Someone Like You
Rumour Has It
Reasons Why Fancying Harry Styles Would Be the Biggest Mistake Of Life
1. He is completely and utterly immature and enjoys nothing more than making me uncomfortable
2. He likes cats and cats are the devil’s pet. Dogs are way better.
3. He is a Manchester United Fan.
4. The term ‘serious relationship’ is a foreign concept. Harry likes options and has plenty of them.
5. Harry likes to get drunk…okay, maybe that isn’t a big problem.
6. He smirks far too often.
7. He WOULD NEVER be interested in you.
I stared angrily at the weird Venn Diagram/point system I had drawn up in my journal, before taking a marker and scribbling all over it, making any damning evidence was covered up. Sighing in frustration, I ripped it up into little pieces and leaned back against the wall of my bunk.
I did not fancy Harry Styles. He just made me feel really uncomfortable and he clearly enjoyed it. Even if I did fancy him (which I didn’t, though I will admit that I somewhat enjoyed the attention he gave me at times), I was kidding myself to think that he thought of my as any more than Louis’s little sister. Besides, I did fancy Liam…even though there was no way in hell that he was ever going suddenly fall out of love with Danielle and in love with me.
“Balls,” I muttered, banging my head back against the wall, hoping to knock some sense into myself. It resulted in only a headache, though.
“Rough morning?”
I yanked the curtain to my bunk open. Niall was there, looking adorable as always in grey sweatpants and a t-shirt, blonde hair sticking out in all direction, grinning at me. “Morning, love.”
“Morning, Nialler,” I responded, rubbing my eyes sleepily. Needless to say, after yesterday’s disconcerting encounter with Harry, I hadn’t slept much. I knew he didn’t like me – it was more my unexpected reaction to his flirting that had me worried. “Do you need me to go get breakfast for everyone?”
“No, but I do have a bit of a surprise for you.”
“It’s too early for surpri – Zayn!” I quite literally flew out of the bunk and at the dark-haired boy, who laughed and caught me up in a hug. “You’re back!”
“I am,” he chuckled. “Got in this morning.”
“How are you?” I asked, pulling away and attempting to flatten my rat’s-nest hair. Zayn gave a small smile and shrugged.
“I’m okay. I’m glad I got to go back and say goodbye properly.”
I smiled and hugged him again. We were soon joined by the other lads, who had all gone for an early morning workout, and ate our cereal together, laughing and joking once again. It felt nice to have the gang back together.
**
Zayn being back meant that things were generally back to normal.
The Big Time Rush tour had concluded with an awesome performance at Radio City Music Hall, but we got to stay in New York for a few extra days as the boys increased their radio interviews, promotional appearances, attended the Big Time Rush Movie premier and prepared for their appearance on The Today Show.
Due to my persistent complaining to Paul, I had finally been allowed to go to the radio interviews with them, as it was a hell of a lot better than fucking around the hotel by myself.
The interviews were definitely getting to be the most burdensome for the boys.,I hope, that with me tagging along, I may be able to distract them and maybe make it a little bit more interesting. However, after about three of them I was bored out of my mind as well. It was entertaining enough to watch Zayn try to stay awake during them, as well as Louis and Harry completely mess about the entire time, but overall…they were pretty mind numbing.
It was our last day in New York – the next morning the boys would perform on the Today Show and then we would be flying out to LA – when my presence at a radio station was noticed by some one other than the boys.
At this particular station, about thirty or so fans were invited to sit in, and the boys were going to be doing a short acoustic performance at the end of the interview. The questions were pretty routine – how are you finding America, celebrity crushes, favorite song on the album, etc. I was sitting off the side of the stage, off camera, between Paul and Nicola, who was the boys’ press agent, munching on some Cheetos and trying to remember the last time I had washed my hair, minding my own business. Little did I know, that I was better off back at the hotel
“So, you guys are like, the next big boy band sensation,” Mikey, the DJ said, looking at them. “Were you fans of any of the boy bands of the nineties?”
“I quite liked N’Sync,” Liam replied, and I frowned. Wrong answer, Payne.
“The Beatles are pretty much the best boy band ever, you know,” Harry added.
“Yeah, you guys are getting a lot of comparisons to them, people are calling you the new Beatles.”
“They’re better than the Beatles!” Some twat yelled from the audience.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I hissed, dropping my head into my hands and wishing to just spontaneously combust so I didn’t have to remain in the same room with her.
