West End Story

Chapter Two

Stepping into the dance studio, Andy grinned. He felt right at home here, having done dance for several years. However, this was Andy's first time to audition for a show. He couldn't help himself. When he heard that they were doing West Side Story, he just had to audition. West Side Story was notorious for its choreography, and it would definitely look good on a resume for future auditions or jobs, especially with Simon Cowell as the director. He had better not screw this up.

"Ready to go, man?" Andy turned his head at the sound of Liam's voice. His best friend was watching him cautiously. No wonder, considering this was Andy's time to do this sort of thing. He had no idea what to expect, and he was nervous. Andy swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. Liam smiled encouragingly at him and said, "It's okay to be nervous, trust me. Until it starts, picture everyone in their underwear."

Andy laughed. "What?!" "Well, it helps!" Liam defended. "All right, man. Whatever. Got anything else? I mean, since I already do that most of the time." Liam shook his head at his friend, but answered, "Just act like your normal self. It'll calm you down."

"How do you suggest I act normally?" Andy asked, teasing slightly.

Liam shrugged. "I dunno. Be weird and check out girls, I guess. Like normal."

Andy glanced around. There were a lot of girls here, that was for sure. He eyed a couple of blonde girls standing in front of him. He recognized neither girl, but they were both attractive. Unfortunately, they were talking animatedly with a boy he also didn't recognize.

The arrival of their friend Maz pulled Andy from his trance and he grinned at his mates. No matter how different they were, they had always been best friends, and nothing, especially not an audition, would change that.

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Hannah zoned out of Perrie and Louis' conversation and gazed around the room. She recognized several people here, though she knew no one personally. Looking around, she saw Louis' sister, Lottie, and gave her a wave when their eyes met. Hannah continued her gaze around the room. Her eyes stopped on a dark-haired boy who was a year below her at school. A couple of tall older boys she didn't recognize were standing with him. One had shaggy brown hair, and the other had hard eyes and a shaved head. Upon watching them closely for several seconds, Hannah noticed that they seemed to be getting into a heated argument. Hannah tugged on Louis' sleeve.

"Louis?" He turned to face her. "Yeah?" Hannah nodded across the room to the pending fight that had now started to garner more attention. Louis' eyebrows knit together. "Doesn't he go to our school?" Louis asked.

Hannah nodded. "Yeah, he's my year. Lou, I think that--" Hannah didn't get to finish her sentence before the first punch was thrown. Luckily, her classmate managed to duck the swing. Just as suddenly, Louis left their little group behind and rushed across the room. "Lou!" If he heard her over the sounds of the fight, he ignored her as he rushed to help out.

Hannah stepped back to stand next to Perrie as they watched the scene unfold. Glancing at her friend, Hannah noticed that Perrie was biting her lip, her face paler than usual.

Confused, Hannah turned back to the fight to see Louis grab the boy's elbow just before he landed a hit on the boy with the cold eyes. From where they were, she could see words being exchanged between the four of them, but couldn't make out what they were saying. It looked like Louis was simultaneously trying to calm their classmate down and talk to the older boys. After a short conversation, Louis left and steered the boy towards them, ignoring the words thrown at them by the others.

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Perrie's eyes widened when she noticed they were heading her way. She hadn't spoken to Zayn since primary school, and didn't know what he was like now. She remembered him as a shy, but smiley little boy who always shared his animal crackers with her at snack-time. She desperately hoped that this fighting wasn't who he was now. He had never seemed like that type of person, but maybe the years they had spent apart had changed him.