Chapter 1 ― Havi
Seven months later…
“And this was the new hit of Demi Lovato and you heard it here, on Crash FM, the radio station that thinks of you. This is Joy Daniels, live for you and no one else!” She said, her mouth so close to the microphone and the cheeky grin on her face. I just smiled at her from the other side of the glass.
Joy was a very special person, so unique and I loved her. She was tall and very pretty, with long blonde hair and big hazel eyes, that everlasting smile on her face all the time and so much energy that it was impossible to feel bored or down next to her. It wasn’t weird that she was the star from Crash FM, one of the new radio stations in London.
I, on the other hand, was just a normal nineteen-year-old girl, who worked at the radio station to help her pay for her studies at Uni. I was shorter than Joy, my hair was a curly brown reddish colour and my eyes were hazel too. Plain. Simple. I didn’t have a great body though Joy always said she would kill for a waist like mine. But as it happened with your family, you couldn’t believe your best friends; they were compelled to love you even if you were a new kind of monster. Even if I turned into a zombie, I knew Joy would have found something nice to say, something like my eyes were brighter since I became a walking dead.
My job at the radio station was just being Joy’s assistant. She got it for me when I told her I needed money and it was great. We always had a good time, sometimes she even made me talk to her audience so I was kind of known in her program, I met plenty of celebrities since she made some interviews from time to time. It was great and I loved music so much that for me it was a real pleasure to help her with the song selection every day.
“I hear you, tell me your name, love,” Joy talked to the mic again after I mouthed to her that she needed to pick up some lines.
“Hi, I’m Stephanie. Oh my God! I love your show! The songs are always amazing!” A very excited girl squeaked from the other side. Joy winced at her high tone but kept smiling. I was laughing at the other side of the glass in the DJ booth.
“Why thank you, Stephanie. Tell me, what can I do for you today?” Joy looked at me, an amused smile but her eyes were murderous for me laughing at her. She really hated annoying voices like the girl’s, but I enjoyed it so much when she had to be nice with one of those kinds of people.
“Can you, please, please, please, please play some One Direction!” She begged and it was my turn to wince.
Okay, I didn’t exactly hate One Direction, I was just tired of them. They were everywhere! TV, radio, magazines, stores, the streets. Everywhere! It was like the media was forcing you to like them but I didn’t see anything special on them. After all, they were just five lads living the dream. I didn’t want to know anything else about them, every time their faces appeared on my telly I changed the channel, I never bought a magazine that they were in –and it was bloody difficult to find a magazine without One Direction in it–, I changed the radio station when a song of them was playing and things like that. I didn’t want them invading my life. I didn’t even know their names.
It was Joy’s turn to laugh at me. She knew I hated when someone asked for One Direction because that meant I had to listen to the whole song. In fact I believed that when someone asked for a song by them, it made her day.
“Oh sure, Stephanie. Me and Havi would love to play some One Direction for you. Any song in particular?” She asked, that damn grin on her face and her eyes on me. I just narrowed my eyes.
“What Makes You Beautiful!” The girl screamed and we winced again. Her voice was so high! I wanted to cry. I was so damn tired of that little song.
Joy made me a sign and I put that song in a low volume so she could keep talking to the listener. “Stephanie and all the Directioners outside, keep tuned because I have a very special surprise for you all today.”
I looked at her confused. What surprise? She hadn’t told me anything about a surprise. Suddenly I had a bad feeling. A sentence that combined One Direction and surprise couldn’t be good. Maybe I should run now that I still had time. Plus, her smile was creeping me out.
The song started to play louder and I cut the microphones and then walked out of the booth. “What surprise?” I asked her, taking a seat across the table. She rested her elbows on the wood and held her face comfortably, her eyes on me all the time and that smile that didn’t stop making me nervous.
“Oh, a surprise that you’re gonna love, Havi dear,” she replied and I could swear I felt my whole body freezing. I was scared, I was so scared. “They should be here any moment.”
“They?” I shrieked and Joy laughed. That kind of evil laugh you can see on cartoons.
Oh no, oh no, oh no.
“Joy…” I called almost shaking and her smile grew bigger. Sometimes I wondered why I was friends with her. “Tell me you didn’t–” I was cut off by a knock at the door and my friend actually jumped to her feet and ran to open it.
“Put another song for later!” She screamed still running to the door and for a second I couldn’t move. But I woke up and ran to the DJ booth to select the next song and to hide. Yes, to hide. I was bloody scared! I didn’t know what to expect. “Hello!” She greeted excited and I gave a little peep to know who was there with her and I froze.
One Direction was in the room.
I didn’t know their names but surely I knew their faces. For God’s sake! They were everywhere, their faces had to be stuck on your mind or you were weird.
