#not having eyebrows adds Something when ur making deranged expressions | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

flickerfic · 7 years

Text

Skateboard Sally: PART 1 - AU SMUT (Kaylor Fic)

Taylor Swift’s knees roughly graze against the asphalt as she falls. Her textbooks scatter about her across the ground, the pages fluttering in the wind. Her long blonde hair tidal waves over her face, momentarily blocking her plain of sight. The cause of her injury? A dirt covered skateboarder girl with a scowl and a stare that could take down a hundred men. Taylor is confused at the girl’s disgruntled expression. She really shouldn’t be the one that looks annoyed in this situation, right?

“Watch where you’re going, dumb fuck!” spits the terrifyingly tall girl, a fresh scuff on her cheek. But the scuff is no comparison to the bloody wounds on Taylor’s knees.

“Karlie, you completely tomahawked her!” laughs an obnoxiously loud voice from up ahead.

Taylor is still dazed when she’s yanked back to her feet, hissing in pain as her knees straighten and stretch out her fresh cuts. Despite all this, her cause of the accident continues to taunt her. The green in her gaze is snake like. Venomous. She’s got her dirty blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. Her tongue is blue from some sort of candy she’s been eating. She’s wearing a red and white t-shirt and black denim shorts. As she begrudgingly helps Taylor up she narrows that devilish stare.

“This is the half pipe not the good girls tennis club,” she leers and picks up her board before skating off to join her other rowdy friends.

Taylor has hardly any time to react to her crude comments and winces again as her knees sting. She hears people come jogging up behind her and she fears it’s another pair of skaters. But she’s relieved to find Selena and Abigail, her two best friends by her side.

“We saw everything, oh my god. Are you all right?” Selena pants, kneeling down to inspect Taylor’s legs. Abigail is picking up her books and sliding them back into her bag.

“You poor thing. What was she saying to you? What a creep, she looked so angry,” the red haired girl rambles. She hands Taylor her bag and joins Selena at her skirt hem to take a look.

“She bumped into me by accident but said I was too close to the pipe thing they skate on,” Taylor says as she holds back tears. She’s not phased by anything that was said to her but her knees sure do hurt.

“What? You’re like ten feet away from that thing! I don’t know what she’s talking about,” Abigail says in an offended tone. “What a child.”

“Let’s take you to the nurse,” Selena suggests eagerly.

Taylor readily agrees and let’s her friends help her limp to the nurses office. She’s met with wide eyes and immediately set down on the bed whilst her friends sit in front of her and wait patiently. The nurse begins to clean the wound with disinfectant while Taylor hisses in agony.

“How exactly did this happen?” the middle aged woman asks. She takes a moment to straighten her John Lennon glasses before dabbing at Taylor’s injury again.

“I was pushed by accident and my knees hit the asphalt,” Taylor explains plainly. That’s really all that happened. Sure she was given some very rude insults afterwards but it was still an accident. Nothing to report in her mind. This wasn’t the mindset of her friends however.

“Taylor, she skated over your textbooks! Bet she didn’t even say sorry,” Abigail explains in disbelief.

“Yeah Taylor, it looked like she was annoyed with you. You need an apology and soon,” Selena adds with her arms folded and legs crossed.

“I don't–” Taylor begins but is interrupted but the nurse.

“Ladies, please. I think this is something you should take to the principal or a guidance counsellor. This person that pushed into you obviously wasn’t very apologetic, correct?” she asks raising a sparse eyebrow at Taylor.

“Well, no. No she wasn’t. But I hate starting things–”

“If you don’t go to someone about it then we are,” Selena says sternly. Now she’s the one that looks deranged and angry.

“Sel, no. I’m begging you,” Taylor groans. Her knees are bandaged up and the nurse let’s them go with a mini first aid kid and a warning to “get that apology”.

“You guys are making a big deal out of this,” Taylor sighs.

“We’re not, we’re helping a best friend,” Abigail insists stubbornly.

They begin to make their way home in the evening sunset. Soon they come to a stop at a lamppost, a landmark for when they part ways for home. Selena is the first to speak about the incident once again.

“Tomorrow me and Abigail are going to a guidance councillor about what happened. Do you remember that girl’s name?”

Taylor sighs and runs her fingers through her short blonde hair. “I think it was Carrie or Carly? Something like that, I’m not sure. I only got her name when her friends called her.”

“It’ll do. We’ll probably be able to pick her out from the group anyway,” Abigail assures with a hand to Taylor’s shoulder.

“You guys really don’t have to do this,” Taylor protests again. She knows her arguments will not be taken to heart. But she gives it every shot she has nonetheless.

“Oh but we are,” Selena says firmly. Saw that coming.

~*~

Taylor is dreading the next day with a fiery passion. She wakes up in a mood and can’t eat. What if her friends went to school early and her aggressive book pusher was waiting to punch her face in? She holds onto her pink schoolbag straps tightly and pays attention to her surroundings. Everyone is just walking on campus to class or sitting on a park bench with breakfast bars and friends. Taylor’s knees are still sore so she’s still wearing a skirt. Anything else just rubs against the bandages when she walks. She feels so on edge and jumps when her phone pings with a new text message. Blushing at her paranoia and avoiding anyones gaze she hurries into the building and checks her iPhone. It’s a message from Selena.

Hey me nd Abi are just coming out of the GC’s office. Ur wanted in room 29!! ❤️

Taylor sighs tiredly. Her anxiety is eating her alive and she just wants to go home. Trudging to her locker she fills it with her books and takes out the ones she needs. Then she reluctantly slinks her way to the guidance councillor to the dreaded room twenty nine.

She stands outside the door and just stares at it for a long time. She even gives herself time to pace a little as she dares herself to knock and step inside. But before she can give herself a running start the door flies open anyway. The thirty year old man with scruffy brown hair greets her with an overly enthusiastic smile.

“Hey, Tay Tay!” he grins.

Taylor restrains herself from rolling her eyes. “Hello, Mr Tweed,” she greets in almost a groan. He grins and beckons her inside.

“And call me Thomas!” he insists as he hops onto his desk and swings his legs off the edge.

Taylor just smiles briefly and then looks around the room. The tall skateboarder is nowhere in sight. Taylor gives Mr Tweed a confused look as she places her bag on her lap, slowly sitting herself down on a couch. “Um, where is–”

“Karlie? She’ll be here in a moment. Your friends have set off with a teacher to find her,” he says with an annoyingly bright smile. He clasps his hands together and points his forward gaze to Taylor. “Now, I understand that you and this girl have had some communication issues?” he asks.

“Something like that. But it’s really not that serious. She accidentally knocked me over and got annoyed. That’s it,” Taylor explains with her arms raised in defence. “I really don’t have to be here at all, I just–”

Her explanations are interrupted by the office door swinging open and nearly crashing into a nearby potted fern. At the door is a seething tower of a girl, red at the cheeks and huffing like a wild animal. She’s dressed in skinny jeans, her same Cardinals shirt, and a ruby red varsity jacket. She storms into the room, slamming the door behind her.

“What the hell do you want!” she yells at Mr Tweed who’s bright smile suddenly vanishes. He straightens up and gives a nervous chuckle. Hopping down from his perch he shoots Karlie some finger guns and smiles awkwardly.

“Karlarino! Racekar! The old Skateboard Sally–”

“Oh for fucks sake, why am I here? Does the little A-line angel want her apology?” Karlie spits furiously.

“Um, first of all, that profanity is not hip, hop, or down with me kiddo,” Mr Tweed says daintily. “And second of all, she’s sitting right behind you.”

Taylor can feel herself shrinking and shrinking. Once that cat like gaze spins around to face her she gulps. “H-Hello, Karlie,” Taylor manages to stammer out.

Karlie laughs in a sort of pitiful mewl. Taylor wishes she wasn’t able to hold a stare so well. “What sort of apology do you want, hon? A kiss on your bare feet? A hand written letter proclaiming how foolish I was and how superior you are to receive an apology?”

Taylor is taken aback by the sheer amount of hate in the girl’s voice. She gulps again, trying to keep her throat in shape to speak. “Karlie, I…” Taylor begins. She briefly looks to Mr Tweed who smiles at her goofily and she sighs before continuing.

“I am aware that what happened was an accident. But…I feel as though your reaction to the incident was…inappropriate. I apologise for getting in your way but I would also like an apology for…for they way you acted.”

Karlie is deathly silent and unblinking. She stares right into Taylor’s soul. Her eyes then catch sight of the girls bandaged knees. They flit up again the meet her. Just when Taylor thinks she’s about to make some form apology, the girl starts to giggle softly. And then chuckle a little harder until finally she’s full on laughing in her face. Karlie holds herself as she comes down from her giggling and even brushes away a tear.

“I’m not apologising for a shitty little accident,” she sneers. Taylor is immediately disgusted. It’s the first time she’s felt a hint of distaste for the girl.

“And why is that?” she dares herself to ask.

“Because it wasn’t my fault. You shouldn’t have been walking around the half pipe. You were in my way and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. You got your pretty little knees fucked up?” She slips off her varsity jacket. A long bruise accompanied by a few scattered band aids are revealed along her left arm. “I got this puppy right here. And it bites too.” She tugs the jacket back on. “This whole thing has been a waste of my time and I’d like to leave,” Karlie demands as she faces Mr Tweed assertively.

“Not so fast, Skateboard Sally–”

“Please stop fucking calling me that sir,” Karlie mumbles.

“Ahem, Karlie, because of this lack of an apology or mutual understanding I’m forced to give you two a bonding exercise to sort out your differences!” Mr Tweed says with a loud clasp of his hands.

“Fucking what?” Karlie says.

“May I intrude?” Taylor asks but is not given permission.

Mr Tweed continues. “The two of you will help the photography club with their year book project. You’ll be given a camera to take pictures of what you both think captures the essence of Earths natural beauties. And you’ll be starting Monday of next week. You will report back to me once you’ve learned a lesson. And we will be looking for updates weekly!” he says with that same goofy grin.

“I don’t see how that’s gonna help us resolve anything. It sounds fucking gay,” Karlie sneers deliberately directing the last word of her sentence down Taylor’s way.

“Please explain to me how taking nature photographs is gay,” Taylor says sternly. It’s the first time she’s spoken authoritatively to the girl and so she feels it is an improvement. Of some sort. Taylor has many gay friends, for with her theatre group comes an ensemble of flamboyant characters. And so she feels protective of them and the words taken from them.

Karlie seems amused by her offended tone and grins an evil grin. “Have I triggered you?” she giggles in a low tone. “Are you going to start shaking and screaming at me? Have I inflicted an act of pure violence upon you?” Karlie asks with a dramatic hand over her face mocking distress.

“Violence is physical. What you’ve just done is a childish, careless misuse of an important word. By calling something gay you mock and strip a person of–”

“Oh my god, shut up!” Karlie groans and turns to the guidance councillor again. “Look, I know I’ll get fucking expelled or some shit of I don’t comply to this bull crap. So give me the camera, I’ll take a picture of my left tit, and I’ll shove that in the year book okay?”

Mr Tweed sighs heavily and takes a camera out from behind his desk. He’s about to hand it over but pauses. “If the two of you don’t have at least three decent pictures each within the next month I have no choice but to suspend you both for disorderly conduct.” He says the last part with a very serious expression and Taylor is uncomfortable all of a sudden.

The girls leave the office with an even bigger distaste for one another when they arrived. Karlie scowls in Taylor’s direction and shoves the Nikon camera into her hands. “Take ten dumb photos and send ‘em into Mr Twat when you’re done,” she grumbles.

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” Taylor says calmly shaking her head. “I’m taking my three and keeping my place here. "You’re taking your three pictures and that’s how it’s gonna work.”

“Listen up, tennis skirt,” Karlie leers with a pointer finger to Taylor’s chest. “I didn’t ask for this to happen. I don’t have time to look for shitty little pansies or worms in the dirt.”

“Really? Because you sure look like someone that plays in the dirt all the time,” Taylor bites, knowing it’s a bad move but also knowing that Karlie isn’t anything to be afraid of anymore. She’s just a big mood in an even bigger vessel. Dangerous? Yes. Lethal? Not in the slightest.

Karlie scoffs at Taylor’s insult. “What’s that supposed to mean, I’m some sort of dyke? Is that what you’re poking at?”

“You said that not me,” Taylor replies with a raised eyebrow. “And I didn’t ask for this either. So let’s just make a little time to take these silly pictures and then we never have to see each other again. Okay?”

