“Okay, so how many weeks do we have before the tour starts up?” I asked Niall as I sat down on our couch from the flight from Ireland. After mine and Niall’s date, we acted like the friends we were before we left. I mean, yeah, we still told each other we loved each other and we kissed each other, but he wasn’t my boyfriend. For all I know, he could be going out on dates with me, then going to be with some other girl. Although, I highly doubt that since we live together. I’m probably over thinking this again. I’ve done that quite a bit in the past week.
Niall snapped me out of my thoughts, “We start getting ready for it tomorrow and the first show is a week from today.”
“That’s not much time to prepare,” I admitted. I was incredibly nervous and I had less than a week to get ready?! Oh my gosh.
“Don’t worry about it. You’ll be amazing, I already know it.” He reassured me. I hope he was right.
“So you can see the future or something?” I asked. Curious as to how he knew I would be amazing.
“Because I know you. You’ll stress about a situation, but when it comes to the actual performance, you’ll blow minds. You’re incredible. I don’t know anyone that wouldn’t be impressed by your voice.”
“I know some people. Fans. One Direction’s fans. They won’t even hear me and they’ll judge me. Especially when they find out about ‘us’.” I mumbled the last part to myself. I wasn’t sure I was ready to receive hate yet.
“What do you mean ‘us’?” Oh crap, he heard that part.
“Well.. What I meant was.. I’m not sure.” I said, shaking my head. I sat up and kept my eyes focused on the bottom hem of my shorts. I couldn’t find the words that needed to be said. “I mean, the fans know I’m your best friend and I get some hate from that. I can’t even begin to imagine the hate I would get if they found out I was something more than that.” The tears in my eyes were threatening to fall. Niall came over and sat next to me.
He wiped a tear from my cheek and made our eyes meet. “Hey?”
I looked down again. I didn’t want him to see me cry.
“Jayden?” He said quietly. I looked up at him. “The so called ‘fans’ aren’t truly our fans. If they were, they would accept you as my best friend, or more than best friend. And you’re Jayden Parker, you’ve never let the hate get to you before. Why should this time be any different? And the boys and I will always be here for you.” He hugged me.
“Thanks Niall.” We stayed next to each other for at least another twenty minutes. We weren’t say anything because nothing needed to be said. When I was with him, I felt safe.
“Okay everybody! Boys, get off the stage. I only want Jayden and the band.” Their stage manager, Raegen, told them.
“You can do this. Remember, it’s just a practice.” Niall whispered in my ear.
“Niall! Go!” Raegen yelled at him.
“I’m going!” Niall yelled back at her before kissing me on the cheek and leaving the stage.
I turned towards Raegen as the boys walked off the stage. She started talking really fast, “You’re singing ‘My Wish’, then we’re going to have you sing a Cher Lloyd song or Katy Perry because Niall said you love them. So yeah, okay. Guys, start the song.” Raegen handed me a microphone and left the stage. She left me with Jon, Josh, Dan, and Sandy. Luckily, there wasn’t an audience. Just the guys and everyone that had to work backstage, and yet I was still nervous. The band started the first few notes and it was just me. I got through the first song and into the second when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked over and saw Niall and the other guys standing next to me. I finished the song.
“So?” I asked them as I grabbed a bottle of water.
“That was INCREDIBLE!” Zayn yelled in my face. Louis and Harry tackled me in a hug and Niall stood back. “Guys?” I mumbled. “Guys?!…GUYS?!”
“What?” Louis and Harry jumped back.
“I wanted to hug Niall first.” I said and walked over to him and hugged him. I breathed in his scent. It would never get old.
I looked over at Liam and saw that he hadn’t said anything. “Hey Li.”
He looked up at me and hugged me before going back to his phone. He normally wouldn’t do that, but I decided to ignore it. I’m sure it was something important.
“You were amazing.” Niall whispered in my ear.
“Thanks.” I turned to look at him.
“Now you just need to do it in front of over a thousand screaming fans, and bada bing, you’re everywhere on every social networking site.” Harry said.
We all turned to look at him, “Thanks Harry, that doesn’t make me the least bit nervous.” I said, sarcasm dripping with every word. Louis hit him upside the head.
“Oh yeah, right. You’re nervous. Don’t be.” Harry said.
“Thanks Harry, that’s just what I needed.” I said, no hint of a smile on my face.
“Cheer up, buttercup!” He said and nudged my shoulder.
“I can’t believe you just said that.” I told him, a smile threatening to show.
“What?” Harry asked. Of course.
“Come on Harry.” Louis said and put his arm around Harry’s neck.
Then it was just Niall, Zayn, Liam, and I. Liam was consumed with his phone and Zayn just sort of stood there.
“So Zayn. Got a girl in your life?” I asked him.
“Not yet.” He looked down at the ground and smiled.
“Awe! Zaynie’s got a girl almost in his life! Who is it?! Do I know her?!” I started firing questions at him. He finally got a girl in his life! Yay!
