"Brilliant Dance" by Dashboard Confessional

So this is odd

A painful realization that all has gone wrong

And nobody cares at all….

Manny rushed into school at a frightening pace. She couldn't afford to be late for the third time this week. Especially being that it was Wednesday.

Dubious stares from her classmates reminded her why she hated to be early. The collective whispers combined to make a deafening noise that only she could hear.

"What a slut… How could she do that?... Poor Ashley… I can't believe her…" her peers sneered. Manny rolled her eyes and paused to search the crowd for a friendly face. Then she came to the disappointed awareness that there were no friendly faces in her world anymore. She had hurt a lot of people; things had changed for Manuela Santos.

She turned away to resume her journey to first period, and knocked into a tall thin blonde. They shared a lengthy glance and exchanged awkward hellos. Then her former best friend Emma hesitantly walked away, shaking her head.

And nobody cares at all.

Manny made a pit-stop at her locker. On her third attempt, it finally opened. She was having a miserable first week back from winter vacation. She spent the Christmas Holidays lonely and lazy at home. She thought of Craig all the time… she thought of his lies and betrayal. She thought of the look on Ashley's face when they discovered how Craig was playing them both. She took out a Biology textbook and was sickened by a picture of her and Craig that fluttered leisurely to the floor.

So you buried all your Lover's clothes

And burned the letters lover wrote

But it doesn't make it any better?

She picked up the photograph and thought about the day it was taken. Craig met her at the ice-skating rink and promised her that he would end his relationship with Ashley. He promised her they would be together. For good. Apparently promises meant little to Craig Manning. She crumpled the photo and shred a note in which he pledged his supposed love for her. He was unbelievable… literally. She grabbed a handful of other mementos and slammed her locker. She strolled over to the nearest wastebasket and trashed her memories of Craig. She then balanced herself on the wall and felt and apprehensive wave of uneasiness wash over her. It was going to be a long day.

Does it make it any better?

At lunch, Manny walked to the cafeteria and paused at the door. Everyone in the room looked up at her. Their glares burned into her skin as she pretended not to notice. She stood and hid outside the door and remembered standing in that hall two years ago. She decorated Craig's locker the day after their first date. She laughed at her immaturity. They had such a history together.

And the plaster dented from your fist

In the hall where you had you first kiss

Reminds you that the memories will fade

She then thought about the incident of two weeks ago, when she had followed Craig into the hall to tell him how she felt. Of course she had lied. All she wanted was to be with Craig, and she told him it was over. She definitely made a mistake.

"Manny..," a voice startled her. She slowly looked up to see Craig.

"Oh! Hey Craig!" she stated cheerfully. He looked at her uneasily as she averted her eyes.

So this is strange

Our sidestepping has come to be a brilliant dance

Where nobody leads at all

"How, um, was your Christmas?" he asked.

"It was okay… uh… a little boring," she answered softly.

"Yeah. Me too," he replied. "I, uh, miss-," he paused. "I went to my uncle's in Quebec."

"Awesome," she said unenthused.

"Well… I guess I better go eat lunch." Craig stated slowly. "See ya?" he asked as he outstretched his hand to help her rise to her feet.

Ignoring his hand and his question, Manny stood and dusted off her pants. She walked off into the hall. Overflowing with regret, she thought of running back to Craig and pleading with him to start over. Why was she so stubborn?

Where nobody leads at all

She walked right into the girls' washroom and threw her schoolbag down. She looked at herself in the mirror as a lone tear ran down her cheek. Paige and Hazel walked in behind her and giggled with each other. After Hazel applied lip gloss and Paige shot dirty glances at Manny, the two girls walked out. The bell rang and Manny hesitantly grabbed her bag and walked out of the bathroom.

And the picture frames are facing down
And the ringing from this empty sound

Is deafening and keeping you from sleep

Her first class after lunch was English. Manny winced as Mrs. Kwan passed out the scheduled test on Shakespeare. She hadn't studied in forever. She had not actually done anything in a long time. Sleep… eat… talk with friends. All she could do was think about was Craig. She was truly pathetic.

And breathing is a foreign task

And thinking is just too much to ask

Number 1: What life problem does Romeo symbolize? As she pondered the first question, Manny's mind couldn't help but wander. Who could expect her to take a test when her entire life was crashing down around her? The only boy she had ever loved betrayed her, and she didn't have a single friend on her side. She just wanted this day to be over. Actually, she just wanted week, month, and year to be over. Every second that passed without seeing Craig, Ashley, or Emma was a relief to her.

And you're measuring your minutes by a clock that's blinking eights.

She turned in her test, after having guessed most of answers. She was so sick of thinking about Craig. Her feelings for him consumed her thoughts and actions. She couldn't wait for things to get back to normal.

Well this is incredible, starving, insatiable

Yes, this is love for the first time.

Despite her regrets, Manny knew she still had feelings for Craig. He was the first boy she loved. And she would always love him. She smiled and returned to her seat.

You like to think you were invincible

Yeah well, weren't we all once

Before we felt lost for the first time?

Well this is the last time

She walked out of the class and was glad to know things would be okay. She would love again. And she would love another boy.

This is the last time

She would never make the same mistake again. She would never love someone who didn't care for her again. This was the last time.

This is the last time