Here we go. Just a warning this chapter maybe a bit much for some, but it's necessary for the story to go on. Plenty of reviews!

Stop

Taylor stood over the stove scrambling up some eggs for her and her mother. It had been about a month since her and Troy had gotten into it at the restaurant and she had her emotional break down on the side of the road. 'Not one of my better moments or days' thought Taylor to herself. She often thought about that day and an overwhelming since of shame always came after she thought things through. She was still slightly embarrassed about the things she said to Troy, 'but he deserved most of that', she thought. A lot of times she sat pondering about how things had gotten this bad so quickly, just a couple of years ago, Chad, Troy, and her were the best of friends, and her parents were still looking at each other affectionately. Where did it all go wrong?

Needless to say things hadn't gotten much better in Taylor's life or the McKessie household. Everyday was a non stop battle for Taylor, a battle of ever changing emotions, and constant battles with her mom.

"Taylor when are you going to be done with the food?" yelled her mother from the living room.

"It's almost done mom" said Taylor, "I'll bring it out in a second".

"Well hurry it up, before I starve to death!" she yelled again.

Living with her mom these days was starting to stress her out. She was the only one doing all the housework and cooking now, her mom refused to do anything but sleep, drink, smoke, and eat, and she was barely eating anything. Matter of fact Taylor didn't understand why she was cooking in the first place; it would likely go to waste. Her mom didn't venture out at all except for at night, when she could sneak to the store and get alcohol and cigarettes. Taylor started learning things about her mother that she had never known before. Apparently her mother was a big time smoker before she got married to her dad, and she has now picked the habit back up…as well as drinking during any time of the day. Her father's sudden absence was turning her mom into someone she barely liked and definitely someone she didn't know.

Taylor fixed some toast and hurried the plate out to her mother, who was sipping on a small glass of vodka with ice.

"About time Taylor…I swear you're getting slower and more useless as the days go on…just like your ungrateful ass father" said her mother snatching the plate from her. "Go get me my smokes from upstairs…and be quick about it".

Taylor rolled her eyes as she turned to walk up the stairs. While walking to her mother's bedroom, she thought about how things seemed to just get turned upside down so quickly. The emotional abuse had been going on for sometime now, but as the days past by and it was becoming more apparent that her dad would never return, her mothers words were more ruthless than ever…not only that but she had taken to punching Taylor, whenever the opportunity presented itself.

"Mom I don't see your cigarettes" yelled Taylor down the stairs.

"Damn it Taylor…look again! You know what never mind, I see a pack down here".

Sighing heavily Taylor walked to her room and shut the door. Sitting on her bed she held her head down, "God please give me the patience to deal with her…she's in pain too…just like me" prayed Taylor quietly to herself. While deep in thought and prayer, her cell phone rang out.

"Yes Chad" she said picking up already knowing who was on the other end.

"Hey girl what's up" said Chad cheerfully.

"Nothing much…same ole…same ole" she replied, lying across her bed. "What's up with you?"

"Well mom had us running around getting school supplies for next week. I was looking forward to basketball season this year, but since I haven't really talked to Troy or Coach Bolton, I don't know how that's gonna turn out" said Chad, "I haven't played in so long…that's what we should do today Taylor, we're gonna go play some ball" said Chad excitingly.

"Chad I suck at basketball, you know that" said Taylor apprehensively.

"Of course I know that and you only sucked because you never really tried, but it's time for you to have some fun again Taylor…it's time for you to take care of yourself…your mother is a grown adult" said Chad a little exasperated.

Taylor already told Chad about her mother's issues, she needed an outlet of sorts. She couldn't tell Gabriella out of fear that Troy would find out…besides she had known Chad her whole existence, he could tell if something was wrong even if she lied and said everything was great. The only thing she neglected to let him know was the physical aspect of her mom punching her. She knew her mother was only treating her like this because of the resemblance to her dad and the pain she felt from her dad leaving, and she didn't want her mom to get in trouble either, so it was best to keep that aspect to herself.

"Chad I know that, but she's my mom, she needs my help and I just can't abandon her" said Taylor sternly.

"It's not abandoning her…it's going to the park to have fun, especially before school gets started up. You know what…why am I even arguing with you, I will be there in twenty…be ready McKessie" said Chad.

