Sad Song by Way of the Kings

REWRITE

Cynthia, Leon- 19

I Still Love You

"Leave me alone!" Cynthia's voice rose to a high pitch as she tugged on his grip on her wrist, "let me go, Leon!" She cried, her hands were shaking as she tried to pry his fingers from her wrist, tears were trickling down her face and the liquid half blinded her.

"Let me explain!" Leon pleaded with her, his heart was breaking at seeing how torn up she was, StarClan he never meant for this to happen! He never meant to do this to her! One argument where he overstepped his bounds caused one thing to happen after another, and now he was dealing with Cynthia's reaction to the whole thing. "I didn't mean to do it, Cynthia!"

Cynthia vigorously shook her head, "I don't care! Let me go!" She was getting hysterical, the gentle and feisty singer was broken, her pride was smashed, her heart was broken to pieces, and her trust in the one person she needed to have in her life had been shattered. "I don't want you touching me!"

Leon pleaded with her, "Please let me explain! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"You did!" Cynthia cried, "let me go!"

"I didn't mean to cheat on you!" Leon exclaimed, trying to get her to see that he hadn't meant to do any of it.

That broke the floodgate, Cynthia started sobbing, almost unable to speak anymore through the force of her emotions and the betrayal she was feeling, "let me go…" She sobbed, pulling fruitlessly against his grip, "please…"

Leon's heart broke when she looked at him, her blue eyes were round from the earlier shock, red-rimmed from her tears and tears swam in her beautiful blue eyes. "Cynthia…"

"Let me go…" Cynthia pleaded brokenly, "let me go Leon…"

Leon felt a hand on his shoulder and his brother spoke up, "let her go, Leon," Jay said, his tone was calm but anger simmered beneath the surface. "She's going to hyperventilate."

Leon numbly did as his brother asked and released Cynthia's wrist, his amber eyes followed her as she fled from him, running away toward where Bree walked in the front door and colliding with her hard enough that Bree was knocked backward into the wall.

Bree's amber eyes widened and the brunette quickly dropped everything in her arms to envelope Cynthia in a tight hug, still sitting on the floor with her crutches sprawled on the floor nearby.
Cynthia finally broke down, blubbering as she buried her face into her friend's shoulder and howled, a huddled mess on the floor with Bree hugging her and gently comforting her.
Holly walked in the door a moment later and quickly knelt down, resting one hand on her sobbing friend's back, her green eyes were highly concerned and worried even as Bree gently rocked slightly from side to side, quietly hushing Cynthia's cries. She looked up at Leon who just gazed brokenly back at her. "What happened?" Holly asked, having been gone for the past few days.
Leon turned around and started numbly up the stairs, hearing his brother answer for him.

"Leon and Cynthia had an argument last night and Leon…"

Leon couldn't hear the rest of the sentence as he disappeared up the stairs and went into his and Cynthia's room for the first time since his and Cynthia's argument where he froze, staring at the room, having stayed in his brother's room for the night. It was a mess, Cynthia seemed to have been more upset than he thought she had. The room was a complete mess, Cynthia had strewn books, art supplies, clothes, blankets, notebooks, and even all of her small notebooks that held all of her lyrics were all over the floor, one of the lyric books was laying on the floor face up with a few pages ripped out and crumpled up or torn and shredded. The bed was messy, with all of Leon's blankets on the floor while Cynthia's were messy enough that Leon could tell that she had tossed and turned for a while. Cynthia was usually a decently heavy sleeper and hardly moved when she was asleep once she found a comfortable spot, so the blankets were usually pretty neat if she had slept well. He numbly went over to the open lyric book and looked at the open page that had newer ink and was written in an angry and messy scrawl of Cynthia's. The title was 'Don't let me Stop you' and Leon looked blankly out the window. "What have I done…" he breathed aloud.

