by Naomi Niles
“Damn. That’s cold. I gotta go. I’m sorry, Dylan. I can pick you up for school tomorrow.”
“That sounds good.”
He left me to my trailer. Home, sweet, hovel, as my mother would say. Why had I thought I deserved more?
Someone knocked on the door. I though Cole had come back. It was Mr. Dean. Was he here to yell at me, too?
I let him in. He looked around. “Dylan.”
“Mr. Dean.”
What was I going to say? I wasn’t sorry. I really cared about his daughter. I knew I’d been stupid, but I didn’t know how to handle the situation any differently.
He handed me the laptop and the phone. “These are yours. You keep them. I’ll pay the phone bill.”
I nodded. Why was he being so nice? He looked around again. “She’s my daughter, Dylan. My pride and joy.”
“I know. I care about her, Mr. Dean.”
“Well, I don’t think I can trust you anymore.”
“I understand. Is Taylor okay?”
“She’s upset. Grounded, but she’ll live,” he said.
I could see the struggle on his face. He liked me, but Taylor was his daughter. His loyalty was to her. He pulled out his wallet. He handed me an even bigger was of cash than Cole did. “This should hold you for a little while.”
“Thank you.”
The trek to the grocery store wouldn’t be fun without a car, but I needed to at least get some food for a day or so.
“I trusted you, Dylan.”
“I know, sir. And, I betrayed that trust. She isn’t just some girl to me. She’s special.”
“Well, that isn’t enough. I’m disappointed in both of you. Maybe if you had come talked to me, we could have worked something out, but the two of you snuck around behind my back.”
“I know, sir. It was wrong.”
I couldn’t apologize anymore. He wasn’t going to forgive me. That was the reality of my situation.
And, I’d done it to myself. I had a chance at a good life and I’d thrown it away. Mr. Dean pulled a business card out of his pocket. “This person is hiring part timers. I put in a good word for you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
At least I’d have a job. Hopefully, I could get rides to it and not screw things up – like I did with the Deans.
As long as my uncle would let me live here I think I’d be okay. Too bad that uncle lived far away and wasn’t willing to help me any further than this trailer.
I should be grateful for that. Right? I should be grateful for my time with Taylor. All girls after her would be judged based on how she’d been.
“I better go. Mrs. Dean is pretty mad. Even at me. I wish things had been different, son. Good luck and don’t give up on college.”
He stuck out his hand. I shook it, then he left. I was alone in my new home, or rather, my old home.
I sighed. I might as well clean it up, but part of me just wanted to crawl into my lumpy bed. Maybe things would look better tomorrow. Or I’d wake up from this nightmare in the Deans’ house again. That this was all a mistake.
As I looked around, I knew it wasn’t.
My phone dinged with a text from Taylor.
“They are taking my phone away, but if you need anything from me, call Helena. She’ll get a message to me.”
I smiled down at her. Still taking care of me.
“Thanks,” I texted back.
I dropped the phone on the table. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.
I crawled into my crappy bed, remembering the soft sheets and the even softer daughter at the Dean house. I’m stupid. That has to be it. Why did I let myself get sent back here? I stared at the ceiling as the wind began to blow.
The trailer shook, and I’d forgotten it did that. Fuck.
What an idiot I am and now I was back here. The last place I’d ever wanted to return to.
I curled up on my side as the wind picked up.
Chapter Thirty Two
Taylor
Helena drove me home from school a few days later. My mother was out and my father was travelling.
“Can we detour to see Dylan?” I said.
“You want to chance it?”
“I have to. I have to make this right.”
“You’re going to get into deeper trouble,” she told me.
“Probably.”
I needed to see Dylan. I’d only seen him in class, and we didn’t have time to talk. He wasn’t staying after school anymore, either. I wondered if he quit the mathletes. That would be a shame. He’d enjoyed that.
I wanted to kiss Dylan, but I wanted to talk to him more.
Helena parked by the trailer. I had to admit I was astonished when I saw it again. “Holy shit. He wasn’t kidding when he described this place.”
“Sad, really,” Helena said. “I’ll wait in the car.”
“Thanks.”
I didn’t know if he was home, so I knocked lightly on the front door that looked like it would fall off if I knocked any harder. Dylan couldn’t stay here. I had to make this right. I had to fix this. No human should have to live like this.
“Taylor. What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you, Dylan.”
He glanced past me, waving at Helena. He opened the door further so I could go in. I kissed him. “You’re going to get into trouble, Taylor.”
“I know, but I needed to see you.”
I didn’t want to stop touching him. He had dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t been sleeping.
“I have to get ready for work.”
“Go ahead.”
“I need to change.”
“I’ve seen you naked,” I said – and wouldn’t mind seeing him again.
He frowned as he led me to the bedroom. Tiny was an understatement. I sat on the bed as he stripped down to his underwear then put on his uniform.
“My parents have agreed to let me study nursing. I’ve applied to a few schools.”
“Have you gotten anything back?”
“No, but I’m thinking it will be for a January enrollment.”
