A/N: hey guys, this is just a little something that's been on my mind. So I decided to put it on paper. Thanks to my good friend falcon4crane who convinced me to post it. Hope you like it.

Chapters: 1/1
Pairings:
Conner/Kira, Tommy/Kim
Settings: AU (not PR); senior year
Summary:
Kira's in love with Conner, but doesn't know how to tell him. She turns her feelings into a song and with encouragement from Kim, decides to sing it. What will Conner do when he hears it? Will he stay with his girlfriend or will he finally see what everyone else does; that Kira is the one he's in love with.

A/N 2: the entire thing is from Kira's point of view.

Disclaimer: own nothing….not the song, not the rangers and definitely not any of the singers or soccer teams mentioned or Harry Potter.

'Thoughts'
Flashbacks
Songs
"Speaking"


She looked out from behind the curtains on the side of the stage and saw the huge crowd. Though it shouldn't, as it's not her first time performing here or for a crowd that size, her breath still catches. She still couldn't believe that people actually loved to hear her sing, even after all the performances that she's done, the thought still amazes her. As she shook her head to escape her thoughts, she scanned the crowd for her friends. She let out a smile when she saw them sitting/leaning at the end of the counter. Her eyes automatically skipped over them to land on the last person in their group, Conner. He was wearing a red wife-beater with an open red checkered shirt over it and blue jeans. She ignored the girl standing next to him and focused more closely on him. His caramel colored hair looked a shade darker than normal, and his mouth was curved up slightly as he listened to what their other friend, Ethan was saying. 'God I love him.' She sighed. 'I really hope this works.´ As if feeling her gaze, his eyes shifted until they caught hers. She watched as his eyes lit up and he gave her a thumbs up and a huge smile, one that she hadn't seen in a while; one that she most definitely missed. He mouthed the words 'good luck' and she couldn't help but to give him a smile in answer. A touch on her shoulder draws her attention away from him and she turns to see who it was.

"Are you ok Kira?" Kimberly Oliver, wife to her teacher Dr. Tommy Oliver (or Dr. O to his students) and who's been like her older sister since they met four years ago, in her freshman year, asked her.

"A little nervous," Kira smiled as she confessed.

"That's only natural," Kim smiled in return. She paused as she looked out at the crowd before looking back at Kira. "Do you want to back out? Or sing another song?"

"No," Kira shook her head. "I should do this….I have to do this. It's the only way to tell him how I feel and I might not get another chance. I just hope he feels the same."

"I think he does," Kim said. "But look at this way, after tonight, you'll know for sure. There's no way he'll listen to this and not know what it's about. You can finally move on, whether it's with him or without him, at least you'd finally know how he feels."

"You're right Kim," Kira smiled. "But I'm glad you're doing this with me."

"I'm glad you asked," Kim said. She was about to say something else when she heard Hayley announced their names.

"Show time," Kira took a deep breath.

"You can do this," Kim encouraged her. "Now, let's go get your man." The two laughed as they walked on stage. Kim went to grab both guitars, while Kira went to the mike.

"Hi guys," she said. "First off, I want to thank you guys for coming." She paused to allow the cheers and applause to die down. When they were done, she continued. "The song I'm going to sing is about a guy and how I feel about him. I couldn't get the courage to say the words so I put them on paper. With the help of Kim (she sends a smile in her direction) I was able to turn it into a song. She encouraged me to sing the song and let the guy know how I feel. I debated with myself on whether or not I should go through with it; Kim even offered me the chance to back out but I decided that I couldn't or rather, I shouldn't. What helped me finalized my decision, were her words to me just before we came out. She told me that if I do it then after tonight, at least I'll know how he feels and I'd be able to move on; whether with him or without him. Though I do hope it's with him (the crowd laughs). The song is called 'You Belong With Me'. You know who are."

(Verse 1—Kira)
You're on the phone
With your girlfriend
She's upset
She's going off about
Something that you said
'cause she doesn't get your humor
Like I do

Kira and Conner were walking through the park on their way home. They lived a few blocks apart and have been best friends since they were seven when they met at summer camp. Conner started laughing as Kira told me about the incident in math class with David and Matt.

"There's no way he said that," Conner laughed.

"I swear to God he did," Kira smiled. "Would I lie about this?"

"Well…." He trailed off.

