Both Sides of the Story
Stressful Phone Calls and Successful Shows.
Rehearsals had gone by quicker than any of us really anticipated. Our first show was right in London so we hadn't had to move anywhere drastic. While Bex took a walk to clear her head, I ended up taking a power nap. I loved sleep and I could sleep anywhere and anytime if I was tired enough. Louis had teased me and called me the female Zayn when I told him. I just loved sleep.
"Don't move, you're comfortable." I told Louis when I saw down next to him and rested my head on his shoulder.
"Is that all I am to you? A makeshift pillow?!" I kept my eyes closed but laughed at his dramatics.
"Yep. That's all you're good for really. And you're funny sometimes."
"I think you mean all the time."
"Don't get ahead of yourself there, Tomlinson. Now sit still so I can sleep." He mumbled something under his breath but didn't move anymore as he continued his conversation with Harry and Niall. He moved only once but I was able to get about a ten minute nap in before I heard Bex calling my name. I groaned at having to leave my spot, but got up anyway.
"What's going on?" I was still half asleep but I instantly recognized the stressed look on her face. She showed me her phone and I immediately understood her distraught appearance.
“Mom is the problem,” Bex took my arm and pulled me into an empty green room. "We might as well just talk to her. She's going to blow up my phone if we don't."
I sighed and sat in a nearby chair. I needed to sit for this. "Go ahead. Like pulling off a band-aid." Bex nodded and slid her finger across the screen to answer the call.
Talking to our mother was always a strenuous activity. She usually only called to complain about how we never visit her and about how we're so caught up with our new reckless lives that we think we're too good for our family. Our calls always ended up with the three of us yelling and either Bex and I hanging up abruptly. It's not that we wanted to avoid our parents on purpose. They just never had anything kind to say to us when we spoke and Bex and I had decided that we didn't deserve that.
"Hello mother," Bex said through gritted teeth.
"Are you two in England?!" I sent Bex a look and she rolled her eyes.
"Yes we are actually. How did you know that?" I asked.
"Mrs. Rowe's daughter is apparently a big fan of that British boy band, New Direction and she found out that you girls are apparently touring with them?!"
"It's One Direction, mom."
"Rebecca, I don't really care what it is. Either way, neither of you had the decency to pick up the phone and call me or your father! You went to a whole different country without so much as a goodbye!"
"Would you even care? You've never cared when we've gone on tour in the past!" I was out of my seat and glaring at the phone. Bex usually lost her cool first in these situations, but I was already running on adrenaline due to the fact that we had to go on stage tonight.
"Don't use that tone of voice with me, Carese! I know you two have neglected your past, but I am still your mother!"
"Are you sure about that, mother dearest? I seem to recall you kicking us out once upon a time!" Bex looked just about ready to toss her phone across the room. I really hoped she didn't. She had done that once before after an argument with our mother and she wasn't worth breaking anything over if you asked me.
"As a parent, you have to do some things to-"
"To prove a point, yeah, yeah. You've fed us the same crap numerous times. Did you just call to bitch about us being in London or is there actually a reason we're speaking to you right now?" Okay, that had come out with more venom than I anticipated but she had asked for it.
Bex grinned wickedly and raised her hand "I know the answer to the question!" And with that, she slid her finger across the screen to end the call. The tension in the room had gone away as soon as the conversation was over and Bex sighed. "I swear to god, that woman is going to be the death of me."
"Don't even bother getting worked up. She's not worth the stress. We have our first show tonight so let's just focus on that." I threw my arm over my sister's shoulder as we left the room and ventured back into the hallway.
"I know. She just gets under my skin so easily!"
"Yep. That's mom for you. But hey, if you're stressed, why don't you have Liam give you a nice, relaxing massage." I bit my lip to hold in my laughter at the death glare she sent me.
"Ha ha. Why don't you have Louis give you a massage."
"See, you're making fun of me but I'm tempted to act on your suggestion." She reached over and quickly pinched my arm, making me yelp.
"Son of a bitch! You know I hate that!"
"I sure do." Bex shot me a sweet smile before she skipped off to the bathroom
I rubbed the wound on my arm and checked the time. We still had plenty of time before soundcheck so I returned to the green room with everyone else in it to resume my nap.
Four hours later, everyone had been through soundcheck, hair and makeup and wardrobe. Bex and I were pacing behind the curtain, doing last minute vocal warm ups. I kept anxiously playing with my bangles and Bex was twirling a piece of her hair around her finger.
"You guys, stop with the pacing! You're making me nervous!" Jackson said, waving a drumstick at us.
"Shut up Little Drummer Boy! You just have to sit on your ass and bang some cymbals!" Bex snapped back at him.
