Here we go, the moment you've all been waiting for. I admit, it's not as sad as I had anticipated but hopefully it'll make you cry :)

All the dances will be posted in the next few chapters in the sidebar so remember to view them!

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As I stretched myself out, I heard the loud muttering of the people in the stands, waiting for us to start but we have twenty minutes to go until show time. A loud yawn escaped my mouth. I guess that’s what I should expect from being up all night coming up with a whole new choreography for my solo. Thankfully, it was going to be completely worth it.

            “Peyton! You’re up for wardrobe and makeup,” Someone called. I sighed before rising off the floor to where some of the girls in the drama department volunteered to do the girl’s makeup. I didn’t know who she was, but she immediately started applying the cosmetics to my face and soon I didn’t look so bland anymore.

            I then stepped into my outfit for the first dance number, which consisted of a simple flannel shirt and jeans. We got to pick what shoes we wore and like always, I chose in my socks because I’m most comfortable like that. After I was all ready, I went to sit with the team who most of them just glared at me when I walked in. I guess being a ‘team’ doesn’t stop one from believing that I was a heartbreaking whore.

            “Hey, Peyton!” I looked up when I heard Chase come and sit next to me. I gave him a little smile then went on to finish up stretching. “You ready for our dance number?”

            I nodded, “It’s going to be great.”

            “What about your solo?”

            A little smirk rose onto my lips as I rolled out my wrists and ankles. “Let’s just say that it’s going to be a showstopper.”

            He was going to say something but our coach, Melissa, yelled out before he could get it out, “Positions! We start in three minutes!”       

            I scrambled up but not before flashing Chase a fake smile. I walked over to the side of the stage where half of the dance team stood and the other half was on the opposite side so we could all enter the stage at the same time. People were blocking my view of the crowd so I couldn’t look out there for anyone I’d know. Then the lights started to dim and the chattering faded out. A spotlight showed on the stage and our music started. We all strutted out onto the stage and began our routine for the first song of the night, Me and You by Cassie, the remix version.

            As I did the choreography, I looked out into the crowd to try to find anyone that I would know. Familiar faces showed up here and there in the very large crowd then my eyes landed on Dillon, Luke, and some of the other soccer guys including Sean at the very end, staring me right in the eyes. I quickly adverted them and continued staring out to everyone. My eyes finally passed Kayla’s who still have that perpetual smirk on her face that she keeps because she believes that she beat me. Bitch, just wait until my solo, you’re going to get owned. Lauren, as always, just stared at me with the face of a lied to friend.

            Then my eyes found Jace’s and I automatically regretted it but I couldn’t look away. The events of last night found their way back to my mind just because of the look he was giving me. I knew that he regretted not doing anything but sometimes you have to live with it.

            I jutted out my elbow with the beat then my other arm before flicking my wrists forward. The whole time I retained eye contact with Jace. Then a body roll, followed by a thrust of my hips and I saw a look of lust pass through his eyes. The dance ended with my hands on my hips and we quickly switched over to the next dance that I wasn’t in. I’d say that I was only in around fifty percent of all the performances tonight. Seniors of course, get the most dances because it’s their last year.

            I was put into a new wardrobe for the girls’ dance. This time we all wore pink shirts and denim shorts. All the girls on the team strutted out there and did our routine to Who Runs The World by Beyonce. The guys in the audience thought this was the best thing in the world and would scream the loudest. When the dance was over, I rolled my eyes and we ran off the stage for all the guys to do their rendition of LMFAO’s Sexy and I Know It.

            “Hey, Peyton?” I looked over to where Alyssa was getting dressed for her solo that’s coming on soon. “I just wanted to say good job out there during both dances. You practically took the show.”

            “Oh, uh…” I ran a hand through my hair and turned a little pink from the compliment. “Thanks, I guess.”

            She gave me a little smile then stood up once they were done with her makeup. Her flowing outfit looked absolutely perfect on her and I wished that I could reach that sort of beauty. I sighed and went back to my own corner to wait because I had a while until my next dance number.

            “Hey, Peyton!” Chase ran up to me. A light sheen of sweat was on his forehead from the dance but he wiped away with a huge smile at me. “You’re doing great out there! Like, really. You’re doing amazing.”

            I cocked an eyebrow up. Was I really doing this good? Maybe it’s in anticipation of my solo and I gained extra confidence, I don’t really know. “Well, thanks,” I said with a smile of my own.

            “So we have our grade dances, a few others in between, then our pair dance. Are you ready for that, Peyton?” He sent me a suggestive wink because the dance involved some stuff that I wouldn’t normally be comfortable with but with Chase, it’s kind of impossible to be like that.

            “More than ready, this is going to be fun.”