“No one is better than the Beatles,” Niall blessfully replied.
“I’m with you there, man,” Mikey said, typing about on his computer. “Okay, so, before you guys get into your set here, I think we should address probably the biggest question that we’ve gotten on Twitter, and you probably know what it is. So, I need those of you who are single to raise your hands.”
I rolled my eyes. Could they be asked this anymore times?
Zayn, Niall and Harry all lazily put their hands in the air, while Liam and Louis remained still, not at all bothered by the pouty looks the girls were giving them.
“Now, that’s interesting,” Mikey said, looking at them, “because, Harry, there have been a ton of rumors going around that you have a girlfriend.”
“Do I?” asked Harry, smirking. “News to me, I’d love to meet her, though.”
“Well, apparently, you’re dating Louis’s sister.”
I stopped chewing and looked up, somewhat shocked that that question had been asked. I was also shocked to see that everyone was looking at me – apparently my hiding spot was not so hidden.
The boys were also looking at me and Harry laughed at my bewildered expression.
“He better not be!” Louis joked.
“JJ is a lovely girl,” Harry grinned at me, sending me a none-too-subtle wink. “We’re good friends.”
“JJ has been on tour with us, helping out as an assistant,” Niall spoke up. “It’s been really great having her along, we’re all good friends with her.”
“So, does she get to share a bus and everything with you guys?” Mikey, the DJ, asked. Why on earth were we talking about me?
“Yep,” Harry answered. “She likes to be on top.”
“In the bunks, you mean,” Liam added.
“The thing was,” Louis cut in quickly, while Niall jabbed Harry in the ribs with his elbow. “She asked to come along and we all love her, obviously, so we were thrilled to have her along. She does sleep on our bus, but we’re all so close it really isn’t an issue at all.”
I wasn’t quite sure he was making this any better. I knew that my face was bright red and I could clearly see a number of the girls glaring, whispering, and texting furiously, no doubt Tweeting.
“So, you’re not worried,” Mikey asked Louis. “You’re not worried about Harry, you know, trying to get it on with your sister in the bunk right above you?”
Okay, this interview just took a really wrong turn. I could feel the heat rise in my face as I glanced around frantically. Nicola was trying to catch Liam’s attention and get him to change the subject, or at least answer before Louis could say anything else idiotic. But, my brother tends to speak without thinking and this was no different.
Louis let out a laugh and looked cheekily at his best friend. “Nah, Harry is only interested in experienced women, so I’m not worried at all about him and JJ.”
I’m sorry…what?
My jaw dropped. Did he…did…did Louis really just tell the entire western world, essentially, that I was not experienced? I mean…I wasn’t, really, but that didn’t mean everyone else needed to know about it.
I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks as I stared at them, fully aware that almost all of the other eyes were on me.
“Okay…” Mikey laughed awkwardly. “You know you basically just called your sister a virgin for everyone to hear? She’s not going to be happy with you, you know?”
No, no I wasn’t. And I wasn’t happy with Mikey either for repeating it. Taking a deep breath, I stood and darted out of the studio.
“Hey, JJ!” Paul called after me, but I didn’t stop.
“I’m going back to the hotel!” I said over my shoulder, not wanting to spend another minute in that room. I was mortified, utterly embarrassed and felt like a complete fool. I mean, I knew that those rumors were still buzzing about – I checked my Twitter about once a day and was still getting an absurd amount of hate – but I didn’t think a legitimate interview would delve into it.
And then Louis…
I knew he thought he was being funny, but it wasn’t. It really wasn’t. He knew I was selfconcious when it came to my love life, or lack thereof, and this did not help.
My head was spinning with a million incoherent thoughts as and I struggled to find my way out of the building. I get lost incredibly easily, so when I saw a door that said EXIT above it, I headed in that direction. Pushing open the metal door, I was greeted with a burst of bright sunlight and the bustling New York street.
For a brief moment, I was pulled from my funk with the fleeting feeling of success, having escaped the confines of the building, but then I realized just where I had exited. Right in front of all the fucking crazy Directioners who had camped out.
“OHMIGOD IT’S JJ!”
“JJ WHERE ARE THE BOYS?”
“WE LOVE ONE DIRECTION!”
