(A/N welcome to chapter 100. Let another drama begin)
** Wednesday april 16th 2036**
-taylors pov-
I'm sitting in Kenzie's hospital room reading a book while she watches tv. But then my phone goes off and its joe, so I pick it up. "hi babe" I say and close my book.
There is a long silence on the other line, and I hear his voice crack "joe what's going on" I say slightly more alarmed, but I don't want to make kenzie worried as she is getting a chemo infusion right now.
"Taylor. It's really bad. I don't know how to say this" he says, and I can hear he is sobbing. "joe tell me" I say and go into the bathroom to not worry kenzie.
** hours earlier ***
-ellies pov-
I'm walking into school in a good mood today, I don't know why but I feel like today is going to be good. I don't have any tests; I have a long free period which I fully intent to spend with my boyfriend and then I have dance after school. Not to mention that at the end of the school day I have a class at the department of my school that's for gifted children, so I get to work on something advanced, which means it's a good day.
First period goes well and now it's time for a free period, so I put my books in my locker as Alex comes towards me. "hi baby" he says and wrap an arm around my waist and kiss my cheek. "Hey there alexander. Funny seeing you here today" I flirt which makes him laugh.
"you're a funny girl aren't you Elliana. I'm happy because now I get to spend an hour with my girlfriend which I'm going to fully take advantage off" he says and grab my hand as we walk through the hallways.
We should probably get some actual work done, but we aren't obligated to, so we try to take free periods to spend together. We are however bringing work so we can pretend to actually get things done. I don't have to work that hard to stay at the top of my class, and he is at the top of his class too which means we have more time for one another. He isn't a genius like me, but he is pretty smart, not that his IQ is something that actually matters to me in the big picture.
He leads me to the cafeteria where lots of students are working and some are sitting in groups talking. We get a table for ourselves and set up our school things to pretend we are working.
I can't stop smiling at his handsome boyish face with the chestnut eyes that I love looking into. I'm starting to wonder if this is going to last, are we going to be happy together forever or am I in for a major heartbreak. It's making me sad because I love him, and I don't want this to ever end. "what's wrong Ellie?" he says and rub my back.
"i'm just thinking... what will happen to us? Like I love you so much and I don't want to ever lose you, but how many high school sweethearts actually stay together in the long run" I say and look down.
He uses his arm to pull me closer to him "hey. My parents were high school sweethearts. They meet when they were both in freshman year and only ever had eyes for one another. They had some rough patches when they were at separate colleges, but they were so in love that there was no doubt they wanted to make it work. Some high school sweethearts last forever Elliana. You and me, we can make it. But let's just take one day at a time, I love you, and you love me. That's really all we need to know right now. The future is so uncertain for everyone, tomorrow is not a given, so we need to take full advantage of every moment" gently he kisses me, and I lean my head on his shoulder.
I grin at him and kiss him again "when you are young, they assume we know nothing. But I think we know just enough. Not too much or too little. You make me happy; you make me feel like the prettiest girl in the world. That's enough for me right now"
Being loved is the best feeling, it makes me feel special. I don't want what we have to ever end, but I can't keep worrying about the "what ifs" of life because that can keep me from enjoying the good moments as they happen.
He starts to mumble a melody softly into my ear that he knows I love.
"I know you've never loved
The crinkles by your eyes when you smile
You've never loved your stomach or your thighs
The dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine
But I'll love them endlessly"
"I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth
But if I do, it's you
Oh, it's you, they add up to
I'm in love with you
And all these little things"
I can't stop smiling, he really loves me, and I love him. "i'm in love with you too alexander. With all your little things" I grin and kiss him again and again.
But then I laugh "you want to know something funny. My mom dated one of the singers from that band. Harry styles" I tell him, and he bursts out laughing with me. My mom told me that once while I was humming the song, it's a song that Alex and I love. That band have so many cute love songs, but my mom was laughing so hard when she said she dated harry styles. The bad is really old, but they have cute music. Most of the time I'm not into boybands and that kind of stuff, but I think their songs are cute and romantic.
TRIGGER WARNING. SCHOOL SHOOTINGS. NO MAJOR DETAILS ADDED.
Then there are screams coming from down the hallway and we shoot up. Then we hear it... a gunshot and tears prick in my eyes. Alex grabs my hand and while others are frozen, he drags me with him into the other corridor away from where we can hear the shoots. "Alex" I whimper but he shushes me and hold me close.
We have school drills to practice in case of an emergency like this, but you never think something like this actually could happen to you. We hear stories on the news all the time, there are school shoots in the United States several times a week, but you never think it will happen to you or someone close to you.
He drags me into a classroom where some other students opened up the door for us, but we hear the gunshots coming closer. Alex slides down into a corner and pulls me into his arms and holds me as tightly as he can. My head is tucked into his chest and both of our bodies are shaking.
There is banging on the door and then it flies open.
** present time **
-taylors pov-
"Taylor I'm on my way to the school now to look for Ellie. There has been... there has been a shooting there. I don't want you to alarm kenzie, and I've gotten the nanny to pick up aurora and bring her to you at the hospital" he says, and I can hear how hard he is crying.
