Chapter Twenty-One
Dylan
I didn’t know what to think when Taylor approached me the next morning. I was hoping for a kiss, but she was standing in the hallway, keeping her distance. This couldn’t be good.
“Uh, we need to talk,” she said.
“Okay. Here?”
“There is no other place.”
“Fine.”
She sighed. “We can’t do this. You were right.”
My heart hurt a little, but this didn’t make sense. “What changed from last night?”
“I just had more time to think about it. We can’t risk you being kicked out, and I can’t lie to my father.”
I nodded, but I didn’t think she was telling me the whole story. We went down to breakfast. I couldn’t argue with her, at least not in the house. I’d been saying the same things yesterday, but she’d talked me out of it. What had talked her into my way of thinking?
I chose to let it lie, but when no one was on the room, I checked her phone.
Bailey. Of course. If she couldn’t have me, she didn’t want Taylor to.
When they arrived at school, I found Bailey. She always had an entourage around her, the way Taylor had before the Greg situation. What crappy friends Taylor had chosen – other than Helena.
“Bailey.”
The girl spun around, a seductive smile on her face. I wanted to tell her to save it; it wouldn’t work on me.
“Did you change your mind about loser girl? Come back to a real woman?”
I glanced at all of her followers. “Beat it.”
They scattered like cockroaches when the light turns on. I’d seen that more than once in my life. Bailey licked her lips. She wasn’t so brave now that she didn’t have an audience. “What do you want, Dylan?”
“I want you to stop threatening Taylor.”
“She told you about that? She wasn’t supposed to. It was part of my demands.”
“I don’t care what your demands are, stop it. We aren’t together, and if we were, it would be none of your business.”
“Really? I have a picture that says differently.”
She looked smug. I’ve never hit a woman and I wouldn’t, but she made me want to. “A moment of weakness. Won’t happen again. And for the record, Taylor didn’t tell me. I snooped and looked at her phone.”
Bailey was willing to destroy Taylor, someone who had been her friend. I had dodged a bullet with this one. She was bat shit crazy.
I stalked away to find Taylor. She was at her locker, staring at the contents of it.
“It’s taken care of,” I said.
She turned to me slowly. “What is?”
“Bailey.”
“How do you know about Bailey?”
“I looked on your phone. Look, we don’t have to be together, but I’m not going to let her ruin any more of your life.”
She looked up at me with sad eyes. “Well, she was one of my closest friends, so she knew my kryptonite.”
I put a hand on Taylor’s shoulder. “I can come clean to your dad. Then you don’t have to worry about Bailey. I’ll take the blame.”
“No, Dylan. I’m more to blame than you.”
I shook my head. This is one of those decision I would have to make more and more of as a man. “No, Taylor. I’ll make this right. I promise.”
Before she could say more, her phone rang. “It’s my mother.”
She answered it and her face became distraught. She disconnected and stared into space. “My dad’s been in an accident. He’s in the hospital.”
I grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.”
“Don’t we need to talk to the office?” she said.
Right. We were old enough to sign ourselves out. I dragged her to the office, Bailey forgotten for the moment. We signed ourselves out, and I drove her car and her to the hospital.
Mrs. Dean was there and she hugged Taylor. She mouthed a “Thank you” to me over Taylor’s shoulder. Maybe I was being dismissed, but I wasn’t going anywhere. Mr. Dean was my family now, too.
Some crappy daytime show was on the television, but no one else was in the room, so I turned it off.
“I’m going to get some coffee.”
I left them crying together and found the cafeteria. I bought three coffees and brought them back. “Here.”
Taylor and her mother took them absentmindedly. I sat down near them. I didn’t want to intrude, but I felt I should be there.
Mrs. Dean reached out to me, squeezing my hand. “Thanks, Dylan. For being here.”
For the first time since I moved in with them, I felt warmth from her – genuine warmth. I nodded, squeezing back.
“Have you heard anything?”
“No, they’re still working on him. From what I can tell, another car t-boned him,” she said.
Taylor was curled up next to her. She sniffed. My heart went out to her, and I longed to gather her up on my lap.
“They said something about surgery,” she said.
I was scared, but I couldn’t let on. I was the man and had to be strong. Mr. Dean had taught me that in the short time I’d known him. “I’ll go find out.”
“No, Dylan, stay here with Taylor. I’ll go. I’m his wife.”
She composed herself and stood. I took her seat to put my arm around Taylor. “He’ll be okay.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do, okay? I know you’re scared, but this is a good hospital. They patched up my mother,” I said.
I had no idea about anything, but Taylor needed comfort and I was going to give it to her. Bailey was forgotten. Greg was forgotten. All we had to think about was Mr. Dean. I’ve never prayed, but as I sat there with Taylor looking so small, I wanted to hope there was a God and that he’d let Mr. Dean live.
Not for me, but for this girl who had my heart.