#5sauce

I remember her so clearly. I had been a junior when she was a senior, but I noticed her long before then. It probably was because her hair was always dyed elaborate colors. Red, pink, purple, blue. Sometimes more than one and they never seemed to fade, she was so colorful and bright in such a dreary place like school. I wanted her to notice me the same way I noticed her. I started to dress nicer, well attempted to at least. I had no idea what would make me seem more interesting. She doesn't even get dressed in the morning's much. She doesn't wear jeans or skirts or dresses like all the other girls. She wears sweat pants and hoodies, the hood up covering her hair to conceal herself. The one time we did meet, we bumped into each other at the store and I stood there like an idiot. She just smiled at me and apologized. I think I was in shock that she was just talking to me in general. She also asked me if we went to the same school and I said, "Oh yeah I was a senior a few year's ago. I'm twenty." I spit out. Which was an obvious lie, if she ever sees me at that school, then I'm done for. She's gonna know I lied. I'm sure she's seen me around school recently, but she just nods. Her hair was chopped, just above her shoulders now, completely different from what she had ever done before. It was mesmerizing. 

I wish I had been less of an idiot, didn't let her walk away from me but there was nothing I could do. I didn't have a job, and my mum's got no money to help me take her out either. I'm the worst fake twenty year old ever. Sometimes I wish that I could just change. Be exactly who she needs me to be. 

And then after that whole store moment, I went home and did nothing. Thinking about her. It's so obvious that she's out of reach for a guy like me. It's really hard to even come to terms with that cause she makes me feel like I'm trying too hard. I mean really? Aging myself up four years? She probably saw right through me. Dressing up? That's not me. I've never cared so much about what I wear, or do, or say, in front of a girl before. Even when I liked girls when I was younger. I never cared and I have no idea why this girl is making me want to try so hard. 

The next day at school was different. I hid in the library during my lunch period, which of course we had together. It's how I saw her for the first time. She came in alone, returning a book. Her shirt had slid up as she leaned against the counter engaging in conversation with the library. I hardly ever see her talk to anyone. I noticed it really quickly, a tattoo. The more I stared, the more I pondered over what it could be. The lines weren't dark or rough, but dainty and smooth against her skin, finished to perfection. I don't know why I never thought she'd have tattoos. She has a few piercings. 

I think it's a rose?

I can just barely make out thorns and vines. It's pretty, I decided it was. If it was on her, it couldn't be anything less than perfect. Leaning over to get a closer look, I narrow my eyes drinking in the details. My chair slowly slides closer to the floor before I lose my balance. I crash to the floor in a heap and a loud laugh comes from behind me. I turn and glare at whoever laughed at me. Oh, Michael Clifford of course. He's sitting with all his little loser friends. "You know she's into drummers, not guitarists mate." he laughed, standing up and walking over to me. He held his hand out to me but I just glared at him. "I don't need your help." I huffed, standing up on my own. He shrugs and picks the chair up. "Speaking of guitarists and drummers, I heard you've been posting youtube videos playing the guitar." he says. I felt like he was gonna annoy the shit out of me about it, probably bully me. "I don't." I turned, watching as y/n begins to leave but Michael laughs and sits down in my chair. "Yeah right, I've got this idea..." he trails off but I'm hardly listening to him, I've got bigger thing's on my mind.

She's not into guitarists?

Within the next few days, we see each other a lot more out of school. Y/n and I, not Michael he's weird. He keeps stealing Calum from me, and Calum thinks he's cooler than me which is not true. I asked my mum and she said no one's cooler than I am. Every time we bump into each other, twice now, I keep getting these nervous jitters. My mum sent me to the library when she was doing some extra work at home and didn't want to listen to me play the guitar anymore. I was kind of starting a band with Michael, but were trying to rope Calum in it with us, but he's too busy with football. No one cares about football mate, it's all about the music!

I wondered a lot if I should just give up guitar and buy a drum kit. Maybe she'd like me more? But then we bumped into each other at the library, two days in a row, and never once did she remember my name, or that she had even seen me before. I knew then, that something must have been wrong with me. I ripped my jeans. She didn't care. I started following her around a bit more, seeing what kinds of thing's she was into. She went to the movie theater a lot and I found out she spent a lot of time at a flower shop and the cafe across the street. I think this is called stalking, but it's all for good reason.

