TAYLAH’S POV
“Good luck losers,” I grinned as they jumped up and down with nerves. The stagehand had just come to tell them it was time to go on.
“Yeah, don’t go falling off the stage or anything,” Georgia smirked. Christian tried to glare at her, but it failed seeing as how he was obviously shitting himself. “Relax, you’re going to rock it. You’ve been awesome in rehearsals all week.”
“What About Tonight to the wings please,” a woman with a headset stuck her head through the door.
“This is where we bid you adieu,” Georgia bowed and we both hurried out to our seats in the front row. We had the best view of the stage, besides the judges that is. Georgia’s uncle, Ronan, winked down at us from the judge’s panel and we waved back.
The voice over announced the boys were coming out and we jumped to our feet to cheer. The lights lifted and they were standing with their microphones. We screamed shamelessly, getting a few weird looks from people around us.
Halfway through the song, Mitchel shot a wink in my direction and Georgia elbowed me pointedly. I rolled my eyes but I couldn’t help the butterflies I felt in my stomach. She would have guessed that of course. Georgia was the only person I’d told about mine and Mitch’s ‘flirtationship’ as she liked to call it. Likewise, I was the only one to whom she didn’t automatically deny that she might sorta, kinda, maybe have a thing for Christian. But shh.
We cheered the loudest out of anyone in the place when they’d finished, only quieting down after a look from Ronan and the rest of the judges. Whoops. If they didn’t get through on that performance, the entire show is a joke, just saying.
“That was amazing!” I squealed as we ran backstage into their dressing room. I jumped on Brock and hugged him. “Doing the Jays name proud big bro.”
“Did we do well?” Luke asked. “We couldn’t hear ourselves over all the deafening screaming.” He gave us a pointed look.
“Whoops,” shrugged Georgia as she fell down onto their couch. She pulled a packet of chips we’d had from before the show and helped herself. I clapped my hands and she threw me a bottle of water.
“We’ve got to go talk to some people,” Tyrone explained apologetically. “We’ll be back.”
“Try not to get into trouble while we’re gone,” Brock smirked and I shrugged in an ‘I’ll do my best’ kind of way.
We were flipping through magazines left behind by the stylists when there was a quiet knock on the door. Looking up, I saw a tall brunette girl standing awkwardly in the doorway. She was wearing all black and had a headset, so I assumed she worked for the show. Her wavy brown hair was tied into a high ponytail and she had a pair of black nerd glasses on her freckled nose. I couldn’t tell if she was pretty or just really dorky.
“What’s up?” Georgia asked, barely looking up from her magazine.
“I was just, um – I was looking for What About Tonight,” she said her announced, looking around the room. “I’m meant to tell them Ronan wants to speak with them after the show.
“Just missed them love,” I explained. “They just went to go see somebody about something or other. But we can pass on the message if you’d like.”
“Yeah, thanks,” she nodded quickly with a warm smile before she hurried out of the room.
“Well, she was nice,” Georgia laughed and I nodded with a smile.
“Who was?” Christian bounded into the room and fell onto the couch beside her, reaching over and taking the chips from her lap. She leant over and tried to grab them back, just managing to fall into his lap as he held them out of her reach with a smirk.
“Some stagey person,” I shrugged, lifting my feet so Luke could sit down. “Ronan wants to see you after the show or something.”
“Hey when you talk to Uncle Ronan,” Georgia called back to the boys as we were leaving to meet them at the car. “Could you let him know I’m not coming home?”
“Who invited you over again?” I laughed as I held open the door to let her in. Not that she’d ever needed an invitation of course. She spent at least a couple of nights at our place a week. It helped that we were both home schooled, her because she was staying with her uncle and me because I was staying with the boys and well… didn’t like school.
I put my feet up against the back of the passenger seat and closed my eyes, humming along to ‘Glad you came’. I was tapping my feet along to the music when the door slid open loudly and I squealed, making the boys laugh as they climbed in and over into the back seat while Brock and Luke got in the front.
He started pulling out of the carpark, turning out onto the road. We stopped and waited for a couple of people to walk past. One was a tall brunette girl, pulling a black hoodie around herself as she crossed with an older woman.
“Who’s that?” Luke let out a low whistle, following her across the bonnet of the car with his stare.
“I’m taking a guess at intern,” Georgia spoke up, glancing up from her phone and squinting at the girl. I don’t think she realised she was the same one from backstage. Luke nodded appreciatively and I couldn’t resist rolling my eyes. Such a boy.
“Brock are you planning on pulling out anytime soon?” I poked his shoulder. “It’s kind of late and if I don’t get my beauty sleep soon, it’s going to get ugly in here.”
“It wasn’t already?” Georgia wrinkled her nose teasingly. The boys in the back all flicked their hair dramatically and started posing. “Yeah, it just got real ugly. Drive Brock, drive!!”
