Broken || Little Mix ||

Chapter 5

The music pounds through my head as I follow our entourage into the VIP section of the club in Amsterdam. We just finished our first show in the country, and we have an off day tomorrow so Leigh decided that we were overdue for a night out. Between playing the first ten shows and the countless amounts of interviews that we've done over the last two and a half weeks, all of us have been getting restless with the constant cycle of working. We have another four weeks left in our European leg and we just got word that we have been confirmed for North and South American stadium dates.

Tonight is a chance to blow off steam while also celebrating the success our album has created for us. The air of the club holds a mixture of sweat and weed as we walk into the more private area.

"Shots!" Leigh shouts as we get to a booth in the back.

"None for me!" Perrie responds.

"What? Why not?" Jes asks incredulously.

"I'm not about making myself feel ill tomorrow. I actually want to enjoy our day off."

"Pez come on! Let loose! We're finally doing a headline tour in America! You have to at least get tipsy!" Jesy shouts back.

I laugh as Perrie rolls her eyes yet takes one of the shots that Aaron has set on the table.

"To Little Mix!" Leigh says holding her glass in the air.

"Little Mix!" we all reply, taking our shots. The alcohol burns my throat as I force it down. I quickly take another shot, wanting to forget the pain that my chest permanently carries.

"Woah! Slow down, Jade. We've got a long night ahead of us!" Aaron says smiling at me.

I laugh him off and head to the bar to get another drink.

Within a couple of hours, all of us have split up in pairs. Jesy and Leigh are turning heads on the dance floor, Perrie and Aaron have gotten bubbly drunk to where they are sitting at the booth gushing to each other about how much they love the other, and the rest of our dancers are grinding and showing off at various locations of the club. I hang back by the bar, sipping my drinks in silence, progressively getting drunker and drunker.

"Jade? Jade is that you?" I turn my head at the sound of my name and squint, trying to get my vision to focus on its source.

A smiling guy walks up to me and sits down, letting out a throaty laugh. I have the feeling that I should probably know who he is based on his familiar demeanor.

"Do you not remember me or are you just that drunk?" he asks.

I squint at him some more before the realization hits me. It's Clarke, a kid that I went to primary and secondary school with. I haven't seen him since my X-Factor send-off party all those years ago.

"Clarke!" I drunkenly exclaim.

I wrap my arms around him, and he hugs me back, clearly pleased that I remember who he is. I look him over. He used to be a lanky kid, all bone, who wore glasses that were much too big for his face. Puberty did him well though. Now he is densely packed with muscles that ripple through his shirt. His slightly shaggy black hair hangs around his face, complemented nicely by the light scruff on it. His glasses are nowhere in sight, suggesting corrective surgery or contacts. His Geordie accent has faded significantly compared to mine.

"How have you been?" he shouts over the pulsating music.

I shrug in response and down the rest of my drink. I'm past comfortably tipsy and well into 'I'm going to regret this tomorrow' drunk.

Clarke nods sadly. "I heard the news. I wanted to make it back for the service but, you know, work and all. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, that's all everyone's been saying."