God, he was hot. Even in that stupid uniform. He pumped gas and had his name on the pocket. I knew my father had gotten him the job.
“That won’t be too bad.”
“No, it won’t. I just wish I’d figured this out sooner.”
“Right.”
“There’s still the prom,” I said.
He stopped to stare at me. “Has someone asked you?”
“No.”
I had hoped he would, but he might have changed his mind about me. I cleared my throat. “I think I can talk my dad into letting you take me.”
“Taylor, that’s wishful thinking.”
“I think he feels guilty about my mother kicking you out.”
Dylan shook his head. “He isn’t, Taylor. He’s right. We shouldn’t have been messing around.”
“They only know that we dated. They don’t know what else we did.”
Dylan looked at his watch. “Will Helena drive me to my job?”
“Of course.”
“Then you need to get home after that. Don’t get in trouble for me.”
I kissed him. He kissed back, and I wanted him to make love to me, but he had to get to work. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too, Taylor, but this can’t be. Please don’t come around.”
I felt my eyes get wet. “You don’t care anymore.”
He pulled me into his arms. “Of course, I do. I don’t want you to get into trouble. Don’t make it worse. Just let me be.”
“But this isn’t fair, Dylan.”
“Life is not fair, sweetie. It isn’t. The sooner you learn that the better,” he said.
“I know, but you’ve been trying so hard and now you’re back here in the trailer. I worry about you here.”
He stroked my face. “Oh, Taylor. I’m fine. I can take care of myself.”
He kissed me, and I really didn’t want him to go to work. Helena beeped
the horn. Dylan smiled. “We better go or we’ll both be late.”
I nodded, but I liked how I fit into his arms.”
He nudged me away. “Let’s go, Taylor.”
He climbed into the backseat. “Where am I taking you?” Helena asked.
I told her which gas station he worked for. She nodded. “I know it well.”
“Good because I can’t be late.”
She smiled. I turned in my seat to look at him.
“What?”
“I’m just glad to see you.”
“Taylor, we can’t keep doing this.”
“I know, but I’m going to look at you while I can. I’m going to figure this situation out.”
He reached up and squeezed my hand. “I think this is something that you can’t fix. I appreciate the effort, but you have to move on.”
“I refuse.”
He cocked his head. “You have no choice, honey. This is how life is, and you need to listen to your parents. I have to work to get money for food, and I won’t have a lot of time for you.”
“Are you breaking up with me?”
He took a deep breath. “It’s how it has to be, Taylor.”
I felt a lump form in my throat. “I’m not giving up on us, Dylan. We were meant to be together. I know it.”
He frowned. “I wish you would just let it go.”
“No, Dylan. I won’t.”
Helena dropped him off at the gas station. He kissed me through the window. My heart hurt as I watched him walk into the office.
“Help me, Helena. There has to be a solution.”
“Unless you can convince your parents that you are better off with Dylan than without, I don’t see this working. And, I don’t mean emotionally. I mean, like, you’re safer with Dylan.”
“Hm.”
Her statement got some creative juices flowing. I didn’t have the answer yet, but I would. I was determined. My parents would see Dylan for the good kid he was. They would see what I see in him and he’d be back in our house.
Chapter Thirty Three
Dylan
When I returned home from work a few days later, there was a box of mail waiting for me. I guess Mr. Dean had dropped it off. That was important; I needed to see if I had any acceptances. Even if I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to go, I wanted to know I could go to college.
I hadn’t sorted things out with financial aid, but I would. I had to figure out how to make this work. I wasn’t going to stay in this trailer forever.
My phone rang. The caller ID read Helena.
“Hi.”
“It’s Taylor.”
A smile lit my face. That girl could always make me smile. “Hey.”
“I haven’t gotten my phone back, but Helena and I are doing homework. I wanted to hear your voice.”
“Nice to hear your voice, too.”
“Are you doing homework?”
“No, I just got home from work. I need to shower and then get started.”
“Are you keeping your grades up?”
“I am,” I assured her.
“I miss you.”
“I miss you, too.”
Clearly, she wasn’t going to listen to me about not keeping in touch. Taylor had her own mind and she was going to be an amazing woman when she grew up. She was already pretty cool. I did miss her. We’d begun to spend so much time together, I was almost having withdrawal symptoms from not seeing her.
“You still in uniform?”
“I am.” I stood in my bedroom. “I’m going to put you on speaker so I can get out of these clothes. They smell like gasoline.”
“Yuck.”
“Tell me about it. This trailer now stinks.”
“Do you have a washer and dryer?”
“No. It’s a trip to the laundromat for me.”
“How do you get there?”
“I walk. It isn’t far.”
“Damn, Dylan. That sucks.”
Tell me about it. I was the one who had to do the walking. Tomorrow, I’d have to do it. I had the day off from the gas station and after school would be laundry time. At least I could bring the laptop and get some homework done since the laundromat had Wi-Fi.
“Yep, but it is what it is.”
“I’d be pissed.”
“I think you’re mad enough for both of us,” I said.