"Chad you can't boss me around like you own me" said Taylor angrily.

"Tee Cup, I know I don't own you…but I'm concerned Taylor, it's like your being the adult in this whole situation and your parents are acting like the kids. I want you to be the kid for the day…I want us to have fun and joke and worry about absolutely nothing…I want us to just be. Come be with me my dear friend Taylor" said Chad a little corny.

"You know you suck right" said Taylor laughing against her will, "Alright I'll be ready in twenty".

"Victory!" shouted Chad, "See you then girl" he said hanging up his phone.

Taylor shook her head, she didn't know where she would be if it weren't for Chad. Taylor went to her closet to go find something suitable to play basketball in… "I know I had a pair of basketball shorts in here from gym class" she said out loud. There was a sudden crash as her door flung open and her mother rushed in, "Didn't you hear me calling you!" screamed her mom. Taylor jumped out of the closet holding on to a tee shirt and the shorts she just found, "Mom what are you talking about?" asked Taylor holding her chest, slightly frightened.

"I have been calling you for the past couple of minutes Taylor…what the hell are you doing in there?" asked her mother suspiciously. She walked up to Taylor and glared at her while waiting for an answer. Taylor could smell the alcohol on her breath; it was almost nauseating to her.

"I was just grabbing some clothes, Chad and I are gonna play basketball today in the park. I was just looking for my gym shorts" said Taylor quickly. She knew that look, if she didn't give her mother a quick answer, she could expect pain very soon.

"You and Chad huh" said her mother lighting a cigarette, while she walked back to the door, "you guys dating again?"

"No mama, we're just friends" said Taylor truthfully.

"Friends huh, you know your dad was just friends with Lucille…and you see where that landed us" said her mother bitterly, "you better make sure you ass comes back home…you understand me girl".

"Yes mama" said Taylor; "I won't ever leave you" said Taylor quietly.

"Yeah well you better not" said her mother as she turned around and walked to her room, slamming the door behind her. Taylor took a deep breath of relief; she looked at her clock and realized she only had ten minutes before Chad got there. She ran to the bathroom, showered, and dressed herself just as she heard Chad's car pull up.

Chad got out of the car and walked to the porch as he waited for Taylor to get ready. It wasn't any sense of knocking on the door, because he honestly didn't want to be bothered by Mrs. McKessie. Taylor would kill him, if she found out that he told his mom about Mrs. McKessie's drinking habits and emotional abuse towards her. His mom told him emphatically that if it gets worse, than he was to let her know and she would take Taylor from the house immediately until Mrs. McKessie got it together. He hadn't told his mom yet, but he suspected that Taylor's mom was hitting her also…he went to grab her shoulder for something and she cringed and whimpered as if he had touched a sore spot, than she tried to play it off like nothing was bothering her.

"Hey bush man" said Taylor jokingly as she walked out of the house, breaking Chad out of his thoughts, "I hope you haven't been waiting long" she said.

"Naw I just got here" he said getting up and giving her a hug. She didn't flinch this time so he assumed things were going okay, "You ready to go play some ball" he said ushering her down the steps and into the car.

"Uh…I guess so…I'd do anything really to get my mind off of stuff right now" she said.

"Well basketball will do the trick…now I guess I have to teach you the basics but since you're a nerd and all that shouldn't be a problem" said Chad laughing.

"Thanks I guess…" said Taylor laughing, "I don't think I will have a problem understanding the game, its just tryna tell my body what to do and making it do it" she said.

"Well that's where practice comes in, and besides we're gonna have major fun today, so relax McKessie. Don't let that Type A personality get in the way of our fun" said Chad.

"I'll try to…I promise" she said smiling at Chad, "but honestly what I find more interesting than basketball is your love life at the current moment" she said.

"What love life?" chuckled Chad, "I spend all my time with my ex…besides you're the only one who actually likes me" said Chad.

"What!…There are tons of girls at school who like you Chad…and they would break their necks just to get at you" said Taylor.

"Yeah…but they don't know me…not like you" he said.

"Why don't you give them a chance to know you? Starting this school year, ask a chick out and see what happens" suggested Taylor.

