Stephanie’s P.O.V.
The sun was shining through the big, glass windows in Rachel’s house when my brain fell out of sleep mode and I was just lying in the pile of blankets, not wanting to get up but couldn’t get back to sleep. After a while, I dragged my body up the stairs to take a shower, leaving Rachel still sleeping.
As I stepped in the shower, I remembered my dream I had last night. It was a crazy dream that felt too good to be real: Harry and Niall were put together into a boyband on The X-Factor. I chuckled as I thought about how they would have been living life. Five teenage boys living their dreams as celebrity singers; what could go wrong?
I finished showering and got dressed and ready for the day. Pulling my curly hair back into a ponytail, I climbed back downstairs and saw that Rachel was still sleeping. How long can that girl sleep?!
I bent down and shook her shoulders, dying to tell her my dream. She popped open her eyes and looked at me groggily.
“Morning,” I greeted, and giggled at her.
“Morning,” she replied, and sat up. “What time is it?”
“Um, about 10:30,” I responded, checking my iPod.
“I guess I’d better get up, huh?” she said, pulling the covers back.
“If you want. Hey, what do you want for breakfast?” I asked.
“Anything, as long as it’s yummy and edible,” Rachel answered, giving me a smile.
I smiled back and headed into the kitchen. Grabbing random items I thought I would need, I made us some chocolate chip pancakes and cheese omelets.
“It smells so good in here,” Rachel chimed as she entered the kitchen, sitting down at the table.
“Thanks,” I spoke, setting a plate full of the food in front of her. I set another plate with my pancakes and omelets on it on the other placemat next to Rachel. Pulling out the chair, I sat down and began eating and Rachel did the same.
“I had the weirdest dream last night,” I started.
“What was it about?” Rachel questioned.
“On The X-Factor, our boys were put together into a band with 3 other guys,” I blurted out, giggling a little bit.
Rachel’s reaction wasn’t what I had expected.
“Steph, that wasn’t a dream,” she spoke, pausing her eating and looking at me.
“Wait, what?” I asked, confused.
“That wasn’t a dream. Steph, that actually happened,” Rachel announced, a slight smile playing on her lips.
“What?!” I shouted.
“Yeah, Niall messaged me around 3 last night and my iPod’s notification wouldn’t stop repeating itself, so I checked it out and he sent me a video of exactly what you just said,” Rachel explained.
“You’re kidding,” I replied, shocked.
“No, I’m not. Message Harry, I’ll bet you anything it’s true,” she said, and continued eating.
I jumped up from the table and ran into the living room to grab my iPod. Instead of me contacting Harry, my iPod lit up with a notification from Harry.
Hey, Steph, hope you’re doing all right. I just wanted to see if you’re not doing anything today because I really need to talk to you about some exciting news! Skype me, please? Reply soon!
I almost dropped my iPod as I read the message. My mouth turned into a smile and my insides started to feel butterflies. This was going to be good.
Harry’s P.O.V.
Thursday, July 23, 2010 – 2 days before
“All boys onstage in 5 minutes!” someone shouted, running around backstage.
My nerves were on the edge. This was the time where we would know if we made it through or not. Only a select few of us would succeed in making it to the next round, and even though I wasn’t amazing, I thought I had a pretty good shot. So many people were supporting me and the judges got me this far, a point I swore I wasn’t going to reach. I was prepared for failure, though, but I wanted to stay positive.
“2 minutes!” the guy yelled again. Another person looked at me and motioned for me to go to the stage. After another deep breath, I forced my feet to carry me to the stage.
All of the other guys were getting lined up once I entered. I followed what they were doing and lined up with them.
Soon, the cameras started rolling and the judges began talking. They commented on how well all of us were doing and how talented we are, but they had to let some of us go. Slowly, they named off a few people who made it through and every time my name wasn’t called, I grew less and less hopeful.
“The final contestant who has made it through, is,” Simon began, “Tom Richards.”
The rest of us clapped for him as he made his way offstage, but nothing could compare to how I was feeling.
“That’s it, guys. I’m really, really sorry,” Simon apologized through the microphone.
