Chapter Four
Taylor
“Did you see that Dylan kid? Trying out for baseball?”
I ignored what the other girls said. I couldn’t decide how I felt. It really took guts to try out for a sport your last year in high school. I’d been cheerleading since I was seven, so I couldn’t imagine trying something else at this point.
I was Captain – the height of my career. I might even cheer in college if I could figure out where I wanted to go.
“Hey, Taylor,” Cole said to me.
I refocused onto him. He’d been talking to Dylan most of the afternoon. I was probably paying more attention to the baseball tryouts than Cole was. “Hi, Cole.”
He was a good guy, but not dateable. He was firmly in my friend zone, and I was a little hurt that he was okay with it.
“I hear Dylan lives with you.”
“Yeah. I guess it’s temporary. How did he do?”
“I think okay, but my opinion doesn’t matter. Coach has to choose.”
Barbie stalked over. She had a crush on Cole. She had a crush on most boys. “Hi, Cole.”
At least today she didn’t hang on him. “Hi, Barbie.” He turned back to me. “I have to go; the guys are waiting. See you around.”
“Bye, Cole,” Barbie called.
Even I could hear the pout in her voice. She was disgusting. She had no taste. “We need to practice that cheer one more time.”
“Oh, Taylor. Haven’t we practiced enough?”
That whine cut through me. Barbie always wanted to stop early. “Well, we could do the cheer or we could do laps.”
“I hate running,” she said.
“Then do the cheer again. I need to see how we look for the competition,” I said.
Barbie stalked back to the group and told them. They all groaned. I glanced back as Dylan was walking with Cole toward his car. Guess they were bonding. I wasn’t sure how I liked that.
Cole was in my group of friends. This might give Dylan entry into my world. I didn’t know how I felt about that. He might not be a resident of my house for long. Should I give him a chance?
He did try out for baseball. Even if he didn’t make it, I thought he and Cole would be probably friends.
Cole got along with everyone. I don’t know how that happened. How did a person not settle on a group? Everyone had to be part of some group, except for those few kids on the fringe of everything.
They’d be the ones I’d read about years from now having shot people in a fast food joint.
I turned back to my squad. They were looking at me to start them cheering.
“A little distracted, Taylor?” Bailey said.
“No.”
“I think you’re hot for Dylan.”
“What?”
I knew that I wasn’t hot for Dylan. I just was curious about him. I wasn’t going to explain that to them.
“Dylan and Taylor sitting in a tree,” Bailey sang.
“What are you? Four? Let’s go girls. We need to get this cheer down if we expect to win the competition.”
I watched them go through it. My part didn’t interact, so I could watch for a few times. “Bailey, your cartwheel was crooked. Sally, you were one beat behind.”
Was this the first time these girls were doing this?
“We’re tired, Taylor,” Bailey said. “Can’t we quit for today.”
I looked around. “Is that what everyone wants?”
“It’s almost six. We’ve been doing this since three,” Barbie whined.
They did have a point. “Okay. We can call it a day, but I expect everyone to work twice as hard on Saturday.”
“The SATs are on Saturday.”
“Not all day,” I said.
These ladies were not the fierce competitors I wanted them to be. I glanced back at the parking lot as Cole drove out. Dylan was in the front seat of the car. Guess they were friends.
“I think you’re jealous that Dylan has made a friend,” Bailey said in my ear.
I spun around. “I don’t care what Dylan does.”
“I think you do. Come clean, Taylor. You like him.”
“I don’t even know him,” I told her.
I didn’t. We really hadn’t talked. Bailey left as I cleaned up our pom poms. I called my dad. He arrived fifteen minutes later to pick me up.
“So, Dylan went out with friends?” he said when I climbed in the car.
“Cole, a guy on the baseball team.”
“So, you were keeping track of him today?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, Daddy. He just came up to ask me if he should let you guys know.”
“I’m glad he’s making friends. Didn’t he have friends before?”
“I don’t know. I never noticed him until you brought him home. Why did you bring him home?”
“Because we have so much and he has so little.”
“Where did you find him?”
“That doesn’t matter, pumpkin. I just wish you would try to be nice to him. He’s had a rough life.”
“I was impressed that he tried out for baseball,” I said.
I didn’t want my father to know that I’d actually ignored the boy all day. I really didn’t know what to say to Dylan.
“That’s good. I did ask him to find an activity. I think doing those activities keeps you out of trouble. You have to budget your time better when you have things going on.”
“Is he taking the SATs on Saturday?”
“I don’t know, honey. I’ll have to ask him. He should. That would leave his options open.”
I nodded. He’d been preaching my whole life about keeping options open. I wanted to believe that if I chose something other than college, my dad would be okay with it, but I wasn’t sure. My mother wanted me to go to college to meet a man. How old-fashioned.
