My Heart Belongs to You

Getting home from the lake, Taylor made herself some dinner and sat down on the sofa with her laptop. Logging into Facebook, she noticed that she had a notification and clicked it to find a relationship request from Dylan.

Smiling, Taylor accepted it and then scrolled through her newsfeed to see what was going on. Noticing that Dylan had posted the picture of them that Tammy had taken, Taylor clicked on it and read the caption underneath.

Because a girl like you is impossible to find... me and my girl ♥

Liking the picture, Taylor saw that Tammy had commented on her change of relationship status and laughed.

Woohoo, Facebook official.

Spending Sunday with her mum, Taylor went to bed early and woke up on Monday morning ready for school. Eating her breakfast, she grabbed her jacket on her way out the door and sat on the wall at the end of the drive to wait for Dylan.

It was ten minutes, before he joined her with a grin and entwined their fingers. Taylor was happy that she finally had her guy, but she knew that today was going to be rough and that made her nervous. Feeling Dylan squeezed her hand slightly, she looked over at him and smiled as they entered the school. Dropping their stuff off at their lockers, they made their way to the cafeteria and sat with the team.

"So, it's not just a rumor then," came Michelle's voice from behind them, "You and the troll are a thing, I always thought that you held quite high standards when it came to the girls you dated, Dylan."

"My standards haven't changed."

"Your choice of girlfriend says otherwise, why would you give up what we had for that?"

"There are so many reasons, but the main reason is Taylor makes me happy... truly happy," Dylan told Michelle, "Even after everything that has happened to her, she doesn't make everything about what she wants and it's been a while since what I want has been an actual conversation."

"We always spoke about what you wanted," Michelle argued.

"No, I spoke about it and you dismissed it as if it meant nothing."

"So, you decided to downgrade," Michelle added, "You're only dating her because her dad died and you feel sorry for her."

Feeling her heart clench at the mention of her dad, Taylor fought the urge to flee and kept her gaze on the table in front of her. Blocking out the rest of the argument, Taylor didn't notice Michelle storm off and jumped as the bell rang for the start of their first lesson. Taking her seat in the back of Mr. Corrick's class, she pulled out her book and tried to focus on what he was explaining without much success.

By the time lunch arrived Taylor couldn't take anymore and left school, needing to get away. Sitting at her dad's grave, she told him about everything that had been happening and broke down. She didn't know exactly how long she had been there, but it was dark as the rain started falling and Taylor shivered as a breeze whipped around her.

Pulling her phone from her pocket, she scrolled through her contacts and stopped at Mr. Corrick's name. Pressing the call button, she put the phone to her ear and waited for him to answer.

'Hello?' came Mr. Corrick's voice from the other end.

"It's too hard, I can't do it anymore..." Taylor whispered.

'Taylor?' Mr. Corrick inquired, 'Where are you?'

"The cemetery behind Norton Park."

'Do not move... I'll be there soon.'

Placing her phone back in her pocket, Taylor brought her knees up to her chest with a broken sob and wrapped her arms around them tightly. It felt like hours, before she heard the distinct sound of footsteps approaching her and glanced up as Mr. Corrick crouched down beside her.

"I feel like I'm cracking..." Taylor mumbled.

"Let's get you out of the rain," Mr. Corrick suggested, holding his hand out for Taylor to take and helping her to her feet, "How does coffee sound?"

"Good," Taylor replied, following Mr. Corrick to his car and staring out the window as he pulled away from the cemetery.

Parking the car outside a small diner, Mr. Corrick led them inside and over to a secluded table away from prying ears. Ordering their drinks, they waited for the waitress to bring them over and then he broke the silence.

"What's going on in that head of yours?"

"I've been thinking about the day my dad died... he fought so hard to stay alive and there were times when I honestly believed that he would beat it," Taylor explained, letting everything she had been holding in pour out, "I begged him not to leave me and I thought I'd be angry at him for giving up, but I was relieved because it meant that he wasn't suffering anymore. Does that make me a bad person?"

"No, not at all," Mr. Corrick reassured her, "When I first came to the school at the beginning of the year, I was told about everything you were going through and what a great kid you were. Taylor, it shows true strength to admit how you truly felt and I know how much it hurts to watch a loved one die a little more every day in front of your eyes."

"I feel like I betrayed him... like somewhere deep down I wanted him to die and I hate it," Taylor admitted, "Sometimes I just want to run away and forget... that maybe if I'm not here my heart will stop hurting for a while."

"Have you spoken to your mum about how you feel?"

"I can't... I remind her of everything she lost the day he died and a part of me knows that she hates me for not letting her move on."

"I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that things will get easier soon, but I will offer you an ear when you need it," Mr. Corrick said as Taylor took a sip of her coffee, "If you let people in and allow them to shoulder just a little of the burdens you're carrying, then you'll find that your heart, in time, will heal."

Talking for another hour, Mr. Corrick drove Taylor home and she thanked him before walking up the drive to where Dylan was waiting for her. Melting into his arms as he wrapped them around her, she closed her eyes and allowed Dylan's warmth to envelope her.