"Hey!" She smacked him on his arm. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to his side, throwing his arm around her shoulders. Kira shivered, though not from a breeze.

"I'm just messing with you Kira," Conner smiled at her. She was about to say something, but was interrupted by his cell ringing. "Hello?"

Kira looked up at him when she realized he had stiffened slightly. She tugged on his arm and when he looked at her, her eyes asked the question her mouth didn't; 'What's wrong?'

"What is it Krista?" he asked. Kira made to pull away from him, but he held on tighter. "Are you still upset over that? It was a joke."

Kira rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand how he could date such a drama queen.

"Look Krista," Conner said. "I'll talk to you later, ok?" and with that he hung up.

"So," Kira looked at him. "What was that about?"

"I said something and she took offense to it," Conner said. "Even though it wasn't her I was talking to."

"Hmmm," Kira said. "I bet whatever you said had to do with your weird sense of humor."

"My sense of humor is not weird," Conner smirked. "It's perfectly normal."

"Sure," Kira said as she pulled from and started walking faster.

"You laugh at it," Conner said as he walked after her.

"Uhuh," Kira smiled, glad that her back was to him.

"Kira," Conner called as he caught up with her. "Come on Kira. Are you saying you pretend to like my sense of humor?"

She could hear the pout in his voice and couldn't help but to laugh.

"Ha, see," he smiled, and she found herself mesmerized. "I made you laugh which means you do like my sense of humor."

"I never said I didn't," she laughed. When he realized that that was true, he smiled sheepishly.

"I hate you," he teased.

"No you don't," she smiled.

I'm in the room
It's a typical Tuesday night
I'm listening to the kind of music
She doesn't like
She'll never know your story
Like I do

Kira was sitting on her bed, her radio blaring loudly. She had her notebook out and was sketching when her mom knocked on her door.

"Kira," Mrs. Ford poked her head through the door. "It's Conner."

"Thanks mom," Kira smiled as she moved her notebook to the side and grabbed the phone from her mom. "Hey Con, what's up?"

"Nothing much," Conner said. "What are you doing?"

"Just sketching and listening to some music," Kira answered. "What about you?"

"Just watching a game," he replied. "What exactly are you listening to?"

"Some Avril Lavigne, Nickelback, Linkin Park," Kira told him. "Some Jay-Z, and a little bit of Eminem."

"Awesome," Conner said. "I haven't heard Eminem in so long." He laughed here. "Krista doesn't like to listen to him. Hey, do you still have my CD?"

"Yeah I do," Kira frowned a little. Conner had given her the CD because Krista had seen it at his house and had gone off on him. "I wouldn't lose something like that. Who's playing anyways?"

"Real Madrid and Barcelona," Conner said. "Real Madrid is leading."

"And you're oh so happy about that," Kira smiled. "Unless they were playing Manchester United, then you would be yelling at the TV."

"Yeah," He laughed. "You know me too well."

(Pre-Chorus—Kira)
But she wears short skirts
I wear t-shirts (here, Kira tugs on her t-shirt)
She's cheer captain
And I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming about the day
When you wake up and find
That what you're looking for
Has been here the whole time

(Chorus--both)
If you could see
That I'm the one
Who understands you
Been here all along
So why can't you
See you belong with me
You belong with me.

Up on stage, KIra caught Conner's eyes and she saw a look of slight confusion in them, as well a begining awareness. In that instant, she knew that he was starting to understand what she was trying to say to him. 'Please let this work. I love him so much.' Refusing to let any doubts take over, she focused back onto the song.

(Verse 2—both)
Walking the streets
With you and your worn out jeans
I can't help thinking
This is how it ought to be
Laughing on a park bench
Thinking to myself
Hey, isn't this easy?

Kira was waiting at the end of her driveway for Conner. He had called her up, wanting to go to the park. She was wearing a yellow long-sleeved top and her favorite pair of jeans, with her converse sneakers. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun. She waved to her mom as she watched her back out the driveway before driving off. When she looked back, she saw her best friend walking towards her.

"Hey Con," she smiled.

"Hey Kira," he called back as he got close. "Where's your mom going?"

"To the store," Kira replied. "Apparently we ran out of that Ragu sauce so she's gone to buy some."

"Does that mean she's making her famous pasta dinner?" Conner asked.

"Probably," Kira smiled. "Though you can't get any."