“Do you think I’m some sort of retarded dumb fuck that listens to the likes of you?” Karlie spits.

“I think you’re an exceedingly rude individual that shouldn’t be using the word retarded in that context,” Taylor shoots back cooly.

Karlie sighs and angrily punches a locker beside her causing Taylor to jump. She glares in her direction once more. “Meet me tomorrow in the park at eight. Maybe we’ll find some dead birds or something,” Karlie murmurs.

“Do you want my number? Just so we can contact each other for this,” Taylor asks causally.

“Well I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to get the number of a pretty girl,” Karlie leers. And it turns Taylor’s stomach as she’s reminded of her high school days. Pretty little girl was the usual nickname for her. She writes her number on a slip of paper and hands it to Karlie. The taller girl beams her evil grin and then scowls immediately after as she adjusts the straps of her school bag and storms off.

What an angry human being, she thinks to herself. She sighs and makes her way to her first class. These next few weeks were going to be no easy feat.

~*~

Selena swings her legs back and forth as she lies on her tummy on Taylor’s bed painting her nails. Abigail is shaving her legs in the en suite bathroom with the door open. Taylor has her head against the wall and typing away on her laptop. A turned down speaker plays Beyoncé’s Lemonade. A girly Friday night in at Taylor’s apartment is a fan favourite amongst her trio of friends.

Selena attempts licking up a few kernels of popcorn from the bowl beside her so as not to ruin her nails. “Sorry we got you kind of the opposite of what you wanted today,” she says. “Now you’re stuck with that beast of a thing.”

“I didn’t really want anything today but it’s all right. And she’s not a beast she just has an attitude,” Taylor replies simply, not looking up from her laptop.

“I don’t know why you’re defending her,” Abigail says from the bathroom. She wipes down her clean shaven legs. “It’s not like she deserves to be stood up for.”

“I think Taylor has a crush on the girl,” Selena teases.

“Very funny,” Taylor replies. “You get all protective of me when I’m pushed to the ground and then joke about me liking her? Kind of messed up,” Taylor murmurs.

Selena winks over at Abigail who rolls her eyes. “Lay off, Sel.”

“Oh come on, take a joke!” the brunette giggles. “Hey, maybe you can turn her good or something. Use your innocent good girl charm to convert her.”

“To what? A slightly even more constantly annoyed version of herself? She’s not a movie villain, Selena,” Taylor says but a light chuckle shines through. “Listen, I don’t think she’s as big a deal as you guys might have thought. I’ll be fine.”

“Whatcha looking up?” Selena asks referring to Taylor’s laptop.

“…Nothing,” Taylor murmurs.

“It’s Karlie’s Facebook. I can see it from here,” Abigail calls from the bathroom as she layers moisturiser on her legs.

“Taylor!” Selena laughs.

“I was just curious!” Taylor exclaims, trying to close the laptop slightly when Selena crawls over.

“Her profile pictures? Ooh, you’ve got it bad,” Selena giggles.

“I was just looking,” Taylor says trying her best to sound nonchalant. Of course she doesn’t have a crush. She doesn’t even like the girl. But she is rather pretty…in a dirty, tomboy sort of way. Her Facebook profilers consist of pictures of her holding lighters or smoking with friends as the full moon glows behind her. Leant against graffitied walls or in mid air with her skateboard clutched skilfully underneath her. Taylor almost giggles softly at the one of her with a Playboy magazine in a busy cafe as a joke. There’s a cheeky smirk on her face and the whole thing is blurred slightly, the person holding the camera obviously trying to take the picture hastily.

“Taylor you’re fucking blushing,” Abigail laughs. Taylor hadn’t noticed her peer over her shoulder.

“Am not,” Taylor mumbles bashfully.

“Her interests are heavy metal, Satan, and Die Antwoord,” Selena reads out in an unimpressed tone. “What a wannabe.”

“Okay I’m just gonna close this,” Taylor says as she promptly shuts her laptop.

“Sorry! Sorry, didn’t mean to pry,” Selena says with her arms raised in defeat.

“Yeah we did,” Abigail says deadpan.

“Yeah, we kinda did,” Selena admits and then giggles at herself. “Come on, let’s put on The Aristocats and tell spooky stories after.”

Karlie is swiftly forgotten about for the rest of the night.

~*~

Taylor waits in the park the next morning for Karlie at the time specified. She’s dressed in a cream lace skirt that just comes around her bandaged knees. She’s wearing a light blue blouse with a ribbon collar. Her freshly washed hair is kept back with a baby pink headband and it falls neatly around her shoulders. As she waits for Karlie on a park bench she reads a book and swings her legs idly. She’s not worried about today. She refuses to make herself worried.

“Well hello there Alice in Wonderland,” greets an approaching voice. Karlie rolls up to her with her hands stuffed in that same varsity jacket, her long hair flowing behind her. She ollies and lands on her feet, the skateboard clung to her side. She’s dressed in the same clothes as yesterday bar the shirt which is now a plain smoky grey one. She stuffs one hand in her skinny jeans and sighs heavily. “We gonna take some shots of a dogs asshole or what,” she murmurs.

Taylor closes her book and puts in her satchel. “We’re supposed to take pictures of beautiful things in nature. Is that your idea of beauty?” She feels confident in her backfire. Maybe she’ll have fun today.

Karlie spits. Not at Taylor but to the side very close to her feet. Taylor glares at her but Karlie winks back and snaps her backpack straps. “Why take pictures of boring shit like plants when you can get a nice detailed close up of a poodles anus?”

Taylor almost snorts at the comment but manages to keep her collected demeanour. She wants to remain the control in this project. She’s not letting Karlie’s slacker attitude get in the way of that. "Plants can be interesting. Maybe we’ll find some ladybirds on them.“

"Maybe we’ll find some ladybirds on them,” Karlie repeats in a high pitched mockery of Taylor’s voice. “I know a place where we can find something real cool. Come on, it’s not far,” she says and hops on her board.

“Where is it?” Taylor asks, wary about if Karlie is actually wanting to take pictures and contribute to the project.

“You’ll see,” Karlie replies with a dark smile.

Taylor brushes off the uneasy feeling in her stomach and follows behind Karlie as she glides along the path. They walk and skate for about fifteen minutes and Taylor begins to grow unfamiliar with her surroundings. Her city is large and there’s plenty of places she hasn’t been to before. Karlie is quickly introducing her to one. Taylor’s gut is twisting into knots once she sees that Karlie is leading her to some sort of public walking trail at the edge of a forest. Are they going to take pictures of trees?… Or is Karlie going to tie her to a tree and leave her for the foxes.

“So we are taking nature photos. You’ve surprised me I must say,” Taylor says.

“Oh I’m full of surprises,” Karlie says without looking behind her. There’s something off about her voice. She’s hiding something in it but Taylor can’t figure out what. The taller girl hops off her skateboard and hooks it to special straps on her backpack. Taylor walks cautiously behind her as Karlie chooses a trail and leads the way.

“Sh-Should I get the camera out or–”

“Oh, you can give that to me actually,” Karlie says over her shoulder.

“Uh, okay,” Taylor mumbles and roots around her satchel to fish it out. She hands it to Karlie and they keep walking in silence. Taylor grows nervous and squeezes at the cat shaped stress ball in her bag. She suddenly doesn’t feel as confident as she did half an hour ago. “Where are we–”

“Shhh, we’re here,” Karlie interrupts. Taylor halts in her tracks and takes in their surroundings. They’ve come to a stop in the middle of a trail. Up ahead is a decrepit tool shed the size of a small room with a sign on the rusty that warns hikers to keep out. Karlie turns to Taylor with that evil grin on her face. “Why don’t we take a look inside?” she leers.

In Taylor’s heart something clicks. She’s in danger right now and there’s no one around to help her get out of it. She thinks about texting someone but Karlie’s eyes are locked on Taylor’s. She’s well and truly trapped under the girl’s cat like gaze. Taylor’s eyes flit to the shed. The only way in is the rusty red door. There are no windows. Karlie leads Taylor to the creepy looking building and knocks on the metal entrance.

“Anyone home?” Karlie asks pretending to be waiting for an answer. Taylor is standing a few feet away from her. She’s ready to bolt off in the other direction should she have to. She’s telling herself there’s nothing in the shed and that Karlie is just playing a joke, but her heart is pounding so hard against her chest it’s hard to focus.

“Why don’t we take a look inside?” Karlie says and opens the shed with a loud metallic creak. She gestures for Taylor to step in.

Taylor bites her lip. “We’re not allowed in there. Can we move on?” she asks in a quiet voice.

“Aw you’re not scared are ya? Go on, what could possibly be in here?” Karlie says. Her voice is so condescending now and it’s totally putting Taylor on edge.

Taylor quickly shakes her head, “No, I don’t want to.”

Karlie suddenly lurches forward and takes her wrist, tugging her forward slightly. “Please, I insist there’s something really interesting in here.” Her tone is gruffer now. She’s forgetting to put on her dumb character.

“Let go!” Taylor demands but her voice is so shaky.

Karlie is strong and pulls Taylor into the dark tool shed. The door is abruptly slammed shut behind her and Taylor is separated from the outside. Karlie managed to stay outside too, leaving the girl all alone in the darkness. She screams and spins around to pound on the metal. “Hey, let me out! What’s going on!” Taylor whimpers. She can feel tears pricking at her eyes but she blinks them back. This was the joke. This is as far as Karlie is going. This is nothing to cry about.

Karlie is laughing from outside. It’s muffled due to the concrete walls, which make it sound even more ominous. Taylor places a hand on her chest to steady her breathing. She knows a panic attack is about to ensue and tries to choke it down. But there’s nothing that can stop the weakness that is suddenly present in her knees. Her injuries aren’t helping the shakiness either. Taylor leans against the cold metal of the door, her hands pressed to it for dear life. She stares off into the shed. It’s pitch black. Taylor is chewing so hard on her lip she tastes copper as a thin trail of blood rolls down her chin. Karlie isn’t laughing outside anymore. In fact Taylor can’t hear anything anymore. She tries to yell Karlie’s name but her voice box has shrivelled up to nothing. When she speaks it’s a dry airy rasp. Suddenly something falls on the floor inside the shed. It’s a metallic clinking sound as if someone has dropped a penny. This noise is followed by a hushed giggle. No, giggles. There are people in here and who knows how many. It goes quiet again.

Now Taylor is sweating. What are they going to do to her? Has Karlie asked her delinquent skateboarder friends to beat her up for getting her into this situation? Is Karlie more than Taylor suspected? She’s suddenly hating herself for trying to give the girl a second chance. The deathly silence that surrounds Taylor is deafening. She knows she heard those giggles a few minutes ago. How long has she even been in here? It feels like hours. Finally she gets the courage to try and open the door again. It’s too heavy.

In a split second a loud screaming comes from inside the shed. Taylor screams too, placing her hands around her chest protectively. She feels hot tears trickle down her cheeks and she tries desperately to pull or push opens the door. To make things even more horrifying, hands roughly grab at her ankles and a chorus of screaming and malicious laughter emanate from the shadows. Taylor screams back, terrified for her life until suddenly the door swings open and she tumbles to the dirt. The shrieking from inside suddenly turns to plain unadulterated laughter. A trio of darkly dressed figures spring from the shed, two boys and one girl. They tower around Taylor still shaking on the ground. Perfect, now her elbows are scratched up too.

“Look at her dumb little mouth wobbling,” scoffs one of the boys, a blue haired character with too many piercings. “Looks like a goldfish.”

“You scared we were gonna slit your throat and harvest your organs, huh?” sneers the girl, a beanie wearing young lady with a brown leather choker.

The third man, who’s straight up wearing a skunk onesie with the hood raised, turns to Karlie. “Take the picture, Karls,” he smirks.

Taylor slowly but shakily turns her head to face Karlie. She’s holding the camera they’re supposed to be using for the project in her hands close to her chest. Taylor tries to read Karlie’s face and finds that she looks…concerned? Her mouth is slightly agape as if she’s been gasping. Her brow is furrowed and her eyes are flitting about the scene, unsure of what to make of it. Taylor is breathing like a rabbit under the watchful gaze of the three dark figures, who she’s now aware are indeed Karlie’s skateboarder friends.

“Come on, Kar! Take the fucking picture and let’s ditch like you said,” demands the piercing boy.

Karlie lifts the camera higher but doesn’t take her eyes of of Taylor’s tearful face. She stares ahead solemnly and then raises the view finder to her eye. Taylor gulps and prepares herself for humiliation. Mere seconds pass before Karlie shakes her head and abruptly brings the camera back down.

