What I Should Have Said

6

Taylor rushed home after school and locked herself in her room. The emotions became so overwhelming it made her physically sick. She paced in her room and tried to piece together why she was feeling the way she felt. She eventually gave in to the emotion and broke down in tears. She was confused and hurt all at once. She knew they were just friends, but if they were just friends, why would she kiss her and never give her an explanation? why would she kiss her and go be with a boy who she didn't even like?

--

Elizabeth was in her room doing her homework and heard a knock at the door. She looked over as her mother peeked in, "Taylor's on the phone." Elizabeth shook her head and went back to doing her homework, "I don't want to talk." Her mother stared in silence. This was abnormal behavior coming from Elizabeth. She took every opportunity to go hang out with her friend or talk on the phone any time she called. Her mother left to go answer Taylor and came back into her room. "What's going on Betty." Her mother asked.

Elizabeth stayed silent and continued to do her work. "Betty." Her mother stood arms crossed. Elizabeth looked over at her. "What?" she asked. "Why have you been avoiding Taylor these past few weeks?" Her mother questioned. "I just don't want to hang out." Elizabeth shrugged. "But you two are never like this, did something happen?" Her mother asked.

Something did happen. But she wasn't going to tell her mom she had kissed another girl. "No...I just don't want to hang out okay?" Elizabeth replied. "But why?" Her mother asked. "Mom, please...I just want to get my homework done." Elizabeth sighed. "Fine. I'll leave you to it." Her mother said, dropping the topic and leaving the room.

She couldn't tell anyone what happened. She couldn't face Taylor. Not because she didn't like it...but because she did. But she remembered what everyone said. It was wrong. She figured avoiding Taylor would be best and Mike had always liked Elizabeth. So when he asked her to the dance she finally gave in and said yes. Maybe she was just confused and going out with a boy would clear the thoughts in her head and fix everything. But her mind always went back to Taylor and that's what she was trying to avoid.

---

Elizabeth sat at the dinner table eating her dinner. Her parents could barely look at one another and just sat in silence. "So Mike's mother called me today." Her mother smiled. Elizabeth looked over at her, "Why?" She asked. "Who's Mike?" Her father asked as he ate his food, his facial expression cold and intimidating, the way any father would look at the mention of any boy affiliated with his daughter. "Michael Anderson, he's a boy in Betty's class." Her mother explained. "And what does he have to do with Betty?" Her father questioned.

"He asked me to the school dance, dad." Elizabeth replied and poked around at her plate. Her father shifted his gaze from Elizabeth to his wife, "And he doesn't come to ask me for permission?" He asked. "Mason." Her mother sighed. "Eleanor." He replied as they stared one another down. "He's 12, they're just going to a dance together not getting married." Eleanor argued. "I don't care, any boy who wants anything to do with my baby girl still has to ask my permission." He argued.

"Well anyways..." Eleanor sighed and looked over at her daughter, "His mother is taking you both to the dance next week." Elizabeth nodded and silently ate her food. "I want you home by 8." Mason added. Eleanor rolled her eyes and picked up the dishes and went off to clean.

----

Taylor walked through the mall with her Mom and looked around at all the stores in passing. They entered a store with beautiful dresses and looked around. "Wow." Taylor said in awe. "We still need to find you a nice dress for the dance." Andrea said as she looked through the rack of dresses. Taylor nodded and wandered off. She wandered off too far and ended up in the bridal section. She curiously looked around at the dresses and admired the different styles.

"Taylor! Taylor?!" She heard her mother shout. Andrea came around the corner and sighed with relief when she finally found her. "Why would you wander off like that?"

"I'm sorry it was an accident." Taylor apologized.

Andrea softly smiled and looked around. "Well these aren't the kind of dresses we were looking for but they are pretty to look at aren't they?"

Taylor nodded and looked around at the variety. "How come some of them are so..." Taylor said struggling to find the word to explain.

"Extravagant?" Andrea laughed.

"Yeah, that!" Taylor nodded.

"Well...because they're meant to make a woman dazzle the room she enters. Everyone stares at her and she's like a beautiful princess for the day." Andrea explained.

Taylor faintly smiled at the comparison and thought back to her time in the attic when Elizabeth was the princess in their game. She had been doing her best to not think about her but some days it was all she could think about. She still never got an explanation about that night, instead, Elizabeth had been avoiding her ever since then. It was hard to not think about her when she lived across the street and there were reminders of her all over the house and anywhere she went.

"Come on, let's go find you a dress." Andrea smiled and wrapped her arm around her daughter. Taylor faintly smiled and nodded.