I'll Take Care of You

Chapter Twenty Three

Cheers.

Lights.

Cameras.

Don’t forget to breathe, I told myself as I walked onto the stage. Left foot, right foot, left, right, left, right....I made it to the couch on the stage and sighed happily, sitting down.

“Cross your legs,” Tessie’s voice said in my mind. “It’s ladylike.”

I did, obeying what she told me just five minutes before. Jason sat down next to me, Liam on my right. The interviewer was a man, with a sharp noise that reminded me of Richard and warm brown eyes, and he was about thirty. “Welcome!” His voice boomed, and I couldn’t tell if he was talking to us or the audience of about a hundred people in the stands.

He turned to us, a grin on his face that made him look kind of like cat. “How are you all? Healing up okay?”

Harry answered, and he used a deep, slow voice that even soothed me. He had the kind of voice that you just had to listen to, the kind of voice that could move a thousand people and start a war if it really wanted to. “We’re all doing great.”

“Good, good,” the interviewer said. He cleared his throat and smiled. “Can’t have our little superstars doing bad, eh?”

“Definitely not,” Harry said in the same voice.

“Well, how about we get to it then? Do you boys remember anything now?”

I assumed that Harry would answer but Niall beat him to it, and vaguely, the thought that he might still like me lingered in the back of my head. “No, not at all. The doctors said that we might not ever fully remember being thrown into the deer trap, but we’re okay with it.”

He nodded, and I remember Simon telling me that his named was Rio. “Jason,” Rio said and I felt him stiffen next to me and I tapped his hand twice, saying Behave. “What do you think of the lads?”

“They’re good.” His voice was anything but friendly.

Rio didn’t seem fazed. “What do you think of of the reality show?”

“What do I think of them? I think that they’re all a bunch of jackasses who really need to stick their-”

I kicked him so hard that he flinched and shot him a look Bite your tongue!

Jason stopped talking and turned to look at me, and I rolled my eyes, saying Why most you always be so uncooperative?

Just how I am. His gaze answered and the corner of my mouth came up a little and I felt Jason relax next to me. I really needed to get Rio to stop asking him questions. “Jason doesn’t have the friendliest feelings towards them,” I answered and heard Zayn snicker from behind me.

“Yeah, I can see that,” Rio answered.“So, Kaylie,” Rio continued and I stiffened and felt Jason shake with silent crumbling laughter beside me.

“What?” I asked, and silently cursed myself.

“You want America to like you,” Simon had said. “The more they like you, the more ya gonna get out of em’.”

“I don’t want to play people,” I answered.

“I know that. It’s not playing. But you do gotta make them love you. So try to act...decent.”

Rio blinked but didn’t say anything about my sharp, sassy what? He asked, “We’ve all seen the reality show. We all know that maybe three boys were fighting for your heart, right?” He turned to the crowd and screamed, “Am I right?” Awarding him with cheers and screams.

Three? Zayn, I knew, yes. And then there was Niall, who Jason had warned me about, but who else was there? Speaking of Zayn....

“Three?” I spat, again, unable to stop myself.

“Yes, of course. Zayn Malik. That was quite obvious.”

Yeah. Speaking of Zayn....

“And then I believe that you called the second one a “puppy?””

I blushed a light pink color. How did he know that I thought of Niall as a puppy? I don’t think I ever said that aloud, or had I?

“And then Sensible Boy. Liam.”

“Liam?” I asked, truly shocked.

Liam scoffed. “Okay, okay, maybe at first I did a little bit but that’s over, really.” He turned to me, “It was only for a little bit anyway. Don’t worry about it.”

I was kind of worrying about it!

And Niall himself was blushing like hell too. and he surprised everyone when he said, “I kind of still like her.” A part of my brain was really, really hoping that the her he was referring to was some other girl, but I knew that was just me in denial.

“What?” Zayn asked, and stood out of his chair. “Niall!”

“Wha?” Niall asked, cocking his head. Ahhh, there that puppy look was again.

Zayn opened and closed his mouth and I could literally feel my heartbeat in my chest, wondering what the hell he was gonna do. “Why do you care?” Niall asked, “Do you fancy Kaylie too?”

“Do I fancy her?” Zayn asked, and he said like one would say, Do I enjoy getting kicked in the balls? “Of course I fancy her! We kissed!”

“You what?” Jason asked, and he stood up too.

“Ooooh, drama,” Rio said in a deep, somewhat sarcastic voice. I stood, wanting to stop whatever this was before it started.  

“In fact,” Zayn said. “We’re a couple.”