He chuckled, “We’re just friends. She’s in Little Mix. Perrie Edwards.” I saw a twinkle in his eye that I had never seen before in the two years that I knew him.
“No way! Awe! Zayn!” I squealed. “It’s another girl to add to the group!”
“Yeah there’s you, Danielle, Emma, Eleanor, and now Perrie.” Liam added. Now part of our conversation.
“Woah! Who’s Emma?” I asked. Confused on why I didn’t already know who this was.
“Emma Ostilly, Harry’s new girl of the month.” Zayn said and laughed at his joke.
“That joke sucked almost as bad as Harry’s.” Liam told him.
Zayn’s smile faded and he lightly slapped Liam on the face which made Niall and I laugh. “Oh so you laugh at that, but not my joke? Wow, hurtful.”
“Well maybe if your jokes were funny, we would laugh.” Niall said.
“Ooooo!” I yelled. Zayn scowled at us and Liam smirked.
Liam, Niall, and I looked at each other and started closing in on Zayn.
“What are you guys doing? Liam? Jay? Niall?!” We hugged him tightly.
“We love you, Zayn!” I yelled in his ear.
“Well now I’m deaf.” He said when we let go of him.
“Okay boys, break is over. Get back on stage and start singing More Than This.” Raegen yelled at them. Louis and Harry were trailing behind her, in a deep conversation. I walked off the stage and stood to the side. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Niall the entire time. Our eyes met a few times and my heart skipped a beat. Like Olly Murs. Get it? The song? Yeah, that’s a good song. The boys started singing Tell Me a Lie, and I started wandering around humming My Heart Skips a Beat. It was a great song and now it was stuck in my head.
“So come on spin me around. No I don’t want to go home, cause when you hold me like this, it’s when my heart skips skips a beat.” I sang the lyrics to the chours, focused on twitter on my phone when I ran into someone.
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” I said to them. They dropped some papers, so I bent down to try to help him pick them up.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.” I looked up and saw a guy with dark brown hair and really blue eyes. “Well hello there gorgeous,” I thought in my head.
“Neither was I.” I said and handed him the last of the papers. “What’s your name? I don’t think I’ve seen you around here.”
“I’m new. I was hired to help with the sound for their concerts. I’m Thad. You’re the singer aren’t you? Jayden?” He stuck his hand out for me to shake.
“Yeah. So I guess you’ll be spending the whole tour with us?”
“Yup. My boyfriend is,” I zoned out after this. Boyfriend? Really? “He’s been with the boys for a year and got me a job so we could be together more.”
“Boyfriend?” I questioned.
“Yeah.. Does that mean you’re not going to talk to me now or something?” He asked.
“No, not at all. Actually, could you help me out with something?” A smirk on my face. This idea had just come to me, and is possibly the best one I have ever had. Niall’s in for a treat.
Niall’s Point of View:
“Oh, Thad, you are so funny.” I heard Jayden say from backstage.
I looked at Liam, “Who’s Thad?”
“New tech guy I think. He’ll be with us for the tour.” Liam answered. I looked at Jayden and this so called Thad guy. Ugh, I hated him already.
“Hey man, don’t let it get to you.” Harry said to me as Liam started singing One Thing.
We finished the song and I rushed to Jayden’s side.
“Oh hey Niall.” She said, glancing at me.
Well what was that?! I just get a glance? I looked up at the guys who just shrugged.
I turned around. That definitely made me mad.
“Okay, well I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Jayden.” I heard the new guy say.
“Bye Thad.” She said, smiling. I turned back around and watched him walk off. Jayden looked between me and the other guys. “What?”
“Nothing, let’s go.” I said and started walking towards the exit.
“Niall, slow down!” She called after me. This only made me walk faster. Why should I slow down?! Why you should care what I do anyways or how fast I walk?
“Niall!” I stopped abruptly and turned around. She obvioulsy wasn’t expecting me to stop, so she ran right into me.
“What?!” I asked her.
“What’s your deal?!” She yelled back at me.
“Oh nothing.” I said sarcastically and turned around. I definitely didn’t want to talk about it here. Especially not with Thad only a few yards away.
“Yeah, I’m sure there’s ‘nothing’ wrong.” She mumbled and walked faster past me.
Great, now she’s mad at me. Perfect. Just what I needed. She walked to my car and waited for me to unlock the car. I unlocked it and got in the drivers side. I heard the door open then close again.
I looked in the rearview mirror, “You’re not seriously sitting in the back, are you?”
She didn’t even look up at me and mumbled, “Well I’m sure not going to sit up there with you when you’re in a horrible mood and don’t want to talk. So if you don’t want to talk, neither will I.”
“Really? The silent treatment? What are we six?!” My voice rose on the last sentence. I couldn’t believe that she was acting so immature! I turned around to look at her. She just stared out the window. You’ve got to be kidding me!