Authors: S. Elle Cameron
I have no words; just the urge to kiss him. And so I do.
***
Mason pulls up to my house and the only thing I can think is, Don’t make me go back there. When I’m with him, all my problems disappear. I am the silly girl in the book, and he is my Prince Charming. He kisses me and my mind goes blank. For a second, I am nothing and he is everything.
“So I guess I’ll see you on Monday?” he says after he pulls his lips away from mine.
“Guess so.”
“And Taylor, I’ll be picking you up for school from now on…if that’s okay with you?”
It’s everything I dreamed
. How is it that everything I ever wanted has become a reality almost overnight? A part of me worries that I’ll suffer a sudden free fall. You know, the part in the story where everything goes wrong just as quickly as it went right? If it’s this easy, I should always prepare myself for a crash. It’s the law of life’s physics, isn’t it?
“It’s okay with me,” I say, smiling, as I get out of the car.
I walk into the house, forgetting everything. I forget I am grounded until I hear my mother yelling at me. “What part of grounded don’t you understand?”
“Honestly, I don’t understand any of it,” I say tonelessly.
“That’s it, Taylor! I am so tired of you and your smartass mouth!” my father yells.
“And what are you going to do about it? Ground me a second time? Because it worked so well before, right Dad? Besides, I don’t deserve you as parents, so I can’t possibly be the picture-perfect daughter you’re dreaming of! That’s what you have Kristen for, remember?”
As I storm up the stairs, I see Kristen staring at me—maybe because I insulted her, or maybe because she’s just being nosey since she heard her name. Either way, I couldn’t care less. It only takes a second for me to go back into my dark place. I go into my room, get undressed, and start a bath for myself. While in the bath, I take a razor and cut my wrists. Not to kill myself, just to bleed a little. I watch as the droplets of blood mix with my bath water. I like to think that I’m sacrificing myself and asking God for forgiveness for the sins that I’ve caused. For my father’s sin of helping to create me and my mother’s sin of making the decision to have me.
And in that moment, I feel saved
…
***
Sunday is a drag, but what else is new? I speak to Mason for a few hours and decide to read his writings and poetry. He’s a true talent. His words are like the perfect chords and lyrics. I wonder if it’s possible to fall in love in a week. If it is, I think I’m in love with Mason Taylor.
On Monday, I walk into the school building hand in hand with Mason. Everyone stares, but I can’t blame them. Last week, I was the freak who no one spoke to; this week, I’m the president’s wife. It’s all brand new to me, so it feels a little weird to be around Mason and his crew all day long. He won’t even let me sit at my table during lunch. I sit at his usual table, the only quiet one besides Peyton. I couldn’t help but stare at Peyton and wonder if he still feels the pain his mother’s death caused. I wonder if he thinks about her every time he’s quiet or alone.
I know I think about it a lot
. I just wonder how much Peyton and I truly are alike. One of these days,
I’d love to talk to him about everything he’s been through. I want him to tell me his secrets and to tell him mine. For some odd reason, I want us to be best friends…maybe like Jackson and me.
“So Taylor, what are you going to do about Jizelle?” Peyton asks.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you know she and her followers are really hating you right now. They may even try something.”
“Let them. I don’t care. She saw what happened to her last time.”
“Oooh, wow! You know, I really like you. Just letting you know if they try anything I’m on your side,” he says with that smile that’s just as beautiful as Mason’s.
“Thanks, Peyton.” I blush.
“Hey, Peyton man, I don’t appreciate you calling my girl a follower,” Jagger protests.
“It is what it is, man,” Peyton responds dryly.
I love how he has my personality. He doesn’t care about what comes out of his mouth; he just says it. But somewhere deep down, there’s something very insecure about him. It’s a something I’d like to get to know.
Mason and I have to stay after school with Mrs. Storms to tell her how the story is coming along. She loves the story so far, but she tells us that it’s for some contest, so we have to work on perfecting it. She says she’s really captivated by the main character.
“I told you that you’d make a great story,” Mason says, putting his arm around my shoulders as we walk through the school hallway. I catch Jizelle, Keely, and Alison’s cold stares, but that doesn’t bother me.
I have Mason, and that is that
.
