Love and Fame (Harry Styles)

Chapter 39

My solo album was eventually finished and released, receiving pretty good reviews. And as the boys world tour resumed after a short break, I was officially announced to be their opening act.

Which meant that Lou would prep me first, I would go on stage to perform a few of my own songs to warm up the crowds, and then I would join the boys later to perform our single.

I loved traveling the world with the boys, and I loved to be their opening act. To have a bigger role in their show ensured me that management wouldn't drop me. I was in too deep now, and would probably be able to tour with the boys for as long as I wanted.

But there was a downside to everything, and my downside was the continuing hate I received from some of the boys' fans and from the media. They didn't seem to want to leave me alone, and I was constantly peppered with mean comments even when I hadn't done anything wrong.

Harry and the boys tried to shield me from most of it, and they all offered shoulders to cry on when I needed it, but their support wasn't quite enough.

Whenever I read or heard something bad about me, I felt something crumble and fall inside and eventually I felt completely hollow. I got a robotic feel to life to distance myself from the hate, and I didn't feel alive.

"Guess what?" Harry said and his voice was so excited.

"What?" I said with a faint smile.

"We're going to New York."

I jumped at the news. No wonder why Harry had been so excited. That meant that I would see Mom again, and Mike and Jonah.

And as if that wasn't a treat enough, I would get to perform in Madison Square Garden. That was perhaps my biggest dream.

"When?" I said as I wrapped my arms around his waist to hug him tight.

"America is our next stop, and MSG is the first arena."

"Awesome! I have to tell Mom, Mike and Jonah," I said with a bright smile and scrambled for my phone after pecking Harry's lips.

The idea of going back home made me happier than I had been in a while and Harry loved seeing me so excited about something. He probably missed the old me, because I had recently turned into a poorer version of myself.

"I should probably read up on who's the favorites to win Champions League this year," Harry commented and I giggled.

"Are you gonna engage yourself in another bet against my brothers?"

"Why not?" Harry said with a shrug and I giggled again. "What?"

"You already know you're gonna lose."

"Not if you help me," Harry murmured. "Rumor has it that you're as good at placing bets as they are."

"The rumor's true, but there won't even be a bet if I help you," I said and Harry looked at me with confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Mike, Jonah and I kind of instinctively know which team is going to win, so if I help you, we'll all bet on the same team. And that doesn't make a very exciting bet."

"True," Harry said and sighed. "So I'm gonna lose anyway, huh?"

"Yeah, 'cause you have to bet on the team Mike and Jonah doesn't bet on."

I looped my arm through Mike's as we walked down the street of our childhood neighborhood.

Jonah had suddenly decided to do an exchange year in Berlin, so I wouldn't get to see him. I hadn't even known about it, and if I had I would have contacted him when I was there on tour with the boys. But that was too late now, so I just enjoyed being able to spend time with Mom and Mike.

"I've missed you," I mumbled as Mike and I made our way to the playground we had loved as kids.

"I've missed you too," Mike replied, and even though we weren't really the sentimental kind of siblings, it felt right to say it. "How's life on the road?"

"Hard," I admitted. "Harder than before."

"Why?" Mike said with a frown and I shrugged.

"I don't know, there's just more hate now than it was before. And it's getting harder and harder to ignore it."

"I'm sorry," Mike said and I just nodded.

We reached the playground and sat down on the old swing set we had always fought over when we had been three kids wanting two swings. We slowly pushed the swings back and forth, enjoying the fact that we were alone.

"Are you gonna come tonight?" I asked and Mike grinned.

"To a One Direction concert?" he said and I giggled.

"You can leave after my opening act if you want," I said and shrugged. "But it would mean a lot to me if you made it."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Mike said and reached out to pinch my upper arm. "My baby sister performing in Madison Square Garden... That's big. Dad would have been proud."

"I know," I said and exhaled deeply. "I wished he was here. To see me perform and to just be part of our lives."

"Me too," Mike said and we were quite for a while, both of us thinking of our late father. "We should probably get back. Mom wants us to have dinner before you have to go."

I nodded and we left the swing set behind. We walked slowly back to Mom's house.

She insisted that I'd invite Harry and the rest of the boys over for dinner, and twenty minutes later they were all pouring through our front door.

Mom and Mike had never met Niall, Liam, Louis or Zayn, so there was a brief round of introduction before we seated around the kitchen table.

Niall was loving the home cooked food, and we were all enjoying each other's company. But it came to an end too quickly, because I had to leave so that Lou would have time to do my hair and makeup.

The boys left with me after having given Mom and Mike tickets and backstage passes for the show. They both promised to come even though it wasn't exactly their kind of scene.

Harry laced his fingers into mine as we were driven by one of the body guards to Madison Square Garden. I squeezed his hand gently and gave him a bright smile.

"You looked happy today," he said and I nodded.

"I was."

"I bet it was nice seeing your family again," he continued and I nodded. "Where is Jonah, by the way?"

"In Berlin."

"What's he doing there?"

"He's studying, apparently."

"Was he in Berlin when we were there?" Harry asked and I nodded again. "We should have known. Then we could have met up with him."

"I know," I said and chuckled. "But Jonah's not the one to share. He usually just does what he wants without telling it to the world."

Once I walked backstage to meet Lou, I realized just how big it was to have a solo performance in Madison Square Garden. For a second I was as nervous as I had been the very first time I had performed with the boys, but then I composed myself and walked onto the massive stage as if not a crowd in the world could ever scare me.