Voir Dire (N.H.)

thirty-eight

The first thing Kelsey had learned about Becca Campos when she met her at their sorority's bid day party six years ago was that Becca planned on becoming an entertainment journalist. The idea had seemed far fetched at the time, the dark-haired girl covered in glitter with a smile as wide as her face hardly seemed like the future host of Entertainment Tonight. 

But here Becca was, sitting in a black fabric chair in the center of the hotel room they'd checked into for the occasion, her thick near-black hair pulled back in a neat bun at the base of her neck, staring at a notepad in her hand with interminable concentration. The girl Kelsey had met all those years ago with the big dreams and contagious smile was about to do what she'd always dreamed of doing...sort of.

When Niall had determined that the best way to break the news of his new label to his fans was to tell them everything, Kelsey had quickly suggested a sit down interview with Becca. What better way to thank the girl that helped her through so much of the turmoil than with an interview that could potentially jumpstart her career?

When Niall asked Becca to be his interviewer, she'd screamed so loudly that Kelsey had feared their neighbors might think someone was being murdered. "Me?" Becca had asked with shock. "Are you sure you don't want to go straight to the media or something?"

"Absolutely not Becca," Niall had said. "I want this to be personal. This is for my fans and no one else. And you are perfect for this job."

Becca had been perfect for the job. She'd suggested the hotel backdrop, given Niall a list of points from the media perspective that he should be sure to answer to avoid any more speculation and even offered to help do any video editing--which Niall adamantly refused. 

The only thing Becca had done that Kelsey wasn't raving about was, well, bringing in Krystal. Kelsey knew Becca had a point, Krystal was needed to clear the baby drama once and for all, but that didn't make Kelsey like the idea of seeing her side by side with Niall again any more.

Kelsey fidgeted with the edge of the royal blue dress that cling to her legs as she adjusted herself in her seat. She didn't know what she was nervous for, she wasn't the one being interviewed, yet her insides felt like they were trying to work their way outside.

Kelsey would remain a mystery, referred to but never confirmed. Niall thought it best for their current situation, and she agreed. There was a difference between speculation and acknowledgment, and Niall longed to once again keep his personal life private.

Niall sat directly across from Becca in a black fabric directors chair that was just a little too wobbly for Niall's taste. He played with the collar of the grey blazer he had on, beginning to question whether this was the best choice for this kind of interview. Maybe he should have went with the navy sweater, to bring out the blue in his eyes. He shook the thought from his mind, he doubted anyone would care what he was wearing once they heard the words coming out of his mouth. 

He glanced over at Becca, her head still buried in her notes. She was taking this thing so seriously, like it was going to be displayed on national news instead of becoming a series of GIFs on stan Twitter. He admired Becca for her work ethic, even though Niall would do most of the talking. He would explain his departure from Capitol, the events leading up to it, and the fact that he was not joining the One Direction Daddy's club quite yet. 

There would also be an appearance by Krystal, Krystal who, Niall looked down at his watch, was approximately twelve minutes late. He hadn't seen her since she'd told him the baby wasn't his. He'd sent her a few texts- checking in on things and the baby- but she'd kept things short and to the point, assuring Niall that she was perfectly fine. Niall wondered if he should text her now to make sure she was still coming, especially since Kelsey looked like she was going to start bleeding if she kept chewing on her lip like she was at the moment.