"Why won't you look at me?" Abby questioned Taylor.
Taylor shrugged, "I don't want to get into another fight, not with everyone here. Can we just enjoy tonight?" She turned to exit the bathroom.
Abby rolled her eyes, "Get over yourself."
Taylor turned around stunned, "Excuse me?"
Abby shrugged and walked past her girlfriend, "Get over yourself. Don't worry, next time I won't care if you cut yourself or not and I'll just be the ditzy girlfriend who tells all of our friends that I had no idea you were going to kill yourself!"
Taylor rolled her eyes, "Why are you still stuck on this?!"
Abby pushed past Taylor and out of the restroom back over to the table where all the Foster children and their dates were waiting. "Hey guys, I think I'm going to head out, see you all soon." Abby said her goodbyes and hugged Mariana and Callie before she left. Taylor just sat down and rolled her eyes.
"What was that about?" Brandon wondered out loud receiving a glare from all of the girls at the table, telling him to shut up.
"I'm heading home, I'll walk, see you all soon and whichever of the four of you get one of my siblings on stage to sing and video tape it I'll pay twenty bucks." Taylor said to Garrett, Kyle, Lexi and Tayla trying to laugh. The kids all said their goodbyes and just smiled at Taylor in encouragement.
"Fine. I'll do it, on one condition." Callie laughed clearly defeated. All the kids eagerly nodded, Callie had agreed to sing and they would do anything to make sure that happened. Callie laughed at the anticipation on everyone's faces, "Lexi, Tayla and Mariana you're getting up here and singing alongside me."
Mariana laughed thinking her older sister was joking and then stopped seeing everyone grin at her evilly, "Oh come on Callie, don't make me sing." Callie just sat there waiting for her sister to finally give in. Mariana sighed, "Let's go get this over with." She said laughing as Lexi pulled her by the arm towards the stage. Callie and Mariana whispered something then turned to face their three brothers, "If any of the three of you record this, you'll be sorry." They explained giggling from nerves.
Callie shrugged as the music began to play realizing that the other girls were going to make her take the first few lines before joining in on the song. She laughed seeing that Jesus, Brandon and even Jude had phones out recording the performance.
Oh uh-huh
If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea
I'll sail the world to find you
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see
I'll be the light to guide you
Callie looked pleading toward Tayla who laughed and nodded, acknowledging that she would take the next few lines, giggling Marianna and Lexi still hadn't sung anything.
Find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need
Tayla looked to Lexi and Mariana who shook their heads and continued laughing nervously so Callie pointed to herself and then Tayla, singling that the two of them would take the chorus as the other two girls just stood there.
You can count on me like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it
I can count on you like 4, 3, 2
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Ooooooh, oooohhh yeah, yeah
Finally Lexi surpresed her laughter and nodded to the other girls so she could take the next few lines and pointed to Mariana and mouthed the words, "you're singing the next part with me."
If you're tossin' and you're turnin'
And you just can't fall asleep
I'll sing a song beside you
And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me
Every day I will remind you
Oooh
Find out what we're made of
When we are called to help our friends in need
Mariana finally joined her best friend and the two sang into one microphone together, receiving cheers from their brothers and friends sitting at the table.
You can count on me like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it
I can count on you like 4, 3, 2
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Ooooooh, oooohhh yeah, yeah
You'll always have my shoulder when you cry
I'll never let go, never say goodbye
You know...
Finally all four girls joined the song in unison, somehow in the end they all ended up being friends, despite their difficult times with each other, Lexi and Mariana when Mariana found out Jesus and Lexi were dating and Tayla and Callie who had a rough start to their friendship when Callie had first moved into the foster household.
You can count on me like 1, 2, 3
I'll be there
And I know when I need it
I can count on you like 4, 3, 2
You'll be there
'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh yeah
Ooooooh, oooohhh
You can count on me 'cause I can count on you
When the four girls returned to their seats they were greeted by cheers and enthusiasm, "I didn't know you could sing!" Garrett said laughing at Mariana and playfully poking her. Mariana shrugged blowing it off to nothing before flashing a bright smile.
"Now it's your turn." Lexi teased Jesus. Jesus shook his head, "Yeah right, you wish. We'll leave the singing to the girls in the family."
"I am surprisingly thinking this is cute." Wyatt laughed pulling Callie into a quick hug. Callie pushed away laughing but blushing causing Wyatt to smile.
Hearing the door open Stef stood from her seat in the kitchen and walked to see who it was, Lena was supposed to be in a meeting for another hour or so and she didn't expect it to be any of her kids. "Hello?" Stef questioned before seeing Taylor enter the house and run up the stairs. "Great, ran up the stairs and didn't say a word, let's go see what happened." Stef mumbled to herself before starting up towards the girls bedroom.
Stef was surprised, and partially relieved to see that Taylor had left the door to her bedroom open. Her heart stopped for just a moment seeing Taylor motionless face down on her bed but let out a breath when she heard Taylor crying. "Can I come in?" Stef asked from the doorway.
Taylor nodded and rolled over on her bed, Stef smiled entering and sat down on her daughter's bed. "What's wrong?"
Taylor rolled her eyes, "Why do girls have to be so freaking confusing all the time, it's like one moment they're fine and the next she's freaking out at me. ugh!" Taylor screamed out in frustration.
