We Are Broken (Tayley)

Sunshine

Merry Christmas/Hanukah/Festivus/I'm not even going to try to name them all, guys! I hope you're all having a good time doing stuff with people, or whatever you like to do. Sorry again about it taking so long to update, but I love you all and I hope you like it!

Not long after I got home, my phone went off in my pocket. I slid it out of my pocket to see that Sarah-Beth was calling me. I sighed, answering it and preparing for the worst.

"Okay, where were you, you little slut?" She asked. It was something she always would have said to me, but her voice was slower and it sounded like she was struggling more to get the words out. I wondered if she had slept yet at all.

Closing the door to my room, I flopped down on my bed. "I was out."

"Out where?" She pushed. I didn't want to tell her but I knew she wouldn't stop until I did.

"I went to the park and fell asleep there and then I hung out with Taylor-" His name had barely left my mouth when she started screaming.

"You were with Taylor? I'm not wrong here, this isn't another Taylor, right? You were with drug maker Taylor for an entire day, which you skipped school for! Oh my god, that man accomplished more than I have in years if he got you to skip! How many times did you fuck?" She finally stopped talking and I was shocked she wasn't out of breath.

"We didn't do anything like that! We're barely friends, I'm not going to fuck him." I said firmly.

"So you didn't do anything? Nothing at all?" She sounded disappointed.

"Nope. Nothing." I lied. There was no way in hell I was going to tell her that we kissed. It was weird. My lips were still tingling-kind of, it was a weird feeling, but it seemed to far out to be true. It almost felt like I had made up everything in my head, but I knew I hadn't.

"Ugh, you're so boring. I'm home now, so I'll text you. Bye." She hung up without giving me a chance to say anything else.

For the next week I just focused on catching up on school. I smoked while I worked and I worked until I went to sleep, but school was a nice break from everything that had happened. I didn't talk to Taylor and for the first time since I met her I made an effort not to run into Sarah-Beth anywhere.

Several times I wanted to text Taylor so badly it hurt, but I couldn't. Not on the terms we left on. There was nothing I could think to say to him and still sound halfway intelligent. I still didn't know what to think of him, anyway. He was terrifying but so intriguing and amazing.

I was on my way to my car Friday when I paused at my door. I had unlocked it, but it occurred to me then that I hadn't talked to Sarah-Beth in over a week and Taylor in longer. I hadn't even talked to Jeanette or Nicki, but I wasn't too close to them to begin with. I could handle Taylor because I had known him for like two weeks, but Sarah-Beth had been my best friend for years. I could feel the guilt setting into my head and I sighed before turning to see if I could find her. As soon as I looked, though, I almost jumped backwards. She was all but running towards me.

"Hey, I need you to go to Taylor's house with me," She spoke as soon as I was within hearing distance of her. I shook my head quickly and she rolled her eyes. "Look, you've been avoiding me for a super long time for no reason. You owe me. Besides, Yorkie likes you and I need there so you can stop acting like a cunt and start driving."

I had to keep my mouth from falling open. She said stuff like this all the time, but she never meant it. Not like she did now. She seemed so genuinely pissed at me, there was no way she wasn't. My best friend had just called me something not even she would say without a good reason. She was right, too. I did owe her. She hadn't been the same since she started getting high regularly but that didn't mean she wasn't still completely kick-ass.

I nodded softly and slid into the driver's seat of my car, leaning over to unlock the passenger seat's door. She walked around, muttering a curt "Thanks" as she got in. Setting my phone next to her, I told her to text my parents that I'd be at her house before pulling out of my parking place and heading to Taylor's house. There weren't that many streets in town and most of them met up at one point or another so it was easy enough to remember how to get there.

"So," Sarah-Beth began after sending a message and putting my phone in a cup holder, "I was getting high with Jeanette and Nicki a few days ago and they started going at it so hard. Incest confirmed, but it was so disturbing. Like, it wasn't even weird because they're related, but it was just the most uncomfortable thing I've ever witnessed. Anyway, what have you been up to?"

It was nice to hear that she wasn't that mad at me anymore. "I've just been smoking a ton, I guess."

She grinned at me, "Ooh, that's some hardcore shit," She exclaimed sarcastically and I glared at her for a second before I couldn't keep back my smile anymore and turned back to the road. So, Jeanette and Nicki were officially a thing. That was cool, I guess. If I had a sibling I didn't think I could ever look at them how Nicki and Jeanette looked at each other especially if we looked as similar as they did, but it was good for them. They seemed really happy around each other.

Finally, we pulled into Taylor's driveway and Sarah-Beth jumped out of the car before the car had even fully stopped. She had already rung the knocked several times and very loudly on his door by the time I caught up to her. When he opened it, he barely glanced at my friend before his eyes rested on me.

"What do you want?" I could tell he was talking to Sarah-Beth, but he hadn't looked away from me. I stared back, relatively certain that there was no color left in my face. I wished I knew what was going through his head.

I stopped listening again, then, and just followed Sarah-Beth back into the living room where we had been before. I could hear them talking but the words didn't really register. I was in one of those places where you couldn't focus on anything until something Sarah-Beth said caught my attention.

"Do you want to come get high with us? Hayley will be there." She spoke and my eyes widened.

He lifted his eyebrows, still looking at me. "You don't smoke meth," He stated and my best friend took it upon herself to keep the conversation going for me.

"She doesn't, but she comes. I'm assuming you don't have a problem with meth because you make it, and it's getting boring with just four of us there. You should come." She shrugged. I wanted to say something, to yell at her to stop, but I couldn't. My throat had gone dry.

"I have nothing better to do," He said and I could feel my heart pounding. "Why do you go if you don't get high, though? That doesn't make sense to me."

My mouth opened, and then closed again. There really wasn't an answer. Then, I opened my mouth again and I said something that I've regretted every day since.

"I'll do it. I'll get high with you."