Bring Out The Best In Me

Chapter 18.

~chapter 18 

**2 years ago** 

Sarah stopped showing up to school altogether. I was having second thoughts about her, and wondered if I should have called her. I still kept her phone number in my contacts because even though she was the way she was, I felt guilty. 

I felt guilty for just leaving her there, in the room alone while she was crying, just after Ash broke up with her and left her. 

I still couldn't believe that Ash left her. It just wasn't Ash. 

It wasn't like him to run away from his problems, even if they were big (and raising a child at such a young age is huge...)

I was disappointed, hurt but most importantly I felt betrayed. 

Leaving Sarah is one thing but rejecting me and leaving me, his best friend, too was just...cowardly. 

He was a coward. 

A coward that made me think he liked me back, and that there was more to us than friendship. But I know now that I was greatly mistaken. Ash couldn't be trusted...

After a week of Sarah's absence, I gathered up some of my courage and decided to visit her. So on one Friday morning I told Vanessa to tell my parents that I'll be with a friend after school, and when the bell rang that afternoon, signalling the end of school for the day, I got in my car and drove to Sarah's. 

I was surprised that she answered the door but I was even more surprised to see her with bed hair, slightly red and puffy eyes, a sign that she's been crying, and her make up smudged. 

She glared at me, probably trying to intimidate me but with the way she looked it didn't work. I just felt sympathy for her, and a pang of guilt washed over me as she wiped her eyes with her pyjama sleeves and invited me in. 

"What do you want?" she asked me once she closed the door after me. 

"I'm here to apologise, I guess." I sighed. She just raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow so I continued. "I'm sorry for leaving you there after Ash broke up with you...I had my reasons, yeah, but it was still bitchy of me...and I'm sorry. So I'm here to make it all better, I guess." I gave her a small smile. "Don't worry Sarah. Everything will be fine. And even though Ash left, I'm here. And all your other friends too." 

Sarah snorted. "What other friends? Those whores at school who hang around me all day just because I'm rich? Yeah, well, they talk shit about me behind my back. Not real friends, at all. Don't you see, Taylor? I'm all alone..I didn't even tell my parents because I'm scared they'll put me out of the house." she sobbed, and tears rolled down her flushed cheeks. 

I resisted the urge to hug her, afraid she was going to shake me off. I just rubbed her arm awkwardly, and after her shoulders stopped shaking and her tears stopped flowing, I stopped. 

"But I appreciate the apology." she sniffed. 

I bit my tongue, not wanting to tell her that she should apologise too. I let it go and nodded at her. She smiled then, a tight smile but a smile all the same. 

"Will you come to the doctors tomorrow?" she asked. "I have an appointment for an abortion..." she looked away, tears in her eyes again.

"I-uh..." I stopped. "Yeah. Of course I will." 

"Thanks..can you please keep quiet about this though? I mean-" 

"Of course." I cut in, and opened the door to let myself out. 

"Ok. Great. Thanks, Taylor." I turned around to smile at her. 

"I'll come and get you tomorrow. Bye Sarah." I got in my car and waved to her before she closed the door. As I drove away I was certain that Sarah and I would be friends again, and I felt a little relieved. She's not as bad as I thought she was.