"Okay I will, if you stop riding my case about it…and what's this interest in my love life all of a sudden" he asked.

"It keeps my mind off of other things I don't want to think about…plus I get the added bonus of seeing you flustered…it never gets old" she said laughing.

"Ha ha McKessie, just wait until we get on the court, we'll see whose laughing then" said Chad smirking.

Taylor sniggled as Chad continued to drive towards the park. Once there he climbed out and got the basketball out of his back seat, "Alright McKessie let's get this game started" he said as Taylor got out of the car. While walking towards the court Chad gave her a quick lesson on dribbling the ball with one hand, which she picked up pretty swiftly, "Not bad McKessie…not bad at all" complimented Chad.

Taylor continued to practice dribbling while Chad watched, giving her pointers. She accidentally dribbled the ball off of her right foot, which made the ball bounce off and roll all the way to the court. Taylor ran after the ball noticing it was picked up by the last person she needed to see, "Can I have the ball back?" she asked once she reached Troy. They stared at one another, while both of their minds wandered back to the last time they were in this close proximity.

Troy decided it was best not to say anything, he just bounced pass the ball aggressively to her and turned around back to the hoop and started playing again. Chad walked over and motioned for Taylor to go to the other side of the court, "I'll be over there in a minute…let me talk to Hoops for a sec" said Chad.

"Okay" said Taylor quietly, turning around while practicing how to dribble the ball to the other side of the court. She decided she was gonna try to shoot the ball until Chad was done with Troy.

Troy knew his best friend was behind him but he continued to ignore him while laying the ball up in the basket, "Hey Hoops, can we talk for a minute?" asked Chad. Troy laid the ball on the ground and stopped a few feet in front of Chad, "Talk" he said calmly.

Chad looked Troy in the eyes and saw that he was still trying to mask the hurt that was obviously there, "I just wanted to know how you were doing, we haven't spoken in quite some time…I miss you man" said Chad sincerely.

Troy's eyes watered slightly, "I've missed you too man, but I understand you're trying to take care of her" he said nodding his head towards Taylor who had just thrown the ball towards the rim, but missed it entirely.

"She's in just as much pain as you are Troy…I mean if I didn't look out for her, who would…definitely not her mom. I mean you at least have Gabriella" said Chad quietly.

"I don't have Gabriella anymore…she dropped me last week…rightfully so, but ever since then I've been coming to the park to practice" said Troy quietly.

"Oh…I'm sorry to hear that, she give you a reason why?" asked Chad.

"As if you have to ask, I've been a supreme dick. All the anger I have for my mother I've been taking out on everybody especially Gabriella. I guess she finally had enough of my crap" said Troy quietly.

"Than stop being angry…especially to Taylor…man the stuff you said to her Troy, I didn't even recognize who you were" said Chad shaking his head.

"She said some nasty stuff to me also, if I remember correctly…I can't stop being angry man, it's like when I look at Taylor I get so mad, and than I see my mom walking out on me with her dad…and it hurts…so I get angry and I blow up before I can tell myself to calm down…I don't know, it's just something about Taylor that gets me angry the most…like I want to yell at my mom but I can't, and I want to yell at my dad for letting her go, but I can't…but than Taylor comes along and…" he motioned with his hand a big explosion.

"Well you didn't do it this time, so it's obvious you both can be civil to on another" said Chad.

"I really don't have the energy today to start an argument" said Troy quietly, "besides I still felt like I would blow up at any minute when she was just over here…I don't know what it is".

"Maybe it's because she looks a lot like him…" said Chad quietly.

Troy looked over at Taylor who glanced back at the pair of them. She had enough of playing by herself so she left the ball on the court and sat down on the closest bench. Crossing her arms and legs, she continued to glance at Troy and Chad as the boys kept talking.

"Maybe that is it" said Troy finally speaking; "maybe because she resembles the man I hate so much…I take it out on her" said Troy quietly.

"But she's not him Troy…she's her own person, with her own thoughts and her own personality. I mean do you hate yourself, because you resemble your mom?" questioned Chad.