Those were just some of the random phrases I could hear from amongst the din of scream. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any of the security guides with me, so I was immediately swamped by the girls. Panicked, I tried to get back into the building, but the door locked from the inside.
I felt bodies all around me, pictures snapping and girls shouting. It was insanity.
Covering my face, I tried to push past them all and get to the street to hail a cab.
“JJ CAN I GET A PICTURE?”
“YOU LOOK JUST LIKE LOUIS!”
“WHERE’S HARRY!”
“YOU’RE SUCH A SKANKY BITCH, HARRY’S MINE!”
I felt a powerful and painful yank on my pony tail and my head snapped back. I stumbled, but because of the mass of bodies it was impossible for me to fall to the ground, so I merely bounced off of some of the girls. There was some more screaming, but my head was ringing and my eyes watering from the pain. I was shoved once or twice, knocking into people and stumbling around, trying to find a way out.
It honestly felt like I was drowning for a moment. All the sides were pressing in on me, making it hard to breathe. I couldn’t see right and there was a roaring noise in my head.
“Please,” I cried, desperately. “I’m trying to get through.” To my relief, a few of the girls in front of my stopped snapping their pictures and moved out of the way. Unfortunately, it seemed as though the screams from before had attracted dozens more fans, like blood in the water attracts hungry sharks.
I honestly thought I was going to be pulled apart by the Directioners – they were on all sides, screaming, grabbing, pushing.
But then, I felt a strong arm wrap around my shoulders and a deep voice shout at them all to get out of the way. I pressed myself into the large body, using it as a shield against the girls and as a crutch to help me through. Within moments, I found myself in the back seat of a taxi, sweat dripping from my forehead and my heart beating a mile a minute. This was the second time in three weeks that I had been mobbed by fans. And it was terrifying.
As the cab pulled away and the screams faded, I turned to my rescuer, partly thankful and partly embarrassed.
“Thank you,” I muttered, unable to look him in the eye, feeling ashamed that I had gotten myself into such a predicament.
“Anytime, love,” Paul replied.
“I’m sorry you had to leave the boys.”
“Hey,” he said, picking up my chin so I was forced to look at him. “You know I’m just as responsible for you as I am for them. And they’ll be fine. You, on the other hand, look like you could use some one to talk to.”
I don’t know why, but suddenly, I was crying.
Paul pulled me over and let me cry into his shoulder, rubbing my arm softly.
“I’m sorry,” I sniffed, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be…I’m sorry.”
And then I was spilling it all out – my parents, Nathan, university, Liam, football, Harry, the Twitter and Tumblr hate – all of it, to Paul, a man I didn’t know incredibly well and who was essentially the employee/wrangler of my older brother and all his friends. And all because of stupid Louis and his stupid mouth and stupid Harry and his stupid smirking.
After it was all out, I sat back and looked at him, done crying and still completely embarrassed.
“I’m sorry if that was awkward.”
Paul merely shrugged. “I have two daughters, this is probably going to be good practice for what’s to come.”
I smiled slightly, glad to know he didn’t think I was a completely loon.
“You’re not going to say anything to anyone, are you?”
“Of course not, JJ,” he said, looking slightly offended. “They may pay me but I know who the real boss is around here. Although, I would be happy to smack Louis around a bit, for you.”
I grinned now, feeling a lot better.
The cab dropped me back off at the hotel, and Paul went back to get the boys and shuttle them off to the rehearsal for the Today Show. I headed up and took a long shower, as well as some Advil, my neck already sore from the whiplash. I still had an odd feeling in my stomach. It was basically insecurity, which had always been there, but had now grown a bit since Louis’s insult. The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me.
Not only did he tell the world I was a virgin, but he also said that there was no way Harry was interested in me. I didn’t like Harry that way, but I had to admit, it would have felt really good to be fancied by him…to even think I had a chance. That thought, compounded with the fact that I was still swooning over Liam made the ball in my stomach grow some more. I was still embarrassed about crying in front of Paul (and crying was something I rarely ever did), though I trusted that he wouldn’t anything to the boys.
I collapsed onto my bed and grabbed my phone, noticing five missed calls. Three were from Niall, though he only left one message.
Hey, JJ. Just calling to make sure you’re alright – I saw you dash out of the interview and Paul said you got swarmed by fans…so yeah, I’ll stop by when we get back.
