by Naomi Niles
I was Captain – the height of my career. I might even cheer in college if I could figure out where I wanted to go.
“Hey, Taylor,” Cole said to me.
I refocused onto him. He’d been talking to Dylan most of the afternoon. I was probably paying more attention to the baseball tryouts than Cole was. “Hi, Cole.”
He was a good guy, but not dateable. He was firmly in my friend zone, and I was a little hurt that he was okay with it.
“I hear Dylan lives with you.”
“Yeah. I guess it’s temporary. How did he do?”
“I think okay, but my opinion doesn’t matter. Coach has to choose.”
Barbie stalked over. She had a crush on Cole. She had a crush on most boys. “Hi, Cole.”
At least today she didn’t hang on him. “Hi, Barbie.” He turned back to me. “I have to go; the guys are waiting. See you around.”
“Bye, Cole,” Barbie called.
Even I could hear the pout in her voice. She was disgusting. She had no taste. “We need to practice that cheer one more time.”
“Oh, Taylor. Haven’t we practiced enough?”
That whine cut through me. Barbie always wanted to stop early. “Well, we could do the cheer or we could do laps.”
“I hate running,” she said.
“Then do the cheer again. I need to see how we look for the competition,” I said.
Barbie stalked back to the group and told them. They all groaned. I glanced back as Dylan was walking with Cole toward his car. Guess they were bonding. I wasn’t sure how I liked that.
Cole was in my group of friends. This might give Dylan entry into my world. I didn’t know how I felt about that. He might not be a resident of my house for long. Should I give him a chance?
He did try out for baseball. Even if he didn’t make it, I thought he and Cole would be probably friends.
Cole got along with everyone. I don’t know how that happened. How did a person not settle on a group? Everyone had to be part of some group, except for those few kids on the fringe of everything.
They’d be the ones I’d read about years from now having shot people in a fast food joint.
I turned back to my squad. They were looking at me to start them cheering.
“A little distracted, Taylor?” Bailey said.
“No.”
“I think you’re hot for Dylan.”
“What?”
I knew that I wasn’t hot for Dylan. I just was curious about him. I wasn’t going to explain that to them.
“Dylan and Taylor sitting in a tree,” Bailey sang.
“What are you? Four? Let’s go girls. We need to get this cheer down if we expect to win the competition.”
I watched them go through it. My part didn’t interact, so I could watch for a few times. “Bailey, your cartwheel was crooked. Sally, you were one beat behind.”
Was this the first time these girls were doing this?
“We’re tired, Taylor,” Bailey said. “Can’t we quit for today.”
I looked around. “Is that what everyone wants?”
“It’s almost six. We’ve been doing this since three,” Barbie whined.
They did have a point. “Okay. We can call it a day, but I expect everyone to work twice as hard on Saturday.”
“The SATs are on Saturday.”
“Not all day,” I said.
These ladies were not the fierce competitors I wanted them to be. I glanced back at the parking lot as Cole drove out. Dylan was in the front seat of the car. Guess they were friends.
“I think you’re jealous that Dylan has made a friend,” Bailey said in my ear.
I spun around. “I don’t care what Dylan does.”
“I think you do. Come clean, Taylor. You like him.”
“I don’t even know him,” I told her.
I didn’t. We really hadn’t talked. Bailey left as I cleaned up our pom poms. I called my dad. He arrived fifteen minutes later to pick me up.
“So, Dylan went out with friends?” he said when I climbed in the car.
“Cole, a guy on the baseball team.”
“So, you were keeping track of him today?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, Daddy. He just came up to ask me if he should let you guys know.”
“I’m glad he’s making friends. Didn’t he have friends before?”
“I don’t know. I never noticed him until you brought him home. Why did you bring him home?”
“Because we have so much and he has so little.”
“Where did you find him?”
“That doesn’t matter, pumpkin. I just wish you would try to be nice to him. He’s had a rough life.”
“I was impressed that he tried out for baseball,” I said.
I didn’t want my father to know that I’d actually ignored the boy all day. I really didn’t know what to say to Dylan.
“That’s good. I did ask him to find an activity. I think doing those activities keeps you out of trouble. You have to budget your time better when you have things going on.”
“Is he taking the SATs on Saturday?”
“I don’t know, honey. I’ll have to ask him. He should. That would leave his options open.”
I nodded. He’d been preaching my whole life about keeping options open. I wanted to believe that if I chose something other than college, my dad would be okay with it, but I wasn’t sure. My mother wanted me to go to college to meet a man. How old-fashioned.
***
My homework awaited me after dinner. Dylan came home from burgers with his friends and disappeared into his room. He was at the other end of the second floor. My parents’ room was on the third floor.
I liked having that much privacy.
My father poked his head into my room. “You need anything from me, cupcake? I’m going to bed. I have to be out even earlier than usual tomorrow.”
“No, Daddy. I’m fine. I might get some ice cream later.”
“Don’t stay up too late.”
He kissed my cheek then left me. As I turned back to my computer, I heard a knocking on my door. I turned to find Dylan in my doorway.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” I said back.
