My Will To Live

CHAPTER 16- Running

The day I left the hospital, I'll never forget.

It was a rainy Monday. Someone came in, told me I was going to be discharged, threw me some clothes and left. They returned after I'd changed, ushered me hurriedly to a car, and then we drove away.

Where were we going? Why were we going? What were we going there for? I remember these questions, rushing through my mind. My heart beat had quickened in that period. What if I was about to be kidnapped?

"Wait here." The person says as we pull up in front of an expensive looking apartment building. What are we even doing here? Who would even-

"Boo!" Someone entraps me in their arms as they shout the word. At first, I struggle to get out, seriously afraid that the whole kidnapping thing I envisioned was coming true. Then I realize that there's the familiar scent of vanilla and raspberries, and that scent reminds of comfort and hope, of someone familiar, of...

"Taylor?!" I exclaim, honestly shocked. She had said that she hoped we would meet again soon, but I had assumed she didn't mean it, well, this way.

"Hey." She replies, releasing me.

Okay, so, let me get this straight. Right now, I'm currently sitting in Taylor Swift's car -again-,just got hugged by her like a friend, and she went out of her way to find me? What? Why?

"Erm... Hi." I reply, greeting her. Well done Margie. Be extremely awkward with your favorite celebrity, why not.

"Can I ask you a question? How old are you?" She asks, bouncing up and down. Something tells me somebody had one too many cups of coffee this morning....

"I'm 13." I tell her, pause for a minute, and then add,"your lucky number."

"Aw yay! It looked like your parents weren't gonna send you home so I decided to. Is that okay with you?" She says. Taylor Swift wants to send me home? Hell yeah it is definitely okay with me. Except for the going home bit. Of course I don't show this. I just nod my head.

"Yay! But first, we're gonna have to do some other things. I hope you don't mind?" She says. Do I mind? No. Of course not. Anything that could prevent me from going home.

"Oh... I... No. Of course not. I don't mind." I stammer. Why is it that my brain can behave in a comprehensive manner, yet my mouth cannot?

I glance out the window again, realizing we're reaching a shopping mall. Are we going shopping? Will I get lost in the paparazzi again? Goodness, on any other day, I would have given anything to go shopping with Taylor. But after experiencing the paparazzi, I'm not so sold on that idea anymore.

"C'mon!" She grabs my hand and pulls me out of the car, and her bodyguard follows after her. Um, okay. I guess I don't really have much say in this since I agreed with her previously.

What followed next was, of course, paparazzi. Then shopping with Taylor, a few fans, and then Taylor offering to buy me something. Of course I said no. I couldn't have her buy something for me, that was way too embarrassing.

It all passes by in a blur. Suddenly we're back in the car, me giving directions because somehow my mouth works again. Then we're driving towards my house and my heart is beating fast fast fast, because I know I don't want to go home. I know it isn't even a home, and I know I don't want to tell Taylor.

So I do the one thing I've always done. I run.

It's easy to do, since the door is unlocked. When we pull up at a stop light, I unbolt the door and jump out, running in the opposite direction of the house. I can hear the cars honk, and vaguely I hear Taylor shouting my name. It's funny, anyone would've killed to be in my position, to have Taylor Swift caring so much about them. I was once like this too. I still am. So why am I running away instead?

I keep on running. It's like that day when I tried to run away, except this time it's for real. And now I have no food, no clothes, no money. I have absolutely nothing. I'm literally running away with nothing but the clothes on my back. How I'm going to survive, I don't know. All I know is that I have to get away, before Taylor finds out and reports them to the authorities, before my parents find out and I'm done for.

Run. I have to run. Like I've been running away from everything in my life, like I've been running away from my parents and their problems, like I've been running away from my school, my friends, my teachers. I have to run.

It isn't long before I hear the panting and someone calling my name. And it isn't long before Taylor and I stand face to face, almost as if we were at a stalemate.

"Why-why did you run? Was something wrong?" Taylor asks, somewhat concerned.

"Nothing. I just can't go home." I said, coldly. I never knew I was capable of such a tone.

Taylor flinches back as if I have slapped her, and I feel bad. I did not mean to hurt Taylor, of all people, in this way.

I can feel the tears, already building behind my tear ducts when I ran. Now they spill over, hot, ugly, messy tears, showing Taylor signs of weakness. I swipe away at them almost angrily. I must not cry. I must not. Not in front of anyone, and certainly not Taylor.

"You okay? What's wrong? Is this something that has to do with home? Or should I not ask?" She says, prodding gently. By then, she's got closer to me and has me at arm's length.

"Well..."

Hey guys! Sorry for the ultra late update! Grr. Hate school, and all the exams that come with it :( but now it's the holidays, woohoo! And 1989 comes out on Monday(or in my case Tuesday as I live in Asia) and I pre ordered it and I CAN'T WAIT TO GET IT! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

'Til next time,

Megan xxx