Love Divided

Senior Year, Taylor’s POV

“CHARLIE!! Dude, come on! We’re going to be late! I’m about to leave you! I refuse to be late on the first day!” I screamed from outside the bathroom door as Charlie stood in there taking his precious time.

“Taylor, chillllllll, we’re 5 minutes away and we still have 15 minutes to get there!” Charlie said as he finally opened the door and walked out.

We have been late for the first day of school every year since we started driving ourselves and it has always been because Charlie takes forever to get ready and we end up missing all of the beginning of the year speeches and all the important information.

“Charlie, seriously, come on, we’ve got to get to school!” I fussed as I ran down the stairs and took off out the front door. Thankfully, Charlie came out right behind me and we got to school just in time. It was so hard to believe we are seniors, finally seniors. This is it. This time next year we will be decorating dorm rooms and starting a wild chapter of our lives.

As we made our way to the auditorium I saw him. His bright blue eyes, his beautiful smile, he was perfect. Who was he? Where did he come from? I have never seen him around here because I know I would remember his gorgeous face. He looked up at me and flashed that perfect smile and instantly I was head over heels.

“Taylor? Did you hear me?” Charlie asked, snapping me out of my daydream.

“Huh? What?” I said looking apologetic.

“I said did you ask your mom if we can use the lake house for the back to school bash?” He said looking at me with a curious face.

“Oh, yeah, she said she didn’t mind. She just said we have to clean up whatever mess gets made.”

“H*LL YES! This is going to be the best back to school party EVER!” He shouted, “YO EVERYONE I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT! Party this weekend at Taylor’s lake house, if you don’t know the addy get up with one of us or find someone else who knows, I don’t care either way, just be there!” The halls erupted in screams which Charlie absolutely loved.

After over an hour of listening to the same exact speech we have heard for the past three years, we made our way to class for the first day of senior year.

After the bell rang and our first day was over, I met Charlie at the back entrance like we have done every year since we started high school, only he was not there. I stood there and waited for Charlie, my class was probably closer to the doors than his, maybe he is on his way. As I stood there looking around, I saw him again. That gorgeous dark hair, those eyes, that smile, I was already hooked and I do not even know his name. He walked down the hall towards the door with such confidence. When he made it too the doors, he stopped “Hey, you’re Taylor, right?” I was so shocked, he remembers my name, the school’s new hottest thing remembers my name. “Oh, yeah, yeah, I’m Taylor!” I stuttered. He laughed, “Hey, Taylor, I’m Evan. That party this weekend, mind if I come?” “Of course, yeah! Let me find.. here, let me write it down for you!” I said, probably sounding way too excited. “Why don’t you just give me your number and you can just send it to me.” he said with a sly grin on his face, handing me his phone. “Is this your grand plan to get my number? You could’ve just asked, you didn’t have to seem interested in a party to get it,” I smiled typing my number in his phone. He laughed, “No, I don’t know anyone here yet nor do I have a way to get up with anyone if I need some help with school work or something. Plus, you seem like a pretty great first person to get to know,” he said as he winked and flashed that oh so beautiful smile. I know my cheeks are very, very red at this point and I cannot help but smile. He looked down at the time, “S*it, I’m late, I’m sorry I’ve got to run, but I’ll text you, okay?” “Yeah, of course, that sounds great and maybe we could hangout sometime, maybe at the party?” I asked, instantly regretting how forward I was being. He smiled, nodded his head and said, “Yeah, for sure, I’d love that.” He turned and jogged down the hill and hopped on his motorcycle, that was definitely bada**, and took off.

I turned around and looked again, trying to figure out where in the world Charlie could be. I picked up my bag and walked out the door and I could not believe my eyes, there was Charlie standing beside the car with a dozen roses in his hand, smiling from ear to ear waiting for me. “What’s going on?” I asked as I made my way to him. “These are for you,” he grinned, “I know I’ve told you before, but Taylor, you’ve been my best friend for 10 years and I’m in love with you. It’s our senior year, let’s make it the best and to start that, I want you to officially be my girlfriend.” I stared, shocked. I knew how he felt and I felt that same way, but how can I commit to Charlie when I just met Evan and I instantly fell for him. “Charlie, why now? We can’t. If we get together now, it’ll just make it even harder to leave next fall, plus how are we going to make it work, you’re staying here and I’m going 1000 miles away to USC, it just won’t work.” I pleaded. His eyes fell, I could see the disappointment in his face, but it’s true, he’s going to community college here and I am going across the country to USC and tickets cost too much for either of us to fly more than for holidays. “It’s okay, I understand, plus I see where you’re coming from, I don’t know what I was thinking, I’m sorry” he said as he handed me the flowers anyways and got into the car. The car ride to my house was silent, neither of us said a word to the other. We pulled in my driveway and I started to get out of the car, Charlie sighed, “Taylor, don’t forget to ask Sam to buy us some beer for the weekend, I’ll bring you my part of the money tomorrow!” I smiled, “I promise I won’t forget, I’ll go see if she’s home and go ahead and ask her. Bye Charlie, I’ll see you in the morning!” He smiled as I shut the door and watched him pull away.

