The Other Side of the World

I swear at this point you can see my heart beating out of my chest.

“So Kaylin is a pretty big fan of you guys.” Michael interrupted the moment.

“Oh really?” Louis asked me.

“Uhm yeah, I watched you guys on Xfactor, and well I’ve been keeping up with you guys from time to time. There really isn’t much to do when you are living on a bus all the time, so YouTube is kind of my go to.” I’m going to kill Michael later for bringing that up. They all kind of just smiled at me. “So uh… how are you, guys?” Really, that’s the best I could come up with? Gosh Kaylin Marie Anderson, get it together.

“Incredible. We got in a couple days ago so we’ve just been hanging around LA. It’s nice not really being known around here.” Harry said.

Liam chimed in, “We’re a little homesick, but this will be a life changing experience for us.”

“We are a bit nervous for the show tomorrow, definitely excited, but nervous.” Niall added.

“I think you guys will be okay.” I smiled. “The guys have some of the best fans in the world, trust me. They’ll love you.” I didn’t realize Cameron, Nathan, Michael, and Zach left me there to talk to the guys.

“We hope so. This is our first time ever performing in America. We want to do our best.” Zayn smiled.

“Well… AHHHHH!” I was interrupted by Zach coming from behind me and picking me up. “Zach! Put me down!”

“Sorry guys, I need to steal her for a second.”

“Zach, seriously what are you doing?!” I was squirming to get him to put me down. “Sorry guys, I’ll be right back!” I yelled back at him.

The whole room was laughing. I guess you can say that’s how mine and Zach relationship was. There was never a dull moment with us. “Zachary, put her down and get to work.” Stefanie yelled at him.

“Sorry!” He said back to her. “Kay, I need you to help me with something.”

“Z, I was in the middle of something. Don’t you think that was a little rude.”

“I know I’m sorry, I just need you to grab my backpack out of the car.”

“Ugh, you lazy ass. You could have just asked instead of making a scene.”

“Well what fun is that?” He playfully pushed me away with a grin on his face.

“Fine, I’ll be right back.” I ran out of the building, rushing out because the sooner I got done with this, I can continue my conversation with One Direction. As I rummaged through all out stuff in our van, I saw Simon and the guys walk out of the building. I tried to not make it look like I was watching them, because well that was creepy. Anyway, I made it look like I was still looking for things in the van.

“Boys, you behave yourself. I’ll see you at the show tomorrow. And be sure rehearsal goes well today. Savan will be here in an hour and Allstar Weekend is done practicing it’s your turn. Be on track and stay focus.”

“We will Simon.” They all said in unison. They said their goodbyes and parted ways.

Suddenly I heard Harry yell, “Hey Kaylin!”

I looked up from what I was supposedly doing. “Oh hey guys,” I waved and they all walked over to me.

“What are you doing, if we may ask?” Niall said looking around trying to figure out what I was doing himself.

“Oh,” I laughed. “Zach wanted me to get some things. And I decided to clean up a little.”

“Well, let us help you.” Liam helped me put Zach’s backpack on and the rest of the guys picked up some of the trash I gathered from the van.

“Thanks. Sorry you had to see that mess. Those boys can’t clean up after themselves for the life of them.”

Naill laughed, “Trust me, we understand. Us five together, not a pretty sight.”

“Ha. I think I can kind of imagine it. I’ve been with those four for a while now, I’ve gotten used to picking up after them.” We were back inside the rehearsal area. The guys threw away the trash as I put Zach’s backpack on the couch. They already started rehearsing. So the rest of us just stood back and watched.

“They’re really good,” Louis leaned in so I could hear him better.

“Yeah, impressive.” Harry said while still watching them. I winked at Zach to gesture that they were doing amazing.

“I’m hungry,” Niall yelled for all of us to hear.

“God, Niall, when are you not hungry?” Liam joked.

“Well let’s go get something to eat.” I suggested to them. They all nodded their heads in agreement. “Hey Stefanie, we’re going to grab something to eat. I’ll grab the guys something too.”

“Alright be back in an hour.”

“Don’t worry, just let them know where I am. Thanks!” I headed for the door with the guys. “Oh and I’m taking the van!” She nodded and waved goodbye.

“So you know your way around LA pretty well?” Liam asked as he got into the passenger’s seat.

