Taylor Swift- My Best Friend

Chapter Twenty-One: Yes or No?

Jess' P.O.V

As much as I felt bad for snapping at Taylor, I knew I couldn't just turn around and apologize to her.. That'd make me look pretty dumb and pathetic for throwing a whole tantrum then just turning around and saying I'm sorry for it. I'd look crazy.

Maybe I'm just being a big baby about this whole thing, because I'm really scared. I'm scared to perform and show people a different side of me that no one really even knows about, besides Taylor. She is the only one that knows I can kind of sing and she is the only one that knows I can play guitar. This whole school just knows me as the Taylor Swift freak, that was it. And I didn't want to be put on a pedastool in front of the whole school just to get laughed at. Why couldn't she understand that?

I just walked into the gym full of other performers and sat down on the bleachers that were pulled out, and burried my face in the palms of my hands, letting out an exhasaparted sigh. It was weird, but the whole gym got quiet super quickly and all I heard was the sound of clicking. Yet again, the sounds were coming toward me, but I didn't bother to look up, I held my ground. Gasps filled the gym as everyone seemed to get a look at the person, and I had a feeling it was Taylor.

"Are you Jess?" The somewhat familiar voice called out to me.
"Uh--" I looked up, and saw a brunette standing there with her hair running past her shoulders, with a slight bounce of curls.
"Taylor sent me in here, uh," She paused running her hand through her hair, "She said you looked kinda upset and she called me to come here to surprise you but it's kinda messed up now, but." She said chewing on her lower lip.
"Yeah, um..." I paused, looking around the gym to see everyone staring at us. "Selena? I know Taylor is super sweet and all but she kinda forced me to do all this, I never wanted to from the day it began." I said swallowing hard, "I can't do this." I mumbled, "I don't wanna."
"Come here, I need to take you somewhere." Selena said, grabbing my wrist in the same spot Taylor did.

Selena pulled me up and off the bleachers, her heels clicking as she walked against the wood flooring of the gym. I could feel everyones eyes trail along our every movement as we made our way out of the gym, and it made me feel quite uncomfortable, but I didn't care. I was leaving, or so I thought.

Taylor's P.O.V

I chewed on my fingernails as a bad habit when I was nervous. I was nervous about so many things, ruining Jess and I's friendship, backing out of the performance, and being an embarrassment.

I stood awkwardly on the other side of the gym, with two guitars surrounding me and people looking at me assumingly wondering where Jess was. What was I supposed to do? I had my career pulling me one way and my friendship with one of the most realest people I've ever met pulling me the other way. I was confused beyond belief.

I saw Selena walking toward me with Jess trailing along in the back and I excitement welled up inside of me, hoping this would be the time where we could work things out.

Jess was right when she said people just stared at you in this school for no reason. Addmittley, it was a bit creepy. Every pair of eyes in the gym were looking toward the three of us, and I was going to try to keep quiet because I was sure they were going to try and listen, too.

"Hey, guys." I said as they finally made there way toward me.
"Hey, Tay. Sorry things didn't work out as planned..." Selena said quietly, Jess avoiding eye contact with me.

Selena nudged her in the side as I looked up at her, my eyes were droopy and a bit sad, and I wondered if she could see that.

"Look, Jess--" I began to say, but was cut off my her voice.
"No, Taylor wait. Look, I apologize for snapping back there, but I'm just too afraid to do this. Look at all this," she said, holding her arms out and looking around and the blank expressions on people's faces, "If there looking at us like this when we're just talking, can you imagine how they'd look at us if I was singing? I can't sing." She mumbled.
"You can sing, I saw you perform back at the hotel, you just need to have confidene in yourself, Jess. Screw what these other people think. It's just you and me up there, and you can look at me the whole time if you need, I don't care. I really want to do this with you."

I could see Selena look at Jess from the side as Jess' gaze fell toward the ground, her thinking face was clearly showing. Maybe what I said actually got through to her. It was possible, right? I heard het let out a sigh and I parted my lips to speak once more,

"So what will it be, Jess? Yes or no?"

I held my breath as I awaited the answer, the minutes feeling like hours.