Cruel Summer | Ricky Bowen

BONUS: FINDING FAMILY THROUGH TAYLOR'S FIRST LOVE

Taylor Winters has been in love with Raya Caswell's older brother for a long time. Well, he wasn't even her brother the time he knew that he was in love with him, but let's skip that part out of the story. When did he become certain that he was in love with EJ Caswell?

They were both in 6th grade and Taylor had joined a talent show with a friend that he would rather not name again as a duo but he was ditched by him on stage, which almost left him in embarrassment if EJ hadn't been quick enough to join Taylor on the stage, with a guitar of his own in hand, and he had suggested to him that they both sing Start of Something New from High School Musical and, luckily enough, Taylor knew the lyrics because his cousin loved the franchise.

They didn't win first place, but EJ definitely won a place in Taylor's heart.

(Taylor also did with EJ but he repressed the thought that made his heart skip a beat.)

Taylor didn't think that he would get to see EJ again after his Dad sent him to North High School until a curly haired girl who he remembered was Raya, the girl who won the talent show, approached him with her blonde best friend and the girl who he remembered defending after being continously called homophobic slurs.

"I'm starting a band, and I was thinking of who I wanted to join," Raya told him, playing with her friendship bracelets nervously. "And I remembered you from the talent show with my brother and, I gotta say, you were good."

"Brother? EJ's your—"

"Yeah, he's my brother," the girl said as she fondly rolled his eyes at the mention of EJ. "I checked your videos on Instagram too, and I love your music. Like, Now or Never? I don't know why this user is making fun of you for being passionate about music, but you have a gift. You can connect with people through your music."

"Thanks... but, uh. " Taylor chortled, shaking his head. "But that user was my uncle so he has a free pass in making fun of me."

The girl he defended from bullies long ago— Samantha, frowned. "Family's supposed to support you no matter what. Why would he do that to you?"

"There's no way of making money by singing songs," he recited the longtime quote of the family.

Raya nodded, a frown on her face, before holding a small card out. "If you want to join us, just come to this address. If they make fun of you for this, we won't. We'll be cheering on you, Taylor," she told him before she and the other two girls started leaving.

"Who have you asked to join?"

Rita-River Morris (then known as River), Julius Sterling, and Robin Robinson. He now remembered those three— they were Wonder Kids, the group of friends that got third at the talent show.

Taylor didn't think he'd work well with any of them, but as he lay in his bed at night, he couldn't help but think more about it. For most of his life, all he wanted to do was to play music and some have thought of him as a joke for it but Raya approached him, she saw his potential, wanted to support his dreams because they shared this dream. Also, he could see EJ Caswell!

And there was no way he could pass on that offer.

Taylor snuck out after dinner on his bike, the paper in his hand, and started looking for the house. As it turned out, Raya and EJ live only fourteen minutes away from him and they both seem to come from a lot of money with how clean and big their house looked. He dropped his bike on the ground before he jogged up to the porch, knocking gently before trying to pat his hair down.

The door opened to reveal EJ in a onesie and Taylor had wanted the ground to swallow him whole as his face burned red.

"Taylor, right? What are you doing here so late?"