Symphony Of Sympathy

It would have been completely different if I had just slipped into the venue, the guys completely unaware I was there.

Except they had Tom waiting at the door for me. "C'mon, love. They are waiting for yeh backstage. 'urry up."

"Wait, Tom, I can't go back, I-"

"Go, 'urry. They go on in a few minutes, and are convinced yeh shall be their good luck charm," Tom handed me a pass, ushering me backstage. "Oi, look who I found!"

"Shiloh!" Curtis exclaimed, jumping on my back. "You finally came!"

"Yeah, I'm finally here," I faked a smile, trying to support him before my legs snapped.

"Yeh going to the party afterwards?" Matt N. asked, shoving Curtis off of me.

"Thanks for that," I laughed, standing up straight again. "And I don’t know if I can go or not..."

"Live a little, would yeh?" I turned to glare at Oli, who was standing behind me with his arms crossed.

"I live enough," I snapped at him. I shouldn’t be here right now. Every time I looked at Oli, my heart skipped a beat, and my thoughts jumbled together. The way his lower lip stuck out in a pout was driving me insane.

You really are a whore.

"Yeh 'ardly ever live. Yeh just hide away in yeh 'ouse. Just lighten up for once," Oli stated, glaring at me.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Don’t you dare-"

"Guys, seriously! Let's not fight, all right? Shi, the guys have to get on stage in a couple of minutes, and I need to go take pictures. Yeh stay back here, okay?" Tom intervened.

I glare one last time at Oli. "Good luck, guys," I said, turning to face the rest of the band. "And don’t worry. I'll be at that party."

The boys smiled widely, glad I was joining them.

I'd show Oli, I could live.

Shiloh. Don’t do something you know you'll regret.

I pushed Sierra's voice aside, and grinned. I'd show him I could really live.

Within the first five minutes at the party, I was already on my second beer.

"Shi, don’t do this. Oli ain't worth it, and yeh know that," Lee said, grabbing the bottle out of my hand as I went to take another sip.

"Lee, when are you going to understand? I'm a big girl. I can handle a little alcohol," I snapped at him, snatching my beer back.

Lee glared at me. "Don’t do this to yehself, Shiloh!" He stated, stealing my beer once again.

"You aren’t the boss of me. It's only my second beer, Lee! Listen to Oliver's advice. Live a little, would yeh?" I smirked, mimicking Oli's accent.

You are such a worthless piece of trash.

I stopped laughing, swallowing my smirk. Sierra was right.

I was worthless.

"Fine, take yeh fucking beer. But don’t come crying to me when you get caught wit Oli," Lee snapped, shoving the beer back into my hand and stomping off.

I blinked back tears. Lee was always so protective; I had gotten to expect him to protect me.

But you really screwed it up this time.

Don’t tell me what I already know! I cried at Sierra.

"Drinking a beer hardly counts as living, yeh know," a voice chuckled behind me.

"Don’t start with me, Oli," I growled at him, turning to face him. He had a plastic red cup in one hand, some mystery liquor in it. His hair was hanging in his eyes, his lower lip pouting. He looked perfect.And it took all my strength not to kiss him right then and there.

"Oh Shiloh. Don’t act this way. I know perfectly well that this is just part of yeh little 'ard to get routine," Oli smirked, inching closer to me.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. "Don’t act like you own me, Oliver."

His face was getting closer and closer, and I could smell the alcohol on his breath. Not much, but enough. "But the thing is, love, I do own yeh. I can control everything yeh do, and yeh can't stop me."

And then he kissed me. Hard and intense and... Passionate. But I kept my eyes open. I knew the second I closed them, I'd be all his.

But I wished I shut them. What I saw was much worse. There stood Conner, staring wide-eyed at me and Oli. I blinked, making sure he was really there.

I pushed Oli off of me. "Conner, this isn’t what it looks like. I just.. he was... well, see.." I stuttered, my voice shaking in fear.

He shook his head. "This is what yeh 'ad to do wit yeh 'mum'?" He snapped. Conner never snapped.

"Please, no! You don’t understand!"

"Of course I don’t understand! I thought yeh loved meh! How can yeh fucking cheat on meh like this, Shi?" He shouted.

Oli stood awkwardly next to me. The boy who always had something to say, who had no self-respect, was speechless. His lower lip didn’t pout; instead it was being bitten so hard blood would soon start leaking out.

"I wasn’t trying to, Con! I love you!" My stomach ached from the lies. "Please, I'll never let it happen again..."

But Conner wasn’t even listening. " And yeh! Oli, yeh know I love Shiloh. I may not be yeh friend, but don’t yeh have the decency to get yeh own girlfriend, and not steal someone else's?"

Oli's jaw dropped, a clean sign he was not expecting this.

"Just take this stupid ring, Shi. I was planning on giving it to yeh, because I loved yeh. But yeh can just fucking keep it," Conner shouted, shoving the ring into my hand before stomping off.

I grabbed hold of his sleeve. "Please, Conner, don’t leave me like this. Please!" I sobbed, clinging on for dear life. "I... I love you..."

"Lee told meh about what's been going on, Shi! I can't believe yeh can tell meh yeh love meh when yeh have been cheatin' wit Oli this whole time."

"But I just-"

"No. Just... just don’t talk to meh anymore, Shiloh."

I told you so. Karma.