Win a Date With One Direction

"Look at this, Jenny!" My best friend since preschool, Heather Williams, showed me a flyer she had printed out.

Win a date with One Direction! One lucky fan will win the chance of a lifetime, a four day mini vacation to Chicago, Illinois to go on a date with each member of the band One Direction. Each day will be spent with one member, in random order. No purchase necessary, all entries must be received by July 6, 2015. Winner will be selected by the band members on July 8,2015.

"Yeah, right, we have as much chance at winning that as we do as hitting the Powerball," I muttered. Heather and I were both 20 and juniors at the University of Illinois just outside of Chicago in a small suburb called Aurora. Heather wanted to become a lawyer, I wanted to be a nurse. I worked part time as a CNA right now, but I was working towards my RN license.

It was hard to believe we were such good friends, because we were complete opposites. She was the life of the party, was a cheerleader in high school, and was outgoing and popular. She was also drop dead gorgeous with her curly dark hair that she wore short and her chocolate brown eyes. She was also short and perky, and had no fat whatsoever on her body.

I preferred studying to partying, was considered a nerd in high school, and was quiet and more laid back. I was like a soft breeze, she was like a tornado. Plus I was taller than she was, I was almost as tall as most guys my age, with curves, long soft plain brown hair, blue eyes, and glasses. I hated my glasses, but my eyeballs couldn't handle contacts. I spent all day squinting and trying to scratch my eyes, so I went back to the glasses.

We both loved boy bands: New Kids on the Block when we were kids, Backstreet Boys during our preteen years, and now One Direction. We'd been fans since 2010, when they first appeared on X Factor. We'd only been 16 at the time, and we had seen every interview on TV, awards shows, music videos, and followed them on Twitter and Instagram. We had watched them go from awkward cutie pies into major hotties. They ranged in ages from 21 to 24 now.

Louis Tomlinson was the oldest, at 23. Then there was Niall Horan and Liam Payne, both a few weeks shy of their 22nd birthdays. Harry Styles was the baby of the group at 21, and he was my favorite. Heather was crazy about Niall, she has a thing for Irish guys. The other three were British, and they all had sexy accents.
The former fifth member, Zayn Malik, left the group in March of this year and the band said they would continue on without him, but it wasn't the same.

"It says we have to include an essay of why the boys should pick us for the winner."

"So what's your point?"

"You're great at essays, you got an A+ in English composition class last year."

"What makes you think I want to enter this contest?"

"Because you have no boyfriend, no life, and no excitement."

"I like having no boyfriend, and I like my life."

"Yeah right. You share an apartment with me, and half the time I'm never around, and you come home every night to a cat!"

"I like being alone, it helps me think. I'm not mad at you for having a boyfriend, and I like knowing that Felix is there waiting for me."

She just rolled her eyes.

"Come on, just enter the contest. Who knows? Stranger things have happened."

So I entered, pouring my heart and soul into the essay, and then forgot about it.


With finals coming up, I was super busy with school and completely forgot about it, until my phone rang one dreary day.

"Yes, I'm calling for a Miss Jennifer Cooper," a thick British accent said.

"Speaking." Heather looked up from her laptop as I put the phone on speaker. I figured it was a telemarketer or something.

"Oh, hello, this is Harry Styles." Heather started screaming, and I dropped my phone.

"Hello? Hello?" I could hear Harry calling for me.

"Sorry, yes, I'm here."

"Well, the boys and I have chosen you as the contest winner. Louis actually read your essay out loud and we all unamimously voted for you."

I was trying not to hyperventilate, I never even imagined anything like this.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, just a little shocked is all."

"Your essay moved us all."

I had written about overcoming bulimia in junior high, losing both my mother and brother 2 years ago 9 months apart, and dealing with my dad's new marriage, but yet I still remained strong in my relationship with God.

"So everything's all set up. Your packet will arrive in the mail in a couple weeks, all expenses have been paid. Hotel accomodations, meals, airfare, and transportation. We will meet you at the airport when you arrive, and get you checked into the hotel. Then you will spend each of the four days with one of us. Everything will be explained in the packet you receive. Anyways, congratulations and we will meet you soon. And thanks for being a fan."

