ONE

I wake up to the sound of my alarm. My body tired, my eyes droopy, I roll over under my sheets to hit SNOOZE button. Then, I remember. Today I'm going to the pier with my best friends. I shoot up out of my bed and grab my clothes as I run to the bathroom to shower. I'm running late. Again. I seem to always be the last one ready.

Just as I'm getting out of the shower, my cellphone rings. I glance down at the screen to see the words "Phone Call From: Scarlett" on it.

"Hello?" I say in a still-rusty voice since it's still the morning.

"Ceibs! We've been outside your house for five minutes! Where are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just got out of the shower. I'll be right out!"

"Okay, hurry! We've been craving funnel cake for weeks!" I hear my friend Iana say just before Scarlett hangs up the phone. She's right, we have been craving funnel cake for the longest. It can't possibly be more than five minutes when I'm dressed and spraying Victoria's Secret body mist on me. It's the deep purple bottle that smells like tropical flowers and fruits. I grab my bag off my bed and head out the door.

"FINALLY!" Scarlett yells from the car as I close the gate behind me. "I'm starving!"

"She's been telling me she was hungry for the last twenty minutes." Iana says with a smile.

"Yeah. I'm not surprised. We're always hungry." I say, attempting a wink towards Scarlett. We can't wink. None of us can, but our attempts are hilarious to see. Hopping in the backseat, I pop my "Up All Night" disc in the radio. The beginning tune to 'What Makes You Beautiful' begins, and Iana puts the volume on blast. This is the song that made us fall in love with One Direction. We know all the words, and who sings each part. We have come a long way in our lives as directioners since we first heard this song. We've grown closer together, and we've grown closer to five guys: Harry Styles, Liam Payn, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, and Niall Horan. Five amazing guys stole our hearts. You can say it was love at first sight.

…

I'm already closing the door to the car when I realize I forgot my bag. I reach in to get it and walk towards Scarlett and Iana.

"Ready?" Iana asks with a smile so wide I can't help but smile back.

"Yeah. Let's go." The three of us walk into Redondo Beach Pier in our usual fashion: I'm at one end, Iana in the middle, and Scarlett at the other end. We head straight for lunch.

Sitting at our table in El Torito, I peer out the window and watch the birds land on the rocks. They are suddenly scared away by a strange, curly-haired teenage boy… Wait a minute. No way! That can't be- Can it?

"Oh my God, it's Harry Styles!" I say in a tone that certainly isn't my inside voice.

"WHERE?" Iana and Scarlett say at the exact same time. I have no words. I just point to where I saw him.

"There's nobo-"

"Iana, look! He's over there now!" Scarlett interrupts. I'm glad she sees him too.

Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik run to tackle Harry to the ground. Liam and Niall follow, out of breath and gasping for air. They all fall to the ground on the sand in laughter. Without even ordering, the three of us rise and shoot for the door. We can buy a churro or something on the way.