I deleted it and moved on. I didn’t want to talk to Niall. I already filled heartfelt discussion quota for the month and didn’t want to go over. The second message was from Fizzy.
Um, hi JJ. It’s Fizzy. Um, I got one letter here today and, um, it isn’t good. I’m sorry. Um, give me a call if you want to talk. I’ll put it under your pillow so Mum wouldn’t find it. Okay, love you, bye.
The ball in my stomach grew again. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my head. This day was just a drag in general – one to write off completely and never think of again.
Moving on to the third one, I couldn’t help but smile, despite the shittiness of the day.
Johanna Jane, my love, my dream, my boat. How are you, dearie? How excited are you for me to come visit tomorrow? So, excited, which is why I’m sure you aren’t picking up since you are just jumping up and down with joy. Anyway, it is really fucking late here right now, but I can’t sleep because I’m so excited to come see you! And Louis, too, I supposed, but mostly you. Anyway, Danielle and I are flying into LAX tomorrow and should be there around 3, I think, California time? Anyway, who the fuck knows. Okay, rambling message over, but I can’t wait to see you! Mwah!
Eleanor clicked off and I grinned slightly. I had forgotten she was coming to join up with us in LA, Danielle as well. As much as I didn’t want to see Liam’s girlfriend, she was an incredibly sweet girl and it would be nice to have some more estrogen around all this testosterone.
There was a knock at my door then, and I sat up, groaning, to answer it.
“Hey, beautiful,” Niall greeted, giving me a wide smile. “Can I come in?”
“I’m actually thinking of going to bed,” I lied. “Early start tomorrow, you know?”
Niall didn’t look at all put out by this, instead holding up a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Baked Alaska. Damn him.
“So,” he said, settling himself on the bed across from me, legs curled under him. “Want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” I admitted, shoving a spoon into the delicious frozen treat, one thousand calories be damned.
“Okay,” he shrugged, easily. “What do you want to talk about then?”
Niall was clearly not going to leave without a fight. Or at least some serious discussion on my part. So, I decided I would just enjoy my ice cream and chat about whatever.
“Eleanor called. She and Danielle are flying into LA tomorrow.”
“That’s right, I forgot they were coming. Excited to see them?”
“Definitely.”
“Speaking of which, is there something you want to do for your birthday? I mean, since we’ll all be together and I think we have the day off after the KCA’s.”
“Which is my birthday,” I added, nodding slightly. “I don’t know. It might be nice just to have a day off, you know? Lounge around, watch Disney movies and eat ice cream.” I held out the carton for him, realizing I hadn’t been sharing. Niall dug in happily.
“We could probably arrange that,” he grinned. “Only the old school ones though – some Sword in the Stone or Robin Hood.”
“Ooh de lally,” I sing-songed.
We were quiet again then, comfortably passing the quickly disappearing ice cream between us. Finally, Niall spoke up again.
“JJ, about the interview today…”
“I know, right?” I asked quickly. “Liam liked N’Sync more than the Backstreet Boys. How is that even possible?”
“JJ…”
“The Backstreet Boys are easily the greatest boy band – I don’t consider the Beatles in that category, as you well know – and N’Sync pales in comparison. I mean, BSB are still going! And I for one, would love to go see them. Backstreet’s back, alright!”
“Has Louis said anything to you?”
I stopped and looked at him, before sighing. “No, I haven’t heard from him. Does he know I’m pissed?”
Niall shrugged. “I’d be surprised if he didn’t, but it’s Louis, I can very rarely tell what’s going on in that boy’s head.”
My problem was that I usually could tell what was going on in his head, but not this time.
“Are you alright, though?” Niall pressed, clear blue eyes staring at me.
“Yeah, I guess. I mean, it was incredibly embarrassing and a bit insulting, but…what can you do about it now, right? It’s out there. I’ll just avoid Twitter for a while.”
“And the fans outside…”
I pulled a face and unconsciously rubbed the back of my neck. “They were a bit…eager. Some were friendlier than others, but they were all a bit crazy.”
Without a word, Niall reached over and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back, so very glad to have him as a friend. With all the other craziness going on around me, I knew I could always count on him.
“Alright, get some sleep, JJ,” He said, pulling away. “We’re performing for the Today Show tomorrow! And then off to sunny LA!”
I smiled. Tomorrow was another day and couldn’t be worse than this one.
