% CHAPTER 20 %

"Hurry up moron! We're late for school!"

Moron. Never heard that one before. It must be a new one. Taylor and I must have met in another lifetime because to me it seems she is hell bent on revenge; revenge meaning she is trying to make my life miserable and she is failing horribly...okay so maybe it's working a little.

"Yeah because you burned the pancakes this morning!" I reply, remembering what happened earlier in the kitchen.

"All because you decided it would be funny while I went to brush my teeth, you'd heat the stove up to high!"

I chuckle. That had all been my idea. "Who even brushes their teeth before they eat?" I ask, changing the subject.

"It's a good habit. Try it. Maybe you'll finally get something good in life."

"Well I already have a girlfriend. What more could I ask for?"

I'm met with silence as she trudged down the stairs in her converse. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say. I mentally roll my eyes. It's not like she likes me anyways.

"She said yes?"

I shrug. "Haven't asked her."

"Do you like her?" She asks warily.

"Well yeah. She's given me the best make-out session at school this year. Why?"

Taylor frowns. "That's not liking her. That's taking advantage of her body."

"I'm pretty sure I'll eventually fall for her as well. I mean its obvious she likes me." Taylor doesn't respond back. I sigh. "You ready to go?"

She nods absentmindedly. Silence really is the worst side of her. Why is it every time she's groping for answers I want to shove an apple into her mouth, but when she finally shuts up for once, I need to hear her constant yelling, telling me she's Taylor? It's like her and I have a complicated relationship or something. And to think I wanted to try and make her like me.

Stupid Luca. Trying to get those dumb thoughts in my head about girls being fragile and how I have to handle her delicately, with care. What does he know? Okay he probably does know more since he just came from Paris, the city of Love. But just because you live there doesn't mean you're affected, I remind myself.

"So what are we telling the group about the Power Point?" I ask while locking the door up.

Just like that, Taylor is back to her usual self. "Oh shit! Bret its all your fault! What are we going to tell them?! I couldn't create a fake one in time..."

"Well then just create a real one. With your parents."

Her expression softens but gets harder as I start up the car. "I don't know my real father," she says quickly, trying to get it out of the way.

"What?"

"I don't know my real father. And honestly I don't want to. That man with my mom is my stepfather, but he's my real dad. He cares for me, unlike that...sperm donor." She shudders.

I've never heard Taylor talk about her life outside of school and work before. Willingly. To me. Hey, maybe she's finally cracking!

Bad Bret! I tell myself. She just opened up to me and I was over here planning how to take advantage. I shouldn't do that. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity here! So perhaps Taylor isn't hell bent on revenge after all. She's still a bitch crazy psycho though...okay just a little.

Hiding all my recent thoughts from my face, I give her a gentle smile. "Well if he's your dad, then let him be your dad. I'm pretty sure they'd love a Power Point for their anniversary right? All I'd have to do was change the anniversary from 9 years to 7 years once I'm done showing the group."

She smiles back genuinely. "That's a great idea Bret."

I gasp dramatically. "You called me Bret!"

She rolls her eyes. "I called you that once before this morning already doofus." She playfully slaps the back of my head. Catch that? Playfully? She finally doesn't hit me out of anger!

I knew Taylor would come through. I knew it. Why did it have to take so damn long?

$_$_$_$

I had asked her out. And she said yes. Now I can get some whenever I want. Does that sound too desperate?

The one and only period I have with Taylor comes along. I sit on her desk, waiting for her to come. Soon I realize, she's not coming. The bell rings. I get off of her desk and go to mine.

Where is she?! Taylor is usually the first one in class. What could have happened? I begin to tap my fingers on the table, a nervous habit of mine. They count the seconds that she is gone. Twenty seconds; thirty seconds. What is she doing?! Taylor wouldn't dare skip a period of school. She would kill herself before resorting to that.

She comes strolling in 5 minutes late and takes her seat. My fingers stop pounding on the wood desk and I give a sigh of relief. Then I give a brief, small smile. She doesn't look at me. She doesn't try making conversation. She just sits there and reads the pages we've been told to read like a good girl.