            I had to wait around ten more minutes to get in costume again for the junior dance that I’m doing. Since there are no guy juniors, it’s just me and three other girls. I was gone when they picked the song and most of the choreography so it was kind of pushing the school-rules boundary from the moves in it.

            Skinny jeans and a flowing tank top was our uniform for this one and our hair was teased the slightest bit. We walked out into the stage and formatted ourselves so two people were more toward the back and two people were more toward the front but we were all in a line still. I was the front and on the left side then the song Express from that movie Burlesque came on.

            We strutted across the stage while moving our hips with us. We rolled back our bodies then shimmied our chests as the guys hooted out. I heard one of the girls to my left scoff then we all went down to the ground while flipping our hair out of our faces when we came up. We all walked away from the audience and closer to the back of the stage before turning down. With every beat, a person would put their leg out and run their hand along it. On the third beat, it was my turn then we all started snapped while moving our hips. The rest of the choreography resulted in some advanced moves as the song got faster. When we ended, we got a huge round of applause before running off.

             I walked off the stage, panting a little, while some other people on the dance team complimented us. I smiled and since I had around ten minutes until I should start getting ready for my dance with Chase, I went to the bathroom in the hall since there wasn’t one backstage.

            I did my business then wiped my hands before leaving the room. As soon as I took one step out of the bathroom, I walked into someone who was just walking down the halls. “Sorry!” I squeaked out and looked up to the person’s face to see Jace looking down at me. “Uh… sorry.”

            “It’s no problem,” He answered me, his voice a little husky. “Are you okay?”

             I nodded, “Now I should probably get back—“

            “Wait, I just want to let you know that you’re doing great out there.”

            I stared at him, not knowing what his motive was. How was treating me like we’re friends going to help anyone? “Thanks but pay attention to my solo. It’s going to be something to remember.”

            Without turning back, I went to where all the dancers were getting ready for their next performance. I first got dressed in some spandex and a large shirt before going to makeup to get my hair teased for than before and some light cosmetics on my face. I met up with Chase who was dressed in some dark jeans and a white v-neck. He smirked at me as he checked me out.

            “Damn, you look good,” He complimented. “Are you ready for this?”

            I nodded and reached down to touch my toes before coming back up. “This is going to be hilarious.”

            “And sexy,” he winked. “Don’t forget that.”

            I rolled my eyes as the lights dimmed down to almost darkness and Chase and I ran out onto the stage almost blindingly. There was a chair in the middle where Chase situated himself before the music came on. We’re using two songs in this, the first song will basically have me in the spotlight then the second will have Chase. Pretty Girl Rock came on by Keri Hilson and we began.

             In the little intro, I acted like I was putting on makeup while Chase sat there posing back and forth. As soon as the lyrics came on, we took off.  Since I was a little ways away from Chase, I flipped my hair then twirled to him, my shirt blowing up a little bit to show off my exposed stomach. I brought my hips down and Chase was about to grab my butt but I slapped his hand away playfully. I now twirled in front of him and put my back to him sitting on the chair, placed my hands on his knees, and went down to the ground causing some guys to whistle in the audience. I caught sight of Sean who looked incredibly jealous of Chase. I rolled my eyes and took Chase’s hand to help him out of the chair and we began dancing together.

            As soon as the chorus ended of this song, I sat in the chair and put my head down as the song switched to ET by Katy Perry and Kanye West. The whole charade in the beginning was sort of like a ‘good couple’ vibe and now this song is like an ‘abusive/dark couple’ as Chase described it. Since my head was down, I couldn’t see what was going on but I knew for a fact that Chase was jerking around like he was a pro and soon it came time to dance again.

            With Chase behind me, we acted like a puppet and puppeteer. We had studied this dance so much that just with the music, we know which moves to do and we’d do it at the same time as the other. At one point, I spread my legs out and his hand glided down my thigh and then slapped them shut as the same guys hooted. Since we’re like an abusive relationship, Chase tipped the chair that I was sitting in and I fell down to the ground. As I was getting up, he acted like he kicked my body and I fell again.

            He grabbed under my arms and hoisted me up then back down, having me end in the splits. Then he stepped off a bit as I danced around. I noticed some of the parents cheering but no one from my school. They all still hated me so why would they appreciate anything I’d do?

            Then Chase came running out again, this time without a shirt—something that he wanted to do—and this time is was the girls who screamed, particularly the freshmen in the front row. He smirked as I lay down on the ground and he jumped on me. He grabbed my leg and pulled it around his waist, bringing me on top as the song finished.

            I blushed as Chase smirked at me. I rolled off of him as people cheered probably the loudest they’ve been all night. I smiled a little and stood up before helping Chase up as well. We walked off the stage and were greeted by the compliments of our peers.

            “Hey, I even saw it before hand and I’m still surprised,” Coach Melissa smiled at us. “Great job you two. Now Peyton, go get ready for your solo!”

