Grade 8

"After tonight's show we're going out!" Louis told the dressing room full of people. "No exceptions!"

"Where are we going?" Niall asked eye bright at the though of alcohol.

"This karaoke bar." Louis told him with a grin. His eyes scanned the room and when his eyes landed on the two people in the corner of the room hunched over a laptop he thought he would die right then and there. "What the fuck is going on with you two?"

Lena looked up her cheeks a bright red. "What?"

"Yesterday you hated each other now you're best friends?" Louis asked incredulous.

"No." Harry said giving Louis a roll of his eyes. "We're moving past our differences is all."

"They went on a date yesterday." Niall informed him.

This had the attention of Alexis who had been brushing Lux's hair. Her dark eyes meeting Harry's through the mirror. He was the first to look away with a shake of his head.

"It wasn't a date." Lena said frowning at Niall. "No one wanted to go with Harry yesterday."

"You didn't ask me."

The silence in the room held so much tension Lena was sure she might burst. Alexis had turned forgetting about Lux momentarily her gaze focused on Harry. Zayn looked like he wanted to strangle Harry but had yet to move to do it. Lena decided this was the most daring thing Alexis had done in the last three days and that included following Harry around the arena, cornering him in the bus, and openly talking about how good he looked in his new shirt. It was hard for everyone around her to ignore it and keep quiet for both Zayn and Harry's sake.

"It's not like I wanted her to come with." Harry grumbled ignoring Alexis' words.

Normally this kind of comment would have warranted a nasty look and an equally rude comment from Lena. Of course now things had changed. What once would have been wrote off as an unimportant comment was now a comment Lena would probably spend weeks trying to figure out.

"I have to go get ready." Lena didn't really care if anyone heard her as she left the room. Being next to Harry wasn't giving her the butterfly's fluttering around her insides anymore.

Once she was out of the room Niall fixed Harry with a nasty glare of his own. While the room returned back to its normal chatter the awkward tension broke by Lena's departure.

"Why would you say that?"

Harry looked up at him giving him a noncommittal shrug. "It was the truth."

"Just once could ya act like a decent fuckin' person?" With that said Niall walked away going to find Lena.

He found her sitting in her dressing room running a curling iron on hand touching up her soft waves. She looked up at him through the mirror brown eyes meeting blue.

"I'm sorry." Niall scratched at the back of his head his face scrunching up. "I didn't think before I spoke. I've heard I've gotta problem with that."

"I know." Lena set the curling iron down turning in her chair to look at him. "It's fine."

"I thought everything was better between you two." Niall shut the door quietly leaning against it.

"Me too." Lena looked down giving him a shrug. "I guess we were both wrong."

"It's Alexis that makes him this way." Niall said anger flashing cross his blue eyes. "He never acts the same around her."

"It's hard for him Niall." Lena defended. "She really broke his heart."

A slow smile worked its way onto his face. "You love him, don't ya?"

Lena made a face akin to smelling one of the boys socks after a performance, which has happened because Louis is evil. "I do not love him."

"Alright, I believe ya." Niall held up a hand his laugh taking up the whole room. "I was just messin' with you."

"I hate you." Lena grumbled fluffing up her hair.

"No you don't." Niall came closer to her with a big goofy smile. "You looooove me."

He wrapped his arms around her giving her a big hug and a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "Niall!"

He smiled at through the mirror. "Yes?"

"You're so weird." Lena made a face at him.

"Hold on." Niall reached into his pocket bringing out his phone.

"Are you really going to Instagram this?" Lena asked with a laugh.

"Uh yes!" Niall held the phone up capturing the moment. Lena looking at him like he's mental and Niall smiling wide. "Perfect!"

"You better send that to me." Lena instructed picking up the curling iron turning it off.

"Will do." Niall was typing away at his phone. "I'll see ya before you go on tonight."



There were more people at the karaoke bar then Lena had expected. There was something about singing someone else's song in front of people that freaked her out. There was more pressure to get the song right.

"I'm not expected to go up there am I?" Lena whispered to Niall.

"If Louis has any say in it you'll have to."

Lena let out a groan taking the mug of beer out of Niall's hand taking a long drink from it. "I'm going to need a few more of these before that happens."

"Don't worry, love, that can be arranged." Louis said throwing an arm around her shoulders giving her a shake. "This will be so much fun!"

After a round of drinks it was time to start the singing. Louis was the first one on the stage out of their group doing quite the rendition of Paradise by Coldplay. He wasn't taking it too seriously wanting a laugh more then anything. Niall and Liam were next doing a not so great version of Sir Mix A Lot's Baby Got Back that had Lena's stomach on fire from all the laughing she was doing.

"You should go next, Len."

Lena shook her head declining Niall's suggestion almost an hour into their night. "I don't know about that."

"Harry go up there with Lena." Louis said slinging an arm around Harry. He was getting to the point where he might not want to drink too much more and he was starting to get louder. "You know you wanna!"

Harry shrugged Louis arm off of him. "I don't feel like it."

"Harry." Louis and Harry had a stare down, Lena knew who would win this. When Harry blinked Louis let out a victorious yell. "Good now get on up there. I'll pick the song!"

Niall handed Lena her drink clinking his glass with hers before he down it. Lena followed his lead before standing up to head to the stage. As is going on stage wasn't bad enough she had to go with Harry, who unknowingly made her insides act funny. Harry slowly followed after her hands tucked into his pockets. Standing on stage next to each other was awkward both of them not sure what to do. The opening note to Pink's Just Give Me A Reason came on. Lena internally groaned, she had only heard the song a couple of times. Focusing in the screen showing the lyrics she hoped she wouldn't make a complete fool of herself.

Lena watched the screen singing the words as they came to the screen. "Right from the start, you were a thief, you stole my heart and I your willing victim."