As I laid in bed that night, I looked at my phone and saw how late it was getting. Why couldn’t I sleep? What’s bothering me so bad? Was it the fact that the hottest guy in school is coming to my party or was it because I had just broken my best friend and childhood crush’s heart? My phone dinged, bringing me out of my daydream. It was an unknown number, I opened it up “hey Tay.. is it okay if I call you that, lol? it’s Evan, whatcha up to?” I smiled and my heart skipped a beat. I quickly typed back, “it’s only okay if I can call you E, that’s my only condition, lol and i’m not up to anything, just laying here in bed”

“oooo, what are you wearing?” he replied and my heart stopped, before I could even respond he sent another, “s*it, i’m sorry, that’s totally way too soon, ignore that..” I sat there for a minute as I felt my heart rate increase and started feeling that throbbing feeling between my legs. “no, it’s okay, honestly i don’t even know how to explain it because i know we just met, but gosh you’re so perfect, i don’t even know you and yet you’re all i want..” I sat there and waited for what felt like forever for a reply, here I was again, being so overly forward, God what am I thinking. my phone dings and I quickly, maybe too quickly, snatch it up.

“you really took the words right out of my mouth, there’s something about you that makes my heart race and makes me crazy, all i want right now is to touch you, to feel you, to hold you, f*ck all i want is to be in you right now. i’m sorry, but i don’t know what’s going on, i just want all of you, i’ve never felt this way and it’s making me crazy.” I read in complete shock, the throbbing got stronger and was beginning to become unbearable. Everything he just said is the exact way I feel and I don’t know what to do, I’ve never felt like this before, I don’t even know him. Maybe I should ask him to come over, Mom’s at work and I’m here alone, no one would ever know, but maybe I shouldn’t, i’ll sound like a wh*re and that’ll be way to much too fast, there’s no telling what he’ll think of me. “i’m sorry, i shouldn’t have said all that, now you think i’m an ass and you’re never going to want to talk to me” I read as I realized I was lost in thoughts and hadn’t responded to him

“E, don’t be sorry, i understand completely, i know absolutely nothing about you, but i feel the same way.. you make me want to feel all over myself and if you send another text like that, i’m going to..”

“f*ckkkk Tay, you’re driving me crazy, let me come to you, please let me come hold you and kiss you..”

Wow, maybe I wouldn’t have been pushy if I had asked him to come over, “please do, please come to me, i want you here and this throbbing i’m feeling tells me i need you here.. 232 Chairbear Dr, how far are you?” I was so anxious waiting for his reply. “be there in 15” I jumped up and ran to the bathroom, s*it, I’ve got to shave. I set a timer so I could try and get done in plenty of time. As I finished up, my phone dinged again, “hey babe, i’m at your front door.” I sprinted down the stairs and opened the door.

“Hi gorgeous” he smiled.

“Hey..” I answered nervously. I can’t believe he really showed up, here he was, standing at my front door waiting to come into my house and be with me. The more I looked at him, the more my area throbbed. My body aches for his touch, for him to hold me, to kiss me to do whatever he feels to me.

“Taylor, what are you doing?” a familiar voice broke my thoughts as I looked behind Evan.

“Charlie, hey, nothing, Evan just had some questions about school and about our town so I just invited him over because I want him to know about everything and it was way too much to try and type out.” I said as my heart sunk. Where did he come from? Why is he even here? I thought back to after school when I know I broke his heart and I couldn’t help but think of how much more this is breaking him.

“Oh, well you guys have fun, I was just bringing this by to you, you left it in the car when I dropped you off today,” he said as he handed me my wallet.

“Thanks, Charlie!” I smiled as he smiled back and turned and walked away.

“Who was that?” Evan asked as I motioned him in and closed the door behind him.

“Oh, that was Charlie. He’s been my best friend since we were 8 and we’ve been inseparable ever since.” I answered, praying he didn’t ask anything else about Charlie.

“Oh okay. So, this is your house, huh? Where are your parents?” he asked. I took a deep breathe, the only person who truly knew what really happened with my father was Charlie, he’s the only person I have ever trusted with it all. “My dad took off when I was 15, he had started a new job and they required him to travel a lot. One day, he left and never came home. He wrote my mom a letter apologizing and saying he had found someone else while he was gone the trip prior. I haven’t heard from him since, we don’t talk about him much. So now it’s just my mom, my sister, Sam, and I here.” I looked up and I saw his apologetic eyes, “but it’s okay, we’ve all gotten over it and come to the conclusion it wasn’t our fault and we’ve moved on.”

He smiled, “My mom left when I was younger too, my dad, he went crazy, started drinking and couldn’t take care of me, so I took care of myself and my little sister. Personally I believe I turned out great and she did too, but like you said we’ve gotten over it and I’ve realized I’m better off this way.”

I smiled at him, he smiled back and reached his hand out and laid it on my thigh. Instantly the throbbing between my legs started all over and I could tell he was feeling the same way from the bulge in his pants. “You want to see my room?” I asked, he smiled and answered, “Lead the way..”