            I nodded and went off to change yet again then got my makeup done. When I came back, everyone on the dance team was watching the performances because after me, there’s only a dance done by our captains and then we’re done. I stared at the crowd and I started becoming nervous. What if I’m doing this wrong? What if Cara is wrong about this whole thing? What if this just makes them hate me more?

            “You ready, Peyton?” I spun around quickly and saw Chase staring at me with his usual smile.

            “N-no!”

            “Wait a minute, don’t tell me that you’re nervous.”

            I looked down and turned pink. “I don’t think I can do this anymore—“

            “Nonsense! You said that this dance is going to be a showstopper so go make it happen! You didn’t just spend a lot of hard work on nothing so you better go out there and dance like you’ve never danced before!”

            Before I could react, the lights had dimmed almost completely and he pushed me out onto the stage. I could just barely see the audience in the low lighting but hopefully that would make me feel better during the actually dance.

            “And now we present, Peyton Brandt!” Coach Melissa said into the microphone. She would only present the people doing the solos but that just made it worse.

            Booing erupted in the room and some people yelled at me to get off the stage. I stared at them the best I could and the only people that I noticed weren’t booing wasn’t coming from four people—Dillon, Luke, Sean, and Jace. The words coming out from some people were just horrible.

            You can’t cry, I chanted to myself. That’s just what they want. It’ll go against your whole purpose of this dance.

            I looked over backstage to see Chase standing there. He gave me a comforting smile then mouthed one word: Showstopper.

            I stood up straighter and looked out at all the people. My eyes landed on Kayla’s and she gave me a huge smirk, one full of victory. That was enough to let off the spark in me. I didn’t deserve this. The person they believe I am is not me and right now, I’m going to prove that.   

            I nodded over at the stereo where some guy was working it and he turned on my song: Skyscraper by Demi Lovato. The meaning of this song is what I’m trying to get across everyone now… I don’t care what they say about me.

            I went off which as much passion and perfection that I could put into my moves. This form of dance was something that is rarely used in the annual Dance Bash and usually the people that do it bore the crowd. When I looked back at everyone, they seemed mesmerized by what I was doing.

            I spun once in a circle and ended with a leap as the lyrics of this song went into everyone’s minds. As soon as the first chorus started, I spun once in a circle then grabbed my leg, bringing it up in a straight line as I continued to spin around. Some parents in the audience had cheered at that but so far, no one from school. I spun again but this time I ended in the splits before rolling over to bring myself up to my feet. I stared out into the crowd and I noticed a proud smile on Dillon’s face as he cheered for me.

            I grinned a little bit on my own as I jumped and stopped abruptly without falling over. The rest of the choreography involved a lot of advanced spinning and jumping and with every move I’d notice someone that’d make fun of me start cheering.

            At the very end of the song, I spun in a circle and kept spinning and spinning. I was done with all this crap that they were giving me. As I kept going, little tears come out of my eyes and for the first time in a long time, they were from happiness. Cara was right. Dancing was the only thing that could work but instead of making them realize, I was the one who realized that I needed to stick up for myself. I didn’t care that they thought all those horrible things. If I didn’t listen to them or believed them then I’m the better person and that’s all that matters.

            I stopped spinning at the last beat of the song. People stared up at me in awe, not saying or cheering a word. A rush of adrenaline passed through me and I picked up the microphone that Melissa left behind and spoke into it.

            “Throughout these past weeks, you guys have believed some horrible things said about me. And for all that time, I let you guys go on saying it without stopping it all. But that’s over now. You can either continue believing that messed up lie or you can just forget about it and be mature. You all went on acting as though I didn’t have feelings or cared about this and let me tell you, I did. But not anymore because I’m done with all this crap. Call me a slut or a whore or a fake but the truth is, you and I both know that it’s not true.” And with that, I threw the microphone down onto the stage with a loud, echoing bang and walked backstage with all the confidence in the world.

            I couldn’t just wait here anymore, I grabbed my stuff, walked out the door and into the hall but I didn’t leave fast enough to hear the loud clapping and cheering coming from the audience. I grinned as I ran down the hallway and to the parking lot. I jumped into the car that Dillon and I shared and drove down to my house, not dropping my grin at all. I felt like I could do anything and since I faced one huge thing in my life, it was time to face the other.

            I walked into my house and threw my stuff onto the counter before walking out into the shed where I used to play in when I was younger. The old shed held a lot of things including toys, paper, and even a punching bag that Dillon had gotten during one of his phases. There was only a door and a small, high up window that you have to use a ladder to get to in the shed but I loved it anyways.

            I sat against the wall and thought about what I’ve done today. I basically made most of the student body believe me or at least made them be on my side, believing or not. I smiled and thought about the next problem on my list: My parents. Just the thought of them made me think of the conversation that I heard Dillon and Jace have when I had that huge asthma attack and Jace had helped me.

