A/n: Hey this is a new story... Well I've actually had part of it forever I just changed up some names, place, and then finished it out. It's only got three parts so I'm just going to go ahead and post all of them... :)
Never Say Never:
Part 1: Ghost From The Past
Taylor…
"I'm never coming back, never!"
I thought back on my famous last words as I looked at the "Welcome to Albuquerque sign" and the irony of the saying never say never hit me smack dead in the middle of the forehead. It had been four long years since I uttered those words and put the pedal of my convertible Mustang to the floor, leaving family, friends, and haters behind.
If I was honest with myself I would admit that the events leading up to me leaving the town I had always called home cut me deep, but even so that wasn't my only motivation for leaving. I also left to make those involved feel a little of the pain I was feeling because even before the tears, the pleads to stay, and the apologies I knew the last thing that they wanted was to know that their actions were why I felt like I needed to leave and to have that on their conscience.
Wait, let me take that back. The last thing they wanted was for me to find out about all the things that were going on behind my back. But since I, obviously, found out, the next thing to fill that option would be for them to know that they were involved in why I felt the need to leave.
I got back into my car and put my shades back on. Looking at the sign one more time, I cranked up my baby and headed into Albuquerque, NM. Almost effortlessly I drove to the house my parents had owned since I could remember. I saw my mom's car in the drive way and half walked half ran to the door. I put my hand up to knock, and that's when the realization of what my being back meant hit me, and for the first time since I'd left L.A. in order to come back here, I was fearful.
I sat down on the porch and ran my fingers through my hair. Looking around and remembering all the long summer days spent running around with nieces and nephews in this very yard, the apprehension and fear melted from my body. As I went to stand up my eyes caught a movement in the yard. As I looked out on the shirtless figure moving across the yard a chill ran up and down my spine. The person looked up and just stared at me. Too far out to put a positive face to the body, and too much of a bodily reaction not to know who the person staring at me was, my nerves kicked back in.
…..
…
.
Troy…
It was the beginning of the summer, and just like every Saturday during the summers before I was at Mr. and Mrs. McKessie's house mowing the yard. I had just finished the back and was walking around to the front to get my cooler off of the porch when I saw Taylor.
I was a little far off, and it had been four years, but I knew it was her. It had to be. My body never reacted to anyone this way. Not now, not since.
So my body was saying it was her, my mind was screaming it was her, and everything inside of me was telling me that it had to be her, but there was only one way to find out.
I started walking toward the front porch with my eyes still affixed on her. I saw it in her bodily actions that she had a feeling of who I was and was most definitely nervous. She hopped up the last couple of stairs and started to knock on the front door. And that's when I broke into a run toward where she stood.
Taylor…
As the figure started towards me, I looked at the door and prayed that my mom wasn't in the back. I looked back and the person broke out into a run and that's when my nerves kicked into high gear. I started to bang on my parents front door. Seconds later I heard the faint sounds of my mom fussing and the door swung open. Before she had the chance to express her surprise at my being home I ran to the closet and closed myself inside.
I heard my moms walking towards me until there was a knock at the door. My moms asked who it was and the voice that had haunted my dreams for the last past four years called out from behind the closed door.
As I sank down unto the closet floor, I felt kind of bad for putting my mama into the position that she was in now. I carefully leaned against the door and listened in.
"Troy, come in baby."
"Thank you"
The footsteps slowly faded and I guessed that she had led him into the kitchen. I let my head fall back and the tears started to fall. Yeah I had been gone for four years but my mind, heart, and emotions were still tied up into this town, and some of the people in it.
I guess that's one of the reasons why I came back, because even being hundreds of miles away in L.A. I still couldn't let go of the hurt, anger, and as much as I'd hate to admit it, love that I still was holding on to.
I had to get out of here….
Troy…
I sat down at the kitchen table and accepted the glass of tea that Mrs. McKessie was offering me. She barely had time to sit down before I started in with the questions.
"Mrs. McKessie, is Taylor is here?"
I watched her and I could almost literally see her brain turning, trying to come up with a way to answer my question without lying to me, but all the while do what mothers do which was protect her daughter.
"Baby, she is here but to be honest I don't know if she's ready or wants to see you."
"Yeah."
I got up and thanked her for the tea and went back outside to finish the yard.
Her car was gone. I guess her moms was right. She wasn't ready to see me. I know I hurt her four years ago, but I was sorry then and I'm sorry now. I just need and want a chance to tell her that.
I put my Ipod back in and finished up the yard.
My mind wondered back and forth between today and four years ago. I even found myself thinking about my life during the four years she had been gone. I didn't know much about the goings on in her life but I did know she had went to LA. That didn't surprise me. She always said that she was going to move there.
I just never thought that it would be without me.
Taylor…
I knew that my mama couldn't and wouldn't lie so I carefully snuck out of the house and took off toward the only place that I knew to go, my best friend's house. I know its pretty unusual to hear about a guy and a girl being best friends but Zeke was just that to me, my best friend. Me and him we go way back. I'm talking about the womb days. Our moms are actually best friends. So that's how we came to be.
Zeke was the only person, besides my family that I just really kept in touch with. Even though I insisted that he didn't come and visit me, we always found the time to talk or video chat. I left a year after our high school graduation. Me, Troy, and Chad had decided to go to a local college while Zeke decided to go to TSU in Nashville, TN. I knew that was the college that he'd always wanted to go to, and on the day he left I played the supportive best friend and held in my tears until after his truck pulled off from his grandmother's house.