“No, I’m not gonna do that.” she mumbles quietly.

All three of her friends look baffled by her change of heart. Skunk boy puffs his cheeks out in disbelief. “Very funny, come on and hurry this up. We gotta go buy new wheels, remember?”

“I am not taking the picture,” Karlie says slowly and firmly. “Step away from her,” she adds as she walks towards them. They do as told, looks of complete confusion on their faces. Karlie reaches out a hand for Taylor to take. She looks at it, still shaken from everything that is happening all at once. Fortunately Taylor trusts Karlie and is carefully helped to her feet. Karlie helps her sling her book bag over her shoulder again.

“Go get wheels without me,” she tells her trio.

“But Kar–”

“Go.”

Her friends back off and see no point in questioning any further. They awkwardly turn and begin to Tom away from the two. “You’re being a cunt today!” yells piercing boy over his shoulder. Karlie stares him off and watches as they disappear down the path. She then turns to find Taylor speedily heading the opposite direction.

“Hey, where are you going?” Karlie calls as she runs after her.

“Leave me alone,” Taylor mutters as she grips her satchel to her side. She keeps her eyes straight ahead, avoiding Karlie’s gaze. She wipes a few leftover tears away with the back of her dirtied hand.

“Hey listen, I didn’t know the guys would scare you that bad. Usually people just get freaked out or pissed at us when we do shit like that. I didn’t think you’d cry, honest. Are you listening?” Karlie rambles.

“They broke my hairband!” Taylor exclaims, her voice breaking at the end of her sentence. She waves the plastic hairpiece in Karlie’s face for a brief moment and continues to walk on.

“I’ll buy you a new one! Just please listen to me,” Karlie begs.

“No, I don’t want to listen to you any further!” Taylor yells. “All you’re doing is trying to defend yourself and your stupid bully friends and it’s pathetic! You haven’t even said sorry, I can’t believe you.”

Karlie is dumbfounded by Taylor’s croaky but passionate outburst. She continues to follow the girl and beg her to listen to the fact that “It was a joke” and that she “Didn’t think it was that bad.”

“Karlie, just leave me alone!” Taylor finally utters. Fresh tears are beginning to spill down her reddening cheeks and she sprints off ahead of her.

“Taylor, wait!…Taylor?” Karlie calls but comes to a slow and watches as the blonde runs out of sight. Her broken hairband is lying on the ground in front of her. She picks it up and sighs as she inspects the dusty decoration. It’s a hard plastic thing with pink ribbon wrapped around it. And it is most definitely snapped in two.

#kaylor fanfiction

12 notes · View notes

flickerfic · 7 years

Text

Skateboard Sally - Kaylor Fic (AU/SMUT)

Plot: Karlie is a raunchy member of a group of mischief making skateboarders. Taylor is a good girl who crosses her path, getting herself into some serious trouble... -

Taylor Swift's knees roughly graze against the asphalt as she falls. Her textbooks scatter about her across the ground, the pages fluttering in the wind. Her long blonde hair tidal waves over her face, momentarily blocking her plain of sight. The cause of her injury? A dirt covered skateboarder girl with a scowl and a stare that could take down a hundred men. Taylor is confused at the girl's disgruntled expression. She really shouldn't be the one that looks annoyed in this situation, right?

"Watch where you're going, dumb fuck!" spits the terrifyingly tall girl, a fresh scuff on her cheek. But the scuff is no comparison to the bloody wounds on Taylor's knees.

"Karlie, you completely tomahawked her!" laughs an obnoxiously loud voice from up ahead.

Taylor is still dazed when she's yanked back to her feet, hissing in pain as her knees straighten and stretch out her fresh cuts. Despite all this, her cause of the accident continues to taunt her. The green in her gaze is snake like. Venomous. She's got her dirty blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. Her tongue is blue from some sort of candy she's been eating. She's wearing a red and white t-shirt and black denim shorts. As she begrudgingly helps Taylor up she narrows that devilish stare.

"This is the half pipe not the good girls tennis club," she leers and picks up her board before skating off to join her other rowdy friends.

Taylor has hardly any time to react to her crude comments and winces again as her knees sting. She hears people come jogging up behind her and she fears it's another pair of skaters. But she's relieved to find Selena and Abigail, her two best friends by her side.

"We saw everything, oh my god. Are you all right?" Selena pants, kneeling down to inspect Taylor's legs. Abigail is picking up her books and sliding them back into her bag.

"You poor thing. What was she saying to you? What a creep, she looked so angry," the red haired girl rambles. She hands Taylor her bag and joins Selena at her skirt hem to take a look.

"She bumped into me by accident but said I was too close to the pipe thing they skate on," Taylor says as she holds back tears. She's not phased by anything that was said to her but her knees sure do hurt.

"What? You're like ten feet away from that thing! I don't know what she's talking about," Abigail says in an offended tone. "What a child."

"Let's take you to the nurse," Selena suggests eagerly.

Taylor readily agrees and let's her friends help her limp to the nurses office. She's met with wide eyes and immediately set down on the bed whilst her friends sit in front of her and wait patiently. The nurse begins to clean the wound with disinfectant while Taylor hisses in agony.

"How exactly did this happen?" the middle aged woman asks. She takes a moment to straighten her John Lennon glasses before dabbing at Taylor's injury again.

"I was pushed by accident and my knees hit the asphalt," Taylor explains plainly. That's really all that happened. Sure she was given some very rude insults afterwards but it was still an accident. Nothing to report in her mind. This wasn't the mindset of her friends however.

"Taylor, she skated over your textbooks! Bet she didn't even say sorry," Abigail explains in disbelief.

"Yeah Taylor, it looked like she was annoyed with you. You need an apology and soon," Selena adds with her arms folded and legs crossed.

"I don't–" Taylor begins but is interrupted but the nurse.

"Ladies, please. I think this is something you should take to the principal or a guidance counsellor. This person that pushed into you obviously wasn't very apologetic, correct?" she asks raising a sparse eyebrow at Taylor.

"Well, no. No she wasn't. But I hate starting things–"

"If you don't go to someone about it then we are," Selena says sternly. Now she's the one that looks deranged and angry.

"Sel, no. I'm begging you," Taylor groans. Her knees are bandaged up and the nurse let's them go with a mini first aid kid and a warning to "get that apology".

"You guys are making a big deal out of this," Taylor sighs.

"We're not, we're helping a best friend," Abigail insists stubbornly.

"Tomorrow me and Abigail are going to a guidance councillor about what happened. Do you remember that girl's name?"

Taylor sighs and runs her fingers through her short blonde hair. "I think it was Carrie or Carly? Something like that, I'm not sure. I only got her name when her friends called her."

"It'll do. We'll probably be able to pick her out from the group anyway," Abigail assures with a hand to Taylor's shoulder.

"You guys really don't have to do this," Taylor protests again. She knows her arguments will not be taken to heart. But she gives it every shot she has nonetheless.

"Oh but we are," Selena says firmly. Saw that coming.

~*~

Taylor is dreading the next day with a fiery passion. She wakes up in a mood and can't eat. What if her friends went to school early and her aggressive book pusher was waiting to punch her face in? She holds onto her pink schoolbag straps tightly and pays attention to her surroundings. Everyone is just walking on campus to class or sitting on a park bench with breakfast bars and friends. Taylor's knees are still sore so she's still wearing a skirt. Anything else just rubs against the bandages when she walks. She feels so on edge and jumps when her phone pings with a new text message. Blushing at her paranoia and avoiding anyones gaze she hurries into the building and checks her iPhone. It's a message from Selena.

Hey me nd Abi are just coming out of the GC's office. Ur wanted in room 29!! ❤️

"Hey, Tay Tay!" he grins.

Taylor restrains herself from rolling her eyes. "Hello, Mr Tweed," she greets in almost a groan. He grins and beckons her inside.

"And call me Thomas!" he insists as he hops onto his desk and swings his legs off the edge.

"Karlie? She'll be here in a moment. Your friends have set off with a teacher to find her," he says with an annoyingly bright smile. He clasps his hands together and points his forward gaze to Taylor. "Now, I understand that you and this girl have had some communication issues?" he asks.

"Something like that. But it's really not that serious. She accidentally knocked me over and got annoyed. That's it," Taylor explains with her arms raised in defence. "I really don't have to be here at all, I just–"

Her explanations are interrupted by the office door swinging open and nearly crashing into a nearby potted fern. At the door is a seething tower of a girl, red at the cheeks and huffing like a wild animal. She's dressed in skinny jeans, her same Cardinals shirt, and a ruby red varsity jacket. She storms into the room, slamming the door behind her.

"What the hell do you want!" she yells at Mr Tweed who's bright smile suddenly vanishes. He straightens up and gives a nervous chuckle. Hopping down from his perch he shoots Karlie some finger guns and smiles awkwardly.

"Karlarino! Racekar! The old Skateboard Sally–"

"Oh for fucks sake, why am I here? Does the little A-line angel want her apology?" Karlie spits furiously.

"Um, first of all, that profanity is not hip, hop, or down with me kiddo," Mr Tweed says daintily. "And second of all, she's sitting right behind you."

Taylor can feel herself shrinking and shrinking. Once that cat like gaze spins around to face her she gulps. "H-Hello, Karlie," Taylor manages to stammer out.

Karlie laughs in a sort of pitiful mewl. Taylor wishes she wasn't able to hold a stare so well. "What sort of apology do you want, hon? A kiss on your bare feet? A hand written letter proclaiming how foolish I was and how superior you are to receive an apology?"

Taylor is taken aback by the sheer amount of hate in the girl's voice. She gulps again, trying to keep her throat in shape to speak. "Karlie, I..." Taylor begins. She briefly looks to Mr Tweed who smiles at her goofily and she sighs before continuing.

"I am aware that what happened was an accident. But...I feel as though your reaction to the incident was...inappropriate. I apologise for getting in your way but I would also like an apology for...for they way you acted."

Karlie is deathly silent and unblinking. She stares right into Taylor's soul. Her eyes then catch sight of the girls bandaged knees. They flit up again the meet her. Just when Taylor thinks she's about to make some form apology, the girl starts to giggle softly. And then chuckle a little harder until finally she's full on laughing in her face. Karlie holds herself as she comes down from her giggling and even brushes away a tear.

"I'm not apologising for a shitty little accident," she sneers. Taylor is immediately disgusted. It's the first time she's felt a hint of distaste for the girl.

"And why is that?" she dares herself to ask.

"Because it wasn't my fault. You shouldn't have been walking around the half pipe. You were in my way and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. You got your pretty little knees fucked up?" She slips off her varsity jacket. A long bruise accompanied by a few scattered band aids are revealed along her left arm. "I got this puppy right here. And it bites too." She tugs the jacket back on. "This whole thing has been a waste of my time and I'd like to leave," Karlie demands as she faces Mr Tweed assertively.

"Not so fast, Skateboard Sally–"

"Please stop fucking calling me that sir," Karlie mumbles.

"Ahem, Karlie, because of this lack of an apology or mutual understanding I'm forced to give you two a bonding exercise to sort out your differences!" Mr Tweed says with a loud clasp of his hands.

"Fucking what?" Karlie says.

"May I intrude?" Taylor asks but is not given permission.

Mr Tweed continues. "The two of you will help the photography club with their year book project. You'll be given a camera to take pictures of what you both think captures the essence of Earths natural beauties. And you'll be starting Monday of next week. You will report back to me once you've learned a lesson. And we will be looking for updates weekly!" he says with that same goofy grin.

"I don't see how that's gonna help us resolve anything. It sounds fucking gay," Karlie sneers deliberately directing the last word of her sentence down Taylor's way.

"Please explain to me how taking nature photographs is gay," Taylor says sternly. It's the first time she's spoken authoritatively to the girl and so she feels it is an improvement. Of some sort. Taylor has many gay friends, for with her theatre group comes an ensemble of flamboyant characters. And so she feels protective of them and the words taken from them.

Karlie seems amused by her offended tone and grins an evil grin. "Have I triggered you?" she giggles in a low tone. "Are you going to start shaking and screaming at me? Have I inflicted an act of pure violence upon you?" Karlie asks with a dramatic hand over her face mocking distress.

"Violence is physical. What you've just done is a childish, careless misuse of an important word. By calling something gay you mock and strip a person of–"

"Oh my god, shut up!" Karlie groans and turns to the guidance councillor again. "Look, I know I'll get fucking expelled or some shit of I don't comply to this bull crap. So give me the camera, I'll take a picture of my left tit, and I'll shove that in the year book okay?"