Well, wow… I had to admit they looked hot on all those covers and I always thought it was Photoshop magic, but nope. They were hot. Really hot. All of them. No exception. There they were, the five of them with another old bloke in a suit and talking on the phone. The one with blond hair and a red cap, the one with black hair and a mysterious look, the brunet one who seemed to be in charge of everything and had that father-like look, the curly-haired one who was totally checking out my friend Joy and finally the other brunet with blue eyes that always wore stripes. My eyes lingered on the last one a tad bit longer, caught on his smile and the shine in his eyes. Those were of a deep blue, a beautiful deep blue.
I was so into my contemplation of the five boys that I didn’t notice I started to stand up and I was visible till one of them caught my eye. “Why hello there,” the one with curly hair said, a cheeky smile that reminded me of Joy so much plastered on his face. He had cute dimples on each cheek.
I cursed and slapped myself mentally for getting distracted by a couple of blue eyes, but then the boy with the stripped t-shirt looked at me and I forgot why I had slapped myself mentally with brutal force. It still hurt on my mind.
“Oh, Havi! Come here and say hello, don’t be shy!” Joy called, that smile on her face as she waved at me to come out of the DJ booth. By then the five boys and the other man were looking at me.
I obeyed and walked towards them trying to avoid any eye contact though I knew they had their eyes fixed on me. I felt so self-conscious in that moment, I just wanted to dig a whole and hide there forever so later in a far future people would find my skeleton in a very awkward position.
“This is my friend Havi. She helps me with the show. Havi, please meet One Direction,” Joy made the introductions.
“Hi there, I’m Harry,” said the one with curly hair, I smiled politely with a slight nod. The one with brown eyes and brown hair started talking, “I’m Liam,” the father-like one. “Zayn,” the one with black hair spoke next. “I’m Niall, nice to meet you,” commented the blond. “And I’m Louis. How are you, Havi?” Added the brunet with blue eyes that had caught me before with the magnificence of his gaze.
Wow, I was made a poet that day…
The way Louis said my name sent goose bumps all over my body. His accent was something to enjoy.
I just nodded and didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say! They were international popstars whom I was tired of and I was just an ordinary girl. I felt like I had to get out of the room because I was unworthy to share the same air with such famous people. I had to go back with my people, the normal yet outcast for own choice.
“Aren’t you proud of me, Havi?” Joy commented hugging me with maybe too much strength. “I got One Direction for a radio interview! Isn’t that great? Come on, say it, out loud: You’re incredible, Joy. I’m so lucky to be your friend,” she kept talking and I couldn’t help it and let a chuckled go out.
“Yeah, you did something pretty incredible,” I told her in a whisper.
I didn’t know how she managed to get an interview. Sure, the radio station was doing great, but we still were kind of new and there were bigger ones. My friend was truly amazing. “Now wait till they tweet they’re making an interview here. Our rankings are gonna blow up!” She practically yelled and I just laughed. The boys were smiling as they watched us. Joy always called attention; it was in her loud and gleeful personality.
I knew I was ignoring One Direction monumentally, but I wasn’t really interested in making friends with them and I felt really awkward. I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of five popstars. I could be sick of them, but that didn’t take away the fact that they still were hot and no normal girl would want to make a fool of herself in front of them, and I wasn’t insane. I thought.
The song was about to finish and then after that came the other I prepared, so that meant shortly the interview was going to take place.
Joy let go of me and went to talk to the man, I thought he was the manager because he looked like the one in charge of everything there. They boys were looking at everything as I stood there awkwardly for a couple of seconds, until the curly-haired boy came to me.
“So, are you going to interview us too?” He asked, a flirty expression on his face and I just stood there astonished and not sure of what to say.
“Um… no, I’ll be in the DJ booth there,” I pointed to my place. I normally was there all the time, picking up calls and playing the songs that were requested.
“Oh, but I thought we were gonna be cornered by two gorgeous ladies.”
And BOOM! My cheeks just exploded.
I had to be this bright red because I certainly felt all blushed. I couldn’t look at him after what he said though it wasn’t such a big thing, but it seemed like that when a boy that was wanted by thousands of girls all over the world called you gorgeous. One point for my self-esteem. Thank you, Harry.
He was chuckling proud of my reaction when another boy joined him. “What are you doing, Harry? Making this lovely girl blush? That’s not right, mate!” It was that accent and that voice, the one that belonged to the gorgeous brunet with blue eyes, AKA Louis.
I looked up at him and he was smiling warmly. Our eyes met and I felt my heart skipping a beat.
What the hell was happening with me? Why was I reacting so strongly to his presence?
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This chapter is dedicated to a very special girl who left one of the most wonderful comments I've ever read. Thank you, @slythsuppandproud! You're totally amazing!
At the sidebar a picture of my friend Havi.
Bel, xx