Pieces // H.S

Chapter 19: Jane: 'You need me man, I don't need you'

It was quite awkward having to sit in that car, so close to Harry. He complimented my dress a bit, and then he asked about the award ceremony and my motives for not complaining about inviting him. What were my motives for letting him come with me? I guess I wasn’t strong enough to offend him again. My parents always said it was better to be begrudging friends that nemesis’. Luckily, he helped me out of the hole he had talked me into. He made out that I was attempting to help him relaunch his career. No offence or anything, I couldn’t really care less about his career. I’m not sure if I could take having to listen anymore of the dreadful songs produced by One Direction, but I agreed with him just to keep the peace. I think at that point in his mind he agreed to be nice to me, because he realised that he needed me more than I needed him.

We arrived almost exactly on time as Matthew had said we would. I was going to be the first band member to arrive, because I didn’t want to get in the way of Felicity’s moment of glory with Niall. Matthew had said Jade would be coming tonight but he wasn’t sure how well she was feeling. He added that she may also have a big announcement, which would ruin Felicity’s moment, but there was nothing he could do about it. So that meant I was the least important tonight, not that I was bothered about it.

A security guard opened the door and helped me out. The bright flash of camera’s made me feel dizzy, but, despite this, I managed a smile and to look like I was enjoying myself. First the radio reporters started to call my name, and through my earpiece, Matthew told me to go over and answer their questions. Harry followed me over at a comfortable distance. LBC central (the London Broadcasting Central station) complimented me on my dress then asked who it was by and other questions along those lines. The answers were shouted down my earpiece at a frightening rate. After those questions came the ones about whom I had chosen to bring with me.

“Why Mr Styles, Jane? Is there something going on between you?” asked a reporter from an American radio station.

“Definitely not in the way you’re inferring.” I answered before my earpiece could tell me otherwise. “No, it’s just Harry’s been a really good friend recently. He’s also been a really good mentor for this new lifestyle.”

I know, I was lying partly of my own accord, but Matthew said that if I used the mentor excuse it was almost fool-proof. I was told to wait for Felicity and Jade in the spot by the reporters. I watched Felicity’s car pull up as my car left. In a long emerald coloured dress that set off her natural brown hair which was tied back in a Dutch plait, she was aided by the guard as I had been. Niall came around from the opposite side of the car and linked arms with her. After walking a few steps with Niall, she noticed me. Immediately she dropped his arm, lifted her dress off the red carpet and ran towards my throwing her arms around my neck. I patted her on the back gently as she whispered “We made it!” in my ear. Niall meandered slowly towards Harry. Just as he reached him, both of them were distracted by the press. While Felicity and I waited for Jade, we listened carefully to the questions be asked of our ‘plus one’s’. Niall was asked when his wedding was and would there be One Direction reunion after this. Niall seemed to be waiting for Harry to answer the second question. They both ummed and ahhed, neither volunteering an answer. The reporters seemed to freeze in suspense. Matthew shouted down my earpiece “BAIL THEM OUT! THIS IS AWKWARD!” Felicity and I looked at each other and turned to Harry and Niall.

“We’re certainly looking forward to One Direction’s reunion. I think everyone is eagerly anticipating it.” I quickly said to cover up the awkward silence that Harry and Niall had created. “We have to remember, though, that three, nearly four, fifths of their band are busy with family life now.”

The reporters quickly asked their back up crew if they had my answer. They were distracted again by Jade’s arrival. Neither Felicity nor I had seen Jade all day so we were very worried about her. When the reporters started to crowd Jade, Harry whispered a ‘thank you’ in my ear. Niall said “Good bailing, there.” with a smile.

Felicity and I quickly approached Jade. Her hair was perfect and her dress made her look amazing as usual, but her face was as white as snow and she was shivering ever so slightly. Tom Groves (her latest boyfriend, who had stuck with her for a few months now) grabbed her hand as she wobbled slightly on the bumps of the red carpet. I took her other hand and asked if she was ok. She was breathing heavily and looked very faint. Felicity called for someone to help. Before help could reach us, Jade passed out on the red carpet. A medical team rushed out to Jade’s aid as reporters unsympathetically crowded her taking pictures and shouting down microphones. I could hear Matthew asking down Jade’s earpiece if she was ok. Pulling it out her ear, I told him that she had collapsed on the carpet and was receiving medical aid. Security cleared the press away pushing the barriers back to their original position. The paramedics started asking Tom about her recent medical history and he burst out with “SHE’S EXPECTING MY BABY!”

Gasps rippled through the gathered crowd and the press announced the news on live TV and radio. Felicity and I backed away from Jade as more and more medics crowded her. An ambulance had been called and it arrived within five minutes of the call. She was lifted onto a stretcher and carried to hospital with Tom in the ambulance. Security barked fiercely to the press that she was not to be followed and that Jade’s relatives had issued an official privacy injunction.

We found it easy to believe that Jade was genuinely pregnant. Jade always liked to take risks and she almost always ended up in trouble. She came from a long line of strong Catholics who had very old fashioned views, so a pregnancy before marriage would not be accepted by her family and she would be an outcast.

Since the press were banned from following up Jade’s story, they turned their attention back to the awards. Felicity and I were ushered into the O2 before the press could get a response on Jade from us. Niall and Harry quickly followed (it was like owning a dog, they followed us everywhere). It was nearly 8.10; we were running ahead of schedule, which was a good job seeing as we would have to rethink our whole performance now that Jade couldn’t perform tonight. We were lead to our table where our seats were for tonight’s ceremony. I went around the table looking for my name card. I was seated in between Harry and Jade. A backstage assistant quickly ran out and swapped Jane’s card for Matthew’s from the producer’s table.

“You need to go backstage now, I think.” Harry made me jump. He pointed towards Matthew who was motioning for us to come and get ready backstage. That’s when I noticed my earpiece had fallen out somewhere. I started looking everywhere frantically. Harry started laughing and tapped me on the shoulder; I looked around quickly to find he was holding it in his hand.

“Calm down. It’ll all be fine.”

“Thanks.” I snatched it out of his hand and ran to catch up with Felicity, who was shaking like a nervous wreck, leaving Harry and Niall behind together at the table. She was having another panic attack at the thought of having to go on stage for our first live performance without Jade.