Live While We're Young

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Charlotte clicked the TV off and tossed the remote across the bed. Thousands of screaming teenage girls, crowded into Rockefeller Plaza for 6 days in the freezing rain, all for some cliché boy band.

Record, shmecord. She had just lost all of her respect for the Today Show. "What Makes You Beautiful" was just another over-edited, overplayed, pop-crap song. Those guys obviously lacked talent, and really didn't have much going for them. Looks? Eh, not really. Likeability? As if. Laughable? Yes!

All those girls really needed to find something better to waste their time and money on. Most of them weren't even legal. Yes, 18 and 21-year-old guys are really going to "fall in love" with little girls who were having difficulty passing Algebra I.

Charlotte swung her legs off of the bed and dug her toes into the plush carpet. The room was empty, save for the bed, TV, and a few suitcases. This was her parent's house. She was leaving tomorrow for her grandmother's house in Spain. After lots of screaming, pouting, promises of failed classes and wasted money, her mom and dad agreed to letting her take off a year before college.

She wanted to travel, see the world, explore other languages and cultures. That was something that school couldn't even begin to give you. Now, most of her belongings were packed up in boxes, sitting in a storage locker. Only the necessities were coming with her on her journey.

Charlotte stretched the sleep out of her muscles and and stepped into her slippers. The laminate was awful in the mornings. After quickly yanking a brush through her hair and rinsing the sleep crud from her eyes, she padded down the stairs and into the kitchen. She tugged the fridge door open and took out a carton of orange juice. Yawning, she peeled off the note stuck to the front.

"Char- went to the store, be back soon. love, mom."

Charlotte got a glass out of the cabinet and unscrewed the cap on the juice. When she tipped it, nothing came out. Sighing, she chucked the carton into the trash, walked into the living room, and slumped onto the couch. She grabbed People off of the endtable. Right there on the front cover were the 5 boys of that obnoxious band. They were everywhere!

Rolling her eyes, Charlotte went back upstairs to take a shower. Guess what was playing when she turned the radio to her favorite station. Annoyed, she left it on and got into the tub. Maybe it would turn to a better song soon

.

She found herself bobbing her head to the beat while squeezing body wash onto the loofa. Then she froze and mentally reprimanded herself for falling into the autotune trap.

As she stepped out onto the bathmat after her shower, the radio DJ came on.

"Hey to all you listeners out there, this is 103.1 W.I.R.E. You're on with Frank in the Morning! We have some special guests in the studio this morning. Say hi!" the DJ announced enthusiastically.

"Hi, this is Liam! Really fantastic to be here this morning!"

"I'm ZAYN. It's a good thing this a radio interview. My hair looks awful!"

"Niall here, and I haven't eaten breakfast yet," the third boy pouted.

"Hullo, I'm Harry," the fourth boy yawned into the mike.

"I'm Louis, and I apologize for Harry's bad breath. This is really early for him to be awake."

Charlotte looked at the time on the radio while drying her hair. It was almost 10.

"Anywho," the first boy continued, "We're here to let you know about our surprise concert tonight, at the Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh."

"Yeah, showtime is at 5:00, so be there or be fair," said the pouty boy.