Prologue:
We were both sixteen, we didn’t know anything. I’d look at this boy such as the girls nowadays do. But he wasn’t Niall Horan of One Direction back then; he was the boy down the street. The one I would watch movies with on his living room couch while our mothers had tea. He had taught me how to play football and when I got a skinned knee he would be the one to bandage me and make sure I was okay, he has always been one of the sweetest people I know.
But 2010 changed both of our lives. He had been singing since we were little and I was the one to push him to audition for the X-Factor. I had slept over at his house which I’ve done many times. We woke up at the crack of dawn and packed the car with him, his mother and me. I slept the entire car ride to Dublin but Niall couldn’t, he was so nervous he just looked out of the window at the stars. Mrs. Maura rubbed my arm to wake me up and said “Honey we are here, you might want to give Niall some words of hope, he doesn’t look so good. You have always had a way of brightening his day.” I got up fixed my hair real quick and walked to Niall, he was standing in the very back of the line twiddling his thumbs and shaking his legs. “Niall, what’s going on you have never been this nervous for a performance?” He responds “I have never sung one song in front of so many people in my life, this isn’t like playing my guitar and singing to you. “ He grabbed my hand and didn’t let go for what seemed like forever. It must have felt that long because ever since we were little I have had the biggest crush on him. From when we were six and he gave me the nickname princess which has stuck for ten years to last week when we were watching a movie and we were under a blanket cuddling. But right now in line I felt like I was on cloud nine until I looked at Niall’s face. He was so scared but I remembered to take his guitar out of the car for him. “Mate, take your guitar and play some Bieber I know it always calms you down.” The moment he started to play and sing the group of teenage girls turned around a listen to him as if he was famous and after every song they clapped for him. We were about to enter the venue and a couple of them asked him for his number which he gave out. They were so pretty; I had no chance in competing with them. They walked in and he turned to me “They look like clowns with all that makeup on their faces.” I just started to crack up which made Niall laugh, this really reassured me that he didn’t find them pretty. We walked into the venue where Niall got his audition number, number 232677 he turned to me and said “hmm if this turns out right this might be my new favorite number! The only problem is that I don’t think it all will fit on my football jersey.” I gave him a glare and just shook my head with a grin on my face. We had to stay in this very large room with about a hundred people; even with my nap in the car I was tired. Niall sat down and the moment I sat down I already had my head on his shoulder, I was almost completely asleep when I heard him say quietly “Isn’t she amazing.” And then I felt his head lean against mine.
I felt someone rubbing my arm and saying “Princess, are you going to wake up and come see me in action?” It was Niall, he took my hand and we walked backstage, he walked on stage and his mother and I were in this part backstage with two TVs showing us how he was doing. I held his mother’s hand the entire time, he had told me he was going to sing a Micheal Buble song but when the track had started playing I knew it wasn’t one of his songs; it was Ne-yo’s song So sick. I had never heard Niall sing this song in my entire life but I was hoping he would do well. After he sang and the judges started to talk I couldn’t listen anymore so I buried my head into his mum’s shoulder. I closed my eyes real tight and after a minute or so, his mom started jumping up and down. “WHAT HAPPENED!?” I asked very surprised. “My baby boy made it through, he made it!” After that I saw Niall running through the curtains he gave his mum a kiss on the cheek and grabbed me around the waist and lifted me up and spun me around. There was a giant grin on his face, this had been his dream since he was little I was so proud of him.
He was a ball of joy the entire walk back to the car. He had so much energy he gave me a piggyback ride and ran through the parking lot. We got into his mother’s car and he turned off the radio and said “Who needs a radio when we have my voice!? Just kiddin’ ya.” Then he turned it back on and So sick came on the radio, I personally got goose bumps. I couldn’t believe that Niall had just sang that song and made it through on one of the biggest talent shows in the UK. His mum suggested that we go out to Niall’s favorite restaurant Nandos to celebrate. We got there and Niall is known to banter on when he gets excited or whenever seems interested and after he ordered he talked with the cashier for 30 minutes until our food was ready. She would just smile but her face looked like why is this kid talking to me. Little did she know how popular he was going to be in a year.
From that time until he had to go to boot camp we were inseparable. We would wake up and go down to the football fields and kick around the ball. I had told him that I really wanted to make my school’s team the following fall, he told me “Hun, you helped me with my dream I will help you with yours.” That summer we practiced every day in the morning we would practice on the field and in the afternoon I would help him with him singing and dancing so he would do well in boot camp. The summer wasn’t even half over but he had to go to Manchester for boot camp week. He had made it all the way through until the very last cut. Right after he found out he had called me and said “ Well I hope you aren’t busy tomorrow because I think we should go to Nandos but not for celebrating.” I asked him what had happened and he said somewhat confused “I got out, but sorry I have to go a producer is calling my name to go back on stage?” About ten minutes later he called me again “I have the best news for you! We are still on for tomorrow right!?” I answered “Of course!”
I walked into Nandos the next day and Niall was already at the table and had both our meals on the table. “I ordered you your favorite” He said with a smile. “So what is this big news?!” I ask as I sit down. “You know how I said that the producers wanted me back on stage. Well they gave me two choices either I get cut as a solo artist or I could continue with these other 4 lads. We all talked about it and decided that we should go ahead in the competition as a boy group. I think we are going to stay at Harry’s in a couple of weeks to practice.” I just went blank for a moment; he had a second chance at his dream. “Niall, that is amazing news! If you aren’t busy with your new boys I would love for you to come to my tryouts in 2 weeks.” He promised he would make it and then we left and he drove me home, right before I got out of the car he smiled kissed me on the cheek and said “I’ve missed my best mate.”
