Time of Our Lives

*Dakota’s POV*

Laughter: that was felt through my eardrums as Kariann and I read yet another fan-fiction on Wattpad. It was true, for the past week the two of us have been obsessed with these stories. If we were at home, we were on our laptops, if we were out, we were on our phones, doing nothing but read. Don’t judge, we’ve been excited about a concert that was going to happen tonight and ever since my dad surprised the two of us with tickets, we haven’t been able to sleep because of our excitement. We were in a hotel room, staying for a few nights, since how everything was so coincidental because dad had to do some kind of training for his work and the concert ran into the middle of it. Dad was to be here for four days and three nights. We just got here yesterday, so we’ve done nothing but hang out in the hotel room and read. I’ve been texting one of my other best friends, being random with each other as always. In my moment of justice, Kariann started laughing. “Hey, don’t read ahead!” I complained, looking down at my computer screen.

I quickly picked up where I left off. I started grinning like an idiot. “Wo-w” I droned and looked at Kariann.

I heard my phone slide off the bed and onto the floor as it vibrated, “Ugh, stupid phone.” I tried beinding over to get it, but I couldn’t reach. I sepped off the bed. “Hey, since you’re up, you should totally get me a drink out of the fridge.” Kariann said, giving me one of her fake smiles that would otherwise be considered sweet.

I shot my hands up, about to make a comeback, but I felt my phone slip out of my hand. I waited for it to hit the wall, but no…

“You didn’t…”

“Don’t tell me that it went out the window,” I said, eyes shut tightly and fist clinched.

“It did…”

“Shit!” I exclaimed. “Dad’s gonna kill me if that broke.”

“Damn it, Dakota, now we have to go find it…”

We got dressed, putting on our flipflops as we left the room. “ I should hit you, but I think it’s good so something is getting us off our asses.” Kariann said, sighing as we leaned against the elevator wall.

We made it to the lobby, making our way to the back entrance of the hotel. There was a concrete stretch about ten feet from the entrance which broke into a smaller stretch of stairs in the center. “Thank God.” I said, “It didn’t land on the concrete…”

We made our way down the steps to the small lawn which held a tree and shrubs that outlined the concrete wall. We started searching, sticking close and double-checkout each other’s steps. “I swear Dakota…” Kariann started.

“Oh hush.” I said, “I’ll get you a drink when we’re done.”

“It better be a Big Blue, just so you-“

She was cut off by a sound of something moving in the bushes. We looked over, trying to find the spot where we heard the bushes moved. “Must’ve been a cat or something…” I said, shrugging.

Kariann started moving toward them in curiosity. I followed close behind. We were by the railing and we heard the screams before we saw the relatively large group of girls running down the steps and roaming into the yard, as if searching for someone. Kariann and I looked at each other, confused. She continues in what we were doing before and she peeks in. I saw her reach over and in, reaching for something. I was about to ask if she saw my phone but she pulled back, shocked, from the bushes, holding her hands to her mouth to keep from screaming. “What did you see?” I asked, “Did you find it?”

She looked at me. “Yeah, but what we heard before… that was no cat.”

She looked behind us, still seeing the large group of girls trailing around. She quickly pulled me close, whispering into my ear, “It’s Louis Tomlinson.”

“What?” I asked, shocked, “No way.”

I was moving to get a look for myself, but she held me back. “Idiot, don’t look. He’s hiding from the fans. We need to do something.”

I thought for a brief second, “Oh… I know!”

I turned around, getting a good look at the girls before I started shouting, “Oh, my God. It’s One Direction!”

I’ve been bottling up so much energy and excitement that what I said was truly realistic, not to mention fangirly. Kariann caught my drift because she was right behind me, “Over there!”

Ha! Everyone bought it. Girls began screaming and they ran down the street in a quick frenzy, away from the hotel and out of sight. I scoffed at them, not believing how truly desperate they were just to get a peek at the group. I turned around then, walking up the steps some to get a good look at the guy in the bushes. I was close to the top when I leaned over the railing to look down. Kariann was right, it was definitely not a cat but instead a human boy in the shrubs. But was it seriously One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson?

It may have taken a moment, but the boy peeked over the shrubs, seeing if the girls were for real gone. He brushed some leaves out of his hair as he stood, brushing away dirt from his pants. He hasn’t noticed Kariann and I leaning over the railing, watching his every move. I managed to get a good look at the side of his face, seeing the familiar structure. “Well, shoot.” I said, looking at Kariann, “You were right, Kariann.”