"Sometimes I do…" said Troy shocking Chad, "…I hate the fact that I let it get to me…that I let Gabriella, Taylor, her dad and my mom get to me, but I can't help it…I just can't" he said as a single tear escaped his eyes, which he wiped away quickly.

"Well you shouldn't hate yourself Troy, it's not your fault" said Chad.

"Than how come I feel like it's my fault…I mean what if I was a better basketball player you know, or…or… did better in school, or had better friends, or looked better…than maybe she wouldn't have…maybe she wouldn't have left…if I could fix whatever is wrong with me" he said chocking up.

"Troy that's ridiculous, your mom leaving you has nothing…absolutely nothing to do with you. She's the one with the problem, not you" said Chad looking at Troy in the eyes, "Gosh man, how can I make the both of you see that it's not your fault…and the both of you have to stop blaming each other, and more importantly stop blaming yourselves…your parents were the selfish ones, they were the ones who put their feelings above everyone else's" said Chad.

More tears crept out of Troy's eyes as he wiped them away quickly. He knew what Chad was saying was true but he couldn't help the way he felt at the current moment, "Look man I'm out of here…I don't feel like talking about this anymore…I'll see ya when I see ya" he said giving Chad the pound. Troy didn't wait for a response he picked up his basketball and ran off of the court into the distance. Chad and Taylor watched him run off as a nice breeze blew their way, which kinda brought both of them back to consciousness.

"We gonna play or what Danforth?" yelled Taylor across the court.

"Yeah we gonna play. You make any shots" he asked as he pulled his bushy hair back into a pony tail.

"Hell no" she said smirking. She got up and met Chad on the court, "How is he?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Not good…not good at all, you and Troy have more in common than what you realize" said Chad quietly.

"Yeah both of our parents are no-good cheaters" said Taylor picking up the basketball and throwing it towards the hoop. She missed the shot again and grunted in frustration.

"Ah, I see what the problem is, it's your form. You fix that and I guarantee the majority of your shoots will go in" said Chad, walking over to Taylor and teaching her how to shoot.

They spent the majority of the afternoon on the court working out how to play the game of basketball. It was the most Chad had heard Taylor laugh in weeks; it definitely put a big smile on his face that she was enjoying herself so much. "Alright McKessie, you wanna grab some ice cream, my treat" he said wiggling his eyebrows.

"I really should be getting home, and getting dinner started" said Taylor.

"Aww c'mon Tee Cup…fun day…remember" said Chad pouting out his bottom lip.

"I know Chad…but you don't understand…she'll get really mad if I'm not home soon" said Taylor nervously.

"Okay, we'll be quick about it" said Chad running to the car and beckoning Taylor to follow him. She ran after him quickly as they made there way to Tony's Dairy, the best soft served ice cream in town.

Taylor was digging into her ice cream as Chad was driving like a speed demon to get her home, "You know I would like to get there safely Danforth" said Taylor in between bites.

"You'll get there safely, don't worry about that. Just eat your ice cream and relax" he said as he made a sharp right turn around the corner.

"I'm trying to relax, but I keep seeing my life flash before me" said Taylor smartly.

Chad rolled his eyes as he gunned it down the street, "You know McKessie, a nice thank you would be great sometimes" he said screeching up her street and stopping in front of her house.

Taylor looked at him as if he was crazy, they had made it to her house in ten minutes, and Tony's was usually a twenty minute ride. "Thanks Chad… for not killing me…I really appreciate it" said Taylor clenching the bowl her ice cream was in.

"Your welcome doll face" said Chad leaning in and kissing her cheek. He couldn't resist laughing at her expression, as she got out of the car. "Make sure you call me this evening so we can plan what we're doing tomorrow…I'm thinking movies. Oh yeah my mom bought you school supplies already so she said don't buy anything" said Chad quickly.

"Okay well tell your mom thanks, and I will definitely call tonight" said Taylor smiling as she walked up the porch. Chad watched as she walked through the door and into the house. Taylor noticed the house was completely dark except for the television that her mother left on in the den. She cut the t.v. off and headed into the kitchen to start dinner. She figured her mother was out since she didn't see her car in the drive way.

