Texas Roots

Chapter 1: Arrival

Taylor stepped off the train and looked around. Buildings towered in the sky and people rushed busily by. She grabbed her bags tighter and pushed through the crowd. She knew where she was going, but at the same time she didn't.

Taylor stood on the steps of John Quincy Adams middle school. Her bags were not with her. She had left them at her brother's apartment. Now she was here. She heard the bell ring from inside. Students poured out of the building. Taylor waited at the very bottom and off to the side. She saw her brother and his friend from Texas along with another boy and two girls. One was brunette, she guessed Riley from what she had heard from her brother, the other a blonde, Maya. The boy had light brown hair that fell slightly over his forehead. Farkle. She thought. And as for her brother's friend, that was Zay. When the group reached the bottom of the stairs, Taylor spoke up.

"Hi Lucas." Lucas stopped and turned around.

"Taylor!" He quickly walked over and hugged her.

"Who's that, Lucas?" The brunette spoke up.

"Oh right! Right, Riley, Maya, Farkle, this is my twin sister Taylor! Taylor, this is Riley, Maya, and Farkle."

"Well look who it is!" Zay spoke up.

"How ya doin' Zay?"

"The bigger question is how did you get here?" Zay asked after he hugged her.

"I was wondering that myself." Lucas said

"Cuz Pappy Joe would never let you come here by yourself without reason." Zay said.

"A far as I know, Pappy Joe doesn't even know I'm gone."

"You ran away!? Are-" Lucas was cut off by Taylor's phone ringing.

"Hello?" Taylor pulled the phone away from her ear with a cringe.

"Turn off the speaker phone!" Zay said covering his ears.

"It's not on speaker phone." Taylor said.

"I'm not coming back home yet and you can't make me!" Taylor said into the phone. Before he could respond, Taylor pressed the red "end" button, turned her phone on mute and stuck it in her pocket.

"As I was saying, are you crazy? Pappy Joe is gonna kill you!" Lucas said.

"Just be glad that I'm here, cowboy." Taylor said jokingly. Riley stepped forward and put a hand out.

"Howdy." Taylor said, shaking her hand.

"It's very nice to meet you!"

"You too-"

"How come we didn't see you in Texas?" Riley asked her.

"Well, I was kind of, in the hospital." Taylor lowered her voice in hopes that Lucas wouldn't hear.

"I was wondering where you were-" Lucas paused mid sentence.

"Wait, what?!"

"So?"

"You were in the hospital and you didn't even tell me!"

"Cuz I knew you would freak out like this."

"What happened?" Farkle spoke up this time.

"Yeah cowgirl, I'm interested in seeing where this goes..." Maya said with a smirk on her face.

"I was bull riding."

"We didn't see you at the competition though." Farkle said.

"Yeah, I know. I got hurt the day before. When y'all first got there and Tombstone got out, after he woke up he went all crazy so I tried to get him to calm down. That didn't work so I decided to ware him out. I thought I would be okay, I was the Tombstone master before Lucas with 3.7 seconds. I was wrong, after about 3 or 4 seconds he threw me off and I hit a tree. Cletis found me and took me to the hospital. I mad him promise not to tell anyone."

"Not even your twin brother?"

"Not anyone. But hey! I'm here now and I'm okay, so don't worry about me Lucas."

"Okay." Taylor chatted with the girls on the way to their hang out. A little cafe named "Topanga's" that Riley's mom owned. Taylor liked them. They were all really nice to her. After a while Farkle left. Maya and Riley left too. Then it was just Lucas, Zay, and her.

"So why are you really here?" Zay asked her.

"I got kicked out of school. Pappy Joe doesn't know. I went home after school, got my stuff, and snuck out the back door. I took enough money for a train ticket and then I took a subway here."

"Where are you staying?"

"Mom was happy to see me and she agreed to help me pay rent on the apartment I'm staying in."

"You got an apartment?"

"The one right beside yours!"

"Are you going to John Adams?" Lucas asked his sister.

"Yeah, I have this guy named 'Mr.Matthews'. Ever heard of him?"

"That's our teacher!" Lucas said smiling.

"He ain't your average history teacher,Taylor. You've been warned." Zay said.

"Mr.Matthews is great, Tay. You'll love him."

"Ahh, I see my nickname popped back up."

"Yeah, now our names sound alike." Zay said.

"Zay and Tay." Lucas said laughing. Taylor couldn't help but laugh as well. A little later, the three walked to the apartment building. Lucas hugged his sister.

"I'm glad that you're here Taylor."

"Me too."