Adopted by One Direction

Stage Fright

The talent show came faster than any of us would've expected. Monday passed with nothing special, and on Tuesday I got a phone call from an unexpected person. "Hello?" I was trying to do my homework, drink water and answer the phone at the same time, and the result was I answered the phone but the water spilt all over my homework. I dabbed at it with another piece of homework. "Hey Passion, its Ashlyn here." "Ashlyn?" I was surprised. "Yup, it's me. Just wanted to wish you good luck on the talent show this Friday. I wasn't really meant to tell you, but I'll be watching." "Oh. Why?" "I used to study in Avery Laurel's when I was younger. Even though I only stayed there for a year, I still love this school. I'll be coming back to visit on Friday and watch you sing." "Promise me something, will you? No matter how bad I do, do not tell Zayn. I don't want all the boys laughing at me." "You'll be great, hun. I'm sure you will. Even Zayn thinks you're OK." I laughed. "Thanks for the encouragement, but I'm sure Zayn has never heard me sing." "Yes, he has. You sing in the shower sometimes, he told me."

I blushed red even though Ashlyn couldn't see me. "Now I'm going to remember to never ever sing at home again, not even in the shower. I'm so scared of the talent show right now, the girls have high expectations, and I've never ever been on a stage before! I'm so going to mess up." "Don't always think about the worst, it'll just make you even more nervous. If you ever need some good advice, better go to your brothers. They're the ones who've sung in a few thousand concerts, you know." "Yeah, I probably should talk to them. What time is it?" "Ten at night here." "Thanks. I'll call them now. It was good talking, Ash, can't wait to see you this Friday." "You too. Good luck, bye." After she hung up, I dabbed away most of the water that was soaked into my homework and called Louis. "Hello!" He said excitedly when the call got through. "Hello!" I said equally excitedly, then became serious. "You know about the talent show this Friday? I'm so scared. I've never performed to anyone before. What if I mess up, or forget the lyrics? I don't want to let the girls down, especially not after all that they've done for me. How do you deal with having a concert every other night? You must live in constant fear."

"Nah. Performing is a kind of thing you can get used to really easily. My advice is to just be yourself, and if you mess up, laugh at yourself." He paused as if thinking. "Oh, and it might be good to make a fool of yourself, the fans always like it." "Louis that is not good advice!" A very familiar voice said in the background, and I laughed. I waited while they fought over the phone, and finally, Liam answered. "Don't listen to Louis, you're not One Direction and you'll just get jeered at if you mess up. My advice is you should try the best you can, and keep thinking that you can do it. Because you can." "Liam that is the most boring advice ever," Louis said loudly. "Anyways, just do your best, OK? I'm sure they'll love you, and you're so smart, you won't mess up." "I'm not smart, Liam, but thanks. I'll do my best. Even though I might freak out at the last minute." Afterwards, I talked to Niall and found out he had replaced the phone that Harry had broken, and told Zayn that Ashlyn was coming to America. "Yeah, I know that." He said breezily. "I'll tell her to take a video." "No, you won't! I do not want you all laughing at me!" "We are definitely gonna see you perform, whether you want it or not." "No, Zayn! You know I'll freak out and ruin everything!" "I'm sure you won't Passion. With all your brother's performing genes in you, you'll be better than words." "Zayn I don't have your genes in me. We're not blood-related." "Whatever, you'll still do great. I know it!" "Fine."

Over the next few days, we literally sang more than we studied and ate. It was hard work, having to perfect everything, but I found out that I did enjoy myself. It was great to hang out with the girls, and I found myself wondering if I would miss them when I left. I probably would. I never thought I would even make a single friend at Avery Laurel's, but I ended up making four awesome ones. I mentally reminded myself to ask them for their emails or something, so we could keep in contact. Speaking of friends, Lily and I had continued to text and talk to each other, though not that often. I did miss her a lot, just chatting to her during class or hanging out at her home after school. I couldn't wait to go back and go to school with Lily again. On the other hand, I missed the boys less than I had thought I would. Since we joined the talent show, my mind had always been kept occupied, so I didn't think about them that much. In my first few nights here, my heart literally hurt when I thought of them, but now not so much. I realized I could, in fact, live without them. I could survive on my own, and through life lost a bit of its fun and adventure, it still went on. That doesn't mean I don't miss them of course, and I still long for them to call me saying I could go back, but I could be fine on my own. Harry's headband is still my lucky bracelet and I still wore Louis' beanie and Liam's baseball cap a lot. On Friday, the lessons ended early so we could have time to prepare for the talent show. We went to our room and practised for a few more times, then changed into the clothes we would be wearing on stage. We went to the hall to wait. The hall had been completely demolished and then decorated again. There were a few hundred seats and a big table where I assumed the judges would be sitting. There were colourful banners everywhere, so it looked completely different from the normal hall. We were sent to wait backstage, so we needed to wait for half an hour before the show actually started. My nerves were getting to me and I was thankful when my phone beeped.

Passion! Go, girl! You will be fantastic! Good luck! Best friend ever Lily :) I smiled at her text. I really couldn't wait to see her again. But she wasn't the only one who texted me. I received five other texts almost at the exact same time. Pash, you can do it. You will win, I'm sure. Good luck. Harry x Passion, how're you feeling? Look forward to tonight, love you forever, Liam. Passion! Hope you do well! Can't wait! Excited! Miss you so much! Niall! Little Passionfruit, singing like passion fruit. Lalalalala Love ya, Lala Louis :) Have fun tonight, see you really really soon, I love you, bye-bye! Zayn xx I read their texts, again and again, trying to calm down. I seriously did not get how the boys could perform so many times and not get scared. I mean, the last time I was this scared was when I was in mortal danger, and still, this was a bit more nerve-wracking. I did want to have a good show and hopefully win because the girls were quite determined to win and I didn't want to make them disappointed. They've done so much for me already, just by being my friend in the past month. Half an hour passed by quickly, and the lights in the hall were dimmed while lights on the stage shone brightly.

"Everyone, welcome to the annual talent show of Avery Laurel's Academy for Girls." Mrs Smith's voice was magnificently loud. "For the first performance, I am delighted to present you with Katriss and Kallissa!" Me and the girls simultaneously let out a groan, while the twins pranced on stage. They sang a few songs and earned a huge round of applause from the audience. We all glanced at each other nervously. No matter how much we hated them, we still had to admit that they were good. Then there were some lame magic tricks, a short play, a bit more singing, a bit more dancing and then. "Lastly," Mrs Smith's booming voice echoed around the hall. "I give you Madilyn, Callie, Falyn, Emery and Passion!" We ran out onto the stage and I looked out into the audience. There were loads and loads of people, making me feel weak in the knees. I was going to sing in front of all of them? I gulped, nerves taking over me. "Relax," Falyn whispered into my ear. "Enjoy it, girl. We can do this!" The opening chords of Live While We're Young started playing. Falyn winked at the audience and opened her mouth. Hey boy I'm waiting on ya, I'm waiting on ya, c'mon and let me sneak you out.