Lena sang the words with as much confidence as she could in a situation like that and it had the audience in front of her captivated. Harry watched the crowd as she sang a chill running down his spine, this was just to a small crowd of people and it was just karaoke but she had them they were hers for the eternity of the song. When it was Harry's part of the song Lena thought for sure her knees might give out. She would never get used to hearing him sing. She was watching him so intently she almost missed her cue to sing next. Their voices harmonized together with so much power the room was blown away. Through the song Harry kept his eyes trained on the girl next to him, singing the words to her almost, there was something there that made it almost like the audience was intruding on them. Harry never wanted it to end this feeling he was having singing with her. It was intoxicating and he would never have enough of it.

As soon as the song ended there was applause Harry gave a little bow while Lena high tailed it off the stage. Once back in the safety of her chair next to Niall she took a long drink from her beer, Niall laughing loudly beside her.

She felt her phone buzz in her pocket setting her beer down she took it out seeing that she had a twitter notification.

"You filmed us?" Lena asked looking up from her phone to fix Louis with a nasty glare. "You're getting on my bad side, Tomlinson."

Louis just gave her a roll of his eyes. "Yeah ok."

Niall set a fresh beer in front of her pacifying her for the moment. "Why are you so upset about that? You've sang in front of thousands, what's a bar full of people?"

"I get nervous singing someone else's song." Lena told him. "Too much pressure to get it right."

"I get that." Niall said with a warm smile, his face was turning redder with each beer he drank and sweet had started to form on his forehead. "But you did really well up there. It was kind of like you and him were meant to sing together."

Lena didn't mention the fact that she had though the same. "Thanks."

"Why are you so shy?"

It wasn't a question Lena had expected. Sure she knew she was shy but she thought it had been better since meeting the One Direction family. She had never been able to talk to a person without knowing them for a while, months even, but after everything that had happened nothing was the same. Talking to people had become an anxiety for her until Lucy was brought back into her life. It was easier for her to use her music to speak for her.

"Sorry I asked." Niall said taking her silence as her not wanting to talk about it.

"No it's fine." Lena quickly said. "I just....I've always been shy. I guess talking to people just stresses me out. I don't want to make a fool out of myself in front of people. I don't want to be judged for messing something up. Which I obviously picked the wrong profession."

Niall laughed nodding his head in agreement. "How do you get on stage with a fear like that?"

"I don't know. I guess that's where I feel the most comfortable, singing my thoughts and my feelings."

"Looks like you picked the right profession after all." Niall said raising his glass.

Lena once again hit her glass against his as she drank her eyes wondered to Harry. He was talking to some guys a table over from them with a huge smile. He was still so confusing, one minute he's rude the next he's super sweet.

"How does he do it?" Lena asked turning to Niall. "Go from raging lunatic to nice guy?"

"It's like there's a switch." Niall explained. "He just knows how to keep his emotions in check when he needs to. It's not always easy doing this; staying happy all the time even if you're not."

"Hey Niall you're up next." Lena tried not to visibly cringe. "Better get up there before Louis gives it another go."

Niall jumped up from his seat ready to take the stage. Alexis took his empty seat and a heavy silence fell around the two girls. Lena wasn't sure what to say to her, she hardly knew the girl and what she did know wasn't the best.

"You know don't you."

"I know." Lena confirmed. She kept her eyes carefully trained on Niall who was belting out an Aerosmith song. She was only on her third beer but she could feel the buzz surfing through her veins.

"Which one of the boys told you?" Alexis asked.

Lena noticed she hadn't had anything to drink but kept eyeing the drinks around her. "None of them."

"You must think I'm a terrible person."

"Not really." Lena shrugged. "Can't have been an easy choice."

"It wasn't." There was a sadness to her voice that made Lena turned to look at her. Instead of her eyes going to Zayn like she had thought, they were trained on Harry. "It really wasn't."

There was an unsettling feeling in Lena's stomach; whether it was from the beer or Alexis she wasn't sure. "Excuse me." She mumbled already out of her chair.

The cool night air felt nice after being in the bar full of people. Sitting down on the curb Lena set her head in her hands. This was the last night she'd see the boys for a few days and she knew she should be with them right now. Harry wasn't the only one Alexis affected anymore.

"Alright?"

"I'm fine."

Harry sat next to her his long legs extending out. "Are you sure?"

Lena gave him a nod of her head. She could feel those pesky butterflies again, it probably had to do with the proximity of Harry's body to hers.

"I saw you talking to Alexis." Harry said her name like it was a bad word. "I thought something had happened when you came out here."

"Just needed some air." Lena said giving him the best smile she could muster. "Why are you out here?"

"I told you I wanted to check on you."

On the outside Lena hoped she looked normal because there was a parade going on in her mind. "You didn't have to do that."

"I did." Harry countered he rubbed a hand across his face. "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have said that I really am glad you came with me yesterday."

"You don't have to apologize." Lena chanced a look at him meeting his eyes for a second before she looked away. "I know I wasn't your first choice."

Harry opened his mouth ready to apologize again. "We should go back inside I'm sure we're missing something." He settled on instead.

"Just keep Louis from making me get back up there." Lena joked. "I don't think I could handle another go at that."

"I thought you were amazing."

They had her to stand up their bodies close as they just looked at each other. Lena felt exposed having Harry look at her the way he was. Harry wanted to imprint the way she looked forever in his mind, he was sure he'd never feel lonely again if he could.

"Come on." Lena laughed nervously breaking eye contact.

Harry went back into the bar behind Lena his mind overflowing with thoughts. He had that familiar feeling starting in the pit of his stomach. It was the same feeling he got when ever he fancied a girl. Before he had lusted after Lena now it was something new entirely. If he wasn't careful he would be right back where he was now, heartbroken.