Leon looked back at his computer screen, he had been watching stuff on youtube when he got a notification from his laptop from youtube from Cynthia's youtube channel with the title, My Excuse For Not Uploading Videos. He was half tempted to click on it and half tempted not too, simply because he wasn't sure what he was going to survive watching it. Bracing himself he put on headphones and clicked on it, holding his breath as it loaded. Guilt bit at his gut when it did load and began. Cynthia had her face camera on and was weakly smiling at the screen, her blue eyes were still red-rimmed and she looked just as broken as when she had that few days ago.

"Hey SapphireSquad," Cynthia started, her blue gaze flickering downward toward the desk, like she was struggling to make the video in the first place. "I apologize a thousand times for not uploading lately, but I've honestly not been mentally fit to make any videos and I lost a few of my latest song lyrics. I know I'm starting to sound like a messed up excuse maker, so I'll tell you guys what's going on, or more like what happened." She fidgeted slightly in her chair and cleared her throat before she began, "a few days ago I had an argument with my boyfriend, which you know, every couple argues, and we've had some pretty big ones, but this one was terrible and it involved my chosen career as a musician and YouTuber."
Leon felt even more guilty, he had accidentally said that she should choose a different career and that it was a little silly being a YouTuber.

"Anyway, so we argued and he left, walking out the front door and leaving me by myself in the house I share with CheerfulCuriousity," Cynthia continued, "I admit that I totally ruined me and my boyfriend's bedroom and tore some of the lyrics in my lyric book out, but hey," She tried to look indignant, "I was super upset and hurt about the whole thing. Anyway," her face fell to a more sad expression, "He stayed in his brother's room and I overheard them talking, more like yelling the next morning and I found out that he had…" She hesitated and her shoulders hunched slightly like she was trying to protect and reassure herself, "he cheated on me, and I can't just forgive him, I-It's not even as simple like he kissed a different girl or whatever… Anyway, I confronted him later that afternoon after crying enough that I gave myself a headache, and he admitted it and tried to explain to me what happened but I couldn't handle it and refused to let him explain. He broke my trust and it's been really hard for me." She sighed and ran one hand through her hair, "so I'm sorry but there won't be any videos till I recover from this." She sighed, cradling her head in her hands, "my life is screwed up." She then said a sentence that made Leon feel like he had stabbed himself in the heart. "We were supposed to be getting engaged," Cynthia whispered as she lifted her head and rested her arms back on the table, her blue gaze distanced slightly like she wasn't completely focused on the task at hand. "He's taken me out to look at rings," she sounded a little choked up now, "and possible places for the whole proposal." she bit her lower lip for a few moments and Leon knew she was keeping her lip from trembling from her emotions. "We've talked about possible wedding colors, styles, and even a possible time." She closed her eyes for a moment and Leon guessed she was reorganizing her thoughts. "So yeah, sorry everyone, but I can't upload until I can recover properly," tears were pricking at the corners of her eyes now and Leon felt even worse than before, "I wish you all tons of luck with everything you do till the next time I upload, until next time." The video switched to her exit screen, with some of her music being background music and a few links to her channel, art videos, game videos, and music videos.
Leon paused it and ran one hand through his blonde hair, he felt terrible, even worse than before. He scrolled down to the comments, looking at the comments pinned at the top.

CheerfulCuriousity(Official)(Pinned by SapphireGleam)

Guys, I know that you all want to kill the boy

who screwed up and cheated on Sapphire,

but you all need to understand that he's an impulsive person

and that it was an accident. In no way does that excuse his actions,

but that does mean that everyone should be considerate of

what he is going through as well.

PerfectGrumpyTone(Official)(Pinned by SapphireGleam)

I agree with Cheerful, while yes, he definitely deserves to be kicked into next week,

think about him as well. I wish you luck Sapphire and feeling better

(it gets better over time, take it from me) and I will hunt that boy down

if you or Cheerful would like me too.

LeafofIntelligence(Official)(Pinned by SapphireGleam)

Sorry about my pain in the butt of a brother Sapphire, he's pretty impulsive and

tends to make terrible decisions when he's angry,

so I hope you forgive him for his actions.

