[rewritten]
Here is the next chapter!
Enjoy!
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Liz's P.O.V
The two days we got to spend with our family went by in a blink of an eye. Two short days was not enough time to reconnect with my family. We've always been fairly close and being that I haven't seen them in almost a month was the longest I've been away from them. It wasn't easy, so seeing them again was great. I've missed them so much and I didn't realize how much I did miss them.
If I'm being honest, it was so much more fun than I thought it was. The girls and I had to rehearse as well, but we managed to find time in between to hang out and relax with our families. Other than rehearsals, the girls and I didn't spend much time with each other. We would end up in the hotel room late at night and talk about our day an hour or two. It wasn't too bad of a thing to do, we still found time to be with each other.
But not it was Wednesday and we were preparing for our show tonight. I haven't seen my family all day today due to last minute rehearsals and sound checks, and other things like that. I couldn't wait until I could see my parents tonight. I was excited for the song choice as well. I think that my parents are going to love it, as well as my siblings. In fact, I think that parents in general will love it.
"Liz, you look beautiful." Ben said as he finally finished curling my hair.
"Thank you." I said, even though I didn't believe it. I could never; I don't think that any girl could. He grabbed my hand and helped me to my feet, then leaning down and fixing the dress that covered my body. The thick straps wrapped around my shoulders, covered in silver sequins. The silver dress ran to about my mid thigh before loosening and flowing out into a soft blue and silver sweeping dress. It was such a pretty dress and I instantly fell in love with it when I saw it. It was beautiful.
"Wow, it looks really pretty on you, Lizzie." Caitlin said, walking over to me. She was wearing a one shoulder dress, silver, and it fell to just above the floor. Her hair was in a high pony tail, showing off every angle of her face. She looked gorgeous.
"Thanks, you look amazing too." I said.
"I know, thanks." Julie said from the couch. "Just kidding, you really do look pretty." She said.
"So do you, you look so pretty." Caitlin said.
"I hate to interrupt compliment hour, but you three really need to start heading towards the stage. You're on in fifteen minutes and then need to get you set up, especially you Julie. You should go." Gale said.
"Yeah, he's right. You need to get your microphone put on. Come on, let's get out of here." I said.
We all locked hands like usually and made our way towards the stage. I was so excited for tonight, but I was nervous as well. I was excited to be playing on stage again. The rush I felt when performing live was something that's indescribable. I wish I could do this every night of my life. The nerves I felt were because my family was in the audience. I didn't want to let them down tonight. They've done so much for me and I could never live with myself if I let them down.
Finally making it to the back stage area, the girls and I were separated to get our ear pieces set. Mark smiled at me before handing me the small device. I quietly thanked him and put it on the way that he showed me all those weeks ago. I smiled at him once I was done and told him that I was going to sit down. I was awkward, I knew it and so did he, but there was nothing that could be done. That's just the way that I was.
I moved over and sat down in one of the chairs that was leaning against the wall. Contestants began to enter the area, ones that haven't performed and the ones that have. I must have caught the attention of a few of the girls, because they soon moved towards me and started admiring my dress. Molly, Kelly, and Jade were all gathered around me, talking and touching my dress. My cheeks heated up at all the attention.
"It really is so pretty." Molly said.
"Thank you, I wish that I could keep it." I laughed.
"I wish I could keep it." Kelly joked.
I laughed, looking up at the friend I made a few weeks ago. Jade started talking about how her prom dress looked similar to mine, but was interrupted by someone walking into the small group we had. My cheeks immediately heated up at the sight of Evan. Jade stopped talking and looked down at me, sending me a look that caused my cheeks to blush even more.
"Hey Liz, long time no see." Evan said.
"Hi." I said, looking down away from him. I wanted to talk and flirt with him, but I knew that I could never be that confident.
"We'll leave you two alone, have fun." Molly said. The three girls walked away as Evan took a seat next to me. I grew nervous and I looked up, trying to find Julie. She was always so good with guys while I wasn't. I finally spotted her, already looking at me. She smiled and winked at me before turning to talk to Josh.
"So I was talking to Julie yesterday and she was asking me about you. She kept asking if I thought you were cute and if our age difference mattered to me, stuff like that. Is there any reason why she asked me that stuff?" He asked.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked over at him. His shaggy blond hair was falling over the blue eyes that resembled mine. "I- I don't know. She's pretty weird." I said.
Evan laughed as Jay Cee El was called. "Well for the record, you are cute, and no, our age difference does not matter to me." He said.
I opened my mouth to respond to what he said, but nothing came out. Evan smiled at me and I felt my cheeks heating up. "I need to... I have to... bye." I said, standing up and quickly walking away. I made my way over to Julie and Caitlin, who were standing by Mark.
"Alright, you girls are on right after the commercial. The first thing that will happen is the video you three made earlier this week. Then the stage will go black and you'll get to your spot on stage. Julie, you have you microphone set up already, so you just have to sing. You've got two pinned to your dress just in case one stops working. Try not to move around a lot or else the transmitter could drop and shit will start to fly. Now, Julie will you get a cue to start playing and after that, you know what to do." Mark said.
