It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing...

“why are we waiting so long.” I groaned, crossing my legs. This dress was too short for my taste, and the heels where going to kill me when I walked out on stage. Tristian smirked at me from the other side. We where in seats facing eachother, after waiting two to three hours outside. It wasn’t fun. We where going to be one of the last ones. I gave him a look back and he laughed.

Mom had been so excited for us that she had picked out our clothes. I had a black dress that stopped just above my knees when I was standing, with a dark brown leather belt around the waist, the collar of it was lace and had holes and was a little low for my taste as well. The straps where covered by a black cover up and my hair was flowing around me, annoying the hell out of me.

“Quit. You look good.” I glared over at him again. how could he tell I was mentally cursing my mom again?

“Says the hollister model.” I finally muttered, making him snort. He had a pair of dark colored jeans on, black converses, and a black wife-beater with a white button down that was open and had the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. His lip rings where white as well. His hair was messy, as always, but slightly more controled then was normal. Like, he actually ran his fingers through it this morning instead of just getting up out of bed and going.

he lurched foreward suddenly, almost in my face as he rested his arms on his legs.

“You look good, I look good, we’re warmed up, we’ve practiced, we’ve done everything we can. We’re going to do our best, the rest of this is up to the judges. So calm down. You’ve got a great voice, if they don’t immediately looked awed I’ll just start humming and you can sing.” I giggled slightly and he grinned.

“That was a very motivating speech, Mr…” a voice said from behind me. I turned to see a man holding a mic.

“Call me Tristian. This is Gracie.” He smiled politely at me and nodded at us. “It seems that you two are up next. Sorry you had to wait, the judges where pretty gruesome to that girl. But she was really quite… earsplitting.” He said, cringing a bit. I bit my lip and looked up at Tristian. He smiled again, and I fallowed him on the stage.

“Please, audience, help me introduce Tristian and Gracie.” The audience roared and I blushed slightly, making Tiristian laugh again. why was he in such a good mood? I was a nervous wreck suddenly. The crowd quieted down and I noticed a camera to my right that the man was talking to.

“They plan on singing “Picture, by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow. Hope you all enjoy!” he walked off stage and me and Tristian took a few steps away from eachother, turned towards the audience as the music started. He came in perfectly. ”Livin' my life in a slow hell
Different girl every night at the hotel
I ain't seen the sunshine in three damn days
Been fuelin' up on cocaine and whiskey
Wish I had a good girl to miss me

Lord, I wonder if I'll ever change my ways
I put your picture away, sat down and cried today
I can't look at you while I'm lying next to her ”

I took a deep breath as he sang before adding in my little part of his chorous we’d decided on.

“You put your picture away, sat down and cried today” and he sang the last line before it was time for me to sing…

“I can't look at you while I'm lyin' next ta' her…”

”I called you last night in the hotel
Everyone knows but they wont tell
But their half hearted smiles tell me somethin' Just ain't right,
I been waitin' on you for along time

Fuelin' up on heart aches and cheap wine
I ain't heard from you in three damn nights
I put your' picture away, I wonder where you been
I can't look at you while I'm lyin' next to him
I put your' picture away, I wonder where you been
I can't look at you while I'm lyin' next to him”

I turned to face him as we started to sing back and forth. Something hit me in the gut when I saw the bright smile on his face and the look in his eyes as he looked at me. I could tell, somehow, it hit him, too. Suddenly we weren’t two friends singing together. Suddenly we where a boy, and a girl, and we where singing this song in front of everyone, yet only to eachother. It was like our eyes and ears where only for the other person, singing into the mic yet wanting to only whisper to eachother.

”I saw you yesterday with an old friend” I began.

“ It was the same ol' same how have you been” did he sound as breathless as I did, or was it just me? His gaze was still locked on mine as we sang together

“Since you been gone my worlds been dark and grey” then he took a quick deep breath and sang “ You reminded me of brighter days ”

“I hoped you were comin' home ta' stay” I actually felt tears prickle my eyes. It was like we where singing this as an experience, as if we had let eachother go and realized too late how we couldn’t hold eachother anymore. I’d never felt this way before.

