Against All Odds (One Direction Fan Fiction)

Against All Odds (One Direction Fan Fiction) - Part One

Chapter One

Waiting. That’s what I hate the most. Yet here I am, crammed in between a beautiful, tall blonde teenager and a rather large, bearded man. I couldn’t help but think how much I wanted to kill Louis - my best mate and also my next door neighbour - who dared me to try out for The X-Factor. At first, I laughed at the idea. I couldn’t help but think he was joking. He always jokes around. There isn’t a moment that goes by when he’s not making me laugh. However, he told me he was serious, with no funny accents or faces, and that he was trying out as well. I almost had a heart-attack. Louis rarely ever let anyone hear his voice. I had only hear him sing seriously for the first time last year. And we have been friends for nearly ten years. 

“Excuse me, love,” I heard someone say from behind me. I could recognize his voice from almost anywhere. I turned around to see Louis, with his striped shirt and rolled-up trousers on, gently pushing past the blonde girl beside me. 

“Louis!” I exclaimed, glad to see a familiar face. “You were gone for almost fifteen minutes!”

“Sorry,” he said, “the queue for the toilets was quite long.”

He looked over at the blonde, who was shyly eyeing him as well. He winked at her and she turned a deep shade of red, quickly looking away.

“Louis!” I said, pushing him playfully. “You have a girlfriend!” 

He shrugged, shamelessly. “Well, I can’t really help it if I’m attractive, can I?”

I rolled my eyes and turned to look at how far we moved up in the line. We were almost near the front, and before I knew it, I was being registered at the desk and herded through the intimidating glass doors. I found myself in a waiting room, Louis not too far behind. 

We both took a seat and waited for what seemed like ages. Then, suddenly, both our names were called and we were ushered backstage. I hear my heart racing beneath my chest, as Louis walked out onto the stage. I hadn’t heard him practice his audition song yet. All I knew was he was singing ‘Hey there Delilah’.

I heard him ramble on about why he wanted to be on The X-Factor. And then, he sang. I almost dropped the microphone. He had improved so much since the last time she properly heard him! His voice was smooth and pure. Although he was shaky on a couple notes, you could really get the essence of how beautiful his voice was.

It was no surprise that the judges put him through.

Then, it was my turn. I could barely feel my legs as I forced myself out onto stage. The blinding lights cascaded down, the rays hitting me directly. I squinted my eyes to see the four judges waiting: Louis, Dannii, Cheryl, and, of course, Simon. I took a deep breath in, trying to steady myself.

“And what’s your name?” Louis asked, smiling kindly.

“Clark. Jamie Clark,” I said, into the microphone. I felt my stomach twist as everyone laughed. I hadn’t meant for it to sound so ‘James Bond’, and mentally scolded myself for being so embarrassing. 

“Okay,” Louis chuckled. “And what will you be singing for us today?”

“Er - I’ll be singing ‘Price Tag’ by Jessie J,” I said. I looked over at Louis for a brief moment and he smiled, encouragingly. I took a deep breath, as the melody started to flow through the speakers. I closed my eyes and sang the first few notes. Soon, I felt the audience fade away, as well as my nerves. I was singing for myself, for the love of the song. Adrenaline constantly pumped through me as I reached the rap. Everyone cheered as I rapped BOB’s part. 

I was enjoying myself now, as I came to the last few words. The feeling of singing to a crowd, getting lost in the music, was indescribable. 

To my surprise, everyone stood out of their seats and cheered. I almost laughed to myself as I looked towards the judges.