Taylor believed something was wrong with him. An illness of the mind, perhaps. Ever since Doris accidentally bumped into him, he had been unable to stop thinking about her, and this obsession only grew stronger with each passing day.
Her eyes. Her captivating, pretty green eyes had become an incessant vision in his mind that never went away, and he knew something serious was up the moment he started dreaming about those eyes. Those damn green eyes. They dominated his thoughts lately.
Half the time playing basketball, Taylor had been distracted, unable to take his eyes off her the minute he spotted her jogging across the vast field. She looked so pretty in an oversized t-shirt and shorts, and she'd somehow managed to pile her hair atop her head in some weird fashion he found cute. She had nice legs, one of the reasons it had been difficult for him to look away. Tanned, fleshy thighs exposed for everyone to see, although that last part didn't sit right with him.
The thought of other guys staring at her legs wasn't one he was particularly fond of. As funny as it sounded, he didn't want anyone aside from him looking at them. And then the asshead that hurt her had shown up, and she'd lost it, screaming and crying and hitting him, causing quite the scene. One that even piqued the coach's curiosity. Taylor wanted to go over, take her into his arms, and tell the jerk to back the fuck off. Kiss her hair and...
What the fuck was going on with him?
He stood and watched the scene, his hands on his waist, trying like hell not to interrupt, but when she ran into the school building crying, he fucking lost it and took off after her.
Taylor burst through the doors of the school building, looking around for her. A brief flash of her t-shirt disappearing around a corner caught his eye, and he wasted no time pursuing after her.
She was standing in the hallway, her back to him, sobbing quietly. Doris was crying. His hands balled into fists, the sudden yearning to beat the motherfucker gradually taking over him.
"Green eyes?" he called softly. She spun around, startled, and had to pause to catch her breath because she had been crying so hard.
Her chest heaved. "T-Taylor? What are you doing here?"
Fuck, she looked so shattered. So frail.
All because of a damn fool.
"Damn, Green eyes, you need a hug," he said, assessing her. "C'mere."
For a second, he thought she was going to run into his arms, judging by the way she looked at him, like she needed him. But her gaze dropped to her feet, and she wrapped her hands around herself, rubbing her arms.
"I... I am fine."
"Fuck that, c'mere."
He didn't wait for a response before pulling her to himself. She looked so small in his arms. So small and perfect against his tall frame.
Soon, he felt her relax and start to sob again.
"Doris," he groaned, hating having to hear her cry. "Stop crying. It's okay."She shook her head, wailing. "It's not."
Gently, his hand reached up to stroke her hair lovingly."It's okay," he repeated in a more soothing voice, his hatred for the punk growing every damn second that ticked by. He held her there for a while, not saying anything, simply allowing her to cry and unleash the pent-up tears. When she was done, she stepped back and looked at him, fingers fidgeting nervously.
Her teeth came down to bite her bottom lip, and Taylor swore he almost lost it again.
"Feeling any better?" he asked, his gaze lingering on her mouth. She had nice, pliant lips.
"Yes. Thank you," she responded gratefully, eyes drifting to his muscled arms.
"You like what you see?" he teased with a smirk and watched her burn a bright shade of red.
"Bob's an idiot, you know that, right?" he said in a serious tone."
Yeah." He moved in closer. "Don't waste your time crying over guys like that. It's his loss."
She smiled, and for a moment, he thought he missed a heartbeat.
THE FUCK WAS HAPPENING TO HIM?!
"You look so pretty when you smile."
"Thanks a lot, Taylor." She moved into his arms for a quick hug and pulled back. "I-I should get going. I have to freshen up before P.E. ends."
She started heading in the direction of the restroom."
Sure. Take care."
"You too."
He tried to pretend like he didn't just hear her say she was going to take a shower.
Green eyes in the bathroom.
Green eyes taking a shower.
Green eyes naked. All that water sluicing down her small, perfect body...
"Bro! Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you, man!" Tobey hollered, coming toward him.
