Just Once// Sidemen Fanfiction

Chapter 1// The Phone Call

Everyday Alice waited. She waited for her mother to come home, drunk as ever. It seemed like it was worse every time she would come home from the bar, moping over this or that. Her mother wasn't abusive toward her, just very, very angry. Alice didn't mind it much. She just hid in her room until she heard the door to the room across from her own slam shut. Only then would she sneak out of her room and grab the laptop from her brothers old room.

Her brother left years ago, disappeared one day after they had both come home from school. He hadn't said anything to her as he left, just gave her a small smile as he shut the door behind him. Alice had thought he was just going to a friends house for the night, but it had been five years since she had seen him. Of course, his YouTube channel was still around, and he still posted videos of him playing games with his friends.

Today was different. The mood was lighter in her and her mothers flat. Her mother wasn't drunk today. This came as a surprise to Alice. It was unusual.

The phone began to ring, and Alice's head shot up from her new iPhone her mom had bought her today. Again, very unusual for her mother to do.

"Alice, honey. Would you get that?" Her mother asked, calmly.

"Of course." Alice jumped off the sofa and almost sprinted to the phone. She took the phone off the receiver and placed it against her ear, "Hello?"

"Alice?" Alice felt her heart break. It was her brother.

"Josh." She whispered.

"Alice, where's mom?"

"She's- she's not home." She lied, hoping Josh would believe her. All she wanted to do was talk to her brother.

"Listen Alice. Tell mom I'm going to swing by the flat. I'm picking you up for the summer. I owe it to you."

"Josh, what made you do this after five years? Why didn't you take me with you the first time?" Alice continued to feel the tiny pieces of her heart shatter.

"Because I didn't even know I wasn't coming back. I would have taken you, had I known I was going to meet such amazing friends." Josh explained. The more he talked, the more Alice realized she missed him horribly.

"Please, pick me up soon." Alice pleaded.

"I will baby sister. I will." And with that, Josh hung up the phone. He was gone.

"Alice? Who was it?" Her mother called from the room over.

"No one, just some telemarketer." Alice lied again. She didn't want her mother to know Joshua was taking her away. Her mother wouldn't allow it.

"Okay, honey, I'm gonna go out." This meant she was going to the bar for a while. Perfect time for Alice to get picked up by her brother.

"Alright mom. Be safe." Alice almost felt sorry. This would be the last time she'd see her mother.

"I'll try." Her mom grabbed her purse off the counter.

"I love you." Alice blurted before her mom disappeared behind the door.

Alice stood for a few seconds, afraid to move. Like if she took one step, the bond between her and her mom would break into pieces. She knew it would anyway. If she moved or not, the love her mother had for her would be gone as soon as walked through the door to find her daughter missing.

Quickly, Alice packed all of her belongings. She stood at the window of the flat, waiting anxiously waiting for her brother.

She was twenty now, and she had a drivers license, but she didn't know where her brothers house was, and she didn't have a car to get there. So she sat in silence. Waiting.

Eventually she dozed off. A slamming car door woke her. It was her brother, finally. Alice checked the time, five thirty. By this point, her mother had been gone for three hours.

Josh knocked on the door. Alice quickly grabbed all of her suitcases and bags and gave the flat a once over. She sure was going to miss this place.

Josh knocked again, and she knew she had to hurry. She ran over to the door and unlocked it.

"Alice." Josh spoke softly. After all, it was the first time he's seen her. She must have looked different compared to when she was sixteen.

"Josh, I'm so glad your here." Alice felt her heart mend itself right on the spot. She dropped her bags and hugged Josh, she felt home.

"It's been a while... C'mon, lets go." He picked up some of the bags that Alice had dropped.

"Thank you." She whispered as she grabbed the rest of the bags and followed him to his car.

"Where's mom?" He asked as he popped the trunk.

"Out." Alice didn't want to tell her brother that their mother had started drinking. It was worse enough she hadn't told him that he was taking her without their mother knowing.

"Where?" Josh took the suitcases Alice was holding.

"Somewhere." Alice thought of the bar her mother loved. That's where she was.

"Okay. Does she know your coming?"

"Yes." She answered quickly, wanting to end the conversation.

"Alright." Josh stopped asking her questions.

"I missed you Josh." Alice broke the silence that had crept up on them halfway through the ride.

"I missed you more." Josh returned.

"I watch all your videos. I hoped that one day-like today-that you would come back for me." Alice informed him.

"I would have come sooner. Trust me. I just needed to find the phone number." Josh glanced at her, "You definitely look different, Alice. In a good way, of course."

"Thanks Josh." Alice giggled a little.

"I need to tell you something about where your going to be staying..." Alice listened intently as Josh gave her the speech about the other Sidemen in the house. He told her to beware of Simon, because Simon was a 'real charmer' according to Josh. Alice had to laugh, she's never seen Simon as a charmer.

They pulled up at a large house somewhere in London. Josh got out of the car, but Alice took a second to gawk at how huge the house was. Considering four boys and now one girl were living in it.

Josh carried almost all of the bags inside the house, and up the steps to her new bedroom.

"Josh-wow." Alice smiled.

"What?" Josh asked, laughing at the way Alice was taking things.

"This house- it's- its huge!" Alice finally shouted.

"Well," Josh spoke. He didn't finish the thought. There wasn't much else to say.