CHAPTER FIVE

I get out of the car and head towards the elevator so that I don't have to walk up the couple flights of stairs. I get to the door and I can hear Harry and Louis laughing, no doubt messing around as usual. I knock and let myself in since he knew I would be coming over.

"Hello ladies" I say to them which makes them pause and stare at me.

"Did you seriously just call us ladies?"

"Uh yeah, I did actually. What are you gonna do about it? You can't tackle me again."

"You are evil, do you know that?" Harry asks.

"Yeah, and I am proud of it!" I say with a smile.

"Any-who, Louis you wanted me here?"

"Yeah, we need to get crackin' on that song."

"Ohhh, you guys are writing a song?"

"Yes Harry we are." I told him.

"Why?"

"Harry, I swear if you start doing that little kid thing again I will not hug you for a week!" Louis shouted. I was laughing so hard but Harry seemed to be affected by it immediately and just stood there with a frown on his lips.

"Okay Louis, let's go work on that song then."

"Right this way madam." He says leading me towards a room that is set up like a recording studio.

"Wow, this place is great."

"Thanks" he says and then laughs. He always laughs at me when I get amazed by something that seems so regular and simple to him now. I wish I could live in a place as luxurious as this, with so many rooms that can be used for anything I could ever imagine. I am so glad he is helping me with this song; I really think it will be the best song I've ever written considering that I'm writing it with an international star.

"Alright what are you looking for in a song? what sort of style do you sing?" he asks me.

"I sing alternative rock and sometimes slightly pop-ish."

"Okay, that's simple enough. Now what sort of message do you want in the song?"

"Usually when I write it just flows naturally. Any good song writes itself."

"Well aren't you the little philosopher now." Louis said jokingly.

"I have my moments" We both started laughing and joking around for a short time until we realized that we had gotten way off track.

"Wow, we really need to get to work on this thing if we want to have it done in time for my appointment with the talent agency."

We sat there in silence for a few minutes and then I grabbed the pen and paper and began scrawling down a few lines of lyrics with the notes above the words. I took the paper over to the piano, removed my sling, and began playing the tune I imagined in my mind while I was writing. In the middle of playing my phone starts singing my Barbie Girl ringtone once again so I answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Kimberley Olewine?"

"It is, and you are?"

"I am with the talent agency. wanted to call to inform you that our agents are no longer looking for a young female voice so your audition has been cancelled."

"Are you kidding me?" I was enraged. How could they do this to me when I'm so close to where I want to be?

"I am sorry but it is true. Good luck." And she hung up. Just like that my dreams are crushed again. I dropped my phone in shock and just stood there frozen. I am so pissed off right now but the shock is stronger so instead of fuming, I am frozen in place.

"Who was that?" Louis asked me after I stood there for a while.

"It was the talent agency. They cancelled my audition. Said they don't want my voice style anymore."

"That's rubbish!"

"Story of my life."

"Well you shouldn't have to deal with that, it's ridiculous."

"Relax, it's their loss more than it is mine." I tried to smile but it was more of a grimace because I was obviously unhappy with the events that had just unfolded. I sit back down onto the piano bench and begin to play the song I had began writing just a few minutes ago. Louis decides to join me on the bench and play a rendition of the melody beautifully. We sit there and play for a little while until I decide to add more lyrics to the song and place the newly added piano parts to the song. When I begin to play again I prepare myself to sing what I have written when Liam walks right in and says, "I thought I heard someone playing the piano in here."

"Gee thanks for walking right it, there is something called knocking. You know that right?" I tease. Before anyone can say anything else a montage of people crowd into the room. Of course the crowd is just all of the guys but the room was rather small so it definitely felt cramped.

"Alrightie I need to get out of this room before I freak out. Too many people cramped into a tiny room." I say as I squeeze my way past the guys.

