How to Say Goodbye

Chapter 1

I shook my head at my best friend, who was jamming to One Direction's version of Torn on her Ipod as we made our way to one of their concerts.

Rylee LOVED One Direction. She claimed she wasn’t obsessed, but “dedicated.” But she was in denial. "Oh c'mon Sage! I didn't win these tickets to go with some random person! I had to take my best friend! Have fun with me! Trust me, you'll adore them!”

I rolled my eyes and laughed. “I highly doubt that. They’re just a bunch of teenage boys prancing around the stage and singing mediocre songs.”

Rylee waved my comment off. “Whatever you say, Sage. You’ll see just how much fun it is.” But stay away from Zayn. He's mine!" She shot me a look from the corner of her eye and I shrugged my shoulders.

Chances were, I wouldn't like any of them, but I'd give Rylee the benefit of the doubt. The taxi dropped us off a few football field lengths away, and we slowly got out of the car to wait in line to get it.

“Holy crap. There are a lot of girls here,” I said when I saw how many hormone-raging girls were waiting outside.

Rylee shrugged. “They’re popular. What can I say?”

I smirked. “Do I have permission to yell in someone’s face if she’s too loud for my liking?”

She playfully elbowed me. “Oh c’mon. You wouldn’t want to yell at your best friend.”

I underestimated just how hot it would be outside when I dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt made of a very thin layer of cotton, and I found myself sweating a little.

"You should have listened to me. I’m telling you, we’re going to be here a while. The concert doesn’t start until 7. We have 6 hours of standing out here." Rylee said as she helped me roll my sleeves up.

"I know. I’m a little rebel.” I bent down to start rolling up my pant legs.

Just as I made my first fold, all the girls went crazy and started screaming at a big bus parked next to the curb.

"What's going on?" I asked Rylee as I finished one leg and started rolling up the other.

Low and behold, Rylee was mirroring every other girl in line. She turned toward me and squeezed my arms. "They're here!"

I shrugged my shoulders and let the other girls pass by me as I folded my jeans up. They could have their moment with the boys.

Bad mistake.

Girls came rushing up from behind me and bumping me hard as they flew past to get a closer look at the guys. I quickly finished folding my jeans and stood up quickly. Too quickly. My head felt light, and it didn’t help that the hundreds of girls were still tossing me around like a boat caught in a storm. As a result of the mad heat, my lightheadedness, and the crazy fans, I found myself turning round and round and round in a circle, growing dizzier and dizzier until I fell hard to the ground, hitting the back of my head square on the pavement.

The girls paid no attention to me but kept screaming and screaming for the boys. “Harry!” “I love you, Louis!” A few girls even started crying.

Out of the thousands of screaming girls, I heard one Irish voice coming from somewhere far away. "Hey! Somebody check that girl!"

Nobody understood what he was talking about, and I heard feet running toward me.

"Does anybody know this girl?" the Irish voice asked loudly.

"Holy shit! That's my friend!" Rylee yelled, her voice getting closer.