Chapter Two –
It was already dark outside when Hailey climbed the three flights of stairs to her apartment. Actually, dragging was a more accurate word. She was exhausted.
She opened the door with a little push.
Hailey hadn't even taken two steps before she came to an abrupt halt. With a frown she noticed the light that peered from under the door that led to the living room.
And then she heard it.
Talking voices.
Someone was in her apartment.
She quickly made a decision and let her eyes scan the hallway; searching for something she could use to defend herself.
Slowly, without making a sound she moved closer to the little table that was standing on her right.
Her hands took over the search as she kept her eyes firmly on the door; waiting for someone to appear.
Useless.
Unless she wanted to attack the person in her living room with a pack of bubblegum ... everything on this table was just useless.
With a muffled sigh, Hailey reached out her hand until she felt the cold wall against her palm.
She knew it had to be there.
Her fingers followed the pattern of the flowered wallpaper until she felt something hard.
With a smile on her face, she reached for the object that was hanging in front of her.
It was not much but it would be good enough to defend herself.
I am not afraid.
If I can survive Ann- Marie, I can most certainly survive this.
She took a few steps closer ... almost reaching the closed the door.
The voices became louder and louder with each step she took.
As she looked at the door with a puzzled expression, Hailey's frown became deeper.
Laughter was to be heard and not just some giggling. No...it was the sound of roaring laughter.
Whoever was behind this door, had to be extremely happy.
She slightly pushed open the door, and stepped inside.
Hailey didn't see anybody at first, but she still tightened her grip around the object she was holding.
No risks.
She paused for a moment, trying to locate the position of the intruder before she would go for the attack.
Taking one last deep breath, she turned around the corner.
With a frown she let her weapon down … for there was no one there.
She could have sworn that she had heard something.
" Hailey! Home so soon?" A perky voice came from behind her.
Once again she turned around, but this time her hand was clutching her chest. "Dammit Kate! Don't ever do that again, I thought you were a burglar!"
Kate laughed loudly as she made her way back to the couch, letting her feet rest on the little table in front of her.
"It isn't funny! I could have hurt you."
"Let me guess: with that big, bright pink umbrella you are holding?"
"I am not holding a ..." Hailey's eyes drifted to her right hand.
"You've got to be kidding me." She muttered as she finally saw the object that she had been holding the entire time.
She quickly threw the large umbrella aside and looked at her friend again. "What are you watching, actually? I heard you laughing from outside the room."
Kate shook her head, propping a piece of popcorn in her mouth, "And you still thought that I was a burglar."
"Don't change the subject."
Hailey took a few steps closer, trying to catch a glimpse of her little TV screen. " Are you serious ?"
"It's a highly educational programme." Kate merely shrugged.
"You are watching My Little Pony."
"Like I said, highly educational."
Before she made her way to her little kitchen, Hailey rolled her blue eyes at her friend.
Her mind kept repeating the meeting she'd had with Ann – Marie. Without her even realising it, everything had changed in just one afternoon.
She was in desperate need of a drink.
This was an opportunity of a lifetime. If this would go well ...who knew what could happen next.
But still, why didn't she feel the need to celebrate or to run around throwing confetti in the air?
'Because you don't know anything of the band, so you will definitely embarrass yourself and the whole company.' A little voice reminded her.
With a loud grunt, Hailey rested her head on the sideboard.
In the background she heard a few enthusiastic cheers followed by a playful song.
And then it all went silent; which indicated that Kate had turned the television off.
"What? Did Twilight Sparkle save Ponyville already?" Hailey mocked, pushing herself off the sideboard and making her way to the fridge.
With a pull she opened the green metallic door and glanced inside; there was a bottle of wine in there with her name on it.
With a smile on her face, she continued searching for the little bottle her mother had given her for her twenty – fourth birthday.
Hailey remembered exactly where she had put it ... left shelf right under the orange juice.
But when her hand reached for the right location, it only caught air. With a frown she looked at the shelf, seeing that it was empty.
Strange.
She could have sworn that she'd put it there when her mother had left.
Confused, she closed the fridge again; noticing that Kate was standing right beside her, her arms trying to block something from her sight.
"What are you doing ?"
Kate shrugged a little, "Nothing, just stretching a bit."
"Right ... step aside Kate."
"No, I like this spot. I think I'm just going to stand here." Her friend answered quickly, stretching her arms further and leaning even more on the sideboard. "By
the way, did anybody ever tell you that blue kitchen cabinets and a green fridge don't really match?"
