Time of Our Lives

*Kariann’s POV*

As the boys were in the city, Dakota and I were chilling in the tour bus, listening to her iPod on the dock. Right now we were listening to The Script. “And my mates are all there, tryna calm me down, ‘cause I’m shouting your name all over town…” Dakota sung along, dancing around the bus. It was actually quite entertaining to watch her.

With the straightest face, she manage to come over to me, grabbing my face gently in her hands as she got down on one knee. “I know that I’m drunk, but if I say the words, she’ll listen this time even though they slur…”

She carried on, dramatically falling on the floor and rolling around. “Oh, my God.” I rolled my eyes as I laughed. She was so stupid that it actually cracked me up.

She was on her stomach whenever we heard the door to the bus open. Zayn came in. Quite alone. “Zaynie!” Dakota said excitedly, getting onto her knees, holding up her arms

“What are you doing on the floor?” He asked, grabbing her hands in his own, staring down at her.

“Okay.” I said, holding up my arms, “From this angle that looks so wrong!”

Dakota gaped and freed one hand to flash me a special finger before getting up and giving Zayn a hug. “Anyways,” Dakota said, changing the subject as Zayn just stood with a grin on his face. “Where are the others?”

I took the remote to the dock and shut it off. Zayn pouted as he took a seat on the opposite couch. “Aw, I liked that song. I’m not quite sure. I fell asleep during a photo shoot and once I woke up, nobody was around. I decided to come back here.”

“Why am I hardly surprised you fell asleep?” I asked myself, shaking my head.

“But at the same time, I had the responsibility of giving you girls something.” He added, smiling.

“What’s that?” Dakota asked.

He stuck down in the back of his pants, pulling out two envelopes. Dakota looked at it, confused and curious. I grinned. “Is that…?”

“Payday!” Zayn shouted.

Dakota and I screamed, quick to run over and jump on the couch on either side of him. He held out the according envelopes and we both grabbed them, opening them. Dakota and I took a moment to read over the check. I felt myself gasp, so did Dakota.

We both stared at each other. “Now you can use your money to buy some more clothes. I don’t think you packed enough to last.” Zayn said, smiling at the two of us.

“Oh, my gosh…” Dakota said, bringing a hand to her mouth.

“Zayn…” I started.

“What? What’s wrong? Is it not enough?” He asked, slightly lost.

“Not enough?” Dakota whispered at first, then her voice rose, “Not enough!? Holy shit, Zayn, this is way too fucking much! I made more in a week here than what my parents makes in a month!”

Zayn’s mouth opened a little before he finally understood what we were coming front. “Oh…”

“Oh?” I mocked, “Is that seriously all you have to say?”

“Seriously.” Dakota added, shaking her head.

Zayn smiled at the two of us. “Management told us to give them a number, so we did. Being how you’re with us boys as One Direction, they were surprise to find the number so cheap. Is six thousand seriously too much?”

I stared down at the check. I guess with Zayn being in the industry for so long, he was used to getting a good paycheck. But… well, this was mine and Dakota’s job. I was so overwhelmed with emotions I just wanted to cry. Dakota and I stared at each other, then over to Zayn who looked back and forth between us. He held out his arms. “Can a brother get a hug?”

Dakota and I laughed at him before giving in. “Just take the money, it’s not like management makes enough.” Zayn said, giving us a squeeze. “Save it for college or something.”

“Good idea.” Dakota said, looking up at him. “I think I will.”

I looked up soon after and the three of us just stared stupidly at each other. “It still kills me how we know each other.”

“It’s just ama-ZAYN, isn’t it?” Dakota asked, grinning and broke into laughter.

I rolled my eyes. That word was seriously overrated. Zayn shook his head. “Seriously, as horrible as this may sound right now, I’m glad Harry and Louis brought you two back to the hotel with them when we first met. You really changed my life.”

“How’s that?” I asked, wondering how two normal girls can change such a life as his.

He shrugged. “You girls were fans and yet you still treated us like normal human beings. You saw how crazy fans get. I’m glad to see there’s at least two normal girls out there.”

