In The Clear - Out Of The Woods Sequel - A Taylor Swift Fanfiction

Chapter 5: Travis and Taylor Find Out

In the principal's office, the atmosphere was heavy with tension. Madison sat defiantly, her arms crossed, sandwiched between Taylor and Travis. The principal, a stern-looking man with a stack of papers on his desk, addressed them with a serious tone.

"Thank you for coming in today," he began. "I'm afraid we have some concerning issues to discuss regarding Madison's performance."

Travis glanced briefly at Madison, noting with a pang of worry the fresh lines on her wrist she quickly hid, not knowing she was spotted. He shifted his focus back to the principal, ready to understand the full extent of the situation.

The principal shuffled through the papers, pulling out several reports. "As you can see here, Madison's grades have been steadily declining. There's also a matter of her attitude in class. We've had multiple reports of disruptive behavior."

Taylor, who had been quiet, leaned forward, her eyes widening in shock as she looked at the reports. "I had no idea about any of this," she said, her voice tinged with disbelief and frustration. "These signatures..." She trailed off, staring at the forged signatures that she had never written.

Madison remained silent, her gaze fixed on a spot on the floor. Even when the principal addressed her directly, asking if she had anything to say, she offered no response, her silence speaking volumes.

Taylor's frustration was at an all time high, but Travis shot her a glance, a silent plea for calmness.

The meeting concluded with little resolution, the principal making it clear that significant improvements needed to be seen or Madison will be expelled.

In the car, the tension that had been building finally erupted. Taylor, unable to contain her emotions, turned to Madison. "How could you not tell us about this? And forging my signature? What's going on with you?"

Madison, who had been staring out the window, finally snapped. "Oh come on, like you care!"

Travis, who was driving, tried to mediate. "Let's all just take a breath here—"

But Taylor was relentless. "This is serious, Madison! Of course I care! Your future is at stake!"

Madison's voice rose in anger and hurt. Taylor never used her full name unless she was in trouble - but she was ready to fight back. "My future? Or the future you want for me? You don't even know me anymore, Taylor!"

The car fell into a tense silence as they continued the drive home, each lost in their own turmoil. Travis was deeply worried about Madison, her outburst revealing the depth of her feelings of neglect and misunderstanding. It's been years since Madison called Taylor by her name instead of saying 'mom'.

Taylor was grappling with the shock of Madison's actions and her own feelings of guilt. And Madison, caught in the storm of her emotions, was struggling to articulate her sense of isolation and confusion.

Arriving home, the air was thick with tension, the earlier argument in the car still hanging over them like a dark cloud. Taylor turned to Madison with a stern expression, her voice firm. "Madison, we need to talk about what's happening with you."

Madison hesitated, her defiance faltering for a moment. She would love to talk to Taylor, to tell her exactly how she's been feeling and what was on her mind. But then, the sound of Olivia's crying pierced through the tense atmosphere, and Madison's expression hardened. She rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with resentment. "Go on, your kid needs you," she said bitterly, putting an emphasis on 'your', before storming off to her room and slamming the door.

Taylor, torn between her two daughters, let out a frustrated sigh. "Madison, please—" she started, but the slammed door was her only answer. With a heavy heart, she turned to attend to Olivia, leaving Travis standing in the hallway, his worry for Madison growing by the second.

Travis moved closer to Madison's door, hesitating for a moment before he gently knocked. "Mads, can I come in?" he asked softly.

"Whatever," came the muffled response, laced with a mixture of anger and sadness.

Travis opened the door to find Madison sitting on her bed, her face streaked with tears. He sat down beside her, his presence a silent offer of support.

"Girlie, talk to me. What's going on? You're not yourself lately," Travis said, his voice filled with concern.

Madison sniffled, wiping her eyes. "It's nothing. Just school stuff."

Travis sighed, knowing there was more to it. "It's not just school, is it? I saw the marks on your wrist, Madison. I'm worried about you."

Madison's eyes flashed with panic, then defiance. "I got injured at practice," she said, a little too quickly.

Travis reached out, trying to bridge the gap between them. "Babe, I'm here for you. You can talk to me and Taylor about anything, you know that, right?"

But Madison shook her head, her barriers firmly in place. "Just leave me alone, okay? I'm fine."

Travis knew he needed to tread carefully. "I just want to help you. But I can't do that if you won't let me in."

Madison turned away, her body language closing off. "I said I'm fine," she repeated, more forcefully this time.

Travis stood up slowly, his heart heavy. "Alright. But I'm here whenever you're ready to talk. You're not alone, Mads."

He left the room, the sound of Madison's quiet crying following him out. As he closed the door, he was filled with a deep sense of helplessness. He knew that Madison was struggling with something much bigger than just bad grades, but breaking through her defenses would take time and patience. He just hoped they could reach her before it was too late. Injured at practice? Sure, but deep down, he knew more was going on.

Travis reentered the living room, his mind still occupied with his conversation with Madison. He saw Taylor, sorting through laundry, while Olivia was engrossed in drawing. Before he could speak, Taylor turned to him with a concerned look.

"Trav, do you think Maddie hurt herself at cheer practice?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

Travis looked at her questioningly, unsure whether she had heard their conversation. Taylor held up one of Madison's white cheerleading uniforms, the long sleeves revealing telltale bloodstains on the inside. His heart sank as he realized the severity of the situation.

Seeing the uniform, Travis knew he couldn't keep his observations to himself any longer. "Tay, there's something I need to tell you. I saw... I saw scars on her wrists. Some were fresh. And they sure look deliberate," he said, his voice heavy with concern.

Taylor's eyes widened in shock, her hand flying to her mouth. "Scars? Oh my god, are you saying she's... she's hurting herself?"

Travis nodded solemnly, his own distress mirrored in Taylor's face. "I tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't open up about it. She denied everything, saying she hurt herself at the practice. I mean, it could very well be that, but I doubt it."

Taylor's hands trembled as she set the uniform down, her mind racing with fear and guilt. "How did we not see this? What are we going to do? She's in so much pain."

Travis moved closer to Taylor, trying to offer some semblance of comfort. "We need to get her help, professional help. She's dealing with something deep and we can't ignore it any longer."

Taylor nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. "I just... I can't believe she's been going through this alone. We have to do something. We have to save our girl."

Travis wrapped his arms around her, the weight of the situation pressing down on them. "We will, Tay. We'll get through this together, as a family. But first, we need to find the right way to approach Maddie about this. She needs to know we're here for her, that she's not alone."