Taylor's POV

I'm sitting in my room and doing homework when I hear a knock on my bedroom door.

"What is it?" I ask as I close my book.

"James Fitz is here to see you." Keenan stutters.

"H-he is?" I ask shocked.

"Yes, I thought he hated you." Keenan says confused.

"I did too." I confess.

"He'd be stupid to hate you." Keenan tells me sweetly.

"Thanks Keenan. Do I look okay?" I ask as I check myself in the mirror.

"You look beautiful." Keenan says to me.

"Thanks bro." I say as I leave my bedroom.

When I arrive downstairs, I see James sitting alone on my couch.

"Hey Taylor." He says to me.

"Hey." I say with a sigh.

"Will you come and sit by me?" James asks me softly.

"Are you going to scream at me?" I ask before I can stop myself.

"No, I came to apologize. I was a jerk, and I really am sorry." James says to me.

"I never wanted to hurt you James. I found the pot, and I thought you needed help." I tell him truthfully.

"I know that now. It was never you who wanted to hurt me, it was Sam Kahn." James says as a look of anger washes over his face.

"My mom told me about Riley." I say with a sad smile.

"The entire town probably knows by now." James says as he shakes him head.

"Can you ask her to call me? I know that Riley and I have had our up and downs, but I really do care about her." I say.

"I'll let her know, I'm sure she'll appreciate it." James says with a slight smile.

"While we're apologizing, I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gone into your room without permission." I say ashamed.

"It's okay Taylor." James says as he envelopes me in a hug.

"I miss you." I tell him softly.

"We should hang out sometime." James says.

"For sure." I say with a smile.

At that moment I hear a phone buzz.

"That's mine." James says as he pulls out his phone.

James sighs dramatically, and a sad look washes over his face.

"Is everything okay?" I ask him gently.

"That was my father, Riley won't leave her room." James says with a frown.

"Are you worried about her?" I ask him softly.

"Of course I am. Riley is my little sister, and I'm suppose to protect her from boys like Sam." James says guiltily.

"I feel that way about Keenan sometimes, but you can't prevent stupid people from doing stupid things." I say as I give his hand a little squeeze.

"Thanks a lot Taylor." James tells me.

"Don't mention it." I say as I watch him walk out of the front door.

Line Break

After James leaves, I finish up my homework. My mom enters my bedroom, and she looks extremely stressed.

"What's wrong?" I ask her gently.

"I have a lot going on." My mom says with a frown.

"Such as?" I ask curiously.

"I have a huge trial on Monday, I'm helping the Fitzes with their case against the Kahns, and Aunt Jenna and her family are coming over for dinner." My mom says with a sigh.

"What's Aunt Jenna's family like?" I ask my mom curiously.

"Jenna and her husband Brent have a fifteen year-old daughter named Hazel, and a sixteen year-old son named Carter." My mom tells me.

"Have you met the kids?" I ask her.

"No, but Hazel is a sophomore, and Carter is a junior. They're starting at Rosewood High next week, so try to be extra nice." My mom tells me seriously.

"Why don't you like Aunt Jenna?" I ask suddenly.

"I don't dislike her." My mom says as she avoids eye contact.

"Liar." I say with a scoff.

"We just don't see things eye to eye." My mom says with a sigh.

"Was she born blind?" I ask curiously.

"No, Jenna was in an accident." My mom says nervously.

"What kind?" I ask.

"I should start dinner." My mom says before kissing my forehead and leaving the room.

Line Break

While I'm setting the table for dinner, I hear a knock on the door. Moments later my dad comes into the kitchen with Jenna, a man, and two teenagers.

"Taylor, this is your Uncle Brent, and your cousins Hazel and Carter." My dad says with a warm smile.

"Hello." I say as I extend a hand.

Carter responds to the gesture, but Hazel looks away.

"Why don't you take Hazel upstairs and show her your room?" My dad asks me.

"Sure, follow me." I say as I walk Hazel upstairs.

Line Break

Hazel and I sit on my bed and stare at each other awkwardly.

"So what do you like to do?" I ask breaking the silence.

"At my old school I was the captain of our field hockey team." Hazel brags.

"That's awesome! I play field hockey here, and I'm the captain of our team." I say with a smile.

"Well you're going to have to fight to keep that spot. The coach saw me play at a tournament last summer, and he thinks I'm amazing." Hazel says with a smirk.

"What else do you do?" I ask trying to contain my annoyance.

"I take school very seriously." Hazel says.

"Same here!" I exclaim.

"How many A.P.'s are you taking?" She asks me.

"Three." I say as I twirl my hair.

"I'm taking four." Hazel says with a smirk.

"Why haven't I met you before tonight?" I ask her suddenly.

"Are you anything like your mother?" Hazel asks avoiding the question.

"I don't know, why?" I ask confused.

"Because I've heard your mom is a real bitch." Hazel says with a scoff.

"Do you want to know what I think Hazel?" I ask trying to contain my anger.

"Not really, but you're probably going to tell me anyway." She says in annoyance.

"I think you're a conceited bitch who thinks she is the best at everything." I say furiously.

"Who are you describing here? You or me?" She asks with a smirk.

I'm taken aback by her comment, maybe I am conceited.

"We'll see who's the best at field hockey at practice next week." Hazel challenges.

"If I were you, I wouldn't even bother showing up." I say with all the courage that I have.

"Dinner." My mom says as she enters the bedroom.

Line Break

I try to fall asleep, but I'm unsuccessful. Dinner with Jenna's family was beyond awkward, and I have no idea why Hazel hates me so much. I'm about to fall asleep when I hear my phone ring. I roll out of bed and answer when I realize it's Haley.

"Hey Haley." I say.

"Have you heard from Riley?" She asks immediately.

"No, James told me she is taking it easy for a while." I say.

I hear a series of heavy sobs coming from the other end of the line.

"Is everything okay?" I ask her gently.

"P-poor Riley. This is all my fault!" Haley cries.

"This isn't your fault!" I say trying to convince her.

"I knew about her and Sam, and I didn't tell anyone." Haley cries.

"You didn't know his motivations." I tell her softly.

"Y-yes I did, and I didn't do anything to help our friend." Haley says with a sniffle.

"Will you come over?" I ask her suddenly.

"Why?" She asks confused.

"I have a lot of stuff on my mind, and I need a friend." I confess.

"So do I." Haley tells me.

"I'll see you in ten minutes." I say as I hang up the phone.

I'm about to put my phone down, but a text message appears on my screen.

Friends are over-rated, all they do is get you into trouble. Ask Mommy about the adventures she took with her friends.

-A

What did you think? Should Taylor forgive James so easily? I'll update as soon as I get 20 reviews. Thanks for reading :)

A special thanks to CrazyDivergentGleek for giving me the idea for Hazel :)