I couldn’t help but smile. I believe he was speaking on behalf of the group. Zayn looked over toward Dakota, “It’s too bad you rejected Liam, though. I’d like to see the two of you together.”

Dakota pouted as her face turned sad. “I’m not holding it against you, though.” He added, putting a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “I mean…” He smiled, “Why date him when there’s a perfectly good-looking boy right here?”

Dakota’s face slowly split into a smile. They both shrugged their shoulders, holding up their hands. “’Vas happening?”

We laughed. That was until we were interrupted, “What’s going on here? I wanna be surrounded by girls too!” Niall yelled as he jumped onto the couch next to Dakota.

“In your dreams, Niallers!” Zayn yelled, laughing as he grabbed me and Dakota to fall onto him.

The rest of the guys tagged onto the bus one after another. Harry and Liam were last, deep in conversation. About what? I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t about to ask. The guys decided to head upstairs and change out of the clothes they were made to wear for the photo shoot. Dakota and I were alone for the briefest moment. “Just think about it.” I said to Dakota, “After tonight’s concert, tomorrow is a free day for us and the guys... asides for the morning interview. We can do whatever we want.”

“I think clothes is a must…” Dakota said, “My wardrobe is running short and there’s not a laundry mat around to just wash them…”

I nodded in agreement. “We’ll be in Texas by then, so let’s stop by the mall or something.”

“Lord knows we got plenty of money to spend…” She replied, staring at her check.

I nodded in agreement. The guys all came down at the same time, laughing about something. “Okay!” Louis said, clapping. “We’re free until the concert tonight… so, how about a movie day?”

Louis definition of a movie day was pretty much sit around, eat, and sleep. Yeah, we stuck a movie in, but our DVD section is short and we’ve seen the movies a billion times, so we pretty much ignored it. The last lazy day we had was in between the four day concert break after Illinois. The guys were so exhausted they just slept. Now they were full of energy, even Liam to my surprise.

I’d expect him to be moping around, sad about Dakota’s rejection. He seemed just fine though. They actually still got along like before. They spoke and joked around, though I noticed Dakota kept her distance some. I guess she just didn’t want to give him the wrong idea again.

We didn’t do much besides stick in The Avengers, turned the volume on low, and Niall grabbed his guitar. Nameless tunes were being played and so far, the day went by quite quickly. Especially the concert, that went by faster than ever. Most concerts usually dragged on, but were fun with the way the guys acted. Dakota and I tagged along, though this time not being exposed to the crowd. I was thankful for that, it was bad enough there were people still dying to know who we were.

We were still full of energy when we got back to the tour bus. To bore us to death, Niall stuck a movie in. The guys ran upstairs to grab their covers and pillows, meeting us back down. Somehow Niall and Dakota shared the couch, where they laid on opposite ends. We silently watched Madagascar. Why Niall chose that of all the others, I had no clue. It quickly got us on our phones, checking out Twitter and whatnot.

“Wow, the news of you girls are spreading like wildfire.” Zayn commented. “It’s even a popular trend. #1DsAmericanGirls.”

“They want names.” Niall said. “That’s what I’m being tweeted.”

“Ah, whatever.” Dakota muttered, throwing her phone down on the floor. “I don’t care anymore. I’m going to sleep.”

She turned to where she was facing away from the rest of us. It wasn’t surprising that she would be the first to bed anyways. I was the type to stay up quite late. I wasn’t the only one apparently. It was well past midnight, everyone was asleep except for Harry and me. “I’m a little worried.” Harry whispered, scooting close so he was sitting right next to me.

“About what?” I asked, bringing my voice down.

He sighed, putting away his phone as he messed with the curls on his head. “You two were plan on going shopping tomorrow right? We’ll be at a talk show during then, but just keep your eyes open. Paparazzi will do anything to get whatever information they need. I hate it, but just try to ignore whatever you see.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but it didn’t take until the next day to see what he meant. Sitting freshly printed right in the newsstand was a huge headline that was hard to miss. The picture showed two oblivious figures walking down the street. It was Louis in a beanie and glasses and Dakota right behind him, hands connected as they walked. Their outfits were familiar enough for me to realize this happened two days ago whenever the boys were in the studio in Kansas City. Above the picture held a caption that made me want to just chuck the thing. Louis is having an affair!?