After she finished fixing the spaghetti dinner, Taylor cleaned up the den, throwing her mother's empty bottles and cigarette butts into the trash. She vacuumed the living room floor and washed the dishes. She ate a little bit of spaghetti and headed upstairs to shower and call Chad. Freshly washed she dialed Chad's number,

"Hey girl, I was starting to get worried" he said picking up the phone.

"Sorry I had to fix dinner and clean, than I had to shower up after playing all day" said Taylor turning on her television, she remembered that her dad bought her that 42' flat screen for her birthday last year, and immediately cut it off.

"Where's your mom?" asked Chad.

"I don't know…she wasn't in when I came in. Probably off somewhere getting her daily medicine of booze and cigarettes" said Taylor.

"Tee Cup…" said Chad.

"I know, I know have a positive attitude, and I'm really trying Chad but this is getting hard. I don't know how long I can take this" she said worried.

"Just hang in there, you know I'm here and if it gets to be too much, there's always my place" said Chad.

"I'm not going anywhere Chad" said Taylor seriously, "I told you I'm not leaving my mom".

"I'm not saying to leave her…just take a break if it gets to be too much" said Chad concernedly.

Taylor sighed, "Look I just remembered I had to do something…I'll call you later" said Taylor hanging up her cell phone. Chad sighed heavily, he hated being so concerned for his friends, "Is this what being a parent feels like?" he said to himself loudly.

Taylor lay on her back, as she thought about what Chad had said. She just couldn't force herself to abandon her mother, but she was tired of feeling like she was on an emotional rollercoaster, "I'm so sick of this!" she yelled hitting her bed with her hand.

"So sick of what Taylor?" said her mother from the door way. Taylor shot up and looked at her mother, she knew immediately that her mother was completely drunk, how she drove home was a mystery to her. She didn't even hear her come in the house.

"I'm just sick of Chad mom…we just go into it over the phone" said Taylor.

"I thought you said earlier you weren't dating" said her mother, with slightly slurred speech.

"We're not…he's just being an annoying friend" said Taylor quietly, "there's food downstairs if you want some" said Taylor trying to change the topic.

There was a strained silence between mother and daughter, "Why do you feel the need to lie to me Taylor" said her mother, narrowing her eyes.

"Lying…what am I lying about mom?" said Taylor shocked.

"You said you weren't dating Chad…but I know you are…your planning on leaving here with that boy, and I'm not having it Taylor!" yelled her mother.

Taylor didn't have a chance to respond when her mother hurried over to her bed and slapped her hard across the face. Blood instantly came out of Taylor's nose and dripped down to her pajama shirt, "Mom what are you talking about, I'm not going anywhere with Chad" said Taylor trying to move away from her mother by scooting to the other side of her bed, but her mother grabbed her legs and pulled her back.

"You're trying to leave me! I know you are!" screamed her mother, with a deranged look in her eyes. She started punching Taylor in her stomach over and over again.

"Mom…mommy…please stop!" cried out Taylor, "You're hurting me…please STOP IT!"

But her mother didn't stop she continued to hit and punch Taylor over and over again. Twice in the stomach, three times in the arms, once in the face, "You'll never leave me again Kevin! NEVER AGAIN!" she cried as she continued to hit her daughter.

"MAMA…please…it's me…its ME TAYLOR!" cried out Taylor as she tried to shield herself from her mothers constant hits, Taylor just balled herself up and took the hits as they came, one after the other, she never felt this much pain in her life but no matter how much her mom hit her she wasn't gonna swing back. She just wanted her mom to realize it was her and not her father. "Mama please stop!" she screamed one last time, but her mother dealt her a blow to the head, and everything turned black.

Taylor awoke in the middle of the night surrounded by darkness. She went to sit up but she immediately laid back down as every inch of her body was screaming for relief from the pain. Not knowing what to do next she laid there and cried, while asking God why he was doing this to her…it felt like all the hurt she felt inside was officially being felt throughout her body. She knew that she couldn't stay like this at home; it didn't even feel like home. She forced herself to find her cell phone which surprisingly was still on her bed, she made the phone call that she knew she was going to regret forever, but was totally necessary, "Chad…." she cried into the phone, once he picked it up, "she beat me…Chad she beat me" she cried quietly into the phone.

"I'm on my way" she heard him say, as she closed her phone.