Torn *A Louis Tomlinson and Cher Lloyd Fanfic*

Chapter Four

~Louis~

I stood in the middle if the stage, a line of boys on either side of me. Nicole, Louis, and Simon stared at us intently. My gaze shifted from one judge to the next to the next and back again, and my hands were shaking lightly.

"The first person through to the Judge's house is..." My palms sweat, and I looked hopefully at Simon. "Is...John Walding." I froze, seeing a guy cover his face in shock.

It's okay, Louis. There are seven more spots. There's still a good chance.

"Nicola Festa." Nicole announced, and a guy wearing a...colorful, to say the least...sweater walked off the stage in a state of utter shock. My heart raced.

Six spots. Six spots. Six spots. Please. Please. Please. I didn't know how badly I wanted this. I didn't realize how much it meant to me. Louis raised the microphone. Please.

"Paije Richardson." A dark skinned boy began jumping up and down, and them proceeded to run offstage - his smile evident in his features. My heart fell.

Five. Five more. Could I be one of them? My hands wrung as I stood there, staring desperately at the judges.

"Aiden Grimshaw." Simon stated, and I turned to see my friend run his hands through his hair, relieved, not fully realizing what had just happened. I would kill to be in his position. Knowing he was moving on. Instead I'm here. Standing on the stage, my hope dwindling with each name called.

Four available spots. Four possible places where I might be called.

"Marlin Mckenzie." Louis announced, and an ebony guy buried his face in his hands, his knees buckling. After a moment, he stumbled to his feet, staggering offstage.

Three. Three more. Please. Please. Please. Against my will, my eyes got watery, and I had to blink several times to keep tears from spilling over onto my cheeks.

"Carl Brown." Louis stated, and a guy in a hat covered his mouth, walking briskly offstage, unable to hide his ever growing smile.

Two places left. My heart felt like it was falling apart piece by piece. My chest literally burned.

"Matt Cardel" Nicole called, and yet another guy walked away in utter disbelief.

One. One place left. One opportunity to keep me from falling apart. One more act making it to the next round. One last chance.

Please.

"The final contestant who's made it through...is..." Simon spoke as if he truly felt sorry that he had to send any of us home. A tear rolled silently down my cheek, and my gaze met Simon's.

In that moment, his eyes gave away something, and I could have just curled into a ball right then and there, and died. His lips opened, preparing for the next words. The words that would change someone's life forever. But not mine.

"Tom Richards." Despite the fact that I had seen it coming, my heart sill felt like it had shattered. Someone had thrown it off a cliff, and a skydiver had come... Giving me hope that I would live, and then that skydiver ignored me, allowing my heart to crash into the rocks, completely obliterating it.

I stood there. Too shocked to cry. Too hurt to do much of anything.

"That's it, guys. I'm really, really sorry." Simon spoke, his voice softer than I had ever thought possible for him.

Somehow, my feet managed to pull me forward, off the stage for the last time.

"I just don't wanna go home...I just don't wanna go..." Liam told the camera, tears evident on his features. I walked by him, too heartbroken to say or do anything. I was leaving.

My dreams were gone. Crushed. Disintegrated.

As I started to advance towards my suitcase, I was told that there was an announcement. I really could care less what it was, nonetheless, I allowed myself to be dragged into a group with the rest of the rejects.

"If I call your name step forward." We were told.

"Zayn...Malik." I saw Zayn go forward slowly, his eyes crestfallen.

"Liam Payne." Liam made his way through the middle of the group, his face grim.

"Harry Styles." A boy in a thick brown beanie stepped forward, and I vaguely recognized him.

"Louis Tomlinson." I looked up, a little taken aback. Me? Cautiously, I walked forward, joining the other three boys, certain that I looked just as upset and confused as they did.

"Niall Horan." A boy with blonde hair joined us, biting nervously on his nails. "Come with me."

Before I knew it, I found myself back on the cursed stage, and a small group of girls stood opposite of us. By the looks on their faces, it was easy to assume they hadn't made it, either. I glanced quizzically at the judges, whose faces were soft.

The other boys and I formed a short line, each of us putting our arms around each other.

"Hello." Nicole spoke softly, and I managed a weak smile. "Thank you so much for coming back. I know, judging by some of your faces, that this is really hard." I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Of course it's hard. You just crushed our freaking dreams. She smiled faintly, her eyes full of compassion.

"We've thought long and hard about it. And we've thought of each of you as individuals." She continued. I looked at her, her gaze meeting mine. Her gaze softened even more, and I stared at her with a sorrow I didn't know was possible to feel. "And we just feel that you're too talented to let go of." I shot a nervous, yet confused, glance at the boys who stood next to me, and they returned with equal expressions.

Were we moving on?

"We think it would be a good idea to have two separate groups." Groups? Wait...what groups? I looked at the guys around me.

Oh. That group.

"We've decided to put you both through to judge's house." Simon concluded, and before he could finish, the girls started screaming. And then it sunk in.

I jumped up and down, my fists balled. My face broke into a smile. I had made it!!! I was moving on!!!

I made it.

Cue the tears. My hands fled to my face to cover any sign of me crying. One of the boys - my new bandmates - put his hand on my back. I looked up to see Liam, his face practically glowing.

Niall let out a scream, and, although we hardly knew each other, we all joined in a group hug. I could feel them shaking, their faces a mirrored image of mine.

"Guys, guys, girls!" Simon called, getting everyone's attention. "This is a lifeline. "You have got to work 10, 12, 14 hours a day and take this opportunity." My hands flew to my cheeks, and came to rest in the back if my neck. "You've got a real shot at it guys!" He threw in a wink at the end.

I couldn't stop smiling. I felt like I was radiating light. I felt invincible. I felt infinite. For the first time as a group, we all ran off the stage in complete euphoria.

"I just went from the worst feeling of my life... to the best!" Harry told us, using his hands to show 'high' and 'low' as if we couldn't figure it out.

I took in my new bandmates. Each one smiling, each one with tear-stained cheeks, each one not caring that they were in a group.

And I was right there with them.

*AUTHORS NOTE*

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