The Black Tangled Heart

The Realisation

"Get out" Said Taylor as Travis stepped into their bedroom, her voice shaky but the tall, brunette just took a breath, shut the door behind him and watched as the girl in front of him began to fall apart

"Taylor..."

"Are you deaf all of a sudden? I said get out!" Taylor sat down on the bed and rested her head in her hands, the tremble in them visible to Travis who just bit down and then took a gentle step closer

"Baby..."

"Don't call me that!" Taylor ls head snapped up to look at him, her eyes ringed red and her skin pale except for the slight pink mark that remained from where Cassie had hit her "Don't ever call me that and don't act like you're any different to every other man.  All you want is my body and I already gave it to you so you don't have to fake...this!" She wafted her arm between them and then returned her head to her hands, her entire body trembling as she fought to keep control of herself

"Taylor... baby, you and I both know there's nothing fake about this. This is real"

"I TOLD YOU TO GET THE FUCK OUT!" She screamed as she jumped up from the bed and ran at him, her hands raining blow after blow onto his chest as tears poured down her face and a noise more like that of a wounded animal ripped through her throat

"It's okay" Travis soothed as he wrapped his arms tightly around her to offer comfort as well as to stop her hands from lashing out at him "It's okay" He soothed again as Taylors legs gave way and they both dropped to the ground, Travis dragging her onto his lap and rocking her almost as though she were a child

"I hate them" she managed to say on ragged breaths "I hate them all"

"Talk to me"

"I'm so embarrassed, so ashamed of everything"

"Don't be, it isn't you that should be ashamed of anything"

"If I tell you the truth you will hate me"

"I could never, Taylor..." he took hold of her chin and angled her face until she was looking up at him "Unless it isn't clear, I'm pretty much obsessed with you, there isn't anything you can tell me that I haven't done worse than, trust me. Please just trust that I won't let you down"

"Everyone let's me down" she whispered her voice wet against his neck "I thought Cassie was my friend!" She cried out even though in her heart she had always known it was more of a friendship of convenience than something genuine

"Cassie is a self centred bitch, forget about her"

"I can't" Taylor sobbed against his chest "She won't let me... none of them will let me forget. Why won't they all just leave me alone?!"

"What she said... about school"

"She said things... told people lies... they believed her! Of course they believed her. He made sure I would only ever be known for one thing... as one type of girl but I'm not, I swear to you I'm not her"

"I know you aren't, believe me Taylor, I know who you are, I know you"

"She stole from me, thousands of dollars and then she spread lies and I still wanted her to want me, still wanted her friendship, she only wanted me because he got to her, he was going to pay her to take me to him and then what? Then what was he going to do? What could he possibly do that he hasn't done already?!"

"He... your uncle you mean?"

"He's not my uncle! He's not my blood, Maria isn't and he isn't either, not like mama, God I want my mom back Travis!" Again Taylor collapsed against him, his strong arms tightening to keep her as close to him as possible, his silent promise that he was going to keep her safe no matter what

"Taylor..."

"I'm nothing to them, nothing more than something to be used in the sick game that goes on between them and my dad doesn't even care, why does no one ever care about me? why am I never worth anything to anyone?!"

Travis tightened his grip on the girl nestled in his arms, her tears saturating the front of his white tank top, her body shaking against him.

For everything in the world he wanted her to shut up, to keep her secrets to herself because he knew that once he had heard them there would be no going back, revenge would be sought, no one would walk away from the confrontation unscathed but he had Vargas in just a few days and a college future he never thought would be within his grasp but he also had Taylor... he had her body and her softness and her trust and without questioning it he knew that out of everything in his life she was becoming the most important, what she needed and wanted was the only thing his mind would focus on

"Tell me what you want me to do" Travis said resolutely, ready to throw the Varga fight and then throw away his chance to go to college if it was what the tiny thing in his arms that had an iron clad grip on his heart needed from him

"You can't fix this" she said with a wet sniff and then her body once again convulsed in his arms as his mind settled and his nerves toughened.

One way of another, no matter what it cost he was going to fix it. He was going to 'fix' every person that ever took advantage of or hurt or abused the girl in his arms, the girl he knew without doubt was quickly becoming the only person other than Jason that he had ever loved.