Chapter 6-
“Come on,” I hear Louis say to Jessica as he brings her into the living room.
“Harry? Niall? One of you get Taylor,” Louis yells from the living room. They both get up and grab my hands and pull me into the room. Once I’m there I collapse into the couch my eyes can’t take it anymore, the tears start flowing down my cheeks.
“What’s wrong?” Louis asks us. Jessica looks at me then back to Louis.
“It’s up to Taylor, I won’t say anything without her approval,” Jessica informs him. Louis looks at me and I still don’t say anything.
“She obviously isn’t going to talk, please Jess. Tell me,” he pleads with her. I look at Jess curious at how she is going to respond to that.
“No, I said it’s up to Tay and I meant it!” she tells him sternly. Louis gives her a confused look then slightly nods. I lean over and grab Jessica’s arm. She turns to me and I give her a nod, telling her it’s ok to tell him. She raises her eyebrows at me.
“Are you sure? I don’t have too?” she asks. I just nod my head. She lets out a breath then begins to explain.
“Two years ago today, our brother left us,” she says simply.
“Your brother Caden?” Louis asks and she nods.
“What do you mean by left? Like is he dead?” Louis asks looking confused.
“You never went into depth when you said you had an older brother named Caden,” he adds at the end. Jessica sucks in a breath then continues her story.
“He didn’t die. As you know my parents were never there for us when we were growing up. Taylor, Caden, and I were all each of us had. When Taylor was sixteen and I eighteen, Caden left us in the middle of the night. He left us a note…” she pauses wiping her tears. I can tell she is really trying not to break down.
“He never said why he was leaving us, we just know that he did. We needed him, and he left us. Taylor and him were like best friends and he left her! She needed him more then anything!” Jessica says breaking down and slamming her fists down on the couch. I lean over and grab her hands both of us sobbing now. She looks me in the eyes and shakes her head pulling me in a hug.
“I had you Jessica, you’re the person who never let me down. That’s all that matters,” I tell her with a reassuring smile. When we break from our embrace we look around the room and for the first time I notice that we have an audience staring at us, each holding a different expression.
Louis is looking at Jessica with concern. Liam is looking with pity at us. Zayn is starring at the ground, seeming to be deep in thought. Harry is just looking at me as if he realizes something now. Then Niall, he’s starring at me right in the eye and mouths the words, “Are you ok?” I just nod slightly and he offers me a small smile, but I can’t bring myself to return the smile.
“Sorry guys,” Jessica speaks up.
“We totally understand,” Liam speaks for the boys.
“So how long was it just you three at your house?” Harry asks.
“Well, it was like that practically our whole lives, but it got extreme when Taylor was just fourteen years old. Our parents figured they could leave for four years and just stop by a couple months a year,” Jessica explained. They all nod taking in the information.
“So you and Caden pretty much raised Taylor the last four years?” Zayn asks.
“No,” Jessica shook her head. They all raise they’re eyebrows at her.
“We all looked after each other, Taylor didn’t just need us, we needed her as well. There would be days Caden would lock himself in his room, and he would only come out for Taylor never me. So it wasn’t us raising her. She looked after us as well,” Jessica explains and I smile slightly.
“So I take it you three were close?” Niall asks. Jessica lets out a slight chuckle.
“Caden and Tay used to be so close. They would chase each other around the house like five year olds,” she pauses letting out a small sob.
“Then they never failed to join me in on the fun. We were all each other had,” Jessica say trying to stop the tears, but we both have them falling. Niall surprises me and gets up from his seat coming to sit next to me, he wraps his arm over my shoulder bringing me closer to him. I’m hesitant at first but then I accept the embrace.
“I’m sorry about your brother…” Niall tells me sincerely. I let out a shaky sigh.
“Yeah, me too,” I reply, letting my head fall down on his shoulders. The room goes into a comfortable silence as everyone takes in everything that has been said. I start to think about all the times we had together when he was still here.
“The boys and I are going to go back to our apartment just to grab some things, we’ll be back soon,” Louis says kissing my sister on the cheek and giving me a small wave as they all pile out of our apartment.
“So how are you?” Jessica turns to me and we both laugh at the ridiculous question.
“Well probably as bad as you are,” I admit and she nods her head. I have to ask the question that has been annoying me for two years…
“Jess, what did your note say?” I whisper-ask her. She looks up at me then back to the ground.
“Do you want to read it?” she asks me and I nod my head. I’m a little shocked she kept it. I mean I kept mine but hid it some where I know it will be safe. She gets up from the couch to get her note, while I go to get mine. She never asked to read it but I know she wants to.