1. He is completely and utterly immature and enjoys nothing more than making me uncomfortable
2. He likes cats and cats are the devil’s pet. Dogs are way better.
3. He is a Manchester United Fan.
4. The term ‘serious relationship’ is a foreign concept. Harry likes options and has plenty of them.
5. Harry likes to get drunk…okay, maybe that isn’t a big problem.
6. He smirks far too often.
7. He WOULD NEVER be interested in you.
I stared angrily at the weird Venn Diagram/point system I had drawn up in my journal, before taking a marker and scribbling all over it, making any damning evidence was covered up. Sighing in frustration, I ripped it up into little pieces and leaned back against the wall of my bunk.
I did not fancy Harry Styles. He just made me feel really uncomfortable and he clearly enjoyed it. Even if I did fancy him (which I didn’t, though I will admit that I somewhat enjoyed the attention he gave me at times), I was kidding myself to think that he thought of my as any more than Louis’s little sister. Besides, I did fancy Liam…even though there was no way in hell that he was ever going suddenly fall out of love with Danielle and in love with me.
“Balls,” I muttered, banging my head back against the wall, hoping to knock some sense into myself. It resulted in only a headache, though.
“Rough morning?”
I yanked the curtain to my bunk open. Niall was there, looking adorable as always in grey sweatpants and a t-shirt, blonde hair sticking out in all direction, grinning at me. “Morning, love.”
“Morning, Nialler,” I responded, rubbing my eyes sleepily. Needless to say, after yesterday’s disconcerting encounter with Harry, I hadn’t slept much. I knew he didn’t like me – it was more my unexpected reaction to his flirting that had me worried. “Do you need me to go get breakfast for everyone?”
“No, but I do have a bit of a surprise for you.”
“It’s too early for surpri – Zayn!” I quite literally flew out of the bunk and at the dark-haired boy, who laughed and caught me up in a hug. “You’re back!”
“I am,” he chuckled. “Got in this morning.”
“How are you?” I asked, pulling away and attempting to flatten my rat’s-nest hair. Zayn gave a small smile and shrugged.
“I’m okay. I’m glad I got to go back and say goodbye properly.”
I smiled and hugged him again. We were soon joined by the other lads, who had all gone for an early morning workout, and ate our cereal together, laughing and joking once again. It felt nice to have the gang back together.
**
Zayn being back meant that things were generally back to normal.
The Big Time Rush tour had concluded with an awesome performance at Radio City Music Hall, but we got to stay in New York for a few extra days as the boys increased their radio interviews, promotional appearances, attended the Big Time Rush Movie premier and prepared for their appearance on The Today Show.
Due to my persistent complaining to Paul, I had finally been allowed to go to the radio interviews with them, as it was a hell of a lot better than fucking around the hotel by myself.
The interviews were definitely getting to be the most burdensome for the boys.,I hope, that with me tagging along, I may be able to distract them and maybe make it a little bit more interesting. However, after about three of them I was bored out of my mind as well. It was entertaining enough to watch Zayn try to stay awake during them, as well as Louis and Harry completely mess about the entire time, but overall…they were pretty mind numbing.
It was our last day in New York – the next morning the boys would perform on the Today Show and then we would be flying out to LA – when my presence at a radio station was noticed by some one other than the boys.
At this particular station, about thirty or so fans were invited to sit in, and the boys were going to be doing a short acoustic performance at the end of the interview. The questions were pretty routine – how are you finding America, celebrity crushes, favorite song on the album, etc. I was sitting off the side of the stage, off camera, between Paul and Nicola, who was the boys’ press agent, munching on some Cheetos and trying to remember the last time I had washed my hair, minding my own business. Little did I know, that I was better off back at the hotel
“So, you guys are like, the next big boy band sensation,” Mikey, the DJ said, looking at them. “Were you fans of any of the boy bands of the nineties?”
“I quite liked N’Sync,” Liam replied, and I frowned. Wrong answer, Payne.
“The Beatles are pretty much the best boy band ever, you know,” Harry added.
“Yeah, you guys are getting a lot of comparisons to them, people are calling you the new Beatles.”
“They’re better than the Beatles!” Some twat yelled from the audience.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I hissed, dropping my head into my hands and wishing to just spontaneously combust so I didn’t have to remain in the same room with her.
“No one is better than the Beatles,” Niall blessfully replied.