"Why'd you take off like that?" Ryan inquired with a frown.
Tobey turned to look at him. "He ran after Doris, didn't you see?"
"No. I was talking to Coach, remember?"
"Whatever." They stood before him now, arms crossed."What's with you and that girl?"
"Yeah? Do you like her or somn?"
He clapped both their shoulders and headed for the exit, evading their questions. "Come on, let's get back to the field."
"Taylor, come on, man, you gotta tell us if something's up with that chick."
"Nothing's up," he lied.
"Then why did you go after her?"
"Yeah, normally, you wouldn't have cared, since it's none of your business," Ryan stated.
He shrugged and raked a hand through his hair. "I guess I changed."
"If you like her, you should just ask her."
"What makes you think I like her?"
"You've been acting weird ever since she bumped into you. Right, Tobey?" Ryan turned to face Tobey.
"Yeah, even asked me to find out who she was and shit."
"Uh, yeah. To give her back her journal."
"You could've dropped it in the Lost and Found department, but no, you wanted to return it to her personally."
"Seemed like the logical thing to do," Taylor muttered, and both guys snickered.
"He likes her."
"Definitely likes her."
"What if I do?"
"Ain't nothing wrong with that, man. But from the look of things, she's messed up."
"Yeah, all thanks to fucking Bob."
"Who's Bob?"
"Her ex."
"Geez, he even knows her ex. Tobey, this guy's got it bad."
"I'm telling you, my man."
"When you two jokers are done, you'll meet me on the field."
Taylor started walking away from them.
"Awww, he's mad."
"Come on, Tay Tay. Don't be mad at us."
Another annoying snicker.
"We're just messing with you, man. You know we are down for you any time."
"Yeah, we got your back, bruh."
They had no idea how right they were. Some serious shit really was up.
******
Doris exhaled deeply, supporting her head with her hand on the cafe table.
Charlotte looked at her sadly. "So, how are you feeling?"
"I don't know. A little crappy."
"It's normal, but hey, look on the bright side, you're single."
Doris slurped her smoothie and looked around the cafeteria. Some girls were still whispering about her.
"Ugh," she groaned, pulling her hair. "I hate myself for causing a scene the other day. People haven't stopped talking about it."
"Just hang in there, girl. It'll blow over soon."
"I just want to get away from here," Doris said sadly, picking at her fries. "Go on a vacation to some peaceful place with coconut trees and lots of water."
"No," Charlotte replied with a naughty smile. "What you need is a one-night stand."
"Gosh, no. I think I've had enough boys for now."
"No, no, no. Don't say that." She threw a fry into her mouth and smirked. "We're just getting started."
A giggle slipped from Doris' lips. "You're such a freak."
"I know, right?"
Suddenly, Charlotte's face brightened, and she tapped on Doris' hand. "Oh my, look who's coming over," she whispered sharply, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Who?" Doris turned to see Taylor coming their way, holding a tray of food in his hands.
"Hello, ladies." Taylor drawled, carefully setting his tray on the table. He dropped into the seat beside Doris.
Charlotte sat upright. "Hello, Taylor."
He smiled and turned to Doris. "Since you wouldn't sit with me, I came to sit with you."
"Are your homies cool with that?" Doris asked, staring at her food, not looking at him.
"My guys are cool with almost everything."
Doris nodded. "Okay."
Her head had suddenly gone blank, and she couldn't come up with anything more to say. Charlotte noticed and rushed to her rescue.
Doris loved her so much.
"I'm Charlotte, but you can call me Char," she spoke up with a smile. "Doris's only best friend."
"Nice to meet you, Charlotte," he responded politely and then turned once again to look at Doris, shifting closer and draping a hand across the seat.
The smell of his intoxicating cologne filled Doris's senses as she picked at her food, too shy to look up or say anything. Taylor, the most popular guy at Pearson High, sat next to her, and yet she let her timidity get the best of her.
He ran a finger through her hair. "You should come to my party tonight."