The lakes by Taylor Swift 

I don't belong and my beloved neither do you.

I wake up with Grayson's arm draped across my chest, the yellow sun shines through the curtains. I smile as I watch Grayson sleep peacefully beside me. 

Until the thought pops into my mind. The selections are today. 

"Fuck." I mutter as I roll over and tap my phone. 7:40am.

I fumble out of bed and quickly slide on my leotard whilst Grayson is still asleep. I fumble trying to put my hair in a bun and it still ends up pretty messy. 

I check the time again once I've brushed my teeth. 7:45am. 

"What time is it?" Grayson asks as he sits up. "Quarter to 8. I have something at school at 8." I panic as I hop around on the spot trying to wriggle my shoe on. 

He laughs at me as he watches me struggle. 

My door jolts open and I turn to see a very hungover Rachel looking really messy. She's already dressed but her hair is down. Hayden stands behind her, already dressed as well with huge eye bags due to his hangover. 

Rachel raises a brow when she notices Grayson on my bed. "Go have breakfast, make some lunch and dinner for yourselves as well." I order.

They both head down and I sit on my bed beside Grayson. 

"I have a school thing at 8:30." He tells me quietly. "Then why are you still in my bed?" I raise a brow with a smirk. 

He reaches towards my face and tucks some of my hair that's slipped out the bun behind my ear. His hand remains on my cheek a moment longer. 

When the moment turns a little too intimate he clears his throat and stands. He starts changing into his clothes from last night that are now dry. 

"So what's this school thing?" He asks as he ties his shoe laces. "Just some contest thing." I shrug like it's nothing. "Are you competing?" He asks, walking to stand in front of me. "Yeah, sort of." I tell him. 

"Well I'm sure you'll do great." He grins and leans down to place a cute little kiss on the tip of my nose. The kiss seems pretty platonic yet it still manages to send a fluttery feeling to my stomach.

"I'm gonna head back to campus now. Do you want me to walk you to school on the way?" He offers. 

"No, just you go ahead. We're going different ways anyway." I shrug. I finish packing a small back with all my dance shoes, my resume, my emergency hair and makeup bag, a change of clothes, a small first aid kit, headphones and my phone. 

"Shouldn't you be warming up or something?" Grayson asks sceptically. "As a matter of fact, yes. Care to help me?" I suggest.

"How does one help warm you up?" He asks sceptically. Without warning I kick my leg up as high as I can and balance it on his shoulder with a smirk. 

I move closer to him until our bodies are touching and my leg is pretty much straight up in the air. 

I wrap my two arms around his neck and grin suggestively at his face that is mere inches from mine. My leg sits on his shoulder comfortably. I may have lied a little, they usually give us about half an hour to warm up when we're there.

"As much as I want to focus on how hot that was, my leg hurts just looking at that." He squints at my leg.

I laugh and take my leg down and lift my bag from the bed. "Let me." Grayson gestures to my bag, "What a gentlemen." I grin. He takes the bag from my hands and then falters at how heavy it is. "What's in here rocks?" He asks as he throws the back over his shoulder.

"Just the necessities. I carry around that bag every day at school. You'll never complain again about being a nerd only having to carry like 4 books." I laugh.

"Seriously? If I carried that for a day straight I'd be calling my chiropractor without hesitation." He jokes.

"Well you're just weak." I frown teasingly. "Oh really? That was not what you said when you were fawning over my muscles last night." He chuckles as we walk down the stairs. 

He passes me my bag again when we get to the front door. I notice all four of my friends snacking in the kitchen as they stare obnoxiously at us. 

"I guess I'll see you around.. you have my number." Grayson says with a nod as he opens the door. 

"Yeah.. Call me tonight. I missed you and don't want to just forget this ever happened." I tell him, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

He doesn't hesitate to wrap me into an intimate and well needed hug. It's been three weeks since either of us saw anyone from the house including each other, so running into each other at a frat party has been a pretty happy surprise.

He squeezes my shoulder two times before separating the hug. He kisses my forehead and heads out. 

I close the door behind him with a grin. All my friends start laughing. I walk towards them in confusion, "Something funny?" I ask.

"That was singly the most adorable yet most awkward interaction I've ever witnessed." Maddie smiles. 

"Did you already know him?" Wyatt asks me. "Yeah.. Remember one of those brothers I mentioned?" I try to conceal a smile. 

