^ The Next Day ^
"I really don't want to see them. Not a single one of the five," I whined.
"Come on, it's fine. You're safe and sound, and they're practically our boyfriends," El tried to persuade me.
"Do you understand that because of them I was kidnapped, and if I weren't so amazing, I would have died or still be tied to a chair," I grumbled.
"Well, yeah, but we need your help," she pleaded.
"Spit it out," I sighed.
"They invited us on dates today, and we want them to ask us to be their girlfriends. You get along well with them, and they'll listen to you, so just plant the idea in their heads," she asked.
"Don't you think that's their choice?" I frowned.
"Well, yes, but they require a little push to make the first move. Please!" she begged.
"Alright, alright. Where are you going now?" I asked, agreeing.
"To the mall. We're buying clothes for the evening, and they have practice now, so you can go there. Thank you so much! We'll buy you food," she grinned, and we went our separate ways.
At the stadium, the coach's shouts and whistles could be heard. Even before approaching, you could hear what he was yelling.
"Move it! Just because Luanna isn't here doesn't mean you can slack off! You have to learn to play well without her too!" Hearing him made a huge smile appear on my face.
Unnoticed, I sat down in the spectator section and watched him yell at them. When they spotted me, their faces were priceless. Eventually, they started playing normally, and practice ended after an hour. Even though all the guys ran off the field, I stayed seated. I just stared at one spot, waiting for them to come over. I felt that they would.
"What are you doing here?" Jake suddenly asked, popping up from somewhere. I even jumped in my seat.
"Staring at nothing, because she has no other friends besides us to occupy her time," Niall snorted, sitting down behind me.
"Who said you were my friend?" I raised an eyebrow, turning to him. "Jake is my friend, or El and Beth, but you guys might be, and you certainly aren't," I retorted, and he was about to say something, but Louis interrupted him.
"You two are fighting again," he muttered.
"What else can I do when idiots are too close?" I looked seriously right into his eyes, and he just slumped into the chair next to me. "Besides, I'm here on business."
"What business?" he lazily turned his head toward me.
"It's about El and Beth," I sighed, and he immediately looked brighter. "They pathetically begged me to suggest that you guys make them your girlfriends."
"Well, yeah, but I don't know," he sighed. "Does she really like me?" he looked into my eyes, hopefully.
"She's in love with you," I said, and his eyes lit up. "Just like Beth is with Harry."
"Well, okay," he said decisively. "I'll do it. Will you help me plan it? Please!" he put his hands together in front of his face and knelt down. It was a very funny sight, but I felt sorry for him and didn't laugh.
"Of course," I answered kindly.
"Her? What does she know about planning?" Niall laughed, and everyone turned to him.
"More than you," I hissed.
"I bet you that if she helps you, it will be a disaster," he countered.
"You're on," I held out my hand.
"$50."
"Do you even have that much?" I mocked, but his expression remained serious.
Jake nodded, and then cut our handshake.
"So, you said you wanted to sing a song for her?" Louis nodded. "Well, you'll need Harry, Zayn, and Liam's help singing, because I heard the four of you sound great," I said.
"You know, I sang there too," Niall grumbled, unhappy.
"No way," I faked surprise. "I still suggest singing with the four of them, without him," I told Louis.
"Niall will sing," he said, rolling his eyes.
"Fine. Just don't blame me if he ruins everything," I shrugged. "Where?"
"The beach?"
"You and Harry clearly love beaches," I muttered, leaning back in the chair like Jake, who was just listening to everything.
"Yeah, we do. So what do we need to prepare and do?" Louis was practically bouncing with happiness.
"You'll have to set up a mini-platform where you can stand and sing. You need someone to play music. Jake, you play, right?" He nodded. "Jake and I will play electric guitars. I'll need the sheet music, don't forget. Dress decently and figure out what you'll do later because we'll be gone," I raised my eyebrows.
"Got it," he only replied, deep in thought.
"Beth and I will bring El, dressed beautifully and blindfolded. I think seven o'clock works, right?" He nodded again. "So, it's four now, so send me the chords by phone and get everything ready. We'll meet you there," I said, and after saying goodbye, I left.
^ 6:49 PM ^
The three of us were driving in the car. El was nicely dressed and sitting neatly in the passenger seat, Beth was driving, and I had the whole back to myself.
"So, where are you taking me?" the brunette asked impatiently.
"Listen, I told Louis, and now he's deep in thought. To cheer you up, we planned a surprise for you, so you have to put on the blindfold," I handed her a scarf, and she did as told.
"Thanks," she smiled sadly.
"Don't be sad, you'll remember this for the rest of your life," I said, and she finally smiled a genuine smile.
When we reached the beach, we had her put on headphones so she wouldn't hear the guys getting ready and the sound of the waves. Beth stayed standing by her, and Jake came over to me and helped me climb onto the platform. I sat down on a chair, picked up the guitar, and quickly reviewed how to play the chords. All the guys got into position.
"Just take off the headphones and untie the blindfold after counting to ten!" I shouted to Beth. She nodded and did just that.
Louis looked at me, and I encouragingly gave him a thumbs-up. Jake and I started playing the first notes, and the other guys started singing. At first, El listened normally, but finally, she covered her mouth with her hands when she realized who was singing. Beth untied the blindfold, and a surprised El stared straight at Louis. She was so happy that it made her squeal in place. The song was cheerful and fast, probably written by them.
When it ended, El was speechless and stood still.
"El, we've been seeing each other for a long enough time now," Louis began. "And you really caught my eye," he was very nervous, which was audible through the microphone. "So I'm asking. Eleanor, will you be my girlfriend?" After he asked, he jumped off the stage and moved closer to her.
"Yes!" she shouted with all her might and leaped into his arms.
"It worked! Thank you, Lu!" Louis shouted, lifting his now-girlfriend into the air.
Everyone decided to gather on the stage to congratulate the couple.
"Niall, give me the money," I grinned at him. He sighed heavily and handed it over. He tried to walk past me, but I couldn't resist and tripped him with my foot, and he crashed painfully to the ground.
I started laughing hysterically, and everyone else watched us tensely. Niall furiously stood up and came toward me.
"I am Niall Horan, and you will not treat me like that!" he growled very angrily this time. I had never seen him so mad.
I pushed him away from me and stood up. "Niall Horan. I don't care who you are. You're no different from the others. You're just like them. A person with no future!" I yelled, and I was about to rush him, but Jake stopped me, grabbing me and lifting me into the air.
"Remember, your leg is in a cast," he said calmly and put me down on the ground.
We quickly said goodbye, and Jake and I drove away.