When Two Worlds Collide

I woke up that morning in between Anthony and Eric. I tried getting up with I noticed that Eric had his arm flung across my stomach.

I tried to pull his arm off of me as slowly and as carefully as I could when I felt a sneeze coming.

“Uh-oh.” 1, 2, 3. “ACHOO!!!” My whole body flinched from the sneeze which caused Anthony to shoot up in the bed and Eric was so scared the he fell off of the bed pulling me with him as his arm was still around my stomach.

“Oh my gosh. What just happened?” Anthony was looking around the room wide eyed as Eric helped me up.

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “I’m so sorry guys. I tried holding it in bit it just sort of happened. Sorry for scaring you.” Eric was still quiet from the shock and Anthony had flopped back onto his pillow with his arm across his face.

“What time is it?”

I turned to look at the clock. “Um... 9:30.”

“Oh perfect.” Anthony said. “Your sneeze was a good thing then, because we wouldn’t have been awake in time if you hadn’t have woken us up.” Eric had disappeared to the bathroom and I decided to head downstairs to get some breakfast.

I hadn’t noticed that Anthony was following behind me until his voice broke the silence.

“I’m so glad you’re coming with us. I don’t think I was ready to say goodbye to you just yet. I’m going to miss you so much when you leave.” I spoke while wandering over the fridge to grab the milk.

“You know i’m moving up there when I finish school right? You’ll only have to wait 6 months until we can see each other again.”

“I know. It’s just a long time.”

I laughed. “It could have been a lot longer. Anyway, it’ll be good. I can look for a place to live so i’m prepared when I come back.” He smiled.

“I’ll help you if you want.”

“That’d be nice.” I smiled at him and Eric appeared in the room and he walked over to the toaster.

“So, tell me about the other 3 guys that are in this boy band. I want to know a little bit about them before I meet them.”

Anthony spoke, “well. I don’t know a lot about them. Eric probably knows more about them all then I do. I mean, he and his best friend were the ones who started it.”

I turned to Eric whose head snapped up when I said his name. “So Eric. Seeing as Anthony was complete useless with that question, why don’t you tell me about the other 3 guys.”

“Well. There’s Thomas, who is my best friend. He’s pretty cool. He always has this crazy quiff thing going on but it works for him. He’s got a bad boy look to him but don’t be fooled, his personality is so far from bad boy. Then there’s Colton who i’ve only really spoken to over email and phone but he seems really friendly and he’s got a killer voice. He’s on YouTube and that’s how we found him. Then you have Joey who is the flirtatious one, so if he tries hitting on you don’t worry, it’s just part of who he is. But he’s really cool nonetheless.”

I was sitting across the bench from them both eating now and as I swallowed my mouthful of cereal I spoke.

“Well, i’m looking forward to meeting them all. They seem like really cool guys.”

“They are. Oh and they already know who you are...” he looked up to see my confused reaction.

“Wait, how?”

He did an awkward smile. “Well, I was telling them about you just after we organised for you to come up with us.”

“Oh. Okay.” I laughed. “Awesome. So they have a heads up on how weird and crazy I can be?” I winked jokingly.

He laughed. “Of course!”

“Okay, well we should probably hurry up and eat because it’s already 10 and goodness knows how long you’re going to take to get ready Amy,” Anthony looked at me and I just shook my head, “and we have to be out of here by 11:30 so we can catch the plane at 1:30.”

“You suck Anthony.” He laughed as I washed my bowl and went upstairs to the bathroom.

I heard him yell out after me. “I’m sorry Amy, you know I love you!”

I called back, “I know you do.”

I heard him call back again, “Awww c’mon. Don’t be like that.” I just shook my head as I locked the bathroom door behind me.

When I came out of the bathroom with my hair and make up done it was 10:53.

I had decided on wearing my burgundy flared skirt that stopped halfway down my thighs paired with a black sweater tucked in and tights and black combat boots because of the freezing weather. By the time I had made sure I put my beanie on that Anthony gave me for my birthday last year it was 11:20.

I walked downstairs with my suitcase and everything else I needed and stopped right in front of Anthony.

“So, what was this about me not being ready in time, hmm?”

He nod his head in defeat, “fine. I underestimated you. I’m sorry.”

“What was that?” I leaned in closer to him to make it seem like I hadn’t heard him.

“I’m sorry!” He laughed and nudged me when Eric walked in to put my bag in the car when my parents walked in.

“What are you guys doing here?” I hugged them both.

“We volunteered to take you all to the airport.”

“Oh. Wicked! Well, I think we’re all ready to go. Anthony?” I turned to him as his head snapped up.

“Yeah. Now that missy here is done getting ready.” I just gave him the death stare and shook my head at him.

“You never learn do you Anthony?” He shrugged his shoulders and smiled cheekily.

“What can I say? I like being a trouble maker.” I shook my head and laughed as we head out to the car and went on our way to the airport.

We had arrived at the airport on time and after we checked in I farewelled my parents and followed behind Anthony and Eric as they head in the direction of our plane.

We had been lucky enough to get seats next to each other which made me feel comfortable on my first plane ride ever.