He loves you a heck of a lot and I hope you feel better soon,

you can always come to me or Cheerful if you'd like,

we're always here for you Saph.

Leon felt both worse, and better knowing that their friends were there to support her while he had screwed up and didn't know how to fix it. He skimmed through other comments, looking at what other people said and feeling his guilt worsen at the comments directed toward him and their rude words and threats, but he stumbled onto another comment and blinked, noticing how the person had defended him.

Banannasrule2018

Guys, the guy's actions are uncalled for I wholeheartedly agree,

but what's the point of being rude to him? Three trusted YouTubers

are telling us to be easy on him because it was an accident,

stop bad mouthing him and be nice. Everyone makes mistakes,

and while his actions are a terrible mistake, that doesn't mean

we should make him feel worse! What if he was reading through the comments

right now? I hope the guy reads this comment

because I'm sure I'm one of the few not bad mouthing him

and getting all upset at him. I know his actions were terrible and I agree,

but not everyone can be as perfect as Sapphire,

and I hope he knows what he's now missing out on,

SapphireGleam's incredible! And SapphireGleam,

if he doesn't see that you're the best girl out there in the world

then it's his problem.

Leon blinked in surprise when before his eyes Cynthia responded to the comment.

SapphireGleam(Official)

I wouldn't be surprised if he did read through these,

he has a habit of guilt-tripping himself after something bad happens,

thank you Banannasrule2018, you're correct, it was an accident, I'm aware that it was.

But it's not something that can be forgiven after a few days,

it takes time to rebuild that trust and I haven't seen him try to apologize either, so it'll take time.

I'm flattered you think so highly of me, it's a gladly appreciated compliment,

it's nice to know that my viewers and trusted fans (even if some of you are crazy)

are still there and are still supporting me. Thank you Banannasrule2018,

I hope your day will be bright like a sappire

Leon closed his laptop, feeling as guilty as before and wishing with all his heart that he could go back in time and prevent himself from cheating on Cynthia.

Leon jogged over to Cynthia as she was leaving the school, "Cindy wait!"

Cynthia tensed and shot off, sprinting away from him just as he was about to touch her shoulder, "leave me alone!" She yelled over her shoulder as she sprinted back into the school and threw open the door to a stairwell before racing up the stairs. She didn't want to talk to him, she didn't. He broke her in more ways than one, and there was no way in the world she was going to let him break her even more. I don't want to! He will hurt me even more! Cynthia thought in a slightly panicked state and ran faster, able to hear his pounding footsteps a little ways behind her. He cheated on me, I can't talk to him, I just can't! She shoved open the stairwell door, nearly running into a poor sophmore before she swerved out of his way, and slid around the corner not breaking her pace. She could hear her heavy breathing in her ears, she could feel her pulse beating erratically as she tried to outrun Leon despite that she knew it was a lost cause, she was never going to escape him…

"Leon! What are you doing?!"

Cynthia couldn't have ever been happier to hear Ivory's voice in her life.

The blonde was standing near one of the lockers, Braxton's arms loosely around her waist, however she pushed Braxton's arms away and moved away from him as Cynthia shot behind her, hiding behind the junior, panting and out of breath while clutching her lyric notebook to her chest.

Leon skidded to a stop in front of Ivory, "I wanted to asked Cynthia to help me with something," he told Ivory, "the talent show's coming up-"

Ivory cut him off with her arms crossed over her chest, "I am well aware of the talent show," she said cooly, "I want to know why you were chasing her up a flight of stairs and down a hallways!" She snapped at him.

"I was trying to ask her to help me with the talent show!" Leon exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air, "that's it!"

Ivory narrowed her eyes, "Leon, Cynthia doesn't want to talk to you, you hurt her and she needs time to heal without you tearing open the healing wounds."

"For StarClan's sake! It was an accident! I didn't mean to do it!"
"You didn't mean to… you have got to be kidding me," Ivory then snarled, "you didn't mean to go prancing off with Hannah?!"
"No! I didn't!" Leon replied in exasperation, "I was blinded by anger! I had argued with Cynthia and offended her terribly! I was furious at her and myself! I didn't mean to 'prance off' with Hannah!"