“Oh, my God…” Dakota whispered in shock, looking at the cover.

I stood next to her as she flipped open the magazine to the page where they were starred on. In there was more pictures of where they were together at a Steak & Shake, drinking milkshakes, along with some pictures that was taken at the concert the night before with Louis and Dakota together. Is Louis having an affair with his girlfriend Eleanor? On the streets of Kansas City, Louis was found holding the hand of a girl that may highly be the same girl that was revealed to thousands of fans the night before in Minneapolis…

I had no words to say, only the silence of shock.

*Harry’s POV*

The show was to start live in a few minutes and the boys and I sat backstage, waiting for our cue to head on stage. We watched a small TV backstage that showed the host live, sitting at her seat and overlooking a magazine. She put it down once the countdown began.

“Hello and good morning, Texas!” The lady smiled into the camera, her Southern accent thick and very disguisable compared to the girls that I was used to. She was a true cowgirl. She spoke for a few minutes before introducing us in. “Let’s give a hand for the five boys of One Direction!”

Claps were heard as one of the staff led us out. We waved toward the audience, some screaming. It seemed like with every talk show we go on, there’s a specially made couch that allows the five of us to fit on. We sat down, trying to get comfortable as the host prepared herself to talk to us.

“You boys… wow.” She started, smiling as she clasped her hands together. “Just tell me, how does it feel to be able to travel the world and end up here to where you are?”

“It’s… There’s just no way of expressing how excited we are to be here.” Niall answered, looking to his right to stare at the rest of us.

“He’s right.” Liam added, “Everything that has happened up until now… it’s just happening so fast, I’m not sure how we’re going to handle ourselves when everything is over.”

She smiled. “You boys really are something. When the American Tour barely started, you already had plans for your next tour. Can you imagine it? You’ll be performing in front of yet even more fans in bigger stadiums across the world!”

“It’s so amazing how far we’ve come since X Factor.” I spoke up, looking at the boys as I spoke. “It’s sad to think that we’ll be leaving America so soon with as much fun as we’re having, but then again I’m glad. There’s so many places I want to visit, so many people I want to meet. The world tour will be a huge hit, and I can’t wait to meet the fans from all around the world.”

The lady spoke some more, asking for more details about the tour. Once she was done, she received the cue for commercial. “We’ll be right back with more talk among the boys. This time the questions are to get a little more personal about their lives.”

The commercial breaks were usually only a few minutes long. During the time we would just talk to the host as she thanked us for being here on the show. “I find it so hard to believe just how much more handsome you boys are compared to just pictures and photos.”

We laughed and suddenly received the countdown for the show to begin once again. “Okay, since we’re back live with the boys, why don’t I jump straight to the chase? You boys are very familiar with rumors that spread. Most of it’s true, a lot of it is false. I’m not going to go through the jazz of asking what you think, I’m sure you’ve already answered a lot of people about it. I just want to go through the latest rumor with you. It’s been around the past few days and I'm dying to know…”

She picked up an iPad and held it out toward us. She started sliding through the pictures of the concert that happened in Minneapolis, the pictures showed Louis and Zayn carrying out Dakota and Kariann on their shoulders. Even the girls facing the crowd, smiling and waving. “You’ve mentioned on a radio show that there were two very special girls you’ve recently met. Is this them?”

The guys and I looked between each other. We’ve already spoke to the girls about it this morning. We warned them about the interview we were going to have. It seemed like in every interview we go to, it never fails that these two girls were always mentioned. “Yeah.” Zayn spoke up. “That’s them.”

The host smiled as if she unleashed an ever-hidden secret. “My, they’re beautiful girls. I wouldn’t be surprised if you boys were crushing on either of them.”