I grab my purse and pull out my song book and think to myself, 'I really need to find a better hiding place for this thing. One where no one will find it and destroy it or steal my ideas.' I think of all the possible hiding places and come up blank. All they guys are still in the hall messing around so I have a few more moments of silence to think. What if I hid it here? Louis wouldn't steal any of my ideas, he has plenty of his own brilliant songs as it is. Perfect, I'll ask Louis to hold onto it for me because even though we haven't known each other very long I know I can trust him.

Niall sprints into the front room and falls over the back of the couch and into a sitting position. He is followed by Liam and Zayn then Louis giving Harry a piggy back ride. That is definitely a sight to see. I take out my phone and snap a picture of Louis and Harry and send it to Jenny because I know she will appreciate it.

Jenny texts back instantly and says ' WHY AM I NOT THERE RIGHT NOW?'

"Hey guys, Can I have Jenny and Alexes come over?"

"Sure!" Harry answered almost too quickly. We can all see how much he is into Jenny, at least when she doesn't curse. so I send a text to both of them saying 'Come over to the guys' apartment!' They should be here shortly so while I'm still sitting down I put my book back into my purse and grab some more Advil for my shoulder before I put my purse back on the table.

"So what were you playing on the piano?" Liam asked me as he sat down on the couch to my left.

"A new song that Louis is helping me write; I was going to use it for an audition but they called me and told me they are no longer looking for a young female voice."

"What? That is ridiculous."

" Agreed!" Niall said out of nowhere. I had totally forgotten he had sat down on the couch to my right only minutes ago.

"If you were writing a new song, then why didn't I hear any singing?" asked Liam.

"Well I was actually about to start singing until you burst through the door and interrupted my playing." I teased.

"Then go back in there and play your new song!" Liam and Niall almost shouted in unison.

"Calm down guys, it's not like I'm going to forget it. Besides, my shoulder needs a break from playing and writing."

"Fine, but before you leave today you are playing your song."

I nodded but I was nervous still, despite the fact that I was told by many people how I had talent. Now I'm all self-conscious, brilliant! I just hope that I don't majorly screw this up; these boys can really help me if I am truly good enough. There's a knock on the door and Harry and Louis race for the door Louis face-planting into the door and Harry running right into Louis' back. When they opened the door Jenny and Alexes were standing there talking.

"Hey guys, how are you?" Jenny asked them both but looked directly at Harry as she said it.

"I'm good, glad that you guys could come hang out again." Harry said smiling at Jenny.

"JENNY!" I shouted trying to break her trance.

"What?"

"Hi." I just grinned because I could tell she didn't appreciate me distracting her from her man. To be honest, we all know that they will get together sooner or later; most likely sooner. They walk inside and Alexes walks straight towards Liam, because that wasn't obvious. I start laughing at myself and I get a strange look from Niall and Zayn.

"Just thinking funny thoughts." I say before beginning to laugh again.

"Care to share those funny thoughts?" Louis asked from behind me.

"I'm sure you would like to know." Niall says.

"I would but I'm sure that Alexes and Jenny wouldn't be too happy if I did." Saying that won me a glare from Jenny and a chuckle from Alexes, score.

Out of nowhere, Liam says "Well Kimberley still needs to play that song she was writing earlier like she promised me she would."

"I made no such promise!"

"Oh come on River, I think you did and you just don't want to play it." Alexes interjects.

"You're damn right I don't want to. It's not even done yet, so there's no point in playing it. Sorry maybe another time." I had hoped that would get me off the hook but I know it would never suffice. Louis pat me on the head and said "It's okay love, we know you're a chicken."

That made me laugh but I was definitely offended. No one is allowed to call me a chicken; well to be honest no one ever has so I guess that statement would be irrelevant.

"Fine I'll play it, but you have to play with me because you added a part to it too and I never got the chance to write it down."

"Okay, let's go play it now then!"

"Really? Why right now?"

"Because if we don't Harry and Jenny won't be on this planet in order to hear it."

"That's true, come along gang!"

We skip down the hall towards the music room and before entry I turn to everyone and say, "Beware, if you enter this room you may never come back out alive."

"Just get on with the song" Zayn said.

"Fine, fine. Geez, patience is a virtue."