            “I know people think that we have it all because my parents have money, but you don’t know what we’ve gone through. My parents leave mostly because they don’t like when Peyton gets like this.”

            Dillon’s words were true, my parents hate when I freak out after seeing even a little flame of fire… but what if I wasn’t like that? Would they be home more? It’s time to face my fear.

            I grabbed the matches that we use to light the lanterns in here and took a deep breath. I swiped the match across the striker but it didn’t do anything so I tried again. This time I got fire and I stared into it as my eyes widened. The pain from the fire when I was younger surfaced back to me as did all the nightmares that I have gone through since then. Without thinking clearly, I threw the match onto the ground and my eyes widened as it caught fire on some of the papers. I quickly stamped on it with my foot until I was sure that there was nothing left of the horrible flame then crouched down in a corner, bring my knees to my chest, putting my head down, and then closing my eyes.

            I couldn’t do it. Even after all the confidence and happiness that I had encountered today, I couldn’t face it. I took deep breaths to calm my racing heart but remained in my fetal position until I smelt something weird.

            “What the…” I whispered as I lifted my head up and opened my eyes that immediately widened as I took in what was going on.

            It turns out that the fire hadn’t gone out completely. The fire had gone up along all the paper in the pile near the door and was climbing along the paneling of it. I had to get out of here or I’d be scorched like a marshmallow.

            I sprinted to the door and grasped the knob but then immediately retracted my hand because it was hot. I looked at my hand and noticed that it was already welting from the burn I had received.

            Deep breaths, Peyton… I chanted in my head. You can do this Just kick the door down.

            Contrary to what I was saying, a side of the bookshelf near me was burned out and the whole thing came crashing down. I moved away at the last second as it blocked the only way in and out of this shed and more flames were distributed onto the walls.

            I was going to die.

            I searched around frantically for a place to get out as the smoke started becoming heavy in the room. I took off my shirt leaving me only in a sports bra and spandex and pressed it firmly to my nose then spotted the window.

            Without wasting anytime, I went to it but it was still super high up and there was nothing here that I could use to climb up to it. I noticed the paneling used to build this shed and they could be used to climb up. I climbed and climbed as the flames overtook the shed. My fingers grasped on the ledge of the window but I didn’t get a good enough grip so I came falling down. I hit the ground roughly and a pain went through my leg.

            The whole front side of the shed where the door laid was on fire as was other parts dangerously close to me. One of the pieces in the ceiling broke off and came crashing down to me. I moved at the last second but it still got my arm. I screamed out in pain and clenching my teeth as pain overtook my body.

            And this is where I die, I thought to myself as I coughed out from both my asthma and lack of air. It’s kind of funny, really. The fire was supposed to kill me off when I was younger and now it’s getting revenge on me but this time, I’m accepting my death. I finally stood up for myself and actually got people to listen to me.

            I thought of my brother and how I had made him proud tonight. I thought of Kayla and how I had finally beaten her at something. I even thought about Sean and how I’d gotten revenge on him. But then Jace came into my head. All the drama from this year has also made me grow closer to him than I’ve ever been to another person. Even though he betrayed me, I realize now that he also told me things that were true.

            And I had told him that I hated him.

            The truth is, I don’t hate Jace. I only hate the decisions he has made. He made me fall for him even though I had convinced myself that it was all supposed to be for our fake relationship.

            A tear escaped my eye and I wiped it away with my good arm as I coughed some more. I wish I could tell Dillon that he’s an amazing brother. I wish I could find out why Kayla hated me. I wish I could be friends with Lauren again. But above all, I wish I could’ve told Jace that I don’t blame him for anything anymore. All of this started from my own decision.

            You know what they say, when going out to get revenge, dig two graves. I’d never thought it’d be this literally until I’m on the verge of dying. The art of revenge is a horrible thing and it even brought me to where I am at this moment.

            I don’t regret my decision to get revenge on Sean. In the end, it made me a better person than I once was. Did I ever think I’d be in this position? Nope. I take on death with my head high. I had accomplished something that I never thought I would do.             The only thing I regret doing is not saying goodbye to everyone. The thought that I’m leaving them with no words made a sob escape my lips.

            As I lay on the ground, I didn’t think of the pain or how I was going to die. A little smile came onto my face as I remembered all those amazing moments with Jace. I know it’s weird considering how he’s the one who ruined me but those special moments with him are worth remembering in my last minutes.

            The food fight, the shopping, dancing with him, all the secrets pouring out of my mouth, all the laughter and the kisses…   

            My last thoughts were on Jace before I blacked out.

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Next chapter will be in Jace's POV.

Did I succeed in making anyone cry? haha. Probably not but whatever.

Plus Peyton's solo dance is in the sidebar, it's so good.

Tumblr? http://uptheree.tumblr.com