I followed her around for about six weeks. Michael and I practiced every single day to get better at guitar, when mum wasn't home or wasn't working of course or else she'd kick us out and I'd make him help me follow her around. She definitely thinks I'm a weirdo now. We roped Calum into our band at some point. And then Michael heard about this cool older guy named Ashton Irwin. He's a super cool, and well known drummer around here. I wondered if he had ever met Y/n. Maybe with him in our band she'd come to our show and she'd forget about drummers for once. It made me so insanely jealous. I kinda wished he'd teach me to play the drums so we could kick him out of the band and I could do it.

Our show went great though. Calum proposed to Ashton back stage, asking him to officially be in the band and Ashton agreed, however I don't really remember Michael and I agreeing to Calum being in the band. But we needed them both a lot if we were gonna make it big.

Then at school, with all the hustle and bustle, and people talking about our show and how they were sorry they hadn't been able to come. I guess some of these kids weren't allowed to come into bars. Like whatever, my mum would've talked to the managers. Through it all, during lunch, which I now mainly sat with Michael and Calum, Mike told me that Y/n had been talking to the librarian about dropping out. So I did too.

I pierced my lip, which hurt really badly. She's got tattoos and piercings all over, from what Michael has told me so I'm sure she'd think I was older, cooler. My mum was angry, but she wasn't as angry as the day I dropped out of school. I told her I was going to focus on music, but she was so angry with me that she made me be homeschooled. Mission accomplished I guess? But it gave me more time to learn about Y/n.

And then, while sitting at home again, I realized I was being an idiot again. I dropped out of school for a girl? For a girl to notice me? I've ruined my whole future for a girl? At least my mum was forcing me to be homeschooled, but I'm not even being me still. I was just trying so hard for her to notice me, but she doesn't even care at all. 

The longer Mike, Cal, Ashton and I practiced, the better we got. We practiced every day for hours on end until either of our parents decided that it was enough and we'd go home. It payed off though.

I hadn't forgotten about her, not once even when I got swept up into everything. We got scouted out by One Direction, the biggest boy band ever. Teenage girls were going crazy for them everywhere. But Y/n was not just some average teenager, she was mature, mysterious, serious. I almost didn't take the offer, we just didn't think our bands goals aligned with the One Direction groups. But we took the offer, eventually realizing that something as cool and as big as this might not come again. 

We moved out to London, working on music every single day. I always thought about what she was doing. Was she working at the flower shop still? Did she ever go to the cafe? Did she realize I wasn't around anymore or was she thankful I stopped following her?

But now, standing on the stage, I see her. She's surrounded by a bunch of teenage girls, all dressed up in One Direction merch and she's wearing my bands merch! Mine! She's in the crowd of my show, in the front row. Her hair, ruby red, shining in the flashing lights of the set while we play. Sometimes I feel nervous playing, and I always thought about her coming to watch my shows, and I would have been so nervous a few years a go, but now, now I'm excited and I know I'll play my best tonight because I have too. She's the perfect view to play to, to sing to. I needed her to know that, and I will. I was just surprised she had come all the way out here to watch me. Unless she's here for Ashton, but I'll pretend she's here for me. 

There comes a part of the song where Calum and Michael take over, so I hop off of the stage, swinging my guitar behind me. Girls start screaming, and I know I look like the coolest guy in the world. A guard follows over to me but I tell him not to. "You look pretty." I complimented. There were cameras all over me, taking pictures and videos, and I was sure some news article was going to eat me alive in a few days, but I don't care. "Thank you. I like your band." she complimented back. This is the longest conversation we've ever had with each other. "Yeah, we're pretty cool." my time was almost up so I had to end this quickly, even though all I wanted was to talk to her. "Listen, stay here after the concerts over with if you can. I wanna talk to you. I'll come find you." she nods silently, and I turn around, hoisting my guitar onto the stage, I pull myself up quickly, standing up and going to the microphone where I took over again. I can't believe I did that. I glance at Michael who's walking over to me and shaking his head, teasing me, but I don't care.