A few quiet seconds passed before the sound of Khloe talking about us filled the silence. "And now we have Jay Cee El, the most talked about contestant in history of the X Factor U.S. We have a video to show you, just what those three girls are thankful for." She said.
The girls and I moved towards the stage, looking out and watching the big screen. Julie's face appeared first and I saw that she was sitting in one of the chairs that the crowd sat in. The audience screamed at the sight of her. I nudged her side, laughing as she began to speak on the screen.
"Alright, so I want to thank my mom. She passed away from cancer a few years back and without her, I don't think that I would be here today. She's a blessing that will always be missed. I also want to thank my dad and my brother. Dad, you've always provided me for everything that I could ever want or need. And Jack, my wonderful yet ass of a brother. You'd throw dirt in my face, but stick up for me whenever something happened. I know that both of you have supported me through everything that I've been through. And that means so much to me, you'll never understand. I love you both so much." She said.
The video then cut to Caitlin. She was in the dance room that we rehearse in. You could see Julie and I talking and goofing off in the background. "Dad, you've always been there for me. You know, there's this quote. I can't remember what it's about. But it's something about how no matter if I find my prince charming, you'll always be my king. And in a way, that's true. I love you so much dad, you've given up so much for me. And to Nancy, my step-mom, I love you so much. There's actually another quote I have for you, but like before I don't know it by heart. It's something about how you can't choose family. Well that's the truth. I didn't choose you, you walked into my life without warning. And for that I am so happy. And so dad and Nancy, this is for you. I love you both so much." It honestly was a beautiful way to say thank you to your family. Caitlin thought it was horrible, but I think it's amazing.
"I really don't know what to say here, " My voice boomed throughout the place and I looked up, seeing me on the projector thing. I was in the hotel room, sitting on the bed. For this I was by myself. The girls were with their families and I was getting ready to meet mine for lunch.
"Um, I want to say thanks. Mom, dad, you've been with me every step of the way. I can't imagine better parents then you two. You supported me with every move I made, even when I failed. Without you I'd be nowhere. And to my older brother Toby, thanks. Thanks for never taking it easy on me and telling me my voice sucked so I'd work on it. And my baby sister Kacey, thank you. You were too kind to say anything bad to me. You'd make me sing to you every night. So to all four of you, I want to say that I love you so very much and I'm so thankful for all that you've done for me." With one last smile from myself, the screen went black and the stage was dark. That was our cue.
We made our way onto the stage. I was lucky and was closest to where we came out. Julie had to get to the center of the stage to find the piano, and Caitlin was at the other end of the stage. But soon enough I heard the piano starting and a single spot light on Julie appeared. You could see mist forming and I've got to admit, Julie looked beautiful sitting there.
"Everybody needs inspiration. Everybody needs a song, a beautiful melody. When the nights are long, 'cause there is no guarantee, that this life is easy." She sang, holding out the note. I moved closer to the microphone stand, getting ready to sing.
"Yeah, when my world is falling apart, when there's no light, to break up the dark. That's when I, I, I look at you. When the waves are flooding the shore and I can't find my way home any more. That's when I, I, I look at you." I sang, my hand moving to my stomach.
"When I look at you, I see forgiveness, I see the truth. You love me for who I am, like the stars hold the moon. Right there where they belong, and I know I'm not alone." Caitlin sang, holding the note out just a little bit.
Julie sang, "Yeah when my world is falling apart, when there's no light, to break up the dark. That's when I, I, I look at you. When the waves are flooding the shore, and I can't find my way home any more. That's when I, I, I look at you."
I stepped up to the microphone, putting my hands on the cold metal. "You appear just like a dream to me, just like kaleidoscope colors that cover me. All I need, every breath that I breathe. Don't you know you're beautiful." I sang, holding out the notes. My eyes closed as I let the music move through me. "Yeah, yeah, yeah." We all joined together at the end of my long note to finish the song together.
"When the waves are flooding the shore, and I can't find my way home any more. That's when I, I, I look at you, I look at you. Yeah, whoa-oh, you appear just like a dream to me."
I didn't notice that my eyes were closed until I heard the roar of the audience. I opened my eyes slowly, realizing that I was crying. I looked through the crowd until I found my parents. They were front row with the other parents, but off to the side. My side actually, so it was easy to see them. My mother was a mess of tears, just like I was. My father was trying to seem tough, but I've known him long enough to know that he was trying not to cry. I tried to look at Toby, but Julie taking a hold of my head snapped me out of my thoughts. I hadn't even realized that Caitlin and her were heading towards center stage to get the comments from the judges.
I walked over with Julie, meeting with Caitlin in the middle. Caitlin was also tearing up as well, a few had slipped out of her eyes and onto her cheeks. I looked at Julie, who was smiling proudly. It took a lot to make her cry and to be honest, I'm not surprised she isn't crying. I looked out towards the judges, where Simon was trying to calm down the crowd. I laughed a little bit and waited another few seconds before it was quiet enough for them to speak. In the process I got a good look at the judges. Demi had tears on her cheeks and Brittany had tears in her eyes. L.A. wasn't too emotional, but I wasn't expecting him to. Simon wasn't either, but I think that goes without saying. L.A. was the first to speak.