"The younger one you've dated on and off? The rebellious, reckless, flirty, self destructive, playful brother who risks his life every other second?" Rachel summarises, pretending to be madly in love. "Other one." I tell them.

"The one you've kissed a few times? The one you fake dated? The mature, self assured, uptight, reserved, mysterious brother who always wears suits?" Maddie scrunches her face in confusion. 

"Yeah." I grin to myself. "And is he your new boyfriend?" Wyatt teases. "Absolutely not." I laugh. "Why? Is he gay? Can he be for me?" Wyatt gasps excitedly. 

"Yeah I really doubt he's gay. But you can dream." I shake my head.

"Shit what time is it?" I suddenly ask. "Five minutes!" Rachel gasps as the three of us hurry out. 

On the way out I realise Hayden and Rachel both brought lunch boxes filled with pre-prepared meals like I told them to, unfortunately I forgot my own advise and I didn't even bring a single thing.

Is that a good idea to dance for 14 hours all day without bringing any food or drink? Absolutely not. Will I turn around to get something and risk being late? Absolutely not.

We arrive there right on time after running the whole way, a sign directs us to the third floor stage.

When we arrive to the stage a couple fellow students lead us backstage where everyone stretches.

Rachel, Hayden and I greet the people we know and leave our bags together before beginning to stretch. 

"Good morning students, we thank you for making the effort to come along so early on a weekend. Our board of teachers are starting to fill up the auditorium. We've got some Harvard students coming in later to fill up the space and see how you perform in front of an audience. We're going to give you half an hour to warm yourselves up back here and then you'll all participate in a group performance which I will lead. Then there will be an improvisation task. We'll split you all in half, one half will stay and learn choreography from a professional. The other half will all individually create choreography and select music for a solo. You can choose the style as long as it lasts at least 2 minutes. Next will be solo auditions where you perform the original choreography on your own. We will then have an hour long break for dinner. And then we will finish the night off by letting you know who will not be returning tommorow." An unfamiliar teacher has us gather around and explains to us what we'll be doing.

Everyone stretches in the large space as we hear the chatter seeping through the curtains of the stage as everyone enters and settles down.

I sit in the splits, taking this stretching time to my advantage and fixing my hair into a slick bun with lots of hair spray.

Over the loudspeaker backstage a voice speaks, alerting us all. "Okay dancers, make your way to the stage to begin." 

Everyone stops what they were doing and we all rush to the stage eagerly. 

I see the audience filled with about 60 bored Harvard students who look very uninterested. Except for one, he suddenly looks very interested. Grayson motherfucking Hawthorne.

He was once slouched in his seat but when he noticed me he sat up straight and focused all his attention on me. 

The group dance isn't too bad, we are taught a dance slowly and carefully then in the group we all perform the dance five times. 

Only a couple of mistakes are made by other students but they all seem to recover well. By the time 11am rolls around we're given a 10 minute break to grab a snack or drink. Obviously having neither with me, I use my time to go to the bathroom. On my way back I run into Grayson and a couple of his friends.

He immediately walks away from his friends to speak to me. 

"Hey." He smiles sweetly. "Hi." I reply softly. "Why didn't you tell me this was where you were coming for school?" I ask him. 

"They didn't tell us what it was for until we got to the meet point or else half of us wouldn't have showed up." He explains. 

I determine by our interaction that the kiss was a mistake. For him anyway.

"What about you Miss 'Just some school thing' We were told there were only 30 finalists?" Grayson smirks. "And theres like 17,000 people at this school? That's 0.18%. Paris that's incredible!" he smiles. He smiles a genuine real smile that makes my insides feel like they're about to implode. 

"It's not that big of a deal." I dismiss.

"Yo! Bronco! We're back!" One of Grayson's friends yells in a really Californian accent.

"I am never letting you live that nickname down!" I giggle. "Oh yeah? Cash? You really think you can mock me after you joined a gang and went by 'Cash' for 2 whole weeks." He laughs with me.

"Well, you're number one supporter has to go. You're doing great out there, Paris. I can't take my eyes off you." He speaks lowly. 

He walks back towards his friends, "Bronco! Welcome back Brother." The Californian guy says. I snort as I walk inside, only to have Grayson's gaze follow me with a smirk. 

