Taylor and Victor

Chapter 24

Taylor

She couldn't understand why, after what she had just done, he still wanted to walk her home.

Taylor lets him do as he pleases, but she stops him when they're a block away from her house, seeing the light on. With Leo's car's parking outside.

"Why, will something happen if I am there?" he asked.

"Things," she answered. Taylor turns back facing him. She looked everywhere but at him.

"So we'll part here?"

"Seemed like we should."

She takes a step back all why being apologetic for nothing, with her main focus was her shoes.

"I'll get going," she said. "Goodbye."

Taylor didn't wait for an answer. She walked off to her house lawn, leaving him behind. But Victor doesn't seem to walk away right when she does, his picture of him staring unknowingly wanders around her mind.

When she opened the door, she saw her mother sitting on the dining table, watching the phone screen on her hands. Taylor looked over to check the clock hanging in the middle of the room, and she wondered what her mother was doing here.

"Why did you come home this early?" she asked Minh while taking her shoes off. Beside her mother, Leo's sitting across the house with the playing television screen, but he concentrated on his computer on the low glass table.

"Where did you go till this late?" her mother asked back.

"To Sam's house."

"Sam went out today, wasn't he?"

"To my other friend. Mia."

Minh looks at her, keeps quiet for a second, her hand swiping at the phone screen before showing for Taylor to see. "Who is this?"

Her heart dropped the moment the screen displayed in front of her. But she was still walking closer to take a better look. Picture forms through her eyes, her mind stopped seeing her and Victor. Taken just an hour ago, if not less. From the angle of where it was taken, Taylor knew she wouldn't be living in peace soon.

Her mother took back her phone, surfed something and showed her again. Only now, Taylor realized they've been being watched all along. In the hallway, in the library, when they walked back home, and all the time they stayed together. Someone's always watching from afar.

"Who sent you this?" she questioned her mother.

Minh doesn't answer, she pulls Taylor closer by her collar and sniffing close to her neck. She pulls back right after, afraid of what her mother's thinking of. Her mother's already hot face was burning, making now every word of accusation will be much powerful than anything Taylor has contributed to make her mother please.

"Did you drink alcohol?"

"No, I didn't."

"How much?" Minh continues.

"I said I didn't."

"Like killers will admit their crimes," Minh raised her voice. "What the hell did you do while I'm away?"

Taylor's eyes flinched, but she's still conscious enough to stare into her mother's eyes. She said nothing, clutching to her sweater. Her mouth parts but no words can save her in such moment. So she just stepped back.

"Is there more?" her mother shouted.

"Calm down, honey," Leo said, walking closer to Minh so that now Taylor remembered he's here too.