Match Maker | T. Swift x OC

Chapter Five

July was ending rapidly and she still had yet to talk to Mallory about whatever the hell has happened, but there was a lingering statement in the back of Taylor's mind.

If she wanted to talk about it, she would've already.

Mallory was leaving for Rio de Janeiro in a couple of days and Taylor could feel the control over her life slipping from her hands, and that terrified her. But even after everything and how she was being cancelled on everything, she could only wonder, 'Does Mallory think I'm a snake, too?'

Mallory had yet to contact her, though it was possible that Mallory just had no idea what was happening. Her last Instagram post was in February for her twenty second birthday, and it was July twenty-sixth now.

Nine days after the start of her constant nightmare, she found herself staring at Mallory's contact name.

Would Mallory ignore her if she called?

Taylor cursed.

Austin sighed from where he stood in the kitchen of their childhood house in Nashville, "God, Teffy. Just call her." He said.

"It's not that easy," Taylor mumbled, looking away from her phone, "We haven't talked in ages. I'm not entirely sure that she doesn't hate me like the rest of the human population."

Austin went to respond when Taylor's phone began to ring. She jumped up, partially convinced that it was Mallory only to visibly deflate at the contact name, "Who is it?"

"Tom," Taylor clicked the side button, letting it ring.

Then three buzzes caught her attention.

The girl I fell for (40s ago): hey, taylor

The girl I fell for (35s ago): I just saw everything that happened with that guy

The girl I fell for (27s ago): do you want to talk about it? I hope you're doing okay, and quite frankly, I miss you

Taylor responded almost instantly

Taylor Smith: I miss you too

Taylor Smith: can I call you?

The girl I fell for: of course

Taylor left the kitchen and walked into her bedroom before hitting the FaceTime button.

"Yello," Was the first thing Taylor heard. She smiled and chuckled at Mallory who looked like she had just walked through hell and back. But hell is what Mallory nicknamed New York City.

"Hi," Taylor whispered back, "So, you, uh... saw everything?"

Mallory gave a sympathetic smile, Taylor hated it, "Valentine showed me the video, then the tweets and the hashtags," Mallory winced at the memory. She woke up to Valentine telling her to check in on her friend. "That was really shitty of them, I'm sorry, Tay."

Taylor shrugged nonchalantly, looking down at her nails, "Do you... Do you think I'm a snake, too?"

Mallory gasped, "Are you kidding me? No, what? You didn't agree to being called a bitch, you agreed to being mentioned in a song, they're the snakes." Mallory told her, biting her lip, "Are you still in Rhode Island?"

"No," Taylor shook her head, "I'm back home in Nashville." Mallory made an 'o' shape with her mouth, "but I really want to see you again. In- In a friend way, not-" She choked on her words.

"No, yeah, I understand," Mallory gave her a weak smile, "I want to see you again, in a friend way, too."

Taylor sighed, "can you come here?"