We were still strangers, and I have to say it was awkward to have a guy across the hall, even if that hall was very long.
“I left my math book at school. Can I borrow yours?”
“Uh, okay. Did he give us homework in that class?”
“Yes. He did. Chapter twenty three.”
“Yikes. Good thing I brought it home,” I said.
He nodded, then smiled. “Do you want to do the homework first and I’ll come back later?”
I reached into my backpack. “No. I’ll do the homework later.”
“I’ll get this back to you in fifteen minutes.”
I looked at him with wide eyes. “It only takes you that long to do your math homework?”
“Yeah. To me, it’s easy.”
“Wow. I will have to get you to help me this weekend. I can’t seem to grasp it.”
“Were you recommended for this class?” he asked me.
“No, but my mother wanted me to take it for college.”
“Well, there’s your problem. You weren’t ready for it.”
“My stupid grades reflect it,” I said.
This was comfortable. I could talk about school with him. Then the silence fell, but I kind of didn’t want him to leave. “Uh. Did you get on the team?”
He frowned. “No, I didn’t make it.”
“I’m sorry, Dylan.”
He shrugged. “It’s okay. Your dad was right. I need to put myself out there and try things.”
That might mean he wouldn’t be friends with Cole. That would be okay. “You did that.”
“I’ll have to see what else I can get involved with.”
“How’s your mother?”
Another frown. “She’s out of the hospital, but in a rehab center. She’ll be there for a few days.”
>
“Was it drugs?”
His face fell. I should have asked that.
“Forget I asked. I’m sorry, Dylan.”
I really was. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. He was turning out to be a nice guy.
“It’s okay. It was almost an overdose.”
“I’m sorry, Dylan.”
“Not your fault.”
His face wasn’t so open anymore. I had tread on personal ground and I had to bring things back around. “Uh, are you taking the SATs on Saturday?”
“I’m signed up, but I don’t know if I’ll bother.”
I shifted in my chair to get more comfortable. “Why not?”
“Not like I can afford college.”
“You haven’t applied anywhere?”
“No. I couldn’t visit.”
“You could start at the local community college,” I said. Part of me wanted to go there for nursing, but I knew my mother didn’t want me to go into that field. It was a fight we had often.
“I can’t pay for it.”
“Financial aid.”
“But that has to be filled out by a parent, and that’s not going to happen.”
That was a bind. “There must be something you can do.”
“I can be emancipated.”
“But we’re eighteen. Aren’t we considered adults?”
“Not in terms of financial aid.”
“Then get emancipated. What does that mean?”
He leaned against the door frame. “It means that I can take care of myself. That I’m not under a parent’s authority.”
“Do it.”
“It costs money and I’m not working,” he said.
“Maybe my dad could help.”
He shook his head. “Your father has done enough for me. I can’t ask him to do more.”
“I could.”
“No, Taylor.”
It was only the second time he’d said my name, and I liked how it sounded in his mouth. That was odd, for sure. I wasn’t usually attracted to the bad boy and with his longer hair, scruff, and tattoos he was definitely a bad boy.
“Why not? He’d do it if I asked.”
“I know he would, and I’d owe him even more that I do now.”
“It’s okay to ask for help, Dylan.”
“Not for me,” he said.
I didn’t understand. I asked for help all of the time. Was it a guy thing? Maybe. My father helped me all of the time.
“Is it because you’ve never had anyone to help you?”
“Why are you trying to analyze me?” He pushed off the doorframe. “I’ll get this book back to you in fifteen minutes.”
He spun then walked out. I’d pissed him off. I ran to my door. “Dylan?”
He stopped in the hallway then turned to me. “What?”
“I’m sorry for whatever I said wrong.”
He pressed his lips together. “It’s fine, Taylor. You don’t have any idea.”
“No, I don’t. So, if I do it again, please tell me and know that I don’t mean it.”
He studied me, and I wasn’t sure what he was thinking. I told myself to never play poker with Dylan. Certainly not strip poker. Now, where had that idea come from? I’d never played strip anything with anyone.
“It’s okay, Taylor. You don’t know any better.”
“But I’m not a child, so tell me when I insult you. I don’t want to.”
He nodded. “Okay. Deal.”
I smiled, but he didn’t return it. Instead, he turned back around and left me alone in the hallway. What an odd person this Dylan was. Would I ever understand him?
Chapter Five
Dylan
Cole greeted me outside of school after Taylor’s mom dropped us off. I wasn’t sure if he’d even notice me since I didn’t make the team.
“Tough break, not making the team,” he said.
The email had landed in my inbox only minutes before I arrived home last night. It had been nice to be out with kids my age as if I didn’t have a care in the world. The reality of my mother in the hospital didn’t creep in until I woke in the middle of the night.
I had been disoriented, not sure where I was. The bed was too soft. The room too big. Then, I remembered. I wasn’t able to sleep any more with worry for her. I should be worried. She is my mother.
Taylor poured me some coffee when she saw my face that morning. Maybe she wasn’t such a bitch after all.
“I’ll be okay. Guess I have to try something else,” I said as we walked into the school.
“How’s everything else going?”
