"Sad Song" by We The Kings

A Mistake That Haunts Me

Leon sighed as he waited for the audience to quiet down, his head still feeling heavy with guilt and remorse. A week ago he had drastically offended Cynthia and she had severed their relationship the same day, leaving Leon confused, guilt-ridden and hurt. So, being a guy he decided to try and do something about it, leaving Cynthia alone and trying to find someone else to temporarily fill the gap. It ended up going too far and now his relationship with Cynthia was worse, even his siblings were mad at him.

'"Where were you?!" Holly thundered as her brother finally stepped into the house, at a few minutes before midnight. She apparently had forced Cynthia and Jay to stay awake with her, Jay was looking grumpier than he usually did, while Cynthia was still pacing the living room, mumbling under her breath, blue eyes distant and guilty.

"Out," Leon grunted, kicking off his shoes and yawning.

"Leon answer me!" Holly growled at her younger brother, green eyes flashing.

"At a friend's house." He grunted, "Hannah invited me over."

"It's midnight Leon!"

"So?"

"Stop fighting." Jay interrupted but was ignored.

"So?! It's ridiculously late Leon!" Holly looked mad enough to explode, but Cynthia was the one to both break the fight and the sliver of pride Leon had left.

"You didn't… did you?" Cynthia asked, her voice shocked, she looked like she was begging him to say he hadn't.

"I can do what I want." He growled at her, amber eyes flashing fiercely, covering up his hurt with anger. "But if you must know I did."

Cynthia's face drained of color and the blue eyed girl stared at him for a moment as her heart broke with splinters before she jerked her gaze to the floor as her blue eyes filled with tears, "Right. I'm sorry, I'll… uh, stay out of your business then." She looked up at him and Holly, blue eyes glassy with the restrained tears, "good luck with Hannah Leon, um… I hope she makes you happy." Her voice was strangled like something was choking her, "I'll meet you upstairs Holly, I'm going to go to bed, goodnight you three." She had to bite her tongue to keep from telling Leon she loved him like she did every night, before she turned and fled up the stairs three at a time.

Leon watched her leave, waiting to feel some kind of pleasure at her hurt but instead felt more guilt.'

Leon shook his head before starting, the instruments recorded and playing over the sound system."You and I,
We're like fireworks and symphonies exploding in the sky.
With you, I'm alive
Like all the missing pieces of my heart, they finally collide." Leon's amber eyes gazed around as he sang, looking for a certain black-haired girl who he had seriously offended and hurt both her pride and her feelings.

"So stop time right here in the moonlight,
'Cause I don't ever wanna close my eyes." Leon's heart sunk, he didn't see Cynthia, 'She didn't come.' He thought feeling worse than ever. 'I lost her.' He closed his eyes as he continued to sing the chorus, his hands shoved into his hoodie pockets. "Without you, I feel broke.

Like I'm half of a whole.
Without you, I've got no hand to hold.
Without you, I feel torn.
Like a sail in a storm.
Without you, I'm just a sad song….
I'm just a sad song…."
"With you, I fall,"Leon's head shot up as Cynthia's voice came over the sound system to accompany his as she tentatively stepped out of the curtains of the backstage, her bangs hiding one of her timid blue eyes. "It's like I'm leaving all my past in silhouettes upon the wall.

With you I'm a beautiful mess,
it's like we're standing hand in hand with all our fears upon the edge."

She sang without the usual upbeat in her voice, standing near the back curtains like she was ready to bolt away from him if he hurt her again.

"So stop time right here in the moonlight,
'Cause I don't ever wanna close my eyes…" She sang softly, still hurt and feeling slightly skittish around him.

Leon got over his shock of her arrival just in time for the chorus, he didn't think he had any chance of her coming to help him, but here she was, dressed up in the ankle length royal blue dress she had bought when he was around -having bought it because he tripped over thin air and crashed to the floor the first time he had seen her in it- and softly singing her part of the song.

