reading between the lines

24

Matty's POV

Thurday 12th february 2018

"Snap!" Louis screamed in my face, slapping his hand down on the playing cards on the table between us.

"Fuck you Tomlinson" I spat throwing my remaining cards on the table and walking away.
"Stop being a sore loser dude" Louis teased as Jeremy Roberts from year 9 took my seat and Louis began to reshuffle the cards for the next game.

It was 4:10pm on Thursday evening and tonight was the schools first showing of the production so the cast were all just chilling in the canteen having a tournament of snap with Louis was championing us at.
I took a drink of water while the next match began and watched on the table I was sat on, the start of a snap game is always boring because no one starts to dramatically run out of cards so the stakes aren't as high.

"Matty" Harry shouted from the doorway of the canteen when Jeremy had 5 cards left "come here please bud"

I sighed and stood up on the table which I proceeded to use as a walkway to get to Harry, jumping from table to table a couple of times, yeh it's safe to say Harry wasn't best pleased with that. Oh well.

"Yeh what's up?" I asked looking at Harry, his face was all sweaty and rumpled from the mix of sleep deprivation and stress.

"I just saw AJ walking around so thought you'd need warning. If he says anything to you just don't let him shake you okay, you can do this, tonight is your night" Harry said, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.

I nodded at harry and smiled, it was extremely unconvincing but a smile none the less "I think I'm just gonna go the toilet" I lied walking towards the door.

"Matty don't you dare go and talk to him in purpose!" Harry shouted. I ignored.
"Matty!!!" Harry shouted again. I ignored again. At this point I knew the whole canteen would be watching because that's what happens when a teacher shouts, everyone suddenly becomes the nosiest person in the world.
"Matthew Payne get back here now!!' Harry shouted a final time, I continued to walk away and ignore, I'll deal with the consequences of that later, right now I just want to find AJ.

I walked around the school for at least half an hour before I eventually bumped into him.
"I've been looking for you Matty, wanted to wish you bad luck for.....ow!!!"
Turns out a stern look and a slap is all you need to shut up the school bully, I wish I'd have learnt that 4 years ago.
"Don't even start AJ, tonight is going to be amazing, every single person is going to play their role so incredibly and there is absolutely nothing you or anyone else can say to change that, we've worked hard for this show and we're gonna smash it" I said, suddenly not just defending myself but the whole cast.
"Yeh yeh, keep on dreaming Matty"
"I will, you keep on walking yeh, right out of that door and don't come back" I said before walking back to the canteen, just about managing to sneak past Harry. I had poorer luck sneaking past Louis and ended up walking right into him.

"Matty Harry is fuming at you, where did you go?"

"Chill Tommo I just needed a little walk to calm my nerves" I lied

"Yeh right" Louis said sarcastically before dishing out orders "go and get ready please"

I walked past Louis into the music classroom where all the costumes where 'how does he always know when I'm lying' I thought to myself 'he must by psychic or something'

3 hours later and somehow we'd already managed to sing, dance and act our way through the first half of the play, it had gone past me like a blur and the second half was about to start any second, I couldn't quite believe I was actually doing this. And nothing had gone wrong....yet.

The audience clapped and cheered to show their support as the lights went down after the opening song of the second half and i made my way down the middle aisle ready to re-enter when the lights came up. Unbeknown to me, hiding in the shadows of the corner aj and emerged and whispered down my ear "who you think you are eh, dreaming about being a big star?" 

I smirked and whispered back to him "I'm matty Payne and one day my dreams will become a reality" before i ran back up the aisle and began the next scene, watching aj shrivel out the corner of his eye as he realised he didn't bother me anymore. Damn it felt good to watch him squirm. 

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Saturday 4th August 2024

The arena filled with screams, cheers, claps, whistles and shouting as i ran off stage after my final song of my first show of my first tour. Life had become insane but I'd fallen in love with chaotic life 21 year old me now had, i was producing music, my own music, and performing it to hundred of thousands of fans on world wide tours. But this, my first ever tour show, I'll never ever forget this memory. Not just the memory of the show, but the memory of who was here, my friends. The friends who i now class as family and probably always will. 

Alfie; My best mate since age 4, he's been with me through this whole insane experience, he'd been living it with me as my drummer forever giving me smiles from on stage beside me.

Ryan; After i'd shown AJ he didn't bother me anymore he left the school and ryan was free to grow closer to us and so now he's part of our little gang, Well him and his boyfriend of 2 years Ali.

Amy; My girlfriend for now just over 6 years, i will be forever grateful to here for staying with me throughout these six years and hopefully many more, she's been my rock, my safe space, my number one supporter. The love of my life for now and forever. 

Louis (and harry); Where do I even start with tommo, i don't think i'd be here without him, and i don't just mean here on this stage. I mean here on this earth; Louis has bee the one main constant in my life for the past 6 years, always noticing when my mood drops and trying to boost it back up, cheering me on and supporting me at any chance he got, helping me write my first song  a little over 3 years ago and helping me find the confidence to release it a year later. Louis isn't just my friend, he's my brother, he's my hero and i will be forever grateful. 

But for now that marks the end of my story and i guess it really is like a fairy tale; everyone lives happily ever after. 

THE END

a/n if you've read this whole story from chapter 1-24 then thank you, you are the people that put the smile on my face. It's been a long journey but we're finally at the end and yeh it's not perfect but its my first story and i'm extremely proud. I love you all xx