“I’m with you there, man,” Mikey said, typing about on his computer. “Okay, so, before you guys get into your set here, I think we should address probably the biggest question that we’ve gotten on Twitter, and you probably know what it is. So, I need those of you who are single to raise your hands.”
I rolled my eyes. Could they be asked this anymore times?
Zayn, Niall and Harry all lazily put their hands in the air, while Liam and Louis remained still, not at all bothered by the pouty looks the girls were giving them.
“Now, that’s interesting,” Mikey said, looking at them, “because, Harry, there have been a ton of rumors going around that you have a girlfriend.”
“Do I?” asked Harry, smirking. “News to me, I’d love to meet her, though.”
“Well, apparently, you’re dating Louis’s sister.”
I stopped chewing and looked up, somewhat shocked that that question had been asked. I was also shocked to see that everyone was looking at me – apparently my hiding spot was not so hidden.
The boys were also looking at me and Harry laughed at my bewildered expression.
“He better not be!” Louis joked.
“JJ is a lovely girl,” Harry grinned at me, sending me a none-too-subtle wink. “We’re good friends.”
“JJ has been on tour with us, helping out as an assistant,” Niall spoke up. “It’s been really great having her along, we’re all good friends with her.”
“So, does she get to share a bus and everything with you guys?” Mikey, the DJ, asked. Why on earth were we talking about me?
“Yep,” Harry answered. “She likes to be on top.”
“In the bunks, you mean,” Liam added.
“The thing was,” Louis cut in quickly, while Niall jabbed Harry in the ribs with his elbow. “She asked to come along and we all love her, obviously, so we were thrilled to have her along. She does sleep on our bus, but we’re all so close it really isn’t an issue at all.”
I wasn’t quite sure he was making this any better. I knew that my face was bright red and I could clearly see a number of the girls glaring, whispering, and texting furiously, no doubt Tweeting.
“So, you’re not worried,” Mikey asked Louis. “You’re not worried about Harry, you know, trying to get it on with your sister in the bunk right above you?”
Okay, this interview just took a really wrong turn. I could feel the heat rise in my face as I glanced around frantically. Nicola was trying to catch Liam’s attention and get him to change the subject, or at least answer before Louis could say anything else idiotic. But, my brother tends to speak without thinking and this was no different.
Louis let out a laugh and looked cheekily at his best friend. “Nah, Harry is only interested in experienced women, so I’m not worried at all about him and JJ.”
I’m sorry…what?
My jaw dropped. Did he…did…did Louis really just tell the entire western world, essentially, that I was not experienced? I mean…I wasn’t, really, but that didn’t mean everyone else needed to know about it.
I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks as I stared at them, fully aware that almost all of the other eyes were on me.
“Okay…” Mikey laughed awkwardly. “You know you basically just called your sister a virgin for everyone to hear? She’s not going to be happy with you, you know?”
No, no I wasn’t. And I wasn’t happy with Mikey either for repeating it. Taking a deep breath, I stood and darted out of the studio.
“Hey, JJ!” Paul called after me, but I didn’t stop.
“I’m going back to the hotel!” I said over my shoulder, not wanting to spend another minute in that room. I was mortified, utterly embarrassed and felt like a complete fool. I mean, I knew that those rumors were still buzzing about – I checked my Twitter about once a day and was still getting an absurd amount of hate – but I didn’t think a legitimate interview would delve into it.
And then Louis…
I knew he thought he was being funny, but it wasn’t. It really wasn’t. He knew I was selfconcious when it came to my love life, or lack thereof, and this did not help.
My head was spinning with a million incoherent thoughts as and I struggled to find my way out of the building. I get lost incredibly easily, so when I saw a door that said EXIT above it, I headed in that direction. Pushing open the metal door, I was greeted with a burst of bright sunlight and the bustling New York street.
For a brief moment, I was pulled from my funk with the fleeting feeling of success, having escaped the confines of the building, but then I realized just where I had exited. Right in front of all the fucking crazy Directioners who had camped out.
“OHMIGOD IT’S JJ!”
“JJ WHERE ARE THE BOYS?”
“WE LOVE ONE DIRECTION!”
Those were just some of the random phrases I could hear from amongst the din of scream. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any of the security guides with me, so I was immediately swamped by the girls. Panicked, I tried to get back into the building, but the door locked from the inside.