By 1:30 the plane had taken off and we were now in the air.

I grabbed my camera out of my carry on bag and I decided to snap a few shots of the stunning view. I had a bit of a love for Photography but next to dancing it was just a hobby.

I watched as the land below us disappeared under a blanket of clouds and I must have dozed off because I was woken up by Anthony poking my hip which caused me to shoot up from my seat.

“Whoa. Did I fall asleep?” Anthony laughed and nodded.

“You did. We’ve landed.” I felt my heartbeat increase from the excitement of being in L.A. The place I had dreamed of coming my whole life.

We had finally managed to get off of the plane and we were now headed in the direction of our luggage.

“Oh sweet! Wicked, see you soon then.” I hadn’t noticed that Eric was on the phone until he hung up.

“Who was that?” Anthony asked curiously as he grabbed my suitcase for my and he gazed around for his.

“Thomas. He literally just landed so he’s going to meet us at the front.”

I was excited to meet the other members of Midnight Red.

“He’s the one with the crazy quiff yeah?” Eric laughed.

“Yeah, that’s him.”

We had finally grabbed the last of our luggage as we head outside to wait for Thomas and as we stepped out the ice cold wind felt like a slap in the face.

“Holy shit! It’s freezing out here.” I hugged my jacket i’d brought with my around myself and I buried my face in it.

“ERIC! What’s up man? Hey Anthony!” I heard a male voice that was muffled due to my jacket covering my ears.

Eric spoke. “Hey Thomas! So good to see you again. How have you been?”

They started chatting back an forth like girls who hadn’t seen their best friend in ages.

My thoughts were interupted when Anthony called my name.

“Amy! Come here and meet Thomas!” I removed my face from my jacket and the cold stung like crazy.

I turned around and as I looked at Thomas for the first time I was captivated. He was absolutely gorgeous. He had beautiful chocolate brown eyes and an extremely defined jawline. What shocked me though was his lack of the crazy quiff Eric had told me about and instead his hair was pulled back under a beanie similar to mine.

I noticed him staring at me as well as his smile grew.

“Hi Thomas, i’m Amy. It’s really nice to meet you, although I was expecting a quiff. Eric said it was your signature hair.” He laughed louder than I thought necessary for that comment but I liked it.

“Hi Amy. It’s great to meet you and I would have done my hair like I normally do but the weather was so cold that I thought i’d wear a beanie to keep my head warm.” We shook hands and I couldn’t look away from his smile.

Eric cleared his throat and we let go of each others hand and he kept smiling.

“Maybe you’ll get to see my quiff sometime soon. How long are you staying with us for?” It seemed as though we were going to continue on with our conversation and I noticed Eric and Anthony wander off to hail a cab.

“Only two weeks, but it’s good being here because I can look for a place to stay when I come back in 6 months.”

He was about to talk when Eric called us over to the cab that Anthony was already in the front of. We packed our bags in the back and I had to sit in the middle because I was the smallest.

“So, tell me. Why will you be coming back in 6 months?” He looked at me like he was genuinely interested in what I had to say and it made me smile.

“Well, i’ve done dancing for almost 6 years with these two.” Eric jumped into our conversation at that point.

“Yeah, 6 years and she still sucks.” Then Anthony.

“Yeah, she’s terrible. She should give it up.” I laughed and hit them both playfully when I thought of a quick remark.

“If i’m so bad then tell me why I got a solo dance in last years show case and neither of you did.” That shut their laughter up and I heard Thomas next to me let out a “oooooooohhhh, burn!” Which caused us all to laugh.

I turned back to Thomas. “Anyway, as I was saying. I’ve been dancing with these two for 6 years and I finish school in 6 months so i’ll be moving up here to study dance and i’m going to be a teaching assistant for a dance class up here.”

“Wow. That sounds amazing. Good luck.”

I smiled. “Thanks.”

Eric was right. Thomas had a bad boy look to him when you first saw him but as I got to know him his personality made me think differently.

We pulled up to a small complex of apartments and as I looked down the street I noticed the dance school that I had enrolled in.

“Whoa. This would be a great place for me to live while I study. Look Anthony, that’s the school i’m hoping to get into.”

He laughed. “That’s amazing. Maybe you should just live with us when you move here.”

I smiled. “I just might.”

We walked in and as we did I noticed a sign on a corkboard advertising an apartment up for rent.

“Hey guys. Do you mind if I quickly go and check out this apartment quickly?” Anthony popped up next to me.

“Sure. Oh, hey. No way! That’s on our floor.” I smiled.

“You’re joking.” He shook his head.

“Wow. That’s awesome. Well, i’ll put my bags in your room and then go talk to them.”

Anthony had taken my bags for me and put them in his and Eric’s apartment while I walked down the hall to check out the one up for rent.

I knocked on the door and as it opened a girl that looked a few years older than me greeted me.

“Hi! Are you here to check out the apartment?” I smiled.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Alright. Come on in.”

As I looked around the apartment looked great. It had a modern bohemian feel to it which I absolutely loved. It didn’t surprise me now that I had a chance to look at the girl fully. She had dreadlocks and a hippie vibe to her.

