Title: You Belong With Me
Pairing: Loliver
Song: 'You Belong With Me' by Taylor Swift
POV: Lilly-ish

Dear Oliver,

We're watching Family Guy in my basement, laughing at the same exact moments; almost synchronized we've known each other so long.

You've already ignored a few calls from that monster you call a girlfriend. I took me too long to realize that Joanie is a vegetarian, brunette version of me. Lilly 2.0 you might say.

I beg you to answer it, if only to stop the annoying love song that she programmed to play when she calls you. Did I mention that sappy love song was supposed to be for us? Yes Oliver, as in you and me, us. Capiche?

Don't worry; I haven't felt this way for long. Just, you know, since puberty. Maybe it is forever. It feels that way sometimes.

She calls again. I reach for your phone, but you get to it first, putting it in your hoodie pocket as if that would stop me. We've been closer than that and you know it. Those late nights, your head in my lap watching horror movies together…

But now you keep your distance, sitting across the room from me. You try not to look at me, as if she knows.

About the eleventh time she calls you answer, knowing I'd tackle you otherwise. You say that you're at home, that you were asleep. Anywhere but with me, right?

Because I know that's one of the things holding you back. She hates me, she doesn't want me around. She's afraid that you'll fall for me like you were supposed to.

Yes Oliver, you may not realize it, but all of our friends have been rooting for me. They always wanted us together. I can't take the looks they give me, knowing you don't even realize that I was the one that got away.

I only wish I'd gotten away. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard if I could move on and ignore you. But we've been together for so long, a team. I know that eventually you'll need me again, and that I'll be here waiting. That's how hopeless I am.

The clock on the wall says its time to go. Your girlfriend, little Miss Head-Cheerleader couldn't stand that you weren't a football player. Instead, she forced you to go through all the practices, just to stand on the sideline to watch her shake her stuff on the track.

You beg me to go with you, to sit there in the bleachers and watch you ogle her in her mini skirt and sweater. You should have told me you like cheerleaders. I would have kept on. Maybe your eyes would be fixated on my pom-poms instead.

I have the 'No' on my lips until you give me one of those looks. Those looks are the ones that I fell for in the first place.

I say I'll go if you drive me. You look away, knowing that SHE wouldn't approve. You finally decide that I'm worth a ride to the high school, but at the same time I can see that you're thinking of excuses if she sees us.

You blast the hip hop station in the car, the one she hates. I bounce my head to the music, happy that you're rebelling under that over-manicured finger of hers. I try not to groan when you change it to some pop station as we pull into the driveway of the school.

You park in the farthest spot from the field, afraid that she'll have a pair of binoculars, just waiting to see us together. Without even waiting to see if I'm out of the car, you walk off, mumbling something about being late, even though I know we're early by a few hours.

I head up to the bleachers, the first one to sit down. This is one of those times that I need Miley here, but she's at a concert. I wait for someone, anyone, to come here and distract me.

After almost an hour, people start to show up. I can hear the marching band warm up on the other side of the campus. Some of our old friends, as in, not your new jock friends that are at the peak of their lives, come and sit near me, just far enough to keep themselves from catching whatever I have that turned you away.

They're giving me those looks again. The ones I mentioned earlier that you never noticed.

I watch as the cheerleaders come out onto the track, their mindless overly peppy drabble getting the crowd excited. I look at every one of the face, recognizing most of them, knowing they're at their peek physically, emotionally, and mentally. By the end of the year, at least one of them will be pregnant. I can guarantee you that almost all of them are sexually active, including…

But I try not to think about that. Because then I start seeing you and her in the back of your Jeep, and it drives me to the edge of tears. Because I still think of you as mine, loosely, but still mine.

I see her eyes drive into my forehead. As if I care what she thinks. I'm tempted to show her my version of 'spirit fingers', but I see some kids around and choose to be the bigger person.

The marching band finally makes their way around the track. As usual, I try to pick out the people I know. It's meant to be a challenge, picking out a face in a sea of identical uniforms, but I manage to find one or two people.

They strike up in the fight song as the football team comes streaming out of the tunnel. I see you as soon as you come out, wearing jeans and a jersey, so far into the second string you don't even bother to suit up.

They should give the marching band numbers. Remind me of that later. I could make some money.

Anyway, you look up at me first. I smile because I know that it's making HER jealous. But then you look at her like she's a cupcake or something (which you shouldn't do Mr. Diabetic), and I want to slap you so hard. I have to clench my hands between my knees to keep from pulling my hair out.

I try to pay attention to the game, but I barely notice when the band marches onto the field for halftime, or when we make the game winning touchdown. All I can see is the way you keep looking at her.

I watch the team file into the tunnel again, you half hug her before going through the tunnel, straight to your car, even though it'll make her mad. I should be getting up, but instead I watch her. One of the guys on the team falls back. I can tell that he actually plays by the crusty mud and grass stains on his uniform. I watch as Joanie runs up to him and whispers in his ear. He smiles and smacks her butt. I blink a few times to make sure, but I know I wasn't seeing things.

She looks up at my shocked face, knowing that I'd seen it. Then she smiles, sure that even if I would hurt you by telling you, you would believe her anyway.