Mr Tweed sighs heavily and takes a camera out from behind his desk. He's about to hand it over but pauses. "If the two of you don't have at least three decent pictures each within the next month I have no choice but to suspend you both for disorderly conduct." He says the last part with a very serious expression and Taylor is uncomfortable all of a sudden.

The girls leave the office with an even bigger distaste for one another when they arrived. Karlie scowls in Taylor's direction and shoves the Nikon camera into her hands. "Take ten dumb photos and send 'em into Mr Twat when you're done," she grumbles.

"Yeah, that's not happening," Taylor says calmly shaking her head. "I'm taking my three and keeping my place here. "You're taking your three pictures and that's how it's gonna work."

"Listen up, tennis skirt," Karlie leers with a pointer finger to Taylor's chest. "I didn't ask for this to happen. I don't have time to look for shitty little pansies or worms in the dirt."

"Really? Because you sure look like someone that plays in the dirt all the time," Taylor bites, knowing it's a bad move but also knowing that Karlie isn't anything to be afraid of anymore. She's just a big mood in an even bigger vessel. Dangerous? Yes. Lethal? Not in the slightest.

Karlie scoffs at Taylor's insult. "What's that supposed to mean, I'm some sort of dyke? Is that what you're poking at?"

"You said that not me," Taylor replies with a raised eyebrow. "And I didn't ask for this either. So let's just make a little time to take these silly pictures and then we never have to see each other again. Okay?"

"Do you think I'm some sort of retarded dumb fuck that listens to the likes of you?" Karlie spits.

"I think you're an exceedingly rude individual that shouldn't be using the word retarded in that context," Taylor shoots back cooly.

Karlie sighs and angrily punches a locker beside her causing Taylor to jump. She glares in her direction once more. "Meet me tomorrow in the park at eight. Maybe we'll find some dead birds or something," Karlie murmurs.

"Do you want my number? Just so we can contact each other for this," Taylor asks causally.

"Well I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to get the number of a pretty girl," Karlie leers. And it turns Taylor's stomach as she's reminded of her high school days. Pretty little girl was the usual nickname for her. She writes her number on a slip of paper and hands it to Karlie. The taller girl beams her evil grin and then scowls immediately after as she adjusts the straps of her school bag and storms off.

What an angry human being, she thinks to herself. She sighs and makes her way to her first class. These next few weeks were going to be no easy feat.

~*~

Selena swings her legs back and forth as she lies on her tummy on Taylor's bed painting her nails. Abigail is shaving her legs in the en suite bathroom with the door open. Taylor has her head against the wall and typing away on her laptop. A turned down speaker plays Beyoncé's Lemonade. A girly Friday night in at Taylor's apartment is a fan favourite amongst her trio of friends.

Selena attempts licking up a few kernels of popcorn from the bowl beside her so as not to ruin her nails. "Sorry we got you kind of the opposite of what you wanted today," she says. "Now you're stuck with that beast of a thing."

"I didn't really want anything today but it's all right. And she's not a beast she just has an attitude," Taylor replies simply, not looking up from her laptop.

"I don't know why you're defending her," Abigail says from the bathroom. She wipes down her clean shaven legs. "It's not like she deserves to be stood up for."

"I think Taylor has a crush on the girl," Selena teases.

"Very funny," Taylor replies. "You get all protective of me when I'm pushed to the ground and then joke about me liking her? Kind of messed up," Taylor murmurs.

Selena winks over at Abigail who rolls her eyes. "Lay off, Sel."

"Oh come on, take a joke!" the brunette giggles. "Hey, maybe you can turn her good or something. Use your innocent good girl charm to convert her."

"To what? A slightly even more constantly annoyed version of herself? She's not a movie villain, Selena," Taylor says but a light chuckle shines through. "Listen, I don't think she's as big a deal as you guys might have thought. I'll be fine."

"Whatcha looking up?" Selena asks referring to Taylor's laptop.

"...Nothing," Taylor murmurs.

"It's Karlie's Facebook. I can see it from here," Abigail calls from the bathroom as she layers moisturiser on her legs.

"Taylor!" Selena laughs.

"I was just curious!" Taylor exclaims, trying to close the laptop slightly when Selena crawls over.

"Her profile pictures? Ooh, you've got it bad," Selena giggles.

"I was just looking," Taylor says trying her best to sound nonchalant. Of course she doesn't have a crush. She doesn't even like the girl. But she is rather pretty...in a dirty, tomboy sort of way. Her Facebook profilers consist of pictures of her holding lighters or smoking with friends as the full moon glows behind her. Leant against graffitied walls or in mid air with her skateboard clutched skilfully underneath her. Taylor almost giggles softly at the one of her with a Playboy magazine in a busy cafe as a joke. There's a cheeky smirk on her face and the whole thing is blurred slightly, the person holding the camera obviously trying to take the picture hastily.

"Taylor you're fucking blushing," Abigail laughs. Taylor hadn't noticed her peer over her shoulder.

"Am not," Taylor mumbles bashfully.

"Her interests are heavy metal, Satan, and Die Antwoord," Selena reads out in an unimpressed tone. "What a wannabe."

"Okay I'm just gonna close this," Taylor says as she promptly shuts her laptop.

"Sorry! Sorry, didn't mean to pry," Selena says with her arms raised in defeat.

"Yeah we did," Abigail says deadpan.

"Yeah, we kinda did," Selena admits and then giggles at herself. "Come on, let's put on The Aristocats and tell spooky stories after."

Karlie is swiftly forgotten about for the rest of the night.

~*~

Taylor waits in the park the next morning for Karlie at the time specified. She's dressed in a cream lace skirt that just comes around her bandaged knees. She's wearing a light blue blouse with a ribbon collar. Her freshly washed hair is kept back with a baby pink headband and it falls neatly around her shoulders. As she waits for Karlie on a park bench she reads a book and swings her legs idly. She's not worried about today. She refuses to make herself worried.

"Well hello there Alice in Wonderland," greets an approaching voice. Karlie rolls up to her with her hands stuffed in that same varsity jacket, her long hair flowing behind her. She ollies and lands on her feet, the skateboard clung to her side. She's dressed in the same clothes as yesterday bar the shirt which is now a plain smoky grey one. She stuffs one hand in her skinny jeans and sighs heavily. "We gonna take some shots of a dogs asshole or what," she murmurs.

Taylor closes her book and puts in her satchel. "We're supposed to take pictures of beautiful things in nature. Is that your idea of beauty?" She feels confident in her backfire. Maybe she'll have fun today.

Karlie spits. Not at Taylor but to the side very close to her feet. Taylor glares at her but Karlie winks back and snaps her backpack straps. "Why take pictures of boring shit like plants when you can get a nice detailed close up of a poodles anus?"

Taylor almost snorts at the comment but manages to keep her collected demeanour. She wants to remain the control in this project. She's not letting Karlie's slacker attitude get in the way of that. "Plants can be interesting. Maybe we'll find some ladybirds on them."

"Maybe we'll find some ladybirds on them," Karlie repeats in a high pitched mockery of Taylor's voice. "I know a place where we can find something real cool. Come on, it's not far," she says and hops on her board.

"Where is it?" Taylor asks, wary about if Karlie is actually wanting to take pictures and contribute to the project.

"You'll see," Karlie replies with a dark smile.

Taylor brushes off the uneasy feeling in her stomach and follows behind Karlie as she glides along the path. They walk and skate for about fifteen minutes and Taylor begins to grow unfamiliar with her surroundings. Her city is large and there's plenty of places she hasn't been to before. Karlie is quickly introducing her to one. Taylor's gut is twisting into knots once she sees that Karlie is leading her to some sort of public walking trail at the edge of a forest. Are they going to take pictures of trees?... Or is Karlie going to tie her to a tree and leave her for the foxes.

"So we are taking nature photos. You've surprised me I must say," Taylor says.

"Oh I'm full of surprises," Karlie says without looking behind her. There's something off about her voice. She's hiding something in it but Taylor can't figure out what. The taller girl hops off her skateboard and hooks it to special straps on her backpack. Taylor walks cautiously behind her as Karlie chooses a trail and leads the way.

"Sh-Should I get the camera out or–"

"Oh, you can give that to me actually," Karlie says over her shoulder.

"Uh, okay," Taylor mumbles and roots around her satchel to fish it out. She hands it to Karlie and they keep walking in silence. Taylor grows nervous and squeezes at the cat shaped stress ball in her bag. She suddenly doesn't feel as confident as she did half an hour ago. "Where are we–"

"Shhh, we're here," Karlie interrupts. Taylor halts in her tracks and takes in their surroundings. They've come to a stop in the middle of a trail. Up ahead is a decrepit tool shed the size of a small room with a sign on the rusty that warns hikers to keep out. Karlie turns to Taylor with that evil grin on her face. "Why don't we take a look inside?" she leers.

In Taylor's heart something clicks. She's in danger right now and there's no one around to help her get out of it. She thinks about texting someone but Karlie's eyes are locked on Taylor's. She's well and truly trapped under the girl's cat like gaze. Taylor's eyes flit to the shed. The only way in is the rusty red door. There are no windows. Karlie leads Taylor to the creepy looking building and knocks on the metal entrance.

"Anyone home?" Karlie asks pretending to be waiting for an answer. Taylor is standing a few feet away from her. She's ready to bolt off in the other direction should she have to. She's telling herself there's nothing in the shed and that Karlie is just playing a joke, but her heart is pounding so hard against her chest it's hard to focus.

"Why don't we take a look inside?" Karlie says and opens the shed with a loud metallic creak. She gestures for Taylor to step in.

Taylor bites her lip. "We're not allowed in there. Can we move on?" she asks in a quiet voice.

"Aw you're not scared are ya? Go on, what could possibly be in here?" Karlie says. Her voice is so condescending now and it's totally putting Taylor on edge.

Taylor quickly shakes her head, "No, I don't want to."

Karlie suddenly lurches forward and takes her wrist, tugging her forward slightly. "Please, I insist there's something really interesting in here." Her tone is gruffer now. She's forgetting to put on her dumb character.

"Let go!" Taylor demands but her voice is so shaky.

Karlie is strong and pulls Taylor into the dark tool shed. The door is abruptly slammed shut behind her and Taylor is separated from the outside. Karlie managed to stay outside too, leaving the girl all alone in the darkness. She screams and spins around to pound on the metal. "Hey, let me out! What's going on!" Taylor whimpers. She can feel tears pricking at her eyes but she blinks them back. This was the joke. This is as far as Karlie is going. This is nothing to cry about.

Karlie is laughing from outside. It's muffled due to the concrete walls, which make it sound even more ominous. Taylor places a hand on her chest to steady her breathing. She knows a panic attack is about to ensue and tries to choke it down. But there's nothing that can stop the weakness that is suddenly present in her knees. Her injuries aren't helping the shakiness either. Taylor leans against the cold metal of the door, her hands pressed to it for dear life. She stares off into the shed. It's pitch black. Taylor is chewing so hard on her lip she tastes copper as a thin trail of blood rolls down her chin. Karlie isn't laughing outside anymore. In fact Taylor can't hear anything anymore. She tries to yell Karlie's name but her voice box has shrivelled up to nothing. When she speaks it's a dry airy rasp. Suddenly something falls on the floor inside the shed. It's a metallic clinking sound as if someone has dropped a penny. This noise is followed by a hushed giggle. No, giggles. There are people in here and who knows how many. It goes quiet again.

Now Taylor is sweating. What are they going to do to her? Has Karlie asked her delinquent skateboarder friends to beat her up for getting her into this situation? Is Karlie more than Taylor suspected? She's suddenly hating herself for trying to give the girl a second chance. The deathly silence that surrounds Taylor is deafening. She knows she heard those giggles a few minutes ago. How long has she even been in here? It feels like hours. Finally she gets the courage to try and open the door again. It's too heavy.

"Look at her dumb little mouth wobbling," scoffs one of the boys, a blue haired character with too many piercings. "Looks like a goldfish."

"You scared we were gonna slit your throat and harvest your organs, huh?" sneers the girl, a beanie wearing young lady with a brown leather choker.

The third man, who's straight up wearing a skunk onesie with the hood raised, turns to Karlie. "Take the picture, Karls," he smirks.