I walk in the room with Louis on my heels and we take a seat on the piano bench. I shrug the sling off of my arm and adjust the paper with the notes and lyrics on it. I crack my fingers and begin to play. After the first few notes Louis joined in and after the first two bars of introduction I began to sing.

"Does any body care?

Am I in this all alone?

I just need a fiend and that's what I thought you were.

At night I sit and wish that I had a friend to love me like I do in my dreams.

Are you listening to me tonight?

Are you finally here to care?

But it's not you it never was.

I have someone here who cares now, she knows me for who I am.

She cares for me like you never would.

She loves me like only a true friend could so I'm done with you tonight.

The night you betrayed me was the day I gave up on life. I fell apart and it's all thanks to you.

You don't belong in my life, you never even cared if I was okay.

Tell me now, was taking my trust all just some filthy game to you?

I thought I could trust you, I should have known better.

But it's not you it never was.

I have someone here who cares now, she knows me for who I am.

She cares for me like you never would.

She loves me like only a true friend could so I'm done with you tonight.

I'm just so done with you here, tonight.

I've had my fair share of your games and your lies.

Tonight it's my turn to win and there's no pulling me back to the starting line.

I've found the love that has saved my life and I'm done with you for good."

When the song was over the room was silent which worried me more than I thought it would. I knew it, I suck and they're going to burst into laughter any minute. I leaked the lyrics from true feelings in my heart and they are going to laugh at me; teaches me to never write about my past experiences with instead of laughing like I fully expected them to, I hear Niall say "Wow that was great." That is the exact opposite reaction I was expecting to get from them.

Harry chimed in "Did you write that all by yourself? Because that is nothing that Louis would ever write, it's too good."

That made me laugh and apparently the comment offended Louis because he turned around and punched Harry.

"I wrote the lyrics and the main melody but the brilliant harmony was all Louis." I told Harry to redeem the low shot on Louis' ego. As soon as I said that, Louis' face lit up.

"See Harry! I'm not useless" Louis says with extreme enthusiasm.

"Can we have some food now?" Niall asks out of nowhere.

"Well is anyone else hungry?" Alexes asks.

"Let's be real here, Niall can eat enough for all of us." I say getting a few laughs out of everyone.

"I don't know Kim, you eat an awful lot." Jenny states.

"However true that may be, I'm starving. Let's get something to eat." Liam interjects.

"Where shall we go then?" I ask everyone.

"Where's a good Italian place?" inquires Zayn.

"I don't know what you consider good Italian but at Macaroni Grill there's paper on the table and crayons so we can draw on the tables!" I say excitedly.

"TO MACARONI GRILL!" Niall shouts.

We head out the door of the apartment and on the way out I glanced over and saw Harry reach for Jenny's hand.

"Awwww how cute!" I say, making Jenny give me the 'shut up' look.

Oh, the looks that Jenny gives me. We get to the car and it was voted that I will be the one driving us to dinner. I hop in the front seat and Niall calls shotgun and forces Louis to sit with the love birds in the back. Louis decides that if he has to sit in the back he's going to sit in the middle between Harry and Jenny. The entire ride to dinner Louis was hugging on Harry and deliberately smiling at Jenny while doing so.

"Did you not like the back seat last time we went to dinner?" I asked Niall

"Not at all, all I could hear was Harry and Jenny flirting it up the entire time."

"That's so true, but we are just going to have to get used to it."

"Hey! It's not that bad." Jenny practically shouts from the back seat.

"Sure Jenny, if you say so." I say.

Zayn shouts from the back seat "Help me! I'm suffocating from all of Liam's kindness."

"Hey that's mean. He's being a perfect gentleman." Niall says in a mock girly voice.

"Stop mocking people Niall." Alexes says.

"Oh River, be a good sport, it's all in jest." I say.

"If I were sitting closer to the front I would punch you" Alexes tells me.

"No harming the driver silly" I say sticking my tongue out at her in the rear-view mirror.

"You would do the same if the situation was swapped." She replies.

"Hm, I guess that is true. Oh well" I say with a smile.

