Page 72 of Take Care, Taylor

“Yes, and I swear I can handle whatever course load I have to complete this summer. I’ll get everything done.”

“Ha!” He laughed. “You don’t have to take any summer classes, not with your level of work ethic.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your teachers were so impressed with the depth of your writing and attention to detail that they wrote on your behalf to all the colleges where you applied.”

I blinked a few times, softly pinched myself under the table to make sure I was still in reality.

“With all due respect,” I said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Okay.” He winked. “You can continue being modest. You’ll go really far in life with that attitude.”

He kept talking—waxing poetic about my work ethic, my supposed resilience, how “inspiring” I was.

When he finally finished, he handed me a huge binder with my name on it.

It was full of typed essays and analyses I’d never written, completed assignments I’d never seen.

The handwriting looked like mine at first glance, but the extra slant on everylandblooked like someone trying too hard to throw off suspicion.

This was Taylor’s…

Tears pricked my eyes, and my heart swelled.

All I could do was tell the principalthank youand rush back to my car before I broke down completely.

Hey Taylor…

I’m not sure why you did that for me, given our last conversation, but… thank you.

Thank you very much, and best of luck in the real world.

Take care, Audrey

P.S. Your forging skills will take you far in life if college or football doesn’t work out.

P.P.S. Are you majoring in writing, or just focusing on football? (You should try to do both, if you can.)

He didn’t text me back.

BULLY YEARS: FRESHMAN YEAR OF COLLEGE

Several Months Later

Subject:Not Really, But Just So You Know

Dear Taylor,

I sent you a text a few months ago, but I’m not sure if you received it. Everything since—well, you know—has been a bit of a blur, and I’ve done the best I can to get back to some sense of normalcy.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I’m really grateful for what you did for me regarding AP English. I don’t think I ever thanked you properly. (I tried to reach out to you at graduation, but everyone was swarming you as usual, so…)

Best of luck with whatever you choose to do with your life.

Take care,

Audrey