When Our Worlds Collide (Our Worlds #1)(7)

Closing my eyes and listening to the music makes my muscles slink down. I know that I was born to dance. It’s a feeling I get deep down in my bones right before I hear the music start. I let every fear, insecurity fall to the side pushing back the butterflies that loom behind threatening to come forward. Meditation is the best way to describe it. I will continue to climb onto countertops and vanities until I can’t dance any longer.

“Kennedy, you’re up,” William knocks thunderously, shouting his command through the door.

I drop my iPod in my bag to swing open the door. He’s standing against the wall waiting. He’s clearly annoyed by how slow I’m moving. “I got sidetracked. Sorry.”

“You’re fine. It’s a full house.” William ushers me towards the stage.

Violet is right. William is adorable in that nerdy sort of way. He will more than likely go to college to become oddly good looking like most of the guys before him. They peek late, making up for it by the time they walk across the stage at college graduation.

I stand between two curtains waiting for them to be drawn before I can take my place on the stage. The mahogany floor creaks as I step out from my hiding spot trying my best not to throw up as I see the lights darken above me. Standing in the dark I can hear the hushed whispers of the crowd. It only intensifies the butterflies that I thought had disappeared. The curtains begin to move and for a split second I think about bolting back to the dressing room to hide. Running off the stage seems like a better option than humiliation. The lights spiral on above me leaving me in a soft yellow glow.

That’s when I see him.

Without understanding why, my eyes are drawn to him. He is the only person in the room as I wait for the music to fade in. Graham’s sitting with the same guys that always seem to surround him in hopes of becoming a fraction of who he is. I don’t know any of their names. I don’t want to know their names. Right beside him is Amanda, his “girlfriend”. Well at least his girlfriend for the time being.

Everyone knows his “relationships” don’t have a chance in H-E-double hockey sticks of surviving. At least none of his previous ones that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing in the hallway deteriorate for us all to see. It’s always in some public display of angst and teenage heartbreak. The girls cry begging him to not do “it”--whatever “it” is. Graham always seems distant and unaffected by their tears. He is cold and callous, unattached from everything around him.

I suddenly feel vulnerable standing on the stage. I notice Graham looking up at me and that feeling intensifies only to disappear as quickly as it came. It just…fluttered away and now I can’t break my eyes away from him. He knows it too.

Did he just wink at me?

My body betrays me along with the heat that creeps up on my cheeks. The pink can be seen from outer space, I’m positive it’s to an embarrassing color by now. Just as the music starts to play through the auditorium I almost think I catch Graham leaning forward in his seat with a fascination in his eyes. There’s intrigue on his lips as they part watching me do what I love.





Chapter Four



-Graham-



“I can’t believe we have to sit through a second act of this bullshit,” I yell down to Mark who is sitting on the opposite end of the aisle from me.

Amanda convinced him to trade her seats. I was annoyed at first, but you don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Mark knew that the last thing I wanted was to have to entertain Amanda. That explains the shit eating grin he’s sporting. He knew the whole time what he was doing when he agreed to her commands. He figured better me than him. Asshole.

Amanda smacks me on the arm. “It hasn’t been that bad,” she says defensively. I don’t know why she wanted to come in the first place. She usually hates these things. If she isn’t the center of attention that meant that she had zero interest.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” I close my eyes slumping down in my seat. The lights in the auditorium lowered signaling that the second half was about to begin and hopefully would be over quicker than the first half.

Mark wrinkled up the program that he was holding and threw it at me. “Kennedy Conrad’s up next. Don’t we have government with her?” he leans forward whispering. I sit up a little bit straighter at hearing her name. That’s confusing.

“What’s she doing?” I asked to no one in particular before opening up the crinkled program and scanning down the list to find her name.

Dance? Interesting.

The red velvet curtains part and standing there in the dark I can see the silhouette of who I assume is Kennedy. She looks nervous even from where I am sitting. Somehow out of all of the people in the crowd she catches eyes with me once the lights slowly illuminate the stage.

At first I think I am seeing things, maybe her parents are sitting directly behind me but recognition scans over her face. She is definitely looking at me. Her eyes are wide with surprise as if she is trying to work something out in her own head. I wink at her and I could have sworn I saw her blush from where I am sitting. Could she be anymore sweet and innocent?

The music fades in throughout the room and the lights shine down brightly bathing her in a soft yellow glow. She’s wearing those black pants that I consider to be God’s gift to man. A black tank top that is covered in sequins allowing the top to stand out amongst the blackness of the rest of her outfit. Her feet are bare and her hair is in a loose braid with a few pieces coming free. Katy Perry’s E.T. plays through the sound system. A little more provocative than I would expect from someone like her, but a nice choice. It does its job and peaks my interest.