Glasses.

10

"I've been meaning to tell you something," Taylor sighs inwardly. She clutches her trembling left hand with her right in hopes of calming herself down. "This is so crazy. I don't know where to start, honestly." She laughs nervously tucking the loose strand of brunette hair behind her ear.

"I hope what I tell you won't change anything between us because, you mean a lot to me. But that's highly unlikely." Taylor lets out a defeated sigh. "I want to be honest with you though, it wouldn't be fair for you and me to keep this to myself."

The brunette's heart beats faster as she anticipates the next words about to fall straight out past her lips, "I'm in love with you, and I'm so sorry." Her shoulders slump in defeat and she finally looks up to see a girl she no longer recognizes. She was no longer the shy young girl that made sure she would go unnoticed by everyone. Her hair was a tad bit lighter, cheekbones more defined yet her features remained soft. Her built wasn't as thin or lanky, she filled out since then.

"Are you talking to yourself again?"

Taylor looks behind her to see her younger brother, Chase, leaning against her door with an obnoxious smirk. "Do you need anything?"

"Definitely not that attitude."

"Sorry," The brunette groans and takes a seat on the edge of her bed. She beckons for her younger brother to come closer and he takes a few steps before coming to a halt as he leans against the foot. "What is it?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to come with me to the fair." The brunette raises what was a perfectly shaped brow at her brother amusedly and he rolls his eyes before turning to leave.

"Hey wait!" Chase sighs and turns around expectantly. "I'd love to, I'm just surprised that's all. I thought you wanted to go with your big boy group or something."

"Well I was supposed to," He admits and then gives her a sheepish grin and at the moment he looked much like a younger carbon copy of their father. "But I thought I'd ask you. We never get to hang out anymore."

"Your graduation is coming up in a few months and there's no doubt you'll be leaving, that mind of yours — it deserves to be heard and cultivated. You can't do that here Tay," Both siblings eyes begin to water at the realization, she'd be leaving her family, all that she's known all her life for uni. "I want to spend as much time as I can with you. You may think nobody notices you in this family but I do, I learn a lot from you and as cheesy as it sounds? I'm gonna miss you when you're gone."

"Chase," She breathes out and pulls her big little brother into a crushing embrace. Tears were cascading down her olive skin and she made no effort of wiping them away. She simply just let herself feel.

A flash of memories made itself to her mind of when they were younger, moments with Chase, McKinley, and Rae. She let herself be pulled by nostalgia, she did not miss the memory of when they lost Rae. Her older sister had only been sixteen, even younger than she was now, she was in a car with her friends returning from camp. Their car crashed and with five of them in the vehicle, her sister was the only one not to make it out alive.

Sometimes selfish thoughts would make its way to Taylor's mind. There were five of them, and none of them were as kind, as talented, nor as smart as Rae. So why her? Why not those obnoxious jocks Rae insisted she could change? The same ones who were too drunk, one of them too far gone to navigate his way on the road. The same one to crash their car and cost Rae's life.

"Okay that's enough Chase hugs for you."

Both siblings pull away and the youngest Monroe gives his big sister a small smile before walking out.