The improvisation task lasts only 45 minutes. They played different songs and told us to just improvise as best we could. Each song was a different style: pop, classical, jazz, acoustic, hip hop  etc.

I didn't find the task too challenging, definitely not as hard as people were making it out to be. A lot of people were complaining the second they get backstage for the short five minute break we were rewarded.

Rachel checked in on me and asked how I was finding it, I told her it wasn't too bad which made her laugh because there were literal adults aged 18 - 22 year olds here complaining and a 16 year old said it wasn't too bad.

The teachers split us based off surnames. A - L was group 1, M - Z was group 2. I almost went to group one before remembering that here I'm Paris Rooney, not Grambs. 

Group one starts to work with the professional dancer whilst the rest of us create choreography in our own spaces. I choose to create a contemporary dance to the song 'The Lakes' by Taylor Swift. 

I develop a pretty good dance that I feel proud of. So for the next hour I rehearse it until it is engrained in my mind. I make sure every move is precise and well chosen. 

When the first group is finished, group 2 pile on stage. The professional is surprisingly one I've heard of, a dancer in her mid twenties. 

She teaches us a dance she did that ended up helping her win a state wide competition. 

This part of the selections end up taking two hours but it's worth it for the dance we learned in the time. For the entire day I've watched teachers watch judgingly and write notes without even pretending to look impressed. 

When we get to the solo auditions my head is pounding and my stomach is roaring. Nevertheless I focus on rehearsing my choreography on repeat until they reach my name on the list. The list is surname alphabetical so I end up spending 2 hours straight rehearsing on my own due to the time taken with those before me.

Rachel walks towards me concerned, "You shouldn't work yourself out or you'll just end up tired by the time they get to you." She advises. But I don't listen. I keep working. I don't stop until I hear my name called. 

I took a deep breath and walked on. My music started and I went over the choreography, remembering each and every move perfectly. I had added a couple leaps and tricks for the wow factor but made sure not to make it look as if I was showing off. 

I finished the last move of the dance, a fouetté. By the time I'm done my vision has gone blurry and I'm sweating a lot. 

I walk off the stage in character but the second I'm off I can't hold back anymore. The ringing in my ears takes over the sound of applause. I feel so lightheaded I struggle to walk. I see blurs of Rachel come towards me and ask me something but I can't comprehend.

I breathe heavily, my eyes get heavier. Rachel rushes on stage and shouts something. 

Grayson.

I watch as she dances beautifully. She doesn't miss a beat. Doesn't drop the character she's playing. She doesn't make mistakes. She looks majestic, like a tree blowing gracefully in the wind. 

When she finishes she looks a little green, the color of her cheeks has disappeared. I brush it off as the bright stage lights. 

As she walks off the stage I silently beg her to stay. Keep dancing. I could watch her dance forever and never get bored.

The teachers in the front row start writing notes. I wonder what they're writing. How do they even put that performance into words?

Rachel, one of Paris' friends comes onto stage, looking worried. She's already performed her solo, why is she back?

"Somethings wrong with Paris." 

I don't hesitate to get straight to my feet. I push my way passed all my peers and run down the aisle until I reach the stairs to the stage. I don't stop long enough to let any of her teachers stop me, I keep running up the stairs and across the stage until I'm backstage. 

I immediately locate Paris as the girl panting and trying to walk in a straight line but stumbling around. "Paris?" I say firmly. 

She turns towards me, I try not to look too worried when I see her face. She looks green and as if seeing her look so unwell isn't bad enough, she looks scared. 

"It's okay." I speak calmly, approaching her. Before I can get to her she collapses. I lunge to catch her. A couple of her teachers start walking towards us.

I hold her unconscious body in my arms a few moments longer before gently settling her flat on the floor. "Pass that chair." I immediately order her friend, pointing towards a chair. 

She grabs it and brings it over, I prop Paris' legs up on it.

"Give her space." I tell everyone as they all crowd around her. 

Her teachers make it over and stand by me. I put my ear down to her face to make sure she's breathing normally. 

"Someone get her bag!" I yell out. Someone returns with her bag and passes it to me. I start digging through it. Nothing. No drinks or food. I knew she would forget.

"Someone get my bag." I say now. A couple girls run out and return a moment later with it. 

