Stories Based On Taylor Swift Songs

FEARLESS: 20. You Belong With Me

20. You Belong With Me (4/7/21)

If it wasn't for the loud bickering outside, Margo probably wouldn't have noticed that her adorable neighbor, Brendan, was even home. She thought he had football practice on Tuesday, and if he did, he must have gotten out early.

"Babe, you don't understand, I wasn't with her on Sunday. I was visiting my grandparents," Brendan said into the phone, gesturing with his hands even though his girlfriend couldn't see his frustration. Margo looked up from her science textbook and chuckled under her breath. Brendan and his girlfriend, Felicia, always seemed to be arguing about something. She was surprised they had lasted a year.

Margo shut her book and turned off the orchestral music she had playing in the background. She remembered the time she had been listening to it during study hall, and Felicia had approached her and asked, "How can you listen to music while reading?" She asked the question as if she didn't care about the answer.

When Brendan was finished on the phone, he rolled his eyes and lay back on his bed. Margo tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear before sitting on her floor and opening the window that faced Brendan's house. She waved and motioned for him to do the same.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "I heard arguing."

Brendan sighed. "It's Felicia. She thought I was seeing some other girl on Sunday, even though I was visiting my grandparents. She gets so paranoid."

Even though Margo didn't like Felicia, she couldn't blame her. Brendan was a popular and handsome boy at school, and even though he had a girlfriend, most of the girls at school wanted to date him. Including her.

"Are you going to the game on Saturday?" he asked, changing the subject completely. The homecoming game, followed by the homecoming dance, was happening this Saturday. The football team wasn't expected to win, unless Brendan kept practicing and was able to catch the ball. So far, it was the only thing he wasn't good at.

"I have to. I'm a part of the marching band," Margo replied. Otherwise, she wouldn't make an appearance.

"What about the dance?" Brendan asked with a smile. Behind him, Margo could see a black garment bag that most likely contained his suit for the big night on Saturday.

"I don't think so." She wasn't a fan of dancing, and it wasn't like she had a dress or a date. Her friend, Caitlin, was planning on going with her boyfriend, and Margo didn't want to be a third wheel.

"I wish you were," Brendan said with a lopsided smile. He reminded Margo of a golden retriever. Then, before either one could say anything else, the boy of her dreams was shutting his window and closing the blind. Maybe he regretted his words, or maybe he didn't mean them. Either way, Margo blushed.

That Friday after school, Margo sat on the bench outside of her house reading The Great Gatsby. It was all about a charming rich man who can't have the girl of his dreams. She couldn't help but relate to the contents of the novel. Her and Brendan had lived next to each other all their lives, and yet she had always been too scared to make a move. Then, before she knew what was happening, Brendan was going out with Felicia.

Speaking of, Margo heard a door slamming and soon saw Brendan walking out of his house. He waved to her before sitting down on the bench.

"Good book," he said, glancing at the title. "Although the ending pisses me off."

"Yeah, but it's not supposed to be a happy ending. It's a commentary on the American dream and everything," Margo replied with a wry smile.

"I know. I was in your English class last year." he smiled before continuing. "Hey, I was wondering. Do you..."

"Babe!" A shrill voice screamed, and when the two turned to the road, they saw a cherry red Corvette double-parked in the middle of the street. Felicia, in all of her cover girl glory, was holding the wheel with one hand and lifting her sunglasses with the other. She winked at Brendan before saying, "You coming? We need to get ready for tomorrow."

It could have been her imagination, but Margo thought she heard Brendan groan. He rose from the bench and waved goodbye to her before climbing into the car. Felicia took him by the neck and kissed him on the mouth, making sure that Margo was watching. Out of courtesy, she looked the other way.

Saturday night finally arrived, and Margo met up with Caitlin in the bleachers a few minutes before the game.

"We're not going to win," Caitlin said as if she already knew the results of the game. "That boy you like can't catch."

"Caitlin!" Margo hissed through gritted teeth. Brendan, the boy in question, was warming up near the sidelines. Felicia, who was the cheerleading captain, was rubbing her pom-poms together and shouting out cheers to get the crowd excited. Margo felt her stomach doing somersaults, but even she couldn't deny the obvious. Yesterday, before Felicia had swooped it, Brendan had wanted to ask her something. Was it about the dance?

The football game started, and Caitlin and Margo watched with little interest. By the time halftime rolled around, their team was down by fourteen points. Caitlin was right: Brendan couldn't catch.

They performed the halftime routine before returning to the bleachers. On the sidelines, she could see Felicia, Brendan, and a brunette guy from the football team. She couldn't remember his name, but he had scored two touchdowns in the first half of the game. Felicia seemed very interested in him, despite the fact that she had a boyfriend.

Margo watched as a heartbroken Brendan returned to the field, his face burning and his shoulders tense. She held her breath; they didn't have much of a chance. By the end of the third quarter, they were still down by two points. It would take another touchdown to win the game.

The next few moments seemed to run into each other. First, Margo saw Felicia making out with the brunette boy who was not her boyfriend. She saw Brendan's reaction when he realized the truth. She saw him looking at her. She saw the time running out. And then, for the first time that night, Brendan caught the ball in the end zone, earning his team seven points.

The crowd erupted into cheers, and Margo was manhandled by Caitlin, who seemed surprised. She tried to analyze everything that had happened in the last five minutes, specifically the glance she had received from Brendan. It told her everything.

Later that night, Margo dug through her closet for the perfect dress. She removed her glasses and replaced them with contacts, although it didn't make much of a difference. And she had a feeling Brendan wouldn't care about the glasses.

She arrived at the dance a half hour later. From her spot at the door, she saw Brendan fighting with Felicia before walking in the opposite direction. His ex-girlfriend hardly seemed fazed; she had another boy to run off to. Then, in a moment pulled from a movie, Brendan turned and saw her standing near the door. His jaw dropped.

"You came," he whispered, taking her by the hand.

Margo nodded. "I thought you wanted to ask me."

"I did." He paused, smiling. "So, will you dance with me?"

They embraced and swayed to the slow music. When the night came to a close, Margo was brave enough to kiss Brendan.