Taylor slowly but shakily turns her head to face Karlie. She's holding the camera they're supposed to be using for the project in her hands close to her chest. Taylor tries to read Karlie's face and finds that she looks...concerned? Her mouth is slightly agape as if she's been gasping. Her brow is furrowed and her eyes are flitting about the scene, unsure of what to make of it. Taylor is breathing like a rabbit under the watchful gaze of the three dark figures, who she's now aware are indeed Karlie's skateboarder friends.

"Come on, Kar! Take the fucking picture and let's ditch like you said," demands the piercing boy.

Karlie lifts the camera higher but doesn't take her eyes of of Taylor's tearful face. She stares ahead solemnly and then raises the view finder to her eye. Taylor gulps and prepares herself for humiliation. Mere seconds pass before Karlie shakes her head and abruptly brings the camera back down.

"No, I'm not gonna do that." she mumbles quietly.

All three of her friends look baffled by her change of heart. Skunk boy puffs his cheeks out in disbelief. "Very funny, come on and hurry this up. We gotta go buy new wheels, remember?"

"I am not taking the picture," Karlie says slowly and firmly. "Step away from her," she adds as she walks towards them. They do as told, looks of complete confusion on their faces. Karlie reaches out a hand for Taylor to take. She looks at it, still shaken from everything that is happening all at once. Fortunately Taylor trusts Karlie and is carefully helped to her feet. Karlie helps her sling her book bag over her shoulder again.

"Go get wheels without me," she tells her trio.

"But Kar–"

"Go."

Her friends back off and see no point in questioning any further. They awkwardly turn and begin to Tom away from the two. "You're being a cunt today!" yells piercing boy over his shoulder. Karlie stares him off and watches as they disappear down the path. She then turns to find Taylor speedily heading the opposite direction.

"Hey, where are you going?" Karlie calls as she runs after her.

"Leave me alone," Taylor mutters as she grips her satchel to her side. She keeps her eyes straight ahead, avoiding Karlie's gaze. She wipes a few leftover tears away with the back of her dirtied hand.

"Hey listen, I didn't know the guys would scare you that bad. Usually people just get freaked out or pissed at us when we do shit like that. I didn't think you'd cry, honest. Are you listening?" Karlie rambles.

"They broke my hairband!" Taylor exclaims, her voice breaking at the end of her sentence. She waves the plastic hairpiece in Karlie's face for a brief moment and continues to walk on.

"I'll buy you a new one! Just please listen to me," Karlie begs.

"No, I don't want to listen to you any further!" Taylor yells. "All you're doing is trying to defend yourself and your stupid bully friends and it's pathetic! You haven't even said sorry, I can't believe you."

Karlie is dumbfounded by Taylor's croaky but passionate outburst. She continues to follow the girl and beg her to listen to the fact that "It was a joke" and that she "Didn't think it was that bad."

"Karlie, just leave me alone!" Taylor finally utters. Fresh tears are beginning to spill down her reddening cheeks and she sprints off ahead of her.

"Taylor, wait!...Taylor?" Karlie calls but comes to a slow and watches as the blonde runs out of sight. Her broken hairband is lying on the ground in front of her. She picks it up and sighs as she inspects the dusty decoration. It's a hard plastic thing with pink ribbon wrapped around it. And it is most definitely snapped in two.

~*~

Taylor scrubs at her newly skinned elbows with disinfectant and hisses in pain. Her cats slink around her bathtub, curious as to why their owner is making so many cat noises. Taylor has dressed herself in sleep shorts and a pink plaid shirt. She sits on the edge of her bath tending to the many injuries all caused by the new devil in her life.

"Mrrow?" mewls Meredith, a fat salt and pepper thing of beauty with eyes too big for her face.

"Just my arms are a little scuffed up," Taylor replies to the pet.

Her other cat Olivia, a snowy feline resembling that of a polar bear cub, hops onto the edge of the bath and slinks against Taylor's side. Taylor takes a moment from dressing her wounds to scratch her ears. Suddenly her phone pings with a new text message. She reaches over to the wash basket and picks it up. It's a text from an unknown number. Taylor hesitates before jumping to the conclusion. Could it be? When she opens the text she's left surprised.

Hi, it's Karlie...um.. Today didn't go so well. Uhh maybe we could try something tomorrow? And u could pick the location? Haha...💀..kay.

It is singlehandedly the most awkward text Taylor has ever received from anyone ever. She even blushes a little at the clumsiness of the poorly worded message. But there's still hate in her heart for this girl. She decides to let the text sit for at least ten minutes before answering. Her doorbell buzzes and she goes to answer it.

"What's up?" she speaks into the mic.

"It's me, let me up," says a male voice. Taylor invited her friend Ed to talk about the days events. He's got a raw wisdom she can always count on. She unlocks the main doors downstairs and waits for him.

In seconds Ed is knocking on Taylor's apartment door. "Hey, I brought a cake," he says and presents a chocolate sponge boxed up in a plastic container.

"You're a lifesaver," Taylor giggles and she goes to prepare some coffee in the kitchen. Ed sits himself down at the table and starts cutting the cake for them. Taylor's curtains are open in the living area letting the city lights sparkle outside her impressive bay window. She had managed to rent herself a rather aesthetically pleasing apartment, one that many of her friends considered luxurious or designer. But she simply humbled herself in her decorating skills.

"So, what's the story with Skateboard Sally?" Ed chuckles. "Still can't believe your GC got away with calling her that. Mad man."

Taylor slides his cup of coffee towards him and sighs heavily. Her cats come prancing in at the familiar sound of Ed's voice. For some reason they really enjoy his company and slink around his legs whenever he's near. Olivia pounces into his lap and Meredith lies under his feet at his stool.

"She and her friends pulled a prank on me today. A really lousy one too," Taylor begins as she sips her coffee.

Ed slides her a plate of cake and then leans forward with his arms folded, ready to listen to her story. Taylor likes that about her friend. He was always good at physically communicating with someone. She continues to tell Ed all about the photography project and the shed and the skunk onesie boy. He furrows his brow and nods, never once smiling or laughing at her misfortune - not even when she giggles whilst describing how she felt like peeing out of fright.

"That's horrible, Taylor. I'm sorry you had to experience that," he says solemnly.

"Well, get this. She sent a text to me before you came here."

Ed raises his eyebrows in anticipation. "Is that so?"

Taylor shows him her phone with the text and his chews on his lip in thought. "It's like she's trying to sound apologetic but doesn't really know how."

"Something changed in her when I was on the ground all dirty and crying," Taylor says. "She looked at me like she'd realised how dumb of a move it was."

"Are you going to text her back?" Ed asks as he hands back the phone.

"She wants to meet again tomorrow. If I do respond where would I take us?"

"Somewhere with lots of people so she can't cause trouble," Ed says firmly.

"Trouble is it's a nature photography project. So like, the city streets aren't gonna cut it."

"Take her to the beach then. Lots of people still around but you'll still be able to get nature pictures. Rock pools, the waves, cliffs, birds... Lots of choice!" Ed suggests.

"That could be a good idea," Taylor hums. "What should I text back?"

The two of them discuss how to word a reply for the next tweety minutes. Taylor even goes so far as to writing it down on paper first to see what sounds good. After a second cup of coffee each they come to an agreement.

Hey, thank you for your message. Tomorrow I'll be at the pier at 9am. Wear something beach appropriate. Please do not bring your skateboard - T

Taylor prides herself in how she didn't acknowledge Karlie's reference to how poorly their first day went. It'll leave the girl on edge and maybe encourage her to give an actual apology. At least that's what she hopes becomes of this. Ed pats her on the back teasingly and nods.

"I think that'll suffice. Wonder when she'll–"

Taylor's phone pings with a new message. It's from Karlie.

kk c u then.

"C U then," Ed mocks and Taylor giggles. "Listen, bring some sort of weapon okay? I'm talking pepper spray or a pocket knife."

"I have a feeling it'll go a little smoother this time round," Taylor says surely.

"Just bring something?" Ed sighs impatiently. "Even your keys in hand."

"Fine, I'll keep my keys close," Taylor assures him. "Now, how about a game of Scrabble!"

"I suddenly have to go," Ed says with cheeky grin.

"Ed!'

"All right, all right. Pour me another cuppa."

~*~

Taylor, still slightly shaken from yesterday, feels confident after Ed's words. She's surrounded by people out in the open. Everyone can see her. If Karlie tries anything today she'll make a scene and Taylor will most likely be saved. But she doubts that she's in any danger today. Today she's dressed in a dandelion yellow sundress with a sweetheart neckline. Now that her elbows are scratched up she can't wear sleeves either. She wonders if there's any other wounds Karlie could possibly inflict on her. Soon enough Karlie strolls up to her, hands stuffed into the pockets of her deep red hoodie. She is wearing her black shorts again and what looks like suitable hiking shoes. She's got a somewhat somber look on her face, one that says she's slightly embarrassed to be here. But it gives Taylor confidence.

"Good morning, Karlie," Taylor says clearly.

"Hey," Karlie replies, mumbled and not half as certain. "What's, uh...the plan for today?"

Taylor smiles politely. "We're going to the rock pools. I've brought nets so we're gonna catch some sea creatures," Taylor replies cheerfully and hands Karlie a small butterfly net. She looks at it warily and takes it. Judging by her side eyeing she's probably intimidated by Taylor's cheerful demeanour.

They head down the pier to the rocky wonderland that is the rock pools. Taylor takes a moment to unpack a mason jar and to scoop some water into it in case they come across anything that can't live out of the pools. There's a large blue sign that encourages people to look and capture for inspection but not take, and then an image of a net with a check mark beside it. There is also a chart of what creatures to avoid touching such as sea urchin and jellyfish. Taylor has been here plenty of times before and is an expert at where to find things. It becomes clear to her that Karlie has not as she hesitates to step onto the slippery rocks.

"Be careful," Taylor calls over her shoulder. "Stay close to me in case you fall. And keep an eye out for anything interesting. Most of these guys are small."

"These guys? What exactly are we looking for?" Karlie asks quietly.

"Well there are small fish, clams, sea slugs– and starfish!" Taylor gasps as she skilfully hops over a rocky ledge to inspect a large pool. She sets down her jar and crouches down, beckoning for Karlie to copy her. Karlie does and peers into the sandy water. Taylor doesn't use her net and instead reaches in with her bare hands to pick up the starfish. This freaks Karlie out.

"Wait, what the fuck! You just pick these things up?" she exclaims, bouncing back to her old self for a moment.

"Starfish can't hurt ya," Taylor smiles. She lays it flat on her hand and inspects it. It's a brilliant bright red colour and it's flesh is making very gradual pulsing movements. "How about you be the camera girl since you're too afraid to touch these guys?"

"I'm not afraid, I just– GET THAT ABOMINATION AWAY FROM ME," Karlie yells as Taylor brings the starfish to her face.

Taylor starts to genuinely laugh at Karlie's over the top reaction. Karlie even looks like she's about to smirk but she tries to pout it away. She takes the camera out of her purse and snaps a picture of the starfish in Taylor's hands. "He's a cool colour I guess," she mumbles.

"Starfish actually don't have genders would you believe," Taylor says. "Isn't that awesome?"

"Uh, I suppose?" Karlie replies.

Taylor shakes off her unimpressed tone and they search on. Not a few minutes later and Taylor spots something wriggling in the water. Karlie shies away behind her not wanting to be anywhere near the thing. "What is it? A worm or some shit?"

Taylor uses her net this time to fish out the tiniest octopus Karlie has ever seen. It's a dull earthy brown and she's baffled by how Taylor spotted it. Taylor plops it in their jar of water and it glides about inside. Karlie isn't as afraid of this one since it can't touch them and she gapes in awe at the little creature.

"Isn't it pretty?" Taylor asks, a smile beginning to form on her face whilst she watches Karlie's intrigue.

"Pretty cool," Karlie replies. She slides a finger down the jar and the octopus wriggles up to it. She nearly cowers back but keeps her balance.

"What's got ya jumping today?" Taylor grins.

"Nothing," Karlie says, almost defensively. But once she sees the look of regret on Taylor's face she softens her tone. "Nothing, I just don't really do this sort of stuff."

"Take a picture!" Taylor says cheerfully. Karlie does and it turns out looking pretty impressive. They release the octopus back into the rock pools and it speedily wriggles out of sight

"We're getting good at this, huh?" Karlie says, still not smiling but sounding more at ease.

"We sure are! We're making good progress," Taylor replies reassuringly. Karlie makes a sort of half smirk at this as they venture on.