“So, what do you think?” She asked as I admired it all.

“It’s fantastic.” She was sitting down and she invited me to sit next to her.

“So, the deal is. You get to keep the furniture and everything but you may need to buy stuff for the kitchen because I never really cooked here so I don’t have a lot for that. You could rent it but I think it would be much easier if you just buy it, because that way it costs less.” She looked at me as if she was thinking about something.

“How old are you?”

“17, but I turn 18 on May 26th which is just before I move down here.” She smiled.

“That’s actually perfect then. I’m staying here until May 24th and then I move in with my fiance. When are you moving here?”

“I’ll be flying down on June 2nd.” She kept smiling.

“Well, this works out perfectly. You’re the only one whose looked at this apartment and been interested you know? Everyone else thinks the decor ruins it and they’re not allowed to change it.”

I smiled. “I love it! It gives the whole place such a great vibe.”

“So, I really like you already. You seem like a really cool girl so i’ll make sure you get.”

My cheeks were hurting from smiling and I hugged her out of pure excitement and gratitude before pulling back.

“Oh, i’m so sorry.” She laughed.

“That’s okay. So, do you want it?”

I nod my head enthusiastically. “Yes yes yes! Thank you so much! This takes so much weight off of my shoulders now.”

She just smiled at me “You’re welcome. I’ll give you my number and you give me yours and if you need anything just call me and i’ll call you when it needs to be settled, alright?”

I smiled and we exchanged phone numbers before I walked back to Anthony’s apartment to find them all already playing Just Dance.

Anthony who was sitting out this round turned to me as I shut the door. “So...?” Eric had now paused the game as he and Thomas listened in.

“Well... I have an apartment for when I move down!” I jumped up and down from excitment and Anthony jumped off of the couch and wrapped his arms around me.

“This is amazing! Now we’ll all live near each other.” A few happy tears escaped from my eyes as he let go of me and Eric and Thomas both hugged me.

I would have normally been weirded out if someone I had just met hugged me but there was something about Thomas that just made me feel comfortable and like I didn’t have to worry about that stuff.

Thomas and Eric had just finished their round on Just Dance when I jumped in.

“I want to verse someone.” Eric and Anthony just looked around like they hadn’t heard me. Thomas, who was already standing and had no clue why they were, volunteered.

Anthony and Eric laughed as he turned to them. “What?”

“Oh, nothing. Just prepare to get your ass whooped.” I laughed as I pressed start and the music begun.

I had to pause the game half way through to take my sweater off because it was boiling with the heating on.

By the end of the game I had of course won and Thomas sat down exhausted.

“Shit. You’re good.” He laughed, breathless when we heard a knock on the door.

Anthony and Eric who had already started another game told me to answer it so I did.

I opened the door and greeted the two guys who stood there chatting away.

“Hi.” They both smiled as I heard Eric’s voice.

“Let them in, that’s Joey and Colton!”

“Alrighty then.” I moved out of the door way and let them through as they all greet each other.

Anthony spoke up. “Joey, Colton. I’d like you to meet my best friend and one of the prettiest girls I know...”

“One of the only girls you know.” I interjected which caused Eric to burst out laughing and the others tried to hold back as he shot a death stare my way.

He laughed and shook his head. “Guys, this is Amy. She’s staying with us for two weeks and in 6 months she’ll hopefully be studying at the college down the road.”

I walked over to them and after I handed Eric, Thomas and Anthony a water bottle I shook their hands. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” They were all so friendly and it made me smile.

Once the other two were settled into their apartment with Thomas they joined us as we played Just Dance all night.

The first one to drop was Colton who I assumed now was the sensible one in the group.

“I’m going to head off to bed. We have an early start tomorrow so, and i’d hate to poop the party, but you guys should probably sleep too.” They all mumbled their agreements as he said goodnight and went next door.

I was next. “I agree with him. I’m going to have a shower and then go to bed. If you guys aren’t here when I get out, goodnight, it was nice meeting you and I look forward to getting to know you better.” They all smiled and said goodnight.

The heat from the water felt good on my skin as the bathroom was freezing from its lack of heating.

Joey and Colton were gone when I got out and Anthony was in bed when I walked in.

I slid into the bed next to him and spoke. “They all seem like really nice guys.”

I could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke. “They are and I think Thomas might like you a little.” I heard him chuckle.

I laughed. “We’ve only just met, but he is really sweet. He definitely seems like someone I can see myself being close to.”

I felt the mood drop as Anthony spoke again. “Just be careful if you do enter into ‘more than friends’ territory. I heard his last relationship ended badly and he’s still got some issues when it comes to get involved with someone.”

My eyebrows came together in a frown. “What do you mean ‘ended badly?’”

“I don’t know exactly. He wouldn’t say, but just be careful.” We both went quiet for a moment when I heard him sigh and rolled over and hugged me.

“Goodnight. I love you. Sweet dreams.”

“Goodnight Ladao. I love you too.” With that we both dozed off, and I was excited to see where this boy band gig was headed.