Part of me wanted to take a step back. Why was he asking? “Uh, okay, I guess.”
“How’s your mother?”
I had told him about my mother last night. I don’t know what I had been thinking, but I guess I needed to unburden myself. Now, I wish I hadn’t. “Uh, she’s okay. I’ll go visit her this weekend.”
“Is it better living with the Deans?”
“Yeah, it is. They’ve all been nice.”
We walked toward by locker. I opened it and pulled out what I needed for the next few classes.
“Even Taylor?” Cole said.
“Even Taylor. She isn’t so bad.”
Cole shook his head. “Not so sure I’d trust that.”
“Why not?”
I had nothing to lose by trusting Taylor. It wasn’t as if she could kill my reputation in school. Everyone already thought of me as a thug or bad boy. How could it get any worse? Taylor had nothing on me. I was pretty sure that Mr. Dean hadn’t told her what I’d been doing when he found me. Even if he had and she spread it around, no one would care.
Sadly, they wouldn’t be surprised by it – that’s how everyone thought of me.
“She’s not all she seems to be. I’ve seen her screw a few people over.”
“Well, I’m all for giving everyone a chance. Especially since I don’t ever get one,” I said.
Cole shrugged. “I think you’ll be sorry, man.”
“What has she done to you?”
He put a hand on his chest. “To me? Nothing. I keep her at a distance. I’m firmly in her friend zone.”
“If you’re her friend, why are you talking trash about her?”
Made me wonder what he would say about me behind my back.
“I’m not talking trash. I’m just warning you. Friend to friend. That’s it. Don’t kill the messenger.”
I bit my tongue. No need to make an enemy of Cole. Being friends with him could keep some people off of my back. “Okay, no problem.”
Cole flashed a winning smile that would open doors for him in life. I didn’t have a winning smile. Instead, I had an off-putting scowl which Cole hadn’t seemed to be bothered by.
It hadn’t bothered Taylor last night, either. I’d reserve judgement on her. She deserved a chance. Not that she needed one from me.
She was currently surrounded by what I thought of as her groupies. As Cole and I walked by, they all checked him out. I can’t imagine they were checking me out. When I looked at Taylor, though, her gaze was on me. She smiled.
That was the most recognition she’d ever given me in school. I smiled back, then moved on to my first class. I could have walked her there, but I doubted that she would like that. No reason to push my luck.
We had a pop quiz in math and I could tell that Taylor wasn’t doing well. She kept huffing and groaning. It might be fun to help her out later. She wasn’t bad to look at, at all. She wasn’t my type, but that’s okay. It was just homework help.
, the teacher collected our papers. When Taylor turned to put something in her purse, she glanced at me. Her brow was furrowed and her frown creased her face.
That bites. She’s pretty unhappy. I smiled at her, but she didn’t smile back. I didn’t take it personally.
The class went quickly and, to my surprise, Taylor was waiting for me in the hallway at the end.
“I really need your help this weekend,” she said.
/> She didn’t look around at all. She just stared at me.
“I can help you, but maybe you better let your mother know that you can’t do this class.”
“We’re in the second semester already. I can’t drop it now.”
I nodded. She was right. “That sucks. Okay. We’ll set aside some time this weekend.”
“Thank, Dylan.”
She flitted away. I watched her for a moment, and then I realized Cole was walking the other way. He glanced at Taylor as she went by, then at me. He shook his head.
“Nothing’s going on, Cole. She asked for math help.”
“That’s how it starts. Haven’t you seen any teen movies? That’s how it starts.”
“We live in the same house and I doubt that Mr. Dean would appreciate me doing his daughter right under his nose. He’d kick me out and I don’t want that to happen.”
“Keep that in mind, sport.”
I would. I owed Mr. Dean a lot. Fucking his daughter would be the last thing I should do. Besides, she wasn’t interested in me and wasn’t my type. No worries. We could probably be practically naked and I wouldn’t be interested in her.
Cole slapped me on the back. “I got class. Hey, I’m getting some friends together on Saturday. Come by my house about eight. We’ll hang out. Play some video games.”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
My weekend was wide open, after all. No dates. No parties, but really there never were.
***
I stopped in the men’s room before my last class. I’d waited all day. I was in there alone, thankfully. Using the urinal then washed my hands. That’s when I saw it.
I’d been thinking about what Cole had said about Taylor. She’d been on my mind all day, and I hoped I could help her.
Written on the wall were the words: “Taylor Dean is a slut.”
I didn’t think she was. Cole had said she was a cock tease. That usually meant that she was virgin. So how could she be a slut?
Someone came in and I took my time washing my hands. I’d be late for my next class, but that was fine.
“Hey,” the person said as they washed their hands.
“Hey.”
That guy left as the bell rang. Shit, I was going to be really late for class. I dug into my backpack for a marker. I couldn’t let that sit there. I’d never had a sister, but I wouldn’t want someone to say that about her if I did.
She wasn’t and even if she was, it wasn’t up to someone else to make that judgment. I knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of judgment. Most people thought things of me that weren’t true. I knew that I’d never overcome my reputation in this school, but no need to drag Taylor down.