Getaway Car

Change My Priorities

Tour had been good for Taylor. It was hard to feel down when a stadium full of people were singing along with you, and she wasn't going to let her personal life (or lack thereof) affect her performance. She'd seen the impact her concert had on people over the last six months and her fans in Tokyo deserved the same. But after the high of performing waned, her dancers retired to their own rooms, the makeup was washed off; she was alone. Looking out over the neon city, she'd never felt so isolated. She regularly found herself remembering Travis in the elevator talking about their two sides. Her fans loved the superstar, but couldn't know the person. Joe had loved the person, but couldn't understand the superstar.

She looked over at the purple-haired football Troll on her nightstand. It was the first thing she unpacked in a new room. Travis was playing in the Super Bowl soon. They'd actually kick off right around 11 a.m. in Tokyo, just before she was scheduled to take off back to the States. She had a week before her Australia dates and she was desperate to get home, even just for a few days.

She'd already triple checked with her pilot that she'd be able to watch the game in the air. Taylor didn't want to miss this. They still hadn't spoken since New Year's, but she couldn't help but be excited for him. She knew what it meant to Travis. Her own anxieties fell to the back of her mind while she thought about all the stories he'd told her about his past Super Bowls. With that, she was finally able to slow down her spiraling thoughts and get to sleep.

-

She was about halfway through the flight when Travis went down and the Chief's won. The broadcast immediately blasted the screen with Chiefs graphics and shots of hugging players, but Taylor was looking for Travis. She hadn't seen him get up. She was sitting inches away from the plane's television, trying to find him in the stadium now covered in red and gold. As the team began to reset for a perfunctory field goal, they finally showed Patrick Mahomes helping Travis off the field. The sportscaster said, "Looks like Travis is getting looked over. Our team on the field said it looks like an ACL. What a way to win to end the season."

Taylor gasped and stumbled back from the television. It was an injury most recovered from, but it could derail careers. He would be devastated. She was devastated, and she felt so powerless. Travis was hurt in Las Vegas and she was 42,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean. She didn't think she was allowed to be devastated. He'd confessed his feelings and she'd shot him down; she'd lost any claim to him. "Oh great, and now I'm crying," Taylor said to herself, frustrated and upset.

She needed to see him. She needed to know he was going to be okay. Once she could see him for herself, she'd leave him alone.

"Hey Scott," Taylor hollered toward the cockpit as she wiped away tears, "Can we change our destination?"

"I'll have to clear it with Air Traffic Control, but should be okay. Where to?" her pilot, Scott, responded.

"Las Vegas."