“I was head of the church” he said, stepping towards me. “I was off to drink you away!” I had to close my eyes to get the note out, and when I did a tear ran down my cheek, audience side out. As soon as my eyes opened though, they where back on his, which was closer since he’d stepped again. we where only a few inches apart now.

”I thought about you for a long time” he sang, his voice actually breaking as he reached up and brushed his finger over the tear. “Can't seem to get you off my mind” I sang back, shocked at how true the words suddenly where. What was happening!? Together we sang “ I can't understand why we're livin' life this way” I took a shakey, quick breath and covered his hand still resting on my cheek with my hand as we finished.

“ I found your picture today, I swear I'll change my ways
I just called to say I want you to come back home
I found your picture today,
I swear I'll change my ways
I just called to say I want you to come back home
I just called to say I love you, come back home…” we stopped, and then suddenly, the sound came rushing back. I could hear the audience, just a roar in the background, and aplause, and cheers. But I couldn’t look. I was looking at Tristian. He was looking back, and the look on his favce was one I’d never seen on anyones face before. Suddenly the man with the mic came towards us. He stepped between us, grinning from ear to ear.

“You two had me crying! Let’s see what the judges say.” I turned from Tristian slowly and looked at the judges. To my shock, two of the three where crying. And there was no girl judges.

“I don’t even have to say it. You guys where amazing. Look at me! I felt the emotion rolling off of you guys! I just want to grab both of you and hug you tight before making you two get back together.”

“We’re just friends.” We choroused into our mic, though at the moment neither of us sounded very convincing. For the first time I was greatful none of the boys or my family was here. This was so odd. That feeling I had gotten in my gut from singing with him was still there.

I had a sinking feeling it wasn’t going to go away any time soon.

“Well, you didn’t have me crying, but you where extrodinary. Your vocals together is like a match made in heaven. You’ve got my vote.” The other guy just looked at us shaking his head for a long time.

“You have my vote all the way to the end. No one is going o compete with you.” I gasped. We’d just got all three votes! I looked at Tristian only to see a wall of chest as he wrapped me in his arms and swung me around. I squealed as the crowd erupted. He put my feet back on the ground and I jumped up and down, laughing with Tristian as he tried to hold me down. The man escorted us off the stage where we celebrated for a few more minutes, until a t.v crew came over.

“So, you’re the first to get all three votes. How does it feel?” the man asked me. I smiled at Tristian as we choroused “Great!” we started laughing again, supporting eachother.

“What made you come here?” the man asked. We sobered some until Tristian pointed to me. “She made me do it. I didn’t want to. She made me play the piano for her the other day and I’m like, hell, how can I say no to her when she wants so badly to sing?”

“So, wait, you’ve only practiced for a few days!?”

“Two, yes.” Tristian answered. The man turned to me. “Your turn to answer some questions. Why did you want to come here so badly that you dragged this poor guy with you?” I laughed slightly. “Up until this year, I haven’t really had the opportunity. I was going to do it wether he was or not, but I greatly appreciate that he did it with me.” I flashed a smile Tristian’s way and he rolled his eyes.

“Why couldn’t you have done it before?” the man asked curiously. I bit my lip, looking at Tristian, who hesitated before nodding.

“When I was 12 I was kidnapped. I was in colorado. My mom moved here. I was found…” I felt my eyes widen. “Almost six months ago, I guess. Wow. Anyway. When I found out about it I was excited, because I promised a friend I was going to try and get to the closest contest I could as soon as I got out.” The man was quiet for a moment.

“Where you part of that child ring thing they discovered down there?” he asked suddenly. I frowned.

“What child ring?”

“This man had a basement full of children used for… sexual activites that he’d give out.” I gasped. “What was his name!?”

“Tiff Grenson, I do believe.” I clutched Tristians arm as I started breathing faster.

“Excuse me. We have to go.” Tristian said, tugging me away. We got to an exit and he pulled me out into a dingy alleyway. He pulled me tight and stroked my hair as I began to cry.

Twenty minutes later I sniffed, rubbing my eyes, before looking up at him.

“I have to go back.” He sighed, looking down at me for a moment.

“I know.” He finally said softly. I gave him a surprised look, and he smiled.

“you where there for them whenever you could be. Why would now be any different?” I smiled up at him half-heartedly.

“Thank you for understanding.” He sighed.

“No problem.”