I have everything, except you - Thomas Brodie Sangster fic

17. Strobe lights and unwanted dances

I tried to avoid being seen in music, and Mr Archer left me alone, he wasn't about to make me stand in front of everyone again, but I knew I couldn't hide forever.

I pushed that thought deep into my mind and focused on the performances, which were really great.

Later on we had free time so I went into a practice room with Thomas. "How about you show me your song once, but put as much effort and loudness into it as you can, just to practice how it'll be in front of an audience."

I rolled my eyes, but placed my hands on the keys as he shuffled his chair away from me slightly and more towards the door.

I lost myself in the song for once, not worrying about the hot boy watching me or the inevitability of me performing. I played it better than ever and I felt the adrenaline pumping through me as I finished.

Much to my surprise the end of my song was met with applause from a roomful of people. I snapped my head over to the door and saw Mr Archer and the rest of my classmates gathered in the small entry.

Thomas sat in the corner smirking, having opened the door sneakily while I was playing so that everyone could hear.

"That was wonderful, Milly. I'm so proud of you," Mr Archer said as the rest of the class nodded and murmured in agreement as they moved away.

I thanked them, blushing furiously. I felt shock, but also excitement. I hugged Thomas quickly.

"You asshole! You tricked me!" I laughed, a relieved tear sliding down my face before I could stop it.

He wiped it away, smiling. "You're welcome, your voice deserves to be heard," he says, looking straight into my eyes. I buried my face into his school sweater.

*
The night of the dance. Great.

Steph had hired a limo, which I thought was a bit ridiculous, since this wasn't prom or anything. I wasn't complaining, though, especially when we sat in the leather seats and were handed glasses of champagne!

We'd spent the last two hours at Patricia's house getting ready, and I think we all looked pretty damn good. My hair was curled into golden waves and I was wearing a white and gold mini dress and strappy silver stilettos. Steph had done my makeup, and for the first time I was wearing highlight, which emphasized my cheekbones in a way I could never achieve by myself.

We picked up Jordan and Brock, and I felt really awkward, being the fifth wheel and all. I was glad when we finally arrived at the dance, although I was nervous about seeing Evan and whoever he had brought. Hopefully she wasn't pretty.

I stepped inside the dark hall and immediately the others wanted to dance. We danced in a group for a bit before they started separating out in couples, so I decided it was time to 'get a drink'. I wandered around, looking out for Evan.

Instead I bumped into Ryan, and he spun on his heel, apologizing until he realized it was me. Chrissy stood a couple of meters away, talking to a friend.

"Hey, Mil! Having fun?" He half yelled over the loud pop music.

"Uh, could be better!" I yelled back. He nodded, I'm not sure if he even heard me.

"Your butt looks great in that dress!" He said, smirking. I hit his arm playfully, rolling my eyes. "Shouldn't you be telling that to your date?" I motioned to Chrissy, and he looked over at her without enthusiasm.

"I think that was a mistake," he said into my ear, and I laughed. Chrissy caught sight of Ryan pressed up against me and glared. "Uh oh. Mistake or not, you should probably go dance with her," I said, patting him on the back. "Catch you later loser," he winked, dancing back over to his sulky date.