"Don't insult my kitchen."
"Just pointing out the obvious."
Hailey shook her head; she wasn't going to argue with her friend about something so ridiculous.
She pushed a red strand of hair aside, realising what Kate was trying to do. "And there you go again ...trying to change the subject."
Without asking it again, Hailey gently pushed Kate aside.
On the sideboard, there was a large brown paper bag. It was clear that this bag had been used many times before as cracks on the sides were already showing.
The bag was filled to the top; leaving no room for something else to put in it.
With a raised eyebrow, Hailey took a step closer so she could take a peek inside.
Eggs, slices of cheese and ham, Orange juice,…
And the list went on and on.
Until ….
With one swift movement, Hailey turned around holding a little bottle of wine high up in the air.
"Kate, can you explain to me why my food and drinks are in this bag?"
"Alright, alright." Kate said, holding up her hands in defeat as she saw the angry look on her friend's face.
"I forgot to do the groceries so I thought you wouldn't mind if I took a few things and I watched TV down here because for some reason mine doesn't work."
Hailey shook her head while placing the bottle of wine back in her fridge. " So you decided to get everything for free here. You do realise I have to pay for everything?"
"Relax… I will put everything back where it belongs."
"No! I will not relax! You have to learn about responsibilities Kate!"
Kate had listened to every word with wide eyes, " Damn, what is your problem? You are blowing everything out of proportions."
It was quiet for a while as Hailey rubbed her temples.
"I'm sorry, it has been such a hectic day."
Kate's facial expression softened a little, "Did Ann –Marie give you a hard time?"
"She gave me an opportunity."
"What? "
"She gave me a job as the personal assistant of a music band." Hailey smiled a little but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Oh Hailey! That is wonderful news. This could be your big breakthrough."
Hailey shrugged, she wasn't in the mood to share Kate's enthusiasm. And it seemed as if Kate was well aware of that.
"Okay…. Why aren't you jumping up and down with me? "
Hailey shrugged again.
"I'm going to meet the band tomorrow to go through a few schedules but – and I am almost too ashamed to admit it- I don't know anything about the band. If
Ann-Marie finds out about that … I can kiss my job goodbye."
Kate nodded. She saw that her friend was struggling to not burst out into tears … she hated to see her that way.
"Which band is it ? Maybe if I know them, I can help you a little further."
Hailey thought about this for a moment. Ann –Marie would kill her if she revealed the name of the band, but on the other hand, Ann – Marie would also kill her if
she showed up tomorrow with no idea who she would be representing.
"McFly …. I'm going to be the personal assistant of McFly."
After those words had left her mouth, it seemed like everything moved in slow-motion. Kate's blue eyes went bigger; her hand even covered her mouth as she tried to prevent herself from screaming.
And then she grabbed her phone from her pocket.
"Chloé ? You have to come to Hailey's apartment right now …. I have one word for you: McFly."
And in exactly 2 minutes after Kate had put down her phone, the doorbell rang.
"Don't I have a say in this ?" Hailey grumbled as she watched her friends running around like two giggling schoolgirls.
Chloé shook her head, grabbing the first CD that was laying in front of her, " No, I'm sorry but I have to agree with Kate on this one. You need a crash course McFly."
Without saying another word, she placed the CD in CD- player and waited for the first song to start.
The music filled the room and both Kate and Chloé started swirling around it. Their bodies were dancing on the cheerful tune of 5 colours in her hair.
Hailey smiled as she saw her two friends enjoying themselves, and she had to admit the song was quite catchy.
"So this is one of their songs?"
"Not only is this one of their songs… It was their first one. I absolutely love it!" Chloé cheered, moving back to the pile of CD's that were laying on the kitchen table.
Hailey nodded, " I can tell."
"Let's get started," Kate smiled as she stopped dancing and grabbed the laptop.
She pushed the little button on the left and waited for the screen to turn on.
"The first thing you need to know is, who is who."
All three girls were watching as several pictures popped up. Four boys were staring back at them in different poses every time.
" Mmmh." Hailey nodded a little, " I must say that they are good -looking."
"Good looking?" Chloé gasped; pointing at a picture in front of her, "They are perfect."
Hailey shrugged, not really impressed with that statement, "Don't you think that's a bit exaggerated?"
This time it was Kate who shook her head fiercely, " With McFly you can never exaggerate."
