The Story of Our Life

Chapter 4: The X-Factor

Pre authors note: Here we are. Where it all began.

Louis Tomlinson had just gotten out of the car with all of his family. It was the day he would have to perform in front of hundreds of people and it was making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "Let's go get you signed in and then figure out what we need to do next." Jay was taking charge like she always did which made Louis feel at ease.

They made it to the table where two young women sat searching through papers and getting everyone checked off. "Hi, welcome to the X-factor auditions! Who is our contestant today?" One of the girls looked up at him cheerfully.

"Me." Louis raised his hand, "My name is Louis Tomlinson." She handed him a clipboard with papers on it and told him where to sign.

Something started printing out of the machine behind her, "Ok Louis. Your number is 155204. Good luck!" She paused and turned her direction toward the family, "You can wait in the waiting room until Louis is called on stage, but you have to stay in the contestant line in case they want to get an interview with you. Ok?" The whole family shook their heads before finding their way through the crowd.

"We will meet you inside Lou. You are going to do fantastic!" His nan hugged him tightly.

Lottie smiled at him, "You've got this." Then they went their separate ways.   

Harry Styles was waiting in line at the front of the building nervously fidgeting with his hands. He felt a lot of pressure on himself to do good and to make his family proud, his band too. Before Harry could worry for very long someone wrapped their hands around his eyes.

"Guess who it is!" They yelled.

"Louis?" Harry knew he was right, he would be able to tell who it was from a mile away. Louis spun him around and gave him a hug like he had been waiting to do ever since he met Harry.

Louis smiled at him, "It's so great to see you in person again." The boys had been talking on and off for some months now and knew each other pretty well, but of course there was only so much a text could tell you about a person.

"You nervous?" Harry bit his lip waiting for a response which Louis fonded at but quickly turned his head away.

"No, not at all. You?"

Before Harry could answer someone was shouting Louis name, "Louis Tomlinson! Is there a Louis Tomlinson out here?" A woman with dark hair called out into the large crowd. Louis patted Harry on the back and ran up to the woman.

"Yes, yes that is me." He said, trying to catch his breath.

They threw her head around to look at him, "I am supposed to tell you that your original audition song got copyrighted and you won't be able to sing it. You need to sing your second choice, 'Hey There Delilah'." The woman looked at him with a stern look, "Hopefully you are prepared for that, I wouldn't want you wasting the judges time."

Louis scoffed at her, "Oh you think you are all high and mighty-- Shannon. For your information I will not be wasting the judges time. Watch me go up there and get four yeses then your sorry ass will wish you were nicer to me. You're only here because you couldn't make it into the big world but you know what Shannon I-" Someone was now pulling Louis' arm away from the woman who looked like she was fuming red. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Saving you from embarrassing yourself in front of thousands of people." A boy about his age with curly dirty blonde hair was pulling him into the contestants line.

"Who do you think you are? I was not embarrassing myself. I am giving her a piece of my mind." Louis tried pulling to the other direction but the brown headed boy was stronger than him.

"No, you were embarrassing yourself on your way to a live television shoot where there are cameras everywhere. Do you really want to have that be what everyone knows you for?" The boy raised an eyebrow at him and Louis backed down. "My name is Liam."

"Louis." He stuck out his hand to shake it after Liam let him go.

"Where are you from?" Liam asked. The line was at a stand still and it was so packed they didn't have any way to get out. Louis shot Harry a quick text:

Louis: Hey, don't worry about me. I found a way back in line. I will try to meet you when we get inside. Don't stress about it though. You are going to do great!

Harry: Ok, I'll see you inside. You're going to do great. What did that lady want to tell you?

"Hello? I am trying to talk to you." Liam rolled his eyes. He was sick of meeting people who only cared for their phones.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was with a friend and ran away to talk to that lady. I had to let him know I was safe." Louis huffed out, "I'm from Doncaster."

"Nice. I am from Wolverhampton." Liam's smile turned to a frown when he remembered how he had met Louis, "Why were you yelling at that lady anyway?"

Louis sighed and looked away remembering it he realized it probably wasn't his proudest moment, "She had told me that I had to switch from my original audition song to my second audition song. Which is fine by the way because I have practiced all three a lot. Then she told me hopefully I was ready because I shouldn't 'waste the judges time', she was an asshole." Louis looked shocked at what had just come out of his mouth, "I mean an unfriendly woman."

Liam brushed it off mostly because he was bored and didn't have the energy to lecture a person he was most likely never going to see again. This was Liam's second time on the X-factor and he hoped that he had improved enough to make it past the first round. "What is your audition song? Your new one I mean."

"It is, um, 'Hey There Delilah' by Plain White T's'" Louis scratched the back of his neck.

"That's a good song. I am singing Cry Me A River by Frank Sinatra." Liam smiled proudly at himself, he was prepared for this, he would blow the judges away. It was hard for him to be kicked out two years ago but he really hoped this time things would change.

Louis showed an impressed face and shook his head at him, "Wow, that's a tough song to sing. Good choice."

"I think I am ready for it. This is my second time at the X-factor after all."

"You've been here before?" Louis continued, "What was it like being in front of the judges?" They continued talking for a while until they made it up to the very front of the line. Liam was sort of sad that he might never get to see Louis again but he couldn't think about it too hard because this was his time to shine.

Author's note:

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