"Do you want me to punch her for you?" Louis asks from the back seat.

"Please!" Alexes says.

"If you touch me I'll send Niall into the back seat to beat you up" I say laughing.

"Right, like I couldn't take him." Louis says cockily.

"You wanna battle Tommo?" Niall challenges.

"You're on! Time and place, tell me and I'll be there."

"Today, after we get back from dinner." Niall says

"Ohh today is a bad day for me, Let me check my calendar and I'll tell you when I'm free. Does that work for you?"

We all started laughing at Louis and Niall's exchange. As we pull up to the restaurant I tell everyone, "Everyone out, it's food time!"

We all climb out and head for the front door; I really hope that there aren't too many people who will recognize the guys. When we walk in the host welcomes us and asks "How many tonight?"

"Eight please" I say.

"It will be just one moment" the host tells us.

"Thanks"

"Okidokie guys, there are crayons and paper on these tables; I suggest a huge doodle brawl!" I say almost too excitedly.

"Yeah!" The guys all say in unison.

When we get seated we immediately reach for our favorite color crayon and I fight to get the blue crayon from Niall. It was a success! I got the blue crayon and I began a doodle brawl by drawing an alien spaceship. Jenny doodles hearts with the occasional penguin holding a balloon. Next to her, Harry scribbles over her hearts, making them practically unrecognizable. Jenny pouts, arms crossed around her chest. Alexes tries to draw The Serenity but fails which makes me laugh at her.

"You don't doodle complex transport ships silly." I say to her

"I can try!"

"And fail." I finish the sentence for her most likely not in the direction she was going with it.

The waitress walks over to the table and is a little confused when she sees the table cleared of everything and all of us drawing away with crayons.

"Hello everyone, my name is Brittany and I will be your waitress for the night. Can I start you guys off with something to drink?"

We all order our drinks and ask for an order of the stuffed mushrooms to share. After she walks away we all decide we should probably decide what we want to eat before we start to draw again except for Jenny, she says "I always know what I want from here because I always get the same thing."

"Well I personally like to try something new every time I go somewhere." I say.

"It's called the Macaroni Grill but I don't see any macaroni and cheese on this menu!" Exclaims Louis.

"Louis my dear, you are very random." I say to him while he still frantically searches the menu for macaroni and cheese.

"Try the kids menu Lou" Zayn says

"Good idea, though it probably won't be enough food."

"Then just ask them for a big bowl of it" I say attempting to solve the problem.

"But what if they make it wrong?" He asks.

"Then we will send Harry into the kitchen to make you your macaroni; now hush and continue doodling." I say getting a few chuckles from the boys.

Once we all decided we began to draw again and our drinks and appetizer were brought to us. We were talking so loud, we didn't notice when she tried to ask us if we were ready to order so what she did surprised me. She walked up to Niall who was being the loudest and put her hand over his mouth so he would stop talking. The look on his face was priceless but it was so unexpected that no one said anything.

"Well, now that you are all listening; are you all ready to order?"

"Yeah, I think so." I replied. We all placed our order and once she walked away, we all burst out into mad laughter. I was laughing so hard that I couldn't breathe. Alexes was sitting to my left and she noticed how hard I was laughing so she decided that it was necessary to turn to me, grab my shoulders and yell "Breathe River; breathe!"

It was rather bizarre and I was definitely not expecting her to react that way but she did and that only made us all laugh harder. Our food was served and we were all rather silent while we stuffed our faces when Jenny says, "This pasta is the !"

"Jenny." Alexes says.

"Yeah?"

"You are so weird."

"I know, I just can't help it sometimes."

"I'm the same way Jenny!" I say out of the blue, knowing that I wasn't initially involved in their conversation.

We ate and joked around for a bit longer and soon it was 8 O'clock.

"Kim, Alexes. You two are coming to my house tonight okay? Okay." Jenny says to us.

"Are we invited?" Asks Harry, Louis, and Liam.

"It's a girls night fellas, sorry." Jenny says looking mostly at Harry because we all know how much she would love to have him come over and stay the night with her.