Hailey decided that it was no use to argue any further. Instead she decided to study the pictures on her screen more closely, as she tried to decide which personality belonged to them.
"That blond boy, is he the serious one?"
She regretted her question immediately as Kate and Chloé burst out into a loud laughter.
"No one in that band is serious." They managed to say between hiccups.
"Right."
She scrolled further down; watching picture after picture. She didn't bother to stop but she knew upon hearing the squeals of her friends, that the pictures were very desirable.
And then she saw something that caught her attention. A picture had popped up of two band members, almost kissing. Underneath the picture was a little description which read, ' Love against all odds.'
"Are those two dating?" Hailey asked curiously.
Terrible question.
"Of course not! That's just the imagination of some crazy fans." Chloé huffed. " Dougie and Harry are just really good friends. Nothing more."
"And Harry is just waiting for his perfect girl." Kate continued.
Chloé nodded eagerly, "Just like Dougie. I read that in Music Deals."
This marked the start of a long discussion.
By the time morning came, Hailey felt as if she had run the 'London City Marathon'.
With a heavy sigh she pulled her blue, satin sheets back and literally crawled out of her warm, cosy bed.
Once she was up, she stretched out her arms and let out a loud yawn.
Hailey slowly made her way through her small bedroom.
She couldn't help but smile as her eyes caught the coloured walls. Her friends had called her a crazy person when they saw how she had covered every wall in green-yellow.
But she didn't care, the room made her feel cheerful so she wasn't really bothered by the teasing.
She kicked a few pillows aside before she finally reached her bathroom.
It was safe to say that the little bathroom was the only normal room in the apartment .
On the right there was the, in her opinion, irreplaceable rain shower, she had sworn that she would never leave this shower if she had the chance.
On the left there was a white pedestal sink with above it a large mirror; decorated with several small lights.
Hailey grabbed a towel from the cabinet and started her daily routine.
Taking a shower, brushing her teeth, dress herself and comb her hair.
It was the same routine every morning and she knew the steps by heart.
Once she was finished, she gave herself one last look in the mirror before grabbing her bag and going straight to Vocal Music Records.
From the moment she opened the doors of the office she could feel the tension in the air.
People were running around nervously; some of them were holding a pile of papers while they rushed by, trying to avoid her gaze.
Others were shamelessly glancing at her; whispering something to the person sitting next to them.
Hailey knew exactly what was going on. They all knew that today could be her doomsday.
Either she would get through the meeting without embarrassing someone or she would make a gigantic fool of herself; resulting into her never leaving her house in broad daylight again .
Hailey shook her head and took a deep breath before she knocked on the door.
"Enter."
"Good morning." Hailey smiled as she entered the room.
Ann-Marie gave her a quick glance before returning to the book laying in front of her, "You are late."
Deja-vù.
"Only two minutes."
"I told you to be here at 9 pm. As I recall, you were also late yesterday."
Hailey frowned a little, not really happy with the way this was going, but before she could speak Ann-Marie rose from her seat and walked through the door.
"If I were you, I would follow."
It felt like they were walking through the large, white hall for hours before they finally reached a large, glass door.
She quickly peered inside, noticing that there were five people in the room.
"Ann-Marie , who are..."
With a confused look in her eyes, Hailey saw that Ann-Marie was gone. She felt as if a little panic attack was about to consume her when she felt her heart skipping a beat.
One hand clutched her chest as she tried to slow down her breathing and she waved the other one in front of her face, trying to gain some fresh air.
This wasn't happening. How could she have left her like that?
And then she made the mistake of looking back through the glass door.
Every single person in the room was staring at her, some of them were even trying to hold back their laughter.
One person was on her way to self-combustion.
Hailey could feel her cheeks reddening. She must have looked like a lost puppy.
With her eyes focussed on the floor, she stepped inside.
"Alright then." Ann- Marie started, "You all witnessed the elegant entry of this young lady next to me."
A definite sneer.
"May I introduce to you, your new assistant, Miss Hailey Evans."
The room filled with the sound of clapping, making Hailey finally look up.
They were applauding. The boys were applauding?
She could feel how her mouth slightly opened, but no words came out.
"If we had some confetti, we could have turned this welcome into a party." The boy with brown hair commented.
"Ah yes and a few bows to finish the job."
The four boys started to talk about what they could do if this really were a party. None of them seemed to realize that she was still in the room.
