Once Upon a URL

Part Eight

"I have nothing to say," Taylor muttered.

"I don't care, Taylor," Ethan said and then they walked out of the room, and he closed the door behind himself.

"Taylor," Heather started. "I'm not really happy about this whole thing either but we might as well talk."

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Then talk," she sat down on Hannah's bed.

"What?"

"You're right. They probably won't let us out until we talk, so talk."

"I don't get why you are the one that's pissed off. I should be the one that is pissed. You were the one that stopped talking to me, and you were the one who called me a bitch. Why are you pissed at me?" Taylor didn't say anything; she just looked at her hands. "The person you talked to online, that is me. Why could you talk to her, and not me?"

"But it's not you, you are two completely different people online and in real life. And I don't know if I believe the online you is the real one."

"Is there a way I can prove it to you?"

"No," Taylor shook her head.

"I liked the girl that I talked to online. And I think you did too." Taylor snorted a little. "Why did you stop talking to me when you found out we lived in the same town?"

"Why do you think this is all about you?"

"Then what was it about?" Taylor didn't respond. "Pretend that we are online again. We talked about a lot during that week. You can tell me."

"You don't get it," Taylor started. "I don't get close to people. That's a sure way to get hurt."

"You seem close with them," Heather gestured out the door.

"They're different. I've known Ethan my whole life. And Mark and Hannah; they are my family. I trust them; I don't trust other people."

"I get that you have been hurt a lot in the past, and I know that I don't understand how you feel. But shutting yourself off isn't going to help you."

"It's been working pretty well."

"I'm sure you probably don't care what I say, but I think that you would feel better if you let go, and open yourself to other people."

"Like you do?"

"That's not fair, that's different."

"You're the one hiding, not me."

"I am hiding, but I don't shut people out. I get that you were afraid of getting hurt. I know I'm afraid of that too. But I don't let that keep me from something that could have been great. It's not fair what you have dealt with, but you can keep living, or you can do whatever it is that you've been doing." Heather stood up and walked to the door and turned the knob to see that it had been left unlocked. She walked out of the room.

Taylor just watched her and took a deep breath. She turned and looked in the mirror and just stared at her reflection.

Hannah knocked on the open door quietly and Taylor turned to look at her. "I'm sorry about that."

"No its fine," Taylor said quietly.

Hannah sat down next to Taylor. "Ethan and Heather both left. You can get dinner now, if you want."

"I'm not that hungry."

"Are you okay?"

Taylor shrugged. "She was right."

"About what?"

"I was the one who stopped talking, I was the one that called her a bitch. But I was the one who was pissed. She wasn't pissed."

"You weren't pissed."

"Yes I was, Hannah," Taylor said exasperated.

"No you weren't. I know you Taylor." Taylor scoffed a little, but Hannah continued. "You were pissed at Ethan and me because we kept bringing it up, and talking about this whole thing. But you were never actually pissed at Heather. When you realized that Heather lived near you, you panicked. When you guys were talking, you probably figured you lived on opposite sides of the state and would probably never see the other one. But you guys live like five minutes away from each other, which meant it could become more than just talking to this random person online. You may not have really associated her as being an actual person. Now you would have to. And that scared the shit out of you. You didn't want to get close to someone, only for them to leave you. And that's why you were pissed."

Taylor opened her mouth, and then closed it. "How is it that you are able to explain my feelings, when I can't even do that."

"Because you are my sister." Taylor smiled. "I know you don't like to get close to people, you didn't when we first met, and after your dad died, you hated people even more. But this isn't like that. Not everyone is going to hurt you."

"I just don't know how to trust that the person I talked to is the real Heather."

"You just have to," Hannah put her arm around Taylor. "Look, we all agreed that we would stay out of this. If you want to talk to Heather, great; but if you don't, we won't force you to. We all feel bad about tonight."

"It's okay, I'm not pissed at you guys anymore."

"Thanks. Are you sure you aren't hungry?"

"I guess I'll have some meatloaf." She said and they both stood up. "Hannah," Hannah turned to face Taylor. "Thank you," she said.