“Told you…” Kariann said, rolling her eyes.

The boy jumped, not expecting hear us. He looked up, seeing the two of us. “Um…” he started.

Kariann poked my side, getting my attention toward the hotel. In the lobby was even more girls. “Are you alone?” Kariann asked Louis.

He was hesitate, but he answered anyways, “Harry should be in there.”

I nodded, understanding. “Should we lead them out?”

“How?”

“What I said earlier seemed to work.”

“Then what about him?” Kariann asked, pointing down at the bushes.

“Just leave him down there!” I said, looking over the railing.

I pushed away, walking up the steps. I could hear Kariann apologizing for my ‘rudeness’. I rolled my eyes as I neared the door, looking in. Yep, there were even more girls than there was outside before. Kariann came up beside me and we walked in, hearing the screams getting louder as we neared the crowd. “Ready?” I asked Kariann, giving her a knowing look.

She nodded and right then started to run and scream, just like a true fangirl, “It’s Harry! He’s running outside!”

Everyone looked toward the front doors and everyone’s reaction was to start running out. This was working out way too well for our luck. Who cared though? As long as the fans were long gone, the guys were safe. It still hasn’t dawned on me yet that they were here – well, at least two guys now. I wasn’t fangirling yet. Right now, they needed help, and it was mine and Kariann’s job to help out. “Let’s get Louis before someone finds him.” She said, nodding at the door.

I started walking and we walked outside. Louis was still hiding in the bush, though the tension was evidently gone based on how he was relaxed against the back of the concrete wall. “Heylo!” I called down, getting his attention.

A smile of relief appeared on his lips as he quickly stood up from the shrubs. “Is it safe?” He asked, his accent thick and curious.

We both nodded. “Yeah.” Kariann said, “Coast is clear… for now.”

“’For now’.” Louis said, shaking his head, “Always the key words.”

He started to make his way out of the shrubs, grunting when his leg got caught and almost falling over. He pulled his leg out, three scratches apparent and two of them were oozing out blood, one worse than the other. “Ouch.” He said, making a pained face.

Oh, God, even owing with that accent was just… Shut up, Dakota, it’s not the time to be fangirling. I hit Kariann on the arm, getting her attention. “Um, Louis?” Kariann asked.

He looked, looking between the two of us, curious. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but do you want to hide in our room? We can patch that up and find Harry for you, then you can be on your way.”

I nodded in agreement. Good one, Kariann. Now, Dakota, don’t freak. Don’t freak out. Don’t you dare freak out just because one of the five guys might be coming into your hotel room-

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Louis said, “I can call Harry and find out where he’s at.”

I bit my tongue down so hard I was about to cry. Louis started up the steps. “Are you okay?” Kariann asked, seeing the pained faces he was making as he walked up the steps.

“I think I sprained my ankle when I jumped down from up there.” He explained, resting a hand on the railing for support.

It looked like it hurt, judging from his expression. I took a few steps down, holding out an arm, “Need help?”

He gave me a smile, half out of relief and the other pain. He grabbed my arm and I had to continue biting down on my tongue to keep from screaming. He was touching me. My arm I mean. God, shut up stupid brain. I gave him a sympathetic smile as we reached the top. He let go of me then, and before I could even think he was done using me as support, he wrapped an arm over my shoulder. “Thanks.” He said, as we started toward the door.

We wobbled as we walk. It was weird, I never knew how tall the One Direction boy’s were, and this guy was only a few inches taller than myself. I was 5’7. Louis had to be as tall as my dad and he was only 5’9. The other guys I knew was similar to Louis’s height, since they were all just about the same height. Wow, I thought, I never expected them to be so…

Shut up! I screamed in my head. We were in the lobby now and we got all the way to the elevator. Once in, I helped Louis lean against the wall. He sighed, “Jeez, I haven’t sprained my ankle this bad since school.”

“Sorry.” I said, offering a sympathetic look.

“Are you going to be okay?” Kariann asked, concerned.

Louis nodded, giving off one of his small smiles. “I guess I shouldn’t jump over balconies without looking first anymore.”

