Girls Never Go Out of Style - A Kaylor Fanfic

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Since the hearing where Mr. Smith had delivered the decision to expel Karlie, Karlie had barely said a word. She spent the time that she wasn't at work in her room, the door closed.

Kimby hated seeing her sister like this. She had to do something. Karlie hadn't answered her door any of the other times she knocked, but surely if she was annoying enough, Karlie would break. After all, Kimby had been a little sister for her whole life. She knew a thing or two about being annoying.

After several minutes of rhthmic knocking, switching from one beat to another, along with high-pitched chants of Karlie's name, Karlie caved.

"What? What do you want?" she exlaimed, wrenching the door open.

"Finally!" Kimby celebrated, before following Karlie into her room.

Karlie flopped down on her bed again, and Kimby perched beside her.

"You're in," Karlie said, her voice muffled by the arm flung over her face. "Now what do you want?"

"I just wanted to see you," Kimby said. "You've been avoiding everyone ever since--"

"Charles ruined my life?" Karlie offered.

"Well..." Kimby tried to think of a better way to phrase it, failed. "Yeah."

Karlie sighed.

"Look," Kimby tried again. "I just want to help. I hate this. Everything's awful, and I just want things to go back to normal again. Is there anything I can do?"

Karlie thought for a minute. Then, "If I could just talk to Taylor."

Kimby hopped up off the bed. "I'm on it!" she said brightly.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to talk to Taylor for you," she said. When Karlie started to protest, she cut her big sister off. "I've already got a plan," she said. "I just need a ride."

--

"Taylor, someone's here to see you!" Andrea called up the stairs.

Taylor put aside her paperback reluctantly. There was only one person that Taylor wanted to see, and she knew that if Karlie were standing at the door, Andrea would not have sounded so happy. It was probably Charles. The last person she wanted to see.

"Taylor, she's waiting!"

She?

When Taylor got to the foyer, she saw a kid standing with Andrea. Well, not a kid, but a freshman, so... Yeah, a kid. She looked vaguely familiar.

"Taylor, this is Kimby," Andrea introducced the girl. "She said that you left something at school?"

Kimby. Taylor immediately put it together, remembering Karlie talking about her sisters. Luckily Andrea didn't know anything about Taylor's family.

"Uh, yeah, I think I did," Taylor said. "What was it, Kimby?"

Just then the phone rang, calling Andrea away into the next room. Perfect timing.

"Karlie wanted me to come," Kimby whispered, her words coming out double-time. "She's freaking out. She wanted me to say that she loves you. And to ask what you want to do. If you have a plan?"

Taylor thought fast. "Wait here."

She dashed up the stairs, returning moments later with a piece of paper folded up so tightly that she could palm it without it being detected. "Here," she said, shoving it at Kimby. "Give this to Karlie."

Kimby saluted and grinned.

"Sorry about that, girls," Andrea said, bustling back into the room. "What was it that you left, Taylor?"

"Oh, nothing," Taylor said. "Kimby found an earring near my locker after school yesterday, but it's not mine."

"Sorry to bother you," Kimby said, before scooting out the door.

She walked the block back to where Karlie had parked and let her out, well out of sight of the Swifts' house.

"What did she say?" Karlie asked.

"She said to give this to you," Kimby said, handing Karlie the paper. "Now get us out of here, before they come out or something and see us!"

Back at home, in her bedroom, Karlie unfolded the paper. It was a sheet from the songwriting diary that she had given Taylor for her birthday. On one side Taylor had sketched in musical notes. They meant nothing to Karlie, but on the other side were lyrics in Taylor's signature script.

Partway down the page was the chorus. Taylor had circled it in purple felt-tip, ensuring that Karlie would be unable to miss it.

Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'l be waiting; all we have to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story, baby, just say "yes"

Did that mean what Karlie thought it did?

A knock sounded on Karlie's bedrom door. "Come in."

Her father poked his head around the doorjamb. "Karlie? Can we talk?"

Karlie mustered a weak smile. "Sure, Dad."

Kurt sat down across from Karlie in her desk chair. "I know things haven't been great lately," he said. "How are you holding up?"

Karlie's chin puckered and her eyes stung with tears, but she was determined not to cry. She would be strong. "Not that great," she said.

"Have you talked to Taylor?"

She shook her head. "Not really. Her parents are keeping her locked up pretty tight, I guess."

Kurt sighed. "I'm sorry, Karlie. About how things have turned out. But I want you to know that your mother and I love you. We're so proud of you, kiddo."

Karlie noticed that her father was turning something over in his hands. An envelope.

"We want you to have this," he said, handing it over to his daughter.

Karlie pulled back the flap of the envelope, revealing a stack of crisp bills. She flipped through it, her eyes widening.

"It's the money we saved for your college fund," Kurt explained. "It's not much, but it's enough to get you started."

"Get me started?"

"When you go to New York."

"But--" this time, Karlie's voice buckled, and one tear made its way past her defenses. "But they took my scholarship away, Dad. I can't go to college if I haven't got my diploma."

"I know. We think you should go anyway. Karlie, you're never going to have the life you deserve here."

"I'm... I'm scared, Dad."

"Karlie, you've been planning to leave town ever since you were old enough to know that there were other places out there." He gave her a warm smile. "You're going to be great. And if you need us, for anything, you know where we are. You know you'll always have a home here."

"Dad. I don't know what to say. Thank you."

Kurt came over to Karlie and wrapped her into a tight hug.

"You're welcome. Now, you'd better pack."

Karlie laughed. She knew that her dad wasn't kicking her out, that she could strike out whenever she wanted to, whenever she felt ready. But she also knew that this would be sooner rather than later. There was nothing left for her here. Although she had always thought it, now she knew for sure that it was a fact.

"And Karlie?"

"Yeah?"

"I probably shouldn't say this. But I think you should go to Taylor."

Karlie looked at the lyrics still clasped in her hand. "I think so, too."