Try And Stop Me (Girlxgirl)

Fourteen

Even though Taylor had been calling Michelle all day, she hadn't gotten through. She was a bit annoyed and disappointed that she was coming home early as a surprise, and Michelle wouldn't even answer her phone or even turn it on. She just kept getting shot straight to voicemail. 

The whole plane ride, Taylor had been giddy to see her girlfriend again. While back home, she managed to go to the mall and look at jewelry.  She promised herself she was only looking, only getting ideas, but she saw the perfect engagement ring. She was so happy she found it, she purchased it and showed Hannah, who covered her mouth and told Taylor she had just gotten an upgraded ring and it wasn't even as big as the one Taylor was currently holding in her hand. 

Taylor hadn't paid attention to the size, not really. She saw it and instantly pictured Michelle wearing it as they went to the farmers market on the weekends and when she showcased more of her beautiful paintings. Taylor wanted a life with her girlfriend, and she was done taking her for granted. She knew she deserved better.

She had just gotten off the plane and was well on her way to their apartment when she got another call from Peter.

"I'm at home; what the fuck is so important you couldn't wait until I got back in two weeks?"

"I know you don't want to hear my voice, but we are tracking Lucas. Sources say he just took a flight from New York to Road Island."

"Do you know where he is?" She asked him impatiently as she made her way to the parking garage that stored her car.

"No." Taylor wanted to laugh. "So you called me at home to tell me you tracked him and then lost him? How does that help me?"

"Well, don't you think its strange that he was in New York? I think he knows about you tracking him. I think that this is getting closer to home than you realize, this guy is dangerous." Taylor shook her head, reaching her car and throwing her luggage in the back.

"I'm dangerous, Peter. Lucas is just a dead man walking. Thanks for the update, but I've got to go." She hung up and got in her car, starting the short drive home.

She tried Michelle a couple more times before finally giving up in frustration. Michelle was getting an earful for not having her phone on. Taylor got worried whenever she didn't. She knew it was a small thing to worry about, but she only thought of the absolute worst thing happening whenever she didn't answer her phone. She got all panicky like maybe Michelle was in trouble and just couldn't get to her phone. 

She knew how stupid and selfish it was to think that Michelle was sitting at home waiting by the phone for her, but she didn't know how to change that part of herself. She'd finally reached the car park below their apartment and busied herself with getting her luggage out of the car and dragging it to the elevator, where she boarded and stood in complete silence as she pondered what Michelle could possibly be doing besides answering her phone. 

Perhaps she was painting again, her earbuds in with the volume too high to hear the incessant ringing of her phone because, for some reason, Michelle was the only person on earth to still us an iPod shuffle. Or maybe she was cooking, making a mess in the kitchen while trying to create a dish she saw while scrolling through Facebook early in the morning. Maybe her phone was even still in the folds of the sheets on the bed and the stereo was on full blast. Taylor smiled as she imagined her girlfriend dancing in heels in the kitchen, using a dirty spatula as a microphone, listening to 80's music and pretending to be on Top Chef. 

The elevator stopped at their apartment and Taylor waited as the gate opened. She was immediately filled with dread as she stepped off and the first thing she noticed was the place was trashed. She could see empty bottles of liquor littering the kitchen, dishes filling the sink. Pictures that once hung so neatly on the walls were crooked or knocked down, glass shattered on the floor. The living room was a disaster, the lamp knocked over, the TV leaning back against the wall with a huge crack going right down the middle of it. The rug was stained with unknown substances, and the glass sliding doors were open, the screen off and propped up against the railing outside. 

Taylor reached behind her and pulled out her pistol from where it was tucked away underneath her shirt and cocked it, holding it with both hands as she entered, forgoing her luggage in the lift. She stepped over a puddle of unknown liquid into the apartment and shuddered at the thought of what happened to her girlfriend. She was scared shitless and had half a mind that she should call the authorities, but didn't as she made her way to the bedroom. 

The door was cracked and she pushed it open with her elbow, entering, heart pounding in her chest. 

She lowered the gun in her hands as she took in the sight before her. Her beloved girlfriend was naked, laying on her stomach on the bed, a thin sheet covering her bottom half. She had smeared makeup on her face, and her red hair was a matted mess. A bottle of tequila was in her hand. A woman was next to her, wearing on of Taylor's t-shirts, sound asleep. 

Taylor felt a tear fall and bit her cheeks to stop the sob that threatened to escape her mouth. 

She didn't know what to do. She didn't even know what she would say if Michelle woke up right now. She was so hurt, she felt her own heart break in her chest. She backed away from the bed until her back was against the cold surface of the wall and slid down onto her butt, where she set her gun down on the ground and put her head in her hands. 

Michelle wasn't the one to blame. Not really. Taylor was. She wasn't here. She was never here. Of course, Michelle got tired of it, but it hurt so much to think that she would cheat on her. That she would cheat and go back to her old ways, like all of those years of AA meetings meant nothing. 

Like weaning herself off all of the drugs had been easy and Taylor hadn't been there for her, holding her hair as she puked up water and as she got the shakes from coming down off of every single terrible drug she put into her body. Like it all meant nothing to her. 

Taylor let out a frustrated cry. 

She pulled herself up and wiped her eyes, picking up her gun and making her way to the door.

She wouldn't be here when Michelle woke up. 

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Okay, so as per usual, my updates are sporadic as always. I know I haven't been the best at updating, so here's another chapter. This one was a pain in the ass to write, so I hope you guys think I deserved a vote for getting it to you so fast!