You Belong With Me

Taylor's P.O.V.

Wow. That one simple word could not even begin to explain how I was feeling right now, but it was the closest fit. Just...wow. The past eighteen years all seemed to culminate to this very day. You see, today was the day that I, Taylor Alison Swift, would be graduating from Dulaney Valley High School with high honors. Can you believe it? I know I can't.

Since I was a straight A student, I was lucky enough not to have to take finals. Therefore, that meant that I had plenty of free time to do as I pleased except for when I was doing things for the tour such as making sure I had a passport (you never know when we might need to flee the country, especially since Jack will be with us) and numerous shopping trips with my mother. She constantly fretted over the fact that she thought I did not have the right clothing. She bought all the clothes for me, so who was I to complain? The rest of my time was spent helping Alex study. It wasn't such an easy task considering he looked so damn adorable when he was confused. He was way too irresistible.

Now, here I was, standing in front of the mirror and looking at the girl in front of me. She looked scared, maybe even a little lost, but completely excited at the same time if you can imagine that. Her long blonde hair was down laying in curly tendrils against her shoulders. Her sparkly silver shoes gleamed from beneath her long gown. Her baby blue eyes stood out against her pale skin and white gown. Her jittery hands grabbed on to the silver heart-shaped necklace that hung around her neck and she slowly presented me with a smile full of reminiscence.

I watched the mirror as I saw my mother's hands appear out of nowhere. She reached up and pinned my graduation cap to the top of my head and then gave my shoulders a loving squeeze.

“I can't believe my baby is about to graduate,” she nearly sobbed as I turned around to face her. “You look so beautiful.”

“Thanks, Mom,” I said, smiling at her. “I have you and Dad to thank for those good genes.”

“You are so sweet,” my mom said as she touched my face lovingly. “I couldn't have asked for a better daughter. When you were little, you used to tell me how you wanted to be a princess, but you were always a princess to your father and me. Now, you have grown up to be such a beautiful young woman with such a big heart. Everyone I know has told me about what a great person you are. Whenever somebody needs help or needs someone to talk to, you are always the first one there. And I don't know anyone else that got a record deal, recorded an entire album, and still managed to graduate high school with honors. I could not be prouder of you if I tried.” When she stopped speaking, she wiped a tear from her right eye.

“Again, I have you to thank for that,” I responded. “You and Dad have always been there for me both physically and emotionally. Whenever I needed someone to talk to, I knew I could always come to you no matter what. You guys always supported me and made me want to be the best that I could be, so my success is partly because of you. It's so hard to believe this day has finally come.“

“Tell me about it. When you first become a parent and you hold your beautiful baby girl in your arms for the first time, the only thing you can feel at that moment is pure joy. Then, your baby starts to grow up. She goes through puberty, begins to date boys, then, before you know it, she's eighteen years old and about to graduate high school. It seems like your childhood went by with a blink of an eye. Every minute I spend with you is precious and it's hard to think about how you will be leaving me soon. At the same time, I know that it's time to let you go so that you can open your wings and fly.” She took me in her arms and we held each other for a little while and cried. Guilt washed over me as I thought about how I would have to leave my parents behind. I was really going to miss them.

A few minutes later, my dad yelled up the stairs and told us to come down. It was time for pictures. My mom and I checked our makeup quickly in the mirror to make sure it didn't smudge and then made our way downstairs. When we came off the steps, my dad told us to go outside and we saw that the Gaskarths were already gathered on our front lawn.

“Taylor, you look absolutely gorgeous!” Melanie exclaimed once she saw me. She immediately gave me a motherly hug. Robert did the same and I just smiled and thanked them in return.

“Ok, now go join Alex over by that bush,” my dad instructed and I did as I was told.

