Rivals - A One Direction Fan Story

backstage

A/N: here's the one you've been waiting for! or at least i hope you were waiting for it.

yes it's 1:20 am now here you go enjoy!!

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my mom drives for about 30 seconds until we're parked in michaela's driveway. i text her to let her know we're here and she replies saying she's running late, as per usual. i inform my mom and we sit in silence for a few seconds longer before she speaks.

"maybe one day it'll be you on a stage in front of a crowd," says my mom, sounding proud. "look how my talented little girl is a talented young woman now, aw," and she leans into the backseat where i'm sitting so i can sit with michaela when she finally finishes her makeup. my mom places her hands on my cheeks and smothers me with little kisses.

"okay-- mom-- you don't have to-- mom, michaela is coming!" i protest (a/n- sorry jimmy) she pulls away with a knowing smile and turns back to the wheel. michaela clambers in the side door and my mom pulls out of the driveway.

i texted michaela the night before and told her i had something i needed to tell her in the car, so she's looking at me expectantly as i try to pretend i don't see. finally she clears her throat.

"okay," i say, giving in, "right, so what i have to tell you is, i made two friends the other day when i went to the movie theater after i got stood up by oliver, and one of them is a girl and she's our age. her name's anna, and i said she could come with us." i grimace, and before michaela can speak, i add, "i'm sorry i didn't ask you about it, i should've, now she'll be a complete stranger for you."

i risk a peek up at her face, but michaela is beaming at me. "she comforted you after oliver stood you up?" she clarifies.

"um... yes?"

michaela grins. "i like her already." there's a slight pause, and then, "OHMYGODWE'REGOINGTOMEETONEDIRECTION!"

the three of us in the car laugh and my mom reminds us, "remember, you're meeting the contestants before the concert, so we go in the backstage entrance before the show and then leave that way and make a loop-de-loop around to the front." (a/n- sorry i had to)

we nod and then michaella begins filling me in on more about one direction's time on the x factor. we pull up to the address anna gave me for her house as michaela informs me about a game called "mastermind" and how the one with the ass is the host.

anna is already waiting for us at the mailbox. the door to the minivan slides open to admit her. "hi, anna," my mom says. "julia's told me nice things about you."

i mentally facepalm as anna climbs into the backseat with us. michaela, being the smallest scootches over to the middle seat. "thanks for inviting me, julia," says anna.

michaela was right about she and anna getting along. they hit it off right away, and we spent the whole long car ride chattering away. we looked for letters on signs in alphabetical order, played i spy, and jammed out to whatever music was on the radio.

"nearly there girls, just a few more minutes," my mom announces as michaela bursts into laughter due to anna finally realizing the object she's been trying to spy for the last fifteen minutes was a bus we passed ages ago.

honestly, i don't think the backstage experience or the concert can be better than this.

~~

"Excuse me," my mom says to the burly security guard standing outside the door labeled "backstage." "we have backstage passes, is this where we show them to you?"

wordlessly he checks the validity of the four passes and then allows the four of us to hurry past and head backstage. we're just on time. michaela, anna, and i follow my mom through a twisting hallway with arrows pointing to the backstage area. we reach there and meet another security guard, this time standing right inside the open doorway.

she looks about my age and greets us a bit more warmly, with a "hi," and looks over the passes before waving us through.

there are people standing all around the large, open area. they must be the winners from the other schools; most of them look to be the same age as michaela, anna, and me. there's around an equal amount of boys and girls, which surprises me--i thought one direction fans were mostly girls? then i remember this is the concert of maybe half of the live show participants, which makes me even more excited.

in the room, you can tell who the x factor singers are by how nicely dressed they are. it's not exactly formal, but it's not quite casual either. i size up the other winners too, not that i'm competing any more, but just to see what other people made it. i see a redheaded girl giggling in the corner with another girl. some people are clustered together, those who somehow know each other already and also brought their friends. a group of two boys and two girls stands right in the middle of it all, and there's also a cluster of five boys more off to the side, talking amongst themselves.

suddenly the group of boys looks over at us and moves in our direction. i can't help but notice how attractive each of them is. dang, this must be the hot kids group. so why are they moving over to us? i mean, michaela and anna are pretty, but me? nope. i tell myself to walk away so i don't end up in an awkward conversation, but i can't move, i'm frozen in place. everything around me has vanished; it's just me and these unbearably handsome boys: the one with loose curls and a cheerful smile; the one with a messy head of hair and killer smirk; the one with a floppy head of curls and the face of a puppy; the one with a sweet, shy smile and deep eyes; and the one with piercing blue eyes and blond hair dyed and mussed up just so, with the roots of dark brown showing at the base of the hair. (a/n- yeaaah you know who it is! give it up for one addition!)

just before they reach us, the shy-smile one sticks out his leg and trips the messy-hedgehog-hair one who's next to him, who stumbles into the curly one on his other side. "oops!" says the curly one, still grinning.

"hi," replies the one whose hair looks like a hedgehog, gaze locked on the eyes of mr. curly, smiling as if he's floating on the clouds and he just spotted a way to climb higher.

"hello," says the blond to us with an irish accent, seemingly the only one who remembers we're here as the shy one laughs at the curly and hedgehog ones, who are sitting on the floor staring at each other and seem to have forgotten anyone else exists. the puppy one scolds the laughing boy while he starts lifting the curly one.

before i can say a word, michaela, who has been standing next to me just as speechlessly as i have, seems to have found her breath. "oh my god. i love you," she blurts.

well that was a little forward, i think, i mean, you've only just seen him for the first time a few minutes ago.

but the boy just blushes and looks even cuter than he did before.

"sorry about that," the puppy one says to us, having hoisted the curly boy to his feet. the hedgehog glares at the boy who tripped him, who has reverted to his shy state.

"no, no, it's fine," michaela giggles breathlessly. okay. i don't know what her problem is, but she seems to have gone a little wonky. i turn to anna for reassurance that i'm not the only one seeing how weirdly michaela is acting, but anna has the same dreamy look in her eyes.

"er, hey," i say with an attempt at coolness. i hold out my hand for a handshake. "i'm julia."

the puppy boy looks amused and hesitantly takes my hand. "i'm liam, and--"

before he can finish his sentence, the hedgehog boy blurts with a much stronger accent than most and a sort of squeaky voice. "hello!"

the curly one joins in. "we!"

"are!" chimes the irish boy.

the puppy boy rolls his eyes a bit but grins and adds, "one!"

"direction!" finishes the shy one. "yay!"

i start to laugh. they must have rehearsed that several runs through to get the timing down. but wait-- did they just say that they're one direction.

no way. this has to be a joke. one direction is my age?

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A/N: hope you liked it, and thanks for commenting! the comments make my day :)