"How's she doing?" Isaac whispered. Maddi turned around to see her boyfriend standing behind her, arms crossed worriedly over his chest. He motioned with his head to Jessica, who was sitting on the couch being comforted by Diana.
"Not too good." Maddi sighed. "I can't believe this has happened. I haven't even seen Taylor yet."
"Zac was going now, but I'm sure you can sneak in real quick. I'll keep an eye on Jess for you."
Maddi turned to leave, but Isaac gently grabbed her arm. "Hey, how was your competition?" he asked, smiling down at her.
"It was wonderful...I won first place!" Maddi said excitedly. Isaac gave her a tight hug and a kiss on the head and let her go on her way.
As Maddi strolled down the hallway towards Taylor's room, she saw Zac, accompanied by another girl, heading the same way. Zac and the girl parted near Taylor's door, and Zac started back towards the waiting room. Maddi jogged over to him.
"Who is that?" she asked.
"Hey, Mad...it was a fan that was at our show. She wanted to apologize to Taylor personally on behalf of all the other fans at the show."
Maddi eyed Zac. "She's gorgeous, isn't she?"
Zac laughed. "Maybe...maybe not..." Then he continued on his way.
Maddi paused outside Taylor's hospital room and peeked in the window in the door. The door was open a small crack, so Maddi leaned over to listen. Somehow, she didn't trust this girl.
"Hi, Taylor," she was saying. "Do you remember me?"
Maddi searched Taylor's face. He looked puzzled for a moment, and then his face brightened. "I know you...how do I know you?"
"Silly! I'm your girlfriend!"
Maddi's jaw dropped and she was about to go into the room when Taylor said, "Why didn't you come sooner?" The girl with long dark hair sank into the chair next to him and took his hand.
Maddi turned on her heel, a mixture of anger and surprise and disgust fleeting through her eyes. What did this girl think she was doing, pretending she was Taylor's girlfriend? She obviously wasn't, because Jessica was...unless Taylor was cheating on her. But he wouldn't do that, Maddi told herself...would he?
She shook her head in confusion. I've gotta tell Isaac, she thought. She hurried back down the hall to the waiting room, where Jessica was still talking quietly with Diana, and Zac was sitting in a chair, a soft smile on his face. Isaac was sitting near Diana and Jessica, alternately watching them and looking towards the hallway opening. The next time he looked her direction, Maddi beckoned urgently at him.
Isaac immediately stood up and hurried to her side. "What's up?" he asked. "Is everything alright?"
Maddi shook her head. "No...no, something's wrong. Remember that girl...no, wait, you didn't see her."
"What girl?" Isaac asked. "And what's wrong with Tay?"
"A girl from the concert asked to apologize to him personally on behalf of all the fans, so Zac showed her his room." Maddi looked down for a second. "I walked by and saw her in his room...she's claiming to be his girlfriend."
"What?!" Isaac exclaimed. "Of course she's not his girlfriend; Jessica is! And if Tay didn't even believe Jessica, then we don't need to worry about this girl."
He turned away, but Maddi caught his arm. "Isaac, that's the problem...we do have to worry about her. Taylor believes that she is his girlfriend."
Isaac's head shot up in disbelief; his mouth dropped open. "Tay thinks she's his girlfriend?!? But why? How could she possibly have convinced him that she was his girlfriend, when his true girlfriend couldn't even accomplish that?"
"I don't know," said Maddi sadly. "All I know is that while I was watching, the girl asked him if he remembered her; Tay said that he knew her somehow, but couldn't think how; she said she was his girlfriend...and then he asked why she didn't come sooner. I don't know who she is or why she's here, but somehow Taylor is under her spell. What do we do now, Isaac?" she cried, falling into his arms.
Isaac held her close for a minute, smoothing her hair and murmuring softly to her. Finally he said, "We have to figure out who she is, and what she's trying to do. I think we should go back to Tay's room, and just watch them for a while, to see if we can figure anything out."
Maddi nodded. "Let's go."
The couple walked back down the hallway to Taylor's room. As they approached the door, Maddi put a finger to her lips and stepped to the window first. She glanced inside, then turned back to Isaac.
"She's still in there," she whispered. "Hold on."
Taylor and the mystery girl were still talking. Taylor was saying, "Do you really have to leave now?"
The girl smiled at him. "Yes, I'm afraid I do...Mom told me not to stay too long."
"Will you be back tomorrow?" Taylor asked, a desperate sound in his voice.
She reached and took his hand. "Of course I will...you can count on it." She kissed his cheek lightly, whispering, "Bye, Tay."
"Bye," Taylor replied as the girl left the room.
Maddi quickly leapt back from the door and grabbed Isaac's arm. "Isaac, she's coming!" she hissed. He started to ask what they had said, but Maddi silenced him. "Shh! Here she comes!"
They watched from a few feet away as the girl left Taylor's room. As soon as Isaac saw her, he gasped inadvertently.
"What is it?" Maddi asked as soon as the girl was out of sight. "Have you seen her before?"
Isaac nodded slowly. "Maddi...that's the girl who attacked him."
Chapter 3 - Not Up Yet
Falling
Story Page
Back Home