Slowly, everyone exited the stage and as soon as I gathered up my stuff, the tears started coming out. I used my beanie to wipe my tears (not exactly the best solution), but I really thought I had a chance. I couldn’t believe it, but at the same time, I did believe it. How could I think I would be this good? Most of the guys who went through have had professional training, unlike me. Maybe that’s what I need…
Everyone was running around like crazy backstage. Even though there was crying and sadness all around, people were rushing to call their families to come pick them up and luggage and bags were scattered all over the floor.
The executives told all of us who were waiting to stand in a group together so none of us were wandering the studio. I was standing with a lot of kids around my age, I believe a little older, though. One of the kids I did recognize, but I didn’t feel like talking to anyone. I remember meeting him in the bathroom a few weeks ago, and he told me I would be famous, so he got a picture with me to prove he’s met me before I even became famous. I believe his name is Louis.
We were all just standing there, some silent, some making conversations, when one of the executives came up to us and read off a couple of names.
“Zayn Malik, Liam Payne,” he read. The two boys who I recognized moved forward a little bit.
“Harry Styles,” the executive continued. What!? I couldn’t believe it, and I buried my face in my hands as I nervously stepped forward.
“Sophia Wardman,” he called out. The girl also stepped forward, looking relieved. He called out a few more names, 3 more girls and 2 more guys, to be exact.
“Guys, follow me this way,” the executive finished, and began walking toward the stage. All of us followed, and 2 of the guys, Louis to be one of them, and a blonde haired kid named Niall were biting their fingernails.
They led us on the stage in 2 groups: the guys and the girls. We lined back up on the white line and all of us guys put our arms around each other. I was on the end standing next to Niall, who I could feel was shaking a little bit.
“Hello,” Nicole greeted.
“Hey,” we chimed back.
“Thank you so much for coming back. I know, judging by some of your faces, that this is really hard,” she continued. ”We’ve thought long and hard about it, and we’ve thought of each of you as individuals, and we just feel that you’re too talented to let go of.”
I was hanging on to every word she was saying. Hopefully, this was going to turn into something good.
“We think it would be a great idea to have two separate groups.”
My heart stopped beating for a second. So this means…
“We’ve decided to put you both through to the next round,” Simon finished.
I dropped to the floor as I heard not just the girls, but the guys next to me scream in happiness. Niall jumped on my back a little bit and I looked up to see the judges smiling at us. The boys pulled it into a hug and I stood up and joined them.
“Guys, guys, girls,” Simon declared through the microphone, and we broke apart our hug, not letting go of each other, though.
“This is the life line. You have got to work 10, 12, 14 hours a day, every single day, and take this opportunity. You’ve got a real shot here, guys,” Simon said, and winked at us.
I couldn’t stop smiling, and neither could the rest of the boys beside me. The executives led us offstage and we ran back into the waiting area where our parents were. Every single one of us was running, and as soon as I burst through that door, I bolted to where I could see my mum and Gemma and hugged them as tight as I could. Nothing could contain my happiness right now, and nothing could bring me down. Absolutely nothing. I thought I was out, but they brought me back in, and even though I have to work in a band now, I still made it through. I was talented enough to make it into a band, and that’s good enough for me. I don’t know the other boys as well to figure out if we had what it takes, but since the judges put us together, I’d say we have an amazing shot now.
After a long time of hearing screaming and watching everyone hug, the executives made an announcement that the contestants are now moving to the famous Contestants’ House, so we needed to wrap it up and get moving. I waved goodbye to my mum and my sister and followed our group back through the studio to the other exit. We loaded up our stuff into two different taxis and away we went to the Contestants’ House.
We weren’t sure what to say on the car ride over there, so it stayed silent until Niall said that we should all dress like Louis because he likes his shoes. We laughed and made small talk, and soon we arrived.
The house was basically a mansion, and all of the contestants who made it through before are now living here, hence why it’s so big. We unloaded our bags and the executives led us inside. Some of the contestants looked surprised as we walked through, and I could see Cher Lloyd sitting by a computer. She gave me a huge smile as I walked passed, and I smiled back. I got to know her a little bit a few weeks ago, so you could say we’re good friends. She’s actually really cute, but I have Jade. Wait, no I don’t, I broke up with her. I have Stephanie now. Oh my God, Stephanie! I need to tell her all about this! How could I have forgotten!? Well, then again, the biggest news of my life just happened. That’s a good excuse, right?
