Strings

For the millionth time I wonder if I should just tell her, but she’s not Joseph.
What if she says I’m insane, what if she tells someone.
I know she wouldn’t, there’s something else holding me back.
For years it’s been me and Joseph's not-so-little-secret.

I sighs, this has been her answer every other time I've asked her.

“Hi there.” I say.

I stands behind Charlotte and Katie, my black hair combed back nicely.
I was dressed as a vampire, clad in black.

“I’m gonna go find someone to dance with.” I say, giving Charlotte a smile and nodding my head subtly at Brennan. I thinks he likes Char.

“So, you wanna dance?” I ask.

“I don’t dance.” I say, quickly. Even though this isn’t true at all, but if I have to I’ll give up dancing entirely, if it means Brennan will go away.

“Oh come on, dance with the friendless new kid, please?” I ask, making mock puppy dog eyes.

“I think you’re just about anything but friendless.” I say, thinking of him with the popular kids earlier this afternoon.

“Please?” I ask, brown eyes bright.

“Why me? Just go ask someone else to dance, looks like you’ve got the pick of the crowd.” I say, looking at the group of girls behind Brennan, all eagerly watching Brennan.

“Because you’re beautiful.” I say simply.
With that I grab her hand and drag her into the crowd.

The dance floor is warm with the heat of sweaty, dancing people. The music pounds in my ears, resonating in my bones, rebuilding my heart of dust. The beat is unrecognizable, I don’t know the singer or song title but somehow it doesn’t matter. I’ve been dragged into an alternate universe, music plays from my heart, from everyone’s hearts, from Brennan's heart. The words the singer sings make no sense, they’re impossible to hear much less understand, but it couldn’t matter less. This universe could go one for ever, although I’m not quite sure it’s another universe. I think it’s the start of one though, like the big bang that made earth, this is that. This is the start of something new.

How has the song not stopped yet? Why don’t I care?
I can only have a few reasonable thoughts before I’m dragged back to the big bang, the start of the new world, the start of this universe, the start of my universe.
I can only have a few thoughts before Brennan presses his lips to mine.

The entire world comes to a halt.
No one and nothing is moving except Brennan and I.
The other world doesn’t exist any more.
The one I call life, the one full of music, they’re gone.
This is all that exists, this moment. And only a moment it is at that, the kiss lasts barely a moment.
But it happened.
And it changed everything.

The ground is falling out beneath me, the sun is exploding, this is the apocalypse.
Brennan has kissed me, and I kissed him back.
I care and at the same time I don’t care.
I don’t care that I’ve just kissed the boy I don’t want to fall in love with.
At the same time I’m freaking out.

After we broke apart I managed to disappear into the crowd, which I’m now pushing through looking for Katie.
I find her dancing with Jack and as much as I hate pulling them apart I grab her arm and pull her out of the dance floor.

“I need to talk to you.” I say.

“Charlotte!” I protest.

“Katie.” I say, turning to look at her. “I need to talk to you.” And she doesn’t fight after that.