wallflowers: one shot collection [Kaylor]

everything has changed

Taylor chews on the cap of her pen as she looks down at the lyrics that she's been jotting down. She glances around at her surroundings, and her eyes are immediately drawn towards Karlie. They share a handful of classes, because all of the seniors tend to be lumped together, and Taylor often finds herself daydreaming about the girl instead of paying attention. Sometimes Ed takes notes for her because she's usually rendered incapable.

Karlie is paying attention to the movie, with her chin resting on her hands and her green eyes focused intently on the screen. She's so beautiful that it hurts, but Taylor manages to take her eyes away from the girl after a few moments. She turns back to the senseless lyrics that she's been writing, and she feels a burst of inspiration grab hold of her. Her eyebrows furrow in concentration and she slowly begins to write, nodding along to a made up beat in her head.

Green eyes, and freckles and your smile in the back of my mind...

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She accidentally speaks to Karlie that following Wednesday. She's loitering by Ed's geography class, waiting for him to come out so that they can walk to calculus together. She's coming off of a free period so the halls are empty due to classes still being in session, and she's so preoccupied with her book that she doesn't hear the approaching footsteps. Taylor is turning a page of her latest novel when she hears a throat being cleared, and a tall shadow suddenly washes over her. When she looks up and sees that it's Karlie Kloss her book slips out of her grasp and she starts to gape like a fish. Her jaw literally drops, and she can feel her face heating up as green eyes root her to the spot.

Sweet Jesus.

"Uh..." Taylor inwardly cringes at her inability to form one coherent word, and she feels what little confidence she has shattering.

"Hi! Um, mind if I scoot by you? You're in front of my locker." Karlie's voice is melodic and sweet, and it takes Taylor a few moments to comprehend what was even said. She can feel the tips of her ears heating up, and the intense gaze that Karlie is leveling her with isn't helping matters at all.

"Oh, r-right. Sorry." Taylor lowers her head and moves aside, her book slipping out of her grasp as she does so. It falls to the ground in a heap, and Taylor lets out a quiet curse as she bends down to pick it up. She doesn't even realize that Karlie is bending down as well, and their heads end up colliding on the way down.

Taylor groans and rubs at her forehead, equal parts mortified and in pain. Karlie lets out a surprised laugh, looking dazed as she picks Taylor's book up and stands up straight. They end up apologizing at the same time, talking over one another. It's like something out of a corny romantic comedy, and Taylor suddenly wishes that she had never gotten out of bed that morning. Better yet, she wishes she had never been born.

"You have a hard head," Karlie laughs as she hands Taylor's book back to her. Their fingers brush when she takes it, and Taylor swears she almost swallows her tongue.

"Sorry about that. I...I'm clumsy sometimes." Taylor nervously pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose, wondering when this torture is going to end. Karlie is still smiling at her, looking nauseatingly beautiful as she does so.

"It's okay. Are you reading that for a class or something?" Karlie glances down at Taylor's paperback, her smile never waning.

"No, just for fun. I know that sounds lame but...yeah." Taylor shuffles awkwardly, wondering why Karlie has not turned away from her yet. Surely she has better things to do?

"That's not lame. I wish I had the time to read more." Karlie looks like she means it, and Taylor is at a loss for words. Luckily she doesn't have to say anything. The bell rings loudly, signaling the class change, and suddenly the hallway is teeming with people.