Alex stood there in his red cap and gown, his eyes aglow with fierce anticipation. When he looked at me, he gave me the biggest smile he could muster. Now, I might be biased, but he has the best, most contagious smile that I have ever seen. Naturally, I could not help but return the favor. As I walked over to him, Alex opened his arms up to me. Once he held me in his arms, I could not help but relax a little bit. I knew that, even if I tripped and fell and made a complete fool of myself onstage, he would never turn his back on me, at least not again. He was still and would always be my confidant, my savior, my rock.

The next half hour was spent taking pictures in every single way you could imagine. I could tell that my parents were planning to make a whole photo album out of this day. Alex and I took pictures together, alone, with our parents, with each other's parents, and finally, we were able to stop someone on the sidewalk so that we could get a picture all together. There was just one person that was missing. We all felt that absence, but none of us dared to say anything.

Finally, Alex and I got into his car and headed to our high school. Graduation would be held in our auditorium. The seniors had to be there early and Alex and I had decided that we wanted one more day to drive to school together.

“I can't believe this is our last time taking this ride as high school students,” I said as we pulled out of his driveway.

“I know,” he agreed. “It's crazy. I've been looking forward to this day for months now, but I still can't believe it's actually here. I'm really going to miss doing this every morning with you. We've had a lot of good memories on this ride.”

“But at least we can still make good memories together on tour. There will be plenty of rides for us to take then,” I replied.

“This is true. I can't wait to make those new memories.” He smiled at me quickly and then his eyes turned back to the road ahead.

“Remember when we first drove to school together?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he nodded and then let out a chuckle as he remembered. “We were with Eric. He let me drive to school even though I was only a sophomore with a permit. You were freaking out because you thought we were going to get pulled over and he told you to just be quiet and enjoy the ride.”

“Then you went through a red light and almost killed us,” I laughed.

“Hey, that light came out of nowhere!” he defended.

“Uh huh.” I rolled my eyes. “You know, the funny thing is, that might have been the best advice anyone could have ever given me.” I looked down at my lap as I recalled that day. “As simple as it was, it really made me think about the kind of person I was and the kind of person I wanted to be. Back then, I was always the worrier, the party pooper. Then, I saw the way Eric was and how everybody loved him and I decided I didn't want to be that person anymore because that person annoyed me.”

“Well, you can be anyone you want around me,” he replied. Then he let out a long sigh and asked a question. “Do you think he's really up there? Like in heaven and all that?”

“I'd like to think so,” I answered. After Eric's death, I had thought about the afterlife a lot. I always wondered if he could see what we were doing or how far we had come. It comforted me to believe that he could. “I always like to believe he's up there watching out for us.”

“I talk to him sometimes when other people aren't around,” Alex said. “It helps me to get my feelings out and still feel like he's apart of me. I like to think that he's actually listening, but I can never be sure. I really wish he could have been here today.”

“Me too,” I agreed. “I think he would be really proud of us though nonetheless. Look at all we have accomplished. Most people can't do what we have done in the course of a lifetime and it took us only about six months to get record contracts, record entire albums, graduate high school, and have a whole tour planned out. That's definitely something to be proud of.”

“When you put it that way, we do sound pretty fucking rad,” Alex smiled.

“Are you kidding? We're amazing!” I practically cheered and he just laughed in response. He turned into our school's lot and parked his car. He took my hand and we walked inside where it was completely chaotic. All you could see was red and white moving everywhere while kids tried desperately to find out where they were supposed to be. We made our way through the crowd and somehow found the rest of our friends who were congregated near our old lockers.

When Jack saw me, in true Barakuda fashion, he ran up and jumped into my arms.

“Taylor!” he screamed in my ear. “I've missed you so much, best friend! It's been too long since I saw you last!”

I laughed and said, “If by 'too long' you mean last night, then yes, Jack, it has been way too long.”

“Hey, how come I don't get a hug like that every time you see me, huh Jack?” Alex brooded. “I thought you loved me!” He brought his hand to his face and pretended to cry.