Probably because she was still standing there with her mouth open.
She could feel someone nudging her rather harshly but how hard she tried she couldn't move.
Had they really applauded for her?
"For heaven's sake ... Talk. This isn't going to work if you keep standing there; gasping like a fish on the brink of dying." Ann-Marie growled.
Oh right!
"Excuse me." She spoke softly.
No reaction.
She tried it one more time but it still felt as if she wasn't in the room.
Fine.
"May I have your attention please. We have a lot of work ahead of us and I don't want to waste my day away in this room while you are having your teatime."
All four heads turned, their eyes locking with hers.
She gulped.
"Feisty... I like it."
Hailey rubbed her temples, "I am sorry. I didn't mean to sound so harsh."
"No, we were the ones who were acting rude. But please continue, you have our attention." One of the boys smiled.
She nodded, grabbing a few notes from her bag. "Well, I suggest that we take this moment to get to know each other."
"If I am correct, you are Tom." She said, addressing the boy who had just given her that encouraging smile.
"Correct. Do you want to know something else about me?"
Hailey shook her head, "No, No... I know everything about you. You almost were a member of the band Busted. You write songs, you wrote a children's book
with a title I am not going to repeat here. Am I forgetting something?"
"Uh ... I think that's about it."
"Good, Good. Now let me see. You are Danny and you were also the one who wanted to throw a confetti party." She smiled a little, " Your real name is Daniel
and you also write songs."
"What? Nothing else?" Danny asked, frowning a little bit.
Hailey shook her head once again, "No, I don't think there is anything else I need to mention. Now let me see... you are..."
"Now hold on. I think it's worth mentioning that I participated in Popstar to Operastar."
"Really? Did you win?"
" No. But I gave people the joy to see me on television."
"That's why they voted you off, mate." Tom grinned.
"So... where was I? Ah yes, next we have Dougie. You are quite a busy boy...You wrote a book, started your own clothing range and you won I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!"
Dougie smiled a genuine smile as he spoke, "I did."
"And last but not least, there is Harry. You are also a winner I see."
Harry nodded, "I don't want to brag but indeed... I won Strictly Come Dancing. But how do you know so many things?"
"Oh, quite simple. I looked everything up. It took me all night but I needed every bit of information. I cut every article I could find, studied every picture until I
knew everything about all of you. I must say, you have no more secrets for me." Hailey pronounced proudly.
"You sound a bit like some crazy fan girl." Danny snickered.
"I am not!"
"Yes, I think you are. Your boss told us you didn't know us but I think you secretly worship us."
"That is bullocks."
Did she really just say bullocks. Hailey quickly looked at Ann-Marie, hoping that she would help her out of this situation but Ann-Marie only shook her head.
"Danny, leave the girl alone." Tom commented but clearly he thought the scene before him was rather amusing.
But Danny continued his little pop quiz.
" So, did you study everything you could find?"
"Of course not ! I have this folder to help." She held up a large red folder, covered with pictures of the band and their name written all over it.
Why did she let them see this?
"You are not really helping yourself." Dougie skipped in.
"This isn't mine. My friends gave me this ...they really like you."
It was a hopeless cause and she knew it.
Tom, Harry, Dougie and Danny were all looking at her with a huge grin on their faces.
She had done it, she'd made a huge fool of herself.
Did this also call for a loud applause?
"My dear boys, although I really enjoyed our time together, I think it's time to close this meeting. I'm looking forward to work with all of you." Ann-Marie finally intervened.
"Trust me, we can't wait to work together." Danny said, giving Hailey a quick wink before he followed everyone else out of the room.
"But I didn't even get the chance to start the meeting." Hailey whispered.
Only she and Ann –Marie had remained in the room.
"You have done enough. You made a tremendous fool of yourself and now they probably think that you are some kind of stalker with that red folder of yours."
Hailey nodded, "I will go clear out my desk."
Ann-Marie frowned a little which didn't really suit her, "Not only are you a fool, you also are taking rubbish."
"So, you aren't going to fire me?"
"Of course not. I noticed that they like you. So I decided to let you be an idiot for a little while longer. Now go, before I change my mind."
"You won't regret this, I promise."
And without looking back Hailey disappeared behind the corner.
Finally a new and - may I add - long chapter ! Hope yo guys enjoyed it!
Let me know what you think.
Many thanks to all the reviewers ! And of course a big hug for my beta WisteriaBlossom1992