Page 8 of Smitten With My Brother's Best Friend
I stare at her, trying to discern if she’s lying or not. I can’t tell.
“Come on. I’ll take you home,” I say, grabbing her wrist and leading her to my car.
My entire body is tense, and I’m still furious. I should have punched the guy harder.
“Why are you so mad? I’m the one that got pushed to the ground,” Taylor mumbles after five minutes of silence.
“What the hell happened back there?”
Chapter 4
(Taylor)
______
I knew he was going to be angry. I expected it even, but Terry really freaked out. I can’t believe he pushed me like that. His actions just solidified my decision. He’s not the right guy for me, and he never was.
“We broke up,” I say in response to Maverick’s question.
His hands are clenched around the steering wheel. He’s really mad. I wish I knew why. He never used to care much about me before.
“And he couldn’t take it like a man?”
“He was understandably upset. I brought him to my hometown. I introduced him to my family, and now I’m telling him I want to end it. It’s a lot to take in,” I say in Terry’s defense.
“Regardless, he’s obviously a coward. You sure do know how to pick them, Tay,” Maverick says with a sneer.
I glare at him. What’s his business anyway?
“I never asked for your help okay? I could have handled it myself.”
“It didn’t look like that to me.”
“Whatever. Just take me home.”
“I’m not hearing a please or a thank you,” he points out.
“Please take me home before I jab my heels into your arm,” I say angrily.
“You’re wearing sneakers,” he says incredulously.
“Doesn’t mean it won’t hurt,” I mutter.
“Right, I forgot how aggressive you are. You scratched me so hard once that I bled.”
I remember that. I was 14 at the time. He and Adam had snuck into my room when I had a boy over. They began making kissy noises under the bed, pretending I had another boy in the room. It had been mostly Adam, but the two of them did everything together back then. Anyway, the boy left, and when I found the two of them, I had a massive freakout. It got a little out of control. In my defense, this was after the whole letter incident. I hated him at the time. The memory makes me laugh.
Maverick glances at me quickly before turning back to the road,
“For a girl that just broke up with her boyfriend, you seem happy,” he notes.
I shrug. “I thought I would be sad too, but the truth is, it was a long time coming. Terry and I weren’t going anywhere. “
“Then why did you bring him here?”
Good question.
“I don’t know. I thought maybe it could work out. I honestly didn’t know if I was going to go through with the breakup. But being around my mom and brother has made me feel a little less lonely. I didn't know anyone when I moved to New York, so it was a bit hard. Then Terry came along, and he helped me. He was there to show me around, and I guess that’s one of the reasons it was so hard to let go of him. But being around people who love me has helped me realize that I don’t need Terry anymore. I felt braver, and I just decided to end it.”