"Kira," he pouted. "IS that any way to treat your best friend?"

She laughed. When he stood next to her, she took that time to look him over. She noticed that like her, he was wearing his favorite pair of jeans; jeans that were pretty worn out because they were faded and had a hole on both knees. He was also wearing a red sleeveless top with white lines running around the border. She tucked her arm through his and the two walked off in the direction of the park.

"Conner," she said. "It's because you're my best friend why I treat you that way. You should feel special."

"Why should I feel special about having a mean best friend?" he teased.

"Because you know that it means you're important to me," she said. "Otherwise, I'd ignore you."

"Wow," he sarcastically replied. "I am so lucky."

"Yes," she said. "You are." She laughed at the look on his face. He dragged her over to a bench and the two sat down. He was still pouting, she ruffled his hair.

"Stop pouting already," she chuckled. He laughed along with her and for some reason Kira couldn't help but feel as if everything was perfect.

And you've got a smile
That could light up this whole town
I haven't seen it in awhile
Since she brought you down
You say you're fine
I know you better than that
Hey what you doing
With a girl like that

They sat on the bench talking for what seemed like hours. He told her about phone call he got from his twin brother Eric, who told him about this girl he was dating, and she told him what Ethan was doing. Ethan was a guy that they met at camp the summer before junior year and he immediately became friends with them. Because of soccer, Conner didn't see Ethan as much as Kira did, so most of the news about him came through Kira. As they talked, Kira watched as a huge smile made its way across his face and she couldn't help it when her breath gave a hitch and her heart rate seemed to triple.

"I haven't seen that smile in a long time," she said softly.

"What smile?" Conner teased. She didn't answer though; she couldn't tell him that to her, his smile seemed to light up the whole place. It made her happy even if she was sad. It made her fall more in love with him. The thing of it though, ever since he started dating Krista, that smile came out less and less. She couldn't understand just how he could be with someone that seemed to bring him down so far that he would smile, true smiles, less frequently. But she couldn't tell him that, so she just shook her head and smiled.

"What?" he laughed.

"Nothing," she laughed as well. "Absolutely nothing."

(Pre-Chorus 2—Kira)
She wears high heels
I wear sneakers (
here, she lifts her foot in the air to show her own converse sneakers)
She's cheer captain
I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming about the day
When you wake up and find
That what you're looking for
Has been here the whole time

(Chorus—both)
If you could see
That I'm the one
Who understands you
Been here all along
So why can't you
See you belong with me

Standing by and
Waiting at your backdoor
All this time
How could you not know
Baby
You belong with me
You belong with me.

[Instrumental]

Kira took another look at Conner. To her delight, he had stepped away enough from Krista so that she was no longer hanging on to him. She looked into his eyes and saw a look of wonder in them. Along with that look, was one she couldn't identify.

(Bridge—both)
Oh, I remember
You driving to my house
In the middle of the night
I'm the one who makes you laugh
When you know you're about to cry
And I know your favorite songs
And you tell me about your dreams
Think I know where you belong
Think I know it's with me

Kira was sitting out on the swing in the backyard when she saw the lights coming up her driveway. The swing, though in the back, was positioned at a spot that you would be able to see who came to the house. She slowed her swinging and watched as Conner slammed his door shut. It was late, so she wondered why he came over, not that she minded.

"Conner?" she called. She watched as he turned from heading to the porch and made his towards her. As he got closer, she saw the look on his face. "Conner what's wrong?"

As she looked closer, she saw the hurt and pain in his eyes. Abandoning her seat she walked to meet him. To her surprise, he pulled her into a hug when they got close. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his went around her waist. She felt his arms tighten on her as she rubbed the back of his neck.

"What is it?" She asked softly. "Did something happen?" his arms tightened even more in response. She pulled away slowly and led him over to the swing. When they sat down, she turned to face him.

"Tell me what's wrong," she said. He was quiet for a few seconds before he tipped his head back to rest against the top of the swing. Kira let him be, knowing that he would talk when he was ready. She just held his hand and squeezed it softly to let him know that she was there.

"My parents are getting a divorce," his voice was soft when he finally spoke. Kira was too shocked to say anything, but it seemed as though he didn't need her to say something as he continued talking. "They told us tonight. Eric and dad came down and I thought they were going to try and let us be a family again; imagine my surprise when they said that they were not getting back together but were divorcing."

