Page 10 of Dreams
“I’m Evie!” Evie stepped between the girls and looked up at Abigail as if she couldn’t believe she wasn’t introduced.
“Nice to meet you, Evie.” Abigail stifled a laugh.
“Well, Tay, we’re going to go now that you’re settled.” Her dad kissed the top of her head.
“Love you, sweetie.” Her mom gave her a tight hug.
“Bye,” Taylor said quietly.
“Aren’t you coming with us, sissy?” Evie asked, her eyes growing wider.
Taylor bent down and hugged her sister. “I’ll come see you soon.”
She watched as her family exited the room, leaving her with this complete stranger that was bubbly and excited. Basically everything Taylor was not.
“So, there’s this party tonight,” Abigail said.
Taylor groaned and flopped down on her bed.
* * *
“And here in the wild, we have a Taylor Scott. These animals are dangerous, but they’re an endangered species, with only one of their kind anywhere in the world.” The camera spun from a laughing Taylor to Danny, the speaker.
His grin lit up the screen on Taylor’s laptop.
“You bet your ass I’m dangerous.” Taylor stood and walked towards the camera that was now pointed at her again.
They were outside at the Jones’ house, hanging by the pool. Danny used to take video of everything on his phone. He’d send them all to her right after taking them. She never deleted a single one.
“You wouldn’t hurt me, baby,” his smooth voice said.
“And why is that?” She put her hands on her hips.
His face appeared before the camera. “Because she loves me,” he whispered.
“What did you say?”
“Only that you looooove me.” He grinned again, a single dimple appearing in his cheek.
She laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I do.” She kissed his bare shoulder.
“See,” Danny said to the camera. “I told you.”
The screen went black and Taylor shut the lid of her laptop, not ready to torture herself with more of his videos. She wiped her damp face on her sleeve and sunk back against her pillows. Everyone told her that crying would make her feel better, help her cope. That was never the case. It only made her feel more miserable. Her chest heaved painfully, and she took a deep breath to calm herself down.
She remembered that day. After she finally convinced Danny to turn the camera off, Sarah came running out of the house to cannonball into the pool. It was a good day.
Taylor sighed and looked at the clock. Three in the morning and her roommate still wasn’t back from the party. Taylor had declined to go, and it was looking like a good decision. Sleep still eluded her, so she turned on the bedside lamp and grabbed her Kindle. Time for a trip into someone else’s mind.
* * *
“Walker, my office,” Coach Scott disappeared around the corner, and Josh followed him.
It felt a little like being sent to the principal’s office. In his rookie year, every time he was asked to see one of the coaches, he assumed he was getting sent to the AHL. That was how hockey worked. No one expected him to stick for the whole season. He didn’t think he had to worry about that now, but it was always in the back of his mind. That or a trade. When you’re not a superstar, nothing is surprising.
Josh sat across from Coach Scott and waited for him to speak.
“I want to try moving you up in the line-up,” he said. “See how you do on Mack’s wing.”