They stay at the rock pools for a whole hour. Taylor finds a number of colourful starfish and even a few crabs. Karlie is proud of herself when she spots a hermit crab skittering along a mountain of scallops. Taylor smiles at her as she eagerly takes a few pictures, seemingly lost in the activity and not noticing her watchful eyes.

"Those little things are fucking legit," Karlie utters as she looks back on the pictures.

"Well I'm glad you think that," Taylor says. "We've taken a lot of pictures. Do you wanna go get something to eat?"

"Uh, what like the two of us?" Karlie asks looking up from the camera.

"There's no one else doing this with us so yes," Taylor says amusedly.

"Like a..." Karlie trails off.

"A what?" Taylor asks. She's genuinely confused about why Karlie is tiptoeing around getting food together.

"...Nothing. Uh, I don't have a lot of money on me."

"That's all right, I'll pay."

Karlie's eyes widen. "You fucking will your ass," she huffs. "You're not my boyfriend."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Taylor asks.

"No?"

"Then I'll be the perfect substitute. Grow up and let's get some sushi," Taylor says as she empties her mason jar and puts it in her beach bag. Karlie protests further but Taylor shrugs it off. They come to a touristy fish restaurant, one of Taylor's favourite eating establishments.

"Sel's Catch?" Karlie reads staring up at the welcome sign.

"I've got a friend who's family owns the place. Do you like fish?" Taylor asks.

"Yeah, sure... Is this place expensive?"

"It's reasonable," Taylor shrugs. "But we can go somewhere cheaper if you'd like. This place is just a real favourite of mine. They never disappoint. You haven't been here before?"

"No, I haven't."

"Come on then, you can't miss a chance to eat here!" Taylor grins as she opens the door for Karlie, the buzz of the diners flooding out of the building. They are seated by a sunny window and Karlie shyly skims over the menu. Taylor wasn't lying when she said the prices weren't too bad but she still doesn't have enough money for half of the things she's interested in. She wasn't expecting a lunch date today.

"I can help you choose something," Taylor suggests, knocking Karlie out of her daze.

"Uh, that's okay thanks. I don't think I have enough to–"

"We can get something to share!" Taylor insists. "There's seafood baskets for two here somewhere," Taylor says and flips the menu about until she comes to what she's looking for. "We can split the bill, they're not much," she says with a friendly smile.

Karlie then looks Taylor in the eye. Her gaze isn't angered or annoyed. It's scared.

"Why are you being nice to me?" she asks slowly.

Taylor's smile falters. She places the menu down and folds her arms. She stares Karlie back and replies quietly and clearly. "Because two wrongs do not make a right. I don't want to get even with you. I want to mend...whatever this is. I do not think that what you did yesterday was okay. But I will happily accept any apology you have so that we can forget about it and move forward."

Karlie blinks back in disbelief. She opens her mouth to say something but nothing comes out.

"Now who's the goldfish," Taylor murmurs teasingly.

A waitress interrupts their little interrogation. She takes a second to tighten her brunette ponytail and smiles warmly. "Taylor, hey! Am I glad to see you."

"Hey, Selena," Taylor smiles back. "I brought a friend to lunch today." She motions her arms towards Karlie who's sinking down I her seat slightly.

"Nice to meet ya!" Selena says and holds out a hand for her to shake awkwardly. It is no surprise to Karlie that Taylor's friends are just as cheery as she is. And for some reason it's intimidating her. "What are you guys having?" Selena beams.

"I think we'll have the medium Fisherman's Feast. And two Cokes. That okay with you, Karlie?" Taylor asks and Karlie nods dumbly.

"Awesome. We'll get that fixed right up for you. Would you like some complimentary shrimp toast to start you off?"

"That'd be lovely," Taylor smiles and hands Selena the menus. She folds her arms again and faces Karlie, a soft expression on her face. "I think you'll like this. They catch everything fresh every morning. Selena's hoping they're gonna get their five stars soon. There's gonna be a big party if the critiques let it pass. Maybe you'd like to go," Taylor says nonchalantly. She knows her casual friendliness is tearing Karlie to pieces. And to be honest, it's better than revenge.

Taylor does most of the talking the rest of their time at the restaurant. Karlie nods and hums when appropriate, rarely making a comment or contributing to the conversation at first. But Taylor is good at filling silence and keeps things interesting. Or at least, not painstakingly quiet. Eventually Karlie comes out of her shell and starts talking too.

"Do you like the food?" Taylor asks as they both chew on their calamari.

"Yeah, it's tasty but...I guess I feel kinda weird eating those little guys."

Taylor nearly spits out her bite and chuckles at Karlie. "Nothing we caught today is on our plate. Unless you wanna try the sea urchin. But I wouldn't recommend."

"You sure knew a lot about the rock pools," Karlie comments as she cuts off the crispy tail of a shrimp.

"My dad used to take me to the beach as a little girl every Friday. Sometimes the whole family would go. I used to live down on Rhode, ya know?"

"Why'd you move to Long Beach?"

"My dad has a friend that's worked at the university for a long time. I got in quickly. They still live in Rhode though. The distance is kinda hard but they call me all the time. Plus my aunt lives close and my family visits whenever they can anyway, so it's not so bad. I got friends here, it's not lonely. And I love New York! I love the simultaneous beach and city life."

Karlie nods to herself as she listens to Taylor's little life story. She seems genuinely happy with her life and it suddenly occurs to her that she has brought a darkness into it. Feeling guilty Karlie goes quiet again. When it comes time to pay she is quick to pull out her half of the bill. They exit in silence.

"That was so good," Taylor sighs contentedly.

"Yeah...uh, Yeah."

"You okay?" she giggles. "Well, I think that's enough action for today. You wanna walk me home?"

"Uh, sure," Karlie mumbles.

Taylor was kidding but she decides to let the girl follow her to her apartment block. She feels that there's a newfound trust between them. They come to the front step and Taylor turns to Karlie. "Thanks for caring about the project. I'm sure we'll have it finished in no time. You wanna set up the next date?"

Karlie seems to flinch slightly after hearing the way Taylor has worded it. But it's only minor. She forces a tiny half smirk and nods. "You sure you wanna trust me in doing that?"

"You still haven't apologised for yesterday but I do," Taylor nods. "I trust you."

Karlie looks down, ashamed. She shuffles her feet about and then looks up again. "Okay... Um, I'll have to think about where."

"That's okay, just get back to me soon," Taylor smiles and uses her security card to get inside. It beeps and the doors unlock. "See you 'round," she says as she steps inside. She's about to close the door but Karlie plunges her foot between the closing gap.

"Wait– Uh, I..." Karlie exclaims as she swings her backpack around and roots for something. Taylor opens the door and watches her intently. Karlie fishes out a small blue gift bag and holds it in front of her. "Here," she mutters.

"What's this?" Taylor smiles as she takes it.

"Just take it," Karlie mumbles hurriedly. "Bye," she says as she turns on heel and sprints down Taylor's street.

Taylor blinks in surprise at her change in character but takes the bag upstairs to her apartment. Once she's inside she places it on her kitchen table and stares for a while. What could it possibly be? Taylor turns on her coffee machine and it hums into life. She sits down and rests her elbows on the table, puffing out her cheeks and blowing a few strands of baby hair out of the way. The blue paper bag stares back at her. Taylor dares herself to slide a hand in and as it met with the feel of crepe paper. She smiles slowly and pulls out what's inside. Removing the decorative paper she finds a brand new pastel pink hairband. It almost looks just like her old one, bar a dainty red heart on both sides. Karlie has attached a small hand written note to it.

Mistakes were made –K

"Better than any spoken word," Taylor chuckles and picks up the hair piece to examine.

~*~

"I think I like her, Ed," the blonde groans as she slumps across her friends couch on another Friday evening. It's been two weeks after the rock pool adventure. Karlie reported feeling ill during their time apart. Taylor found this to be true as she wasn't seen around the half pipe or in school. She anxiously inquired if Selena's cuisine had finally failed her but Karlie assured her it was the flu. The girls had been communicating over the break from one another. Often it was a tag in a funny post on Facebook, usually something school related. Sometimes Karlie would tag Taylor in a cat video after noticing she shared them a lot. Taylor would usually tag Karlie in skateboarding failure clips, along with a somewhat teasing warning of this could be you. New profile pictures or updates were 'liked' here and there. This behaviour went on without question from either. Recently Taylor received a text saying a full recovery had come about and that Karlie would like to meet her at the park.

"I saw it coming," Ed says as he taps away on his laptop. He saves his file and then removes his glasses to look at Taylor more intently. "You've been mentioning her non stop since that photo thing you're doing together."

"I've got it that bad?" Taylor sighs with her hands over her face.

"She wants to meet at the park. Maybe start giving her a few signs and see what happens," Ed says clasping his hands together on his desk like a school principal.

"I don't even know if she likes girls, Eddie," Taylor grumbles. She crosses her arms and stares at the ceiling in despair. "I mean...she's kind of a guy and hangs with guys, but it's a dumb move to assume her sexuality based solely on that."

"Then start hinting that you like her and see what happens," Ed repeats, more firmly this time. "If she's not into girls there's nothing you can do, love. But you can't waste precious time asking yourself why or what if. You said she texted you today? See what the plan is."

Taylor digs out her phone and stares at Karlie's contact. There's a rain cloud emoji beside her name. She sighs at it and continues to stare blankly. Ed coaxes her on and she selects it. She begins a response.

Hey there! Glad you're feeling better. What would the plan for the park be?

Her response is almost instant and it nearly gives her a heart attack.

We could meet tomorrow at 10? I was thinking about the lake where all the ducks are...

Taylor notes the better use of grammar in the text. She keeps in mind that Karlie only uses abbreviations when she's feeling awkward about discussing something. Smiling she texts back.

Sounds good! I'll be ready... You can bring that skateboard of yours if you like.

Taylor hesitates to add the last part but takes a leap of faith and sends the text. Karlie replies minutes later.

Haha! Thanks. But walking is better for the park. I'll see you tomorrow then.

Taylor's heart flutters at the reaction she's received. Did Karlie imply that she made her laugh? Ed catches Taylor's blushing smiley face and rolls his eyes. "Is it good news or great news?" he asks amusedly.

"Hush," Taylor murmurs, still smiling like a goof at the screen as she begins typing. Ed throws his arms up in defeat and stands to check the roast chicken in the oven.

Taylor - Maybe you can show me how some time haha! Karlie - I don't trust you with a skateboard. At all. Taylor - Oh? And why is that? Karlie - your dumb long legs couldn't step over one without falling that's for sure

Taylor takes a moment to realise that Karlie's once seemingly crude way of speaking is simply a characteristic of hers. She uses it to make herself seem bigger. But she also uses it to make others she trusts feel comfortable. To show that she's comfortable around them.

Taylor - Your dumb long legs are LONGER than my dumb long legs? Karlie - spazz Taylor - Dumb Long Legs Karlie - touché...

Taylor bursts out laughing and Ed nearly drops her plate of roast chicken. He sighs and places it on the coffee table. "Plate's hot, be careful," he says and sets down cutlery wrapped up in a napkin. "What are you laughing like a hyena for?"

"Nothing," Taylor smiles.

"Right, I totally believe you. What, did she make a dirty joke or something?"

"No, please," Taylor says shaking her head. "We're just setting up tomorrow."

Ed shakes his head. "Your food will get cold, let's eat."

~*~

Karlie's lens is inches away from the pile of sleeping ducklings. She silently snaps a few pictures and Taylor has her hands over her mouth a few feet away. The girls had found a secluded part of the park at the edge of the lake. Karlie was the one that spotted the nest amongst the reeds and flowering rushes. She then carefully tip toes away so as not to disturb the babies. They sit at a park bench.

"Wow, check these out," Karlie says, letting out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. She slides through the six pictures she's taken and Taylor smiles in awe.

"They're so precious!" she squeals excitedly. "Their little fuzzy faces."

"One shook its head in this one so he's all blurry except for the other four. Looks like he's transforming into a ghost or something," she says with a brief chuckle.

Taylor laughs and nods at Karlie's observation. "Oh, they are all so cute," she coos. "Good job!" she grins facing Karlie. Karlie half grins back and they even hold eye contact for a few seconds. It's the first time Taylor has noticed how striking her gaze is. It's a mix of a mossy green and hazelnut brown. Karlie is the first to break it and coughs awkwardly.

"You wanna look for more stuff? I bet we'll find squirrels in the trees," she says as she stands.

