Aftermath

Chapter Two

Alyssa’s POV

“Jazz, you coming?” I asked the Indian girl, who had changed into her workout clothes. “ You going for a run?”  

“Yeah, you go ahead Alyssa,  I’ll met you back at the flat, mkay?” Jazz replied.

I nodded my head. a bit concerned she was falling back into old habits, but she assured me she was fine and I let it slide.  

“See ya in a hour max, kay Jazz?” I told her as I opened the door to the blue mini cooper we shared. Jazz just gave me an amused smile as a response and ran off, her earphones in, no doubt blasting One Direction.

I pulled onto the main road and was almost immediately engulfed by London traffic. What fun. Well, at least our flat was relatively close to the dance studio we held auditions at. Speaking of auditions, Jazz and I agreed without hesitation that those last two girls, Yaritza and Lana I believe were their names, are definitely our new dancers. As I thought about how surreal this whole thing was, my eyes caught sight of a massive billboard, and my smile grew.

It was a sign advertising for X-Factor auditions for the coming season. Ahh the memories.

See, everything started at X-Factor. I sang before I talked, according to my parents and there was just something about the UK that drew me in from an early age. My dad’s closet friend lived in London, and when he visited us in California, I was always sucked into his stories about his counrty, and longed to live in London. Uncle Stamos eventually moved back to California after his amazing wife passed when I was thirteen, but my passion for singing didn’t fade.

Then One Direction happened two years ago when I was sixteen  and I fell in love with those five weirdos and their story. The fact that they are able to live their dreams in ways they probably never imagined,  all because of X-Factor and a mastermind named Simon Cowell, planted the idea of trying out for X-Factor in my mind.

Two years later, my parents surprised me with the best birthday gift ever. Keys to my very own apartment. In London. Now, I know that seems odd, what kind of parents would want their only child to move to the other side of the world at only eighteen? But, they’ve known this is all I’ve ever wanted and they go on business trips quite often, anyway, so I’d gotten used to taking care of myself.

But X-Factor didn’t turn out quite the way I wanted..

*Flashback*

“Name, age, and where are you from ?”

“Alyssa  Knight, 17, and I’m from California, Mr. Cowell.” I replied the stern judge, scared out of my mind. I had just seen a pretty Indian girl audition before me and though she had Simon’s approval, the other judges were harsh, which I didn’t understand, I mean that girl could sing! Now i’m terrified.

“USA, California?” Simon asked, intrigued, breaking me out of my terror. I just meekly nodded my head. “ . The girl who auditioned before you was from the same place....do you know each other?”

“Um..no?” I replied, confused.

“Okay, well, you may begin, love,” Simon replied, arms crossed, with a thoughtful expression on his face.

The opening beat to Forever and Always by Parachute  blasted out of the speakers and it felt like my mind went into auto mode. I just forgot about everything and sang my heart out on that stage, in front of a group of people who held my fate in their hands.

But I didn't sing well enough. As the judges voiced their opinions, my heart fell apart. One yes. Out of four. Not enough to make it.

As I walked out of that audition room, I crashed into the girl who had auditioned before me. She whirled around, quickly wiping her cheeks. Crying, obviously, but attempting to, and failing,  to hide it.  

I swiped at my own tears and stared at her for a second. “You too huh?” She said, attempting to smile.  I nodded my head and smiled back.

And that was the beginning of Army of Two.

*End of flashback*

“BEEP!” Ughh! Crazy British drivers....a honk brought me back to reality and my car continued to crawl towards the flat, my eyes a bit misty from the memories the billboard brought back. Yeah, I didn’t win X-Factor, or even get accepted for that matter, but trying out for X-Factor was the best decision I ever made. It gave me my best friend.

Jazz and I didn’t immediately become best friends though. Slowly, but surely, the fellow California girl let me in. Over countless cups of tea and numerous plates of desserts, I learned her secrets, what made her click, how singing was the only thing she truly, deeply loved, and the only thing she ever wanted to do.  

That day when we were both disqualified, one year later that’s still the only time I’ve ever seen Jazz break down, in front of me that is. She would go on these hours upon hours long runs, to “think”, but really it was just to get away from everything and everyone. From the media, when they found out the daughter of famous USA business tycoon had “ran away”. And from her parents, if I can even call them that, constantly ringing her, calling her a failure and demanding she come home because she didn’t make it on X-Factor.

It would drive her to tears when the calls came, and then, when she defied her parents and remained in London, the bills to her small flat came. But she never broke down.  By then I had known the outspoken, sassy girl for a couple of months, and we were starting to get attention on Youtube for our music videos as Army of Two, but those videos weren’t enough to sustain a living in London. On an impulse I asked her to move in with me one day, when she nearly collapsed on my couch after working double shifts at the ice rink. It took a bit convincing to make her accept, Jazz doesn’t easily accept help, but eventually she said yes. After we started living together, we made twice the amount of videos and Army of Two became even more popular.

Jazz and I continued to work our butts off, her at the rink, and me at hollister, but our passion for music never faded. Jazz’s parents stopped calling eventually and I got to know happy, carefree, loud,  kind, yet positively snarky Jazz and her runs got shorter and shorter. Then one day as we were dancing around the living room, blasting One Direction, the call came out of the blue. One Direction wanted Army of Two to be their opening act. Everything after that’s a blur. Signing contracts, meeting with Simon Cowell again,.....it was like a dream and it still feels like one. I guess it will only feel real when we actually meet the boys. Yeah, we haven’t met One Direction in person yet. They’ve been doing promotional stuff for the tour but they’re due back soon.

As I opened the door to our flat, I shook my head at all the 1D posters and merchandise that was scattered around. I honestly have no idea what’s going to happen when  we meet them, though Jazz and I agreed we were going to attempt to play it cool.....the key word there being “attempt”.  

I opened up my bag and pulled out the forms of Yaritza Haynes and Lana Kennedy. Jazz and I had no doubt that choosing these two dancers is going to be worth it. I set the papers aside and put a reminder on my phone to text the girls in the morning about our decision.