The first thing that happens when I leave my room in the hotel to meet the lads is that Alex comes to me, determined steps and a deep frown. Next, she just hits me. Hard. Her fist right on my shoulder, I even stumble back a few steps. I would have never imagined she was that strong!

“Ouch! What was that for?!” I demand, my right hand on my shoulder rubbing to lessen the pain.

“For making Niall sad!” she shouts and only then I see Niall a few step behinds, staring at Alex with eyes of a lost puppy. “How could you do that?!” And then she hits me again.

“Ouch! Stop that, will you? I was doing him a favour!” I shout back and I notice the lads are around there, watching us carefully. They all look miserable. Harry is not there, though.

“Oh really? By telling him lies? You know he is insecure and he gets jealous. I would never, ever, do that to Niall. You can bring the one and only Chris Hemsworth claiming his undying love and I still would pick Niall. I love him!” Niall approaches and takes her hand.

“It’s okay, babe. Let’s go,” he pleads but she punches me again.

“No it’s not! He can’t go around scaring the rest because he is a little pussy!” she shouts and I gasp. She is really mad at me right now. I’ve never seen her like this before. Then her eyes are on my, like bloody daggers. “I love him and he is worth every single thing that happens. You can’t go around making him doubt that!”

“Why? Why wouldn’t I? Who can say you won’t change him for someone better,” I defy her.

“I can say that! And you know why? Because there’s no one better than him for me! Because I’m not Eleanor! You can’t expect me to do the same things she did. Get over that!”

I step back, her words hitting harder than her fists. I can’t even breathe for a whole second and she realises she has gone too far. Her expression changes, her eyes soften and her body seems to get smaller. Her hands try to reach me but I step farther away, breathing heavily now.

“I’m sorry, Boo-bear, I—”

“Don’t. Ever. Call. Me. That. Again. Only my mum can do that, no one else,” I growl slowly at her, stepping forward threateningly and Niall steps forward now, ready to protect Alex. “You’re no better than her,” is the last thing I say before I walk past them ignoring Alex calling my name. And to make things worse, I see Kay next to the lift doors, watching me carefully.

I’m not in the mood to deal with her right now, I’ve had enough. I was only trying to help Niall. As Alex claims to love him, Eleanor did the same and yet she still changed me for someone else. Why would she be different?

I use the stairs and I know we have to go to the venue for sound check for the gig tonight, but I don’t care about that now. Alex says get over what happened, as if it were that easy. I’m over the poisonous traitor, but I can’t just forget what she did. I can’t get over what it means. I can’t trust any woman again, they are all the same and I want my friends to be safe.

Somehow, I get to the hall of the hotel and then I turn right and get into a more private room, with a bar and a few tables. I guess it’s a place for people to talk and chill out without being exactly on the bar. But that’s not what surprises me, oh no, because when I walk in, I see Harry.

Since Hannah and him got back together, he is always happy. Annoyingly happy. But now he looks miserable… did Hannah dump him already?

“Harry?” I ask and his head snaps in my direction. “You okay?”

He looks away and doesn’t say anything, so I sit next to him and grab his shoulder, squeezing it gently. I’m ready to comfort him, I won’t even say I told you so.

“Do you really think she will leave me for another guy?” he inquires ever so softly, not meeting my eyes.

So she hasn’t left him yet?

Harry looks at me and I see real fear in his eyes, the same way Niall looked at me in the bus and the way Zayn did. And it’s when I see him like that, terrified of losing Hannah that I realise how much he loves her. I can’t tell him that I do believe she will break him, but I don’t want him depressed again. I remember when he and Hannah broke up and I couldn’t help him. Moni and Mila had to do it, I was making him feel more miserable. I can’t do that again. Plus, this is my responsibility in a way.

“I hope I’m wrong and she won’t,” I answer, really hoping Hannah would be the exception and she won’t find someone better than Harry. I don’t want my best mate to go through what I had to.

“But what if you’re right, what if now she can find someone better? She says she loves me and she can’t live without me… but I can’t be with her all the time,” he says and I feel bad for making him feel like this, for making him question his relationship. I know he should be prepared, because sooner or later it will happen, but I hate seeing him like this.

“There’s no one better than you for Hannah and if she thinks of leaving you, she is a fucking ungrateful whore,” I try to cheer him up, trying to make him laugh but he hits me.

What’s wrong with people today? Why is everyone hitting me?

“Don’t say those things!” Harry reprimands me. “Never say those things about Hannah.”

“Sorry,” I mutter, not only for offending his girlfriend, but also for making him sad with the things I told him. “I just had a bad dream. I guess I didn’t want to be the only one miserable. I shouldn’t have said those things in the bus.”

Harry looks at me for couple of seconds and after a while, he finally smiles. “You don’t have to be like that. You know all women are not the same.”

“No I don’t, I can’t know,” I reply. “And as I can’t be sure about them being different from the worst, I can’t risk it. I feel safer like this, Harry,” I confess, saying these things out loud for the first time.

