleared, I sat up, and immediately realised that I was in Zayn's arms, and I wasn't disliking it.
Now at this point, I could say that I looked into his deep brown eyes, and simply nodded as he leaned down to kiss me, and I leaned up to return it, sparks flying, our tongues moving in sync, that after it was all done, he confessed his love for me and we rode away on his tour bus with Niall, Liam, and Harry and Louis to live happily ever after, eventually having three kids, Christian, Kyndra, and Lisa, who grew up to be great people with wonderful personalities and that Zayn and I grew old together, happy and peaceful, and that I am telling you this beautiful love story from my deathbed, with all intentions of you passing it on, generation to generation so everyone could hear what true love sounded like.
But I would be lying.
Instead, I simply smiled at him, and replied, "I'm fine." Before taking another drag from my cigarette, this time intent on not choking.
He sighed, and got up, pulling me up with him. "Don't scare me like that again." He said. "I think I'm done for right now." He added, looking at me again, before heading back into the house.
I smiled at his retreating back until my phone started to ring, Swedish House Mafia screaming at me to answer the phone. I sighed, before pulling out my phone and walking back into the house
"Hello?" I said, putting my index finger on my lips, telling the boys to be quiet.
"Hello?" A measly woman voice said back, that sounded oddly familiar. "Is Hope Stillwell there??"
I nodded, before realising she couldn't see that and replied, "This is her."
"Hope!" She exclaimed. "Please tell me you are really are in America, and that that's not just a rumour."
"I'm really in America and it's not just a rumour...??" I answered, still unsure of who I was talking to.
"Oh thank god." She breathed out, her Irish twang making it hard to understand. "That is great news Hope and I will tell you why."
There was silence on the other line for a few minutes before I realised that I was supposed to ask why, which I promptly did.
"Because." She replied giddily. "I have an interview set up for you for tomorrow, and it'll make you even bigger!!" Her voice grew louder on every word. "I'm talking One Direction big, which is apparently who you're with right now which you'll probably have to answer questions about tomorrow but at least it's something right?? Anyways, it's at the Staples place in San Diego which is apparently where 1D lives according to some very large rumours so hopefully you're there. Oh an also, you can bring one person to be your plus one, who'll stay backstage with me the entire time but hey, it'll still be cool for them and-"
"Okay stop." I said loudly, causing the woman to stop in mid-sentence and the boys to quiet down and look at me. "First of all, who the hell is this?!?"
The woman sighed over the phone. "Hope, do you remember the YouTube Expo in 2012?"
"Yes."
"I was there and you agreed to let me be your manager and I told you I'd call you when I got you something. Now I have something."
"Wait, are you that homeless person that I donated £200 pounds to?" I yelled.
"I wasn't homeless, just poor off, and I considered it my first paycheck Hope. My name is Erin Butterfeild and I am your agent and manager." She replied. "And I'll have you know, I am now very well off, thanks to you hiring me."
"Oh." I said. "Oh."
She sighed again. "Do we still have a deal Hope?"
I looked at the boys, remembering that Lou said tomorrow was our day off. It's not like I could become famous that quickly right? Right. "Okay." I said.
I could hear her smile through the phone as she replied. "Great! I'll text you the details later hun. Kiss kiss!" She yelled before hanging up.
I sighed, and plopped onto the couch, sitting next to Niall before checking my phone.
"HOLY FUCK!" I yelled.
The boys jumped, and Liam replied with a loud, "WHAT?!?"
"We have thirteen minutes to get to the photo shoot!! Everybody get in the car, now!!"
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Hey y'all!! I just want to say: I wrote this while on vacation so be happy. Anyways, sort of what I picture Hope to be like on the side.. and I did say sort of. Anyways, I love you all, I Hope (wink wink) that I gave some of you the feels with this chapter, and if I did, please comment and tell me. Ily!!
- C. A. Reynolds