We laughed, as well as the crowd. “Actually, um, I mentioned on that same radio show that I was, in fact, interested in someone.” Liam spoke up, “Everyone’s been wondering just who out of these two girls it was, but I never answered.” The boys and I stared at him, amazed that he was coming clean with this. “A few days ago I confessed to her about my feelings-“

“She didn’t reject you did she?” The host asked. She brought a hand over her heart when Liam nodded. “Oh, my! With such a handsome boy like you too! If you don’t mind me asking… when did this happen?”

“Just a few days ago.” Liam answered. He shrugged soon afterwards. “It’s okay though. We don’t treat each other any different but she did made it very clear how she felt about me. I’m sure she felt worse rejecting me than I did being rejected. It’s not like my heart was shattered to pieces either. I mean, I don’t think I’ve liked her long enough to really feel devastated by it.”

“What about you boys? You’ve known this girl just as long as he. How would you feel if one of your friends ended up dating one of the girls?”

“Well,” Zayn started. “It’s not like I would be jealous or anything, but I trust the guys to treat their girl right. These two girls are probably the most honest and faithful girls I’ve ever met. Our lives changed upon meeting them as unbelievable as it may seem. With any of these boys, the girls are perfect for them. I just want to see all of them happy, whether they’re with someone or not.”

Niall reached out, grabbing his shoulder. “Thanks man, now you make me want to get a girlfriend.”

Laughter spread out. “Okay. Well, even if there is a big uproar about these girls, everyone is just desperate to know their names. So…?”

She made a face, mixed with hope and curiosity if we would tell. I swallowed, not wanting to be the one to do it. “It’s Dakota and Kariann.” Louis spoke, letting it out in a rush.

I rubbed my hand over my face, not sure how to take it. “They work for us as our nannies. Since our manager’s wife is sick we offered them a position to take his place for a few weeks. So they pretty much work for and with us.” Liam said, putting out helpful information that may help us in the long run.

“Nannies?” The host said, shocked. “They look quite young to be taking in the responsibilities as a manager. How old are these girls exactly?”

“That is personal business. We were strictly told not to let out any personal information about these girls besides their names.” I said quickly. The last thing we needed was a whole news article about two underage girls travelling America in a tour bus with five grown men.

The host nodded, understanding. “Well, since some of the rumor has been cleared up, I want to lead us into the next topic about your latest rumor. Louis this mainly involves you.”

Our ears perked. A rumor about Louis? What were the chances? The lady reached over to grab the magazine she’s been reading before and held it up to show its cover. “This magazine was released first thing this morning.”

She handed it over to Louis, who just gaped at the cover. I leaned over, getting a look for myself. It was Louis and Dakota walking down the street, her hand in his. The title lay overhead and Louis just held out the magazine at a distance, hand covering his mouth. Liam took the magazine away from him, opening up to find its according page. I leaned over Liam’s shoulder to read the paragraph that went along with the pictures.

“We’ll be right back as these boys gather their thoughts over the matter.”

Gather our thoughts? Just what in the hell were we supposed to think!? There would be no way in hell Louis would be having an affair on Eleanor. The mere fact anyone would write that was crazy! I guess Louis couldn’t handle the news, he stood up and left right on the spot. “Louis!” The boys shouted after him. I threw the magazine down, running after him.

I followed him all the way backstage. I’m not sure where he was going, but he stopped right at a corner that was deserted from people. Louis grabbed at his hair, very pissed and out of frustration, punched the wall. “Damn it!” He screamed, leaning back against the wall and sliding down.

I bent down, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Louis-“

“What’s Eleanor going to think now!? It’s hard enough being away from her, now she has to think I’m cheating on her!? Fucking bullshit!”

“Louis!” I yelled, trying to get his attention.

“Not only that,” He continued, voice breaking. “Dakota isn’t going to hear the end of it either. She’s not even a part of our world, Harry, and just like that, she now is. Along with a bad reputation as the girl I was ‘having an affair with’. What the hell am I supposed to do?”