I wait patiently for her to wake up, making sure to time it on my watch so she isn't out longer than a minute. We're sitting at about 30 seconds when the girls pass me my bag. I open it and remove the plastic water bottle I've barely drank from. 

I check my watch again. 40 seconds. Her eyes flick open and she looks around confused. 

"You fainted. You're okay." I tell her calmly. She starts to sit up quickly but I stop her. "Don't rush it, you don't want to faint again do you?" 

Instead she settles for propping herself up on her elbows and taking in her surroundings. 

"She's fine, she just needs some time." I announce to the worried dancers and teachers. "She can take all the time she needs, we'll continue the solo auditions. Someone stay with her and make sure she's okay." A teacher replies.

The teachers leave us alone and someone else starts their solo immediately which brings all the attention to the person dancing. So its only Paris, me and her two friends, Rachel and Hayden. 

"How you doin' trooper?" I open the water bottle and hold it for her as she drinks. "I'm fine." She shrugs.

"What was the last thing you ate?" I ask her calmly. "Dinner at 6pm last night." She replies guiltily. 

I check my watch. It's 7pm. "Paris.." I sigh. "I know, I was gonna pack food but I forgot and now I'm starving." She groans. 

"I knew you'd forget. The second I heard you reminding them I knew you'd forget." I shake my head as I feed her more water. 

I remove a ziplock bag from my rucksack and pass it to her. 

"That's yours Grayson. I'm not stealing your food." She scoffs.

"My roommate brought a whole buffet in his back. I'll just share with him." I tell her, she looks at me hesitantly. 

"Eat. I'm not catching you if you faint again." I warn. She takes the ziplock bag with a groan and opens it up.

I sit with her until she's ate it and her face returns to its natural glow. "You're an athlete, you should take better care of your body." I tell her, suddenly sounding a little too like a parent.

"I didn't exactly mean to, I just forgot. I was stupid." She rolls her eyes. I hold her arm as she slowly sits up. 

"You feel better?" I ask, she nods. "You know you didn't have to faint to get my attention." I joke. She laughs quietly, trying not to let me know how much it made her laugh. I smile as she fights the grin on her face.

"I think I want to do my dance again. It wasn't great because I thought I was dying." Paris decides.

Her friends are now watching the next performer from the side of the stage after Paris assured them she was fine. 

"Paris, if you could have seen that performance you would have been as impressed as me. You didn't miss a beat. Even I didn't notice anything was wrong because you played it off so well, and I noticed everything." 

She sits curled up in a ball between my legs, I wrap my arms across her chest and hold her close to me. 

"It was good?" Paris asks with a frown. How does she even have to ask that? 

"You're the best dancer here." 

She laughs as if it's a joke, then she lifts her head to look up at me and realises I'm not joking. She looks at a loss for words. 

She tries to fight a grin that slowly creeps upon her beautiful features but gives up. The smile that spreads over her face is enough to make me melt. She sits up and separates my hold around her. 

Paris contemplates something. Then she lunges forward into my chest, giving me a hug. 

I hesitantly wrap my arms around her back, she squeezes me tightly. I find myself wearing a smirk as I hug her back. 

Eventually the last few dancers finish their solos and we are all given an hour long break. 

She ends up taking me to the Cafe she works at. I've been a few times before, it's a pretty popular spot for students in our area. 

She surprisingly orders a coffee and I surprise her even more by ordering a hot chocolate. "I always thought you fuelled on like 5 shots of scolding hot coffee, but you drink 'hot chocolate not too hot'?" She laughs at me as we sit down.

"Well you ordered a coffee. I thought you would order some kind of colorful sugary unicorn drink." I reply.

"I need coffee to function." She points her finger at me.

"Are you nervous about the decisions?" I ask her. She frowns and looks down at her drink. "I guess I was earlier but I don't think I'll be too upset if I don't. They do one like every year we're at school, so that's like 4 chances. Last night before the party I had a pretty bad panic attack, I didn't really know what to do because every other time I've had one you've been there. I sort of had to just wait until it went away on its own." She tells me. 

She keeps staring at her coffee, as if it's the most interesting thing in the world.

"If it ever happens again you can always call me." I place my hand over hers. She looks up from her drink and we make eye contact. 

Suddenly everyone else disappears, all I can see is her. My heartbeat quickens and I feel an overwhelming urge to kiss her. I snap my hand away and break the eye contact.

That was the moment I knew I was in love.