Tomlinson was the best thing to happen to me (Watty's '13)

Leaving

The boys are having their signing, concert and interview today, and I'm sitting at my parents' shop in wait of an opportunity to go home and customers to arrive and order. Almost nothing happens today so I allow myself to daydream a bit. My brothers? They're playing a game of football in the park down the street and across the road. Life is frustrating for me. I know more about tennis and The Big Bang Theory than I do about popular music because that's all we ever watch at home. Not that I like the fact. When Louis auditioned for XFactor, I asked if I could watch even just his audition. No. I turned to Stan for updates. I've never been able to check my email very often and not for very long. My dad blasted me to smithereens when he saw me check my email halfway through the finals. That was the worst time of all blastings when he called me lazy and a whole bunch of other phrases in Cantonese that I dare not repeat. Terrible names, he threw at me. A sixteen year old girl, only trying to find out how her friend was faring in a competition down the other end of the country. If you ask me now, I don't know how I bore all that.I got more time at the shop and even less time to complete my homework which was beginning to pile up. I got up early on weekends to have extra time to do it while my brothers slept in until as late as 11:30. My 15 year old brother loves Big Bang Theory and the 13 year old is obsessed with the tennis. I was forcibly dragged down to Wimbledon a couple years ago. All for a 10 year old's tennis obsession. At 14 I was exposed to the most boring sport invented by man after golf. Doubles was about double pace and indescribably more exciting. And i found out that even my mother could fangirl. Over, of all people, Roger Federer. Now, let me make it clear to you that I have nothing personal against him, it's just that sometimes, he wears a terrible combination of pink, grey and black onto the court. The better combinations end in my mother saying he looks like one of those uh... manga princes? I always thought his oversized nose, no offense to anyone who's a Federer fan, made him look like a seal or walrus. Vaguely. Serbian Djokovic was a pizza delivery boy at his mother's pizza place. Always thought he looked like a bit of a madman. But after watching a couple of those 'Rally For Relief' Australian Open matches, he came across as more of a clown. I've always liked him. Andy Murray, Great Scot, don't get my brother started on his open-mouthed hollering face, he thinks it's scary. To me it just looks like that black possum thing from the state of Tasmania in Australia. The one that's getting a lot of facial tumours? Not the Tasmanian tiger, that's extinct, from memory... the Tasmanian... devil? Yes, the Tasmanian devil. My family always rooted for the Asian in the match if there was one, recently and most notably Li Na. The match she played with Clijsters at last year's Australian Open was probably the most exciting singles' match I've ever watched. 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. I rooted for Clijsters, don't know why but I thought there was something about the way she played that had my confidence. Li Na is a tough opponent. And she's a brilliant player. But Clijsters held in there. And got the better of Li Na. I didn't know how to tell my family I wasn't rooting for the Chinese player. I just hollered almost excitedly when Clijsters had a chance to win in the final set and gave myself away. I passed it off as excitement for the winner, not that I was rooting against a Chinese player- my dad most certainly didn't believe me. Mother didn't really seem to be bothered.

What am I going to take? Mobile, schoolbag, my travelling bag, laptop and charger, all the money I can get my hands on. I'm going to have to take some money from dad's stash. I never thought about escape until Stan mentioned it. Genius. I always thought I'd just leave the house when I was old enough to and maybe end up going to uni on a part-time job. I guess my plans have changed, then. I'll need to pack tonight when everyone else is asleep. I don't know how I'll make the getaway. But I will. I'm sick of the way things are in my house, in what's supposed to be a safe haven for me away from the cruelties of the world. A place I'm supposed to feel safe. Thank goodness for the Tomlinson's next door, thank goodness for Jay and Mark being so nice to me all these years. I suppose I could also say, thank goodness for my parents moving to this particular house. It seems like the only nice people in my life aren't actually related to me in any way at all. Then again, according to my Science teacher a few years ago, I'm technically distant cousins with these people. The actual details, I'm not entirely sure about. But yes, everyone is related to everyone else. Not sure if that makes me even more closely related to that Zayn guy. Black hair, brown eyes with a funny colour through it. Part Asian. But really, if there's anyone I felt a particular immediate bond to it's probably Liam or Niall. I haven't had a chance to talk to the other two, they're too busy playing with the twins. But Harry... with that floppy hair... I don't know how to explain... I don't particularly like guys with that sort of hair, I guess. It usually means they're all over the place with the girls. And as a combination with dimples, I like it even less. I don't care if a guy is short and not the most attractive guy on the block, the main thing for me is that first of all, they don't go around flirting with everything that moves. Harry there gave me a wink and smile. I gave him a nod. Heck, I gave all of them that sort of greeting. Liam's hair seems to be quite... suitable for winter, it covers the ears. If anything, it looks nice on him. But he does indeed look dorky. Have to say that. Zayn has funny hair. The door opens and my head jerks up to see who it is. Five boys file in, namely Louis' band. "Hey guys. 5?" I look around. They all nod. I hand them menus and five cups of tea before returning to my seat by the cashier. Louis knows what he's ordering, it's the same 80% of the time. But Niall... he seems to be pointing to everything on the menu. I walked up to them to take their order and send it to the kitchen. "Start with Lou? I'll take the drinks once you've all ordered food first."

"That fried rice you told me about that time with the uh... salted fish?"

"Yep, I know what you're talking about. Good one." I looked up to his left, Harry.

"Uh... well... I'd like..."

"Get on with it, Curly," I interject. Note that this is the first time I've had to talk with him. I never fathomed a person could be such a slow talker.

"I'd like this fish balls and flat noodles, is it?"

"Yep," I say, writing it down. Next to him, Zayn.

"I'd like a chicken and pineapple fried rice," he told me. A childhood favourite of mine, I must tell you.

"I'd like a spam and egg instant noodles, thanks." Liam really chose my favourite, this time. I turned to Niall, too busy fiddling with his phone to notice. Liam gave him a nudge, told him everyone had ordered except for him.

"Right, well, I'd like a chicken and pineapple fried rice, a barbequed pork and roast pork belly," he gave me a small grin, braces showing. Holy mother of all shenanigans, he's a bottomless pit!

"Drinks? I'd suggest Hong Kong style milk tea or pearl milk tea, if you're a weirdo then Yinyeung, which is coffee mixed with milk tea. The other two worth having are really just Ovaltine and Horlick."

"Pearl milk tea."

"Pearl milk tea."

"Hong Kong style milk tea."

"Ovaltine."

"Coffee mixed with milk tea."

"Righty-oh. So, Salted fish and chicken fried rice, fish balls and flat noodles, 2 chicken and pineapple fried rice, spam and egg instant noodles, barbequed pork and roast pork belly, two pearl milk tea, hong kong style milk tea, Ovaltine and a coffee mixed with milk tea."

I can't help worrying about the escape. The boys leave tomorrow morning and I don't know if I can get out without my brother waking up or my family knowing before I can get well out of reach. Wake up at 5am, wake up at 5 am, wake up at 5 am, wake up at 5am.