“You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
“What?” I wanted to cry and throw up at the same time.
“Sit down,” he said, taking my hand. I guess I had jumped up. He continued softly, “Her name is Trina. He met her in-”
“Don’t tell me!” I jumped up again.
“Robinson,” he stood up, putting his hand on my shoulders, “We didn’t know you’d be here. We all thought you moved back to New Jersey. If Taylor had known, he wouldn’t have brought her-”
“Brought her!” I screamed.
“Shh,” he covered my mouth with his hand.
“She’s here?” I said, even though he was still covering my mouth.
Zac nodded reluctantly, “She’s really nice,” Zac tried to make me feel better, “You want to meet her?”
“No, I don’t want to meet her!” I shook his hands off me, so angry I was dizzy.
“Shhh. Please, Robinson,” he insisted.
I didn’t want Zac to see me cry. I pushed past him and ran down the stairs, ignoring the blinding pain. I went as fast as I could out of that house, across the woods, and into my own, empty house. I cried out in pain and collapsed onto the floor in the kitchen, barely closing the door behind me.
I thought I wanted to die before all of this happened. I gave up. I lay there on the floor until I fell asleep.
“Tay!” a voice broke through my restless and uncomfortable nap. I opened my eyes to see Heidi, standing above me, looking pale and scared. I couldn’t even explain. I pushed her hands off me, mustered up my courage, and crawled up the stairs. I locked myself in my room and wouldn’t answer her when she banged on the door. I turned the radio up loud so that I couldn’t hear her calling my name. I don’t know when she stopped. I lay on my bed for hours, my back to the window that faced in the direction of the Hanson house.
A familiar song came on the radio. “Save tonight, fight the break of dawn,” it sang. I picked up my alarm clock and threw it at the radio, causing the clock to bust against the wall and knock the radio off my dresser, crashing to pieces on the floor. I hid my face in my pillow and wept.
“Come on, kid, wake up,” soft pressure on my back caused some pain that snapped me out of sleep.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Heidi called me. What’s wrong, baby?”
“Go away,” I turned my face away from Dave.
He remained quiet, but sat on the floor by my bed. Knowing he was there caused me too much unrest, “Is there a party we can go to?”
“A party?”
“I don’t want to be here anymore.”
“I guess… but are you sure?”
“Please, Dave, please don’t be my mom. I don’t need someone to tell me what’s good for me. What’s good for me right now is to get out of this house. It’s to go away from here.”
“Tayler,” he looked down at his hands, “I really don’t think you should.”
“Get out then.”
“Tay…”
“GET THE FU*K OUT!” I screamed.
“Tayler, calm down.”
“GET THE FU*K OUT OF MY ROOM!” I sat up and pushed him away from me.
