Bass

Chapter 12

My life flashed before my eyes.

I saw my mother, sitting at home, trying to get over the bad hangover. I saw Rachel, smiling as she danced and sang to my drumming beats. I saw Ben, playfully mocking me since we were young. I saw my father, the black shadow of someone I never knew.

I thought it was all over. I waited to hear the sound of crashing water as I hit the pond far below, but I heard something intirely different instead.

"Liam! Help me!"

It was Louis' voice!

As I opened my eyes slowly I realized I was suspended in the air, my hand grasping Louis' in a tight hold. He was standing on my balcony, leaning over the railing. He had obviously got there just in time to see me double over the edge, and grab me before it was too late.

His other hand reached down and reenforced the grip as i did the same and I started to shake with fear, coming to terms with how closer call it all was.

I squirmed and held my breath trying to pull myself up. But the weight was too much and my arms weren't strong enough!

Louis' face was full of determination and pain. I was pulling him too much over the edge. A arrow of fright raced down my spine as Louis let me go for a split second before grabbing me again, this time, with the help of Liam, who had suddenly burst onto the scene.

As a team they both pulled me up and soon enough I was back on the balcony, breathing heavily. We were all sitting or lying down, mainly in shock. The adrenaline had to be given a chance to calm down.

No one said anything for a minute. I looked at Louis. He was staring at me, a look of confusion and suspicion on his face. Then Liam spoke.

"Are you alright Charlie?" he said.

"Yeah, thanks, Liam?" I said back. Liam nodded and exited the room, muttering a "goodnight and be careful the next time your on there".

Me and Louis were left sitting in awkward silence on the balcony. I shivered, realizing how cold it was out here. Louis looked angrily at his shoes. He was wary of me, that was for sure. But I was uncertain to if he had figured out my secret. Maybe he just didn't like me. I felt guilty all of a sudden and looked to console him.

"Is your arm still sore? Im really heavy, i know. I must have slipped while I was enjoying the view or something."

"Enjoying the view is about right!" Louis finally said, an exasperated look on his face. "I saw you looking through the window! I didn't know you were such a pervert!"

I gasped. Oh god. He knew. I suddenly felt stupid for even trying to hide my gender, knowing that someone like Louis would figure it out easily! I closed my eyes and put my hand to my forehead, feeling embarrassed about Louis catching me looking at Harry through the window. But I wasn't really perving on Harry! Maybe I could explain that to Louis!

"Louis, look, I'm sorry about that! Please don't tell anyone! I'll be screwed forever! I can't leave like this! I don't know what I was thinking! Just don't tell Harry!"

He snorted with sarcastic laughter, before giving me a look of disgust and confusion.

"Why would I tell Harry about you perving on my girlfriend!" he shouted, throwing his hands in the air in frustration.

"Wait, what? Your girlfriend?" I asked, suddenly very muddled.

"Yes, my girlfriend." he said.

"Wait, Harry's your girlfriend?"

"Not Harry! I'm talking about Eleanor! Look!" He pointed towards Harry's room across the garden to the other end of the mansion. And there it was. Harry's room. But the light was switched off now. But why was Louis pointing over there if he wasn't talking about Harry's room at all. It didn't make sense. Except.... I focused on the other side of the mansion as a whole and saw there was another room, a few rooms over from Harry's. It's light was turned on now, and although it wasn't in my view as conveniently as Harry's room, I could still see what was in it: Eleanor.

She was walking around, doing various things in a towel dressing gown, her hair wet and straight.

A moment of realization was upon me and I opened my mouth in awe.

"Ah.... You thought I was looking at Eleanor."

"I don't think. I know. I was coming in here to tell you to stop when you fell off the edge and I had to grab you!" he was starting to shout. Funnily enough, he didn't really scare me as he got angry. He wasn't a very manly fighter. He just looked kinda.... Sassy.

I realized that if he thought I was looking at Eleanor he didn't know anything about me being a girl.

"Don't ever look at her like that again." He said, his eyes narrowing. He stood up to leave.

"You can tell Harry I was looking at her. Don't worry about not spreading that around." I said.

"Can you drop it with Harry. He doesn't like it when people get clingy. Oh and by the way," he bent down and came close to my face. "YOU don't have to worry, because I sure as hell will make sure everyone knows your a pervert." he smiled a cheeky smile before walking out the door.

...

Well, that was close. And odd.

So many thoughts were swimming in my head.

Thank the lord, Louis didn't find out about me, but he still thought I had a crush on Eleanor, which wasn't the case at all. Liam was really nice but was probably the next person I had to worry about in terms of not getting my secret out. The cut on my side was really starting to get sore and I mentally reminded myself to put some medicine on that. Harry looked extremely good half naked. But his looks were masked by his annoying and lying nature. He had taken the blue stress-ball Niall had given me and hid it! I spent all afternoon and night looking for something that was right under my nose.

Anger boiled up inside of me. I hated him even more now! Be was exactly the kind of cheeky, irritating, mean person I didn't want to get involved with in London.

I stood up and walked over to the bed, taking off my clothes and unwrapping the chest, still deep in thought. I carefully removed my wig and put it in a drawer next to the bed. I decided I would have a shower early the following morning. I lay down, wincing as my sore body relaxed on the white sheets.

Without knowing it, my subconscious went back about a day before, and recalled something I had yet to discover. It also went back to the moment I met Niall. His sweet voice consolling my nerves on the night of the concert.

I smiled As I slipped deeper and deeper into slumber, knowing I would dream of Niall.