I know he is worried, I know he wants to do something about it, but what can he do? What can anyone do?

“Maybe I should just become gay. I’ll be free of all women and many fans would be happy,” I joke, trying to light up the mood but Harry goes serious. “I was joking!” I say raising my hands in surrender but he shakes his head.

“Let’s just go to the venue. I’m sure Paul is already waiting for us,” he says standing up and three seconds later, I follow him. I know he is still sad, I know this isn’t fixed, but I hope he will be fine again soon. I don’t like seeing Harry sad. I don’t like seeing any of the lads sad.

I need to apologise to Niall and Zayn, too.

+ + + + +

After Liam nagged us for days and days about finding time to rehearse with Prodigy for the gig they promised to the kids from You Matter, he finally arranged the four girls to meet us in one of the cities we’re passing by to rehearse and see what we can do. In all honesty, I think it’s going to be a complete disaster. I’ve seen those girls, their style and what they do on stage and they are nothing like us. It’s like trying to put Hannah Montana and Amy Lee together. Nope, simply no. It has Complete Failure written all over it. But Liam really wants to do it. He has really engaged himself with the cause and he wants to make those kids happy, so I guess we can manage to bear with those four weird girls for the sake of those kids. They deserve every wish they make and if we can help make one true, then we have to do it.

So that’s how we end up with four girls looking at us with the same expression we have: How the hell is this going to work? Tammy is holding the case of a guitar, I presume. Emma is with her bass, Skyler with her guitar and Leanne has her drumsticks. I guess she couldn’t bring the drums. Is she going to make one? Next to them is an older woman, around forty maybe, with brown, short curly hair and small eyes, yet she looks a bit intimidating. I’m sure she is their manager, she looks like the kind of woman that can cope with the four members of Prodigy.

“Do you have a drum set? I couldn’t bring mine,” Leanne asks sticking her hips to one side and pouting. The lads react and I don’t blame them. Out of the four girls, Leanne is the hottest and she knows it. They all are sexy in their own way, but Leanne is smoking hot. It’s a good thing Alex is not around ‘cos she would kill Niall for staring at Leanne that way. Again, I don’t blame him, I have to fight hard not to look her down the eyes.

“You can use Josh’s,” Liam answers taking the first step forward. Can you believe that we’re standing in lines facing each other? Almost as two fronts ready to attack in a war. I think that’s quite an accurate description for how this feels like.

“So it’s not only the five of you?” The blonde girl asks with a huge smile and sparkly eyes. For a second I feel like a prey and she is the lioness. I’m scared. “Sweet. I can’t wait to meet the rest of the band.”

“Josh has a girlfriend,” I say and I feel my mates looking at me surprised. The girls in front of us look at me in the same way, but they are more amused, even Skyler who always looks uninterested in what is happening unless she is playing. “So does the blond over there,” —I point at Niall—, “And this bloke over here,” —Zayn— “and the curly one. So don’t touch them.”

Leanne actually laughs and I see Skyler shaking her head but with a little smile. “Oh boo, so that only leaves you and Liam, right? But Liam is Tammy’s so I can’t touch him.” Not only Liam gasps but also Tammy. I see that this isn’t amusing for her either But I ignore them when I see Leanne walking towards me, her focus solely on me and I step backwards, intimidated. She is more intimidating than Kay! Maybe because Leanne has a sensuality that I haven’t seen in anyone else. Maybe only on Emma when she was playing the bass the other day.

“I love you, Leanne,” says another feminine voice and my head snaps in its direction and I find Kay, smiling sweetly. “But Louis is mine so I would very much appreciate it if you don’t try to steal him from me. I’m working very hard on him, aren’t I, babe?” she asks me getting to my side and looping her arm around me.

For the first time I don’t push her away nor I snap at her because, only for today, she has saved me from Leanne.

“Oh boo, I thought I could’ve got a boyfriend from this experience as well. The five of you are so cute.” Why does cute sound like an insult coming from her lips?

Oh, I know why! When we started we were the five cute British boys, those who looked innocent and harmless and we’ve fought hard to show that we have grown up, that we’re not kids anymore. When Leanne says cute, I feel like we’re pulled back to those times when we were kids.

“Not only cute,” Kay says and again my head snaps to look at her surprised. “They are men now, they are hot. Don’t you agree?” Although the question is addressed to Leanne, her brown eyes are on me and I’m speechless. She just said what I wanted to hear, like she had just taken a glimpse inside my mind. “Maybe too hot, my poor hormones suffer all the time that I’m near Louis.”

“I believe you,” Leanne laughs and only then I look back at her. “Anyways, as I’m not getting a boyfriend today we might as well start practising. We need to pick the songs and figure out how we’re gonna merge our styles together.”

And just like that, the awkwardness is gone and she is all business. I sigh relieved and five minutes later I notice Kay is still holding my arm and I wiggle my way out. But she notices this as we make our way to the venue where we’re playing the next day. Kay smiles at me but I ignore her. I won’t accept she helped me out today. I will never accept that out loud.