"What? Why?" Kira got over her shock. "I mean, I know that they had their problems, every married couple do, but I didn't think it was that bad."

"Neither did I," he replied. "But I guess it was." Conner took a shuddering breath and when he turned to look at her, she could see the tears in his eyes. "I don't understand this Kira. It feels like it came out of nowhere."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "So what's going to happen?"

"I don't know," he said. "I guess the next thing in line would have to be who gets the kids." He ducked his head. "I don't want to choose between my parents, and I don't want to move if it comes down to that."

She reached out and held his chin in her hand and slowly raised his head. When she looked into his eyes, the tears that were there, threatened to spill over.

"Maybe you won't have to," Kira said. "Besides, do you really think I'd let you go that easily? You're my best friend Conner, and I am not losing you and you're not losing me. Even if I have to create a love potion and force feed it to your parents."

Conner laughed. "Love potions? Where the hell did you come up with that?"

"Eh," Kira shrugged, though pleased inside that her idea to get him to laugh worked. "I was reading Harry Potter to my little cousin earlier."

"Thanks Kira," He said softly. "For being here for me and with me."

"That's what best friends are for," she smiled. They talked more about his family after that, which led to talks about how they would be as parents. When he told her that he would be a better parent to his kids than his own was to him as he would never put his children through what he was going through, she believed it and him. She knew that he would make a great dad, and deep in her heart, Kira hoped that one day Conner would be the father to her kids; she hoped that he would finally see what was right in front of him.

(Kira)
Can't you see
That I'm the one
Who understands you
Been here all along
So why can't you see?
You belong with me.

Kira looked over at Kim and smiled. She turned her gaze back to the crowd and her eyes once again, caught Conner's. As she looked into his eyes, she finally identified the look from before. It was one she had longed to see directed at her; it was a look of love. Smiling even wider, she kept looking at him as she sang the last piece of the song.


(
Both)
Standing by and
Waiting at your backdoor
All this time
How could you not know
Baby
You belong with me
You belong with me.

You belong with me

(Kira)
Have you ever thought
Just maybe
You belong with me?
You belong with me.

At the final strum of the guitars, Kira smiled as the entire place went up in cheers; they were louder than they ever were. She turned to Kim, and the two came together in a hug. Looking over Kira's shoulder, Kim saw Conner move away from the counter and the others, Krista looking at him in disbelief. Kim pulled back from the hug and smiled at Kira before shifting her gaze. Kira followed her gaze and saw Conner making his way through the crowd to the stage. She turned back to Kim. "Go on."

She smiled as she walked off the stage. She made her way through the crowd and soon found herself standing in front of Conner in the middle of the room. As they looked into each other's eyes, they were unaware of the crowd going silent around them. Kira felt her heart beating erratically in her chest. 'Come on Conner. Just give me a sign. Was this all for nothing or did it actually work?'

And she got her answer in the smile that came over his face; it was the smile that she missed, the one that she thought lit up the world. Conner's hand came up to caress her cheek and she automatically leaned into it. Before she could think, he lowered his head and kissed her. Her lips parted on a slight gasp and he took that opportunity to ease his tongue inside. Kira got over her shock and kissed him back. He pulled back a few seconds later and rested his forehead against hers.

"Sorry it took me so long to see it," he whispered.

"It's ok," she smiled. "The good thing is you finally do. I love you Conner."

"I love you too Kira," he smiled before he kissed her again. They were, once again, oblivious to the crowd round them and the cheers that erupted.

Leaning against the bar, Tommy watched his two of his favorite students finally come together. His gaze shifted as he saw his wife coming towards him and when she was close, he pulled her against his chest.

"I bet you're proud of yourself?" he smiled at her.

"Yep," Kim laughed as reached up to kiss him.

"So are you done playing matchmaker?" he teased.

"Yes I am," Kim said. "On second thought…." Her voice trailed off as she looked towards the end of the bar and saw Zack and Hayley sneaking glances at each other when the other wasn't looking. A smile full of mischief came across her face.

"Kim," Tommy moaned when he saw it. He looked down at his wife. "Beautiful, no more." Her laugh was all the answer he got.

End.


A/N 3: what did you guys think? R & R and let me know.

A/N 4: oh and to the SD fans, the next chapter is almost finished and should be out by tomorrow night or Monday.