“Taylor? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” I didn’t know what to do. I had never seen him cry. He looked so fragile. All I wanted to do was hug him and tell him everything was going to be okay. The sight of the boy that I love in tears made me want to cry, too.
“Can you come out here and talk real quick?” Something wasn’t good. Something was really not good. I stepped on the front porch. Taylor sat on the first step and motioned for me to join him.
“Tay… What’s the matter?” I was almost panicked. Something was not right and I didn’t like that feeling.
“This isn’t exactly easy for me to say.” I didn’t like the sound of that. “I, um… I have to… I have to go away… for a while.” What? Is this a joke?
“No. What do you mean? Where are you going? What do you mean you ‘have’ to go? What?” I’m so confused. It’s like that’s the most popular feeling at this point in time because that’s all that I’ve been lately.
“I can’t tell you. I’m so sorry, Casey. I love you so much. Please remember that.” Oh my god. Like, what? No. This isn’t actually happening right now.
“Taylor Riley, you have exactly 5 seconds to tell me where the fuck you are going and why.” I almost never cursed like that. I always just say ‘hell’ or ‘damn’, but that’s the worst. I could tell that Taylor was shocked at my usage of that word.
“Babe, I really can’t. I’m sorry.” He started crying again, which made me start crying. Were we… Breaking up? Let’s ask.
“So what does this mean? If you’re leaving, are we…… breaking up? Am I ever going to see you again?” The tears wouldn’t stop. I feel like I already know the answer to this… I just don’t want to hear it.
“I… I don’t know.”
“You didn’t answer. Are you breaking up with me?” My heart was pounding. My face was on fire. I felt like I was going to throw up. Just yesterday everything was perfect. He told me he fucking loved me in front of everyone in my school for Christ’s sake! Is this a practical joke? Because this isn’t funny. All I wanted to do was cry. Actually, that was all that I could do. I was legitimately panicking.
Taylor stood up and started walking away. What does that mean? Is that a yes? What is going on right now… Without turning to face me, all he said to me was “I’m so sorry, Cas, but we’re over,” then started running away from my house.
My heart sank. My first boyfriend, my first love, my everything just broke up with me. There was only one time that I’ve ever felt this broken, and that was when my Dad passed away…
I don’t know what to do.
Where did he go? Should I try to find him? It would be too obvious if I took my car. I waited for about ten minutes to try and collect what just happened. Then I ran.
The tears wouldn’t stop falling. There was a sharp pain in my chest. Is this what it feels like to get your heart broken? Because it sucks.
I just ran and ran. I didn’t stop to breathe or anything. Just ran. I was trying so hard not to think about what just happened. But believe it or not, it was all that I could think about. How could he do this to me? How does someone tell you that they love you, and then break up with you the next day because they’re ‘going away?’ Where was he going? I actually don’t know how long I’ve been running. But I’m not upset anymore… Just angry. Pissed off. Livid, actually. How dare he? Why couldn’t he tell me where he was going? Everything was going so perfect. We were perfect. We were in love… or at least I thought we were.
I started to notice where I was. I saw the long staircase leading up to Taylor’s ‘friend’s’ house. Did he come here when he ran off? Should I knock on the door and find out? What if I’m not welcomed there and I get chased out by that man with the shotgun? I don’t feel like dying tonight.
I lied. I do.
My heart hurts so bad.
I found myself walking up the stairs to the front door of the house. I knocked on the door three times. The door cracked open just barely. All I could see was one green eye.
“Code?” The voice behind the door asked me. Code? What does that mean? You need a code to get into this house? What the hell? So many questions right now.
“I beg your pardon? I have a-” I was interrupted by the door shutting in my face. Well, that wasn’t rude or anything. And quite honestly, it just made me even madder than I already was.
I raised my fist to bang on the door but was stopped right before the first pound by the door opening. Suddenly, there was someone behind me holding my arms behind my back and pushing me inside.
“Get off me!” I spat out. I don’t know who was behind me, but they were strong… and hurting me, might I add. The door shut behind me. I was inside, but all I could see was a run down house.
There were stains all over the carpet, a small TV with long antennas behind it on top of a makeshift TV stand, a couch that fit maybe 2 people maximum in the corner facing the TV, and a very small coffee table that was covered in beer cans.
I’m actually livid and upset all over again. But this time it was because I wanted to know why the hell Taylor was coming over here. This place is obviously not safe.
“Bring her back here, Javier.” I recognized the voice as the same one from the behind the door. The guy who was holding my arms, I’m sorry, Javier, was pushing me toward the back room. It was dark in this house, so I couldn’t really see much. But what I could see, I was absolutely disgusted with. This place is so filthy. There was trash everywhere and random pillows and blankets spread around everywhere on the ground. That can’t be sanitary, especially if there are unknown stains all over the carpet.
Don’t even get me started on the smell of this horrible pig sty. It was absolutely disgusting in here. I feel dirty just stepping in this house.
We made it to the back room. The walls were black and there was only two things inside that room: another small TV and a recliner. In that recliner was the older man with the shotgun. And sure enough, that shotgun was sitting right next to him.
I’m officially scared.
“What are you doing here, love? What can I do for you?” He eyed me up and down with a satisfied look upon his face. I felt disgusted by the way he was just checking me out. And semi-annoyed.