I roll my eyes. She must be in one of her moods. I begin to doodle on my notebook. Before I realize it, I'd doodled Taylor's name all over that page and little stick figures of a boy and girl holding hands. My eyes blink of shock. My brain can't register it, so I crumble it up and throw it away.

Lunch comes rolling in quickly. I grab a tray of food and sit at the table. It's combined again. Amanda's not sitting here today, but tomorrow I could make an exception or something.

"I could sit right there," she had said.

I had shaken my head. "No no. That's where Taylor sits."

Now Taylor's chair is still empty. What is up with her? I sort of shrug it off. She was late to class. Why wouldn't she just be late to lunch? Maybe she's becoming a normal teenager for once? I mentally scold myself. Taylor could never be a normal teenager.

After seven minutes, I start to get suspicious. Anxiety gets the best of me. And not the good kind. "Where's Taylor?" I ask.

Vic frowns. "Yeah I've been wondering too."

"I saw her talking to Mr. Hemley this morning for a little while and then he left," Isaac says.

Vic's eyes widen in alarm. Her whole demeanor suddenly changes. Her slouch is replaced by a straight back and she nervously bites down on her bottom lip. "Oh no."

I catch her eye. "What?"

Vic looks at me very seriously. "Well ever since the first day of school, Taylor has had a sneaking suspicion Mr. Hemley had it out for her."

Aaron widens his eyes. "What?! As in..."

"Not like he wants to kill her."

"Rape," Connie retorts. "This guy that's in that class told me all about Mr. Hemley's strange behavior around Taylor."

Vic nods her head. "I think so too. But we all know Taylor is very respectful towards teachers and-"

"Oh my god," I say and stand up from the table. My palms are sweaty and I'm beginning to shake. This can't happen to Taylor. It would change her forever. She wouldn't be that sweet innocent school girl anymore. What if she started using drugs or something?! "Oh my god guys. This is really serious."

"But how do we know he would do that? I mean he's a teacher for Christ sake. He wouldn't be that bonkers..." Connie says, her voice faltering at the end. She clears her throat as if to cover up the way her voice wavers at the end. We all hear it though.

"Mr. Hemley is an interesting guy," Vic explains. "And he did try groping at her yesterday."

I'm off before I know it. All that is travelling through my mind as I run out of the cafeteria is when I get my hands on that bastard, he's as good as dead. No one hurts Taylor but me; and I don't even hurt her in that sense. It's more in the mental way.

Getting back on track, I realize I have no idea where I'm going. I run over to Mr. Hemley's room. Amanda has him as a teacher so I know where his room is. No one is there. The lights are out.

Where do I go? Where is Taylor? It's not until I hear some noise from the janitor's closet that I understand. The lamest places are the best places because no one suspects anything.

I bust open the door. What I find is the most horrifying thing a person could ever lay eyes on. Even the monsters under your bed don't compare to the dread mixed in with my stomach.

He's trying to rape Taylor. Duck tape covers her mouth and she's all tied up. An odd emotion flies through me and I find myself ripping him off of her body getting his filthy, horny hands off of her. I beat him down and throw every insult I've ever learned at his face, not caring that I'm a minor and he's a teacher. What he was just trying to do is a crime in America and whether he realizes it or not, he will not leave unscathed. Not with me around.

I pound on him until an administrator comes and finds us, gasping at the horrific scene laid out before all eyes. I stop messing with him and immediately wind my arms tight around Taylor.

She winces at my touch and so do I, not only are the pulses there, but that feeling she's been touched. Her top is partially ripped. Her pants are hanging low.

"I'm so sorry," I say, but before I can remove myself, Taylor puts her head on my chest and starts sobbing.

I then realize she's trying to say something. I hesitantly rip off the tape. She grimaces a bit, but it doesn't stop her from pouring her heart out, which is now coated thick with tears.