"Bet we will. Let's go," Taylor grins.

Sure enough they find a trio of squirrels munching on someone's spilled McDonald's fries under a tree. Taylor takes these photos, crouching down a good five or so feet away. The squirrels take no notice of her and feast away on their treat. Karlie grins at the scene. A proper grin too. One she's not holding back.

"Maybe we can call this one Modern Day Squirrel. Make a statement about today's society. Reminiscing on the days squirrels used to eat acorns and birdseed."

Taylor giggles loudly at the comment and nearly startles the bunch. She stands and shows the results to Karlie who's highly amused by them. "These are gold."

"A real natural beauty of Earth, huh!" Taylor smirks. "You wanna get lunch?"

"I, uh, had somewhere planned for today actually," Karlie says with a shy turn away. "You like burgers?"

Karlie takes Taylor to a rustic looking burger bar and café. The sign out front reads Blood Bath. Taylor raises an eyebrow at the name and sees that their company logo is a simplistic pig head outline over a pentagram. "Looks intimidating," she murmurs.

"You scared, stupid?" Karlie grins as she opens the door for her. They're seated at a booth for two. The restaurant is a dark colour scheme but well lit. Taylor notes this as a clever interior design feature, always being one to take in the decorative choices of any establishment. Karlie helps her order. "I'd highly recommend the Red Cheddar Roost. That's a personal favourite of mine. Or if you don't like a lot of cheese I'd go for the Big Blood Classic."

"What's with the blood aspect of this place?" Taylor asks amusedly as she skims over the menu. "I'll have what you're having."

"The blood aspect is kind of just an eye catcher for tourists. But they do do a beautiful rare blue steak burger. It's their best seller or something."

Taylor is glad to see that Karlie is getting more talkative with her. She smiles warmly at the girl's enthusiastic description of the favoured restaurant. They order two Red Cheddar Roosts and Taylor is blown away by how good it is. Karlie is pleased by her reaction and smirks humbly at the sight of her devouring it. They end up spending two hours at the restaurant, ordering a shared dessert of chocolate cake and tea afterwards. Karlie charms Taylor more and more with each her wicked sense of humour, and Taylor is fast melting Karlie's ice cold heart with her innocence and sweetness.

When Karlie walks her home again they linger at the doorstep.

"Today was pretty successful. We're practically almost done!" Taylor says proudly. It then dawns on her that...they're almost done. She gives Karlie a smile and a tilt of her head that encourages her to say something.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm glad we'll be able to...finish this up soon. I should get going," she nods and turns to leave.

"Kar– Karlie!" Taylor exclaims nervously. Karlie turns back and looks up at her. "Do you...want to come inside for coffee?"

~*~

Karlie is enthralled by the sight of Taylor's cats. She muses over their funny little ears and their bushy tails. "I'm not even a cat person but these guys are cool," she says as she jingles a feathery toy mouse around Olivia's curious face.

"I'm glad you think they're cool," Taylor grins as she sets two coffee cups down in front of the couch. She sits herself beside Karlie. Olivia grabs her toy and pounces off with it, leaving Karlie to shake her head laughing at her playfulness.

"Wish I had time to look after a cat," Karlie says and takes her mug.

"They're not too hard to care for. You just gotta feed em and change their litter box. They don't do a lot," Taylor giggles.

"She's doing a lot," Karlie nods to Olivia who is scampering around the legs of the kitchen table.

"I think she likes to show off around guests. Once you leave she'll be out cold like her," Taylor says and nods towards Meredith's chubby body sprawled out on her cat bed by the window.

Karlie smiles and sips her coffee. Taylor sips hers. It's a comfortable silence, one that Taylor is glad happened. She enjoys that she can be quiet with Karlie as well as have colourful conversations with her. Karlie is the first to break the silence.

"So what are you tryna be?" she asks casually.

Taylor chuckles, "A writer. I wanna write this great American novel, ya know. Maybe a series. I wanna keep the literary world popular. And you?"

"Nice," Karlie nods. "Me? It's stupid."

"You haven't even told me," Taylor teases.

"Well... An artist, I guess."

"That's not stupid, Karlie," Taylor smiles. "I don't know why you think that's stupid." She sets her coffee cup down, showing that she's ready to listen.

"Ugh, because everyone hates an artist. Oh, could you not find a real job? How does that make money? Are you starving? Depressed? Can you draw me? I hate it sometimes."

Taylor is intrigued by now Karlie has suddenly opened up to her. She feels as if she's seeing a completely different side to the person. One that is secret and hidden.

"People like to be nosy. But all you gotta do is smile, nod, and move on doing what you love," Taylor says. She got this advice from none other than Ed, and hopes that he's going to be proud once she tells him she has shared his knowledge with someone.

"...Thanks, Taylor," Karlie murmurs. She then sets down her mug too and stares at the girl. Taylor, once again, is breath taken by the girl's eyes. And not only their colour, but the way they seem to be staring into her more so than at her.

At first Taylor Taylor thinks it's the new clock she has hung in the wall when she hears the pounding in her ears. But it soon becomes clear that it's her heart. She feels her cheeks heat up and she knows she's full on blushing at Karlie. But Karlie's expression remains calm as she continues to seamlessly hold their stare.

Am I leaning in or is she? Taylor wonders to herself internally.

Either way, lips brush against lips. And soon enough Taylor is cupping Karlie's left cheek in one hand. Taylor has not kissed many girls before. The times she has were enjoyable. But this kiss is different. This kiss is slow and thought out. Karlie's arm is resting on the back of the couch with her hand dangling between them. Taylor's arm is doing the same and their fingers brush against one another. The bliss ends too quickly.

Karlie pulls away, startled. She catches her breath and stares at Taylor. "Why...Why did we do that," she pants. The comment rubs Taylor the wrong way and she bites her lip to hold back the tears that are welling up in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for us to..." she trails off. She's shaking her head and babbling apologies but she herself isn't too sure she understands them.

"I gotta go," Karlie murmurs and grabs her backpack.

Taylor races to the front door and stands in front of her, digging herself a deeper grave. No, Karlie I– I'm sorry! Please, I didn't mean to– I don't–"

"Shut up, idiot!" Karlie yells and moves her aside. She clambers down the stairs and doesn't look back. Not even as Taylor cries for her to come back.

~*~

Selena squeals with glee as she picks out a sea blue party dress from its hanger. She holds it in front of her for Taylor to see and she cups her face with awe.

"Sel, it's absolutely perfect," she breathes. "Oh the colour, it's stunning!"

"Is it five stars?" Selena asks with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Taylor giggles, "A million stars. Billions! You're gonna look fantastic tomorrow night."

"All right, now let's get you sorted out," Selena says as she folds the dress over her shoulder.

"Me? I have a dress," Taylor says.

"You're prom dress from high school is pretty, Tay. But this is a bigger event. This is five stars on my fucking restaurant big!" the brunette beams.

Taylor chuckles and sighs. "I don't need a new–"

"Nope, it's final. We're finding you a hot dress. You gonna bring a cute date to this thing?" Selena asks as they walk through the store.

Taylor bites her lip. She despises that her mind has automatically gone to Karlie. She had spoken to Selena briefly about the incident last week, and Selena didn't know what to do. Taylor doesn't blame her. It's a peculiar situation.

"I guess not," she says.

"What abouuut...her?" Selena says.

"She hates me," Taylor mumbles as she brushes her fingers over some hangers with cream coloured dresses.

"She's probably just freaked out that you like her back. Most people who are bullies get like that around crushes."

"So you're still pretty certain she's bad for me and yet you encourage me to get to know her better?" Taylor asks. "Twisted, Selena."

"Do you wanna bring her to the party or not," Selena chuckles as she scoops out a dress for Taylor to judge.

"I don't know," Taylor sighs.

"Well make up your mind soon. We gotta know how much food to make and tables to set out."

That evening Taylor finds herself pacing her living room floor. She has her phone turned on and set down on her coffee table. Karlie's contact is open. Their last conversation was about when to meet at the park last week. Karlie hadn't bothered to reply when Taylor sent an apology and asked to talk about things. Taylor feels the tears beginning to brim over her cheeks again. She places her head in her hands and Olivia slinks over to lovingly rub against her legs as if she knows what's wrong. Taylor cries softly to herself, muffling her gentle sobs with sweater sleeves. She sinks down into an armchair and let's her shoulders shake with each breathy cry.

"Do I like her?... Or do I just want her to like me?" she whispers to herself. Taylor usually found herself talking to herself in desperate times. Often it helped. She hopes this time it helps too.

"I like her... I definitely like her and I'm scared of that. But if I keep waiting around like this...asking myself what if...I'll get nowhere." Taylor takes a deep shaky breath. She stares longingly at her phone and then slowly reaches for it. She's not going to text Karlie. She'll call her.

The phone rings five times before Karlie answers it. Taylor's about to hang up on the sixth ring but the sound of shuffling on the other end makes her heart stop.

"Hey," murmurs a voice. Karlie sounds moody. She sounds like Taylor is the last person she wants to speak to right now. With a heavy heart Taylor feels like hanging up. But Karlie surprises her and speaks again. "You gonna say something?"

Taylor tries to bite back the impending sob in her throat but it comes out in her next sentence. "I like you..."

A silence falls over the conversation. It's ear shattering to Taylor and she fears she'll break down completely if Karlie doesn't say anything. Thankfully her wish is granted.

"Is that so?" Karlie asks. Her tone is different now. It's soft. Almost motherly.

"Yeah," Taylor says dumbly. She sounds like a whimpering puppy.

"How much?" Karlie asks, whispered.

"I don't know. A lot I guess," Taylor sniffs. The conversation sounds like a cliché high school confession. Taylor winces at how raspy her voice is.

"Hmm," Karlie says, followed by another silence. She continues, "And what are you gonna do about it?"

Taylor isn't sure if Karlie is being rude or genuinely asking how she's going to deal with the situation. She assumes the latter. "Selena's restaurant got its five stars... There's a party, and..."

"And you want me to come with you?" Karlie finishes.

"Yeah," Taylor says. "It's at eight, tomorrow."

Another silence. There's the sound of Karlie puffing out air and Taylor wonders if she's smoking. She hopes she isn't smoking.

"Okay," Karlie finally says.

Taylor wonders if she's heard her right. She coughs and speaks. "Uh, okay... I will see you there."

"You will," Karlie murmurs. Her tone has been the same through mostly the whole conversation. Taylor wishes she could keep her cool like that.

"Okay... Bye," Taylor says shyly.

"Bye, loser," Karlie murmurs. Taylor can hear a smirk in her voice and it just about blows her lungs up.

~*~

Selena's five star party is a loud, colourful, music filled celebration. Neon lights grace the ceiling. Silvery balloons float at every corner. People chat happily and eat the finest of food. Taylor stands in a corner with Ed and a few of his friends. They greet Taylor and she hits it off with the group. Despite having people to talk to she still feels isolated. Her stomach has been in knots the entire night and she hasn't been able to enjoy the food. She continuously smoothes down the deep red cocktail dress Selena helped her choose out. Occasionally she scratches at her arm, a nervous habit. Ed notices her tense behaviour.

"She said she was coming?" he asks her quietly.

"Y-Yeah," Taylor stammers, taken aback by the question.

"She's nearly an hour late," Ed says as he shows her his watch.

"Well, people are still coming in! Not everyone is here yet I'm sure," Taylor rambles.

Ed gives her a pitiful look. "Tay...I think she stood–"

"Taylor?" calls a husky voice within the crowd.

Taylor's head spins around to scan the sea of people. Sure enough Karlie is craning her long neck to try and find Taylor. The blonde excuses herself and hurries towards her. The crowd departs for her as she tries to get to Karlie. She grabs her arm and turns her to face her.

Karlie is dressed in a black dress pants and blazer. A crisp white shirt with the top two buttons casually undone rest underneath. The girl wears beige heels, making her even more tantalisingly tall. A smokey brown eye and nude lip grace her sharp features. Her dirty blonde hair has been straightened and tied into a high ponytail, a golden leaf hairpiece decorating the back. She's stunning.

"Hey there, dork," Karlie greets.

Taylor wants to cry tears of happiness. "I was worried you weren't coming."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I had to drop a friend to hospital. Skateboard accident. Happens a lot," Karlie smirks. "Just a broken arm."

Taylor laughs, "You look... You look wonderful."

"You don't sound too sure about that," Karlie says with a playful side eye. A man stops by them and offers a glass of champagne, which they both take gratefully.

