𝑬𝒏𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅

Chapter 1

3 months later

I wake up as I hear the alarm go off. Ugh. Another Monday morning, and Sunday passed by too fast. I start getting ready for the day: I work at the coffee shop down the corner, and I work there all day, every day. Except for Sundays. When I'm at home, at night, when my parents think I'm sleeping, I go on with this novel I'm writing. Yes, that's the plan: go on with working at the coffee shop, and then send my novel to some editors and see if they like it. No one knows this except my brother, Sel and Abi. And Joe. After that night at the party we became really close friends, and now he's my best male friend.

As I'm doing my hair, my phone dings: it's Brandon. Yep you heard right, Brandon, the guy from the party, my biggest crush ever, is now my boyfriend. I'm starting to think that I'm in love with him, but I've never been in love, so I'll have to ask my friends, or Austin.

As I walk down the stairs, my dad asks me "Taylor, are you having breakfast with us?"

"Uh, no, dad, I'm having breakfast with Brandon"

"Since when?"

"Well, now, he just texted me" I say, showing my phone. My dad is strict sometimes about guys, but he knows that Brandon is a good guy, and we've been together for two months, for goodness' sake! He met him, and he always treats me right, and I'm eighteen, even if I still live with my parents, I can make decisions on my own.

As I step out of my house, the cool September breeze hits my face; Abi waves at me from her car before heading off to school, 'cause, yes, she's going to the college here in town, 'cause she wants to become a doctor. I really admire her, but I'm scared of blood, so, no, please!

Sel's away, in Europe, she said she needed to go away from here to find herself, and she started saving money for this since 7th grade, when we were twelve. Without her, our street is a little lonely, but Joe comes to my or Abi's house almost every day, so we're never alone.

As I'm walking to the bar Brandon and I are supposed to meet, I can't help but notice the change the world suddenly had: the streets are busy, the trees are all orange and red and gold, and all the people are dressed more, and there are kids of all ages walking to school. I smile 'cause fall is finally here, and that makes me so happy.

When I start seeing Brandon I'm still smiling so hard that he can't help but notice.

"Hey babe" he says, pulling me in for a kiss "What got you smiling so hard today, mh?" he asks, and I smile even more.

"It's just fall!" I say squealing like a little kid on Christmas day.

He kisses my forehead "Yeah I noticed it too, so I bought you these" he says showing me a little box; I open it, and I see a pair of green gloves. "I noticed you missed these, and so, yesterday, when I saw them in a window shop, I thought..."

"I love them" I say interrupting him "Really, they're just so soft, and the color, I just love them as much as I love fall!"

"Good thing then" he says as our coffees arrive.

After half an hour, I check my phone and I realize that I'm super late.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, but I have to go, if I don't want Mr Clark, to fire me" I say standing up, and I start walking to the coffee shop I work at. Mr Clark is the owner of the shop I work at, so he's my boss. He's one of the men here known to be rich, and he's just so sexist, like, I offered to cook and he said that he only wants male cooks, girls can only be waitresses.

The day passes by fast and busy, and before I know it, it's time to go home.

As I enter my house, my mum tells me to go to Abi's, she says there will be a surprise waiting for me there.

As I enter her house, she comes running to me and she hugs me, and she says "Hey Swizzle, there is someone waiting for you in the living room! Oh, and before you go, my parents are out of town, so we'll have an old time styled night, just us!"

As I walk into the living room, I hear two voices, one, warm, low, familiar, the other, cold, high pitched, mocking and annoying.

When I walk in, Joe gets up and comes hugging me, and I feel the warmness and comfort I've missed for a month, while he was gone to England. Right after him, a girl with pale blonde hair and a very short pink dress gets up and quickly grabs his arm, gives me her hand and says "Hi, I'm Sophie, Joe's girlfriend. I always lived in the same street as Joe, I've basically known him my whole life!"

It felt as if she was trying to draw a line between us, like a boundary that I couldn't cross, like I cared to cross! And, Sophie, that's so cheap! Like, everybody is called Sophie!

Joe speaks up before I have the chance to" Soph, this is Taylor, my best friend"

Well that was nice I guess.

The night passes with us playing cards and watching our old favorite movie, and Sophie annoying Abi and I with everything she says. Everytime she would touch Joe, or kiss him, or say something like "when we were kids, when you didn't know him" with that annoying, mocking, high pitched tone, I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Like, I wanted to know him when he learned how to ride a bike, or when he gave his first kiss, or when he went to his first concert. Like she wasn't supposed to touch him like that in front of me, when I'm his... Best friend, that's right. He even said that himself.

Well, all I know is that after watching Dirty Dancing for the hundredth time I went home and I tried to sleep but I couldn't. Stupid Sophie!