I looked at his leg, seeing how it was still bleeding quite badly. I bit my lower lip, willing the elevator to move faster. It would be bad if he passed out from blood loss. I looked up at him, seeing how his face was starting to get pale. The elevator dinged and Kariann kept her hand out so the door wouldn’t shut as I helped Louis walk. We were on the fourth floor and we made our way to our hotel room. “You remembered your key, right?” Kariann asked, raising an eyebrow.

I reached into my pocket, handing it to her, “Of course, mother.”

I felt Louis laugh some, though it was silent. She got the door open, and held it open for us. We walked in and I guided him to the couch on the side and Louis gratefully sat down. Kariann and I walked into the bathroom and I grabbed a towel as she got a washcloth wet. “You clean him up.” Kariann said, handing me the wet towel, “I’ll go get the bandages.”

I nodded as I walked back into the room and saw Louis sitting, checking out his foot, trying to rotate it. I squatted down, touching his leg and letting the wet blood soak my hand. I started wiping at his leg silently, making sure to wipe up as much as possible before taking the dry towel and holding it against his leg. “Here, hold this.” I said.

He did as I said and held the towel to his bleeding leg. I started to untie his shoes. “What are you doing?” He asked. I felt his leg tense up.

“Relax your leg,” I said, “I’m going to check your ankle and make sure you didn’t pull a ligament or fracture a bone.”

“You really sound like you know what you’re doing.” He said, as I loosened up his shoe.

I grabbed the back of the shoe, slowly sliding it off his foot. He didn’t grunt in pain, but I saw here his hands gripped around his leg tightly. “Sorry.” I said, taking his sock off next.

“It’s okay.” He breathed.

His ankle looked horrible. It was very well swollen twice the size of his other one. It was a deep purple, surely bruised and sprained. “Damn…” I breathed, “That is one hell of a sprain. Can you move it?”

I looked up at Louis’s face, which scrunched up in pain as he started to rotate his ankle. Even though it hurt, he could move it. I touched his arm, telling him to stop. I took the towel from him and he leaned back, taking a deep breath. I checked his cuts, which stopped bleeding by now and I took the wet rag and wiped away the excess blood on his leg. I stood up, walking over to the bed and grabbing a fluffy pillow. I put it on the floor and helped put Louis foot on it until it was comfortable.

“Hey, I got the bandages.” Kariann said, as she walked into the room, carrying a first-aid kit.

She got on her knees next to me and opened it. “Holy shit.” She said, looking at the swollen ankle.

“I know, right?” I replied, “It’s just a bad sprain though, no torn ligs or anything.”

“Good thing you’re a Med Term student,” Kariann sighed, “Okay, let’s get him wrapped up-“

A ringtone was going off and the two of us jumped. Louis reached into his pocket, answering the phone, “Harry?”

Louis’s face was scrunched up in confusion, “Calm down, mate. Where you at?”

His head shook in understanding. Kariann and I looked at each other, wondering what was being said. “A janitor’s closet?”

I couldn’t help it. I snorted, then quickly covering my mouth when I got Louis’s attention and Kariann hit me, telling me to shut up. “Sorry, boo, but I can’t get you. I hurt my ankle… No, I’m fine… Yeah, these two girls are helping me out. Which floor are you on?”

After a moment Louis nodded, “Yeah, one of them will come and get you… is that okay?” He asked us at the end. We both nodded and I pointed at Kariann, “She can go get him. She knows this hotel better than I do.”

“I’ve been here just as long as you have!” She exclaimed, disbelieving.

“My memory of the place is bad.” I argued, shrugging.

Kariann rolled her eyes, “Fine. I’ll go get him.”

“Okay.” Louis said, nodding, “Yeah, one of them is coming. Her name is…?”

“Kariann.”

“Kariann… What? What the hell? Why do you care if she’s pretty? Be glad these two just saved our asses from the fans!”

Louis rolled his eyes before looking at Kariann, “He’s on the second floor in the janitor’s closet. He somehow locked himself in.”

Kariann gave a thumbs up before getting up and leaving. I grabbed some gauze and began to wrap it around his leg. Once I was done, I started to tightly wrap his ankle. “God this hurts so bad.”

“Sorry…” I couldn’t help but say.

“Seriously, it’s okay. Stop apologizing.”

I stuck my tongue out at him, “Fine, Mister Whiny.”

His mouth gaped some, “I am not whiny.”

I grinned before continuing wrapping his foot. I was wondering how Kariann was doing and if she even found Harry yet.