"That's exactly what I've been looking for! Emotion. You did it perfectly, you really did." L.A. said, earning a thanks from Caitlin. I was a little too choked up, I don't think that I could talk.
"Honestly, it was beautiful. The vocals, the look, everything. This is the best performance you three have given throughout the competition." Brittany said.
"Oh God," Demi started, choked up just like I was. "I don't even know where to start. There was just something about this performance that got to me. Julie, the way you played that piano was amazing. It was like I could see the emotion running off with each key you hit. And Caitlin, your vocals were beyond amazing, it was perfect. Liz, I don't know what it was, but the way you had your eyes closed, there was something about it that made me relate to you in every way possible. In fact, I can tell that with that song you hit so many hearts tonight. It was amazing and I'm so proud of you girls, even though you're not in my category." Demi said. I was speechless by the time she finished.
"Girls, girls, girls... that was bloody amazing. Just as Demi said, your vocals were spot on and the way you looked tonight. You could tell that all three of you have a tremendous amount of love for your family. It was beautiful and quite frankly, the best of all tonight. I'm so proud of you girls." Simon said.
We said a few thanks, me shaking my head when offered to speak. The judges knew that I was in an emotionally unstable place to speak and so we walked off the stage together, holding hands. My tears were finally settling down and I started to hiccup a few times. That always happened when I cry. I wiped my cheeks, careful of the makeup and also thankful that I was wearing waterproof makeup.
"Did you guys hear Demi? I swear I started tearing up more." Caitlin.
"How do you think I felt?" I said, finding my voice. "I felt like I was going to cry out the Pacific Ocean." I said, making the girls laugh a little. Julie was the next to speak.
"You know, I could honestly say that what we just did out there, it was beautiful. I'm so glad to be doing this with you girls."
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"I don't know... do you think I should?" I asked, looking at the four girls I wanted to go and talk to. I've been a fan of Little Mix since I watched them on the X Factor. I remember voting like crazy for them and when Perrie got involved with Zayn it was like Christmas for me. I am such a big fan of them and being in the same room as them was weird- but so cool.
"Oh my God, go and talk to them. They are just people and I'm sure that they would be happy to meet a fan. Do you want us to go with you?" Caitlin asked. I nodded and she rolled her eyes, but took my hand. "Come on then, let's go meet them." She said.
"Thank you." I quietly said.
Leigh-Anne was the first to see us coming. She smiled widely and nudged Jade, who's back was facing Caitlin and I. The short girl turned around and smiled at us. My stomach twisted in nerves as we finally got to where they stood. We had also gotten the attention from Perrie and Jesy. I bit my lip before smiling at the four girls that I've grown to love through their music.
"Hi, I'm Caitlin. It's so nice to meet you, your performance was amazing. This is my friend Liz, she's a huge fan of yours. She was a little nervous to come meet you." Caitlin said.
I looked over at her, glaring. "Caitlin."
"Oh, well it's so nice to meet you. I wish I could say that I've seen your performance, but I haven't. It's always nice to meet a fan." Jade said.
"Yeah," I smiled, "Sorry I'm just a bit awkward. I just really love you four and wow..." I trailed off. I felt like such an idiot after saying that and I wanted to run away and hide. But the girls laughing caused me to look up at them.
"Aw, you're adorable. Come here." Jesy said. She opened up her arms and pulled me into a hug. I let go of Caitlin's hand and hugged her back, feeling almost like a small child. But at this point I didn't care, I was hugging one of my idols.
"You probably have to go on soon, do you want to take a picture before?" Jade asked as mine and Jesy's hug ended. I went to grab my phone from my back pocket out of instinct, but remembered that I was wearing a dress and that my phone was back in the dressing room.
"I don't have it, I don't bring it out on stage with me." I said sadly.
"Oh, that's fine. We can use mine and I can tweet it and you can get it later." Jade said.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Of course. Caitlin, you wanna be in the picture too?" She turned to look at my pink haired friend.
"No, no. I'm fine. I'll take the picture for you." Caitlin said, smiling. Jade handed Caitlin her phone and then wrapped her arm around my shoulders. Leigh - Anne, Perrie, and Jesy all squeezed in together as Caitlin took the photo.
"All contestants to the stage, all contestants to the stage." Mark yelled.
I turned to look at the girls of Little Mix. "I'm sorry, I've got to go. Thank you so much for the picture but I've got to go. Will you still be around after the show?" I asked.
"I think we can stick around." Perrie said.
I smiled, "Great, then I'll see you after the show."
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There's the chapter. I hope you liked it. I know, it's long lol
Please VOTE and COMMENT my lil' Gummy Worms ilysm
~Amanda xx
--Pic on the side is of their outfits
--Video on the side is of the song they sung