***
The next month goes by smoothly. I’m still with Mason. We won the writing contest and we got our story published. Best of all, I have not once picked up a razor or a box cutter. Mason has truly changed me. He’s helped me become a person I thought never existed. He’s everything a girl wishes her boyfriend could be. He’s
a gentleman, polite, spontaneous, and romantic—not to mention that he’s an entertaining host of sleepovers.
It’s now July, my birthday month, and Mason keeps promising me this will be a birthday that I will never forget. I try to get him to tell me what he has planned, but he refuses. He just lets me know that I won’t be disappointed.
“Mason, just tell me already! You know I hate surprises!” I say in a whiny voice, while letting the ocean waves hit my feet.
“Wait for three more days and you’ll find out!”
“But Mason—”
“Taylor!”
“Yes?” I say in a soft voice.
“Do you love me?”
“You know that I do. Why bother asking?”
“Okay, then trust me,” he says, gazing into my green eyes as though he hopes to find something more than an answer.
“Mason Dale Taylor, what are you planning on doing?” I ask in a serious voice.
“Don’t worry about it now, Taylor Alexandria Caldwell,” he says in a sarcastic tone, giving me the most beautiful stare in the world. “Are you willing to go the mile with me?”
“Mason, I’m willing to do anything with you, no matter how crazy it may be.”
“Good. I was hoping you’d say that. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Never have those words slipped off of my tongue as easily as they do now. I remember when I could only tell Jackson that I loved him and now I’m saying those very same words to a guy—a guy I didn’t know until two months ago. But the words come out so right, and the feeling is mutual. I love Jackson, but I love Mason in a much different way. Just thinking about how far Mason and I have come in these past two months gives me butterflies, so I grab his hand and continue walking with him on the beach as the sun begins to set.
“I wonder what our kids would look like,” I say, staring straight up at the sky.
“Well, I’m guessing like us,” he says, looking at me with love in his eyes and a kind-hearted smile.
“I know that, but, like, what features will they have?”
“I’m thinking we may not know whose features the child has because ours aren’t too far apart.”
“You think we look alike?”
“Not exactly, but we do have some of the same features. We both have jet-black hair and green eyes.”
After he finishes those last words, I surprise him with a kiss.
“And what was that for?”
“Mason Taylor, I want to have your kids,” I say, staring into his eyes more seriously than I ever have before.
“Now?” he asks, surprised.
“Now, ten years from now, what does it matter?” I say.
“Taylor Caldwell, you are insane, and that’s why I am so in love with you,” he says softly. And then he kisses me like he never has before. I have a good feeling about this surprise.
I would have sworn today couldn’t have gotten any better. And then I get home, open the door, and I’m greeted by none other than Jackson. I stop in amazement until I realize what’s going on. Jackson is home from tour; a few months of traveling suddenly make it feel like I haven’t seen him in years.
“JACKSON!” I scream, jumping into his arms.
I feel as if I’m five again and I’m excited that my dad is finally home. The only difference is that Jackson lifts me up in the air and greets me by telling me how much he missed me.
“When did you get here?” I ask, excitement still in my voice.
“About two hours ago. Where have you been? Wait, don’t answer that—with Mason?”
I smile. “Of course.”
“You’re getting really serious with this guy, huh?” he asks with concern.
Before I can reply, my mom answers for me. “A little too serious, if you ask me.”
I roll my eyes and wonder what the hell she’s doing home so early. “Well, it’s a good thing no one asked you,” I say bluntly.
“Do you hear how she speaks to me, Jack? Do you see what she’s become since you’ve been gone?” Eva blurts as if she’s some kind of victim in this case.
“Mom, give her break. She’s in love with him. It’s her
first
love; we all had one,” Jackson says, sounding informative rather than argumentative.
“I just don’t understand how you can side with her, Jack,” my mother says, disappointed.
Jack
. She uses his pet name hoping that he’ll cling to her more; hoping that he’ll take her side. Or maybe she’s trying to get closer to him now because she failed as a mother when he was a child. But Jackson’s
my
brother and
my
best friend; he’ll never take her side.
“I’m not siding with anyone. All I’m saying is that she’s not a kid anymore, and if she wants to get serious with Mason, then she can,” Jackson states.
