Remember the Old Days?

“Oh, Tricia, this dress would look fantastic on you!” Jackie exclaimed, running toward the poor girl. Amber and Anna agreed with Jackie. They were at the mall, terrorizing the people that were there.

“Dresses aren’t really my thing,” Tricia said, with her face scrunched up in disgust.

“I hear you Pitty Pat,” Taylor said. She was dressed in a black and white baseball shirt, skinny jeans and an old pair of blue vans she had all during senior year.

“Did you get any new clothes when you were in New York?” Amber asked, looking up and down at Taylor. “It looks like you still wear the same things you were in high school.”

“I agree with Amber,” Charlie said. Taylor turned around and glared at him.

It was true. These were the clothes she had back in high school. Her style and her closet hadn’t changed much since then. Taylor liked who she was and didn’t find it necessary to change.

“I got some new clothes but remember I had to pay my bills and rent,” Taylor said. “Oh! I like this.” Taylor reached up to grab the top that was on the highest shelf. Her shirt rode up and Charlie saw her scar. He winced as the memories came flooding back to him.

“Well, look at what we have here. The popular group and oh, their wannabe badass misfit,” Johnny, the pothead/trouble maker of the school said, laughing as he walked up to the group.

Amber, Jackie, Tricia, Anna, Charlie, and Taylor were at the pond near their neighborhood. They always went there to hang out and drink some. They decided they needed to celebrate since they just got through a semester of 10th grade year. Charlie and Taylor had been dating for a year and half.

“Aw, it’s the ‘it’ couple. Charlie and Taylor.” Johnny looked back, laughing with his so called friends. More like followers. “What Charlie? Did you ask her out of pity but was too nice to break it off?”

“Oh, shut up Johnny. You’re just jealous that someone loves me and a girl will never look your way,” Taylor spat, as she stepped closer to him. Her hands on her hips, showing him she doesn’t put up with shit.

“What did you say, bitch?” Johnny screeched as he grabbed Taylor’s shirt. Johnny had a short fuse. It was shorter when he was high, which he was. Charlie could smell it. He reeked off pot.

“I said, a girl will never look your way. What? Are you deaf, dumbass?” Taylor was never really afraid of anything. She knew Johnny was too high to do anything.

“That’s it, bitch. I’ve had enough of your comments. You’re just a no good wannabe.” Johnny raised his fist. Taylor didn’t even show that she was fazed by it.

“Johnny, man, put her down. You don’t want to do this,” Charlie said, trying to clam Johnny down. He knew it wasn’t going to work but he had to try, for Taylor’s sake. He was scared for her.

“Don’t tell me what to do, pretty boy,” Johnny yelled at Charlie. Nothing was making this better, just worse. “You and your slut of a girlfriend-“ Johnny was cut off by Taylor punching him.

He fell to the ground. Taylor stood over him, looking down smirking. Johnny grabbed Taylor’s leg and threw her onto the ground. Taylor landed with oomph. Johnny got up and kicked her in the stomach. Taylor wasted now time in grabbing Johnny’s legs and pulling him down. She got on top of him, punching wherever she could get to. Johnny was madder than he had ever been. He wanted to get back at Taylor once and for all. He reached in his pocket as much as he could and tried to get lighter out. Johnny kept Taylor off of him for as long as it was to get the lighter working and set the right of her shirt on fire. Taylor screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Charlie and the girls rushed over to help pat out the flames. Johnny and his friend ran away when they saw Amber calling 911. Charlie held Taylor. She wasn’t crying, just whimpering in pain. For the first time, Charlie saw fear in Taylor’s eyes.

“Charlie," a voice said in a sing song voice. “Char Char, come back down to our world.”
Charlie came out of his memory to find Taylor waving her hand in front of his face.

“Oh, sorry.” He said, blushing.

“It’s ok,” Taylor said, with a smile. “What were you thinking about? You looked madder than hell.”

“Its nothing,” Charlie said, rubbing the back of his neck. Taylor and him were walking out of the store way behind the girls who looked like they were dragging Tricia somewhere.

“It’s not nothing if you’re thinking about it so tell me.” Taylor bumped into him, smiling the whole time. “I like hearing what you’re thinking. Sometimes I wished I could read minds.”

Charlie laughed. It was good to have Taylor back. “If you must know, I was thinking about the night after mid term in 10th grade. You know the night when Johnny.” Charlie trailed off, not wanting to speak of what happened.

“Oh, you were?” Taylor asked. Her face fell just a little when he mentioned it. “Why were you thinking about that?”

“I just saw the scar. I haven’t seen it in a while so it just brought back a lot of memories, bad ones.” Charlie looked over to Taylor. He couldn’t read her face. “I’m sorry I mention it. I won’t ever again.”

“It’s ok.” Taylor looked up at him. He didn’t know if she was lying about it or not. “Really. A lot of people ask me about it. Plus, I see everyday. There’s not one time when I see it that I don’t think about that night.” Taylor shook her head, almost sounding choked up.

Taylor only talked to Charlie about that night. She never cried about it though. The scar went from her hip up her stomach and her back ending right below her breast. It hurt him to know someone was so heartless to do that to her. She could have died if the girls and him weren’t there. Johnny was now in jail and Taylor had to testify at his trial. Charlie was there through it all; being at the hospital, the recovery and the trial

“I’m sorry I brought it up. I know how it makes you feel,” Charlie said as he hugged Taylor.

“It’s ok,” Taylor said as they pulled away. “And Charlie?”

“Hmm?”

“I know I probably said this a million times but thanks for sticking with me through it all.” Taylor gave him one of her million dollar smiles.

“I will always stick with through anything, Tay,” Charlie said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

“Come on, slow pokes,” Amber screamed from the door way of a store. “We’re going to the food court.”