Adopted by Taylor Swift

Officially Yours

Jessica's perspective

~

It was Sunday. The weekend had flown by faster then it ever had in the past. I now sat in the backseat of Taylor's car with Avery, Joe was driving to the orphanage to sign papers with Taylor. A bubble of excitement formed inside my chest. We were really getting adopted. It was really happening.

And of all the people who could adopt us, Taylor. Swift. The Taylor Swift. The whole ass music industry was sitting in the passenger seat in front of me, humming along to the same song as me, adopting me.

Avery swung her feet back and forth, making a soft beat every time one of her shoes hit the back of Joe's seat. She looked out the window, and I could see the smile in her faint reflection off the window. She was just as excited about the whole ordeal as I was.

At first, I hadn't been to open to being adopted by Taylor Swift. But in the past few days, I've grown so close to her, and plus there wasn't nearly as much paparazzi as I thought there would be, mainly because we stayed home the whole weekend. When I was younger I overlostened to her music, so much so that whenever it played it reminded me of all those lonely and dreadful nights. Yet recently, whenever Taylor sings to us, I find the courage to sing back.

Joe turns the steering wheel to the left as we pull in to the large drive way of the orphanage. The car pulls around the side and parks in front of the tall building which brings only dread and despair. I chew on my bottom lip, thinking of Theresa and Claire.

"We're here!" Taylor says softly, a melody lacing her voice. My ears fill with the sounds of the cars clicking doors as all four are swung open simultaneously. I take a weary step out onto the path, Avery takes a much more energetic one. I can here her little boots hit the ground as she runs around the back end of the car. Joe walks around the front of the car, his hands deep in his pockets.

Taylor smiles at me as I lead the way up the cold steps to the doorway. The windows seem to have skeletons behind them, the walls seem to have bugs crawling through the cracks. The place was somewhere out of your worst nightmares, and it was easier to make worse when you saw it in person.

I knocked on the door, three times. The wood hurt my knuckles. After a few too many seconds the door flung open, revealing a snippy looking girl, maybe thirteen. She had brown hair and hard green eyes, which she rolled as she turned her head over her shoulder.

"Theresa! Jessica and Avery are back!" Then the girl walked away.

I didn't bother waiting for Theresa, instead I let myself inside, wiping my shoes on the rug. Avery bounded inside after me, catching her foot in the rug and nearly tripping. I laughed but helped her re-catch her balance nonetheless.

I looked over my shoulder at Taylor and Joe, who walked in slowly behind us, Taylor's arm wrapped around Joe's. I bit the inside of my cheek. Maybe they were lying. They're just taking us here to get rid of us.

Yet as if reading my thoughts, Joe walked up beside me and gave my shoulder a light slap with the back of his hand, shaking his head and smiling.

I nodded slowly, a false grin growing on my face. However even my fake smile disappeared when I saw Theresa round the corner.

"Ah, Miss Swift. And Jessica and Avery. How lovely to see you again." She opened her arms, as if to welcome us back. "I can have the two of you right this way," she looked at Taylor and Joe, "and I trust you girls will be alright waiting here?" I rolled my eyes at the fake enthusiasm, but Avery smiled and nodded. Theresa smiled, "wonderful."

The group of adults disappeared into Theresa's office, leaving Avery and I in the main room of the girls home, which was what Theresa called a living room but to the rest of us felt more like a lobby.

I took a seat on one of the two burgundy couches that lined the walls, Avery ran up the stairs to her old room. I watched her disappear before sinking back into the couch.

Just for a moment, I let my eyes close. I felt a phantom wrap its arms around me. Taylor. She leaned her head over mine and softly squeezed my body into hers. "Oh, darling don't you ever grow up. Don't you ever grow up. Just stay this little." That was the song that phantom Taylor hummed quietly. I sighed and leaned into the phantoms embrace.

From the other side, a ghost. Stronger arms, this time. Joe. He wrapped his arms over Taylor's and around my body too, though his embrace was slightly looser, whereas it was as if Taylor was afraid to let go.

I sighed, tasting the feeling of being loved by your parents, by your father.

"And no ones ever burned you. Nothing's ever left you scarred."

Taylor's phantom embrace continued to hum the melody of the song while my brain filled in the lyrics, which I had memorized.

Then I heard the light pounding of sock feet on the floor. My eyes snapped open and my body shot up. Phantom Taylor and ghost Joe had vanished, just like that. And down the stairs, walked Claire.

I sucked in my breath. Standing up and bracing myself for a million sharp words to come. However I couldn't have braced myself enough for when she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me in for a hug.

Her arms wrapped tightly around my neck, and I stumbled back, not being able to process the turn of events. Maybe she was on drugs? Maybe she was sleepwalking? Maybe it was a doppelganger?

But when she pulled away, I saw Claire's same eyes, only now watery. My teeth chewed my bottom lip as my mind worked to understand.

"Claire?"

"Jessica. I'm so, so sorry." She sounded as though she would break at any moment. I sniffed and crossed my arms over my body, looking down at the floor. "Really, I am. I'm so, so sorry. For everything. I was terrible."

I frowned. "Yeah, you were."

She didn't deserve my forgiveness. Not entirely. And I belive if she hadn't put Avery through the same shit she put me through, I might've been able to accept her apology.

Claire looked stung, she had clearly been expecting a different response. But when I didn't change my answer, she just shrugged and turned back down the hall.

I stood and watched her disappear around a corner. That was odd.

After a long moment, I heard heals click to my right. I saw Theresa set her clipboard down on a side table as she smiled at me. Avery came barreling down the stairs, and to my surprise threw her arms around Theresa's legs, as if to say goodbye one last time.

Then came Taylor and Joe from Theresa's office. I took a step forward and could barely make out the tears forming in Taylor's eyes. A smile that I couldn't control broke out on my face, and when Taylor outstretched her arms to me, I ran into them, sobbing.

Avery wrapped her arms around both our legs, and Joe came from behind me, holding us all together. I smiled into Taylor's shirt, tears running down my cheeks.

"Welcome home." I heard Taylor say. Yes. Because home was never the orphanage, and home wouldn't be her big fancy house. Home was with people who you could trust to keep you safe, and people who you could rely on. I know that this is what she meant.

Home is with her.

~