I felt bodies all around me, pictures snapping and girls shouting. It was insanity.
Covering my face, I tried to push past them all and get to the street to hail a cab.
“JJ CAN I GET A PICTURE?”
“YOU LOOK JUST LIKE LOUIS!”
“WHERE’S HARRY!”
“YOU’RE SUCH A SKANKY BITCH, HARRY’S MINE!”
I felt a powerful and painful yank on my pony tail and my head snapped back. I stumbled, but because of the mass of bodies it was impossible for me to fall to the ground, so I merely bounced off of some of the girls. There was some more screaming, but my head was ringing and my eyes watering from the pain. I was shoved once or twice, knocking into people and stumbling around, trying to find a way out.
It honestly felt like I was drowning for a moment. All the sides were pressing in on me, making it hard to breathe. I couldn’t see right and there was a roaring noise in my head.
“Please,” I cried, desperately. “I’m trying to get through.” To my relief, a few of the girls in front of my stopped snapping their pictures and moved out of the way. Unfortunately, it seemed as though the screams from before had attracted dozens more fans, like blood in the water attracts hungry sharks.
I honestly thought I was going to be pulled apart by the Directioners – they were on all sides, screaming, grabbing, pushing.
But then, I felt a strong arm wrap around my shoulders and a deep voice shout at them all to get out of the way. I pressed myself into the large body, using it as a shield against the girls and as a crutch to help me through. Within moments, I found myself in the back seat of a taxi, sweat dripping from my forehead and my heart beating a mile a minute. This was the second time in three weeks that I had been mobbed by fans. And it was terrifying.
As the cab pulled away and the screams faded, I turned to my rescuer, partly thankful and partly embarrassed.
“Thank you,” I muttered, unable to look him in the eye, feeling ashamed that I had gotten myself into such a predicament.
“Anytime, love,” Paul replied.
“I’m sorry you had to leave the boys.”
“Hey,” he said, picking up my chin so I was forced to look at him. “You know I’m just as responsible for you as I am for them. And they’ll be fine. You, on the other hand, look like you could use some one to talk to.”
I don’t know why, but suddenly, I was crying.
Paul pulled me over and let me cry into his shoulder, rubbing my arm softly.
“I’m sorry,” I sniffed, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be…I’m sorry.”
And then I was spilling it all out – my parents, Nathan, university, Liam, football, Harry, the Twitter and Tumblr hate – all of it, to Paul, a man I didn’t know incredibly well and who was essentially the employee/wrangler of my older brother and all his friends. And all because of stupid Louis and his stupid mouth and stupid Harry and his stupid smirking.
After it was all out, I sat back and looked at him, done crying and still completely embarrassed.
“I’m sorry if that was awkward.”
Paul merely shrugged. “I have two daughters, this is probably going to be good practice for what’s to come.”
I smiled slightly, glad to know he didn’t think I was a completely loon.
“You’re not going to say anything to anyone, are you?”
“Of course not, JJ,” he said, looking slightly offended. “They may pay me but I know who the real boss is around here. Although, I would be happy to smack Louis around a bit, for you.”
I grinned now, feeling a lot better.
The cab dropped me back off at the hotel, and Paul went back to get the boys and shuttle them off to the rehearsal for the Today Show. I headed up and took a long shower, as well as some Advil, my neck already sore from the whiplash. I still had an odd feeling in my stomach. It was basically insecurity, which had always been there, but had now grown a bit since Louis’s insult. The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me.
Not only did he tell the world I was a virgin, but he also said that there was no way Harry was interested in me. I didn’t like Harry that way, but I had to admit, it would have felt really good to be fancied by him…to even think I had a chance. That thought, compounded with the fact that I was still swooning over Liam made the ball in my stomach grow some more. I was still embarrassed about crying in front of Paul (and crying was something I rarely ever did), though I trusted that he wouldn’t anything to the boys.
I collapsed onto my bed and grabbed my phone, noticing five missed calls. Three were from Niall, though he only left one message.
Hey, JJ. Just calling to make sure you’re alright – I saw you dash out of the interview and Paul said you got swarmed by fans…so yeah, I’ll stop by when we get back.
I deleted it and moved on. I didn’t want to talk to Niall. I already filled heartfelt discussion quota for the month and didn’t want to go over. The second message was from Fizzy.
