michael.

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Fresh off the stage, sweating profusely and surging with energy, the boys and I entered the dressing room with ear to ear grins. We jumped around, pushed each other and literally gave everyone we passed by a high-five. Performing will never get old, and this feeling of absolute ecstasy was something I'd never get tired of.

"We have a day off tomorrow!" Luke announced, opening a bottle of water, "let's go out tonight!"

"Yes please! I wanna celebrate!" Calum chimed in.

"We could go to a club?" Ashton suggested. "There's one not too far from here."

As the boys discussed evening festivities, I kept my mouth shut. I chugged a bottle of water and started to clean up the dressing room where a spectrum of Melody's toys were sprinkled through out the floor.

"What do you say Michael?" Ashton patted my back, as I was bent over picking up Melody's princess dolls. "Are you down to come out tonight?"

"I don't know," I shrugged, "I have Melody. What if she needs me or something."

"Have Annette stay over in our bus. Melody loves her," Calum pointed out.

"Ugh," I scoffed, rolling my eyes at Calum's statement. He wasn't exactly wrong, but I was still bothered by the idea that Melody would sometimes prefer Annette over me. One mistake and the kid holds a grudge because I accidentally popped off one of the heads of her Barbie dolls.

"Mikey don't be like that," Luke chuckled, "Annette is great with Melody and you know it. But if you really don't want her to babysit Melody, just ask Gail to do it! Come on, just come out with us. You don't even have to drink."

I stood there gazing at my bandmates who all pouted their lips in attempt to sway my decision. All three of them even went as far as dropping to their knees, lacing their fingers together and widening their eyes like a kicked puppy. I exhaled, rolling my eyes again, before finally nodding my head.

"Okay fine! I'll come with," I declared, prompting the boys to leap into the air. They bombarded me with a sweaty, group hug before jumping around in a circle. I swear, sometimes my bandmates were more like a group of little girls- no wonder Melody loves them so much.

"I'd like to step in for a moment," Jude began, holding his arms up to grab our attention.

"You want to come with us?" Ashton's grin grew larger as hope glossed his hazel eyes.

"Um, no," Jude shut down Ashton's hopes and dreams in point two seconds, that it was actually funny. "Michael," Jude looked over to me, "social services are coming tomorrow morning around eight. Don't forget!"

I forgot about that. The first visit with social services, I was a wreck, but in the end we did well. I wanted tomorrow's visit to be as smooth as possible. There was no room for any mishaps, because one tiny mistake and Melody could be taken away from me for good.

Once all our belongings were packed, we were back on the bus, relaxing for a moment as we waited for a car to come pick us up. All four of us were sprawled on the couches of the back room, listening to music and catching up on our social media feeds. In the midst of silent vocals, but abundant with guitar rifts, a tiny cry filtered into my ears.

"Daddy!?"

I looked up from my phone, to the direction of Melody's bunk where I noticed the curtains sway slightly. Then, moments later, did I see her little arm poke out from her cozy sleeping chamber. I stood up and sauntered over, kneeling down and moving the curtain to the side to take a peek at my little diva.

"Daddy..." Melody whimpered, her bottom lip sticking out as she gazed at me with sadness on her face.

"Hey princess," I reached over to brush her unruly hair with my hand. "Are you okay? Did you have a bad dream?"

Melody nodded her head, dropping the stuffed monkey in her hands to crawl over to me. Without hesitation, I picked up out of the bed and pressed her little body to my chest.

"I want my mummy," Melody cried, burying her head into the crook of my neck as her arms clutched onto me.

"Hey, you're okay," I cooed, rubbing her back with care. My heartstrings tugged with ache as Melody continued to cry, hiccuping as she questioned her mother's whereabouts.

"Where's my mummy? Please get her. Please daddy?" Melody's voice was muffled against my skin, as I carried her into the dark kitchen area to take a seat at the table.

"Sweetheart, mummy's in the stars, remember?" I didn't know what words to choose that would console her- I just knew that I had to. "What would make you feel better? Some juice? A cookie?"

Melody shook her head, only holding onto me tighter. Just then, Luke walked out of the back room, approaching me with the other boys trailing behind.

"The car's here," Luke announced. "You still coming?"

"Melody, do you think you're able to go back to bed?" I asked her, "daddy is gonna go out with your uncles."

"Daddy, no!" Melody screamed. She lifted her head from my neck to look at me with a pout. "Daddy don't go away. Please?"

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, the bus door opened. I turned my attention over to it, only to find Annette walking up the steps and into the bus. Her presence annoyed me and she wasn't exactly what I wanted to see right now.

