Living with Tayler Holder

Chapter 26: Farewell

It was the final day of summer and I was packing up my suitcase. I was sat in my bedroom reminiscing before leaving. I remembered seeing Tayler for the first time in years and how mad I was at him. I remembered meeting the gang and how weird I thought the sway boys were. To be honest, I'm glad I met this lot. I was in a world of my own when Bryce bursts through the door, snapping me out of my trance.

"Yo kid! Need any help?" He said as he belly flopped onto my bed.
"Nah I'm good." I said as I turned back to my packing.
I noticed that Bryce didn't move and the silence was deadly.
"I'm really gonna miss you ya know. For a Brit, you're not too bad. And I guess, having you around felt like having a little sister around to protect. I kinda got used to being the 'protective big brother'. It sounds stupid I know-"
"It doesn't sound stupid." I said cutting him off.
"I'm gonna miss you too Bryce. And it's not like I won't be back. You can't get rid of me that easily." I said as I winked and shut my suitcase.

Bryce helped carry my stuff downstairs and into the boot of Tayler's car. Downstairs everyone stood with tears in their eyes.
"Hey, hey no tears!" I said as I felt my own cheeks dampen.
"I'm gonna miss you a lot Grace." Kelianne said as she pulled me in for a hug.
"Yh, I feel like the gang's not complete without you. You're like...the glue." Aisha said as Azra finished.
"Don't let these boys push you around in London." Nate said as he ruffled my hair. On a normal day I would be annoyed anyone touched my braids but this wasn't a normal day. Nate pulled me in for a hug as he kissed the top of my head.
"You keep being a bad bitch!" Markell said in an attempt to lighten the mood. I let out a slight laugh as all the members of the Triller compound pulled me into a group hug.

"Hey when do we get a go?!" Josh shouted from the house entrance.
"You guys didn't have to come you know." I said wiping away the tears that had fallen.
"We wanted to." I heard Kio say.
He paused at the entrance before running up to me and scooping me into a bear hug.
"I'm gonna miss my partner in crime. I'm gonna miss you so much gstar." He said as he sobbed into my shoulder. As he said gstar I remembered the moment he called me that for the first time and I couldn't hold it in anymore.
"I'm gonna miss you too man." I said as my voice cracked and I let some more tears flow. I turned behind me to see the rest of the boys with sadness in their eyes.
"Come here lads." I said as they joined in the hug. We stayed in that position for a while before I pulled away.
"Um...We should get going to the airport. I don't want to miss my flight." I said whilst backing up towards the door.

Suddenly I bumped into a chest.
"We've got to stop meeting like this." The voice said and I immediately identified it as Vinnie. It made me remember the MANY times I fell into him and he had to catch me in order to stop me from making a complete fool of myself. I turned around to him and saw the tears in his eyes. He looked a mess.

"Um...let's leave them to talk." Chase said as everyone went outside to wait by Tayler's car.
"I broke up with Sammy." He said as he put his hands in his pockets.
"Sorry, who?" I said confused as to who he was talking about.
"My girlfriend. Blonde, about yay high." He said gesturing how tall she was.
"Ohhh right. But why are you telling me?" I asked him.
"I want us to give things a go. Properly."
My heart shattered in that moment because I knew exactly what I had to do. Long distance relationships always seem to crumble. Plus I don't want Vinnie to feel trapped. I don't want him to feel like he owes me anything. I have to set him free.
"Look Vinnie. I'm going back to London. I'm gonna be gone for months. Maybe a year. I need to focus on school and maybe a relationship isn't what either of us need right now. You're at the peak of your career and mine's just getting started." I walked closer to him and grabbed his hands.
"If we're meant to be, we'll find each other again. I promise." I said as I pulled him in for a hug.
"I just want you to be happy." He said as he wiped away some of his tears and used his thumb to wipe away some of mine.
"You know Grace, I've never met a girl like you. You're smart, funny, interesting, beautiful. I could go on and on. I never thought people like you existed till I found you. You're my person and I don't know if I can move on. Ever. I think I love you Grace." Vinnie said as his voice cracked when he said the last part.

Hearing him say this completely broke me. I broke down in his arms and he kissed my forehead.
"You're right. We'll find each other again." He whispered in my ear.

I tried my hardest to pull myself together as I walked to the car. I got in the car and Tayler began to drive away. I waved goodbye to all the people I'd been calling my family for the summer.

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We pulled up to the airport and Tayler got out of the car with me.
"Um..I guess this is where I say goodbye." He said wiping away the tears that had formed in his eyes during the drive.
I ran into his arms and sobbed in his chest for a good five minutes.
"Thank you Tayler. For everything." I said between sobs.
"Hey, hey stop all of that. You're acting like I'm never gonna see you again." He said looking in my eyes.
"Well I never know with you man." I said laughing. Tayler laughed along too.
"I promise I'll never let that happen again. Grace I've learnt a lot from you. I've learnt to be humble. Not to make people do things for you and to do them yourself. You've taught me a lot about patience. Having a hormonal teenage girl bouncing off the walls really did test my patience but it taught me how to be a better guardian. You've also taught me to always trust my instincts. I had a bad feeling about this Lucas boy and turns out I was right."
"Are you just gonna insult me?" I said laughing.
"No, no sorry. On a serious note, I can't imagine things without you anymore. You're like my mini me. What am I gonna do when you leave me? Grace, you're one of a kind. Don't you change for anyone, do you hear me?" He said as he pulled me in for one final hug.
"Of course."
I took my suitcase and wheeled it into the airport.
"I love you Tay." I said as I turned around.
"I love you too Grace." He said as he let out a small smile.
I walked further into the airport and got my boarding pass. As I was about to get on the plane I took one final look at LA. I was so ready for my next adventure. I guess I was done living with Tayler Holder.

A/N:
Thank you guys so much for the support on this book. It's my first one and I've really enjoyed writing it. Let me know if you lot want a sequel. For now, over and out. X