Counting the Stars

“Callista Blake you are the absolute worst person in the whole entire world!” Eleanor scolded as soon as Niall and I walked towards the baggage claim at the New Jersey airport.

We flew in from Los Angeles this morning. After a very tearful goodbye with my mother, we caught an early morning flight to ensure we were in New Jersey before noon. I was extremely tired from the lack of sleep I had gotten on the short trip home, and because we had to be at LAX a little before six in the morning.

“For the billionth time, El, I’m sorry. I panicked and I didn’t know what I was doing,” I replied, my voice monotone. Once I spotted my suitcase come around the carousel, I scooped it up quickly.

"Who in their right mind just decides that they're going to fly off back to Los Angeles and leave their best friend?" Eleanor asked. Her face was scrunched up in confusion, yet she still looked flawless. Her hair fell down past her shoulders in perfect curls.

I shrugged my shoulders, not wanting to answer this question yet again, "Just hug me and tell me how much you missed me already! Plus, if you keep making me feel bad about leaving I'm not going to tell you anything that happened while I was gone."

Eleanor immediately shut up and mimed zipping up her lips. I sent a condescending smile her way to which she responded to by sticking out her tongue. Paul took both my suitcase and Niall's to the SUV that was waiting for us in the front of the airport. As he loaded our bags, we got into the back of the SUV. Eleanor stood outside of the car and answered a phone call she had received. By the smile on her face, I assumed it was Louis.

Niall looked over at me with a pout, "Why are you sitting so far away from? There's clearly an empty seat in the middle. That empty seat is the equivalent to the distance across the Atlantic Ocean!"

I rolled my eyes and scooted over next to him in the middle seat, "There you go, you wuss."

Niall smiled and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer towards him. I couldn't help but smile up at him as I snuggled into his left side. Eleanor shoved her phone into her purse and got into the front seat of the car. She turned around to say something, but as soon as she saw Niall and I she screamed.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" She shouted, her facial expression a mixture of anger and amusement.

Niall had to cover his hand to muffle his loud laughter. I nudged him, trying to make him be quiet.

"There isn't anything to tell, El," I smirked slightly, enjoying her expression.

"There isn't anything to tell, El my ASS! You two are canoodling in the back seat of a fancy SUV! Yes, there is something going on!" Eleanor continued to shout.

Paul cleared his throat as he started the car, "Eleanor, can you keep it down? It echos in the car, making your shouts extremely loud."

Eleanor rolled her eyes and turned around to face the front of the car. Niall looked down at me and nuzzled his nose into the top of my head. I laughed at his attempt at being cute and coupley.

"Niall and Callista, you have a radio interview with Liam and Harry today in about an hour. Your PR decided that Callista needed to go to the interview today so you can introduce her to all of the fans as the new drummer. You know the plan, right?" Paul gave us the rundown of how today was going to play out.

The thought of going to an interview as myself scared me beyond belief. I wasn't sure how the fans would like me and accept me as "part of the band." Personally, if I was a fan of One Direction I'd hate me. Just for the fact that I got to tour across America with One Direction. The more I thought about all of the fans hating me, the more nervous I got. I must have begun shaking because Niall tightened his grip on my shoulder and pulled me ever closer to him.

---

"Hello! Today we have three fifths of the world's hottest boy band in the studio right now! Welcome to the show, One Direction!" The overly cheery radio announcer practically shouted into the microphone. I fought back the urge to roll my eyes at her cheeriness.

Each of the guys introduced themselves and said a quick hello to all of the New Jersey listeners. The interview started just like every other interview the guys had gone to that I had sat in on, or watched on YouTube. The interviewer asked them how they were, how the tour was going, and a few questions that they had answered thousands of times. The guys would smile and answer the questions happily, but I knew they were bored to death.

"So I understand that you guys have a big announcement to make regarding your tour?" The interviewer said, transitioning over to the topic I was dreading the most.

Niall nodded, "Yep! We have some bad news and some good news... What should I start with first?"

"The bad news! You always start with the bad news first!" Harry answered.