"Without you, I feel broke
Like I'm half of a whole.
Without you, I've got no hand to hold.
Without you, I feel torn.
Like a sail in a storm.
Without you, I'm just a sad song…" He sang, amber eyes locked on his friend's face, 'I'm so sorry Cyndy,' He tried to communicate, 'I never wanted this to happen.' Cynthia steadily avoided his eyes, preferring to face the audience and wait for her cue to join him.

"You're the perfect melody,
The only harmony
I wanna hear!
You're my favorite part of me,
With you standing next to me,
I've got nothing to fear."

They sang together, Leon striding over to her.
"Without you, I feel broke.
Like I'm half of a whole."
"Without you, I've got no hand to hold."
"Without you, I feel torn.
Like a sail in a storm.
Without you, I'm just a sad song."

Cynthia finally met his eyes, her blue eyes glittering with hurt tears, 'I can't forgive you.' Her expression told him, 'You hurt me too many times already.'

"Without you, I feel broke.
Like I'm half of a whole.
Without you, I've got no hand to hold.
Without you, I feel torn.
Like a sail in a storm...
Without you, I'm just a sad song.
I'm just a sad song."

After the last word and the music trailed off Cynthia vanished as everyone else cheered, her disappearance taking only a few seconds leaving the curtains gently swishing. Leon managed to take a decent bow before running backstage as well, running after his friend and grabbing her by the wrist as she tried to leave and return to the gym where he wouldn't find her. "Cindy-"

"Let me go, Leon," Cynthia pleaded, interrupting him, "I don't want you touching me," She whimpered, pulling at his fingers which were gently wrapped around her wrist.

"Let me explain-"

"Please let me go," Cynthia pleaded, cutting him off again, trying to keep together any parts of her heart that weren't in shattered pieces at her feet, her blue eyes swam with tears threatening to break free.

"Cindy, please listen-"

"Let me go, Leon, please," She breathed, "I don't want you to break my heart again." The partially messy bun her black hair was in was falling down in small tendrils, falling in front of her ears and threatening to get in her face.

"Let me explain and I'll let you go run away from me again," Leon said in a soft tone, amber eyes gleaming with regret and sadness.

"Leon please!" Cynthia pulled harder, "Let me go!" the tears broke free and turned the last plead into a heaving sob, "Let me go, Leon!" She sobbed pulling against his grip with all of her available strength, "Please let go!"

Leon broke at the sight of her tears, breaking his resolve to keep at a safe distance he enveloped her in his arms, listening to her sob and cry, giving up her fight against him to grip his shirt with her hands and bury her face in his chest, her entire body shaking from the strength of her emotions. His heart was in his throat as he felt his shirt getting damp and tightened his arms around her, nestling his nose into her hair and breathing in the vanilla scent for a few moments before speaking up. "I didn't mean what I said before, singing is your life and I shouldn't have shot down your dreams like that; I'm sorry Cindy. Then you broke up with me and I was upset and hurt so I tried to get over it… Which is why I was with Hannah."

Cynthia cried harder at his confession, "I loved you!" She cried, her voice muffled from her face buried in his chest, "I loved you with everything I had, but you just walked away from me!"

Leon's heart stuttered in fear at the past tense but he tried not to give a reaction, "I know you did," He murmured, "and I loved you just as much, Hannah was an accident, I was upset, she's just a friend."

"I can't forgive you again Leon," Cynthia sobbed, pushing him away from her, red-rimmed blue eyes heartbroken, "I can't do it again, I did last time but it just happened again," She sobbed, shaking her head slightly, "I can't let you keep breaking my heart, it hurts too much!"

"Cindy please," He begged her, amber eyes fogging with his own restrained tears, "Give me another chance! I promise it won't happen again, what you do is completely your own decision and I still love you!" Cynthia looked at him, wavering slightly, unsure if she should put her heart on the line for the third time. "Please, Cyn, just one more chance!" He begged, kneeling in front of her and pushing his head against her stomach, "Please give me another chance, I love you so much!"

Cynthia didn't move, continuing to stand there with tears still trickling down her cheeks, unsure, the hole like feeling in her chest reminded her of her still shattered to tiny pieces of a heart. "I-I can't!" She exclaimed, "there's nothing for you to love anymore, I can't fix my heart this time Leon, I can't fix it to love you anymore!"