***
My homework awaited me after dinner. Dylan came home from burgers with his friends and disappeared into his room. He was at the other end of the second floor. My parents’ room was on the third floor.
I liked having that much privacy.
My father poked his head into my room. “You need anything from me, cupcake? I’m going to bed. I have to be out even earlier than usual tomorrow.”
“No, Daddy. I’m fine. I might get some ice cream later.”
“Don’t stay up too late.”
He kissed my cheek then left me. As I turned back to my computer, I heard a knocking on my door. I turned to find Dylan in my doorway.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” I said back.
We were still strangers, and I have to say it was awkward to have a guy across the hall, even if that hall was very long.
“I left my math book at school. Can I borrow yours?”
“Uh, okay. Did he give us homework in that class?”
“Yes. He did. Chapter twenty three.”
“Yikes. Good thing I brought it home,” I said.
He nodded, then smiled. “Do you want to do the homework first and I’ll come back later?”
I reached into my backpack. “No. I’ll do the homework later.”
“I’ll get this back to you in fifteen minutes.”
I looked at him with wide eyes. “It only takes you that long to do your math homework?”
“Yeah. To me, it’s easy.”
“Wow. I will have to get you to help me this weekend. I can’t seem to grasp it.”
“Were you recommended for this class?” he asked me.
“No, but my mother wanted me to take it for college.”
“Well, there’s your problem. You weren’t ready for it.”
“My stupid grades reflect it,” I said.
This was comfortable. I could talk about school with him. Then the silence fell, but I kind of didn’t want him to leave. “Uh. Did you get on the team?”
He frowned. “No, I didn’t make it.”
“I’m sorry, Dylan.”
He shrugged. “It’s okay. Your dad was right. I need to put myself out there and try things.”
That might mean he wouldn’t be friends with Cole. That would be okay. “You did that.”
“I’ll have to see what else I can get involved with.”
“How’s your mother?”
Another frown. “She’s out of the hospital, but in a rehab center. She’ll be there for a few days.”
“Was it drugs?”
His face fell. I should have asked that.
“Forget I asked. I’m sorry, Dylan.”
I really was. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. He was turning out to be a nice guy.
“It’s okay. It was almost an overdose.”
“I’m sorry, Dylan.”
“Not your fault.”
His face wasn’t so open anymore. I had tread on personal ground and I had to bring things back around. “Uh, are you taking the SATs on Saturday?”
“I’m signed up, but I don’t know if I’ll bother.”
I shifted in my chair to get more comfortable. “Why not?”
“Not like I can afford college.”
“You haven’t applied anywhere?”
“No. I couldn’t visit.”
“You could start at the local community college,” I said. Part of me wanted to go there for nursing, but I knew my mother didn’t want me to go into that field. It was a fight we had often.
“I can’t pay for it.”
“Financial aid.”
“But that has to be filled out by a parent, and that’s not going to happen.”
That was a bind. “There must be something you can do.”
“I can be emancipated.”
“But we’re eighteen. Aren’t we considered adults?”
“Not in terms of financial aid.”
“Then get emancipated. What does that mean?”
He leaned against the door frame. “It means that I can take care of myself. That I’m not under a parent’s authority.”
“Do it.”
“It costs money and I’m not working,” he said.
“Maybe my dad could help.”
He shook his head. “Your father has done enough for me. I can’t ask him to do more.”
“I could.”
“No, Taylor.”
It was only the second time he’d said my name, and I liked how it sounded in his mouth. That was odd, for sure. I wasn’t usually attracted to the bad boy and with his longer hair, scruff, and tattoos he was definitely a bad boy.
“Why not? He’d do it if I asked.”
“I know he would, and I’d owe him even more that I do now.”
“It’s okay to ask for help, Dylan.”
“Not for me,” he said.
I didn’t understand. I asked for help all of the time. Was it a guy thing? Maybe. My father helped me all of the time.
“Is it because you’ve never had anyone to help you?”
“Why are you trying to analyze me?” He pushed off the doorframe. “I’ll get this book back to you in fifteen minutes.”
He spun then walked out. I’d pissed him off. I ran to my door. “Dylan?”
He stopped in the hallway then turned to me. “What?”
“I’m sorry for whatever I said wrong.”
He pressed his lips together. “It’s fine, Taylor. You don’t have any idea.”
“No, I don’t. So, if I do it again, please tell me and know that I don’t mean it.”
He studied me, and I wasn’t sure what he was thinking. I told myself to never play poker with Dylan. Certainly not strip poker. Now, where had that idea come from? I’d never played strip anything with anyone.
“It’s okay, Taylor. You don’t know any better.”
“But I’m not a child, so tell me when I insult you. I don’t want to.”
He nodded. “Okay. Deal.”
I smiled, but he didn’t return it. Instead, he turned back around and left me alone in the hallway. What an odd person this Dylan was. Would I ever understand him?