The Soldier's Girl (Under Editing)

Chapter 32

CAROLINE'S POV

When I woke up the next morning I was all kinds of angry. It was a Monday and there was no question about whether I'd be going to school or not. By the time school would've started I was lying awake in Taylor's bed. I was fuming.

All I knew is that I was mad. I was mad at everything. Everything was so unfair, why does all of this have to happen to me? Why can't someone else take a blow for once? On the inside I was raging but I was really just lying on Taylor's bed quietly because she was still asleep beside me.

Then a thought crossed my mind. There is someone out there responsible for all my pain. Someone that shot my dad, he was on the other side of the world but I knew I hated him. My anger grew and grew and grew. Why me? Why would I never be able to see my dad again? Right then Taylor started to wake up but I was just getting started. Why would we be able to do things together like other parents do with their kids? Why did he have to be dead?

Taylor sat up on her spot in the bed and stretched. I sat up too, now visibly angry. I saw her look over to me and suddenly get concerned eyes.

"This is so stupid." I said loudly with my voice shaking a little at the end. Taylor seemed kind of surprised because I hadn't said a lot since it all happened.

"He will never come back." I said again in the loud voice and I hit my palm onto the bed. I heard Taylor say something about how she knows it sucks, but just then my anger died and turned into sadness and pain instantly. It's funny how one thought can do that to you, one realization.

My wedding day. My dad wouldn't be there to walk me down the aisle.

"He won't be there to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day!" I said, not holding back my crying high pitched voice this time. I let my body fall back down on the bed and cry. It hurt. It hurt so bad. I pulled the blankets up to my chin and I saw Taylor crawling back under them too.

"Hey, come here." She said with her arms open, waiting for me to snuggle between them.

"I'm so so sorry." She whispered in my ear once she had me over on her side of the bed with her. And I felt empty.

TAYLOR'S POV

Caroline was a mess. She was all over the place emotion-wise but I didn't blame her. I had gotten her back to sleep though so that was good. She was up early this morning, now it was mid morning and she was in my bed. She refused to sleep on her own, she also refused to be left alone. She had been right next to me for the last two days.

A fifteen year old should not have to go through all this. I was doing my best to help, but I didn't really know what she wanted me to do. Earlier I had cancelled everything I'd had planned for the next two weeks so I could spend all my time with Caroline. Sometimes I would try to get her to talk to me about all of it, but she didn't want to and I didn't want to force her.

Last night when my mom brought us supper Caroline was up in her room. I don't think she really wants to see anyone, so I didn't send her to school. Just then I heard her footsteps walk into the living room. She had one of my blankets wrapped around her shoulders and she came and sat down beside me on the couch.

"Hey Care." I said when she sat down.

"Wanna watch a movie?" I asked, seeing that she wasn't overly upset at the moment.

"Sure." She replied to me in a raspy voice.

I turned on The Lion King. When it got to the part where Mufasa gets trampled and dies I tensed up. Why didn't I remember that one of the key parts of this movie was the dad dying? I turned on the movie to take Caroline's mind off things, but it wasn't doing a great job at it.

I glanced down at Caroline who was snuggled into my side with my blanket still around her. She didn't seem bothered by the movie, but you never know with her, she's good at hiding her emotions. I was relieved when the movie was over and Caroline had fallen asleep again.

I stayed on the couch and scrolled through my phone for a long time so I didn't have to get up and wake her. Every once and a while she would move or let out a breath or reposition herself on me. Finally I woke her up because it was 1 o'clock and she hadn't had breakfast or lunch.

"Caroline." I whispered while putting my hand on the back of her head.

"Wake up so we can have lunch." I told her, sure she could hear me.

"No." She said plainly with her eyes still closed.

"Yeah, you have to eat, come on." I said but she still didn't move. I got up on my own but since she had been leaning on my side she fell onto the couch. Immediately after she started crying. It wasn't because it hurt but because it startled her. And her fuse was growing short so little things could send her to tears.

I sighed and went back over to her. I sat on the edge of the couch that she was not laying on and rubbed her back. Her shoulders shook every time she cried and I didn't know how to make her feel better at this point. I figured she was grieving and I should just let it happen, so I started towards the kitchen so I could make lunch. Things only got worse when I left, she started crying harder and louder. I continued to get lunch ready, aware of the situation in the living room.

When she started screaming for me to come back I finally did. Her young face had pain written all over it and she was sitting up on the couch. I gave her a tight hug and I kissed her cheek.

"Care I can't be out here I have to go finish lunch." I said when she kept holding me in a hug.

"No." She said more weakly this time. I gave in and held her in my arms until she calmed down again.