He had his arms out in front of him, resting on his knees. His blue eyes stared into my green. They were wide, full of worry and hate. His face was pulled into stress. I was flabbergasted by the news just as he was. Upon all of that, it shocked me how Louis was more worried about his girlfriend’s and Dakota’s reputation and thoughts more than his own. I clenched my jaw, pulling out my phone.

“What are you doing?” Louis asked as I scrolled through my phone.

“I’m calling Kariann. They’re out shopping and I’m going to check up on them.” I answered, putting the phone to my ear.

It was in the middle of the second ring when she answered. “Harry? Oh, my God. Have you seen the news?”

“Yeah. We just found out on the show.” I answered. “How are you and Dakota?”

“I’m fine. Dakota not so much. I feel like she’s about to cry any moment now. She’s talking to her dad right now. What about Louis?”

Louis had his head in his hands. “Not so great.” I answered. “We’re not sure what to do. We just mentioned your names on the show and it won’t take long for everyone to know who you are…”

“There’s no helping it.” Kariann sighed. “You guys just continue out the show, explain whatever you can I guess. Harry, just make sure nothing gets worse than it already is.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “I will. It might be safer if you two headed back to the bus now. Just… be careful. I’ll do what I can to clear this up as much as possible.”

“Harry…?”

“Yeah?”

“Will they ever go away? The rumors?” She whispered through the phone.

“I wish I could say they do.” I spoke softly. “They come just as fast as they go, but the press will do anything to sabotage you.”

I heard Kariann sigh through the phone. “Okay. We’ll see you guys when you get back. I’m taking her back now.”

“Okay.”

We hung up and I looked at Louis. “Lou… why don’t you call your girlfriend? I’ll take care of everything out there.”

Louis nodded before pulling out his phone. “Just tell me something…” I started He looked up, waiting for me to continue. “Nothing is going on, right? I’m not saying I’m believing that magazine, but I know how relationships can be.”

Louis swallowed before answering. “No, nothing is going on. It’s just that I overheard everything that she and Liam were talking about when he confessed. When she walked out, I had to go after her. I couldn’t just leave her alone, you know? I took her out for a milkshake and we talked. That was it. Hell, I don’t even remember holding her hand during the time. All I know was that she was upset and I had to do something about it, Harry!”

His face seemed so… begging. It was almost like he was trying to convince himself more than me. I wasn’t going to straight out accuse him of liking her though. “I… I’ll tell you what we talked about later.” Louis added before maneuvering to his feet. “I need to call Eleanor.”

I nodded before rising. Louis was right, everything was just a huge misunderstanding. His best friend was upset about hurting Liam’s feelings, so he went after her. I would’ve done the same thing too. It was just unlucky for Louis to be the one with the girlfriend to go after her. I made my way back into the studio where the others were sitting and talking. “Harry! I am so sorry!” The host started, “I didn’t mean to cause such a shock to you. I figured you boys would’ve known about it by now.”

I shook my head, indicating it was okay. I sat down and began to explain everything to her. It pretty much took up half of the show, but it didn’t seem to matter. I was thankful to finally leave and head back to the bus. “Did you call her?” I whispered to Louis as we rode silently back to the bus.

He nodded. “She hasn’t found out about it, but I explained it to her anyways.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s not exactly happy about it, but she said she trusts me either way that I was just helping out a friend in need. She told me to be careful, especially Dakota, since we could be targeted for now on.”

What he said was true. Dakota’s face was out, along with her name. I prayed for the best for her and hoped everything would die down soon. They would be touring with us for another two weeks and hopefully another story such as this wouldn’t show up again. Even still, there’s no stopping the media.

My heart went out to Louis, since he was the most affected, along with Dakota and Eleanor. My thoughts soon went to Kariann. If Dakota was targeted this quick, it wouldn’t be long until she was. I sighed heavily. Why did we have to do this to them? They were the last people on earth that deserved this kind of treatment. I knew the threats were soon to come now.

For now, the best we could do was protect them. I hoped for the best.