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“Did you see Derek today?” I ask Levi as he slurps his drink.
“No, why would I? I don’t even know who he is.”
I search Derek’s name on Instagram only to find nothing, so I dig through Taylor’s followers until I find him. Derek Walsh. He barely posts any pictures of himself, but follows hundreds of influencers and models. Levi takes the phone from me and scrolls through his page of dated memes and political posts that make me cringe.
“What an incel,” Levi snorts. “Look what he posted on his story.”
Could use some prayers. Cashapp me – DerekWalsh6969
“What a real fucking winner Taylor found,” I grumble, crossing my arms. How could she let a guy like that into her room? Does she have any fucking decency?
Levi finishes his drink. “Can we talk about anything other than Taylor? How about my winning shot tonight? And did you see Braylon’s face in the penalty box? He was about to murder someone.” Levi laughs and bangs the table with his fists.
“We should get going. I want to get enough sleep to make at least one class tomorrow.”
Levi raises his manicured brows in surprise. “Look at you, my studious fellow. Studious lad! Huzzah!”
“You’re so fuckin weird man.” Sometimes I forget he was a theater and history nerd in high school.
I go up to the cashier and pay for our food. I don’t mind paying for Levi.
We stumble across the roadway back to the hotel, pretending we’re drunk on Shirley Temples as we make our way back to our room. He takes the bed closest to the window as always, and I take the one by the door. Even though my anxiety begs for Xanax, I decide I’ll save it for the flight tomorrow instead. I fall asleep thinking of Taylor, imagining what it would be like to have her next to me. I wonder if she would have been impressed by the team today, or if she would have even cared at all. Either way, it’s apparent now that she’s a part of me in the most twisted, confusing, arousing way possible.
If my 18-year-old self knew what I was thinking now, he’d sucker punch me in the face for ever letting her have a chance. I can still feel the way my heart broke when she left after high school, how she never said goodbye.
17
TAYLOR CROMWELL
Doing OnlyFans is getting old. The comments from the men are just getting old. I never go nude, and I guess that’s always an issue with everyone there. The hot snake girl cliché I’ve made for myself over the past couple of years is becoming tiring. Not to mention I don’t post enough anymore to get any real revenue. Maybe I’ll get a job at the local coffee shop this summer to make up for any missing money Mom may need. The last thing I want now is to perpetuate the stereotype that I’m the cheater girlfriend and the whore who sells her body. Don’t get me wrong—I’m pro women, pro sex work for women—but that’s not who I want to be anymore.
It feels like an era has ended as I delete the app and any scandalous photos from my socials. It’s time to dedicate myself towards my studies and my future. Not to mention that Jessica’s been giving me weird looks all weekend. Maybe she somehow knows about the Derek thing, but isn’t saying it. Whatever it is, she clearly has a change of heart about my free stay here. I suppose I would too, if I suspected my stepchild committed a crime and covered it up somehow.
Dad and Jessica watched Elijah’s game on TV last night. Apparently, Levi did something amazing, but I wasn’t watching. My books and notes are ready for school today, and I’m promising myself to stick to what I came here for: a bachelors in Environmental Science and a fresh start.
Jessica showed me the video of Elijah throwing Derek into the storefront. In the video, you could barely see two figures fighting. My body could be passed off as a blob in the darkness, thank God. She said that her friend owns that storefront and is royally pissed off, but with the lack of evidence, there’s nothing the police can do.
I’m nervous as I drive to class. Nervous about my car breaking down. Nervous about running into Derek even though he hasn’t shown up in a while. Did he really drop out of classes or university because of me? I know he’s a shitty person, but that feels wrong for some reason.
When I get to class, I choose a new seat with a girl I haven’t spoken to before. She sits with her legs propped up on the bar under the tall desk. I noticed her partner left a week ago, around the same time Derek stopped coming to classes. I adjust the collar to my burgundy turtleneck and fix my heavy frames from falling down my nose.
She wears a heavy flannel and ripped jeans. Although, something about her is telling me the jeans weren’t ripped when she bought them. She exudes an intense vibe, but I’m digging that.
“I’m Taylor,” I introduce myself to her. She smiles, dimples forming on her almond-colored cheeks. She tucks back a strand of her hair, allowing me to catch a glimpse of her dirty nails and calloused hands.
“Elizabeth,” she says with a dainty voice that does not match her appearance. “Nice to have a seatmate.”
She catches me looking at her hands and holds them out into the watery sunlight filtering in through the windows of the classroom. “I’m a mechanic,” she says.
“Why are you here then?” I ask, looking around the Environmental Science room.
“Can’t a girl like two things at once?”
“Of course, I mean, that’s amazing. actually so jealous.”
“You’re Elijah’s sister, right?” she asks.
Fuck. Can’t I just make a friend or go anywhere on this campus without someone calling me that?