"I just haven't seen you like this before. You brush up well," Taylor teases as she sips from her glass.

"That's an honour coming from you. That little red number really suits you," Karlie says with somewhat of a dark undertone in her cool voice. She brings a finger out to bounce one of Taylor's soft curls. "Your hair is nice this way."

Taylor blushes like a shy kid and has to sip her champagne to stop herself from giggling like an idiot. "I like your hair too. It's nice tied back like that."

"I just didn't have time to do anything fancy," Karlie smiles. "They got anything to eat around here? This being a restaurant party and all?"

"The meal should be starting soon. There's finger food going around though," Taylor says.

"I'll be a good girl and wait," Karlie smirks.

Eventually they are seated at their tables. Taylor asked for Karlie to be seated at hers and Selena happily allowed the request. Karlie sits across from Taylor and they chat away the night. Karlie is surprisingly very good at talking to strangers at a dinner table. She catches the eye of many the male guests. But she seems to only have eyes for Taylor. By the time desert comes it's safe to say that everyone is either drunk or tipsy. Taylor falls more on the barely tipsy side but Karlie is laughing loudly at even the unfunniest of dad jokes pulled up by the guys at her table. It isn't all that noticeable however. Many people are letting their drunk selves be known. After things begin to die down, Taylor suggests she and Karlie get some fresh air on the outdoor balcony. Karlie is sipping water now and sobering herself up. Taylor has her arms wrapped around her as they stare out at the full moon and the still ocean.

"I had fun tonight," Taylor whispers, the alcohol making her cheeks heat up faster than usual. She's getting shy again.

"Me too, I had fun," Karlie grins. "Here's to the first night of spring break, huh" she says as she raises her glass of lemon water and sips.

Taylor stares up at her adoringly. She's in love. And she knows she's in for a whole load of trouble with this woman because of that.

"Karlie?" Taylor whispers.

"Yes, Taylor?"

"Can I kiss you?"

Karlie finishes her water and sets the glass aside. She stares down at Taylor, the moonlight making her eyes seem to glow. Her expression is gentle. She licks her lips and nods slowly. Taylor almost gasps softly before closing the space between them with a kiss. A kiss that is accepted and eagerly returned.

~*~

Taylor discovers that Karlie's house is only twenty minutes away from her apartment. The estate is a tidy area with small Victorian style houses kept area, grey lampposts at every stop. Karlie was trusting in Taylor to drive them while she directed. They come to house number twenty two and Karlie leads Taylor inside once the car is safely in the garage. Taylor is pushed against the front door with rough kiss as Karlie removes her blazer and tosses it aside. She's breathing heavily and getting her fingers lost in Karlie's hair, her ponytail long undone. Taylor is moaning softly with each hard kiss. Karlie suddenly hoists her up and carries her bridal style upstairs. Taylor is sucking on her neck as she does this. She turns the light on with her shoulder and lands Taylor on her bed so she can undress herself. Taylor takes a moment to catch her breath. She sits up on her elbows and looks around.

Karlie's room is noisy. Her walls are white but there are posters of various bands and icons pinned to it. Her bedsheets are black. The print is a white demon eyed goat head surrounded by a satanic pentagram. Shelves of strange items such as animal skulls and taxidermy butterflies decorate the walls. Taylor is startled by the sudden volume of Karlie's stereo. She apologises and turns the music down. It's a heavy metal or rock band playing. Taylor is thankful she has turned it down. When she lays eyes on Karlie again she fears she'll melt. Karlie's underwear is matching. She's in a black lace bra and satin panties. Taylor's eyes widen on seeing Karlie has abs. Not too prominent. But just enough to make her eyebrows raise with impressment. Karlie kneels down on the bed and helps Taylor out of her dress, before both girls press themselves to one another again. Karlie pulls away suddenly.

"Wait just a sec," she pants and hops up from the bed to the en suite bathroom. She cones out with a handful of black candles and lights them around the room. Taylor's heart races as the lights are turned out so that they are left in flickering candle glow. Karlie appears mysterious now, shadowed by the orangey candle light. A small bedside lamp is still on, so she's clear to see. But the atmosphere is still...romantic. That is apart from the muffled heavy metal music. But Taylor doesn't mind it.

"I always imagined you as a white lace girl," Karlie breathes as she snaps one of Taylor's bra straps, causing Taylor to gulp with excitement.

"Oh, Kar," is all Taylor can whisper.

Karlie smirks evilly and trails kisses down along Taylor's neck. Taylor moans softly at Karlie's hot touch. Karlie moves aside one of Taylor's bra cups so that she can suck at the nipple. Taylor moans louder now and covers her mouth for fear of stirring the neighbours. Karlie removes her bra completely and tenderly massages at her breasts whilst kissing them passionately. Taylor gets wetter and wetter. She gyrates her hips underneath Karlie, silently asking her to move south. Karlie giggles deeply and begins sliding down Taylor's body to her panties. She teasingly kisses and sucks her trembling inner thighs, all the while massaging her breasts. Taylor closes her eyes, her mouth hanging open as Karlie does this. Soon enough her panties are tugged down her hips and flutter to the floor.

Karlie licks once over Taylor's slit and she gasps with excitement. Karlie's tongue gently teases her outer lips, slowly licking up and down the brief length of her wet core. Soon she flattens her tongue and dips into Taylor's centre, licking upwards and eventually over her throbbing clit. Taylor shoves her knuckles into her mouth and bites down. She pushes her hips towards Karlie's face and whimpers her name. Karlie is loving the attention and begins to swirl her tongue around Taylor's clit. She hums and makes kissing sounds against Taylor's dripping entrance.

"I wanna try something with you," Karlie murmurs.

Taylor is starry eyed and panting. She stares down at Karlie, a curious expression on her sweet face. Karlie leans over the bedside and pulls out something. It's in a paper bag by the sounds of it. And encased in plastic packaging. A few metallic clinking sounds follow. Karlie is then stepping into something. When she positions herself at Taylor's entrance again, Taylor is surprised to find a sizeable strap-on between the girl's legs. Her eyes widen with lust as Karlie removes her own bra. Taylor bites her lip, gazing up at her perky breasts.

"I'll be gentle. I think you'll like this," Karlie grins. There's complete and utter sex in her stare and it's melting Taylor to a puddle. She helps Karlie guide herself into entrance folds. Once Karlie slides herself in Taylor's on cloud nine.

"Oh baby, that's good," she breathes.

"Mm, I knew you'd like it," Karlie smirks as she confidently starts to thrust in and out of Taylor's pussy.

The combined candles, heavy metal, and strap-on together is the closest thing to a sensory overload Taylor has ever experienced. She wants more and more with each of Karlie's thrusts. Karlie hooks Taylor's legs over her shoulders, kissing her calves as she pounds her. Taylor is in constant O face mode and nearing her climax. The girth of the strap-ons shaft is perfect. It generously stretches Taylor's walls, hitting her G-spot seamlessly each time. Karlie is a master of seduction and display.

"Still think I'm an extremely rude individual?" Karlie grins.

Taylor let's her pound a few more times before fluttering her eyes open. She dazedly blinks up at the woman, darkly shadowed by the candles that make her tan body glow like fire.

"I think you're the Devil incarnate."

Her comment was supposed to come off as teasing but it comes out breathy and tender. Karlie's eyes flash for a split second, seemingly aroused by Taylor's choked comeback.

"Karlie, I...I'm gonna... Oh gosh, I'm going to..." Taylor babbles feverishly.

"So polite, even on the brink of coming all over me," Karlie purrs. She speeds up her thrusts and pounds Taylor hard.

Taylor let's out one final cry and orgasms hard on Karlie's toy. Karlie coaxes her on whilst continuing to slide in and out of her. "Good girl, come for me. That's it, Tay."

"That was...amazing," Taylor pants, shakily recollecting herself. Karlie removes the strap on and crawls over to her. She rolls Taylor on top of her, kissing her passionately. Taylor drags her hands down the length of Karlie's lithe body. She finds the girls panties and slips her hand underneath them. Karlie smirks at her and flutters her eyes closed. She moans softly as Taylor slips two fingers into her wet core. Taylor curls her digits against Karlie's tight walls, pumping slowly. Karlie squeezes Taylor's hips as she does this. Taylor's eyes never leave Karlie's face as she fingers her.

"Baby, that's so fucking good," Karlie whispers. She bites her lip and makes approving grunts and moans with each of Taylor's curls or pumps. "Little faster, babe," she says.

Taylor obliges and pumps faster, causing Karlie to jolt slightly. She chuckles at her own reflexes and brings her hands to Taylor's face, pulling her in for a deep kiss. Taylor moans into the kiss and Karlie's back begins to arch. She tangles her slender fingers into Taylor's hair and tugs it. "That's it, Tay. I'm gonna come, keep doing that. Oh I'm gonna fucking come. You're making me fucking come, Taylor," Karlie chants breathily. Taylor adores how vocal she is and presses a thumb to her clit, which does the trick.

"Fuck, Taylor! Oh, fuck me!" Karlie moans as she buries her head back into her pillows. Taylor wants to cry at how beautiful she looks in ecstasy. She rubs circles around her clit and a splash of wetness coats her hand. She looks down and smiles wide. Bringing her hand back up she inspects the clear, stringy stickiness between her fingers.

"Look," Taylor grins, showing Karlie her hand.

"Woah," Karlie giggles. She blushes hard, "Sorry about that."

Taylor chuckles and wipes it against the sheets, but not before sucking on her pointer finger and staring straight ahead at Karlie as she does so. Before long Karlie has blown out her candles and opened a window to let cool air in. Taylor is nestled under her sheets. Karlie soon joins her.

"Karlie?" Taylor murmurs sleepily.

"Yes, princess?"

"Are we... What are we?"

Karlie brings her arms out to pull Taylor close to her bare chest. She rests her chin atop her head. Taylor's arms wrap around Karlie's waist.

"I'm not so sure," Karlie whispers. "Is that okay for now?"

Taylor can't help but feel a tad disappointed. But Karlie's question strikes a glint of hope in her chest and she smiles warmly. "Yes, that's okay...for now."

"Good," Karlie nods.

Soon they fall asleep in each other's arms.

~*~

"You guys aren't even a part of the photography team and you outdid the entire photography team," chuckles the freckled, red headed art student in disbelief. She congratulates and thanks Taylor and Karlie for their contributions to the yearbook and Mr Tweed let's them off the hook, warning them to behave from now on.

"I'm kinda sad the project is finished. I had fun taking pictures with you," Taylor says as she walks alongside Karlie to lunch.

"We can still take pictures together, stupid," Karlie says with a grin. "That's sweet though."

"You're sweet," Taylor smiles. Karlie stops to kiss her gently.

"Can you guys get a fucking room," Selena comments as she passes by.

Taylor rolls her eyes and then stares lovingly up at Karlie. "We should move in together. Unless that's, like, totally too far too soon. I don't want you to think I'm some crazy obsessed girlfriend that wants to tie you down and–"

"Hey, zip it," Karlie chuckles. "I dunno. Maybe one day," she grins.

Taylor blushes and smiles back. "Yeah, maybe one day."

"Let's go eat. I'm starving."

"Are your friends joining us?" Taylor asks.

"Theeey may or may not be taking their punishments for what I made them do to you in the park."

Taylor raises an eyebrow. "What kind of punishment?"

Karlie smirks and then gazes ahead. The group of rowdy skateboarders are painting a mural under the guidance of Mr Tweed. "I told him they were bored of skating."

Taylor laughs out loud. "You made them do that for me? And what's your punishment?" she grins.

"Getting stuck with you!" Karlie teases. Taylor playfully throws a punch to her arm and she laughs gleefully. "They'll be busy for a week at least. We've got the half pipe clear for me to teach you a few things. That is if you're willing to wear pads for those accident prone knees and elbows of yours."

"Just put me in a full body cast right now," Taylor sighs. Karlie chuckles and kisses her cheek.

"So you're not game?"

"Oh, I'm game... Skateboard Sally."

"I said don't call me that!" Karlie exclaims and proceeds to chase Taylor along the green of the campus. She catches her and Taylor giggles as Karlie presses kisses over her face.

"I'm glad you skinned my knees, Karlie," Taylor smiles, a fresh blush heating up her cheeks. Karlie laughs softly at the confession. She takes Taylor's hand and intertwines their fingers.

"Me too."

#Kaylor #kaylor fanfiction #wattpad #flickerfic #taylor swift #Karlie Kloss

30 notes · View notes