Ivory took a step toward him, "Then why haven't you apologized?!"

"Because she's more skittish than a rabbit!" Leon retorted, "Cynthia's been so skittish around me that I can hardly say even two words to her!"

Cynthia's ears were ringing now and her head was spinning, she needed to go home and either hide somewhere for a while or find somewhere she could relax and possibly sleep.

"Well I wonder why!" Ivory short back, and niether of them noticed that Cynthia started sprinting down the hallwaytoward a different stairwell.

"I didn't mean to!" Leon shot back

"Ivory-" Braxton tried to get her attention.

"Shut it Braxton," Ivory snapped, "she gave everything to you Leon, of course she's skittish! You broke her trust in you!"

"Ivory-" Braxton tried again but this time Leon cut him off.

"I know she has!" Leon retorted, "I know and I can't do anything about it!"

"IVORY!" Braxton yelled, finally getting their attention.

"What?!" Ivory snapped at him, her frustration in Leon before slightly taken out on Braxton.

"Cynthia left," Braxton said calmly, "she ran off, probably to go home."

Ivory nodded before she looked at Leon, "fix this," she growled, "otherwise I will beat you to pulp." She then grasped Braxton by the hand and began pulling him down the hall, silently simmering in anger.

Leon sighed, ran one hand through his hair, and walked down from where he had come up the stairs. I have to apologize, even if I have to trap her to do it.

Leon crept quietly into Cynthia's bedroom and closed the door behind him. He could hear the water running in her bathroom so he had enough time to drop off his hoodie and stand by the door before she came into the room. He waited as the water turned off, feeling a little nervous, not wanting to trap her but having not much of a choice if he wanted her to potentionally forgive him.

Cynthia came into the room a few minutes later, she used two fingers to brush tears away from her blue eyes as she closed the bathroom door and gave a small hiccup.

Leon's heart stung painfully, knowing that he was the reason for her longer bouts of crying, but it warmed slightly, she looked beautiful. Upset and clearly torn up about something, but beautiful. Cynthia looked like she was going to go to sleep, with her blue soccer shorts and a tank-top, comfortable clothes for her. Her black hair was damp, dripping occasionally from her bangs and down the side of her head to her neck where the water pooled slightly at her collarbones, and she was wearing her glasses, so he assumed she had taken out her contacts. "Cynthia," he said quietly and noticed how she tensed up like a board at his voice, "can I talk to you?"

Cynthia clenched her jaw like she was arguing with herself before she nodded and reluctantly continued moving toward the bed, still intending to go to sleep.

Leon looked around the room, noticing how she hadn't moved anything of his, having instead kept them all clean and organized. The bedroom was much more organized than that last time he had seen it. "You haven't moved any of my stuff," he said, trying to come up with what to say.

Cynthia sat down on the bed and shrugged, not saying anything in return.

Leon pulled a chair from the desk and sat down in it near her, giving her all of the space that she wanted, "I want your help," He said quietly.

"With what?" Cynthia replied, her voice was a little nasally, nodoubt from the crying she had done. "The talent show?"

"Yeah," Leon said, feeling the awkwardness and tension between them seemed to be getting thicker the longer he was in the room. "I was going to do a song but the song I wanted to do got rejected and when I made another one and got it approved I realized that there's a second part… a girl's part." He avoided looking her in the eyes, trying to keep it secret that he had made it for them before he had ruined their relationship.

"Lyrics?" Cynthia asked quietly as she took off her glasses and cleaned them with her shirt and Leon scooted the chair closer before he reached over and dropped her copy onto the bed.

