Amp It Up (X Factor, Niall Horan, One Direction Love Story)

I had made it. And right after I got back into the rec room, people were tackling me with hugs, Ryan included.

These people. They're the best kind of people.

Ryan released me as someone, I didn't see who, popped a bottle of beer open and cheered. Someone shoved one into my hand, and I passed it to Niall instead and grabbed a Coke. I'd been the last one to go through.

Someone started playing music, and I realized it would be a repeat of last weekends ridiculous party, so I excused myself before it got too crazy.

Avoiding most people, I made my way up to my room and opened my laptop to Skype.

I hadn't talked to them in forever, but friends are always there for you, right?

I waited impatiently for Tina to pick up. I had texted her last week, and she had told me to Skype.

She picked up.

She screamed when she saw me, and I clapped my hands over my ears until she stopped.

“Where are you?!” She shrieked.

“Um, Hi to you too.” I said. Tina had already screamed again. “OH MAH WORD! THIS IS SO AWESOME! YOU'RE ON THE X FACTOR! LIKE OMG!”

Her. Accent.

I hadn't heard a good Ole' Southern accent for over a year, and I giggled as Tina talked.

“HAVE YOU MET SOME CE-LIB-ER-DY'S YET!?” She asked excitedly. I giggled.

“Yes, I have.”

“Who?!”

“Um, Simon Cowell, the rest of the judges on the X Factor, and the lads of One Direction.” I stated. Tina's next scream made me turn down the volume on the laptop for fear of someone overhearing.

“OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG-” Tina began shrieking over and over, but I interrupted her.

“TINA!”

“What?”

“Shut up.” I said. She giggled again. “I missed you so much.” I said. She grinned even wider. “I missed you too hunny.”

To me it sounded like, “Ah missed ya tuh hunneh”

I snorted and started laughing, and she looked hurt. “What'd I do?!” She asked worriedly.

“No-nothing, it's your accent.” I giggled. Tina looked indigent. “Well, yours isn't any better! Are you a leprechaun or something now?!”

I laughed even harder, and I failed to hear the sound of my bedroom door opening until it was too late.

“Mph.” Was the only noise I could make as six teenage boys landed on top of me, all of them kicking and wiggling.

“GET OFF!” I yelled.

“What are you doing? Watching porn?!” Louis chirped.

"No! I'm talking to Tina!" I snapped. I shoved Harry's foot away from my face.

“KELLAH! Kellah Melendez! Answer me! Are you OKAY!? Are you dead?!” Tina yelled from the overturned laptop.

“I'm fine Tina...” I said. I slowly sat up and rubbed my arm. “These IDIOTS jumped on me and want to know about my sexuel exploits."

“Yikes. Careful. Who's the idiots?” Tina asked. The boys slowly sat around me as I opened the laptop back up and righted it.

“Um, I think you know them.” I stated. Tina's eyes grew wide, and she turned in her computer chair.

“VANESSA! GET IN HERE! ONE DIRECTION'S ON THE LAPTOP!”

A voice called back from the bathroom. “HUSH AND GET OFF GOOGLE I'M READING DARK!”

I snorted and covered my mouth as I turned red. Dark? Um, wow. Since when did innocent Vanessa Benson read DARK?

“Uh, isn't that a fan fiction about me?” Harry asked in his deep voice. I silently laughed as Tina's face turned redder than a tomato.

A door opened behind Tina and Vanessa walked out, wearing a blue tank top and towel dying her long blond hair. Tina was still sitting with her eyes wide, staring at the screen. Vanessa sat beside Tina, then finally looked at the screen.

I quickly screen shotted Vanessa's face before she could change it. It wasn't very attractive on her normally completely beautiful face. Her bright blue eyes were bugging out, her mouth was open like a fish, opening and closing with no noise coming out. Tina's face was nearly the same. They looked a lot alike, except Tina had more of a olive completion, and green eyes instead of blue. Her hair was bordering on brunette instead of blonde now. Vanessa's was a brighter blonde,, and her skin was fairer.

Jasmine reached up and pulled the towel off of her face and tried to compose herself. Tina visibly shook herself and pursed her lips.

“Uh, yeah, Nessi, I was, uh, talking to Kelly, and uh, they came in and jumped on her, and uh, I don't really know what to uh, say...” Tina said. Her voiced trailed off just as Vanessa took a deep breath in to scream.

I braced myself, but Vanessa just let the breath out and spoke instead. “Hey, y'all, I'm Vanessa.” She said. I was surprised on how normal she sounded.

The boy's all waved and I introduced them. I introduced Ryan last. “And this idiot is like my brother, Ryan, meet Tina and Vanessa.”

The girls waved, then a few minutes later I ended the call. I closed my laptop and went to the bathroom. When I came back, The boys were still sprawled lazily across my bed on their phones. I joined them, easing down beside Liam and Niall. My back throbbed as I did so, and I grabbed my pillow from Zayn and slid it under my back. Stupid period.

He shot me a look but kept quiet for the benefit of Harry, who seemed to be sound asleep with a smile in his face.

