5 years later
- Amber -
"I can't believe you got the lead in Searching for Prince Charming!" My best friend Carly exclaims as I tell her my latest update.
"I didn't get the lead." I point out. "The script was written for me. The part was mine either way."
Carly rolls her eyes, bumping my shoulder. "It's still exciting! Who's playing Prince Charming?"
"I don't know yet." I shrug. "I should be finding out soon."
Carly claps her hands together, making a face of absolute excitement. "It should be Zac Efron! Oh, or Ian Somerhalder!" She sighs lovingly. "I just love Ian Somerhalder."
I throw my head back and laugh. It would be nice if Ian played Prince Charming, but that's a dream that will never come to fruition much to Carly's disappointment.
I reach over and I knock on the small window that separates us from the limo driver. "Can you blast the radio, please?" I ask him nicely.
"Of course, Miss Skywood." He flashes me a smile in the rearview mirror and hurries to turn on the radio.
"...baby, you light up my world like nobody else..." The radio begins to play and I immediately regret my decision.
"Nevermind!" I change my mind. "I like it quiet."
"Sure thing, Miss Skywood." The driver nods while turning off the radio, no questions asked.
I lean back in the seat, releasing a sigh. Can't I listen to the radio without hearing his annoying voice?
"I'll never understand why you don't like One Direction." Carly is shaking her head. "They're a bunch of sweet, talented, hot men, and they're from England like you! You should like their music."
"It's complicated." I mutter as the limo comes to a stop.
"How complicated?" Carly asks.
"Something I never want to talk about, much less remember, complicated." I answer her while pushing the door open. As much as I want to tell Carly my reasoning, it's a sensitive subject. I'd rather keep it deep, deep in the past.
Flashes of paparazzi light suddenly surround me, forcing me to squint. Doing my best to ignore them, I step out of the limo followed by Carly.
"I'll never get used to this!" She exclaims over the commotion.
"Don't worry!" I tell her. "I won't either!" Flicking away a strand of hair from my eyes, I professionally make my way down the small red carpet and into the large building. I ignore Carly's repeated gasps as I'm greeted by Johanne, the owner of People Magazine and the host of this party. Her dark hair seemed overly curled and she's sporting a red designer dress that looks like it was made just for her. It probably was.
"Glad you could make it!" She grins, kissing both my cheeks. "Food and refreshments are over there," She points to a nicely-decorated table with a variety of food and drinks. "And the party, well, it's everywhere else!"
"Thank you for having me." I smile. "This is my friend, Carly." I motion toward Carly who is looking around, shell-shocked, probably hoping to catch of a glimpse of some of her favorite celebrities.
"Nice to meet you." Johanne smiles back at us. "I hope you enjoy yourself."
"I will!" Carly grins, still looking around like a kid in Candyland.
Johanne chuckles before excusing herself and going to welcome other guests, leaving us to go mingle.
"Ohmigawd!" Carly gasps. "Is that Orlando Bloom?"
I grab her arm and hold her back before she starts to fangirl. "Will you please act normal and not like some crazy fan? The security guards won't hesitate to escort you out."
Carly stands up straighter and puts on a straight face. "Ok. I'll act professional." She pauses. "Am I still allowed to go flirt with Orlando Bloom?"
I sigh. "Sure, go ahead."
"Yay!" She squeals, flipping her hair back and disappearing into the crowd. Typical.
Heaving another sigh, I make my way to the food table. Not many people seemed to be around here so I helped myself to some punch, quietly sipping it as I watched the party go on.
"Is that Sophie Turner?" A voice whispers from somewhere behind me. I ignore it as I proceed to lift the cup to my lips.
"Don't think so." A different one replies. "Now be quiet or she might hear you."
"Is that a chocolate fountain?!" The voice exclaims.
"Louis!" The other snaps. "She's going too-"
I can't help but turn around, slightly irritated. "You guys do know I've heard you the whole time." I snap at the two boys that had frozen in their tracks. One of them, the one with feathery brown hair, slowly begins to reach towards the chocolate fountain.
I cross my arms, clearing my throat. "You do know the food's free, right? No need to sneak around."
They both stand up and that's when I get a better view of their faces. Way too good a view.
"Amber?" The curly-haired one raises his eyebrow, squinting at me.
My face pales. "Excuse me." I turn away, my eyes searching the room for a quick escape but he's somehow already standing in front of me, a smirk on his lips.
"What do you want, Harry?" I snap, cursing my decision to come to this party. Where is Carly? I need to find Carly.
"Nothing." He shrugs, still smirking. "It's just...I haven't seen you in years. You've changed."
"Have I?" Bitterness rolls off my tongue.
Harry chuckles. "Very much so. Though I see I'm still capable of getting under your skin."
"Very much so." I mimic. I never thought I'd see him again. In fact, I never wanted to see him again. Why was he here anyways?
"Care to dance?" Harry holds out his hand, but the humor is clear in his eyes. He knows I never liked him and he knows I still don't.
"Not even if I'm dead." I snap, pushing past him.
"I take it back." Harry calls after me. "You haven't changed a bit!"
I restrain from flashing him my middle finger. He was right about being able to get under my skin. He was brilliant at it. Everything he does and everything he says... He somehow manages to get on my last nerve and irritate me. I don't even know how he does it.
"What was that all about?" Carly's voice startles me.
"Huh?" I shake my head to clear my thoughts. "Nothing. I don't want to talk about it."
Being a good friend, Carly drops the subject. "You look tired."
"If that's how you want to put it." I mumble. "I think I want to leave early."
"But we just got here." Carly pouts.
"There will plenty more parties. I'm just not feeling this one." I tell her with a sigh.
She makes a face but doesn't argue. "Ok. And did you know Orlando Bloom has a girlfriend?"
"Nope."
"Yeah. Well, he does."
- Harry -
I chew on a strawberry as I watch Amber exit the building with some cute, dark-haired girl I assumed was her friend. I smirk to myself. It's honestly been ages since I saw her. Years, in fact. Her appearance has changed, though her personality will never. She's like an old slice of cake. The outside looks delicious, but once you take a bite, you can't help but gag. Yuck.
"Wasn't that Amber Skywood?" Louis comes up behind me. "The massively famous actress who I think I'm starting to fancy?"
I roll my eyes at Louis and reach towards a chocolate-glazed donut. "Yep."
"You know her?" Louis questions, grabbing the donut out of my hands and taking a bite himself.
I frown at him and snatch it back. "Ever since grade school."
"Think you can hook me up?" Louis jokes. The mere thought of Louis and Amber makes me want to choke on the donut.
"Doubt it."
"Food!" Niall appears, draping an arm my neck. "Is it free?"
"As ever!" Louis holds up a mini sandwich before shoving it into his mouth.
"Harry?" Liam's voice startles me. "Someone's calling for you." He holds out his phone for me to take. "It's Paramount. Something about last week's audition."
Confused, I look at Louis who is staring back at me with a look of surprise on his face.
"You don't think..." He begins to say, his voice fading.
I shrug and take the phone, pressing it to my ear. "'Ello?"
