Today is hell. Dad's been more angry than usual, and Matt's gone, obviously. I don't know why he hasn't come home, or just had his girlfriend, who I've never met, move in with him. My phone rings, and I look down, seeing my brothers face pop up, before answering.
"Hello?" I say, careful not to talk to loud.
'Mia! Hey, it's Matt.'
"Hey, Matt." I hear him stomping up the stairs, and begin to panic. "Now's not a good time, I have to go." I hurry and try to get it out, but he's bursting through my door, as I hung up.
"What the hell is your problem!" He yells, slurring. "You're such a whore! Calling other boys, and talking to them. I bet you probably have an STD or something." Tears begin to fill my eyes, and I try to blink them away.
"I was only talking to Matt. He called me, to see how I was doing. I haven't told him anything, he doesn't know, I swear." My voice cracks, and he grins, like a demon. Next thing I know, I'm waking up, and it's pitch black. Everything hurts, and tears continually run down my face. My phone lights up, with a text message from Matt.
From: Matt
Hey, I don't know what happened but I hope you're okay. Answer so I know you're okay.
To: Matt
I'm fine. I promise.
From: Matt
I'm not convinced, but I'll let it slide. I just wanted to check in on the family. Oh, and you're coming to visit me. I already sent Andrea the ticket for both of you. Dad knows, so all you have to do is meet with Andrea, and you'll both fly over out here.
To: Matt
That sounds great. When do I meet her?
From: Matt
Around three. The flight is really early, sorry.
I check the clock, and it's quarter till one.
To: Matt
Okay. I'll just leave now. See you soon.
I don't wait for an answer, before packing all I have into my bags. Clothes, jewelry, phone, laptop, chargers, make up, mass foundation (to cover the bruises), pictures, pretty much everything in my room. After the visit, I'm just not going to come back to the house. I can't. I leave, and slip outside, hoping not to get caught. Thankfully, I didn't. I walked around, trying to find the address I was given. It took a couple of hours, and when I found it, Andrea was loading a couple suitcases into her car. She had actual luggage, as opposed to me, with a backpack, and a duffle bag.
"Is that all you're bringing?" She asks.
"Yeah. I'm Mia." I softly say, not shaking her hand, but carefully placing my things in her car.
"I'm Andrea. I've been dying to meet you." She introduces, with a smile. Then, her face furrows. "What happened to you?"
"Oh, um. I got into a fight earlier with this bitch. She was saying really nasty stuff about me and Matt." I quickly think of an excuse on the spot. She seems to buy it, and we climb in the front seat. On the way to the airport, we listen to music, and sing along together. We scream the lyrics, giggling at how bad we sound. I think I like her. Matt did a good job. We park, and take our stuff to the luggage drop off. Soon, we're in a plane, and taking off. I immediately fall asleep, finally away from my dad.
It seems like a few minutes later, Andrea is waking me up.
"Hey. We just landed. Matt said that he'll be picking us up. Let's go." She says, excited. It makes me happy, to see that my brother makes her happy. I begin to feel butterflies; I haven't seen him in person since he left. We walk into the terminal, with our bags, and I hear Andrea squeal, before running. I look in the direction she's running, and see Matt, holding her. He looks up, and lets go of her, seeing me. I smile, and run towards him, jumping into his arms. Tears stream, from finally seeing my brother, and that he's pressing in on the bruises covering my rib cage.
"I missed you." I sniffle, before backing up, and wiping my eyes. I watch, as his smile fades, scanning my bruises and cuts. "I got into a fight." He stares at me, knowing that I don't fight, or socialize at all. "I'm fine."
"We'll talk later. Let's get back to the hotel. The guys have been wanting to meet you." A smile makes its way back to his face, and we go towards the parking garage, to see a car, with some guy in the drivers seat.
"Hey, Bart!" Andrea calls, smiling, and waving. I smile, letting Matt put our stuff in the back of the car, before opening the backseat door, to discover someone sitting there already. There's two rows of back seats, and he's sitting in the very back. I get in, and climb back with him, wincing as I hit my ribs on the armrest of the seat in front.
"You okay?" He asks, catching me as I fall into the seat.
"Yeah. I'm fine." I reassure, smiling. "I'm Matt's sister, Mia."
"Taylor. I've heard about you, from Matt." I nod, still smiling, before buckling my seat belt. "By the way, what happened?" He whispered. "You've got bruises."
"I got into a fight." I whisper back, and he frowns. "Can we talk later, then?" I lower my voice even further, where I'm sure Taylor might have even had a hard time hearing me. He nods, smiling, before taking my hand in his. I feel like I can trust him, but I don't know why.
Taylor's POV
I can tell she didn't get in a fight; someone beat the shit out of her, and she probably couldn't fight back. Abuse. There's a paranoia haunting her eyes, and I don't think she even knows it. I get a text, from Matt.
From: Matt
I can tell she won't talk to me. About her 'fight'. She seems comfortable with you; can you try and do it for me?
I look up, and barely nod, as he looks in the mirror, before turning towards Mia.
"I'll take your stuff up to the room. We fit as many people as possible in each room, so there's a big chance you will have to share a bed with someone. You can pick whoever you want. The Jack's aren't here yet, they're still back in Omaha, along with Skate and Sammy Wilk. They should be getting here soon." she smiles and nods her head, following me.
"Matt's gonna want to be with Andrea, so can I stay with you?" she asks, quietly. It surprised me that she was comfortable enough to sleep in the same room let alone the same bed as me. She yawns, as we go into the room. "Get some sleep babe. You're jet lag is gonna keep you up if you don't." I go to leave but she stops me.
"Please, stay. I feel safe around you." I nod, sitting on the other side of the bed. She curls up, clutching my arm as if it was a security blanket. Eventually I can't stay awake much longer, and shut the lights off with a remote, before falling asleep.