"I'm going to not take offense to your rude comment since I know those are just your nerves talking." Jackson stuck his tongue out at her and turned back to Lee and Alec
"Jackson's right you know. You guys have nothing to worry about." Liam and the rest of One Direction joined us in their usual stage attire. Bex and I didn't have any specific outfits we had to wear like they did. We usually just picked our own outfits out from the stuff we owned and got ourselves ready. The only big luxury we had on this tour was the professional hair and makeup people, which was fine with me.
"Yes, yes we'll do great, we know." Louis came over and pulled me into a hug which caught me extremely off guard.
"Just breathe, love. If it helps, I'll stand back here and watch your whole performance." He pulled away and smiled down at me, making my face heat up. I didn't actually realize I was blushing until I saw Bex's smug smile from behind him.
"Um, thanks, Lou. That'd be nice."
"It's settled then. Break a leg." He sent me a reassuring smile just as the lights dimmed and Jackson, Lee and Alec were given their cue to run onstage and take their positions. I saw Liam reach over and pull Bex in for a hug, making her just as red as I was.
"Ready to do this, little sister?"
"Because I'm hyper and excited and I feel like I'm going to puke, I am going to ignore the fact that you called me that." I grabbed onto Bex’s hand and we gripped our microphones as we were given our cue to make our way towards the stage ourselves.
"Well god damn that was wonderful!" Bex yelled as we ran off stage. I couldn't even begin to describe how well the performance went. Even though not a lot of the fans knew who we were, after our first song, we had plenty of people up and on their feet. The cheers we had gotten as we left were so loud that I felt them literally vibrate through me. Bex and I hadn't messed up once and being on that stage was such a rush. It was amazing and hands down, my favorite show of ours to date.
"Told you that you would be brilliant!" Louis wrapped his arms around me and swung me around in a hug when I reached him.
"I know and thank you for being so positive with us! It was so much fun, Louis!"
"You’re welcome, babe." Before he could say anything else, Bex slammed into me, engulfing me in a hug followed by the other three boys in our backing band. I ended up on the floor which wasn't comfortable by any means but I was too happy to care really.
After being at the bottom of the dogpile, Louis helped me up from the floor.
"Thanks."
"No problem. The lads and I have to go on soon, but after the show we should all celebrate. What's say you all to a movie marathon when we get back to the hotel?" Everyone voiced their agreements and it was settled. Louis looked back me and pulled me into yet another hug, not that I minded of course. “I hope you'll watch me when I go out there."
"Of course. It's only fair after all." He brushed a bit of hair from my face and let his hand linger on my cheek before flashing me a smile and going to get his microphone.
"I saw that moment." Bex whispered, appearing by my side.
"You saw nothing." I heard her laugh before turning towards the green room. I stayed at the side of the stage like I told Louis I would and he sent a wink my way before running on stage to perform.
"Don't move, you're comfortable." I told Louis when I saw down next to him and rested my head on his shoulder.
"Is that all I am to you? A makeshift pillow?!" I kept my eyes closed but laughed at his dramatics.
"Yep. That's all you're good for really. And you're funny sometimes."
"I think you mean all the time."
"Don't get ahead of yourself there, Tomlinson. Now sit still so I can sleep." He mumbled something under his breath but didn't move anymore as he continued his conversation with Harry and Niall. He moved only once but I was able to get about a ten minute nap in before I heard Bex calling my name. I groaned at having to leave my spot, but got up anyway.
"What's going on?" I was still half asleep but I instantly recognized the stressed look on her face. She showed me her phone and I immediately understood her distraught appearance.
“Mom is the problem,” Bex took my arm and pulled me into an empty green room. "We might as well just talk to her. She's going to blow up my phone if we don't."
I sighed and sat in a nearby chair. I needed to sit for this. "Go ahead. Like pulling off a band-aid." Bex nodded and slid her finger across the screen to answer the call.
Talking to our mother was always a strenuous activity. She usually only called to complain about how we never visit her and about how we're so caught up with our new reckless lives that we think we're too good for our family. Our calls always ended up with the three of us yelling and either Bex and I hanging up abruptly. It's not that we wanted to avoid our parents on purpose. They just never had anything kind to say to us when we spoke and Bex and I had decided that we didn't deserve that.
"Hello mother," Bex said through gritted teeth.
"Are you two in England?!" I sent Bex a look and she rolled her eyes.
"Yes we are actually. How did you know that?" I asked.
"Mrs. Rowe's daughter is apparently a big fan of that British boy band, New Direction and she found out that you girls are apparently touring with them?!"
"It's One Direction, mom."
"Rebecca, I don't really care what it is. Either way, neither of you had the decency to pick up the phone and call me or your father! You went to a whole different country without so much as a goodbye!"
"Would you even care? You've never cared when we've gone on tour in the past!" I was out of my seat and glaring at the phone. Bex usually lost her cool first in these situations, but I was already running on adrenaline due to the fact that we had to go on stage tonight.
"Don't use that tone of voice with me, Carese! I know you two have neglected your past, but I am still your mother!"
