So High School | T. Swift x OC

twenty-three

The book is fr nearly over now 😢

Eliot sat at the dining table, poking absently at his breakfast. His appetite was nonexistent, and the eggs on his plate had long gone cold. Izzie stood across from him, her arms crossed and a stern look on her face.

"What were you thinking, Eliot?" Izzie's voice was sharp, cutting through the silence of the room.

Eliot sighed, rubbing his temples. "I just... I don't remember her, Izzie. And every time I see her, I feel this overwhelming guilt because I know I'm hurting her. I thought it was best to let her go."

Izzie threw her hands up in frustration. "Best for who, Eliot? Certainly not for Taylor. She's been by your side through everything, and you just break up with her via text? Right before one of her shows, no less! Do you know how cruel that is?"

He winced at her words, the guilt gnawing at him even more. "I thought it would be easier for her. I thought it would be better if I just stepped out of her life."

"Easier for her?" Izzie shook her head, her voice rising. "Eliot, she loves you. You can't just erase that with a text message. You should have talked to her, explained how you felt in person. This isn't something you handle with a few words over the phone."

Eliot's jaw clenched as he tried to defend himself. "I did what I thought was right. I didn't want to keep stringing her along, making her hope for something I can't give her right now."

Izzie leaned over the table, her eyes piercing into his. "And what if you do remember, Eliot? What if all those memories come back, and you realise you threw away the best thing in your life because you were too scared to face it head-on?"

He looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "I don't know, Izzie. I just... I don't know."

She softened slightly, her voice losing some of its edge. "You don't have to have all the answers right now. But you need to understand that pushing Taylor away like this isn't the solution. She's hurting, Eliot. And so are you, even if you won't admit it."

Eliot's shoulders slumped as the weight of her words settled on him. He felt lost, trapped in a fog of confusion and guilt. "What should I do, then? How do I make this right?"

Izzie walked around the table and sat down next to him, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "You need to talk to her, face to face. Explain why you did what you did, and listen to her. You owe her that much."

He nodded slowly, the knot in his stomach tightening. "You're right. I just... I feel so lost, Izzie."

She gave him a sympathetic look. "I know you do. But you're not alone. We'll get through this together, okay?"

Eliot took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "Okay. Okay, fine."

As he sat there, grappling with his emotions, he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that settled over him. He knew that facing Taylor would be one of the hardest things he'd ever have to do, but he also knew that he couldn't keep running from it. He owed her an explanation, and he owed it to himself to try and rebuild the pieces of his shattered life.

In Europe, Taylor couldn't shake the pain that Eliot's message had caused her. Two months of heartache, of performing on stage with a shattered heart, had left her exhausted. The message he sent right before her show in Lyon had been the final straw. She needed to confront him, to tell him how much he had hurt her. So, she made a decision: she was flying to Kansas City.

The flight seemed interminable, each minute stretching longer than the last. Her mind raced with thoughts of what she would say, how she would make him understand the depth of her pain. When the plane finally touched down, she wasted no time. She made Mark hire a car and headed straight to his address.