She laughed “I guess so.”
“I’d love to talk, sweetie, but I can’t stand how I smell and I can’t take the phone into the shower.”
“Wow. You should send me a pic of you in the shower.”
I laughed. “You’re using Helena’s phone. I’m not sending her a naked picture of me.”
“Good point.”
“I need to sort through the mail your dad dropped off,” I said.
I’d noticed come college envelopes in there. Maybe they were acceptances.
“One more minute, Dylan? Please. Helena has to go soon,” she said.
“Okay, but we both have homework.”
“Why are you so practical?”
“I’ve had to be, Taylor. I’d love to be frivolous, but I can’t be. Life is serious now.”
She sighed. I knew that she was never going to really understand what I was going through. I almost hoped she’d get bored with me, that way she’d move on and I would have to see or hear her.
It hurt. Truly, it hurt. Maybe I was in love with her. I didn’t know. I was eighteen and suddenly had to grow up and take care of myself. She didn’t have to.
“I’m really sorry. I haven’t figured out a solution to our problem, but Helena is helping me.”
I sat on the bed in my underwear, sorting through the mail. “How was your day?”
I didn’t want to hear about a non-existent solution to this problem. I’d done this to myself, and I had to man up and deal with the consequences.
“It was okay. Barbie quit cheerleading.”
“What was her reason?”
“She said it was because of her grades, but I think it is her new boyfriend.”
Guess she’d moved on from me, not that I was hurt or surprised. The girl had the attention span of a toddler. I’m sure I’d only been a blip on her radar, despite the stink she’d made.
“Yeah, us guys distract you.”
I opened a large envelope from Penn State. It said: “Congratulations.” I scanned the letter while Taylor chattered on. When she took a breath, I said, “I got into Penn State.”
“Nice, Dylan, congrats.”
I was pretty stoked. It was number one on my list. I just needed to know what kind of financial aid they were going to give me. That was the key. I clearly couldn’t afford college on my own. I’d probably have thousands of dollars of debt when I got out if I didn’t get grants.
A problem for another day. The next two envelopes were acceptances also. So far, I’d gotten into every college that I wanted to.
Now to pay for it.
I sighed. Taylor talked on as I said non-committal things at the right moment. Guess that was enough. I was suddenly very tired. I laid down on the bed, missing the comfortable one at the Dean house.
“You still there?” Taylor said.
“I am. I have to get into the shower and get my homework done before I fall asleep. I better go. Thank Helena for letting you use her phone.”
“She’s a good friend, I know.”
“Yes, she is, Taylor. Keep her close.”
“That sounded ominous.”
“No. It isn’t.”
We hung up finally about ten minutes later. I wanted to close my eyes for a moment, but I knew if I did, the next thing I knew, it would be morning and my homework would not be done. That would be bad.
Now that I had tasted the good life, I wanted it. I was determined to make myself better and to get out of this trailer. I was never going to be poor again.
College would do that for me and I had to finagle a way to pay for it. If it killed me, I would graduate and make something of mysel
f.
I would have that big house.
Chapter Thirty Four
Taylor
Since I wasn’t grounded anymore, I told my mother that I was staying at Helena’s house. My girl was covering for me. I had no intention of being at her house, but she was a good friend.
No, I was heading to Dylan’s house. He was working, but I knew when he’d be home. I also knew where his spare key was. I had a surprise for my man.
Me.
The place smelled, but I’d probably get used to it. He was a guy and notoriously they weren’t as clean was women. At least, from my experience. Dylan’s room had always been messier than mine, but the trailer was not messy.
It just smelled of gasoline. Guess he couldn’t help that unless he undressed outside.
I knew which room was his bed and he’d made it that morning. I undressed and slid into the sheets. They smelled of Dylan and I was already turned on when he came in. He flicked on the light.
“Hi,” I said, trying to act like I surprised my lover all the time.
He put a hand on his chest. “Taylor, you scared me.”
“That wasn’t the reaction I was hoping for.”
He laughed. He stood there in his boxers and a t-shirt. If it was up to me, he wouldn’t be wearing them. But I suddenly felt shy. This didn’t seem as cool as it had in my head.
“Hi,” he said finally.
“Come on in. The covers are warm.”
“I need to shower first, Taylor. I smell like a gas station.”
“I’ll wait. I have all night.”
His eyebrows shot up. “All night?”
“My parents think that I’m at Helena’s,” I said.
He nodded and strode to the bathroom. The water turned on then he was back a few minutes later, a towel wrapped around his waist. Just when I thought he couldn’t look any sexier, he did.
He dropped the towel, then slid under the covers. His hair was damp and messy. I didn’t care. I wanted to be with Dylan again.
“You sure?” he said.
“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t sure,” I said.
He kissed me and my body was already on fire or him. When he stopped, he lifted up the covers to look at me. His smile said it all, which sent a thrill through me.
He nibbled at my neck as I ran my hands down his back. Then he took one of my breasts in his mouth. My fingers were jammed into his hair, my body writhing as he kissed down my stomach.