"Hey boys, you ready?" Annette asked, a pleasantly demonic smile plastered on her stupid (somewhat pretty) face.

I rolled my eyes, scoffing at her words. My annoyance with the long-haired stylist was in no way a secret. It would take more energy to hide the fact that I wasn't very fond of Annette, and decided to take the lazy route.

"Is there a problem, Michael?" Annette raised her brow in my direction. "Besides the fact that Melody is upset. What did you do, now?"

"First of all, the reason behind Melody's tears were none of my doing," I told her matter-of-factly, before switching my attention to the boys. "Second of all, I am not going out with you guys if she's coming with."

"Oh come on Michael," Calum groaned, "sometimes I think you're more of a diva than Melody is. Just come spend time with us. Annette is cool and you are too. Build a bridge, and get over your hatred."

"We haven't been out with us in so long," Luke noted. "You need a break too."

My eyes darted from Luke, to Calum, to Ashton before swiping across Annette who seemed to not be paying attention to the conversation. The light from her phone casted a glow on her face as she scrolled through whatever social media feed she was staring at. Luke and Calum did have a point.

I did deserve a break- even if it was just for a few hours away from the tour bus. And even though the idea of Annette breathing the same air as I was unfathomable, I knew I could ignore it. But Before I could open my mouth to respond however, Melody's head lifted again from my shoulder to gaze at me with more tears dribbling from her eyes.

"Daddy..." Melody pouted, shaking her head. I sighed, wiping her face with my hands and placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Will you be okay if daddy goes out for a little bit?" I earnestly asked Melody. "I promise that tomorrow we'll go out for ice cream and we'll spend a whole day together. Would you like that?"

"But daddy I love you," Melody whimpered.

"I love you too, princess. But I want to go play with your uncles for a little bit," I tried to explain to her, but Melody's stubbornness was spilling from her little body.

Then, a sigh came out of nowhere.

"Melody, sweetheart," Annette stepped up to us, crouching down to look up at Melody with a smile. "Why don't we have a sleepover together? We can build a fort, watch Frozen, eat peanut-free cookies, and you can play with my hair. Would you like that?"

"Can my daddy come too?" Melody asked, sniffling as her tears slowly subsided.

"Your daddy is gonna have a boy's night with your uncles. So we should have a ladies night," Annette justified. Then, before Melody could respond, Annette stood up slightly and cupped a hand around Melody's ear. She whispered something, and whatever secret filtered into my daughter's ears, caused her to light up.

"I wanna stay with Annette!" Melody chirped happily, reaching over towards the stylist who picked her up immediately.

"You boys better go, the car's still waiting outside," Annette shooed us, holding Melody on the side of her hip.

"Why are you doing this?" I narrowed in my eyes, suspicious of her actions.

"You obviously want to go out more than I do. And besides the other boys, or you, no one really knows how to take care of Melody," Annette explained. "Besides, I don't drink."

"What?!" I practically lunged at the girl. "But... why... and... Dublin..."

"Looks like Melody got her communication skills from her mother because I don't know what the heck you just said," Annette chuckled. "That sounded like a flamingo giving birth."

"Back in Dublin," I snarled, "you made a hissy fit at the bar, and you don't drink? Why the hell were you in line at the bar if you weren't going to drink?"

"I have my reasons why I don't drink Michael, none of which is your business," Annette's words shot me down instantly. "And I was in line because the friend I was with does. Now if you don't mind, Melody and I have a sleepover to get to. Behave, boys."

And with that, Annette walked passed us and towards the back room with Melody attached to her hip. I just stood there, sending cold daggers with my eyes and I swear I could feel my entire body shudder from annoyance.

"Let's go Michael. Annette has this all taken care of," Calum patted me on the back, nodding towards the bus doors.

I didn't utter another words, too annoyed to speak. I followed the boys out the bus and towards the car that came to pick us up. I sat on the leather seats with a huff, attempting to cool myself down from the raging Hell that is Annette Silva. Now I was glad to be out with my band of brothers. I just wanted to forget all about Annette, have fun and maybe hook up with a hot girl.

Being in a rock band definitely had its perks. Yes, overseas we were all legal to drink, but here in the U.S.A., drinking out in public could be a problem. Lucky for us, alcohol was always readily available. The moment we got into the club, the music pounding against our eardrums, we were pushed over to a private table. With a bottle of expensive vodka chilling in a bucket of ice, my mouth suddenly salivated for the taste of it.

"If you don't mind..." Luke giggled, grabbing the ice-cold bottle of hard liquor and poured it into a glass cup. Mixing it with a fancy pitcher of juice, Luke swirled the contents before wasting no time in drinking the concoction.

