Love at the X Factor (on hold) :(

Chapter 22

"Okay, Bella," Andrea started. "Hold the last note a tad longer, then put your arms up like this!" I did as told. "Perfect!"

"Am I done?" I was dripping with sweat after rehearsing for tomorrow's show. It's been two days since I found out about the engagement. Also, two days since I've talked to Blake.

"Yes, honey," Andrea chuckled.

"Thank God," I sighed, taking a towel from a stage hand. I offered him a smile as I wiped my face.

"You're gonna rock tomorrow," Andrea encouraged me.

"I sure hope so!"

I walked backstage, heading towards my dressing room when I collided into someone. I looked up, ready to apologize, but the words stopped.

"Sorry," he was smirking.

"Yeah," I nodded and walked past him. I felt him grab my arm, which made goosebumps crawl all over my skin.

"Wait," he was pleading.

"What do you want, Dan?" All I wanted was to chug down a gallon of ice water and then go back to my hotel for a cold shower.

"I, uh," he paused, struggling to speak. "I heard about you and Niall."

"Yeah," I laughed dryly. I was trying to make it clear I didn't want to talk to him. "Everyone with an Internet connection has." I started to walk off when he began to talk again.

"Why are you dating him? It's not like he's a good guy or anything."

I had never turned around so fast. I'm pretty sure I gave myself whiplash.

"I don't think you understand what being a good guy means," I tried to get right up in his face, but being roughly five inches shorter than him, I was struggling. "Leave his name out of your mouth. Don't try to talk to me again or I will call the cops." By this point, I was shaking but I had managed to turn back around and head to my dressing room, slamming the door behind me.

I stared in the mirror. My face was red and I didn't know if it was from rehearsals or my small, but frustrating encounter with Dan. I grabbed a water from the fridge and sipped at it to calm myself down. I grabbed my bag off the makeup counter and headed back out the door. I made it out the side exit without being spotted by Dan, but that doesn't mean fans weren't awaiting me. I smiled brightly as the all crowded around me. I stopped to take pictures and sign posters and phones.

I began to feel overwhelmed, but in a positive way. Like, these people, of all ages, supported me in my dreams and I didn't even know them. I never thought I would be that girl that got to be lucky enough to witness a handful of people standing outside an arena just to get a picture with me. I'm nothing special.

"Bella!" Someone called out my name and I turned towards the voice. It was a little girl, who was roughly 10 years old. She has long, curly blonde hair and huge green eyes. She was holding out a small poster of me, her cheeks rosy. I noticed her mom standing behind her, a worried grimace on her face as this little girl was truly little and had shoved her way through a crowd of at least twenty people. I smiled at the mother in assurance to let her know her baby girl was okay. I saw her relax as I did so.

"Would you like me to sign that?" She nodded. I took the marker and poster from her small hands and using my knee as a flat surface, I scrawled my name across the image. It was a picture from the X Factor show when I sang Roar. It was a candid of me smiling at the crowd after my performance.

"Thank you," the mother mouthed to me as the girl pushed her way back to her and grabbed her hand. I nodded and they disappeared in the mass of people.