BEFORE YOU LEAVE

Chapter 12

"Where is my money?"

Taylor had burst in the room, slamming her friend's door against the wall with a bang. Cara looks up from her phone while a cigarette is hanging from her parted lips. She stares at the blond with wide and shocked eyes.

"Taylor, I–"

"You don't have them?" Taylor asks, her voice dangerously calm.

"You have to give me some time," Cara says, standing up from the bed and nearing her mad friend. She tries to put her hands on her shoulders, but with a groan, Taylor rolls her eyes and walks away into the crowded hallway.

"I gave you one fucking month!" Taylor exclaims, throwing her hands in the air. Students start to distance themselves from the commotion the two girls were making. "I gave you one fucking month and you couldn't find three thousand dollars?!"

"Taylor, please, calm down. We are in the hallway–"

"I DON'T CARE!" Taylor yells, stopping her hurried pace. Her back is facing Cara, and her friend doesn't say anything. "I don't care where we are. You need to give me my fucking money!"

"I WILL!" Cara screams as a reply. Taylor clenches her jaw as she feels everyone's eyes on them. People will surely talk about them in the next few days. "I will give you your money, but you have to wait."

"I can't wait when I gave you one month!" Taylor exclaims furiously, still facing away from her friend. Meanwhile, people are surrounding them as their screams surely attract more students.

"I will give you your money, Taylor. Please, calm down," Cara says calmly, trying to calm her friend down. Taylor shakes her head and bites her bottom lip as her fingers shake.

"I won't calm down, I won't! I hurt someone deeply for that stupid bet and I lost a very important friend! It ruined me, this stupid bet, so if you won't give me my well deserved money, I swear I..." she doesn't finish, she just clenches her fists and sighs to calm her ragged breath. She turns around and glares at Cara.

The girl in front of her shakes her head with pursed lips. "What does it matter to you? You don't care about anyone. You just use people."

As soon as these words leave her friend's mouth, she parts her lips as sudden rage passes through her body. She closes her hands in tight fists, and suddenly they're flying across the hall, landing perfectly on Cara's cheek. The girl falls to the ground, holding her face as she didn't expect the sudden punch from her friend.

"Take it back," Taylor says, her tone low and dangerous as she hovers over her friend who is becoming scared from the blond's actions. "Take. It. Back."

"No, I won't, because it's the truth, and I won't take it back," Cara says, shaking her head. Taylor glares at her, and she lets go; she straddles the shorter girl's waist and starts punching her and pulling at her hair. All of this reminds her of her father, when he would come back from the bar and hit her violently.

"Take it back!" she exclaims as wet tears cover her hot cheeks. Cara tries to defend herself from Taylor's punches, but fails miserably. "TAKE IT BACK!" the blond screams. Cara rolls them over and pushes Taylor on the ground, trying to stop her wrists.

However the blond is too strong, and once again she is straddling the shorter girl. She's screaming, and there's blood spilling from her nose. Taylor's arms are scratched and her bottom lip is splitted, bleeding slightly.

Their unexpected fight attracted all kind of people, and the one they least expect: the headmaster. He looks around the two girls, students had made a circle, and starts, "Girls, stop! We're not kids!"

However, Taylor keeps her fists connected with Cara's face. "GIRLS! STOP, NOW!" the man yells, and suddenly someone pulls Taylor up by her arms, dragging her away from the shorter girl. When the blond angrily turns around to see who pulled her up from the groun, she wasn't surprised when she saw Ariana staring at her with eyes full of embarrassment. Taylor looks around herself, and she feels a new lump in her throat when she catches a glimpse of Karlie. The taller girl is standing behind two boys, but her height allow her to see over their shoulders.

"Swift, in my office, NOW!" the headmaster yells to the blond, but she doesn't listen. She's tired of listening to orders, and suddenly she feels very small and vulnerable. She closes her hands on fists, and pushing people away she runs away from the crowd. "SWIFT!" the man screams, but she doesn't care anymore. Tears stream down her reddened cheeks, and she doesn't know where she's going until she collapses on the floor, inside of a bathroom stall.

The door of the bathroom opens, and she hopes that it isn't someone who she knows. Or worse, she hopes it isn't the headmaster looking for her.

"Taylor? Are you in here?" Ariana's sweet voice sounds through the walls, and Taylor covers her mouth, trying to contain her sobs. She needs to be quiet if she doesn't want to be discovered. "Taylor?"

Ariana opens the door where Taylor is currently leaning into, and she almost falls backwards. "Oh my god, Taylor," she says softly, as she takes in the blond's appearance. She kneels down quickly, wrapping both of her arms around the blond's back. "Shh, it's okay to let go. Let go," Ariana whispers against the top of her head, kissing it before Taylor pulled away.

"I'm such a mess," the taller girl says frustrated. She wiped at her own tears, her bottom lip quivering slightly.

"A beautiful one," Ariana smiles shyly down at her, tucking a lock of hair behind the blond's ear. Taylor looks up and forces a small smile in her direction.

"Why are you even here?" she asks looking away.

"Because I'm your friend, remember? I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Like it or not," Ariana giggles softly, embracing her friend once more.

"Nobody has ever seen me cry as much as you," Taylor comments, her sobs turning into soft sniffles. "I just cried two times and I'm already tired of it. I just–I can't help it."

"It's okay. Sometimes is better to cry in someone's arms than cry alone. You have me now, you don't have to worry," Ariana says with a comforting tone and a beautiful, breathtaking smile gracing her full lips.

"Thank you so much," the blonde mumbles, now trying to stand up on shaky legs. When the shorter girl notices that she may need some help, Ariana wraps her arms around her waist and pulls the both of them up. "I will never thank you enough for what you are doing for me."

"You don't have to. I'm here for you, and I will always be," she replies, kissing her cheek lightly. Taylor blushes at just simple gesture, and tries to contain her smile.

After opening the door, Ariana grabs her hand and squeezes it lightly, before saying, "Let's go."