Walking in the Wind One Direction EDITING

10. Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

"Jesus, what took you so long?" Jade asks the moment I step into the living room. She's still sunken into the couch, bundled under a blanket, an open bag of chips to her side. Her long dark brown hair is tied up in a knot, and there's a familiar trail of crumbs on her lap—she looks exactly as I left her.

"You don't look like you've moved," I tease, stepping aside to let Louis in.

Jade immediately sits up, brushing crumbs off her face. "Could've told me you had company," she grumbles, a little flustered.

"Hi, I'm Louis." Louis offers a quick, friendly wave.

"Hi, I'm Jade," she replies, eyeing him curiously before turning to me. "Where's John?"

I barely get a chance to respond before my mom sweeps into the room, carrying a steaming dish. Bruce, tail wagging furiously, trails her like a shadow, nose twitching at the smell.

"Smells good," Jade says, already abandoning the couch to rush toward the dinner table.

"Definitely smells good," Louis agrees, following suit. "Let me just text my mum, let her know I'm eating out." He pulls out his phone, tapping quickly.

"I'll grab the rice, and then you can tell me all about your walk," my mom announces cheerfully, hurrying back into the kitchen.

Bruce circles impatiently around the table. "Bruce, sit," Louis says firmly, and the dog obeys with a disgruntled huff.

"Louis is coming with us to bootcamp," I tell Jade as I pull out a chair.

"Oh, how special—you and your sister both got through?" Louis asks, settling in across from Jade.

"Yeah, we sure did!" Jade beams proudly. "What song did you sing?"

"Oh, uh, Elvis Ain't Dead by Scouting for Girls," Louis says sheepishly.

Jade raises an eyebrow. "That's... an unusual choice."

"Yeah, I think Simon thought so too," Louis admits, scratching the back of his neck. "That's why they made me sing my second song, Hey There Delilah."

"No, I think they just loved you so much they wanted you to keep on singing," I lie smoothly, shooting him a quick grin.

Damn that boys audition was rough. He's so lucky that Nicole liked him.

"Oh, I love that song!" my mom calls as she returns with a steaming bowl of rice. "Hey there, Delilah, what's it like in New York City!" she sings, off-key but enthusiastic.

"Definitely didn't inherit our singing voices from you," I joke, and everyone chuckles.

"Well, I think I could've done better," Louis admits after a beat. "It's just the nerves, you know?"

"Oh, for sure." Jade nods as she ladles a generous heap of rice onto Louis's plate. "I feel like I could've done better too."

"Yeah, me too," I add dryly. "If someone had told me to prepare." I glare pointedly at Jade.

"No, this way you had a shorter timespan of nervousness." She smirks and scoops rice onto my plate, completely unfazed.

"Now tell me what happened to John," my mom cuts in, returning with another dish—chicken and vegetables, steaming and fragrant.

"Like I said, I broke up with him," I reply, reaching for my glass of water.

"You did what?" Jade nearly drops the serving spoon.

"Why did you break up with him?" Mom presses, looking genuinely puzzled.

I sigh. "I just wasn't in love with him."

"But he was such a nice boy," Mom argues, clearly defensive of John.

"And he drove us everywhere! Why would you give that up?" Jade adds incredulously.

This is really starting to feel like an interrogation.

"I think it's for the best they broke up," Louis chimes in calmly. "He really isn't a good guy."

"No, he's not," I say firmly, setting my fork down. "Because after I told him I wanted to break up, he smashed my phone and tried to strangle me." I push my hair aside, exposing faint red marks on my neck.

The table falls silent.

"Oh my god," my mom breathes, her face paling. "Are you okay? We have to call the police."

"I'll kill him," Jade snarls, slamming her hand on the table so hard the plates rattle.

"I'm fine," I insist quickly, "Louis saw it happen and punched him in the face. Saved me." I turn to Louis with a small, grateful smile. "Thanks again for that."

Louis just shrugs, modest as ever.

Mom blinks at him, stunned. "You broke his nose?"

"Well, yeah..." Louis admits to my mom.

I laugh nervously. "So I think calling the police is off the table. It's been handled."

Jade lets out a loud, satisfied chuckle. "Karma."

"You sure you're okay?" Mom presses again, softer this time.

"I'm fine." I force a smile. "Can we just stop talking about it? It's over, and it's been handled. Let's eat before this meal gets cold."

Mom hesitates, but finally nods.

"Okay, but how's your voice though?" Jade asks, shoveling a bite of food into her mouth.

"It's fine," I assure her. "Louis came to the rescue just in time."

"Hm," Louis hums as he chews, then swallows. "This is really delicious—you've done a great job, Mrs...."

"Thank you, Louis," my mom beams, visibly pleased. She throws a pointed look at Jade and me. "See, kids? That's how you compliment your mother after she cooks for you."

"Like we never tell you how good of a cook you are," Jade mutters.

"You're a better cook than you are a singer," I quip, earning a round of laughter from everyone.

After dinner, Louis says his goodbyes. Bruce follows obediently, though he looks reluctant to leave the smell of leftovers behind.

"We should probably start packing," Jade says as we watch him disappear down the driveway.

It's an absolute disaster. My closet is a mess, and I can't seem to find half the things I need. But eventually, we manage to stuff our suitcases full, ready for tomorrow's bootcamp.

"Goodnight!" Jade calls as she passes my room, yawning.

"Night, Jade," I reply.

I climb into bed, suddenly realizing I haven't texted Liam all day. He's probably wondering what's up.

I grab my phone, and read his text again. 'Hey Teacup, had so much fun with you yesterday. You're the cutest snack thief I've ever met. X, Liam.'

I type a quick reply: "Careful, Payno. Flattery will get you nowhere... except maybe another bite of my sandwich next time. Goodnight x."

Satisfied, I hit send, plug my phone into the charger, and close my eyes. Tomorrow is going to be a big day.

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Hi guys I'd like to remind you to please vote and save if you're enjoying the story so far. It would mean a lot to me. See you at bootcamp!