This Love (Kaylor)

Chapter 4

A/N: Hey y'all, I'm back. I've been having some writer's block, which explains the late-ish update and mediocre writing, so sorry about that. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Eleven days. That's how long it's been since I found out about Taylor. It's a Friday. I should be excited about whatever dumb party that Jourdan is going on about, but as I'm sitting in the noisy cafeteria with the 4 kids that have become my friend group, I find myself not being able to concentrate on a word she's saying.

"Karlie?"

The sound of Jourdan's voice snaps me out of my daze.

"What?" I say, and it's obvious I've barely been hearing anything she's been saying.

Jourdan lets out a small sigh of frustration, and honestly, I don't blame her, considering how insufferable I've been for the past two weeks. "I was asking if you're coming to Blake's party tonight."

Right. Blake Lively's infamous beginning of the year party. Where, apparently, kids go to get high, drunk, or laid. Yeah, no thanks.

"Um, I think I'm going to skip out on this one." I say to Jourdan. Sorry, I have a date with my mother's Netflix subscription.

"Come on, Karlie," interrupts Gigi. "You haven't been to any other parties so far this year. You need to branch out."

"There have been other parties?"

"I'll be there," pipes Josh, looking at me with his soft brown lovesick puppy eyes. If there's one thing I've been paying any attention to, it's the way Josh looks at me like he's planning on whipping out a ring for me any moment. I'm good at ignoring men in general, but it still makes me squirm in my seat every time he looks at me like that.

I glance at Lily, hoping she'll back me up.

She just shrugs."I'm going too, Karlie. This isn't a party to miss."

"Besides," adds Jourdan, "You've been sulking ever since school started. Don't think we haven't noticed. It's time to get over whatever it is and have some fun with us."

I purse my lips, not having anything to say to dispute their arguments. "Fine," I finally give in. "I'll come tonight, but that will be the extent of my partying life, got it?"

Everyone nods their heads in understanding.

"You can crash at my place afterwards, if you want," says Jourdan.

"Sure," I agree.

She beams at me. "You won't regret it, Karlie. This is going to be an epic night for all of us."

The inevitable eventually happens, like it always does. Just how my racist Aunt Claire comes to visit every Thanksgiving, music class has come as it has everyday the last 2 weeks.

I seem to be the only student in my class who dreads music. As I trudge down the gloomy hallways of the basement level, I overhear fellow classmates whispering excitedly about the upcoming lesson.

We've been learning guitar for the first unit of the year. At least, we're supposed to be. I mostly just duck my head down and doodle on my hands with pen while my guitar remains untouched on my desk. I can't stand being in the same room as her. I can't handle her cold shoulder, her icy eyes, the guarded off expression that is embedded into her once friendly face.

But as I open the door and take in the unusually hyped up vibe of the room, I realize there must have been something I missed out on hearing as I was zoning out the other day. Something is definitely going on.