“Uh, yeah. I’ve lived in California all my life. Born and raised. Actually in San Diego though, which is about two hours south from here.” I started the van and headed to the nearest In and Out. “But I’m envious of you guys. I’ve always wanted to visit the UK.”

“Haven’t Allstar Weekend been there? Why haven’t you’ve gone with them?” Harry asked.

“Oh well because every time they went, I was in school. Or my schedule just never matched with theirs. I just recently finished school, so this is my last time to spend with them on tour.”

“I see. Well since you’re a fan I’m sure you know stuff about us, but what about you…? What’s your story and with Zach? You guys seem pretty close.” Louis asked curiously.

“We are he’s kind of like my brother, but definitely my best friend.”

“That’s it?” said Harry.

I laughed, “No that’s not it.” We pulled up to the parking lot of In and Out. “I’ll tell you once we get inside.” We got in and I helped them order their food. “This is probably my favorite place to eat. It just reminds me of home.” We sat down at a table, and I didn’t realize that there weren’t many people there. I guess since it was a Thursday and in the middle of the day, everyone was at work and school at that time. “Remind me to get the boys something before we leave. They would kill me if I didn’t come back with anything.”

“So best friends huh? Carry on with your story.” Zayn said.

“You don’t have to if you don’t like.” Liam said feeling bad that the guys were kind of interrogating me.

“No it’s cool, better know now then later I guess.” I grabbed a fry and took a bite before I started my story. “My dad is from Chicago, but he moved out East with his parents when he was 6. That’s where he met Zach’s dad, in the first grade. They’ve been best friends ever since. They grew up with each other. My dad moved out to California when he was got out of high school, he’s been living in San Diego the whole time. And he kept in touch with Zach’s family. He was even part of the wedding of Zach’s parents. But anyway. My mom is from the Philippines. She moved out to California when she was 22. My dad was 24. I remember hearing how they met plenty of times when I was little. She was a waitress at a local diner in San Diego. My dad happened to walk in and the moment he saw her, he told me he knew she was the one. He requested to have her as his waitress. From then they hit off of really well. My mom said when she saw him she had no interest in him at all, because she had a boyfriend back home. But some way, somehow, my dad convinced her to go on a date with him that night. My dad was always the type who knew what he wanted and always got what he wanted. That night my mom fell in love with my dad. And from then on they got married a year later and a year after that, they had me.”

“So when does Zach come in?” Niall asked with a full mouth.

I smiled at him. “I’m getting there. So years passed and I remember the exact day Zach moved to San Diego. It was the summer before I was going into the second grade, you see he’s 2 years older than me, so he was going into the fourth grade. He had a little brother who was in the first grade. So his mom made sure I would stick with them since they were new to town. From then on we’ve been best friends.” I took a deep breath. “But uhm… in the 6th grade, my parents passed away. They got hit by a drunk driver. I was staying over at the Porter’s that night while my parents went to a business party.” Things got really quiet.

“We’re so sorry,” Liam grabbed my hand to show his condolences.

“Thank you, but it’s okay. Anyway, my dad wanted me to grow up here. The only grandparents I had were in the Philippines, which I’ve never met them before. And my dad was the only child, and his parents were in Chicago. So David, Zach’s dad, took me in. They’ve taken care of me ever since. I’ve lived with them and so Zach is pretty much my brother.” I looked down at my food and took another bite of my burger. “They took care of me when no one else did. My dad was a big business man, a successful investor. So I’m pretty set for the rest of my life. But I’ve never looked at my life that way. The Porter’s have raised me right. I owe a lot to them.”

After that, the guys really didn’t know what to say, I think they were all still in shock that I told them all of that. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have told you all of that. I just… I’m sorry.”

Harry looked up at me. “No don’t be. It’s an incredible story. Thank you for sharing that with us.” I smiled at him. “So what are you… Filipino and….?”

“Half Filipino, Swedish, and Italian.”

“What a combination.” said Liam.

I giggled, “Well yeah, half the time I’m just like Filipino and white.” We all laughed. “We should start heading out. I’ll go grab some food for everyone back at the studio, I’ll be right back.”

Before I got up, Liam grabbed my hand, “Kaylin, that was a beautiful story. Just thought I’d let you know.”

I smiled at him and slowly walked away with the biggest smile on my face. Telling them my story was the easiest thing. Talking to them just seemed so easy.

My heart started to beat out of my chest again. I wonder if he knew what he did to me every time he looked at me.