The Summer of Fighting His Enemies (COMPLETED)

Chapter One

"Bye Steven, see ya tomorrow."

"Yeah bye Tay." Steven said with a slight wave. Taylor shut the door and waited until the orange colored Dodge Challenger's lights disappeared around the corner. Crickets hummed as she sighed and walked to her front door. Digging around her purse for her keys, she came up empty and began to panic. She looked under the turtle but the extra key wasn't there, her parents were still at work and she didn't want to worry them. Walking around back, she checked the windows and door to the porch, everything was locked

"Darn it!" She said, stomping her foot. She tapped it impatiently as she thought of what to do next. But she already knew, she had to go ask her neighbor. But she never once actually talked to him, just little talks but not full conversations. The first time was to get her puppy from their yard. Another time was when she locked herself out of the house- twice. When she missed the bus and had to get a ride from him. She knew he'd have to joke about it for a bit before handing her the key, she would take it, unlock it and bring it back to him and they would be that. Shuffling her feet, she crossed the street and headed to the little white colored house. With a huff she knocked on the door three times. She tapped her foot impatiently and then it swung open, a puff of smoke blew into her face. She coughed and sneezed, a deep chuckle echoed in her ears as she took in a naked torso, the bottom half wrapped in towel. She followed it up to a chiseled face and wet brown hair hanging lazily down his face. Then his eyes. Deep green blue like the ocean.

"Hi Stone." She said with a small wave

"Hi squeaks. What do you need?" Taylor fidgeted with her hands.

"I-uh-do you still have the key to my house?"

"Yeah." She looked at his face, he had a smirk on his lips.

"Can I borrow it?" He shifted and leaned against the door frame.

"I don't know, can you?" She huffed.

"May I?"

"I just have to say, again squeaks?" She blushed.

"Yeah again. I think I left it in Stevens' car."

"Hold tight. I'll get it." He shut the door and she sighed in relief as the crickets rose to a crescendo. The door opened a few moments later and Stone emerged. This time dressed in a grey t-shirt and black jeans. He walked past her.

"Where are you going?"

"To unlock the door."

"I can do it!" She shouted as she ran after him.

"So who is this Steven?" He asked as they walked together. Taylor smiles cheekily.

"He's no one."

"That's the fifth time he's dropped you off, he's not just someone." They stopped at the door

"How'd you know that?"

"It's called spying." He said as he inserted the key. She huffed again, something she did quite often. Her mother called it a habit she needed to break or she may deflate from letting out too much air.

"You know it's rude right?" She said placing a hand on her hip.

"Not as rude as you taking pictures of me." He eyed her. Taylor became flabbergasted and stuttered out.

I-I do not!" She said, stomping her foot too.

"Yes you do. I even have proof." He opened the door and went inside. She followed him in and closed the door

"What proof!?"

"Just you wait!." She set her school bag down and followed his voice to the kitchen. He was sitting in the yellow colored kitchen at the dark brown colored island. She sat across from him and watched him scroll through photos on his phone.

"There's no way you could have seen me I-" He glanced up at her and she shut her mouth

"You just admitted it." He said with a grin. She snapped her fingers and put her elbow on the table and cheek to palm.

"So you got me." She then shrugged her shoulders. "It's not like I show them to anyone." He set his phone down.

"What do you do with them?"

"Nothing."

"Sure. Well I gotta scoot squeaks. Tell your parents I say hi."

"Sure." She said with a nod. Stone showed himself out and she didn't move until she heard the door close. Then taking her school bag up to her Aqua colored room, Taylor sat at her glossy walnut colored desk and opened up her Mac laptop. She turned it on and set to work writing out thank you notes to her teachers. As she wrote them, a Skype call popped up. She clicked answer and saw Bria on the other side

"Hi Bria." She signed with her hands.

"Hi Tay. What are you doing?" Bria signed back

"Making thank you notes." She said as she held them up. Bria smiled and showed her two thumbs up.

"Can you make me some?" She asked with a puppy dog face.

"Sure. Taking a cochlear break?"

"Yes. Too much noise today." She said with a frown.

"Almost end of school. Kids will be loud. They are excited."

"Yes. I know. I do not like it though."

"You won't have to worry about it for long."

"I know. But I hate that mom signed me up to go to college for people like me."

"But maybe it will be good. I will visit."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Taylor said with a smile. The lights flashed on Bria's side and then her mother came into view

"Hi Taylor!"

"Hi Ms. Benson."

"I have to cut the call short, but we'll pick you up tomorrow."

That's okay. See you later." She signed I love you to bria and then clicked off. She couldn't remember the first time she had met Bria. That's how close of friends they were. After finding out Bria was deaf, she had poured herself into studying ASL so that she could communicate with Bria with or without the Cochlear that Bria wore. She finished typing her notes and made extra ones, changing up the words a little to what she knew Bria would want to say. Taylor and Bria had all the same classes as Taylor was her translator on days she didn't wear her Coclear. She didn't mind though because when they signed it was like they were the only ones in the universe, they could tell secrets, talk bad about someone and no one would be the wiser. Taylor hit print, and wheeled her way over the printer to catch them as they spit out. Afterwards, she sprawled out on her bed and cut them out using fun scissors with different blades.

Her parents would be home late tonight. Both of them worked at their local hospital. Her dad was a surgeon and her mother was a doctor. Tonight was their night to have a double shift, something she hated because she had to put herself to bed. But she knew it was time to put childish things away seeing as she was almost seventeen. In fact, in three days she would be seventeen. Taylor couldn't wait to send out a guest list and decorate for it, she loved to decorate for special occasions. Her parents had a surprise for her, but she didn't know what it was even though she had tried snooping around the house to find clues, but her parents seemed to be expert hiders because she didn't find anything that would give her a hint. The emptiness filling her ears, Taylor turned on her favorite show which was Charmed, it was about three girls who lose their mother, they bond over their powers and help put down demons and protect their legacy. It was definitely a little cheesy sometimes, but that's what she liked about it. After binging four episodes, she decided she probably should go to bed or her parents would have a cow. Technically in her parents eyes, she wasn't an adult yet and still needed to follow their rules. She cleaned up her mess, brushed her teeth and climbed into bed. She went to bed happily knowing that school would be out in two days and then she could do whatever she wanted the whole summer.