Rejected 22 Times

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"Baby I just don't get it. Do you enjoy being hurt? I know you smelled the perfume, the make-up on his shirt", Liam sang as the crowd of students surrounding the stage realized that he was going to sing whether anyone was listening or not. Surprisingly, many couples decided to take this as an opportunity to slow dance with their date.

As each couple found each other, they pulled themselves into each other's arms and began to sway to the beat of the song. For a moment, I was so mesmerized by the melodious sound of Liam's voice echoing throughout the gymnasium, that I didn't realize Chase was tugging on my arm.

"You want to dance?", he asked, but it sounded more like a demand. Before nodding my head in response, I glanced up at Liam. His eyes were fixated on mine, and I almost felt guilty as I allowed Chase to pull me towards him.

Was he singing to me? I mean, who else would this song be about? The way that he looked at me made me think that he meant every word he was singing. Maybe this was his way of trying to admit how he truly felt.

He focused his attention elsewhere, while I continued to look up at the boy that was singing in front of the entire school. Despite the fact that he was publicly humiliating himself, he seemed comfortable onstage. I have to admit, he was pretty good. This only strengthened my beliefs that he would make it onto the X-Factor. Someone this talented wouldn't end up stuck in this town for the rest of their lives; this kind of person would go on to bigger and better things in a place that would accept him.

Chase seemed to be holding on to me tighter than before as if he was afraid that I would run away. In reality, my thoughts were running away, and it seems like every time I'm with Chase, I think of Liam. Whether it be positive memories or burdening questions, practically every thought I had related to him. Liam was simply an invasive part of my mind that I couldn't control.

He refused to look my way again, but I couldn't help but stare at him. His hand gripped the microphone tightly, and he remained in one spot as he continued to sing. His eyes flickered over to one area of the dance floor, but they quickly darted to another location.

I glanced back at where his focus was for that brief moment, and I found Millie standing by herself as she watched everyone else around her dancing with their date. Even Brooke, I noticed, was paired off.

For once, Millie wasn't the center of attention. For once, she didn't have a crowd of people surrounding her as she told them all about how great she was. For once, she was on her own.

Her back was turned, so I couldn't see her face, but I could tell how uncomfortable she felt. Her stance shifted every few seconds, and her thumbs twiddled between her clasped hands. As if she could feel my eyes bored onto the back of her head, she turned around and looked right at me. Something was off about her. Instead of the usual determined and fierce look she always held in her eyes, she almost looked... defeated. She glanced back and forth between me and Liam, who had now begun to stare at me again.

He kept his eyes focused on me as he sang the final words of his song. "You should let me love you. Let me be the one to give you everything you want and need."

Why did I think going to the dance with someone else would help me forget about Liam? It's only drawing me and closer and closer to him, and Chase doesn't deserve for his date to be wishing that she was with someone else.

The last line of the song fell from Liam's lip as more of a statement than anything else, "Show you the way love's supposed to be".

It was silent for a moment before the sound of clapping filled the entire gymnasium. Many of the people, who had just minutes ago booed him, were now commending and applauding his performance. The shocked look on Liam's face showed that he was not expecting such a reaction. He smiled down at me as his face beamed with pure happiness. This is why I knew that he had to go; this was what he was put on this Earth to do.