"It starts with me singing these," Leon told her quietly, "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…" Suddenly he stopped singing abruptly as he felt Cynthia's lips being gently pressed against his own. He tensed up, unsure what to do in this situation. The kiss itself was gentle, chaste, and held a hint of longing, like Cynthia severely missed their relationship and the way it used to be, like when he would build a childish fort out of the blankets of the bed and he'd pull her under it with her where together they would goof off, telling each other ridiculous stories between laughter filled cuddles and kisses. Leon responded to the kiss a moment later, but when his hand brushed the side of her face, Cynthia pulled back, keeping her face still closer to his own like she used to when they had kissed before. She liked to be close enough that she could repeat the action if she felt like it.

"Sorry," her voice was slightly hushed, like she was still caught in the effects of the kiss itself. "I shouldn't have. We're not together anymore." She mumbled, and sat up straight before brushing her bangs behind her ears. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Leon told her sincerely, "I don't mind."

Cynthia closed her eyes, "I shouldn't have kissed you," she shook her head slightly as if slightly in denial, "you cheated on me."

Leon nodded, feeling even more guilty than he already had been, "and I'm sorry, I can apologize a thousand times and always be sorry-"

"We were supposed to be getting married soon Leon!" Cynthia's blue eyes flashed open, and finally Leon got to hear what she had really been thinking. She choked up slightly, her blue eyes glittering with more tears, "I wanted the engagement so bad," Leon's heart stuttered at the past tense, "I wanted to spend my life with you so badly and you threw it away!" She said thickly.

"I know I did," Leon replied, "I honestly didn't mean to do anything with Hannah, I wanted and still want you to marry me Cynthia," He said sincerely, hope fluttering in his heart. "I still want a blue and gold wedding because you chose the colors, I still want to be with you for the rest of my life!"

"Leon," Cynthia said quietly, "you didn't just kiss a different girl," she closed her eyes again, with a few tears escaping her blue eyes, "you did more than that and I can't forgive you right now." She opened her eyes again before she ducked her head, clutching the paper in her hands in a tight grip.

Leon's heart fell and he nodded, feeling a lump growing in his throat as he saw rapid tear droplets splash against the paper that he had laminated, "I know." He stood up, taking his part of the song with him as he did so, "if you forgive me by the time the talent show rolls around please help me with the song." He walked over to the door and looked back at her, looking at her hunched form and speaking in a thick voice. "I love you, you're the only one my heart wants, I love you Cynthia Casi Lawson." He heard Cynthia give a heaving sob once he left and shut the door behind him.

Three Weeks Pass

Leon sighed heavily as he tightened his neck tie and fixed it's position so that it wasn't crooked. If he was going to do this he didn't want to look dumb while standing on the stage singing by himself and potentially embarrass himself while Cynthia didn't show up to the talent show to help him.

He hoped that Cynthia would forgive him after their conversation inside their bedroom when he had given her the lyrics to the song, but so far she hadn't responded, which ment he didn't know if she would show up. He hadn't even seen her had lunch today, which in of itself was weird. A voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Our next participant is Senior Leonardo Bramble singing Sad Song by We the Kings," The directer for the talent show, who was Diana, introduced Leon, "Leon, will you please come onto the stage?"

Leon adjusted the wireless mic earpiece he had before he pushed through the curtains and onto the stage as the music started. I can only hope at this point, he thought to himself as he waited for his cue which he received a moment later. "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. So stop time here in the moonlight, 'cause I don't ever wanna close my eyes!" He sang softly, keeping his tone sad and almost depressed, which wasn't that hard in the first place. "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 sighed, he didn't see Cynthia, now he was going to be embarrassed and mortified. "I'm just a sad song…" Then his head whipped around as the curtains softly rustled and he heard the sound of Cynthia's sandals against the hardwood flooring.

"With you, I fall…" She walked closer to him, her blue eyes fixed on his face even as they heard the student body clapping slightly and a few of them whooped at the sight of Cynthia emerging onto the stage. "It's like I'm leaving all my past in sillhouettes up on a wall…" She was actually holding a mic in one hand, having gotten used to singing into a microphone after everything that she did on a daily basis. "With you, I'm a beautiful mess…"

Leon could agree with that statement, Cynthia was wearing a royal blue strapless dress with white sandals and her black hair was up in a bun with a blue rose pinned up in the bun itself.