"I need some of that," I announced, snatching the glass bottle from the table. Pouring an uneven ratio of alcohol to juice, I felt my insides twitching from excitement.

"Whoa there buddy, don't forget you have to be dandy tomorrow for social services," Ashton pointed out with a mischievous smile.

"I know, I know," I brushed it off, taking a long swig of the drink in my hand.

With the lack of a stable meal in my stomach to soak up the alcohol, I knew I was in for one crazy night. It didn't take much for me to get to a tipsy level, and after several shots, I was on a very good one. Dancing in the middle of the floor, with the firm ass of some hot girl against my crotch, I was in a great mood. My head was spinning, my throat was dry and no were fucks given.

I guessed my motives to have the best fun ever outweighed my common sense because before I knew it, I was being awoken by a loud pounding. I thought it was my brain thrashing against my skull, but when I was able to open my eyes, they were met with a disapproving glare from Jude.

"Michael, wake up, wash your face and drink a glass of water," Jude advised, his tone brimming with edge.

"My head is killing me," I groaned, flipping over in my bunk.

"That's not my problem," Jude jeered. He grasped onto my arms and forcefully pulled me up. "You went out last night and I was okay with that because I thought you'd be responsible enough to take it easy."

"Well shoot me for wanting to have some fun," I retorted. "I just wanted to be a kid for once."

"And in case you forgot, you have one," Jude's words lacerated against mine without missing a beat. "Come on, get up. Social services will be here soon."

I rubbing my face in frustration, I swung my legs over the edge of my bunk. I don't know how the hell I got back last night, or when what time I did, but what I did know, was that I reeked of alcohol and vomit. Shuddering from the stench, I eased my way out of my bunk and stumbled into the bathroom. The moment I locked eyes with my own reflection, I cringed at the sight.

Dark circles plagued my eyes, my hair was a wreck, my jeans had dry barf on it, and for some reason I was wearing Luke's Nirvana shirt. I splashed cold water on my face, groaning from the amount of pain my entire body and head was in. I don't know how I was going to survive a 45-minute visit from social services. But it had to be done. Melody and I did it once together, and we could do it again.

Speaking of my little diva, there was a light knock against the bathroom door. When I slid the barricade to the side, I saw Melody looking up at me with a wide-eyed grin. She opened up her arms and began to jump up and down.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Melody screamed, her high-pitched voice resonating against my ears. It was way too early for this.

"Hi princess," my voice croaked.

"You're home! I missed you daddy!" Melody shrieked, hugging onto my legs before she pushed herself away with a rancid expression on her little face. "Daddy you smell yucky."

"I know baby girl," I sighed, rubbing onto my head. "Let me change my clothes and I'll make you breakfast."

I walked out of the bathroom and over to one of my duffle bags in an empty bunk. As I rummaged through my things, Melody stayed close to my side, singing some song I didn't recognize. It was probably a Disney tune or some weird pop song Annette is always listening to- ugh, Annette.

Tossing my dirty clothes into my bunk and closing the curtain, I changed out of my rotten smelling garb. I was in dire need of water, and proceeded towards the kitchen area to grab a cold bottle. Once again, Melody trailed behind me, hopping onto the seat and waiting patiently at the table.

"Daddy guess what? Guess what? Guess what?" Melody was unbelievably hyper this morning as opposed to her normal groggy self. She was excited to see me, which warmed my heart, but made my headache worse.

"What princess?" I answered, chugging a bottle of water.

"Annette is gonna take me to the park!" Melody cheerily announced.

"That's great baby," I replied monotonously, leaning over the sink in case I suddenly had to barf my insides.

While I tried to keep my headache at bay, preparing for social services to drop by at any moment, Melody went back into her singing. Normally I'd be okay with her singing at an unbearably loud voice, but this morning, I was ten seconds away from jumping out the window. I rubbed my head harder, trying to ebb the throbbing in my head, and blockade the sound of Melody but nothing was working. The annoyance was building inside of me and I just wanted some peace and quiet.

"Daddy! Can I have jello?!" Melody asked. "And some apple juice! Daddy! Can you come to the park? I wanna watch a movie too. Daddy! Can we get ice cream too? Please? Daddy, can we play? Daddy!"

"Oh my God! Melody will you please shut the hell up?!" I didn't mean to snap at her; didn't mean to raise my voice but my headache was growing for the worse and her bombardment of questions wasn't helping.

Melody was silent in point two seconds, her face draining from all joy and that broke my heart. Before I could kneel down to apologize and promise her all the ice cream in the world, the sound of a throat clearing wafted into my ears. I turned my head towards the startling sound, only to find a polished woman standing before us.