Niall nodded again, "The bad news is that the drummer we had on tour with us for the first few weeks, Kyle Blake, got extremely sick while we were in North Carolina. He was rushed to the hospital, and then sent back home."

"Aww," The interviewer faked sadness that wasn't very convincing, "That's too bad. What's the good news?"

Niall's face lit up, "Kyle's younger sister, Callista, plays the drums, too! We brought her on tour with us as our new drummer. I flew out to LA with Kyle and brought Callista back with me. She's a wonderful lady who is extremely talented!"

I could practically hear the sounds of teenage girls hearts breaking and the sharpening of their butter knives. The all too cheeky radio interviewer looked over at me and offered me an extremely fake smile.

"Is the girl over there Callista?"

"Yes, that's Callista! Isn't she the best?" Harry jumped in. He looked over at Niall with wide eyes. Niall instantly nodded back. What was that?

"She's a beautiful girl," The interviewer practically growled through her teeth.

The subject was quickly changed from me to some more overly asked questions. The boys answered like robots, repeating almost the exact same answers as some of the other interviews. There were a few questions that were new and original to which the guys perked up with when they were asked.

I quickly got bored of the interview and stopped focusing on the guys. I let my eyes roam around the small studio they were seated in. The guys and the cheeky interviewer sat around a large table that was packed with just about every electronic contraption in the world. Wires, buttons, and chords littered the entire table. Lights were blinking here and there, and a few workers were typing furiously away next to where the interviewer sat. The walls surrounding the studio were the color of elephant skin and the texture of it made it really look like an elephant. The gray of the wall's made the interviewers infected piss colored hair stand out more than her anything else in the dull room.

"So, which one of you have girlfriends?" The interviewers most recent question brought my attention back to the interview. My eye's immediately landed on Niall, watching his body movements.

Liam automatically raised his hand, a bright smile plastered on my face.

"Oh, we knew that! The entire world knows that!" The interviewer tried to joke with Liam.

"Danielle and I's relationship is going strong. She's a wonderful girl who I can see myself being with for a long while," Liam answered proudly. It was as if he won an award at an elementary school award's night. Whenever he talked about Danielle I just wanted to let out a loud "Awww!"

The interviewer turned her attention to Harry, "How about you, Mr. The-Curls-Get-The-Girls?"

I actually laughed at that one.

Harry looked over at me and playfully narrowed his eyes, "Single and ready to mingle!" He playfully joked, "But in all seriousness, my love life is nonexistent."

"Looking for someone to change that?" The interviewer asked.

Harry shook his head, "Not now. I'm always extremely busy or on tour. If I'm going to start a new relationship, I want to be able to constantly be around the girl and be in the type of relationship she deserves. With my current schedule, that just doesn't seem possible."

The interviewer smiled, nodding and stating how she "understood how he felt." She then looked over at Niall and raised her eyes, "How about you?"

Niall looked over at me, offering me a sad smile. I already didn't like where this was going.

"You ask me this question like you haven't seen the pictures or read a news article," Niall answered simply.

What.

"Oh, so the rumors are true? You're really dating that Caroline chick?" The interviewers face seemed genuinely shocked.

Niall shrugged, "No one ever said it was Caroline, no one ever said it wasn't."

His answers made me want to jump up from my seat, fling myself over the table of electronic contraptions and strangle him. They were the most cryptic answer to that question ever. I wasn't expecting him to say he was in a relationship, but I definitely wasn't expecting that for an answer.

I mumbled a quiet, almost inaudible "excuse me" and left the room. I didn't want to hear anymore of the discussion that was taking place.

I pulled out my iPhone and went to my recent calls list, finding Eleanor's number.

She answered on the fourth ring, "I'm coming back to the hotel by taxi. Be dressed and ready to go because girls day out starts now." I quickly said into the phone before she had the chance to say hello.

After she agreed and we said our goodbyes, I hung up. I knew Eleanor knew what I should do in a situation like this. For some reason that I have yet to find out, Niall Horan likes to make just about everything difficult.