“Is, um… Is Taylor here?” I managed to let out. I was literally scared for my life right now. Anything that I could say would set this guy off if he took it the wrong way. I didn’t want it to get to that point.
The man stood up and started walking toward me, lifted his hand, put his cigarette in his mouth, took a drag, and then blew all of his smoke in my face. The smell made me cough uncontrollably.
“Who wants to know?”
“I do. I’m his girlfriend.” I used what little courage I had left to speak. Up close, you see how dangerous this guy really is. There were three teardrops tattooed on his left eye. I knew exactly what those meant. I grew up in California and have seen many of those before in movies and in real life. This man has killed people before. And by the looks of him, I wouldn’t doubt it. He’s large and scary. I didn’t really feel like being his fourth teardrop.
All the guy did was laugh right in my face. His breath literally smelled like cat urine. I kept trying to keep myself calm on the outside, even if I was the farthest thing from it on the inside.
“I see. Taylor isn’t here, but he will be soon. And when he gets here, I’ll tell him you dropped by.” He just kept laughing. I didn’t exactly know why because if I remember correctly, there were no jokes that were told. “Javier, take her back outside. Goodbye, pretty.” He smirked at me. Now I really felt gross. Like, ew.
I was jerked to turn around and started walking back through the small, gross house toward the door. Javier opened the door and pushed me out, then proceeded to slam the door shut almost instantly. If I were to have been at least half an inch further back, my heel would have been hit by the door.
What did he mean? “But he will be soon”? Who were those people? Now I’m just confused… again. Why was Taylor ever here? I just stood on the front porch in shock. There were sharp pains in my feet and when I looked down, I realized why. I wasn’t wearing any shoes.
I was too busy watching my feet walk down the stairs that I didn’t even notice that there was someone walking up the stairs at the same time I was walking down. I was hit almost right in the eye by something sharp. Immediately I threw my hand up to my eye and looked up to find none other than Zayn standing there with a studded jacket. It must have been one of his studs that hit my eye.
Zayn looked up at me and instantly his face went red. Not red with embarrassment, but red with anger.
“Why were you in that house? Why are you here?!” He whisper-yelled. He was so stern right now, so protective. I didn’t feel like explaining the whole situation.
I opened my mouth to say something, but before I could Zayn was speaking again.
“You can’t be here. You need to stay away from this house. Never come back under any circumstance, do you understand me?” I was already emotional. And being yelled at right now wasn’t helping. I started crying again. This time, I couldn’t stop the tears. They just fell. And they didn’t even slow down.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay. Are you alright? I’m sorry I yelled. You just don’t understand how bad you can’t be here, love.” He put his arms around me and tried to comfort me. “The people inside are people that you need to avoid as much as possible. You don’t want to mess with them. They are more powerful than you think.” He sounded concerned for my safety. Why? The tears kept falling. I actually didn’t want to be held in anyone else’s arms aside from Taylor’s. Which I know isn’t going to happen… Because we aren’t together anymore.
When that thought crossed my mind, I lost it. I couldn’t control my emotions. I just let loose. I tried to break free from Zayn’s hold, but I couldn’t. I just didn’t have the energy. I was drained emotionally, mentally, and physically. Plus, when I tried to move, he just held me tighter. I could tell that he was just trying to calm me down. He kept gently stroking my head and quietly telling me that everything was going to be okay.
But he doesn’t know that it’s not. It’s not going to be okay. It won’t be after what just happened to me. Sure, worse things have happened, but I just watched the boy that I loved cry and break up with me and tell me that he was leaving all within the same 5 minutes... And I’m a teenage girl, so that really doesn’t help.
We stood there for what felt like hours. He kept humming, trying to calm me down, and it was working. I stopped crying after a little while. Then I remembered we were standing outside of the house that I was just told to avoid.
“If this place is so… ‘dangerous’, then why are you here? You don’t seem dangerous at all.” He was still holding me. I felt him tense.
“I’m just like those people in there. That’s why you need to stay away from me. Look, love, I’m sorry that I yelled at you earlier. I just don’t want to see anyone else get hurt because of people like this… people like me…” Zayn trailed off. He let go of me, but left his hands on my shoulders. His face was still concerned, but he seemed a little, I don’t know, sad? His eyes flicked up toward the house and then back to me. He dropped his arms and backed away. “You need to leave. Now.” His tone was serious. I didn’t know what to say, so I just didn’t say anything.
I just moved past him and continued down the stairs. Once I hit the bottom, I turned my head around to find him watching me. It was almost like he was examining my every move. I looked back forward and began walking toward the direction of my house. As I approached the corner, I glanced back to find him still standing there with a sad look on his face, his hands in pockets, and his eyes on me.
Once I was out of his sight, I heard a door slam. I’m assuming it was the house that I just came from.
Then out of nowhere, I heard three extremely loud bangs.
Gun shots.
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what omfg I actually just pissed myself off bc of that cliffhanger so oops (and pardon my potty mouth)
totallllly worth it though :)
it has come to my attention that i actually haven’t described what casey looks like
well she has long blonde hair, big baby blue eyes, straight teeth, skinny, very stylish, extremely beautiful
idkkk ill see if i cant find a picture on google of what i picture her to look like
PLS LET ME KNOW WHAT U THINK
:)
mwah