I slide down against the counter as tears stream down my face "joe. Our baby. Have you tried to call her" I say and choke on my words. "No because we are told to not call them before we know that there are no more shooters inside the school just in case their phones go off"
We have been told that by the school during a conference on safety. The fact that we even need to have those, that they need to send information about school shootings home to parents is crazy. Its 2036 but school shootings are still a thing because we don't have strict enough gun laws.
"Joe I love you. Find our baby girl" I say, and we agree before I hang up. Kenzie is in there and I don't know what to tell her but I know that it will be on the tv or on the news alert on her phone any second now so I should tell her myself.
-joes pov-
I get to the school and there are parents everywhere, security is with me and are also keeping an eye out for Ellie. Of course I'm seeing if I see Alex because Ellie would want that, and I'm keeping an eye out for Lauren too, because of Abigail, but mostly my daugther.
"joe" Vivians voice comes closer, and we exchange a hug, he is Alexs mother and we have become close as our children have been dating. It's important of both of us to know our children's partners family. "Viviane. Have you seen them?" I ask her and she shakes her head.
"Mr. Alwyn" a police officer says and come over to us before I have the chance to talk more with Viviane. "We found your daugther. But she is injured so she is being taken to the children's hospital. We found her unconscious wrapped in a boy's arms that is also unconscious" the police officer says and my heart drops, she is shot, and Alex too.
I know it takes a while to identify the children and get them out of the school, but I have a feeling that they kept a special eye out for my daugther because of who we are. There are children at the school who are children of senators and then there are our daughter who is the daugther of the most famous female singer. It Is horrible that status has something to do with who gets specially looked after, but the selfish side in me is happy about that right now because that means my daugther was found sooner than later.
I turn to Viviane "chances are that its Alex" I tell her, and we decide to head to the children's hospital together. On the way I text Taylor to tell her what's going on and she says she is going down to the triage area to wait for me. She has already called Austin who is with kenzie and aurora.
We get to the hospital and the staff find both Taylor and Alexs dad Brian. I wrap Taylor in a tight hug, and she cries into my shoulder.
-taylors pov-
I'm clinging to joe for a while before we go to sit down with the other parents. I recognize parents from the school and clearly, they are here because their children were hurt too. I don't understand how someone could go to a high school with a gun and shoot children. I know that it's something that happens in our country often, but I still don't understand why someone would do something like that.
Sitting here waiting and not knowing if our daugther is okay or alive is torture. But I'm holding onto the fact that she is still alive, if she wasn't still alive, they would have told us right now. Sometimes no news is good news.
Tears are streaming down people's faces but the room is quiet. We all know that there is a good chance some of our children will die. At some point we will find out how many children died during this and that's something I don't think I can handle. I get a text from Abigail.
Abigail- hi. Lauren is fine, they found her in a classroom. Have they found Ellie?
I haven't been able to text her yet, there has obviously been a lot on my mind. But I do text her back.
Taylor- good that you found her. Ellie isn't fine. We don't know anything other than that she was shot. Alex too
It's hard to be happy for her that she found her daugther unharmed while mine is shot. Of course I want my godchild to be fine, but it makes me really mad that my daugther is one of the people shot.
Ellie has been through so much in her short life that this is yet another ting on her plate. Recently she has been doing better and is truly happy, but now this is added on top of everything else.
"mr and mrs alwyn" a doctor says and motion for us to follow him. We enter a private room "we had to take your daugther up to emergency surgery. She lot's a lot of blood and is shot in her leg. They are working on her right now and we will get back to you as soon as we can" the doctor tells us and I'm clinging to joe's hand.
"Just save our little girl" I say and my voice cracks, so joe pulls me into his arms. "We are doing everything we can" the doctor tells us and then say we can stay in this private room, so we don't have to risk our pictures being taken. We tell them that they can ask alexander turners parents if they want to wait here too.
Viviane and Brian are shown to the room too and we all sit down on the two couches. I'm relieved that we don't need to sit in that room and think about people taking pictures of us in a vulnerable moment.
"They were together" Viviane says with a gentle smile, and I smile back at her "i hope that at least they could comfort one another. They really love one another" I say. Knowing that they were at least together is comforting, they love one another, and I know how happy and safe he makes her feel. They're still hurt, but I'm holding onto any sort of positive I can now to not crumble completely.
"Ellie was so happy this morning that they were going to spend free period together" I say and lay my head on joes' shoulder as he wraps his arm around me.
A doctor comes in and say he has news about alexander. "He was shot in the arm lodged into his Brach plexus. He will need a lot of physical therapy and it's a severe injury, but he will be okay. They are taking him up to medium care now" the doctor tells them and Viviane cries in relief. At least Alex is okay.
The doctor says they can see him now "keep us updated on Ellie" Viviane asks before they leave the room to follow the nurse to their son.
My body starts to shake with sobs and joe holds me tighter "joe I can't lose her" I say between sobs. "I know love. We can't lose our baby girl. Oh, fuck this is a nightmare" he says and is clearly crying too.
It takes another two hours before someone comes into the room again "Elliana is.....
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