#nb5

Featuring: Pola & Ensemble

Pola: At Paramount it's "Ooh la la." The Warner Brothers' Cha cha cha. And L.B. Mayer loves his schmaltz, So MGM made the great waltz. But the 20th Century Foxtrot It's precious, but precious! It's not hot To make the big boys hire me— Please make that rhythm fiery. Come on, boy and girls, Make me over! In this factory Where dreams can come true, Are you ready To make someone new? You're the team That must teach me to do The 20th Century Fox Mambo. Done the homework, And I'll pass the test. I'll do whatever My teacher suggests— I can do it clothed Or undressed, The 20th Century Fox Mambo. Make it up, Shake it up, Let the fantasies begin! Here's the dope: To get cast, Change the past— Make the light Just right for Cinema ... Scope! Take a gamble 'Cause it's safe to bet. Mr. Zanick ain't seen nothing yet. When we're finished He'll never forget This 20th Century Fox. Ensemble: For fame play her game, Change your name To the 20th Century Fox Make it up, Shake it up. Pola: Make me feel Like the main attraction. Change the clothes, Fix the nose, And then 5, 6, 7, 8, Action! Ensemble: Action! Pola: Now I'm blonde, But I ain't so dumb. Ensemble: No!

Chapter 4     Chapter 6

  Claire’s POV

            We had returned to my house, Niall having insisted upon taking his car. It really wasn’t that I disliked cars, obviously, since I had taken a cab home yesterday. I just preferred walking.

            It had taken about half an hour to get from my house to where he was staying. He was staying at the Island Vista Resort, which was a luxurious hotel off the coast. I vaguely wondered how he could afford it, but I pushed that thought away. He had said to have come with friends; they were probably splitting the bill.

            We entered the building and Niall led us to the elevators. He called one and we waited for it to arrive. All around us, people were moving hastily. Everyone here seemed to be in a rush. Niall kept pulling his phone out, seemingly nervous.

            The elevator door opened and we got in. Niall pressed on the penthouse button before returning to his phone. “The penthouse?” I asked bemused.

            He smiled as he nodded.

            “Are you one of those secretly rich kids or something?” I asked jokingly.

            He shook his head, laughing. He was about to add something when the elevator doors opened, stopping him. He looked at me and we both stepped out. He led us down to the far end of a hallway. He withdrew a card from his pockets and slid it in the door. We both entered. Inside, it was somewhat noisy. Niall led me to a living room.

            “Do you mind waiting for me, love? I just have to go talk to one of my friends, I’ll be back soon.” I shook my head and he threw me a smile before turning around. He walked down a hall and soon disappeared behind a door.

            I sat down on the couch and took the remote control. I opened the TV, deciding on a channel. Around me, the décor had been kept simple. The place had a typical hotel feel, with the same odd curtains and patterns. I spied a kitchen in the back and noticed there was a balcony.

I got up and opened the balcony door, stepping outside. It was high up and there was a slight breeze. I stood above the beach. I lent down above the railing. The scenery was beautiful, and I could only imagine how beautiful the sunrise would look. You could live close to the beach for your entire life, but I didn’t think that was a view you would ever get tired of.

            I went back inside and sat back down. There were a few magazines on the coffee table. Letting the television play, I picked one up and started reading. It was the new edition of People’s Magazine. After a few minutes, I gave up on reading and returned to the show that was playing.

            “Why hello there,” a voice behind me sounded, surprising me.

            I turned around to see a tall figure looking at me. The guy had curly brown hair and an inquisitive grin. “Hello,” I said shyly.

            He walked towards me. “I’m Harry,” he said.

            “I’m Claire,” I answered in a timid way.

            He looked at me with a cheeky grin. “I’m not going to bite,” he mocked as he held out his hand. I smiled and shook it. He had a firm grip that made me grimace slightly, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Now how did a girl like you end up here?”

            I looked at him curiously. I wasn’t too sure what he meant. “I came here with Niall.”

            He nodded. “So where is Nialler?”

            His British accent was prominent and quite charming. “He said he had something to take care of. Said it shouldn’t take too much time.”

            Harry nodded. “Well, you can make yourself comfortable in the meantime. I came to make myself some tea. You want some?” I shook my head at his offer; I seldom drank tea. He headed for the kitchen. “So, where are you from, Claire?”

            “I’m from a city nearby.”

            We kept talking, staying on light subjects. Harry sat down next to me to drink his tea. I was sort of glad he did, he kept me company while I waited for Niall.

  Niall’s POV

            I walked into Zayn’s bedroom. It was the place he was most likely to be. He was sitting by the window on his laptop. When he saw me, he closed it and got up.

            “Now why did you want me to come?” I asked.

            “We had a talk with management,” Zayn started off slowly.

            I nodded. “Yeah, I figured.” Management usually came to talk to us about trying to keep a low profile wherever we went. “But why was this so important.”