"It's like we're standing hand in hand with all our fear up on the edge," Cynthia continued singing, beginning the chorus, "so stop time right here in the moonlight, 'cause I don't ever wanna close my eyes…"

Leon's heart swelled with joy as he took over in the song at his part of the chorus and stood next to her, facing her. "Without you, I feel broke, like I'm half of a whole! Without you I have no hand to hold! Without you I feel torn like a sail in a storm… Without you, I'm just a sad song…."

Cynthia rejoined in the song, getting lost in the music like she usually did when she sang, "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!"
Leon smiled, his amber eyes lighting up and softening slightly, "Without you I feel broke, like I'm half of a whole…" He brought one hand up to cup Cynthia's cheek that was closest to the stage as she took over once again.

"Without you I've got no hand to hold…" Cynthia sang softly.

They both started singing again, raising their voices, "Without you I feel torn like a sail in a storm!"

"I'm just a sad song," Leon sang as Cynthia lowered her voice and sang in the background, "Without you I feel broke like Im half of a whole! Without you I have no hand to hold… Without you I feel torn like a sail in a storm!" He paused for a moment before continuing, "Without you I'm just a sad song… I'm just a sad song…" His voice faded as the music trailed off and stopped.
The student body clapped and cheered while Cynthia nervously laughed and Leon chuckled a little with her.
"With that stunning performance," Diana started to wind down the talent show, talking about the positions and how the top performer or performers would go to the state competition while the second place would go to district and for everyone to vote for the competitors, while Leon and Cynthia slipped off of the stage to wait with everyone else.
The silence between them was rather awkward as they walked, clearly unsure what to say to eachother even after the performance.

Leon braved the silence and asked her a question, nervousness made his tone wobble slightly. "Thank you for helping me," he said quietly, "even though you didn't have to and I don't deserve it."

"You're wrong," Cynthia responded after a few moments of silence, clearly choosing her words with care. "You deserve my help, you always have." Tendrils that were coming out of her bun were now partially hiding her blue eyes, "always."

Leon looked over at her, "always?"

Cynthia simply nodded, deciding not to say anything, unsure how to respond.

Leon then tentatively asked his next question, "what… what did you decide?"

"I forgive you," Cynthia said quietly and Leon smiled, "but," and Leon's smile turned apprehensive. "I want to go slow, I want to make sure it'll work this time."

Leon smiled at her, "okay, we'll start slow and build up to what we had before."

Cynthia nodded, she was still looking down at the floor walking besides him. "Yeah."

"What else is bothering you?" Leon asked gently, picking up on her behavior pretty quickly. "Is there another but coming?"

Cynthia shook her head, "no." She was then silent for a few moments before she spoke again, "I talked to Hannah a few days ago."

Leon looked surprised, "what did she say?"

"She said when you realized what was going on you left," Cynthia replied quietly and smiled slightly, "and she told me you were ranting about how you had messed up before you left." Her blue gaze drifted over to him, "she apologized to me for taking advantage of you in your angry state."

Leon looked surprise, his surprise was mounting. "She did? Wow, I have to admit that I'm shocked." He said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Cynthia looked up at him, a faint smile gracing her features, "me too, I was stunned, Hannah doesnt usually apologize like that." Her blue eyes softened, "but she saw how it had messed up our relationship and apologized to me, apologizing for taking advantage of you and of not realizing how badly it could ruin our relationship-"

The intercom turned on over the speakers, "Leon and Cynthia please return to the stage along with Mike, Braxton, and Ivory."

Cynthia and Leon looked at eachother, what in the world?

They arrived back on the stage a few moments later, confused and definitely not expecting what happened next. "The winning participant or the talen show is Leon and his companion Cynthia!"

Both of their jaws opened, they hadn't been trying to get to the top three in the first place and they scored first?!

Leon numbly took the trophie, his amber eyes were wide and he glanced at Cynthia, who had a matching look or shock and surprise.

