The One: Scandalous Redemption (The One Series-Book10) (ORIGINAL DRAFT)

Chapter13: Ignorance Is Not Bliss

Chapter13-Ignorance Is Not Bliss

March 3rd, 2012

 After much thought, Justin decided to talk to Taylor. He knocked on her door. She opened, and was apparently disappointed by what she saw. He noticed, but he didn’t let phase him.

 He told her, “Taylor, we need to talk.”

 Taylor flatly said in her fully American accent, “What do you want to tell me?”

 “Well, can you let in me first?”

 Taylor rolled her eyes, and allowed him in. He sat on a chair near her desk, as she sat on her bed. She asked in an irritated tone, “What do you want to tell me?”

 “First, your attitude. I get you didn’t know who I was when you were a baby, but you’ve grown up with me for years-“

 “You left home when you were a teenager.”

 Now it was Justin’s turn to be irritable. He told her, “Taylor, I left home because I was in a band. But that’s not the point.”

 “Then what’s the point?”

 “The point is that you don’t understand anything. Or maybe you do understand, but you’re in denial.”

 “About what?”

 “Everything. You’re accent, our past, this family, mum and dad!”

 Taylor sat there, glaring at Justin. Then she said, “Fine, try to get me to ‘understand.’”

 He said, “You’re English. All of us are. Mum is from Blackpool, and dad is from Essex. They met in London. I was born in London, and I grew up Oxford. That’s where we all grew up. You and Hayley were born in Oxford. That’s why Hayley and I have the so-called ‘British accents.’ We really have Oxford accents. You, on the other hand, didn’t grow up in England as long as we did. You grew up in America. That’s why you don’t sound like us. Do you understand now about our accents?”

 Taylor remained silent. Justin added, “As for our past, it’s connected with mum and dad.”

 Taylor asked coldly, “What is it?”

 So Justin explained everything about his past, backing up everything Hayley told Taylor. He even explained how and why he had his meltdown. After he was done, he told her, “Everything Hayley told you is true. She had to protect you whilst I was in boarding school. She and I were forced to grow up. We couldn’t be normal kids. No, we had to be parents to each other whilst our real parents were off teaching at Oxford, and doing book tours. Do you understand now? Do you finally believe everything Hayley told you?”

 Taylor glared at Justin hard. He tried to read what was going through her head. So he asked, “So…what do you have to say to all I dumped on you?”

 She finally spoke up with icy tone in her voice, “You and Hayley are liars. Mom and dad has always been there for us. Even when we were, supposedly, living in England.”

 Justin stared at her in shock. Then he told her, “Mum and dad are there for us now since they can’t leave too far from Boston. But…you don’t get it, do you?”

 “Get what? That you and Hayley hate our parents?”

 With that, Justin softened his stance. He said calmly, “I-I don’t hate our parents. I was mad at them. I’m trying to forgive them, but it’s hard. Hayley, on the other hand, doesn’t want to do anything with any of us except me. But you’re my baby sister. You...you had it easy. Hayley and I didn’t. Sure, we had nannies, but they weren’t mum and dad.”

 Taylor kept glaring at Justin. Then she got up from her bed, and walked out of her room. Justin sat in his chair, confused. He wasn’t sure what she’s doing. 

 After about 15 minutes, their parents came into her room. Justin noticed they looked very displeased. So he asked, “What’s going on?”

 The mother demanded, “Did you tell Taylor that you hated your father and I?”

 Justin was stunned by this. He glanced at Taylor, who was still glaring at him. He faced his mom, and said, “Look, I don’t hate you and dad. Why would she say this?”

 The father said, “She told us you were slandering us, saying how we neglected you back in England. How can you say that? We gave you a house, food, clothes, and in-house nannies.”

 With that, Justin became angry, but he had to suppress his anger. So he said sternly, “You may have given us those things, but you ignored Hayley and me. We practically grew up without a real mum and dad. I had to be a father to Hayley, and I’m only a few years older than her. Then you sent me to strict boarding school with an equally strict cousin. Hayley had to be mother to Taylor. When we moved to America, Taylor treated me like I was a stranger towards her. All she ever did to me was push me away. She even pushed Hayley away.

 “So if that makes me ‘hateful’ towards you two, then so be it. I had every right to be angry with you. But that anger took over my life. That’s why I had that meltdown. That’s why I blacked out for an entire year. That’s why you have conservatorship over me.”

 Both the parents and Taylor glared at him. As for Justin, he felt alone, but he knew he needed to defend Hayley and himself. 

 Then Mrs. Harrison told him sternly, “Take your medication, Justin. If you don’t, we will send you to a mental hospital. That would mean you’ll never rejoin your band.”

 With that, Justin backed away. He wasn’t too happy about this, but he needed to get to back into the band. So he walked back into his room. He felt stuck. He wanted to defend his sister and himself. He needed to do this. But at the same time, he wanted to be back into 7th Anthem. He needed to be in the band. He was torn.

 At the same time, he couldn’t believe his baby sister would betray him like this. Yet, he can see why Hayley didn’t want to have anything to do with her. Taylor did the same thing to her sister.

 Just then, Taylor entered his room. She had a smug grin on her face. He noticed that, so he asked, “Why are you doing this? What do you get out of betraying Hayley and me?”

 Taylor scoffed, and said, “What do I get out of this? Here’s the thing. Mom and dad have always been there for us. They told me. You and Hayley are nothing but fucked up, mental liars. How do you think I got Hayley sent to a boarding school in England? If you keep telling them about your so-called ‘past,’ I will send you to a mental hospital. You can kiss your precious band ‘goodbye.’”

 Justin was stunned by what he heard. He couldn’t believe how Taylor can be this manipulative. He knew she was resentful toward her older siblings, but he didn’t think she would turn into this person. 

 Taylor saw his stunned expression on his face. She gave a smirk, and left the room. Justin stood there, still stunned. His future was in the hands of his baby sister. Will he play by her rules, or will he stand up for himself, at the cost of his career?