Girls Never Go Out of Style - A Kaylor Fanfic

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Taylor was starting to understand why Karlie had been upset when she avoided her after their first kiss. She hadn't been able to find Karlie all week, and she was frantic, desperate to explain herself. She wanted to feel Karlie's arms around her. She wanted things to go back to normal.

Shortly after the terribly awkward run-in with Karlie at the festival, Taylor had faked a stomachache to get out of the rest of the date. There was no way that she was going to go on a romantic hayride or get stuck on the ferris wheel with Charles, no way that she was going to let him kiss her. The fake stomachache had the added benefit of giving her an excuse to go to bed early and avoid Andrea's questions, as well.

Taylor kept replaying the conversation with Karlie in her mind. She hated herself for not saying anything, for barely looking at her. She had been terrified of Charles figuring out that they were together. But all she could think about was the anger and the hurt in Karlie's eyes.

Taylor had assumed that she would talk to Karlie at school on Monday and apologize, but she hadn't been able to find her.

Finally, on Friday, there was a note in Taylor's locker.

Meet me in the parking lot? K

After the final bell rang, Taylor made her way through the parking lot to Karlie's assigned space. Karlie was already sitting in the driver's seat.

"Hi!" Taylor couldn't help herself; she leaned over and gave Karlie a quick kiss on the cheek. "Where are we going?"

"I just thought we'd drive around."

It felt good to be around Karlie, but Taylor could sense that something wasn't right. Karlie's strong eyebrows were knit together, her eyes trained on the road with more concentration than was required. They had been apart for days. They should have had so much to day to each other.Bbut Karlie barely responded to anything Taylor said, and eventually they both fell silent.

Taylor stared out the window, watching as the scenery streamed by. The trees had begun to change color, their brilliant gold and orange stark contrast to her mood.

"Karlie, what's going on?"

Karlie bit her lip and said nothing.

"Karlie," Taylor repeated, trying to keep the hitch out of her voice. "Please just talk to me."

Karlie let out a long breath and scraped one hand through her hair.

"Charles found me behind the ag building on Monday." Her voice was quiet, measured. There was so much restrained behind her words, and it scared Taylor.

"Why?"

"Taylor, he knows about us."

Taylor looked down at her hands, unable to meet Karlie's eyes. "I'm sorry. I was stupid, thinking that we could sneak away---"

Karlie shook her head. "He would have found out anyway. Or your parents would have realized we were lying. We were always going to be found out."

"What did he say?"

Karlie's jaw tightened as she grit her teeth.

"Karlie?"

"He told me to stay away from you."

Taylor wanted Karlie to laugh, to reassure her that everything would be okay. But she didn't.

"Karlie..."

"We can't do this anymore, Taylor. You don't realize how easy you have it. No one would ever look at you and suspect. I can't hide who I am. Everyone knows, and they've always known. No one's calling you a dyke and throwing you up against the wall. You're not the one who's spent years going to the principal's office for standing up for yourself. I am."

"But we'll get out of here. We'll graduate next year, and we can leave all of this behind."

"And what am I supposed to do untiil then?" Karlie demanded. "Wait around for your boyfriend to kick my ass?"

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"Really? You might want to tell him that."

Taylor's eyes stung with tears. She blinked them back. "Karlie, you can't leave me like this. I love you."

Say it back, she begged silently. Say you love me, too. Please.

"I-- I'm sorry, Taylor. I just can't keep doing this."

Tears blurred Taylor's vision, but she wasn't going to cry. Not yet. Not in front of Karlie, the girl who had just broken her heart.

"Take me home."

Neither of them said anything on the drive back into town. Karlie parked beside the curb in front of Taylor's house, like so many times before. No one watching would know that this would be the last time.

Taylor climbed out of the car, ducking back in to gather her things.

"Taylor--"

"Don't."

Taylor walked up to her house and through the door, not letting herself look back. So she didn't see how long Karlie sat there in her car, slumped over the steering wheel, crying for all the things she had wanted them to be, to do. Crying for all the things she wanted to say and could not. Crying because she had never wanted to break the heart of the only girl she had ever loved.