"The student body has selected you two to go to the state competition," Diana smiled at them, "which is in a few months, so if you'd like you can change up your routine or whatever. Bring our school the honor of winning!" She cheered and the rest of the students followed her lead.

Cynthia and Leon locked eyes, determination now showing brightly in their eyes, they had a chance to give their school a parting gift, and despite their current issues they were going to do it. They were going to win state and bring their school the title finally since Leon's parents had went to school.

It was dark, and Leon was feeling a little nervous, this was it, and he was particularly nervous. They had seen the competition being the last pair to go, but that didn't settle the worry knawing at him and Cynthia. They had been working hard over to past month and a half learning to be able to sing while dancing, and memorizing a dance in the first place. It had taken a lot of trial and fail, but they had enjoyed it. It helped repair Cynthia's damaged heart and make them closer to eachother, helping rebuild their lost relationship. He heard the music quietly start up and Leon watched from his position kneeling on the stage with a white vase in front of him which held a thornless blue rose as half the lights slowly began to turn on as he started singing. "You… and I... we're like fireworks and symphonies exploding in the sky…" He sang as he picked up the rose and stood up with the vase, "With you, I'm alive! Like all the missing pieces of my heart, they finally collide." He put the vase down on the edge of the stage and tucked the rose into one of his suit vest's pockets that they had made a hole for the stem to go through, "So stop time here in the moonlight, 'cause I don't ever wanna close my eyes!" He then walked toward the center of the stage and stood there for a moment with his hands in his pants pockets. He was wearing black slacks, a light blue longsleeve with a royal blue tie, and black suit vest that currently had the rose tucked into one of the 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…"

The other stage lights slowly turned as the faint sounds of Cynthia's sandals were heard and she started her part, walking over from the edge of the stage. Cynthia was dressed in the blue dress she had been wearing the first time they had sung this, but now she was wearing a navy blue thin cardigan over it to cover her exposed shoulders. "With you, I fall…" She sang softly as she approached Leon who pulled the rose from his pocket and offered it to her after twirling it around his fingers and lightly bowing. "It's like I'm leaving all my past in sillhouettes up on a wall…" She sang as she curtesied to Leon before she turned around and let him weave the rose into the curled bun her black hair was in."With you, I'm a beautiful mess…" Leon offered her his hand and she took it, allowing him to spin her around once as she continued singing, "It's like we're standing hand in hand with all our fear up on the edge," she took one of Leon's hands as she sang the words and Leon started to lead the dance they had learned for this which was kind of a vague tango or fox trot. "so stop time right here in the moonlight, 'cause I don't ever wanna close my eyes…" She finished her part quietly and Leon took over the song.

"Without you, I feel broke, like I'm half of a whole!" Leon sang as he dipped her with a smile before pulling her back up, "without you I have no hand to hold! Without you I feel torn like a sail in a storm!" He spun her around once again, "Without you, I'm just a sad song…."

Cynthia joined back in on the song as Leon continued to lead the dance, "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!" She trailed off, looking at Leon's amber eyes as he drew her closer for more of a slow dance for a few moments as they traded off parts.

"Without you I feel broke, like I'm half of a whole…" Leon trailed

"Without you I've got no hand to hold…" Cynthia sang softly before Leon joined her and together they sang the next line.

"Without you I feel torn like a sail in a storm!" Cynthia's voice faded to background and Leon sang louder, pulling Cynthia into the kind of dance they had been doing previously."Without you...

"Yeah I'm just a sad song… Without you I feel broke like Im half of a whole! Without you I have no hand to hold… Without you I feel torn like a sail in a storm!" Leon spun Cynthia around so that she was nearly nose to nose with him as he sang the last few lines. "Without you I'm just a sad song… I'm just a sad song…" he trailed off as the music faded and stopped, his amber eyes were soft and gentle looking at Cynthia's pretty blue eyes.

Cynthia smiled, she was breathing a little faster than normal, but Leon didn't mind nor was he surprised, singing while dancing was hard and it took a lot of air. He smiled as well, happy to see that she was happy.