By the time the phone call ended, my head was spinning, and Heather was still screaming.

"Oh my god, his voice was so sexy over the phone!" she squealed. I couldn't quite wrap my head around it. I wasn't anything special, just an ordinary small town girl.

"You won, I had a feeling you would!" She hugged me, but I still felt a little weird about it.

"I'm still in shock," I said, my heart still racing.

"We need to go shopping. You need some killer outfits, and some sexy underwear."

"Oh hell no, there's going to be no hanky panky, it's just a date. You know my vow of abstinence until marriage."

"Oh please, get with the times. It's 2015, not 1950. No one waits for marriage anymore."

"I'm only going to be there 4 days, it takes longer than that to get to know someone."

"Who said anything about getting to know them? If it was me I'd be shacking up every night with every one of them, I'm not picky."

"I thought you liked Niall."

"I do, but that doesn't mean that the other three aren't attractive. Do you know how many girls would kill to be in your position right now?"

"Oh god, what about the fans? Will they all hate me?"

"You can sign a contract stating that they can't publish your name or picture without your permission."

"I just can't believe out of all those entries, they picked mine."

"Well Harry did say that your essay moved them. Damn, girl, what did you write about?"

"I just wrote from the heart. Once I started, the words just started flowing."

"Well, you must have done something right because they picked you."

To say I was nervous was an understatement. Turns out I didn't need airline tickets at all, since I wasn't too far from where they were staying, so they sent a limo to the apartment to pick me up. I would meet them at the hotel so I could check into my room. I was a little nervous staying in a hotel room by myself, but Heather said it would be fine. The first night didn't really count as I would be checking into the hotel and meeting with the band to talk about the different dates. Heather and I had spent the day shopping for killer outfits, stuff I normally wouldn't be caught dead in, but I brought along a couple of normal outfits as well so I would feel comfortable.

I shoved my glasses up my nose as the limo pulled into a Hilton hotel. It figures, a band like One Direction would stay at a Hilton. I would have preferred a smaller chain, like Motel 6 or Super 8, but it was free, so I wasn't complaining.

The driver opened the door for me, and I stumbled out into the sunlight, and just as I was about to kiss concrete, a pair of arms reached out for me.

"Careful, love." I would know that voice anywhere. I stared up into the emerald eyes of Harry Styles.

I couldn't speak for a minute. I was too busy staring into those eyes.

"Breathe, love, breathe," he said, chuckling. My face turned red as he set me back on my feet and then I turned to the others.

"Welcome, Jenny," they all said in unison. One by one they gave me a hug, thanking me for being a supportive fan. The driver pulled my suitcase out of the limo, along with a pillow and a teddy bear.

"You brought your own pillow?" Louis said, laughing.

"I'm allergic to feather pillows," I said, turning red again.

"Hey, Niall, look, a teddy bear," Liam joked.

"Hey, I've had it since I was 12, my brother won it for me at a carnival. It's all I have left of him."

They quieted for a moment, remembering in my essay about losing both my mother and only brother less than a year apart.

"Well, here's your room. If you need room service, the hotel will put it on our tab. We'll let you get settled in and meet you down in the lobby in an hour."

I took a shower and shaved my legs. I had to calm myself down before I hyperventilated. I had no idea how to act around these guys. They were famous, and I was afraid of saying or doing something stupid.

They were sitting at a round table in the dining area just off the lobby, and there was a teapot and five cups on the table. I knew British people loved their tea, but I was a coffee drinker. Still, I had a cup to be polite.

"Okay, tomorrow's agenda, you will be with Louis. You can either pick where to go, or he can choose. Since Chicago has some awesome sights, along with suburbs, it's all up to you. Thursday you will be with Liam, Friday with Niall, and Saturday with me. Sunday morning you will head back home, and we will head back on the road," Harry said. I nodded. Saving the best for last, I assumed.

Notes