When we got back to the car, it had started to rain. I tapped frantically on the window to get Taylor to let me in. After what seemed like an eternity, the click of the door signaled it had been unlocked and the stubborn door popped out.
I glanced at Taylor as I sat down, a frown marred her sharp features. I tentatively touched her shoulder, which made her jump a little. "You okay, Taylor?" She ran a hand through her faded curls and let out a long sigh.
"Yeah.. I just.. don't want to go home right now."
"You don't seem like you want to go home most nights." I tried to tease her, but the deadpan look she gave me made my smile falter.
Taylor's hazel eyes brimmed with tears that she quickly wiped away and I immediately regretted my words. "Did I mention I still live with my parents?"
'Oh.' I winced. "Would you like to come over to mine for a little while? Matt shouldn't be home for another hour or two at least. If I tell him you're coming over, he shouldn't be a problem." I couldn't help feeling a little bad for upsetting her. It was an odd emotion to see on the usually chipper older girl.
I could see there was a war raging behind her eyes as she glanced at her lap. Her brows knit together and she chewed on her bottom lip and she nodded.
"Okay, let me send Matt a text." I typed a quick message to Matt to let him know we would have a visitor.
With that, the Camry came to life and we made the journey back to my house.
---
When we pulled into the driveway, I felt a pang of nervousness in the pit of my stomach. Whilst I was very thankful to Kris and her brothers for letting me stay with them, I couldn't help but feel a bit worried that Taylor would judge our modest trailer.
I reluctantly left the warm, dry safety of the car for the freezing cold rain and made a sprint for the gate, Taylor shutting the Camry off and chasing after me.
"FUCK! That's cold!" Taylor shouted as she made it through the chain-link and up the steps of our porch. I opened the porch door for her and cringed as the screen door to our trailer made a comically loud squeak.
"Sounds like someone needs to put some WD-40 on the hinges." Taylor joked. I couldn't help the blush creeping up my neck. Embarrassed, I slinked the rest of the way into the house. I saw Dylan in his usual spot, perched on the edge of the faded blue couch playing some racing game on the tv. I gave him a wave and a hesitant smile.
The redheaded teen studied the two of us long enough that his car crashed in game and he lost his race. "Shit!" He paused the game and turned back to us. "Do Matt and Kris know you've brought someone here?"
I nodded, feeling a bit nervous. "Yeah, I texted them both to warn them."
Dylan shrugged and looked back at his game, restarting the race. "That's cool, I don't care if she's here. After Kris' freakout I just wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page."
Rocking on my heels anxiously, I turned to Taylor. "So, uh... you want something to drink?" I stammered, trying to remember the social graces my mother had endlessly lectured me about. Before she could answer, I walked over to the kitchen table and grabbed a set of cups, grabbing some ice from our ancient freezer. I opened the door to the refrigerator and quickly realized we had nothing to drink in the house.
"Just water is fine, Luna." Taylor chuckled at my awkwardness.
"Uh.. I hope tap water is okay. We have a well.." When she nodded, I filled our cups with tap water and went to set down the waters at our scratched up table. Scooting a chair across the peeling laminate, I sat across from Taylor and drummed my fingers on the tabletop.
"Sorry, we need to go grocery shopping again.." The anxiety had me jittery, my leg bounced unconsciously and I picked at the pills on my sweater. The shorter woman was looking all around at the house, taking it in slowly. I cringed, waiting for some kind of snarky comment, but it never came.
"Your house reminds me of my aunt's." Taylor began, quietly. "I've always loved these old trailers, they have so many stories in their walls, so much character." She ran a finger over the paneling with a nostalgic smile. "I can remember going to her house as a kid and she was always baking something. You'd open the door and you'd smell cookies, or bread or something. I remember jumping up on a barstool on Saturday mornings and eating pancakes, or muffins with her."
Taylor absentmindedly traced a groove in the table, vulnerability and bittersweet nostalgia behind her eyes. I wanted to say something, but I couldn't find any semblance of words that felt right. After a prolonged moment of silence, she began to speak again. "Usually she came and picked me up when things were getting bad again. I memorized her phone number early on, I'd call her and let her hear them yelling at each other and the next day she'd come take me for a few days. Mom and Dad would scream at each other all hours of the night, especially after dark when they'd had a drink or two. It was a welcome distraction.."
