Chasing Blue Roses

5. Don't Get into Cars With Strangers. Does it Count if They're Famous?

5. Don't Get into Cars With Strangers. Does it Count if They're Famous?

   Do you know those moments in time where it literally feels as if your heart’s stopped beating? Yeah, this was one of those.

   “Wait a minute.” Ellie looked stricken as Harry’s words sunk in. “Are you saying that everybody who’s seen the video now knows what happened inside that robbery?”

   Louis nodded. “And to be perfectly honest, that’s pretty much everyone, love. Unless there’s really people who live under rocks.”

   “B-but... how did the footage get out?” My head spun. “I mean, it was with the police, wasn’t it?! Isn’t it illegal to broadcast it online?” I struggled to collect the last grains of control that I’d thought were safe, but they seeped through my fingertips like sand in the wind.

   “It is.” Harry grunted. Something close to sympathy clouded the green in his eyes. “But it’s gone viral now. There's not much we can do to stop it.”

   A moment of silence blanketed the seven of us. The only sound came from the stone fountain in the distance, its water trickling tranquilly in the background. Looking back, it was as if we were having a moment of silence for everything in my life that was upside down - for everything that was never going to be the same again. I just didn’t know it yet.

   “Ah, there’s no use moping ‘bout it just yet.” Niall scratched the back of his head, uncomfortably. “Liam’s just had a chat with management. They’re sortin’ it out with our team and PR reps now. They’ll get back to us soon with a game plan.”

   Liam shot me a small smile. “Honestly, it pretty massive to begin with, but I promise we’ll sort everything out.”

   I blinked back at him in surprise. They were all being so... nice. I wasn’t sure how I’d pictured them to be to be - celebrities, that is, but I sure as hell hadn’t expected them to stick around long enough to find out. When it came down to it, I was a complete stranger. The boys didn’t know anything about me. They didn’t owe me a thing.

   I swallowed hard. For them, staying here was only going to make matters worse. I had a habit of making things go wrong. I never said the right thing, never did the right thing and above all, I wasn’t good in front of crowds, never had been. I stared stonily towards the hospital building in the distance. Amongst all the chaos, I’d almost forgotten it was there.  

   The sun was starting to set, lighting the sky with streaks of pink and orange. I watched a small circle of children playing together in front of the hospital’s Ivy covered walls. It was all so picturesque, so surreal. I felt like I could close my eyes at any second and watch it disappear away like a dream.

   I had no doubt that it would have been a dream for some people. I pictured millions of girls that would’ve given an arm or a leg to be here in my place – breathing the same air as One Direction. They would have been disappointed. The moment felt anything but special. Ellie was back to biting her nails, nerves radiating from her body, and that lively and energetic spark that defined the band was anywhere but present.   

   Each of them shot me a small smile if they noticed me staring, as if trying to mask the fact that we were at a loss about what to do next. Brows furrowed. Tense silence. I imagined we all looked tired and out of place, about as anxious and unsure as we felt. Harry’s hair looked dishevelled as he raked a hand through his curls absentmindedly. Louis spoke in hushed tones to Zayn, who had bags beneath his eyes that spoke volumes.

   Meanwhile, Liam excused himself from the group, answering his phone on the first ring. Even Niall paced around us restlessly, as if he were desperate to leave, but had no choice in coming back. They must have been worried sick about their injured body guard. Paul, I think his name was. Meredith had mentioned that he’d been sent straight into surgery.