Stef laughed lying down on the bed, "Girl troubles huh? Those are always fun." Stef chuckled. "Was it about the same thing as last time?"
Taylor nodded, "She kept screaming at me about caring if I hurt myself or not, but I already told her I didn't do it. I told her that you and Lena were getting me help, I told her it was going to be handled and dealt with, that everyone in the house was making sure I was going to my sessions and doing everything I'm supposed to. I'm not sure what more she wants me to do."
Taylor sat there quietly waiting for an answer from Stef, but Stef just sat there thinking about what her daughter had said when it finally hit her, Abby didn't want to be reassured that the family was looking out for Taylor and was working hard to help Taylor, Abby wanted to know that Taylor was trying to get better for the sake of their future together. Stef sighed, "I think she wants to know you're trying not us, she knows we'll try and make you better but you haven't said anything to her about how hard you're trying to get better, try and show her somehow that you're trying."
Taylor nodded slowly, as if just realizing this possibility, "What does she want? I don't know how to prove to her how hard I'm trying, but I am, I'm trying to be better and happier right now but it's taking so much time." Taylor went silent for a minute and then sat up on her bed, "You know how that creepy shrink lady makes me write, "write the fight" she says? Well she said I can write whatever I want and she's never going to read it, I have the option to share it with whoever I want but I'm not required to share it with anyone. I could let Abby read it. Then she would know how much this sucks and why I'm fighting."
Stef smiled and nodded at her daughter, "That I'm sure would make her realize how much this was affecting you, and how much you trust her. It's a great idea sweetie." Stef hugged her daughter quickly before allowing Taylor to call Abby and invite her over to talk to her.
"Just come over, we need to talk and then you can leave as pissed at me as you want." Taylor pleaded over the phone to Abby. Abby agreed to come over and hear Taylor out. Hearing the knock on the door Stef opened it and sent Abby up to Taylor's room. "Here." Taylor handed Abby a notebook with the phrase, "Fall seven times, and stand up eight." Writen across the cover, opening the first page Abby say one more simple phrase and one name.
Page one:
Sometimes staying strong seems impossible, but giving up is not an option!
Abby.
Abby looked up from the notebook and Taylor smiled nodding for her to go on.
Day two:
This is stupid, I don't understand why they don't let me just do what I want. I had enough control to stop myself, I didn't die and I didn't cut so what more do they want?
Day three:
I want to do it, I want to forget the pain, forget the hate and everything I have felt in my life and I feel as if, as if, if I just did it once that seeing it would stop me from hating everything else in my life and hate that. Then I would have something to focus on hating, but I can't, I won't. I am going to get better, I'm going to be here when Connor comes around and this time it's Jude breaking the heart of Connor and not the other way around. I'm going to be around when Lexi and Jesus have cute little kids who I take for the weekend and spoil because Jesus will specifically tell me not to give them sugar and spoil them. I'll be there when Brandon is just doing another concert somewhere in the middle of Europe and has enough money to fly all of us there to watch him. I'm fighting so I can see Kyle and Jude get married and have kids one day because they will be the cutest family I will ever see besides my own in my life. And Mariana's family and esspecially when Callie has children, because we all know she'll be great with them no matter what their problems may be from their pasts. I'll be there when Stef and Lena hug me congratulations for graduation high school and college. And the most important thing is that I will fight this and get better, so I can go off and tell Abby I love her one night we are standing under the stars, and then I'll get down on one knee and tell her how much I love her. I'll be there the day I bring home a foster kid who has a few issues from the past that Abby and I will help her with, and my favorite thing is I'll fight so that I can be there when Abby and I tell Stef and Lena that they're going to have their first grandchild because we both know Abby wants to have one of her own kids, plus at least a few from the foster system. So even though I want to so badly grab a knife I have hidden somewhere, or just to jump from the tree into a rope hanging there waiting for me I will fight.
I will fight because I lover her.
Abby finally looked up crying and dropped the book hugging Taylor, "I'm sorry for what I said, I was wrong, I understand why you want to forget you were going to do it, I am sorry." She whispered. Taylor smiled, "I'm fighting for our future, and I'm going to get through this because I'm trying as hard as I can. So don't worry about it, alright?"
Abby nodded wiping away a few tears, "How much longer does it go for?"
Taylor shrugged "Ten days, plus the three you read. I guess I have a talent for writing."
Abby laughed, "Or a gift to predict the future."
Taylor smirked, "Yeah that too." She leaned in and kissed her girlfriend only to be interrupted by Mariana and Callie standing in the doorway saying, "ew." Taylor rolled her eyes and laughed, "So did you end up singing?"
Mariana and Callie both nodded, "Brandon's playing it downstairs on the t.v. so moms can see if you wanted to come down and see it."
Mariana giggled, "unless of course we're interrupting something."
Taylor pushed her two sisters away from the doorway while Abby picked up the journal and placed it under Taylor's pillow, "Come on let's go watch you finally sing."
Author's note:
What did you think of this update? I promised that I would post a chapter today so here it is, leave me a review telling me what you thought. I'll have an Jude and Kyle centered chapter and then one with the whole family and I think that'll end this story for good, let me know and the more reviews the sooner I'll update with the next chapter! Thanks and as always you all, my readers, are amazing!