She looked sad for a moment. "She got into a wreck a few years back, a bad one.. They didn't think she'd make it, but she proved them all wrong. She's got mobility issues now and it hurts her to stand at the stove for a long time. I go out to her house every so often to mow the lawn or go sit with her. If it wasn't for her I don't know if I'd still be here right now."
I slid a hand over the scratched pressboard table and patted her arm in what I hoped was a reassuring way. "Sometimes a welcome distraction is all we need." I offered her a slight smile, which after a moment she returned tentatively. "I know I used to love going to church to get away from my house."
Taylor let out a watery laugh. "You liked going to church? I only went a few times as a kid but even then I thought it was complete bullshit. Sky Daddy and his mysterious ways, ick!"
I couldn't help but laugh with her. In hindsight, some of the things I had learned in church didn't make sense. But, coloring pages and being around kids my own age was enough to make it a fun activity for me.
We sat at the table for hours, chatting about our childhoods, our old best friends and life in general. We laughed, cried and commiserated with one another until the resolute slam of the screen door signaled Matt and Kris coming home.
The fiery redhead looked our way with a mix of confusion, disgust and annoyance. She wiped the sour look off her face after a moment and smiled at me. "Luna, I didn't know you still had Taylor over here."
I could see Dylan had paused his game in the living room to hear the confrontation. Pretending not to listen by looking at his phone, but I could see him slowly scooting closer to the edge of the couch to hear better.
Taylor looked at me and then at Kris, a frown marring her angular features. "I'm guessing you must be Kris."
Kris shot her a smile that could curdle milk. "Guilty as charged. You must be the Taylor I've heard so much about."
The tension in the room was so suffocating I fidgeted in my seat as Taylor reached out to shake Matt's hand. Kris glanced down at the extended appendage as Matt just stared at her for what seemed an eternity. "Nice to meet you, Taylor." Matt's greeting was hollow and his face was neutral, limply shaking her hand and turning to walk further into the kitchen for some food.
Kris looked at us with a gaze of mixed emotions before turning and walking away through the kitchen. She rounded the corner to her room and slammed the door. Matt winced as he stirred a boiling pot. "That woman holds a grudge. Don't take it personally."
Taylor looked incredulously at the older man. "I didn't DO anything to her though!"
Matt turned to us and raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you date Kayce Richards?"
Her lips set in a hard line. "A long time ago, but we ended things amicably. We're friends.. kinda."
Matt looked back at the stove and added his ramen to the pot. "According to Kris, Kayce doesn't see it that way. She says you are a player and an 'ass clown'." Matt's thin lips curved up at one edge at the creative insult as he made quotation marks in the air. "Personally, I don't give a shit what y'all do in your spare time, but I have a firm no-drama policy. I don't wanna see it, I don't want to hear it."
Taylor crossed her arms and looked embarrassed. There was pink creeping up her neck and spreading over her cheeks. She did not seem to like talking about her past, especially about Kayce. "You won't have any drama out of me, but I make no promises about your sister." Her tone was bitter, sharp, but Matt was unfazed.
He pointed a fork at her as he spoke. "Keep my sister's name out of your mouth if you want to keep coming over here." There was no room for argument in Matts deadpan stare. Taylor opened her mouth to send back a snappy retort, but the anxiety steeped in my features made her back off.
"Got it." She ground out, defeated.
Taylor stretched her arms wide above her head and cracked her back. Standing up, she gingerly massaged her hip, trying to return feeling to her derriere. "Well, I guess I'd better get back to my house before my parents start calling me."
She didn't really look like she wanted to go home, but the confrontation with Matt and Kris seemed to be weighing heavily on her mind. I couldn't blame her wanting to get out of the awkwardness hanging in the air.
She collected her things, took the last swig of water from her glass and gave me a small smile. "I'll see you later."
I waved at her, walking her to the door. Thankfully the rain had slowed to a sprinkle and she made it to her car with minimal cursing. The little black Camry roared to life and sped out of the driveway. I couldn't help feeling a little sad, watching her car taillights disappear into the trees alongside the road.
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