A Place In This World - Adopted By Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce

Chapter 6

Three weeks later, Avery was reluctantly getting ready for her first day back at school. Taylor and Travis had given her some extra time at home after the funeral services, allowing her to settle into her surroundings before adding the extra stress of school. They had redecorated her bedroom, painting the walls a pale yellow color she had chosen and adding some new furniture and the bedding from her old bedroom. They had packed up her closet when she moved in, but Taylor also treated her to a day of shopping together.

Taylor knew that her aunt had often struggled to make ends meet as a single parent, working two jobs just to afford food and rent. It didn't come as much of a surprise that Avery had been hesitant to let Taylor and Travis spend so much money on her. But after quite a bit of reassurance, she picked out a few new outfits and some jewelry.

Now, as she looked at her reflection in the mirror of her new vanity, she couldn't help but feel a bit self conscious in the outfit Taylor had helped her to pick out the night before. She was broken out of her thoughts by a gentle knock at the door.

"Come in," she called quietly.

"Breakfast is ready, girlie," Travis said as he opened the door, "How's it going in here?"

"Is Taylor awake?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Oh! Umm yeah she is, do you want me to go get her?" Travis asked nervously.

Avery simply nodded, tears threatening to spill out of the corners of her eyes. Travis quickly raced to their bedroom, finding Taylor in the en-suite bathroom finishing up her makeup.

"Avery is asking for you. She seems upset," he explained.

Taylor didn't waste a second, rushing to Avery's room before she could even answer Travis. She didn't bother knocking, wrapping Avery in a hug as soon as she saw her.

"I've got you, you're okay," Taylor cooed.

Avery felt herself relax into Taylor's embrace. As Taylor gently rubbed her back, her nerves began to subside. She felt herself let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Taylor continued to hold her for a moment, doing everything she could to provide Avery with some comfort.

"Do you want to talk about it, sweetie?" Taylor asked gently after a few minutes passed.

"Just nerves, I think," Avery replied, "So much has happened since the last time I went to school."

"I know, Aves. And today might be hard for you. But I also know how much you've been missing your friends," Taylor offered.

"I know you're right. But I'm still going to miss you guys today," Avery admitted.

"I promise we'll both be there to pick you up at the end of the day. And then we can get ice cream on the way home. How does that sound?" Taylor asked.

"Can I get a sundae?" Avery smiled.

The rest of the morning went smoothly, and both Taylor and Travis made the trip to drop Avery off at school. Since it was so close to the end of the school year, they had gotten permission for Avery to continue to attend her old school, hoping to minimize the number of adjustments she would have to go through at once. So for the next few months, they would happily make the 30 minute drive to get her to school.

After the rocky start to their morning, Taylor was nervous to go too far from the school. After voicing her concerns to Travis, he agreed that it might be a good idea to stay nearby, just in case they needed to pick her up early. Over the past few weeks, Avery had been showing quite a few signs of separation anxiety, which her therapist had assured them was incredibly common for a child in her situation. They were continuing to work through it, reassuring Avery that they would always come back for her when they were apart, however in the meantime it made it nearly impossible to leave her.

Just the week before, there had been a dinner for the team that Travis and Taylor were planning to attend, so Donna had come over to watch Avery for a few hours and get her to bed. But less than an hour after they had left, she called to let them know that Avery had been hysterically crying since they left, to the point that she was making herself sick. They had come straight home after that, finding Avery still crying and hyperventilating despite Donna's efforts to calm her down.

There was a small coffee shop down the road from Avery's school that looked like the perfect place to wait for a while. After the security team had done a quick sweep, they were seated at a booth in the far corner. They spent the next few hours sipping coffee and splitting a few pastries, enjoying some quality time together.

Just as they were starting to think that maybe it was a waste of time just waiting around in case Avery needed them, Taylor's phone began to ring. After a quick conversation with the school nurse, she told Travis that they needed to go pick Avery up early and they made their way out to the car.

When they arrived at the school, the secretary led them to the guidance counselor's office, where Avery was curled up on a beanbag, clearly in the midst of a panic attack. Taylor and Travis quickly got down on the floor next to her, quietly reassuring her that she was safe and they were with her. She seemed so small and fragile like this, and Taylor could feel her heart shattering seeing her so upset. After a few moments, it seemed like Avery suddenly realized that they had arrived. She wrapped her arms tightly around Travis, allowing him to hold her securely in his arms.

"Shh. I got you, girlie," he reassured her.

"I was so scared," Avery whispered.

"I know, Aves. But it's all going to be okay," Taylor promised, "How about we go home and spend the afternoon together as a family and we can try school again tomorrow."

"I'm sorry," Avery whimpered.

"No need to be sorry. We're so proud of you for being so brave today. I know this was really hard," Travis offered.

Avery slowly stood up, immediately grabbing Travis's hand once he was on his feet again too. As they made their way towards the car, they were interrupted by the guidance counselor returning to the room.

"Miss Swift? Could I talk with you for a moment please?"