I shove my way down the bleachers, knowing that she'd probably beat me to your car. I try to avoid the head lights as I cross the parking lot. You're leaning against the passenger side door with her wrapped around you, even though you look like you're not enjoying it. I hold back my secret, trying not to hurt you, even though you don't deserve at the moment. Because watching you two is killing me.

She turns around as if she doesn't know I'm standing right behind her. She gives me a smile she knows you can't see. I can tell that whatever I say now couldn't hurt you worse than what she was going to do in the back of number 69's car later.

"Tell him," I say, glaring into her eyes. She's shocked that I have the nerve to start this, but still confident that she's the one who will end up on top.

"Tell him what?"

"If you don't I will," I say, aware that I'm going to have to tell him.

"What's going on guys?" you say. I can hear the hurt in your voice. If I can have enough strength to hurt you like this, you're just going to have to have the strength to take it.

"She's cheating on you," I say, watching his eyes dart between us.

"Come on Ollie, she's just jealous because nobody likes her. You know I love you."

I can see you analyzing everything wrong with what she just said. I know a few things are glaring at me. Nobody calls you Ollie except me.

"Ollie, in thirteen years, have I ever lied to you? Why would I start now?"

I can see you staring at me. I catch your eyes, and I can see the heartbreak, but I can see that you're still strong enough to take it.

"This seems like the perfect time to bring up something. You spend more time with her than you spend with me, and I'm your girlfriend. I don't think you should hang out with her anymore."

I almost can't believe that she'd said it. Was she really giving you an ultimatum?

"Can I only pick one?"

My heart dropped. I knew you were going to choose her. I could see our history going down the toilet. That's what I was visualizing, when I heard my name.

"Lilly, get in the car. Now."

I don't think either of us were expecting that answer, at the same time we said, "What?"

"You heard me. I choose Lilly. You have nothing against her, but I have a lot against you. Go have fun with, what's his name again?"

"Brad," she let slip before clapping her hand over her mouth.

"That's what I thought," you say before opening my door, as if I needed coaxing to go anywhere with you.

It takes a few seconds for you to go around the back of the car to the driver's seat, and for those few seconds I had this huge smile on my face, one which I was able to wipe off by the time you got in the car, that God. I was supposed to be supportive, not happy. But honestly, I was overjoyed.

We drive in silence. I know that you're hurting, and I don't want to be stupid and say the wrong thing like I usually do. I just want to be here like I always am.

You pull up across the street from my house to stay out of the light of the driveway, even though we both know that by now my mother is asleep.

You look at me and then at the notebook in my hands. I wonder what you think I've been writing all day. Maybe this is the first time you even question it.

So, this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to tear these pages out and fold them up. I'll press them into you're hands, and you'll look at me questioningly. I'll kiss you on the cheek, which you'll question even more, and then I'll walk into my house and wait on the stairs for you to read this.

You're impatient. You'll be sitting here, with you're car lights on, looking like a stalker, reading this entire letter.

To me it'll seem like forever, but I've waited this long to tell you how I feel, I can wait a few minutes longer.

Because Oliver, if I haven't made this clear yet, I'm hopelessly in love with you. And whether you like it or not, you belong with me.

Always Yours,

Lilly

-

I reread the last line again. Is she serious? Of course she's serious.

I pound my forehead against the steering wheel. How could I have been so stupid?

At the same time, how could she be so stupid? Not realizing that the only reason I ever…with…was because…

I've loved her for so long, but she was too good for me. She's always been…unattainable.

But now…I stare up at the front door, knowing that just behind it sat the girl of my dreams, thinking that I had driven away because I thought the idea was ridiculous. But she'd sit there, unable to give up, unable to see if my car was still here.

We could predict each other's movements, but how could we miss something this big?

I take one more look at the letter and make up my mind. I get out of the car and march over to her front door. My hand is about to knock but I lose my nerve. At the same time, I can't walk away.

I stand there in limbo for a few minutes before realizing that I'm leaving her in limbo too, and I can't hurt her like that.

I search through my pockets and find a receipt from the gas station and a pen. On the back I scribble in my almost-illegible scrawl:

You Belong With Me

-Ollie

I almost lose my nerve again, but I manage to shove it through the old fashioned mail slot in the door. I hear it hit the floor in a whoosh.

I stand there, realizing how it must have felt to sit there in limbo while I read the letter. I hoped she hadn't given up on me.

Then I couldn't take my eyes off the knob. It turned all too slowly, as if she was afraid it wouldn't be me on the other side. But then she emerged in the light of the doorway. I saw her glittering eyes and I said the first thing I could think of.

"I thought you were doing homework."

Then my stupid voice broke and gave me away, as if she didn't already know I was crying. One of the tears started to fall and I reached up to wipe it away, but she beat me there. I held her hand to my cheek, and she sort of stared at it. We were both in unknown territory.

"They were all right. I really was in love with you. I was just too stupid to take a chance. But now I am. I love you…so much."

I felt her hand under mine grow stronger as she pulled my face down to hers. As her lips touched mine, it was pure bliss. I would have traded every kiss I'd ever had for just a moment of this one. As she pulled away, I could tell that Lilly was thinking the same thing.

"We were so stupid," she whispered. Neither of us removed our hands.

"Yeah, but now we get to be stupid together. Forever."

I started to lean down again. A breath away from her lips, she whispered, "And Ever…"