“Oh, Darling, I'm so sorry!” said Jack as he went to give Alex a hug. “I didn't forget you. I was just saving the best for last. You know I love you!”

Zack just rolled his eyes and said, “Sometimes, they act so gay that they make Burt and Ernie look straight.” Everyone else could not help but laugh.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Katelyn smiling at me in her identical white gown.

“Hey, Taylor, can I talk to you for a second?” she asked.

“Yeah, sure,” I responded. “What's up?”

“I guess I just wanted to say I'm sorry again that I was such a huge bitch to you last fall. You were the last person who deserved that kind of treatment. The fact that you decided to forgive me just shows what a good person you are because I don't think I would have forgiven myself if I was in your shoes.”

“That's all water under the bridge,” I said. “A wise person used to say, 'The past is the past, so don't make it last', and I don't intend to. You have changed for the better and you don't deserve to be punished for that.”

“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “Now that I am with Jack officially, I hope that we can be friends.”

“I think we can make that happen,” I smiled at her. In response, she gave me a hug.

“Hey, everyone, listen up,” Jack screamed over the crowds of people. “I have a proposal to make.” The rest of my friends and I turned our attention toward him.

“We're leaving for tour next week. Katelyn and I have just started our relationship and I know Rian is going to miss Kara a ton while he's away. My proposal is this: I think Katelyn and Kara should be able to come on tour with us. They won't start school until August and we will be almost done with the tour by then, so it's perfect! Also, this way Taylor does not have to be the only girl. What do you guys say?”

“I say hell yeah!” I cheered.

“Right on!” Jack said as he gave me a high five. “What about you guys?”

“I'm fine with it just as long as everyone else is,” Alex responded. Everyone else agreed, so Katelyn and Kara would be joining us on tour. We decided that, if there was not enough room for all of us on the All Time Low bus, Alex and I would just go sleep on my bus, but none of us honestly saw that as a problem.

A few minutes later, an announcement came over the loudspeaker telling us that it was now time for us to find our places because the ceremony was about to begin. Alex gave me a quick kiss and my hand a tight squeeze as we parted. We found our spaces in line and waited patiently. When “Pomp and Circumstance” began to play, my heart stopped for a second and then began to beat really rapidly. Here we go...

The line began to move and slowly everyone entered into the auditorium. This was really happening. I could see my family standing up in the seats to the side. All four of them were waving at me furiously with smiles on their faces and my dad was snapping a way with his camera. Thank God no one else was paying attention to them.

Once the music stopped playing, we found our seats and the long array of speeches began. A lot of my classmates said some really uplifting words that made me think about the time I spent in high school. Even though I was excited to leave high school behind, a part of me would miss it. Everything started for me here.

When the choir got up to sing “In My Life” by the Beatles, I smiled when I saw that they had a guitarist to accompany them. It brought me four years back to Alex's and my eighth grade graduation when we performed “Time of Your Life” together. That day was my first time ever performing in front of a crowd. Now, I was about to go on tour and perform in front of thousands of people. The thought almost made me shudder in anticipation.

When the song ended and the principle stepped up to the podium, I began to get jittery. As he called names one by one, I could feel the nerves start to build up in my stomach and chest. I still couldn't believe this was actually happening.

“Jack Bassam Barakat,” came the principle's voice. I watched Jack as he made his way to the stage. When he received his diploma, he did a happy little jump in the air and the audience cheered. Leave it to Jack to be theatrical.

“Rian Dawson.” I laughed as Rian practically ran to the stage to get his diploma. He never liked being the center of attention, which was why he was the drummer in the band.

“Kara Diakoulas.” Kara walked up to the stage and accepted her diploma as if she owned the place. I was jealous of the grace and poise that girl had and I could not be happier to have her with me for the summer. I would miss her too much if I had to leave her behind. After all, she was the one who helped me get Alex. I would be forever indebted to her.

