Walking Straight

Chapter 22

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Songs for this chapter-

This Is Gospel- Panic! At the Disco

TAYLOR'S POV: 

Dad shows me the room I hopefully won't have to stay in for long, and leaves me to unpack my things. It is small, with a bed taking up most of the space and a window on the left wall. I poke my head outside and feel the city air blow my hair around my face. It smells like pine and gasoline, an odd but perfect scent. I loved Denver, but it also held all of my demons. The room I stand in reminds me of my childhood, which consisted of hiding in my closet with Will, his arms wrapped tightly around me as if they would protect me from Dad's harsh blows. A knock on the door startles me and I close the window, jumping onto the bed. The door opens and I look up to see Dad standing with the rest of my bags in his hand. 

"Here, this is what was left in the car." I nod and he tosses the bags onto the floor. I chuck the bags into the closet when he leaves, not bothering to unpack them because I know I will be leaving soon, whether he likes it or not. My phone buzzes and I check who is texting. It is Rhett, he has already called and I can tell he is losing his mind, worried about me. But I'm not ready to talk to him, I have some things to figure out before I promise him anything and I know that's what will happen if I pick up the phone. Ignoring his messages, I text Jacob instead. 

Me- Just got settled into the apartment. 

Jacob- Do you think you can catch the 8:30pm bus to Boulder in a couple of days? And what are you going to do about school?

Me- Yeah I can probably walk to the stop. And my parents signed me up for an online class so I can go anywhere really.

Jacob- Okay let me know that day if you're coming so I can start setting up the room. 

Me- Okay talk to you then. 

Now that I had my mind made up, I had to figure out a way to break the news to Rhett. 

RHETT'S POV: 

The dream had been haunting me all day, and after messaging Taylor a couple of times, I leave my phone locked in my bedroom, and catch up on all of my missing assignments so I will later have time to focus on Taylor. I am distracted though, the horrors re-visiting me as soon as I would forget about them. It was like a message, a message that my subconscious has been trying to send me. Again, I have all of the pieces, it's just that I don't know where to start. 

When the rest of my schoolwork is finished, I go downstairs to find Nicole. Sure enough, she is in the kitchen making lunch with Mom and Dad. For the past cople of days, Jade has left me alone with me and my family and I haven't even been focused enough to pay any attention to them. I watch the three of them in the kitchen, gathered at one of the counters, slapping ahm and cheese onto wheat bread and laughing during a light-hearted conversation. I don't want to ruin the mood so I leave Nicole with Mom and Dad, seeing how happy everyone looks. 

The next hours for me felt like minutes. All I did was try keeping my mind off of everything because it seemed that's all I could do. I know I can go to Denver, but I've been chasing her around for a while now, and it hasn't gotten me anywhere. Five months spent chasing and we're stuck in the same place, except Taylor is now almost traveling back into her childhood, staying with her father and all. And thinking about all of htis only makes my head spin, and with my mind so out of sorts, I begin to think back. Back and back, before high school, before middle school, to when my life was beginning to become a living hell.