Page 67 of Take Care, Taylor

“I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to do it,” she said, lowering her voice. “There’s nothing anyone can say when someone loses both their parents.”

WHAT?My jaw dropped.

The room tilted, and the tulips slipped from my hand, hitting the tile with a soft thud.

“It’s truly awful, isn’t it?” She shook her head. “They were sideswiped on their way to pick her up yesterday…”

I stared straight ahead, completely speechless.

“I know you two have your moments, but…” She patted my shoulder. “I’m sure she appreciates your sentiment. Did you bring a card for me and the other teachers to sign?”

“I left it in my car…” I scooped up the flowers and rushed outside, my mind racing a mile a minute.

I sped back to our neighborhood and pulled into Audrey’s driveway. Jumping out, I rang the doorbell, but there was no answer. I knocked as hard as I could, and there was still no sign of life.

Oh my God, Audrey…

I pulled out my phone to call her, but the door slowly opened and she poked her head out. Her puffy red eyes met mine.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“I heard what happened,” I said, holding up the flowers. “I was wondering if?—”

“If what?” she hissed. “If I wanted to see you right now? Of all people?”

I said nothing.

“Why do you hate me so much, Taylor?” Her voice cracked. “Why can’t you just…” Her sentence dissolved into sobs, and I pulled her against my chest.

“My parents are gone.Gone!”

Her tears soaked my shirt. “Why the fuck does my life have to suck so bad? What did I fucking do, Taylor? What did I fucking do?”

“I’m sorry.” I felt her losing her balance and held her tighter. “I’m so sorry.”

For once, I didn’t have a single cruel word left in me. All the noise in my head went silent.

I rubbed my palms up and down her back as she cried for hours. We stood like that until the sun set, and she didn’t fight me when I volunteered to stay the night with her.

And for the first time, I realized hating her had never really been the point.

BULLY YEARS: TWELFTH GRADE (FIRST SEMESTER)

AUDREY

Taylor stayed by my side the next night, too.

He stayed at my house the entire weekend while family came into town to help with the funeral and burial plans.

The sound of his footsteps down the hall became the only thing that kept the house from feeling completely empty.

And he kept showing up every day after that.

TRACK 27. LOVER (1:55)

AUDREY

The following Wednesday