Maroon (larry stylinson)

Act Two

"that's a real fucking legacy to leave"

Act one was amazing. The warmth of the stage lights shone upon me as I put my heart and soul into every piece of dialogue, every lyric of song. Eleanor looked absolutely stunning in her costume, her voice rang through the packed theater so beautifully. The crowd seemed to be eating us up, every seat was occupied with smiling faces. The way they cheered after every song was music to my ears. This is what I had worked my entire life for, I was beaming ear to ear.

Somehow, plaguing the back of my mind was Harry's crying face. I knew he was truly sorry, I also knew he had no right to be, he didn't do anything wrong. As the curtains closed for intermission I ran as fast as I could to go find him. I know I said I would wait until after the show, but I needed him to know I loved him, and I needed him to know now.

"Louis! Wait up!" yelled Eleanor, as I sprinted down the hallway. I groaned, not wanting to be disturbed at the moment, I really needed to find Harry.

"Uh yeah?" I sighed, turning around to face her. Her face was slightly pale. "Eleanor, is everything alright? Are you feeling okay?" I was praying she wasn't feeling ill again.

"I'm fine, but Amelia said she needed to talk to us immediately. It has to do with Harry." Now she looked really concerned, which made me scared.

"What's wrong with him?"

"I know as much as you do. Come on, let's go find Amelia." She linked my arm with hers and we began walking into an old office backstage. No one ever used this office, except Harry and I. One time we were in such desperate need for a quick snogging sesh, so we snuck in here while everyone else got lunch. Other than that, the place hadn't been touched since the late seventies. Dust settled on every surface. Niall and Amelia were standing behind the desk. Amelia looked terrified and Niall had worry plastered all over his face, as he watched Amelia flick through a large white binder.

"Where's Harry?" I asked as we stepped into the room. Amelia's eyes shot up quickly, they were glassy with unshed tears.

"Louis, you can't freak out. No matter what, you can't freak out." A tear finally fell, Niall was quick to wipe it away, leaving a kiss on her cheek.

"Why would I freak out? Niall, what is she talking about?" I asked him anxiously. Is Harry okay? He seemed fine an hour ago when I last spoke to him, he was smiling.

"Harry left." Niall said softly, pain evident in his face.

Where'd he go? Is he coming back? Will he be here for curtain? I need to speak to him. The thoughts flooded my mind before Amelia spoke again.

"He quit the show." Amelia sighed, that's when she placed the binder on the desk. Written on the front of it was the word "Director", Harry must've given it to her when he left. Now she was the director, that must've been why she looked so scared.

I removed myself from Eleanor, running out of the room. I bolted down the hallway, stopping to grab my coat from where it hung on the wall.

"Where do you think you're going?" Niall asked, breathing heavily.

"To find Harry." I answered sternly, I needed everyone to stay out of my way.

"Later, but for now you have a show to do." Niall ordered. I was pulling on my beanie when I stopped in my tracks. He was right, I vowed myself to this cast, to this audience, to this theatre. Although, every bone in my body was aching to chase after Harry, search for him all day and night if I had to. My friends were counting on me, my family in the audience were counting on me, and I knew deep down that Harry was counting on me too.

"I need water." I whispered, shrugging off my coat and ripping off my beanie.

"Thank you, Louis." Niall said, placing a hand on my shoulder. Numbly, I patted his hand before walking to my dressing room. I sat there, on my small blue couch staring at the gift Harry had left. I didn't realize how long I had been sitting there until I heard Niall call everyone to stage. I absentmindedly stood up and took my place on stage. I was going to finish this.

The rest of the show went perfectly, I think. I wasn't in my right headspace the entire time, yet I never faltered. I hit all my marks, smashed every high note, and no one was able to tell I was dying inside. I took my bows, staring right into the crowd at my family, my mother had tears in her eyes as she clapped uncontrollably, Lottie shot up a quick thumbs up, the rest of them smiled happily as they clapped, I knew they were proud of me, and I was proud of myself for an entirely different reason. As soon as the curtain closed, I rushed out of the building, haphazardly putting on my coat and beanie, I didn't even bother to change out of my costume.

I exited out of a side door instead of the stage door where I knew there would be a swarm of fans waiting for autographs and pictures. I didn't even bother to call a taxi as I ran as fast as I could down the streets of New York. The icy ground made it incredibly difficult and after many slips and falls I finally made it to my destination.

I entered the building, letting the warm air engulf me. There in front of me was a young blonde woman. One that I knew had a southern accent. Exhaling a deep breath, I walked up to her.

only one more chapter until the story of maroon is finished. i love her so much and i'm emotionally attached to every character so i'm very sad to end this journey. thank you guys for sticking around thus far i appreciate you more than words can express. <3