Staring At The Sky
TRAVIS
I'm laying on the hood of my car, staring at the sky. It's a cloudy night so there aren't any stars. It just looks like an inky abyss. I couldn't sleep so I came out here. We got back about 2 hours ago, and we caught no fish. I predicted this, though, I mean who fishes at night? But the guys were keen so I humored them.
I watch the sky and let my mind wander to Taylor's body. Not in a creepy way, I promise. The bruises, I mean. And how small she looked in her bikini. Her ribs were jutting out a bit, she looked-- fragile. I don't know, it's probably nothing.
Except what if it's not?
That thought echoes through my head when I hear him. The sliding door slams shut, and Calvin walks out, his face bright red. He's muttering to himself about something. I hear the word "disgusting."
He hasn't seen me yet, and I bask in this victory. I get off my car and step out of the shadows. He doesn't jump, not quite, but his eyes go wide.
"Damn, man. Didn't know vacations were supposed to piss you off this much."
He scrunches up his eyebrows and unlocks his car. "Mind your own business, Kelce. You don't know shit about what's going on."
I grin at how I've managed to wriggle my way under his skin. I walk closer to him. I'm just slightly taller, and he straightens up.
"Yeah? You sure about that? Because I think I know more than you think I do."
Calvin's jaw clenches, but something strange flickers through his eyes. Is it fear? "What, you think she wants you? That's pathetic. She doesn't give a fuck about you. Maybe try and get a girl of your own before you start trying to steal mine."
Anger bubbles in my chest. "You think I want Taylor?" I step closer to him, my eyes glued to his. "Well you're wrong there. What I want is for you to stop being such a fucking asshole all the time. Especially to her."
"Stay the fuck out of it." He spits at me, and shoves me in my chest. I was expecting this, so I hardly move backwards at all. Blood rushes to my head and it takes everything in me not to punch him. Actually, it takes everything in me not to kill him.
Instead, I smile at him, which just makes him more angry.
He goes to push me again, but this time I shove him back before his hands reach me. He falls back into the side of his car. His eyes are wild, and I shove away a thought that keeps entering my mind.
I wonder if he's ever shoved Taylor like this before.
"Fuck off, Kelce. I'm warning you."
My heart thumps and I just stand there, smiling. He gets in his car and drives off. I stay where I am for a few seconds, just breathing in the fresh air and letting myself calm down. Now that Calvin's gone for a few hours, I decide I should go and check on Taylor. He definitely woke her up when he left, so she's probably lonely. And I really want to talk to her. I'm now absolutely positive that something isn't right about her and Calvin's relationship. He's an asshole to her, and those bruises? Let's just say I know damn well you don't get those from falling down the stairs.
My mind keeps replaying the way he was touching her whilst we were playing UNO. The look on her face continues to break my heart. It was pure helplessness.
I race up the stairs because now I'm even more worried that something has happened. The rest of the house is quiet, so I do my best to tiptoe. I get to the end of the hallway as quick as I can without waking up the whole of the house.
My chest tightens. The door to their room is half open. I nudge open the door the rest of the way and am met by darkness. My heart quickens as I flick on the light, and-
It's empty. The room looks untouched. I glance in the bathroom just in case, but I'm right. There's no one in here. I notice a pile of sheets in the laundry basket, a long with a few of Taylor's clothes. They're all soaking wet. I don't understand.
I turn around, moving quickly through the dark hallway. I search the main bathroom, too, but she's not there. She's not in the upstairs living area either. My mind starts races and my breathing is ragged.
Where is she?
I think for a second and decide she must be with Gigi. I walk to her room and softly knock on the door. She answers quickly, her face flushed with sleep.
"Is Taylor with you?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Gigi's eyebrows crease. "No, I thought she went back to her room."
I shake my head, my heart pounding. "No, her room's empty. What do you mean 'back'?" I speak quickly, and my voice is shaky.
Gigi's eyes go wider, "she was here like 15 minutes ago. It was really weird."
"What do you mean?"
"She came and knocked on my door. Asked for a tampon. I gave her one and she left. I would've been normal, except-" She pauses.
"Except what?"
Gigi's face contorts at the memory, "except she was.. she was shaking."
A lump forms in my throat. "Was she- was she okay?"
Gigi shrugs. "I don't know. I asked her and she brushed it off. I'm as confused as you are."
I feel a coldness overcome me. I don't need to hear anything else. Everything slides into place. I know what happened. I can piece it together from the sheets in the laundry basket, the unexpected visit to Gigi. What I heard Calvin mutter before he knew I was there.
"Disgusting."
My head spins.
"I'm gonna go find her," I say, and Gigi nods.
"Do you want help?" She asks, and I shake my head.
"Stay here, incase she comes back."
Gigi nods, but her eyes look wide, and glassy.
"Travis," she starts, looking up at me, "do you think Calvin.. do you think he did something? She had all those bruises, and I just..." She trails off.
"I don't know." I say, except I do know.
We say our goodbyes and I practically run downstairs. I check the downstair bathrooms and the lounge room, but no luck. With each empty room my chest tightens.
I go to the living room, and scan the area. My eyes fall on a lump on the couch, and there she is- Taylor. I breathe a sigh of relief. She's curled up in a ball, facing me, except her eyes are tightly shut. It's obvious she's not really asleep, and I hesitate. Her face is tense, and her body rigid. It's clear something happened.
Her eyes stay closed, like if she ignores me, I might go away. But I can't ignore it. I know. It's suddenly so clear to me. Calvin is much worse than the asshole I thought he was. Much, much worse.
I move closer, kneeling beside the couch.
"Taylor, what happened?" My voice is soft, and I resist the temptation to hold her and kiss her face until all the pain goes away. I know it would only scare her.
She doesn't answer, but I can see it in the way her body is trembling. The subtle shift in her breathing. Her eyes remain tightly shut. There's an angry red mark below her eye and a fire starts in my stomach.
"Taylor, I know you're not sleeping." Her eyes flicker open, but she doesn't look at me. She stares at the couch cushion intently, as if it were the one speaking to her, not me. Her breath is quick, and shallow, and Gigi is right, she is shaking.
Without saying anything else, I make a decision. I stand up and gently reach for her hand. She goes to pull it away, but then lets me take it. I guide her to her feet and lead her quietly up the stairs, and to my room.
"Sleep here tonight." I say quietly, and Taylor doesn't argue. She's too exhausted, too broken to fight. I hold her hand all the way to my bed, and then slowly let her go and lift up the covers. She lays down sheepishly, and looks up at me with those big, sad eyes of hers.
I tuck her in, and when she's settled, I go back to the living room, unsure of how to feel. At least she's safe. For now. I flick Gigi a text, telling her that Taylor's fine and she's sleeping in my room tonight. I stretch out on the couch, where Taylor was mere moments ago. My body feels heavy, and I fall asleep to one thought.
I'm not going to let this go. I won't.