Rory and Taylor went back to the house. Rory ran
upstairs to change her clothes. When she came back down, she was wearing a bright wool sweater in shades of red and purple. She had taken her hair down and brushed it out until it was full and shiny, and had replaced her baseball cap with a purple cowboy hat. In place of her worn boots were a pair of shiny red ones. Her torn jeans had been replaced with a pair of newer, dark blue ones.
“Do you always keep a change of clothes at your parents’ place?” Taylor asked.
Rory nodded. “Yeah. I never know who’s going to be here or where we’re going to end up. Most of the time when I come here on Saturday, I end up spending the night. Half of my stuff is still in my room.”
Taylor looked Rory up and down thoughtfully.
“Am I dressed okay for wherever we’re going?” he asked skeptically.
Rory smiled brightly. “You’re fine,” she assured Taylor. “You look great.”
Taylor grinned. “You look pretty good yourself,” he admitted. “Where are we going, a hoe-down?”
Rory punched Taylor playfully in the arm. “You’re funny,” she said.
Rory picked up her truck keys from a table in the hallway. She poked her head into the living room to tell her family she was taking off.
“Let’s blow,” she said.
Taylor hopped into the truck beside Rory, and the two of them set off toward their mystery destination.
“Today was great,” Taylor said. “Ever since this whole thing started, it seems like drugs and recovery are all I ever think about. It was so nice to be able to let that go, even if it was only for the afternoon. And please thank your parents for me again. Dinner was great.”
Rory smiled. “I can’t tell you I know what you’re going through Taylor, because the truth is I don’t,” she said. “But I admire anyone who legitimately tries to make their life better. Your determination is really something.”
Taylor sighed and looked out the truck window into the starry Oklahoma night.
“I just don’t know where things got so out of control,” he said. “I mean, I remember when I started using, but for the longest time I felt like I could take it or leave it. Then all of a sudden, I’m using everyday. Then that escalated into meth taking over every part of my life … I was doing that rather than eating, sleeping or writing and playing. Meth was all I wanted. Even my sex drive all but disappeared.”
Taylor blushed suddenly, wondering if he’d said too much. “I’m sorry,” he told Rory. “I guess that’s probably more than you wanted to know.”
Rory grinned. “I’m a big girl, Taylor,” she said. “I know sex exists. I’m not easy to shock.”
Taylor nodded. “Okay,” he said. “It’s just that some girls get uptight discussing things of that nature.”
Rory shook her head. “Not me,” she said. “I love to hear about any aspect of people’s lives. I’m just really curious by nature.”
Taylor smiled. “Really? Discussing sex with guys doesn’t bother you?”
“Nope.”
Taylor gave Rory a mischievous look. “How many people have you slept with?” he asked boldly.
Rory never took her eyes off the road in front of her. “Four,” she said. “You?”
Taylor couldn’t believe Rory had just answered his question without missing a beat. Now he felt obligated to answer hers and to do so honestly.
“A lot,” Taylor said.
Rory raised her eyebrows. “You don’t know for sure?”
Taylor blushed. “Well, there are some people I think I might have done it with, but I’m not really certain. You know, when you’re partying a lot and getting drunk every weekend, sometimes you wake up in strange places and you’re not exactly sure what went on.”
Rory let out a low whistle. “Wow,” she said. “I’ve been pretty plowed before, but I’ve never been that out of it. That’s really wild.”
“Ballpark, I’d say I’ve probably slept with maybe 40 girls,” Taylor said honestly.
Rory nodded. “Are you careful about it?”
Taylor nodded empathetically. “Always,” he said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been with anyone, though.”
“How come?”
“Well, when Zac and Maeve were going through all their problems and Zac got that girl at school pregnant, I guess it made me realize how devastating fooling around could be,” Taylor admitted. “The truth is, a lot of the time girls take sex more seriously than guys do. I got to really thinking about it, and I knew how hurt Maeve and Aislynn both were by what Zac had done. I never met Aislynn, but she went through hell because she and Zac weren’t as careful as they should have been. I saw first hand what it did to Maeve. I guess I just decided I never wanted to be the cause of that kind of hurt in anyone’s life.”
Rory smiled slowly. “Most guys don’t care about that,” she said. “At least the ones I’ve had the misfortune to be involved with didn't.”
Taylor nodded. “I’m going to be honest,” he said. “There was a time when I didn’t care much either. If the walls at my apartment could talk, they’d definitely have some stories to tell.”
Rory chuckled. “So, do you really think you’re done sowing your wild oats?”
“There are women I’m definitely attracted to,” Taylor admitted. “When we were on tour last summer, it was a total test of my willpower. But I was good. Unfortunately, that was also when I fell into the whole crystal meth mess. I guess I traded one vice for another.”
Rory turned the truck into a crowded parking lot. Taylor craned his neck to see where they were.
“The River’s Edge? Rory, this is like a country line dancing place.”
Rory giggled. “I know,” she said. “I come here all the time. I just wanted to see what it was like to have a big rock star surrounded by all the good ol’ boys that hang out here.”
Taylor smiled at Rory. “You listen to country music?”
Rory gave Taylor a look. “Duh,” she said. “You just came from where I lived and I’m sitting here in my pickup truck wearing cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. I’m a total cliché here. What do you think?”
Taylor chuckled. “I suppose you dance too.”
Rory nodded. “After tonight, so will you.”
Taylor’s blue eyes grew wide. “Say what?”
Rory looked at Taylor devilishly in the glow of the halogen parking lot lights. “You said you were up for another challenge,” she pointed out. “I’m going to teach you how to dance country western style.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Rory gave Taylor a challenging stare. “Are you punking out? Afraid you won’t be able to do it?”
Taylor’s eyes flooded with determination. “Okay, if you want to play that way,” he said. “If you’re throwing down a gauntlet, let’s do it.”
“Do you always accept challenges?” Rory asked coyly.
Taylor grinned and removed his seatbelt. “Only when I want to prove a point,” he replied.
