Taking Chances

Once we got back to my dorm room, Harry made a call to his girlfriend, and we were sure to give him loads of crap during and after the conversation.

“So,” Harry started, nudging me with his foot, “why don’t you just call your mum now? Then we can get an answer and get back to England.”

“So that you can have some sexy times with your girlfriend?” I teased.

He shot me a glare, trying to intimidate me without success. Smiling at him, I got to my feet and smoothed out my shirt. “Alright, fine. I’ll go call her. If only because you guys are freaking out about an answer today when I was told by Zayn that I could have time to think.”

“You have had time!” Niall pointed out. After pulling his phone out of his pocket and looking at the time, he added, “Like, three hours.”

I blinked. “I’m debating a life-changing decision, and you think that three hours is plenty of time?”

“I thought it was a no-brainer, personally,” Louis voiced. “I mean, stay in school and take midterms…” He held out one hand. “Or come with us to London, where you’ll get to sing again and hang out with us every day.” After putting out the other hand, he pretended to weigh the two options.

I rolled my eyes and brushed by everyone toward the hallway. Because there was no way that I was going to make the phone call with the peanut gallery making comments in the background.

Once I got into the hallway, I sank against the wall, curling my knees up against my chest, and dialed the number.

“Bailey?!” Mom answered the phone frantically. “What’s happened?! Are you okay? Is this your final phone call?!”

“Mom,” I laughed. “I’m sorry for worrying you. It’s just…I walked into my dorm room and there was someone waiting for me.”

“Well, I gathered that much!” she shot back, still frantic. “And I thought you were going to…oh.” She let out a small breath. “By someone, you mean Zayn, don’t you?”

“How did you know that?” I laughed.

“Because you actually sound happy.”

I swallowed back the emotion that was threatening to bubble up my throat before changing the subject. “Well, he actually came back with a proposition.”

“Oh my God,” Mom gasped. “Bailey Rose, you are absolutely NOT getting married. You’re only nineteen years old. I don’t care how much you like that boy, or how much he likes you, or how willing he is to take care of you…”

“MOM,” I interrupted, trying not to laugh. “That wasn’t the proposition. Though, I’d like to take this time to interject that you and Dad got married when you were nineteen.”

“And that turned out well…?”

“Just throwing it out there,” I chuckled softly, blushing a little. “But anyway, the proposition was that…apparently, Simon Cowell wants to sign me to his label.”

Mom didn’t say anything, so I kept going. “He says that he thinks I’m talented enough, and he doesn’t want me to waste it.”

“Okay,” was her simple reply.

“That’s…that’s all you’ve got? Don’t you have input or anything?”

She let out a long sigh. “Bailey, honey…you’re an adult now. These decisions have to be your own, not mine. I’ll support you, whatever you want to do. It’s not like I was paying for your college.”

She had a point. Then, in a tiny voice, I added, “Would you change your opinion if I said that I’d have to move to London?”

The dead air between the telephone lines was long and anxiety-ridden. Finally, Mom breathed, “No. It wouldn’t change my opinion. I still want you to do what you think is right and what would make you happy.”

I opened my hand that was resting on my knee and settled my forehead inside it. “I don’t know what’s going to make me happy,” I admitted, my voice cracking in the middle with my overwhelming emotions.

“Have you been having fun at school?”

“Yeah. I actually have a friend. I’ve never had real friends before. Well, before the boys.”

“Then I guess you’re just going to have to ask yourself what would bring you more joy: staying at school and getting your degree or going off to England with your boyfriend and his friends to sing again. Don’t you miss singing and doing concerts, Bailey?”

I swallowed as I thought about it. Of course I missed it. I missed the adrenaline that coursed through my veins like blood. I missed the sweat that broke out all over my body because I was singing and dancing enthusiastically in response to the audience’s energy. I missed the feeling afterward, knowing that I’d just made hundreds of people happy, even if it was just for a little while.

“I do.”

“Then maybe it’s time you picked it back up again. You could have a whole new start.” Then, Mom let out a half-hearted laugh. “Plus, you’ve always wanted to go to London.”

“You’re right, Mom.” Then, I let out a laugh, a couple of tears spilling from my eyes. “God, have you been talking to Gabby?”

“Uhh…”

“You have!” I accused good-naturedly. “She told you to talk me into it, didn’t she?”

“She suggested that I nudge you in the right direction,” Mom corrected. “And I think I did a damn good job, don’t you?”

My only response was another chuckle.

“You knew what was right in your heart, honey. And I’m going to miss you, but we can e-mail and text and call each other and things. We don’t have to lose touch.”

“I know. I love you so much, Mom.”

“I love you, too, honey. Now go tell your friends and make them happy.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“Bye.”

I hung up my phone and rested my chin on my crossed arms, which were placed on top of my bent knees. There was one loose end that I didn’t know what to do about: Rebecca.

I knew that she had to stay at school. She was putting her own way through college, since her parents didn’t have the money to help her out. And what was she going to do if she couldn’t get a degree? As far as I knew, she didn’t have any dreams of stardom.

I got to my feet slowly, feeling my knees and elbows pop. I knew my answer, but it was still going to pain me to say.

I made my way back into the room, wiping my eyes as I went. Zayn was on his feet immediately, his features worried.

“It’s a no,” Louis expressed sadly.

I shook my head. “I’ve made my decision…and I’m going to go with you guys.”

Everyone’s faces lit up while Zayn wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to his chest. A second later, he pulled away and connected his lips to mine for just a second, knowing that I wasn’t a huge fan of PDA.

“Congratulations,” Rebecca voiced from her space next to Liam in between her bed and mine.

I gave her a tight smile, knowing that she must have felt sad, too. I would have to talk to her about it later.

“Awesome,” Harry voiced, taking his phone in his hand again. “I’m going to text Charlie and tell her that we’ll fly back in tomorrow.”

“That soon, huh?” I chuckled.

“Hey, we gotta get you back in the studio,” Zayn grinned. “The world’s waiting for Bailey Austin’s big comeback.”

If I can even make a comeback, I added in my head. But I shoved the thought deep down and relished in the fact that I would finally be going to London and I wouldn’t have to do the long-distance relationship thing.

I just wished that my revelation wasn’t so bittersweet.