After Kara, the principle read more names and then it was Katelyn's turn. When her name was called, she walked confidently up to the stage and accepted her diploma. She turned back toward the audience and gave Jack a wide smile when he cheered for her. I hoped more than anything that their relationship would work out. Jack deserved to be happy and somehow I thought she could do that for him.

“Alexander William Gaskarth.” As Alex made his way to the stage, I could tell he felt the same way I did—nervous, but excited at the same time. When he got his diploma, everyone cheered, but I cheered the loudest. When his eyes found mine, he shot me a huge, winning smile. I could tell how happy he was and I was so proud of him.

Some more names were read and then it was Zack's turn. When he got up to the stage and received his diploma, he proceeded to hold it in one hand and then flex his huge muscle in the other, causing the audience to burst into laughter. Zack never passed up an opportunity to show off his body and he was not going to start now.

When the principle got to the letter S, my hands began to shake slightly.

“Taylor Alison Swift.”

There it was.

I gulped and began to make my way up to the stage. My face burned ever so slightly when I saw the members of my family jumping out of their seats and cheering for me and Jack and Alex howled my name. I made sure to hold my gown up so that I would not trip over it and embarrass myself in front of my whole world. When the diploma was finally placed in my hand, something inside of me changed. I was no longer anxious or scared; I was exuberant. I had finally made it through high school and came out on the other side with flying colors. Despite all the drama and heartbreak and death, I was still here and I made it out stronger than ever before. To be completely honest, it felt damn good.

When graduation was over, I immediately found Alex and ran into his arms.

“We did it!” I cheered.

“Yes, we definitely did,” he said as he pulled me in for a kiss.

After the ceremony, our parents took Alex and I out to a celebratory dinner at The Melting Pot. Dinner was spent reminiscing about our childhood and our parents continued to tell us that we had grown up too fast. Later, Alex's parents were kind enough to let us have a graduation party at his house. They even allowed us to have some alcohol as long as no one drove and everyone was being safe.

People began to arrive at the house around 8:00 that night. By 10:00, the house was packed. I guess everyone in school knew that Alex Gaskarth and Jack Barakat threw great parties. Music blared through the speakers of Alex's iHome and the furniture was pushed to the side so that people could dance. There was a beer pong table in the basement and most of the booze was in the kitchen. Melanie and Robert collected everyone's keys at the door so that they could not leave.

Around 11pm, Jack made his way toward the source of the music and paused it. “Can I have everyone's attention please?” he asked and everyone turned their attention toward him as he raised his red cup in the air. “I would like to propose a toast. First of all, I would like to dedicate this toast to Alex Gaskarth and his parents for letting us have this awesome party.” Everyone let out a loud collective cheer. “Now, I can honestly say that this year has been a fucking roller coaster. It has had its ups and its downs, but it was all worth it for the most part. To us because we are finally fucking high school graduates! Woo!” Again, everyone cheered and we all took sips of our drinks. After the toast, Zack walked over to the TV and put a surprise video montage of the Dulaney Valley High School Class of 2010 into the DVD player. It showed everything from the beginning of school to Halloween to Spirit Week to prom. I buried my face in the nearest pillow when the camera zoomed in on Alex and I making out in the middle of the dance floor at prom and everyone started making fun of us.

Alex's parents cut the alcohol off at midnight, so, when the party officially ended at two in the morning, everyone was pretty much sobered up enough to drive home. Those that weren't were already sprawled out on the couch or on the floor. Once everyone left, Alex took my hand and led me up to his room.

“Is it time for bed yet? I asked sleepily. “I so tired that, if you push me, I might fall over and never get back up.”

“Yes, but there's something we need to do really quickly first,” he replied.

“What's that?” I asked as I sat down on his bed.

He took out a huge package from his closet and said, “I have to give you your graduation present.”

“And I have to give you yours!” I replied, internally smacking myself for not remembering to give him his gift. I walked over to my purse, which was laying on his desk, and took out his two thin rectangular presents which looked minuscule compared to whatever he got me. “You first,” I insisted as I sat back on the bed and shoved his presents into his hands. I could not wait to see how he reacted.