            “They told us the usual, you know, low profile and everything. They also gave us an idea for what was in store for the next week. It’s not a very busy week; we have one signing and that’s it.” He handed me a sheet of paper on which he had taken notes.

            Louis entered the room, followed by Liam. “Hey! What are you doing?”

            “Filling him in on the meeting with management,” Zayn answered.

            “Oh yeah,” said Liam as if he were remembering something that had happened a long time ago. “They said we would stay grounded in South Carolina for a while.”

            “How long?” I asked.

            “They said a couple months at the least,” answered Zayn.

            “What, are we on break or something?” I asked.

            “No,” said Louis. “We’ll still be doing concerts and signings. But after every event, we’ll be coming back here.”

            “Why?”

            All the boys looked at each other. “Management wasn’t very clear about that part,” Louis started.

            “Of what I understand, they want to give us a place to get a bit familiar with, you know, since we’re always travelling, we never get quite accustomed to any place, and they feel it would be better for us if we did,” said Liam. They all looked at each other. “That means we’re gunna be here until at least the end of summer,” Liam finally added.

            “So for the next three to four months?” I asked.

            “Well, now we’re at mid-May, and probably until the end of August. So yes,” said Zayn. “That’s why management insists upon us being extra discreet. Since we will be here for a while, we don’t want too much press.”

            I passed my hand through my hair. The boys continued to fill me in on everything I had missed. I listened to them absent-mindedly. They were talking about a signing we had at the end of the week; about a diner we were to have at said restaurant; about how we had a rehearsal at said date. It was the same thing every time we visited a new place; same rules, same restrictions, same schedule. But we still loved travelling; it was part of the fun.

The boys had finished talking, and were now only talking amongst themselves. I looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was a bit past noon. I figured that as soon as Claire and I got out of here, I could take her someplace to eat. Actually, she would probably be the one taking me out, because she was the one who knew the good restaurants.

            I headed for the bedroom door and opened it, walking out into the hall. I noticed Harry was talking to Claire, which somewhat worried me. I was almost hoping the boys wouldn’t notice her.

***

            On the way to a restaurant she had chosen, Claire stopped at a drugstore to get a few things she was missing.

            “So, what are you doing tomorrow?” she asked me, as she climbed back into the car.

            “I don’t know yet. We usually go day by day. We don’t really plan much in advance, so it could be anything. What are you doing?”

            “I’ve got an appointment at the hospital.” She looked at me and saw my worried stare. I turned the car left as she instructed me to do so. “Nothing too serious, just a regular checkup, you know.”

            Claire plugged her phone into the car’s stereo and some Elvis Presley music started playing. I watched out of the corner of my eye as she sang along to every lyric. She was off-pitch by a mile, but she knew all the words. I was impressed. The song came to an end, followed up by some Aerosmith. Her head subtly danced along to the music, her fingers tapping on her jeans as she followed the beat.

            The sun was in front of us as I drove down the road. Claire told me to turn right. Her eyes were squinted from the sunlight, pulling her brows together. Half her face was cast in shadows; half was lit up by the sunlight. She looked beautiful. Her fingers reached up and grabbed at a lock of her dark brown hair, twisting it.

            The next song came on. My eyes opened wide as I recognized the first notes. White lips, pale face. Breathing in snowflakes. Burnt lungs, sour taste. I shot Claire a quick glimpse as she sang along to the lyrics. After the first chorus, I joined her. We sang at the top of our lungs, often smiling at each other. We didn’t bother trying to match pitch with Ed, instead just having fun.

            When the song came to an end, I looked at Claire. “I was starting to think you didn’t have anything from this century on your phone. Luckily, Ed and the A Team were just in time to save you, love,” I heartedly laughed.

            She hit me across the forearm. “Come on, they were all from the twenty-first century, except for Presley.” She smiled at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back. “And keep your eyes on the road.”

            I looked at her for a second more before turning my attention back to the highway. “So you like Ed?” I asked matter-of-factly.

            “Yeah, he has great music. He’s one of the only artists ‘from this century’ that I enjoy,” Claire stated, clearly mocking my previous statement. But it wasn’t a bad mocking, it was pleasant. She cut the song that was playing short, skipping to the next one. “Take this exit.”

Claire pointed to the right and I followed her directions. Five minutes later, we were parked in the back of a Wendy’s.

Author's note: Okay, so this week was the final week of a semester, so I was OVERLOADED with homework and projects and exams and whatever really. I didn't have as much time to update and all, but I finally came around.

This chapter is sort of a filler, but there is some important information in it.

But like, I seriously really like the ending of the chapter though. I was on here and I saw this post, and it really inspired the Niall and Claire bonding part. I pretty much know what I want to write for the next chapter, so hopefully it won't be as long to write (and hopefully the teachers won't give as much homework lmao).