Why is there a constant banging on my window?
"Taylor!" I hear the muffled voice shout through the glass.
I laid face down in my bed, not wanting to move from my comfortable spot on my bed. I rolled my eyes and groaned loud enough that I was sure that the neighbors could hear.
The banging stopped.
Finally, I thought.
I heard footsteps on the staircase, and I shot up in the bed. 3 a.m was far too early for anyone in my family to be awake and walking around.
I closed my eyes as my door swung open.
"Taylor, downstairs, NOW!" James shouted.
"Shut up James your going to wake everyone in an 100 mile radius!" I hissed back.
"It's urgent Taylor, I'm serious," he urged, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of my bed and down the stairs. What could be so urgent that James felt the need to barge into my house in the middle of the night? I don't know.
"James, let go of my hand," I said as we walked outside. It was lightly snowing and windy, making me shiver in my yoga pants and tee shirt.
He blushed, slightly embarrassed, and pulled his hand back, tucking it in his pocket.
"Why am I standing here in 50 degree weather at-" I glanced down at my watch, "3:24 a.m on a Sunday night?" I asked.
James rolled his eyes and exhaled. The look on his face seemed tired with my behavior, but I personally think I have every right to be somewhat confused.
"Blake has Mark and Paisley," he whispered.
"What?" I exclaimed, clearly confused.
"He's keeping Mark hostage until Paisley agrees to date him again,"
I rubbed my head. This was too early to deal with this drama. Hostage? What is this a murder mystery novel? As much as I despised Mark and Paisley together, I just couldn't leave Mark like that knowing that he is in trouble. Although, how much trouble can you get in when you're 13 and 14 years old.
"Fine," I spat. "Where are they?"
~..~..~..~..~
I never thought that I would have to enter Blake's house in my lifetime, It just didn't seem necessary.
James and I crept in the back closet window, and into the suitcase closet that connected to Blake's room, where Mark and Paisley were. James and Blake used to be good friends through baseball, but after Blake started to seriously cause trouble, James had better things to do.
"Who else is in there?" I asked James, and he covered my mouth with his hand.
"Charlie and Alec are helping Blake," James said, and I was somewhat shocked again. To think that Alec and Charlie were loyal to our team.
"What's our plan exactly?" I whispered through James's hands.
"I'll distract Alec and Charlie, why you try to get Mark and Paisley," he said, motioning me towards the door before I even had time to think about the plan.
We popped out of the closet and Alec and Barrett's faces were priceless.
"Get out!" Blake shouted from the corner, trying to kiss a frazzled Paisley. Her eyes were red and puffy and her arms were red from the ropes around her. My eyes scanned the room and Mark literally took the breath out of me. It was starting to set in how crazy Blake had to be to KIDNAP people.
He had a black eye and his nose was bleeding, and it looked pretty broken if you ask me.
"Go," James whispered, and I proceeded with the plan.
I leg swiped Alec and stepped on his stomach, leaving him crouching on the ground in pain. James had Blake, and Barrett came in and side tackled me. I fell to the ground with a thump and hit my head thankfully on the carpeted floor. I pinned him to the ground and punched his cheek. Two down, one to go. Blake was giving James a fair fight. I reluctantly left to untie Paisley.
"I still hate you by the way," I said, and I swear I could even see her smile a little as I untied her.
We both went to help Mark up, and the sight of him made me want to cry. He looked so vulnerable. His blue eyes looked dull and lifeless and I didn't know what to say.
James finally won to Blake with a kick to where the sun doesn't shine, and we carefully crept down the stairs and out the front door.
We biked back to my house, and I carefully took Mark upstairs with James's help. Paisley made it home, and actually hugged me with a thank you. I was quite surprised, but a little relived that the tension between us would somewhat be relieved.
We helped Mark onto my trundle mattress and I examined his face. His nose didn't look as broken in this light, and he washed his face, which solved the bloody nose problem. Once Mark was finally situated in my chair, James went home, and said that he would stop by in the morning to check on Mark.
"Do you wanna go home? Or to Paisley's?" I asked Mark, after about 10 minutes of awkward silence.
He didn't reply at first, but finally did, and I didn't expect him to say something that made me want to cry.
"Can I stay?" he said softly. My heart soared but I managed to keep my composure and I dropped my head.
"Why should I let you?" I asked him, in a very soft tone, "You broke my heart."
"Because you Taylor Bryce, are the greatest thing to ever happen to me, and I can't live without you," he said. I looked into his eyes. His beautiful eyes, and I couldn't help but feel vulnerable myself. As much as this boy had hurt me there was still something like a rope that kept me tied to him. I kissed his forehead laid my head on his chest.
"I wouldn't want it any other way."
~EPILOGUE~
(10 Years Later)
"How much longer until the next round of suicides," I asked Ashley as we sat on the benches exhausted. We drank from our water bottles. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and onto my shoulder as someone came up from behind me and kissed my cheek.
"Hey you dork,"
Ten years and you still call him dork? Excellent vocabulary Taylor, I thought to myself.
"Hey," Mark said, brushing his blonde hair of his eyes. He still had his bouncy golden curls from the day that I met him, just darker now making him look more handsome.
"Are you done yet?" he asked scanning the field of players.
"I think," I said when I saw our coach packing up the ball bag.
"Would you like to accompany me to dinner tonight?" he asked sheepishly. I put on my best poker face, trying my hardest not to let him see through my facade.
"Mark Larsen, are you asking me on a date?" I exclaimed in falsetto voice.
"I've only been trying for the past ten years," he said with a small laugh, rolling his eyes.
Ashley smiled at me, she had witnessed our relationship since it started and had been there before I even dreamed about being engaged to Mark. It was something that at the time, Ashley might not have approved of, but Mark was truly my happiness. It took a lot for her to accept that. But we had grown up now, and all she wanted was for me to be happy.
I laced my fingers with Mark's and grabbed my bag as we made our way down the field.
I had my dream, I had a spot on the Women's U.S national team, and I was going to marry to Mark Larsen.
Every time I looked at his sparkling smile, my heart fluttered the same way it did when I was fourteen.
And I fell in love all over again.
YOU ARE READING
Penalties
Teen Fiction"I didn't want anything to do with love. My routine was strictly eat, sleep, soccer on repeat. That's how it had been for the past 10 years of my life. But that was until I looked at Mark Larsen in a different light and suddenly my black and white w...