“Harry has a thing for blonds.” Louis whispered to me. I nodded. Well, that would be interesting. Tina and Vanessa's favorite out of the band was Harry.

Eventually I got off Skype, and we relaxed for a long time before anyone said anything.

The noise of the mini-party downstairs was gone. I looked at Liam, confused, and gestured to the floor. Louis had dropped off as well, his head on Harry's chest.

“Simon came busting in and told everyone to pack, you're leaving for the house for the live shows in an hour.” Liam yawned.

“WHAT!?” I shrieked. Niall clapped a hand over my mouth, and I shoved them away from me and ran to my bags.

“WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!?” I raged. Stupid mood swings.

I gathered clothes and stuffed them into the bags, then grabbed my guitars and bass and packed them in their respective cases. I knew better than to try and lift the amps though.

“Ryan, grab those amps please.” I said. He jumped off of the bed and came to stand beside me. “All of them?” He asked. “It's two amps.” I said. “You can handle it.”

It came out a little harsher than necessary when I bent to pick up the bag and my back throbbed again. This was torture. Cramps and back pain are the worst.

Ryan looked worriedly at me, but I ignored him and the rest of the boys and headed out the door with my bags. As I descended the stairs I realized that I was still wearing the dress that I had worn while I sang for Simon. And my hair was still in a curly bun,

I put my clothes in the trunk of my car and headed back upstairs. When I was walking back up the stairs, Niall, Liam, Louis and Harry passed me. Each of them had one or more of my bags and guitars and my bass.

“What're y'all doing?!” I sputtered.

“Carrying your stuff. Problem?” Louis asked. I stood dumbstruck as they loaded it into the backseat of my car, then high fived and headed back up the stairs.

“Thank you.” I said as they passed. They nodded.

I went back to my room, passing several other contestants who had made it through, who congratulated me on getting through. I talked to a few, then went and used my one remaining bag and changed into jeans and a tank top with a navy blue lace half shirt over it. I slipped my black leather flats on and left my hair how it was.

I grabbed the bag, checked the bathroom and got my toiletries, then headed out the door to my car.

Everyone was gathered around Simon, who was reading off a address. I typed it into the GPS on my phone and set it.

I was in my car and adjusting my seat belt when someone knocked on my window. I rolled it down to Ryan and a very sheepish Niall.

“Hey, there's not enough room with all our stuff in the van, can Niall ride with you?” Ryan asked.

“Sure. Hop in. You need your bags or anything?” I asked Niall. He shook his head and got in the passenger side of my car.

He looked comical with his legs being cramped against the dashboard. I leaned over him and showed him where the switch was, and he sat the seat back. He released a breath and grinned at me. I smiled back, then sat the car in reverse and checked over my shoulder.

“I am never going to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road.” I said a few minutes later. Niall laughed.

“It's only wrong to yeh Americans, the rest of the world drives like that.” He corrected me.

“Seeing as an American invented the car, we drive on the right side and you drive on the left, which is wrong.” I countered.

“We improved on it.”

“If by improve you mean destroy, then yes, you did.” I said. I cringed every time a car passed us on the right. It felt weird to drive like this.

“If you're so uncomfortable drivin' I can do it.” Niall offered a few minutes later, after I had squeaked loudly when a large truck passed us.

“Yes, please.” I said. I pulled the car into a driveway, and Niall and I switched places.

He was a very good driver, I soon found. And since he kept his eyes on the road, I got to really study him.

His hair was growing in dark, there was almost no blonde left except on the very tips. It was styled with gel, and it was longer than normal. He was wearing a white tee-shirt and his tan chinos, with red high top shoes that I didn't know the names off. In other words, he looked pretty hot.

I stopped looking at him and looked out the window when he leaned forward and tried to figure out my crappy radio. I plugged my iPod up instead and put my “Get Pumped” play list on.

Fall Out Boy started playing, and I automatically started singing to My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark.

Niall sang with me, then Dance Dance came on and we started singing in extremely high and low voices, trying to get the other to laugh. At one point I had him laughing so hard he pulled over on the side on the road until he calmed down.

Next, to my mortal embarrassment Express by Christina Aguilera came on. My cheeks turned bright red as Niall began singing it and waggling his eyebrows suggestively at me. Complete with dance moves.

“TO SHOW A LITTLE LEG, GOTTA SHIMME YOUR CHEST!” Niall sang. He jerked his shoulders in what he seemed to think was an attractive way and I lost it and began laughing.

I started snapping my fingers to the beat and bobbing my head.

“E. X. P. R. E. S. S. Love. Sex. Ladies no regrets.” Niall sang in a womanly voice. I raised an eyebrow at him. Did he know every word?

“BEEN HOLDEN BACK FOR QUIET SOME TIME! AND FINALLY THE MOMENT'S RIGHT! I LOVE TO MAKE THE PEOPLE STARE!” I sang. I got all into it, using a hairbrush as a microphone as Niall tried to sing with me. He eventually gave up and just let me sing, while he did the dance moves.

I changed the song once he tried to do a hip thrust while shaking his shoulders. He almost ran off the road.

~ ~ ~