"Mr. Clifford? Hi, my name is Valerie Ward and I will be conducting today's check up," the stern woman raised a disapproving eyebrow in my direction before jotting down some notes onto her clipboard.

"Um hi there," I slowly said, taking a step towards the lady. "Shall we get started?"

"Yes, that'd be great," Valerie spoke with such a snarky tone that it was very condescending.

"Do you want a tour of the bus?" I asked her, remembering the last check up.

"That won't be necessary," Valerie declared, "the last representatives made it clear that the physical environment for Melody is top notch. However, her mental environment is more of my concern."

"Okay? Um, what is your concern in terms of Melody's mental environment," I air quoted, done with her pretentiousness.

"Will you please explain these photos Mr. Clifford," Valerie pulled out her phone, tapping on the screen before handing the device over to me.

Taking the phone of her hands, I gazed the screen to find a photo of myself drinking at the club we were last night. When I swiped my finger across the phone, my eyes were laid upon another photo of me clearly drunk out of my mind, while my hand was groping some chick's ass. Irritated and embarrassed of my scandalous actions, I pushed the cellphone back into Valerie's hand.

"What's your point? I went out last night, so what? Am I not allowed to have fun?" I was rude, there was no doubting that, and I probably should've been more respectful to the woman who has the power to take Melody away from me.

"Fun is not wrong, but what this is," Valerie shook her phone, "is a depiction of characteristics that do not match a responsible father."

"I'm still growing up. I've never been a father before!" I yelled, anger building inside of me. "I just wanted one night out with my band but that doesn't mean I don't love Melody."

"Mr. Clifford, you were seen by several people drinking at a club," Valerie noted, "a club that is twenty-one plus only. Back home in Australia it is legal for you to consume alcohol but here in the U.S. it is not okay. If you can't follow simple rules of our country while you are here, what makes us believe that you have the potential to raise a little girl. Melody needs a role model, not a criminal as a father."

Miss Valerie Ward was pissing me off. I didn't like what she was insinuating; what she was making me out to be. I'm not a criminal. I'm human and I make mistakes. But one mistake I didn't make was Melody, and I'd do anything to protect her. If Valerie Ward wanted to take Melody away from me because of some stupid photos that were spread across Twitter from crazy fangirls, then she shouldn't be working for social services.

"Look, I take good care of Melody," I declared, "I feed her as nutritious as I can, I give her baths, I take her to get ice cream or to the park for fun... I'm not a perfect dad, but I'm doing the very best I can!"

"Daddy..." there was a light tugging from my jeans and when I looked down, Melody gazed at me with tears in her eyes.

All the yelling and angry expressions must've overwhelmed her. Melody was frightened. I could tell from the way her bottom lip quivered and how she held her arms up because she wanted to be picked up. So that's exactly what I did. I still had a shit load of expletives I wanted to scream in Valerie's face, but my daughter needed me.

"I'm sorry princess," I bent down to pick up Melody, holding her against my chest as she cried silently against my shoulder. Patting her on the back, I tried to ebb the fear that still remained. "You're okay; don't worry, daddy is right here. Stop crying now, sweetheart."

I put my concentration into Melody, forgetting all about stupid Valerie Ward who was aimlessly scribbling things down on her clipboard. She's not taking my daughter away from me- and I'm pretty sure everyone on this entire tour, Annette included, would vouch for me.

"Look lady, I'm not trying to cause any trouble," I started, marching right up to Valerie who stood with such poise it was intimidating, "but Melody is doing great, okay? I'm still trying to hone my skills as a father and while sometimes I do give her Poptarts for dinner, I give her love and care every hour of everyday. So write that in your notes."

I turned curtly on my heel, and while this checkup is normally around 45-minutes to an hour, I was done with it. I was done with her stupid judgments and to be frank, her face gave me a bigger headache than before. So without another word, I walked away to the back room. I sat down on the couch with Melody on my lap, turning on the television so we could watch some Disney film and veg-out for the rest of the day.

Just as Tangled was beginning, I felt a presence enter the back room. At first I thought it was Valerie, ready to take Melody away from me, but when I shifted my attention, it was Annette. Still in her pajamas that consisted of ridiculously short shorts, a tight shirt and Elmo slippers, she leaned against the paneling with her arms crossed above her chest. Looking at me with a pleased, yet suspicious look, she smirked.

"Just ran into the social services lady," Annette said, "guess you aren't a major screw up after all."

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AH! OMG! It's been forever since my last update and I'm SO SORRY!! I was so busy with work and I wanted to concentrate on my other story. I will try to update more often as it is summer break. I do have a part time job but I'll do my best to update! Thanks for
reading my story!! <3