Soon enough, Eva walks away and it’s just me and my Jackson again.
“Well, you let her have it!” I say, very pleased.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he says blandly. “Now, back to you and Mason.”
“What about me and Mason?” I ask with a sigh.
“How serious is it?”
“Very,” I say, puzzled. Where is he going with this?
“Be careful. I’m not saying this to try to rain on your parade, but you’re both still young. If you’re positive about him, make sure he loves you more than you love him. That way, you know you can never lose alone in your relationship,” Jackson says in a somber tone.
“I’ll be sure to remember that!”
“And I have one more thing I want to tell you. I wanted you to be the first to know,” Jackson says with a worried look on his face.
“W-what is it?” I ask nervously.
“We got the deal!”
“Th-the record deal? Jackson, that’s amazing!” I jump up, ecstatic for him. “I’m so glad you were worth rooting for,” I joke, hugging him.
“Well, I’m glad that I could be worth it to you.” He laughs and hugs me back.
“You’re officially a major recording artist, and I couldn’t be more proud of you!”
I begin thinking about Peyton and his band. I remember telling him that I’d talk to my brother about it. Now that Jackson is a major recording artist, I’m more than sure he can put in a good word for Peyton and his band.
“Hey, Jackson?” I sit next to him on the couch in the living room I’m hardly ever in.
“Yeah, Tay?”
“How is it on tour?”
“It’s great! I miss home sometimes, and it can get lonely, but overall it’s good. Why?”
“I have this friend who has a band and they’re doing a lot of gigs now, but I was hoping that you could help them out. I heard them play last month and they’re really good.”
“Sure, I’d be more than happy to help. But first I have to hear them play. I’ll take your word for it because you know good music, but you know that as an artist, I have to actually feel what they’re putting out. Whose band is it?”
“Mason’s cousin, Peyton.”
“The kid with the fiery-red hair who sent that other kid to the hospital a while back?”
“Yeah, that’s him.”
“That’s Mason’s cousin?”
“Yeah, I thought everyone knew that. They’re first cousins.”
“They do kind of look alike; I guess the red hair kind of throws it off.”
Peyton. He is a character I’m still confused about. I just can’t figure him out. He’s like a mystery that can’t be solved. I see pain in his eyes, but I can never tell how deep that pain runs or how fast it flows. His smile tells the story of beauty. It’s the kind of smile that hints of hard times surmounted. His laugh is angelic, with a note of deep sorrow. Peyton is a mystery that I’m determined to solve someday, but I’m afraid he won’t let me.
***
I wake up this morning completely excited for one reason. It’s my birthday, and that means today is the day I get the surprise Mason has been bragging about since June. Now, I know I’ve said that I hate surprises and I usually do, but this surprise is coming from Mason, which makes it entirely different. As soon as I go downstairs, I see Jackson waiting for me with a gift in his hand.
“I thought I told you I hate birthday presents,” I say with a smile.
“Yeah, well, I felt if Mason is allowed to get you something, then so am I. I’ve known you longer.”
“Thanks, Jackson,” I say, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “What is it?”
“If you’d open it, you’d find out!”
I hurriedly opened the gift and almost cry when I see what it is. It’s a music box that plays the melody of my favorite song by his band, Down Under. Some of the lyrics are even engraved on the inside of the lid.
“You’ll always be the melody in my heart,
And I pray to God we’ll never part.
If I die before you, my heart you’ll take.
Just know on earth you were my saving grace.”
P.S. I’ll always be here for you whenever you need me and I’ll protect you until the day I die.
Love,
Jackson
“Jackson, I love it—I love you!” I say, letting a tear fall.
He hugs me. “Happy birthday, Tay.”
I have a feeling this will be the greatest birthday in history…at least in my history book.
***
It’s exactly 5:05 p.m. when Mason pulls up to my house. I’m wearing a short, white dress with silver, open-toe heels. This is only the second time I’ve dressed up since I’ve been with Mason. The
first time was for Mason’s party. If I must say, this outfit is much more conservative, but I make sure it’s still appealing to the male eye. I open the door for Mason, and he greets me with a kiss.