I shook my head and followed our group through the house. We headed up the stairs and through a hallway and stopped at a door with an X-Factor sign on it. There was no heading for us, yet. They said we needed to come up with a name by next week. Oh boy…
Inside the room, there were 5 beds set up with a few little nightstands and a clothing rack. How do you expect 5 teenage boys to live inside this room? I sighed. We’ll make it work.
We dropped off our bags and the executives told us we needed to be at the studio tomorrow at 10:00am for a group meeting and our first rehearsal. All of us were so excited and nervous, not to mention really tired from our long day. We didn’t stay up too late, but we got to know each other a little bit more before crashing on our beds in our new home.
The next day, we woke up in time for our first rehearsal. A taxi showed up at the Contestants’ House and drove us to the studio. We walked through the familiar hallways and ended up in a big, open room with a piano and a few microphones hooked up to some amps. 6 chairs were set up in a circle in the middle of the room. We sat down in them and a vocal teacher came in and introduced himself, and we began the meeting by sharing some more facts we didn’t get to say last night.
After our little meet and greet, our vocal teacher stretched us on our vocal range and we got to have a little bit of free singing to sooth the uncomfortable feeling around us. Then we all performed one of our solos in front of each other, and I finally got to hear my group. We were very talented, I must admit. The other boys were amazing.
The last thing we did was sing off of sheet music to hear our harmonies a little bit. It was all right, we needed a lot of work, but we all agreed we could do this if we worked hard enough.
Time passed so fast that it was already dinnertime when we were dismissed. We headed back to the Contestants’ House to find out they had ordered pizza, so we dug in and got to know not just our group, but the rest of the contestants as well. I opened up about my best friend Steph leaving England for America when she was 8 and I haven’t seen her since and I really miss her. Niall perked up when he heard that and it apparently sounded very familiar to him…
“Where does she currently live?” he asked.
“Wisconsin,” I replied.
“Is her best friend’s name Rachel?” Niall questioned.
“I think so, I haven’t really talked to Steph much,” I answered. “Why?”
“Because my best friend Rachel and I Skyped each other last week and she was with her friend Stephanie who told the same exact story, leaving England for America when she was 8 and they’re both living in Wisconsin…” Niall admitted.
“Do you think…”
“It’s possible,” Niall shrugged.
“Wow,” I said, my eyes opened wide and really shocked.
“Yeah,” he smiled, nodding his head.
We finished up our dinner and I was so tired from today, even though we didn’t do much, and I was the first one to fall asleep.
Since today was a Sunday, we had a free day to do whatever we wanted. I slept in until 11 and woke up feeling great and refreshed. The Contestants’ House was alive with the sound of people waking up and already awake, and the scent of breakfast filled my nose.
After showering, I headed into the kitchen and saw an array of breakfast items. Some of the other contestants liked to cook, so this morning was a breakfast buffet provided by them. I grabbed a plate and filled it to the brim with whatever looked edible, and walked into the big living room where most of the people were sitting in. They greeted me as I entered and I sat down in the only open spot left. The food looked amazing and as I sunk my teeth into it, I knew I was in heaven.
A few hours later, I realized that I haven’t even tried contacting my family and friends about my experiences here yet. I ran upstairs and grabbed my phone, dialing my mum’s number. I talked to her for a while and caught up with her, and I was happy to hear her voice again. Then I remembered that I really wanted to talk to Steph, so I opened up my Facebook app and sent her a message:
Hey, Steph, hope you’re doing all right. I just wanted to see if you’re not doing anything today because I really need to talk to you about some exciting news! Skype me, please? Reply soon!
It was about 10:30am over there, so I was hoping she would be awake. Since she didn’t reply right away, I kept my phone with me and headed back down to the living room where it sounded like a party. I sat back in my original spot and watched as some of the guys played video games, checking my phone every 2 minutes to see if Steph replied back. Please reply…this is my only free time…please…

Notes

Hey guys! Sorry for the really late update! As Stephanie explained before, we were both in our high school's fall play (which went amazing, by the way!) and rehearsals and the performances took up most of our time, so we didn't have much time to write.
I'm really glad to hear that you want us to update more, so since we now have time, hopefully we'll be able to update maybe more than once a week :) I'm also really glad to hear you like it so far! We haven't even gotten to the whole plotline yet, so there is a lot more that we can write on!
Thank you guys so much for reading and keep sending us your comments and feedback!
Also love how our views is now 700+ you guys rock!
Rachel :) & Stephanie :D