It's been a week since Taylor issued the 'keep away' warning and as she asked I have pretty much just kept away which hasn't been hard seeing as we have very few classes together, no mutual friends and no mutual interests.
The few times I have seen her in the hallways or lunch hall she has kept her head down and ignored the fact I exist which is fine, all of this I have experienced before, I'm not new to being completely removed from someone's life with no reasons given. Shit, if your own mother can walk away and never look back then anyone can and it will never come as a surprise to you.
If I had any sense I would just say fuck it, take Brit to the bathroom and get on with my life but then Taylors little red headed friend keeps looking at me and that makes me think maybe she knows something I don't and that doesn't sit well with me one fuckin bit so I wait until I see her heading towards her car alone and decide to be friendly and go pay her a visit.
I wait until she's just got into the driver seat before I slip into the passenger side and give her a sarcastic smile and a wave
"Hello, I think you and I need to talk"
"Get the fuck out of here or I'll scream" her hands grip tight on the steering wheel, her knuckles turn white
"Scream all you want honey, that's my friend Brian stood over there keeping watch, give him a wave he's a red head too" I give Bri a wave and he waves back like a lunatic "And the brunette over there is another friend of mine, they are both here to make sure you and I get 10 minutes quality one on one time. Isn't that great?"
"What do you want?"
"I want to know what you said to Taylor"
"I didn't say anything to her"
"Liar"
"No, I...I'm not"
"Body language says you are. You touched your face, that's a red flag, you looked to the door, another red flag..." I raise my fingers for each red flag and stare at her intently, wanting her to feel how small this car is and how much bigger than her I am"
"Why do you care? She's just one girl out of a school of hundreds" she crosses her arms over her very ample chest and raises her chin in defiance and I can't help but think this must have been what she was like as a spoiled toddler and my patience begins to wear thin
"Why isn't she speaking to me?"
"Because she worked out what a loser you are and how much better she could do for herself and because she's embarrassed that she ever had anything to do with..." my hand's around her throat pushing her hard against her seat and a split second later I release it. Struggling to control my temper but knowing better than to hurt a girl. I may be no better than my father in a lot of ways but some bad habits of his I will never pick up.
"Do. Not. Push. Me" I throw myself back in the passenger seat and then gaze out the window giving myself a second to cool down before speaking again
"What's so great about her anyways?" Her voice is more quiet this time, almost as though she's hurt and I don't speak I just turn to face her "Yes she's my best friend but she's not the kind of girl you want, she won't give it up to you just cos you speak sweetly in her ear or call her pretty names" she doesn't meet my gaze and her confidence from earlier seems lost and I feel like there's more to this than what she's telling me.
"What's this all about?"
"Don't pretend you don't kmow"
"I Don't! All I know is Taylor and I were starting to get along, she ran through the school in floods of tears and hasn't looked at or spoken to me since, whereas you can't keep your eyes off me. All side eye and smug smiles. I know you said something to her but I just don't know what or why" we are glaring at each other now. Me daring her to tell me the truth and her... well I'm still not sure what's going on with her but she breaks our gaze first, turning to look out the window and then pulling a shakey breath into her chest.
"July 4th last year. There was a party at Poulters Pool House"
"Yeah I know I was there"
"Yeah and so was I "
"Well i was pretty wasted that night so if you saw me with someone or I said something to you that you didn't appreciate then I'm sorry but that's got nothing to do with Taylor..."
"I did see you with someone"
My heart stops cold. What did I do this time? I was so drunk that night... ugh what the fuck has she told Taylor???
"You were with me"
Oh holy fuckin shit!
"With you as in we partied together or 'with you' as in with you" I feel my heart stutter into action and then my pulse begins to treble in panic.
Is this why Taylor has cut me off???
Does she know I fucked her best friend????
Holy shit!
"You don't remember do you?"
"Like I said I was uh... pretty wasted"
"Not too wasted though right?"
"I've never been that wasted" I say proudly and then realise that was probably the wrong tone for this situation
"We made love..."
"No, No, No, look I'm sorry I can't remember you or what happened but I guarantee you no love was involved a in any of it, that was sex pure and simple"
"You're an asshole do you know that?!" She sniffs as I see a tear slip from her eye but believe me when I say she is not the first girl to cry in front of me because her take on an 'event' wasn't the same as mine and I stopped getting emotional about it 40 seconds after it happened the first time
"Look I'm sorry okay? Something happened, I didn't remember I probably made you feel like shit but that has nothing to do with Taylor"
"Why the fuck is this still about Taylor??? I tell you we slept together, you admit you don't remember and the next thing on your mind is Taylor?"
"The only thing on my mind is Taylor" I admit it too easily and immediately wish I could take it back
"She's not the girl for you Travis. Listen to her when she says leave her alone"
"I can't " again I admit more than I should and before I know what's happening tiny fists are pummeling my chest and shoulder. I grab her hands tightly in mine to restrain her
"Why can't you remember me yet you can't leave her alone?" Her tears are flowing freely now as I push her hands back to her and then once again turn to look out my window
"I don't know" I admit with an honesty I didn't know I was capable of and then I look back to her "I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry I can't remember what happend and I'm sorry my speaking to Taylor bugs you but..." I take a breath to find my words but in that instant she launches herself forward, wrapping her arms around my neck and pushing her tongue firmly into my mouth whilst attempting to move over the centre console and straddle me. Her lips feel soft and warm but my body feels sick from the contact. I slam my hand into the passenger window once, twice, three times and suddenly Brian is pulling the door open as I throw myself from the seat and end up landing hard on the car park asphalt
"Woah, she almost ate you alive" laughs Brian as he grabs my hand and pulls me to my feet
"Make this okay with Taylor" I demand "or you're going to regret ever laying a fuckin finger on me" I slam the door shut and then stalk away from her car, wiping my lips and with it the taste and feel of any girl that isn't Taylor
