this is me trying | taylor swift

fourteen

❝we never go out of style❞

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

"Ella, please. We need to do this!" Kenna emphasized, grabbing her best friend's hand as they made their way deeper into the mall. Ella ferociously shook her head, as she grounded her feet into the floor of the building, but it was no use as Kenna continued to drag the taller girl behind her as she made her way to the destination.

The end of the school year was rapidly approaching and what started off as a random idea quickly turned into a prepared plan that Ella was now caught right in the middle of. Ella had always had a deadly fear of needles. Because of this, she had never gotten her ears pierced. For some reason, Ella not having any ear piercings was news to Kenna, even though Ella was sure she had told her before, so Kenna had made it her mission to make Ella get her ears pierced that weekend. One thing led to another which led to the moment they were currently in. It was a sunny Saturday morning and instead of relaxing in bed, Ella was being dragged through a local mall, on the way to a tattoo and piercing parlor, with her mom and Kenna. 

"Kenna, noooo. I have ballet and plus . . . I'm scared," Ella whispered the second part, as she looked down. Kenna knew of Ella's fear of needles, but wanted her best friend to push through them for the end goal: cute earrings! 

Kenna shook her head as she squeezed Ella's arm sympathetically, turning to face her. "El, your dance season is over for the next couple months so that excuse is baloney, but if you really don't want to, it's okay, you don't have to." The brunette smiled as Ella dug the tip of her shoe into the ground, suddenly feeling very guilty. It's not like she didn't want to get her ears pierced, in fact, she had thought about it quite a few times this year; she was just scared.

"Fine, I'll do it. But you gotta hold my hand, promise?" Ella decided, sighing and looking at her friend who let out an excited squeal, which made the corners of Ella's mouth twitch upward.

"Dude, duh! Yay, you're gonna look so cute!" Kenna exclaimed as Andrea laughed at the two girls, and the three made their way to the shop.

Thirty minutes and five piercings later, the two girls exited, giggling and making jokes at one another. In a spur of the moment decision, Ella had decided to get double lobe piercings, two on each ear, and Kenna had decided to add another cartilage piercing. Although Ella wouldn't admit it to Kenna, it was not as bad as she had thought it was going to be -- in fact, she barely felt the needle. Nonetheless, both girls were exceptionally happy as the headed to their next destination.  

✮

Ella lied back on her bed while sipping on a fruit smoothie as she leaned against the decorative pillows placed against her headboard. Consumed in the Netflix show she was watching, she was suddenly frightened by the abrupt ringing noise followed by the FaceTime icon on her laptop. Ella paused the show immediately, smiling at her sister's contact card. Taylor had spammed Ella's phone with pictures after one of her shows, and the one Ella had ended up choosing as her contact photo showed Taylor scrunching her nose and sticking out her tongue. She was still in her concert apparel, but was wearing a half-zip with her own face on it, which Ella thought was hilarious, and her bangs were stuck to her forehead with sweat. In the background, Ella was reaching for her phone and the photo caught her in motion. 

"Hey, kiddo!" Taylor's voice sounded through the speakers as she shined a bright smile at her younger sibling. She was sitting at her dining room table, her guitar in hand, as she put the pencil she was using behind her ear. "What's up?" 

"Nothing much, I miss you!" Ella sighed, feeling a pang in her chest at the thought of not having seen her sister in so long. She readjusted herself on her bed as she tossed her phone to the side, giving Taylor her full attention.