Stories Based On Taylor Swift Songs

FOLKLORE: 125. August

The love triangle is a common thread in folklore. The proper order to read the stories in is as follows: August, Illicit Affairs, Cardigan, and Betty.

125. August (12/21/20)

"Come with me," Betty whispered to James, grabbing the other girl by the collar of her shirt. "Please? I promise we won't stay long, I just wanna go and be with you."

James contemplated the demand. Betty had just asked her if she would go to the dance at the community center. The money spent on tickets would be donated to the local homeless shelters, which was a cause Betty cared about. Her and her parents made donations to the homeless shelter every year, and would serve meals at Opportunity House. James knew that the dance mattered to her. But she wasn't a fan of crowds, and hadn't attended any of the school dances. Not to mention the fact that Betty wouldn't be comfortable dancing with another girl when her parents were in the room.

James was on the verge of turning down the request, but then she glanced up at Betty. The sweet girl with blond hair was giving her a pleading smile. She couldn't say no.

"Alright, I'll make an appearance," James replied, throwing her hands up in defense. "When is this dance anyway?"

The dance was two weeks from then, towards the middle of May. Every time James met with Betty, she reminded her about the dance and told her what to wear. When the day finally rolled around, James made sure to wear her hair down and picked out a black dress from her closet. Betty liked when she wore black.

James borrowed her mom's car and drove to the community center. The parking lot was stuffed to the brim with people from town, but she managed to find a spot. She had a twenty dollar bill burning in her pocket that she was planning on donating, not to mention the five dollar ticket. Her heart was beating in her chest; she tried to imagine what Betty would be wearing, and how the night would play out. It was fruitless to think her and Betty would dance together tonight, but James was still hopeful.

She paid the ticket price at the door and dropped the twenty dollars in the donation basket. Inside the community center, classmates and their families were talking and swaying to the slow music. James hadn't realized how late she was, but she didn't want to arrive too early and not know anyone. She saw Inez, the class gossip, chatting with a few girls from school. A few couples were dancing in the center of the room, and James thought she recognized one of them. She took another step forward and saw Betty dancing with Joey Hamilton, a guy from school who played on the football team. The scene could've been from any teen coming-of-age movie; Betty was wrapped in Joey's arms, swaying to the music with her eyes closed.

James could hardly believe her eyes. Here she was, all dressed up for Betty and wearing the girl's favorite color, and yet Betty was out there dancing with Joey Hamilton. The only reason James was at the dance was because of Betty. It felt like she had stabbed James in the back.

Without a second though, James turned on her heels and walked out of the community center. The ticket collector was packing up her table, and the parking lot was filled with cars. James didn't have the heart to track down her car, so she walked down the sidewalk in her black heels instead. She felt so stupid and hollowed out. Images of Betty dancing with Joey Hamilton flashed in her mind like a movie theater. Tears pricked at her eyes, and for once in her life, she let them fall.

A blue convertible started to drive slowly past her. In other situations, James would be worried about someone following her home, but then the driver rolled down her window, revealing a cute girl. The girl waved and asked, "Are you okay?"

James wanted to keep walking until she reached her house, but then the car stopped. The girl was cute. Her eyes weren't even brown; they were like tiny pieces of amber, shining in the moonlight.

"What's your name?" The girl asked, leaning across the center console of her car. It reminded James of the times she spent with Betty.

"James," she replied, turning to face the car.

"Well, James, why don't you get in, and we'll drive?" The girl asked, smiling up at her.

James looked both ways, her eyes scanning the area. A part of her hoped Betty would be looking for her, but there was no point. So, without a second thought, James opened the passenger side door and climbed inside.

The summer after James' junior year was a whirlwind. She only talked to Betty a few times, and the blond hadn't bothered to ask about the dance at the community center. James wasn't going to be the one to mention it, mainly because she wasn't sure how to bring it up.

Instead, James spent the summer with the other girl. They met behind the mall, the only place that was safe for them to see each other in this small town. James used to meet Betty near her house, under the streetlight, but the girl always preferred to meet during the day. They talked and smoked cigarettes behind the mall, and the girl listened when James was upset. The girl told James about her past relationships, about how she went to a different school and was out there. She had been with other girls before and wasn't afraid to be seen in public. But James liked meeting in private, like a well-kept secret. It only took one text for the girl to drop everything and see James: Meet me behind the mall.

Then, the month of August rolled around, and Betty was spending two weeks with her cousins at the beach. James was still waiting on an apology, some acknowledgment from her that what she had done at the dance was wrong.

On a gorgeous, sunny day in August, James called the girl up and asked if she wanted to spend the day at the beach. The girl agreed, canceling her plans and picking up James at her house.

The salt air seeped through the car windows as they neared the sandy beaches. James tried not to think of Betty as the girl parked and they walked down to the beach. As far as she was concerned, she and Betty were finished. They hadn't spoken in months. And at the moment, the girl had James' undivided attention.

The two girls spread out a beach blanket in the shaded place underneath the boardwalk. It was a busy day at the beach, but they were hidden and secluded. James could feel the sand underneath her toes as she leaned across the blanket and kissed the girl. The girl returned the kiss, running her fingers through James' hair as she worked to undo her bikini top. They edged under the boardwalk so no one would see them undress and make love to each other on the beach.

The girl sat up on the towel, blinking a few times and sifting the sand out of her hair. James, the brunette she had been seeing, was sitting on her stomach on the beach towel. With slender fingers, the girl traced messages and drew lines on James' back. The brunette smiled up at the girl. In that moment, the girl could've said the tainted words on her lips, but they refused to budge: "I love you."

The story continues in the story for the song Illicit Affairs.