Nothing in Between

10

"Taylor sent those," Royce answered for their parents.

Clyde groaned in annoyance. She should've known that the answer was Taylor. Still, she couldn't help but feel betrayed, angry, and incredibly hopeful all at once. At least, Taylor hadn't forgotten about her mother. They did seem to get along quite well.

She slowly swallowed the food in her mouth, including the feeling of annoyance and utter rage. It was painfully bitter, like she had been these past few years. Clyde truly didn't like admitting it, but after learning about how Taylor still stayed in contact with her mother?

Clyde would've loved to let everyone in the world know.

It took every drop of energy in Clyde's body to actually stop herself from hitting the table, like she had been doing to her desks as a teenager. She shot Royce a glare, enough to let him know that she was practically plotting his murder inside her head.

"And you willingly accepted those? Do you know what she did to me?" Clyde yelled.

Clyde suddenly pushed her chair back and stood up, startling everyone at the table. Her dad reached over to carefully pat her on the back, trying to get her to sit back down. But Clyde was insanely stubborn, and almost every person in the world knew that.

Her dad quietly trailed off, "Clyde..."

"No, dad. Especially you, Royce! I know you weren't there when it happened, but you know what she did! And you still manage to listen to her music! Even marry someone who's a fucking fan of hers!" Clyde responded, exasperatedly waving her hands.

She quickly ran a hand over her face and groaned. Clyde could not believe this was even happening. This was actual betrayal by her family, and by Taylor. There was obviously no need for Taylor to send flowers, especially because she and Clyde didn't talk anymore.

"She sends mom flowers every month, Clyde. And they always have handwritten cards."

Clyde instantly turned to Royce and groaned, rolling her eyes. "Oh, for fuck's sake."

Why did Taylor have to be so fucking likable? Clyde had tried for literal years to find valid reasons to hate Taylor, but she could only ever think about one thing. And it was insanely clear that every likable thing about Taylor easily outweighed that one negative.

She inhaled a sharp breath, not even bothering to take a gulp of water before storming to the front door. Clyde didn't even glance back before rapidly marching outside, closing the door behind her. She pressed her lips into a thin line, keeping her head down.

With another breath, Clyde began walking, letting her feet take her wherever. She had no idea where she was heading. She simply wanted to be away from her family because she was just absolutely done with hearing them speak about Taylor so positively.

Clyde continued to walk for upwards of an hour. She didn't know why she wasn't getting tired, but the breeze was cool and the moon was out. Her shaky hands were shoved into her pockets as she glanced around, admiring and scoping out her surroundings.

It didn't take quite long before she found herself near a familiar location, somewhere she hadn't been to in years. Clyde could feel her heartbeat race by simply seeing the wooden sign above its doors, and she didn't hesitate before running over and walking inside.

Everything was just as Clyde remembered it, and she truly loved that. The inside was still so dark and reeked with the smell of alcohol and absolute misery, mixed with the muffled music playing through old, horrible speakers. This place was slightly nostalgic.

She had to maneuver and squeeze her body through so many people, but eventually, she arrived at the bar counter, and she sat down on one of the stools. Clyde speedily glanced around to see if there was anyone she recognized, but she couldn't see quite well.