"Then let me help you pick up the pieces! Give me another chance, please!"

"O-Okay, y-you can help me p-pick up the p-pieces." Cynthia stammered, doubting her decision, the doubt showing in her eyes as Leon hugged her, almost starting to cry with relief and love. The two of them received many weird looks for their position from the other competitors for the talent Exhibition, but they didn't move, Cynthia still trembling while wiping her eyes and attempting to stop crying, Leon still on his knees, his arms wrapped around her midriff.

Mentioned Dress Scene:

"This is your stupid idea Haliah!" Cynthia snapped at her sister as she stormed over to the two boys arguing with each other and pushed them apart, "Bring Brendan and Leon why don't we," She droned, "Sure! Bring along two boys who can't stand each other!"

"I'm sorry!" Haliah said a bit frazzled, "I forgot they hated each other!"

"Yeah, yeah." Cynthia waved off the comment and glowered at the athlete that was her boyfriend, "Leon, stop arguing with Brendan."

"He's a guy!" Leon retorted, "I don't want him coming with us!"

"Tough," Cynthia rolled her eyes, "he's also my sister's boyfriend. Now I hate shopping just as much as you do so can we please get along and hurry?!"

"Brendan's a player!" Leon exclaimed, arguing his point, "I don't want to hear him say anything about you or I'll deck him!"

"Okay fine, you can punch him if anything weird comes out of his mouth, good enough? Good." She was dragged away by her sister into a dress shop for the talent exhibition where everyone had to wear formal clothing. While Cynthia had plenty to choose from at home, Haliah had insisted.

"Oh Starclan no." Cynthia took a few steps back from her sister who was smiling widely and holding up a dress for her sister to try, "You are not making me wear that."

"What's wrong with it?" Haliah huffed, getting annoyed at her sister's stubborn nature and pickiness. "It's royal blue! It goes with your eyes!"

"Haliah are you insane?! I'm not wearing anything strapless!"

As the two sisters argued Leon messed around with his phone, zoning out while Brendan listened to the girl's conversation, the playboy highly amused at the whole thing but keeping it to himself in fear of Leon beating the crap out of him for a single word involving his black haired girlfriend.

"Cyndy! Just try it!"

"Why?!"

"Cause we can leave if you do!" Haliah snapped back, finally put up with her sister's stubbornness.

"Fine." Cynthia took the dress and vanished into one of the changing rooms, probably relieved to get out of there. But, she had no idea that she would end up buying it, from Leon's hilarious reaction to it.

Haliah waited for her sister next to Brendan and Leon, giggling as Brendan whispered something in her ear

"Haliah, I am going to strangle you." Cynthia fumed as she strode over a few minutes later, looking highly irritated. Haliah's green eyes widened and she squealed.

"It looks so good on you! You're so pretty!" Haliah squealed before pulling on Leon's arm, "Doesn't she Leon?!"

"Hey!" Cynthia squealed, not wanting Leon to notice her. But the spiky blonde did. Right away his amber eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he looked his girlfriend up and down a few times, speechless and almost drooling. The dress she had on was the same one Haliah had been arguing with her about, strapless, formfitting down to the skirt which was more flowing and billowy with a thin slightly darker blue belt at the waist, the dress was made out of a soft and smooth material. Brendan snickered and pushed him slightly, Leon recovered but managed to trip on air and fell face first to the floor, sending his device clattering out of his hand and his nose to meet the floor. "Leon!" Cynthia looked worriedly at the boy sprawled on the ground at her feet, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Leon managed, the impact jolting his brain, and rolling onto his back while Cynthia took a few steps back, "You're gorgeous." He slurred, vision spinning before he passed out. Cynthia knelt next to him and worriedly shook him by the shoulder while Brendan roared with laughter and Haliah giggled her heart out.

Character Emails (all are gmail accounts)

Caylee and any other side character – youngcrazyteenageauthor

Cynthia – athleticsapphiresinger

Leon – athleticgoldenboy

Bree – cheerfulcuriosity

Jay – perfectgrumpytone

Holly – emeraldintelligencequeen

Fini – gingerandwhiteteenager

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