"I didn't know! I didn't know he would actually do it! He's been looking at me like that for days now, flirting, trying to touch my thighs! I can't believe he would actually do that and I'm so ashamed! I should have done something. I mean I had the power," she swallows.

I put a finger to her lips. "Shh its okay. You don't need to explain. I just need to know if you're okay."

"Do I look okay?!" She screams. Typical Taylor. I almost roll my eyes, but this is serious. "He bound me to a metal post inside a janitors closet and tried to rape me Bret! I don't think that means I'm okay!"

She sobs into my chest again. All of a sudden, Vic and Co. come out of nowhere and all embrace Taylor, who is still wrapped around me.

"I was suspicious after you told me. I'm sorry I didn't act on it Taylor! I'm such a horrible friend!!" Vic says.

Taylor shakes her head. "Don't go too hard on yourself. You couldn't have possibly known."

"Students please step back. We need to get her somewhere safe."

I keep holding on. "She's my cousin! In my arms is the safest place she could ever be!"

I squeeze my eyes shut. School is supposed to be a safe environment, yet here we are flocking around a girl who has almost been raped by her teacher. Safe environment my ass!

"Mr. Mendoza! Just step away."

I grumble, but comply. Seeing her like this is not too good. After leaving her to the staff, I give Derek a ring.

"Yo Derek. Something major just happened..."

I explain the story to him and all he can say is, "Oh dear." In the end he does say," I'll put the movie on hold then for two weeks."

I thank him for understanding and saunter off. The way I know Taylor, she's not going to miss me.

The bell rings and I go to my locker. I'm pretty sure someone threw my tray away. Time to be with Ashley. Wait, it was Amanda wasn't it?

$_$_$_$

Taylor is watching tv when I come home from school. "Everything going good?" I ask. She nods without looking away from her entertainment. "May I ask...what happened?" She closes her eyes for a moment before opening them. "Ah that was stupid of me. You really don't have to-"

She turns off the tv. I don't know if I'm about to get dogged out or get told the story. I hope its the one where no pain is inflicted upon me.

"No its okay. I'm used to your snarky comments already." Did she just call my comments 'snarky'? Well that's very thoughtful. "It started on the first day. He wanted me closer to his desk, so he made me switch seats with this one kid named Arnold just so I was in front of his desk. I'm pretty sure he was checking out my cleavage too, but...he was a teacher for Christ sake! I thought he would control himself or something! Anyways, I was keeping calm and collected because I thought he wouldn't try anything and treated him with respect. Then the next day..." She winces and looks at her thumbs, which are rotating around one another. "...he flirted. Well today, after class, he told me he wanted to talk to me. So he did. He said he wanted me, but I had to keep quiet. He then told me to...meet him in the janitors closet. I refused. I said that was absurd and then he left. I thought it was over until lunch time came around and he dragged me by my hair to the janitors closet. And then he tried-"

"I know the rest Taylor. You don't have to go on."

She looks me square in the eye. "But if I do, will I forget?" What I see in her eyes are emotions of pure terror. I've never seen them on her before and I don't want them there. Her feisty attitude suits her better. Way better. But I can't stop these emotions going on in her head. I can only ease them a bit.

I sigh and take a seat on the couch next to her. "I don't know Taylor. Only time will tell."

Then she does something surprising. She wraps her arms tight around me and asks me not to let go. I don't. I can feel the streaming tears in my heart before I can see or hear them and I realize she really is broken. Taylor's life is probably changed forever due to her near experience.

She lays sprawled in my arms like that for ages and we don't bother moving.

"Here make yourself comfortable," I say after a little and lay down on the couch. She does too, with her arms still around me. I grab onto her waist and pull her closer. I can feel the pulses but I can't do anything about it. I don't want her to be any more freaked out than she already is.

I comb my hands through her hair softly as her tears run down my neck. They feel prickly. It's like we've connected on some level. We are now more than frenemies. We're actual friends, consoling each other when we needed to and being happy when we wanted to.

But as I lay with Taylor on the couch, despite having a girlfriend, I can't help but wonder if being just friends what I really want?