Once we are both back into the living room we exchange notes and we both are hesitant to open them, just like I was the first time. It’s like opening up an old chapter of your life, just one that never fully closed. I finally get the nerve to open it with shaking fingers.
Jessica,
I’m sorry for this. I’m leaving, I’m backing out. I’m weak unlike you. I know you’re strong enough to handle this. Everything I said earlier is true. You are what keeps our family together, and right now Taylor is going to need you to help keep her together.
Don’t shut down, don’t leave Taylor alone, you promised her you would never leave her, don’t break that promise like I am. You have what it takes to make it through this. I have always admired your strength; I could never be as strong as you. I wish I could explain why it has to be this way, but I can’t. So please don’t try to contact me, I changed my phone and number. I love you so much remember that.
I left you my savings, under my bed. Save it for an emergency. Use it as a last resort; there is enough in there for you and Taylor to completely start over somewhere.
I know you can do this I have faith in you.
Love you.
Love, Caden.
A single tear drops from my face and lands on my arm. He left us money? I didn’t know that…
“Do you still have the money?” I ask her once she finished reading my note.
“Yeah, it’s for emergencies. If we don’t have an emergency then we’ll just put it in our kids college fund or something,” she shrugs her shoulders. I nod in agreement.
“It really sounded like he didn’t want to leave…” Jessica whispers.
“I know so why did he?” I ask.
“You’re guess is as good as mine,” she shrugs her shoulders. My phone goes off breaking our train of thought. I pull my iPhone out of my pocket to see I have a text.
From: Niall (:
Hey, there. I put my number in when you weren’t looking, and got yours as well. Hope you don’t mind! (; How are you? Xx.
-Nialler
I smile down at the text laughing quietly to myself. Wow, this boy can cheer me up pretty quickly with just a simple, ‘how are you’ text. I start to reply back to his message.
To: Niall (:
Should I be worried, do I have a creeper on my hands? (; I’ve been better, thanks for asking though! X.
-Tay
“Who are you texting?” My sister asks me smiling, for what seems like the first time today.
“No one…” I smile back.
“Your smile begs to differ,” she smirks back reaching for my phone. I move at the last second running into the kitchen on the other side of the island in the kitchen. She smirks trying to get to the other side.
“I bet its Connor,” she says trying to make a move to get to the other side, but I just mimic what ever she does.
“Nope,” I reply popping the ‘p’. I giggle when she makes another failed attempt at coming to my side of the island. Then she disappears behind the island. What the heck? Where did she go?
“Jess?” I ask looking around.
“Yeah?” she responds by my feet scarring me to death when she grabs my leg. I drop my phone, but she just catches it before it hits the ground.
“Jess! Give it back!” I yell to her as she runs away with it opening my messages.
“Oh Niall…” She pauses then gives me a stern look, “Ellie, I think you should stay away from those boys. I see the way he looks at you and how he held your hand last night!” She yells out.
“What!?” I yell out not realizing she saw that.
“Yeah, I know things,” she giggles at my face.
“Well Harry was holding my hand too!” I counter and she just chuckles.
“So maybe he likes you too!” she says throwing my phone back just as I get a text.
“Nope,” I say shaking my head, looking anywhere but her eyes.
“And why not?” she asks.
“Because they can’t!” I argue back.
“Says?” she counters, getting up in my face.
“ME!” I shout. Jessica’s face suddenly gets serious.
“What do you mean Tay?” she asks me looking a little concerned, backing off a bit.
“Guys like them don’t go for girls like me!” I tell her, trying to hide the sadness in my voice, but I know she catches it.
“What kind of girl are you?” she asks curiously.
“I’m nothing compared to how beautiful you are, I’ll never be that beautiful. You have personality and your fun. I’m boring and shy; no one would be interested in that! I’m worthless that’s why everyone leaves me!” I yell out then realize I just admitted my biggest insecurities out loud..
Niall’s POV
“Just go in guys its fine, they know we were coming,” Louis tells us pushing us through the door. We make it through the hall when we hear yelling. Taylor should know we’re here I texted her…
“Guys like them don’t go for girls like me!” Taylor yells. What?
“I’m nothing compared to how beautiful you are, I’ll never be that beautiful. You have personality and your fun. I’m boring and shy; no one would be interested in that! I’m worthless that’s why everyone leaves me!” She continues. How could such a beautiful girl say those things about herself? It’s really getting to me…
I’m going to show her just how beautiful she really is…
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Here it is, what do you guys think? Good stuff coming ahead! So whos team are we thinking? Anything could happen at this point! (:
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