“Fiiine,” he sighed as he began to open the first one. When he saw what it was, he nearly screamed and dropped it as if it had electrocuted him. His mouth hung open as he stared at it desperately trying to believe his eyes.

“Do you like it?” I asked anxiously.

At first, he could not seem to speak, but when he finally did, he said, “Oh. My. Fucking. God. I can't believe you got me a personalized copy of Enema of the State signed by every member of Blink-182. How-how did you even get this?”

“I got my cousin who works for MTV to get it for me when she interviewed them for a story on their reunion.”

Anyone who knew Alex knew that Blink-182 was his absolute favorite band of all time ever since he was little. If he ever personally met Mark Hoppus or Tom DeLonge or even Travis Barker, I think he would have a heart attack.

“Thank you so much!” he exclaimed excitedly. “I can't believe you did this! I can't wait to show this to the guys and see how jealous they are.” I laughed and he reached over and pulled me in for another kiss.

“Open the next one!” I demanded when we pulled apart.

He tore open the wrapping paper to reveal a small black picture frame, but it was what was inside the picture frame that counted. He looked at it closely and then said, “Wow, this is a ticket to the very first concert we ever played together.”

I smiled and nodded. “Yup and there will be many more of those to come.”

“I can't wait,” he said smiling at me. “Thank you. Both of these gifts mean so much to me. I love you so much.”

“Ditto,” I said as I returned the smile.

“Ok, now it's your turn!” he said excitedly. He placed the large present on my lap and I began to tear it open. Once all the wrapping paper was off, I was greeted with a simple white box. I impatiently threw the lid aside and was astounded at the shape of the large, black case inside.

“Oh, Alex, you didn't!” I said as I took the black case out of the white box and crouched down as I set it on the floor.

“I did,” he affirmed.

I unlatched the hinges on the side and lifted the lid of the black case to find a shiny brand new acoustic guitar. As I looked it over, I saw that my name was engraved in the bottom of it along with my lucky number 13. The sight of it nearly took my breath away. I lifted it up out of its case and began to strum away at its strings. “It's so beautiful,” I said, turning to Alex. “Thank you so much.” For some reason, my eyes began to brim with tears and he smiled as he wiped them away.

“You're welcome. I thought maybe you could use a new one on tour. I hope you like it.”

“Like it? I love it! Not only is it beautiful, but it came from you, which makes it even better.”

“I can't wait to hear the music that you make with it.”

“For now, how about you and I make some music together. Some very loud music,” I said suggestively. Suddenly, I wasn't so tired anymore.

“Let's get on that,” he agreed. His lips met mine and I carefully set my new guitar back in its case as Alex and I began to shed our clothes and make our way back to his bed.
__________________

One week later, I took a long hard look at my room. Even though none of the furniture had been moved, it just looked so empty without all of my clothes and things on top of my desk, dresser, and night table. It felt as if I was moving out. I had so many good memories in this room from when I was little all the way up until last night when Alex and I had written to each other on our white boards for the last time in a long time. Somehow the reality that Alex and I were leaving for tour today had not set in until this very moment.

I turned when I heard someone knock on my door and Alex came in.

'Hey,” he said. “The van is here to pick us up. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah,” I said, even though that answer was slightly a lie. “I'll be down soon.” He went back downstairs to wait for me.

I couldn't help but feel like I was leaving something behind. I had grown up in this room and lived here for most of my life. This may sound kind of weird, but I knew I was going to miss my room once I was on the tour bus. Moving out of my room was almost equivalent to leaving my childhood and entering my adulthood. I couldn't help but feel a small sense of loss. When I finally got up the nerve, I followed in Alex's footsteps. I shut the door on this chapter of my life and began to make my way downstairs and into my future. Now my thoughts were on the incredible journey that lay ahead of me.

The End.