would that i • taylor swift

Chapter 2

"You refused her."

Marina continued her pacing, ignoring her mother's sad sighs as she tried to finish doing her hair. "You should have heard him, Mama. She was basically asking me to forget all about enjoyment and go with her to the middle of nowhere."

"She definitely did not say that."

"She pretty much did."

Madlen shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You can't refuse her. Dad and Taylor's father made–"

"Then Dad should marry her! I didn't ask to be banished to Pennsylvania!"

"Yesterday you were happy to be engaged to Swift."

Yesterday, she never thought she'd have to see the woman. Marina glowered and finally sat down on the bed in front of her mother, allowing her to finish her hair. "I don't like her. Isn't that enough?"

"You just met her. And I'm sure you noticed how beautiful she is."

That was the most distressing part about meeting Taylor. She was attractive – way more attractive than Marina had ever imagined her to be. "Sure, her face was nice, I guess," she fudged. "But she was unkind. How did she expect me to respond?"

Her mother sighed. "Maybe she was just nervous to meet you."

"I don't think she was nervous at all," Marina garbled.

"Whatever your first impressions were, you're going to meet up with her again, Marina. The agreement still stands."

"She asked me on a date to the movies tonight." She glowered. "Really, she almost commanded me to go with her."

"Good. Me and Dad will be waiting to hear how it went." Madlen stood and brushed out of the room.

"It is not good," Marina said as she looked at the closed door. "I don't like being told what to do."

Marina was not going to spend her life confined in Pennsylvania.

Marina leaned back, fiddling with her earrings. Her mother would be angry if she knew that Liam Lodge was the one taking her to the movies tonight. Marina didn't really know why she'd been so disobedient—she only knew that Taylor Swift showed up to her house knowing she'd already won, and she wasn't the least bit courteous about it, nor did she consider Marina's feelings about the whole thing.

Her phone chimed beside her and she jumped, picking it up.

It was Liam. "Marina, I'm outside of your house. I'm hiding from view because I saw your mother in the living room."

Marina choked out an anxious breath, replying, "Good. I'm coming."

"So she just pushed her way into your house and expected that you would push back to Pennsylvania with her?" Liam Lodge nodded politely at the employee at the movie theater as they walked through the doors and up the stairs, straight to the theater where Twilight was being played.

Now that they had made it to the theater without being seen by Taylor Swift or any of Marina's family members, she calmed a small amount. "Yes, without even a good morning."

"Normal," Liam sarcastically said.

Marina looked pointedly at the man. "Do you know Taylor Swift?"

He shrugged. "In passing. We went to college together. I haven't seen her since she was last in New York."

She didn't know that Taylor had ever been to New York. "When was that?"

"Seven or eight years ago, probably."