Freshman year was coming to an end when the nasty truth came out, and I decided to leave. But not without calling my best friend for support and a listening ear. But being the wonderful best friend he is I didn't have to call him very long. The day that I had told him I was leaving came and went, but not before he showed up and wrapped his arms around me. A true friend indeed.
I finally made it out to his granny's house. I parked out front in the driveway and made my way around back where I heard the unmistakable sound of "family". I smiled and walked into the yard. I saw that his mother, whom I affectionately call "Mama M", was about to call out my name so I put my fingers over my lip.
I slowly walked behind Zeke and wrapped my arms around him.
"You missed me?"
He jumped up and looked at me with that smile that made everybody around him smile no matter what type of mood they were in, and came to me and picked me up in his arms.
"Did I miss you? Baby girl I talk to you every other day. You don't give me a chance to miss you."
"Yeah, I know."
He sat back down as I made my rounds and spoke to the family that I considered my own. Zeke had just pulled me down onto his lap when mama M said what I knew they all had to be thinking.
"Tay, honey I didn't think we'd ever see you in these parts again."
I gave her a weak smile and put my forehead down on her son's as he wrapped his arms around my waist. I looked him in his eyes.
"She would be the one to say something, wouldn't "she?"
"You know it!"
I looked back up at her.
"To be honest, I didn't think so either."
"Well, we glad to have you back honey. That is assuming you're here to stay."
"I think I am Mama M. I think I am."
Troy…
I pulled up to my boy Chad's apartment, and saw him outside dribbling a basketball. I got out and sat on the hood of my truck. He threw the ball at me and I threw it directly back to him. He looked at me, and being my friend since middle school he knew something was up with me.
"What's up, man?"
"Taylor's back."
I looked at him trying to see what his reaction was going to be, and it was that of complete shock.
"I never thought I would hear those words."
"Trust, me either."
"So, have you talked to her?"
"I saw her standing on her parent's front porch, and when she noticed it was me that was looking at her, she banged on the door until her moms opened it."
"What happened then."
"Man she hid. And you know Mrs. McKessie wasn't going to lie and say she wasn't there but she also wasn't going to lead me to her, especially since she was pretty sure that it was me she was running from. "
"Can't exactly blame her. So what are you going do?"
"I'm going to talk to her, someway somehow. "
"Good luck with that man."
"Oh thanks. Where's the support, friend?"
"You know I got your back man, but she's a friend too. And just like I would tell her she was wrong for leaving, I'm telling you now that you were wrong for everything that was done leading up to the day that she left. You knew that it was just her nature to be around boys, even though she was girly. And the one girl she let in and called a friend instead of an associate, you messed around with and got her pregnant. You got Gabriella pregnant, Troy!"
"I know and I'm sorry."
"I believe you, and maybe one day she'll believe you, but let me ask you something. Had Zeke decided that he wanted her as more than a friend, and somewhere in the process, you know on one of his visits back home during the holidays, he got her pregnant. How much would her sorry had meant to you?"
He started back dribbling the ball.
Over the years, since all of this happened, I had never thought of the situation from that point of view. And to think about it now, I really didn't like the thought of any of it. My heart actually ached at the thought of her being the one to betray me in the way that I had betrayed her. Especially with someone that I trusted to respect my relationship with her. Just like she trusted Gabriella to respect our relationship. Just like she trusted me.
Taylor…
It was well past dark, and my stomach was full. I was sitting on Zeke's lap and he was rubbing my stomach. The get together had been moved into the living room, and the conversation was steady flowing.
I was having a good time but I noticed that the hour was getting late, and I knew that I had to face my parents. By now I knew that my mom had shared what had happened this afternoon with my dad. And though they both would be happy to see me, both would have questions to ask me before it was all said and done. That thought alone almost had me dreading going back. Zeke's hand rubbing up and down my thigh brought me out of my thoughts. I looked at him and I had my way out of the questions. At least for tonight.
I leaned forward and whispered in my best friend's ear.
"Will you stay with me tonight?"
His very expressive brown eyes searched my own.
"Sure baby girl."
He packed an overnight bag as I talked to his grandmother and mother. And we were soon on our way back to my parent's house. I knocked on the door, and this time my dad welcomed us in the house. I jumped on my dad and gave him a bear hug. My mama kissed Zeke on the cheek and took the plates that Mama M had sent for her and my daddy as he passed on his mother's promise to come and visit my mom at a later date.
My heart was glad at seeing pure joy on the faces of my parents. It was well pass midnight before my parents decided to retire for the night.
I grabbed Zeke's hand and led him to my old bedroom. I flipped on the light astonished to see that my room was exactly the way I left it. Me and Zeke took turns in the shower before laying on my full size lavender satin covered bed.
"I'm glad you're here baby girl."
"I had to come back."
"Why is that? Why did you choose now to come back."
I looked into the soulful brown eyes of my best friend and decided to tell him what I had hid from everyone over the years I had been gone. Including him.
I reached over to grab my purse. After finding my wallet I pulled out a picture a picture of a beautiful little boy. My beautiful little boy with eyes as blue as his father's.
"No matter what happened between Troy and myself, I finally realized that my baby needed to grow up around family."
Handing Zeke the picture I waited for his reaction.
"He's yours... and Troy's?"
"Yeah, your looking at Tyler Jay Bolton."
"How did you hide this from everybody, Tay? Why?"