"Are you sure about that, mother dearest? I seem to recall you kicking us out once upon a time!" Bex looked just about ready to toss her phone across the room. I really hoped she didn't. She had done that once before after an argument with our mother and she wasn't worth breaking anything over if you asked me.
"As a parent, you have to do some things to-"
"To prove a point, yeah, yeah. You've fed us the same crap numerous times. Did you just call to bitch about us being in London or is there actually a reason we're speaking to you right now?" Okay, that had come out with more venom than I anticipated but she had asked for it.
Bex grinned wickedly and raised her hand "I know the answer to the question!" And with that, she slid her finger across the screen to end the call. The tension in the room had gone away as soon as the conversation was over and Bex sighed. "I swear to god, that woman is going to be the death of me."
"Don't even bother getting worked up. She's not worth the stress. We have our first show tonight so let's just focus on that." I threw my arm over my sister's shoulder as we left the room and ventured back into the hallway.
"I know. She just gets under my skin so easily!"
"Yep. That's mom for you. But hey, if you're stressed, why don't you have Liam give you a nice, relaxing massage." I bit my lip to hold in my laughter at the death glare she sent me.
"Ha ha. Why don't you have Louis give you a massage."
"See, you're making fun of me but I'm tempted to act on your suggestion." She reached over and quickly pinched my arm, making me yelp.
"Son of a bitch! You know I hate that!"
"I sure do." Bex shot me a sweet smile before she skipped off to the bathroom
I rubbed the wound on my arm and checked the time. We still had plenty of time before soundcheck so I returned to the green room with everyone else in it to resume my nap.
* ~ * ~ *
Four hours later, everyone had been through soundcheck, hair and makeup and wardrobe. Bex and I were pacing behind the curtain, doing last minute vocal warm ups. I kept anxiously playing with my bangles and Bex was twirling a piece of her hair around her finger.
"You guys, stop with the pacing! You're making me nervous!" Jackson said, waving a drumstick at us.
"Shut up Little Drummer Boy! You just have to sit on your ass and bang some cymbals!" Bex snapped back at him.
"I'm going to not take offense to your rude comment since I know those are just your nerves talking." Jackson stuck his tongue out at her and turned back to Lee and Alec
"Jackson's right you know. You guys have nothing to worry about." Liam and the rest of One Direction joined us in their usual stage attire. Bex and I didn't have any specific outfits we had to wear like they did. We usually just picked our own outfits out from the stuff we owned and got ourselves ready. The only big luxury we had on this tour was the professional hair and makeup people, which was fine with me.
"Yes, yes we'll do great, we know." Louis came over and pulled me into a hug which caught me extremely off guard.
"Just breathe, love. If it helps, I'll stand back here and watch your whole performance." He pulled away and smiled down at me, making my face heat up. I didn't actually realize I was blushing until I saw Bex's smug smile from behind him.
"Um, thanks, Lou. That'd be nice."
"It's settled then. Break a leg." He sent me a reassuring smile just as the lights dimmed and Jackson, Lee and Alec were given their cue to run onstage and take their positions. I saw Liam reach over and pull Bex in for a hug, making her just as red as I was.
"Ready to do this, little sister?"
"Because I'm hyper and excited and I feel like I'm going to puke, I am going to ignore the fact that you called me that." I grabbed onto Bex’s hand and we gripped our microphones as we were given our cue to make our way towards the stage ourselves.
* ~ * ~ *
"Well god damn that was wonderful!" Bex yelled as we ran off stage. I couldn't even begin to describe how well the performance went. Even though not a lot of the fans knew who we were, after our first song, we had plenty of people up and on their feet. The cheers we had gotten as we left were so loud that I felt them literally vibrate through me. Bex and I hadn't messed up once and being on that stage was such a rush. It was amazing and hands down, my favorite show of ours to date.
"Told you that you would be brilliant!" Louis wrapped his arms around me and swung me around in a hug when I reached him.
"I know and thank you for being so positive with us! It was so much fun, Louis!"
"You’re welcome, babe." Before he could say anything else, Bex slammed into me, engulfing me in a hug followed by the other three boys in our backing band. I ended up on the floor which wasn't comfortable by any means but I was too happy to care really.
After being at the bottom of the dogpile, Louis helped me up from the floor.
"Thanks."
"No problem. The lads and I have to go on soon, but after the show we should all celebrate. What's say you all to a movie marathon when we get back to the hotel?" Everyone voiced their agreements and it was settled. Louis looked back me and pulled me into yet another hug, not that I minded of course. “I hope you'll watch me when I go out there."
"Of course. It's only fair after all." He brushed a bit of hair from my face and let his hand linger on my cheek before flashing me a smile and going to get his microphone.
"I saw that moment." Bex whispered, appearing by my side.
"You saw nothing." I heard her laugh before turning towards the green room. I stayed at the side of the stage like I told Louis I would and he sent a wink my way before running on stage to perform.