Um, hi JJ. It’s Fizzy. Um, I got one letter here today and, um, it isn’t good. I’m sorry. Um, give me a call if you want to talk. I’ll put it under your pillow so Mum wouldn’t find it. Okay, love you, bye.
The ball in my stomach grew again. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my head. This day was just a drag in general – one to write off completely and never think of again.
Moving on to the third one, I couldn’t help but smile, despite the shittiness of the day.
Johanna Jane, my love, my dream, my boat. How are you, dearie? How excited are you for me to come visit tomorrow? So, excited, which is why I’m sure you aren’t picking up since you are just jumping up and down with joy. Anyway, it is really fucking late here right now, but I can’t sleep because I’m so excited to come see you! And Louis, too, I supposed, but mostly you. Anyway, Danielle and I are flying into LAX tomorrow and should be there around 3, I think, California time? Anyway, who the fuck knows. Okay, rambling message over, but I can’t wait to see you! Mwah!
Eleanor clicked off and I grinned slightly. I had forgotten she was coming to join up with us in LA, Danielle as well. As much as I didn’t want to see Liam’s girlfriend, she was an incredibly sweet girl and it would be nice to have some more estrogen around all this testosterone.
There was a knock at my door then, and I sat up, groaning, to answer it.
“Hey, beautiful,” Niall greeted, giving me a wide smile. “Can I come in?”
“I’m actually thinking of going to bed,” I lied. “Early start tomorrow, you know?”
Niall didn’t look at all put out by this, instead holding up a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Baked Alaska. Damn him.
“So,” he said, settling himself on the bed across from me, legs curled under him. “Want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” I admitted, shoving a spoon into the delicious frozen treat, one thousand calories be damned.
“Okay,” he shrugged, easily. “What do you want to talk about then?”
Niall was clearly not going to leave without a fight. Or at least some serious discussion on my part. So, I decided I would just enjoy my ice cream and chat about whatever.
“Eleanor called. She and Danielle are flying into LA tomorrow.”
“That’s right, I forgot they were coming. Excited to see them?”
“Definitely.”
“Speaking of which, is there something you want to do for your birthday? I mean, since we’ll all be together and I think we have the day off after the KCA’s.”
“Which is my birthday,” I added, nodding slightly. “I don’t know. It might be nice just to have a day off, you know? Lounge around, watch Disney movies and eat ice cream.” I held out the carton for him, realizing I hadn’t been sharing. Niall dug in happily.
“We could probably arrange that,” he grinned. “Only the old school ones though – some Sword in the Stone or Robin Hood.”
“Ooh de lally,” I sing-songed.
We were quiet again then, comfortably passing the quickly disappearing ice cream between us. Finally, Niall spoke up again.
“JJ, about the interview today…”
“I know, right?” I asked quickly. “Liam liked N’Sync more than the Backstreet Boys. How is that even possible?”
“JJ…”
“The Backstreet Boys are easily the greatest boy band – I don’t consider the Beatles in that category, as you well know – and N’Sync pales in comparison. I mean, BSB are still going! And I for one, would love to go see them. Backstreet’s back, alright!”
“Has Louis said anything to you?”
I stopped and looked at him, before sighing. “No, I haven’t heard from him. Does he know I’m pissed?”
Niall shrugged. “I’d be surprised if he didn’t, but it’s Louis, I can very rarely tell what’s going on in that boy’s head.”
My problem was that I usually could tell what was going on in his head, but not this time.
“Are you alright, though?” Niall pressed, clear blue eyes staring at me.
“Yeah, I guess. I mean, it was incredibly embarrassing and a bit insulting, but…what can you do about it now, right? It’s out there. I’ll just avoid Twitter for a while.”
“And the fans outside…”
I pulled a face and unconsciously rubbed the back of my neck. “They were a bit…eager. Some were friendlier than others, but they were all a bit crazy.”
Without a word, Niall reached over and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back, so very glad to have him as a friend. With all the other craziness going on around me, I knew I could always count on him.
“Alright, get some sleep, JJ,” He said, pulling away. “We’re performing for the Today Show tomorrow! And then off to sunny LA!”
I smiled. Tomorrow was another day and couldn’t be worse than this one.
Best f*cking fanfic I ever read!!!! You had my feels skyrocketing the entire time I swear I almost died!! You are such a bad ass writer!!Please keep writing more stories!?!?!
6/22/14