So High School

I'm sorry

TW

Taylor lifted Travis's arm off from around her stomach, sighing before untangling her body from his and standing up from the sofa.
"I'm just going to get some water," she told him. "You want anything?"

Travis groggily opened his eyes, squinting against the dim light of the room. He'd been dozing on the couch after a long day, but the sound of Taylor’s voice pulled him back to the present. He rubbed his eyes, still a little disoriented.

"Just water's fine," he muttered, a half-smile tugging at his lips as he watched her stand. He admired the way she moved, so quiet and graceful, even in the midst of everything they'd been through.

“Okay,” Taylor said softly, offering him a tired smile before turning to head toward the kitchen.

The soft click of her feet on the floor faded as she disappeared into the kitchen. Travis closed his eyes again, letting the quiet of the room surround him. But moments later, the sound of something crashing to the floor jolted him upright.

His heart skipped a beat.

“Taylor?” he called out, his voice thick with concern as he jumped to his feet. The noise had been sharp, followed by a string of panicked apologies from her.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!” Taylor's frantic voice echoed from the kitchen, her words stumbling over each other in desperation.

Travis quickly moved to the doorway, his pulse racing as he saw her kneeling on the floor, hands trembling as she desperately tried to clean up the broken glass. She was moving too fast, too frantically, her face pale with panic. He took a step forward, but as he did, she cut herself on one of the shards, a sudden gasp escaping her lips as blood started to seep from her palm.

“No—no, no, no!” Taylor cried, her breath quick and shallow. “I—I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean to, I didn’t mean to break it—”

“Taylor, it’s okay,” Travis said, his voice soft but firm as he quickly knelt beside her. “It’s just a glass. It’s fine, okay? You didn’t mean to do it. Take a breath, you’re okay.”

But Taylor wasn’t listening. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably as she tried to gather the glass, still muttering apologies under her breath. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she was starting to hyperventilate, her chest rising and falling too quickly as panic overtook her.

“I’m so sorry,” she kept repeating, her voice breaking. She didn’t seem to hear him, didn’t even seem to notice the blood dripping from her hand. Her focus was entirely on the shards, her body jerking as she tried to clear them up, but her trembling hands only made things worse. The more she moved, the more she cut herself, the more frantic her actions became.

“Taylor, stop,” Travis said urgently, reaching out toward her. “Please, stop. You’re hurt. You need to—”

But Taylor flinched away from him, her eyes wide with panic. “No!” she cried, her voice shaky and broken. “I—I need to clean it. I need to clean it up. I have to. Please, don’t touch me.”

Travis stopped in his tracks, his heart breaking as he watched her. He could see the tears in her eyes, the way she was spiraling, but she was too caught in her panic to hear him. His own hands twitched with the need to help, to stop her from cutting herself further, but he knew she wouldn’t let him touch her. She was shutting him out.

“Taylor,” he whispered softly, kneeling at her side, though he kept his distance, not wanting to overwhelm her. “You’re not alone in this. I’m here, okay? It’s okay to stop. You don’t have to clean it up right now. You don’t have to do anything. Just let me help.”