Applause jerked the two out of their moment and Leon let her go so they could bow, or curtesy in Cynthia's case, and get off of the stage, which they did a few moments later, disappearing backstage and taking a few deep breaths each.

"We did it," Leon said, a smile spreading across his face.

Cynthia nodded, "we did, we did it."

Leon opened his mouth to speak but he was interrupted by Diana nearly bowling him over and Bree yanking Cynthia down into a hug.

"You guys were amazing!" Bree squealed happily, hugging Cynthia tightly, "that looked awesome!"

Diana nodded, "my mom would be so proud!"

Diana's mom was the one would had taught them the dance, which they were very grateful for.

"Well I did record it," Holly smiled as she came over to them with Jay, she, Bree, and Jay got in simply using their status', while Diana had gotten in because she was representing their school along with the principal.

"Really?! Let me see!" Diana rushed over to her, allowing Leon to be free of her squeezing hug.

Bree released Cynthia as well, "you two looked like professionals! It was truly spectacular!"

Jay nodded and adjusted his glasses, "no mess ups this time. Even I have to admit that it was nearly perfect."

Cynthia straightened up, "thanks for the compliments guys," she smiled, "now we're just waiting to see if we managed to get first place."

"Contestants please come up to the stage with your school representatives,"

"And that's our que," Leon smiled, nervousness showing in his eyes even as he tentatively grasped Cynthia by the hand before going back toward the stage.

They stood there waiting anxiously, fidgeting slightly and holding their breath every time someone was called going up from tenth place.

"What if we didn't get it?" Cynthia whispered into Leon's ear as the fourth place winner was awarded, "I mean, there's always that possibility…"

"Don't worry, we will," Leon said, trying to reassure them both as he turned his attention to the woman handing out the awards who was calling the top three places.

"Third goes to Yukai Academy student Sean for his guitar solo," The woman said, handing a senior the third place trophie, "second goes to Suiako High student Maikai for her amazing dance routine," she handed the junior the trophie, "and first place goes to," she paused for dramatic effect and Cynthia tightened her grasp on Leon's hand, feeling even more nervous than before.

Cynthia glanced at Leon, unsure if his expression mirrored hers, nervousness and falling hopes.

"Ruxburg High students Leonardo Bramble and his partner Cynthia Lawson!"

Leon's eyes widened and his mouth fell open, they had actually done it? They had won!

He could hear Diana jumping up and down and cheering behind him exclaiming how they had won as the woman handing out the awards handed Leon the trophy who simply stared at it for a few moments before he turned his gaze to Cynthia who had a very peculiar look on her face. Before he could say anything and ask her what that expression was for, she jumped, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him firmly, being particularly excited and having not kissed him in months now.

Leon wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her up as he responded in turn. It was almost like their first kiss outside of a game of truth or dare all over again, Cynthia had done the same thing, given him a funny look that Holly later translated as 'I want to kiss you but I have no idea if it's appropriate right now' when they were fifteen before had she leaped at him and nearly knocked him to the ground, kissing him in the middle of the basketball court, apparently too hyped on adrenaline to care. He could hear Diana still bouncing around, even more now that he and Cynthia were kissing on the stage, he could hear Firen apologizing for them breaking the rules in a rather amused tone and the woman who had been giving out the awards lightly chuckling in response, but he was focused on the girl in his arms. He would never do anything to jeopardize their relationship again, not in his lifetime and if he was capable of it.

Cynthia pulled back a few moments later, her blue eyes fixed on Leon's face, her blue eyes triumphant, sparkling with joy, and slightly dazed from the kiss itself. "I missed that," she said in a hushed voice as Leon let her go.

Leon's lips quirked into a smile, "me too."

Then Leon was startled by Diana yanking his arm up as high as she could reach and yell, "We win!"

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

WHSS Art

Deviantart: tigercryrocks | Instagram: tigercry

WHSS Audiobooks

*Coming Soon*