Being a Payne - Chapter Two

Elizabeth’s P.O.V
After a few minutes of driving around my old town, I finally arrived back at my childhood home. I park my car on the side of the road opposite my old house, before taking the keys out of the ignition. I sit in my seat for a while, not moving at all. I was hoping that no one had heard what was just played and said on the radio, but as I switched on my mobile phone, I knew they had heard. I had twenty missed calls from mum, eight from dad, thirty four from both Ruth and Nicole as well as forty text messages from them. Gees you guys, spammed me enough?

I was going through all the messages, until I finally reached the end and the last text message that was left for me, makes my eyes bulge out of my head. For the second time that day, I freeze in place as I look at the name on the bottom of the screen. I had a missed call and text message from Liam. I open up his message and I swear, I must have read it over at least fifty times, I still couldn’t believe what it said...


“Hey Ala It’s been a while huh? Sorry I’ve been out of contact lately I’ve just had a lot of things going on and it would seem that so do you. Call me as soon as you can, we really need to talk! XX
-Liam”


By now I was sure I was hyperventilating. He knew, everyone knew and I wasn’t the one to tell them about it. I checked the time on my phone, 12:04 pm; that means it would be roughly about nine pm over in Australia where I’m supposed to be. Debating on whether to call Liam or face the over the rest of my family, I decide to leave the message from Liam and hope that it goes away.

I reach over and grab my bag off the passenger seat before opening up my door and stepping out of the car, closing the door and locking the car behind me before I walk up to the front door. Pulling out my old house keys that I still kept, I unlock the door. Taking a deep breath, I walk into the house and begin to look around. It still looks the same as it did three years ago, only a few changes here and there. I wonder around the house for a little while, reliving some of my childhood memories with a small smile on my face, until I hear the front door open and close again.

Oh shit, someone’s home. Time to face the music I guess.


“Mum! Whose car is that out-“ A female voice yells out from the front door, I spin around on my heels to see Nicole standing there at the door, her mouth hanging open, I smile and wave at her.

“Ello there love, miss meh?” I say to her, the slight Australian accent I had picked up evident in my voice.

For a few moments, everything is quite. Nicole just stands there, gapping at me like a fish, before squealing and running over to me. She drags me into a big hug and I instantly wrap my arms around her, hugging her back. After a few minutes, we pull away from each other and she has a once over look at me and what I am wearing. Denim skinny jeans with a silver chain belt, black gladiator sandals that do up around my ankles, a black Blood on the Dance Floor tank-top that’s tucked into my jeans, slightly showing the outline of my belly piercing. For jewellery I’m wear a simple silver necklace with a key charm, black plugs with pink broken hearts, skull and roses charm bracelet, a bunch of silver bangles, black leather gloves, black striped circular barbell threw my nose and a red ring. My dyed orange and red hair is thrown over my shoulders with my side fringe swept just above my left eye.


“Oh my god, Alow!” Nicole squeals “I can’t believe you’re here! And you’ve changed! Must say though, loving your new look. You even have an Australian accent!” I laugh gently at her enthusiasm about having me home and how much I’ve changed. I’m glad that she doesn’t care about me changing; I can only hope that that rest of the family will be the same. Walking into the lounge room, we both sit next to each other on the plush white coach. I turn to look at one of my sisters, a little anxious at the questions I know are about to come.


“How was Australia? Do mum and dad know you’re here? How come you didn’t tell us you were coming home? What about Liam? Have you talked to him yet? Have you made any new friends? Do you have a boy-“

“Whoa there easy Nicole, down girl.” I say, laughing cutting off her rambling of questions “And no one calls me Alow anymore, it’s Elizabeth or Liza. Australia was bloody amazing! Mum and dad don’t know that I’m here, I didn’t tell anyone because I wanted to surprise everyone. I haven’t talked to Liam yet and I don’t plan too anytime soon, I’ve made heaps of new friends and, no I don’t have a boyfriend. That all?”

“Nope I still have one more question for you” Nicole pauses, looking me square in the eyes and at that instant, I know her next question, and I was dreading it. “When were you planning on telling us that you were famous?”

I sigh deeply and shake my head. I knew this was coming but truth be told, I really wasn’t prepared to answer her. I had to think my words over carefully before I responded

“I was going to do that today when I we were all together, but somehow my music ended up on the radio over here. I had the whole thing planned out. I was going to bring the family down to a recording studio that I’m using while I am staying here, and then I was going to sing to you all”

Sighing again, I put my face in my hands. I had everything all planned out and organised and now, everyone already knows. I have no idea what to do not. A hand is placed atop of my shoulder and I look up from underneath my bangs to stare at Nicole’s sweet face, my eyes slightly glassy.

“Hey, it’s okay” She says softly as if she is talking to an upset child, which I am I guess. She smiles gently at me and I couldn’t help but to smile back. I missed having Nicole around to comfort me whenever I got like this, which would happen quite a long considering I am Bi-polar.

“I don’t know what to do anymore,” I confided in my older sister, voice barely a whisper “and to make things worse, I think Liam knows as well...” Groaning, I look back down at the floor, coving my face again.

“He does, I talked to him this morning about it, I thought that maybe you might have told him because you two used to be so close, but he had no idea.”


Fighting back the tears that were threating to spring lose, I look back at all of the times that Liam and I used to spend together. Once upon a time, Liam and I were really close, we would do anything together but we grew apart.


“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I really wanted it all to be a surprise”


Suddenly, it hits me like a slap in the face. Just because my family already know about me being famous, doesn’t mean that I could still sing to them! Maybe everything isn’t ruined after all!

Having that small bit of hope in me, I quickly jump up from the couch, startling Nicole in my sudden change of mood, a bright smile plastered to my face.

“Nicole! I can still sing for you guys and explain more about how all of this came to be!” Jumping up and down with joy on my spot, I can’t help the girlish squeal the escapes my mouth. Nicole stands up from her seat and shakes her head at me.

“I forgot how quickly you’re moods can change sometimes” Nicole says with a chuckle shaking her head at me, placing her hands on both of my shoulders, she tries to control my bouncing. After a few moments, I had settled down slightly, but I was still extremely over joyed.

“I’m going down to the studio now to make sure everything’s okay! Tell everyone to come down to the Angel Studio in London ASAP!” I say to Nicole as I run out the door, grabbing my bag along the way.


I sprint towards my car, climbing inside of it before quickly clicking my seat belt on. I start it up and speed of down the street, towards Angel Studios. As soon as I arrive down at the studio, I see my manger, Zorea, standing by the entrance door; her back facing me as she looks down at the clip board in her hands. Getting an idea, I honk my horn at her making her jump and almost drop her key board. Turning around to face where I am, as soon as she sees it was me who scared her, she playfully glares at me causing me to chuckle. I park the car, jump out and run over to her, stopping just a few feet away from her and she smiles at me.


“You made it here in record time; I take it you’re stilling going ahead with the plan?” She asks looking back down at the clipboard momentarily before looking back up at me.

“You know it!” I practically yell at her causing her to chuckle. I love having an easy going manager that I can joke around with from time to time, it sure beats having an uptight on that’s for sure.

“Well then, get your ass in the studio; we have to tune everything up before your family get here!” She yells back at me

I raise my left hand and place it on the left side of my forehead, so that I am saluting her like a solider does to their superior officer.

“Yes ma’am!” I shout before trudging into the studio like a marching soldier, behind me I can hear Zorea chucking and I smile to myself. Today has turned out amazing, considering what has happened earlier today, and I know that things will only get better. I hope...