James Taylor

Chapter 7

(James)

The morning had quickly came and I had began to stir. Not even opening my eyes yet I felt something pressed against my chest

'What's this feeling weighing on my chest?' I thought as I opened my eyes to see a very naked Betty sleeping cozily on my chest

"Betty," I said with a smile before she started moving until she got up and rubbed her eyes

"James?" she said shocked before she got off the bed. I was gonna say something but I was a bit too busy staring at the beautiful sight in front of me

"Oh no, did I stay over? Oh s**t I can't believe I fell asleep" she said hurrying to put on her clothes but only managing to get her underwear on

"I can, I mean we were pretty tired after," I said before we heard a knock on the door

"James? Are you awake?" My mom asked

"Great it's your mom" Betty whispered sarcastically 

"Um...I'll handle it. Just try to keep quiet" I shushed her

"James?" Mom called again

"Yeah Mom, I just woke up" I said rushing to put on my underwear

"Do you need something?" I asked as my mom hadn't woken me up since the first day of school

"Oh, I was just wondering if you and Betty would mind coming by the shop today; I could really use the help" she said

"Um yeah we'd love to," I said

"Really? Are you sure she's not busy?" Mom asked

"Um...I don't know, I'll ask her when I see her" I said

"Okay then hurry up and get ready. Your breakfast is getting cold. Oh, is that Betty's bike out on the lawn. It's been there since I got in last night" Mom said

"Yeah, she must have left it when she came by yesterday"

"Why would she leave it?"

"Um...she wanted me to do some upgrades on it." I quickly thought up a lie

"Then you should bring it inside who knows what will happen to it if you leave it outside" she said

"Well do Mom" I said before she said went back downstairs.

After she left I let out a sigh of relief, thankful we locked the door last night

"Thank god she's gone," Betty let out the breath she was holding before she started picking up her clothes and getting dressed

"So you coming?" I asked as she put on her pants

"Sure" she answered putting on her blouse

"Where are you going now?" I asked 

"Home"

"Yeah, I guess your mom might be worried," I said as she fixed her hair in the mirror

"Doubt it," she scoffed reminding me that they didn't have that good a relationship

"Should I come pick you up since you're leaving your bike here?" I asked

"Please don't, I'll just take an Uber or something" she said

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah it's fine. I actually plan on going late today so you should just go to school"

"Okay then I'll meet you for lunch" I said

"Yeah, we can set some ground rules for our little non relationship relationship" she said

"And what about your bike?" I asked

"I'll come for it after school," she said

"Maybe I could do some upgrades for it if you like?" 

"No that's fine just leave it as is" she rejected before she went to the window and started opening the blinds

"Hey hey hold up, what are you doing?" I asked

"Going down the fire escape"

"No, you can't go there" I said

"Why not?" She asked

"Sophie's house is across the street," I said

"And?" She asked

"What if she looks out her window and sees you climbing out my window. Do you want to explain to Sophie why you're sneaking out of my house at four-thirty (4:30) in the morning" I said

"Fine so how am I gonna get out," she said before I led her to my closet

"Okay so what you have some secret escape hatch," she asked as I smirked and put in the password allowing the rug to move apart revealing a tube that left her speechless

"Yes in fact I do," I said

"Why?"

"Emergency escape route. I built it so whenever my parents used to ground me I would just sneak out. It leads to the back of the house" I said

"And your parents don't know about this?" she asked

"Not a clue" I chuckled

"I think I should get going," she said

"Yeah see ya," I said before going into the tube. After she left I let out a sigh of relief as I wrapped the towel around me before heading to the bathroom

(Trudy)

I had just finished asking James about the bike on the lawn and was making my way to the kitchen. Thoughts about what I was going to make for dinner running through my mind as I walked into my kitchen. I spotted my husband digging through the cupboard 

"Good morning honey," I said as he slammed it shut

"Trudy, have you seen the business phone I've tried calling it but I didn't get an answer?" He asked looking in and under the fridge

"I think you might have left it when you went by the office yesterday" I said before he closed the fridge 

"You're probably right, I should probably head to work and pick it out" he said picking up his briefcase of the counter

"Are you really leaving now? I made you breakfast" I said

"Sorry I've got to run I'm in a rush. I'm expecting an important business call so if you happen to hear the phone ring. Don't answer it just call me." He said 

"Why can't I answer?" I asked

"Because it's a confidential client. What kind of image would it paint if some random stranger picked up the phone when the client tries to call me" he said

"Last I checked I was your wife not just some stranger" I spat at him causing him to sigh

"It was a slip of the tongue," he said monotonously  

"What time do you get off work?" I asked deciding to not pursue the argument

"I'm not sure why?" he asked

"I was actually thinking we could go out for a date. Just the two of us like the old days; we could go out for dinner we haven't done that in a while" I said

"Sorry but I have a business meeting," he said not even entertaining the thought

"Of course you do," I said annoyed

"Is something the mattered Trudy?" He asked 

"No" I lied

"Good-"

"It's just you've been gone for a whole month and normally I'd be used to this but last night I tried to kiss you, you refused to even touch me when you returned you just laid down and slept" I said my tone sounding more aggressive

"Trudy I was tired. What do you expect? All month it's been board meetings and conferences. So excuse me for wanting to get a little rest when I get home" he said

"You want to talk about tired, I'm the tired one. I'm tired of waiting here wondering what you're doing when you go on your little trips" I said

"What I'm doing? I do what I always do, work! From the moment I walk out that door to the second I walk back in I'm working" he said

"Don't you try that bullshit with me, Hugh. I don't buy it" I said

"There's nothing to buy Trudy. I don't know what delusions you're having while you're at that bakery but please leave me out of it"

"Hugh you-" I said about to explode when suddenly we heard footsteps

"Is that dad?" 

"Aren't going to work?" James asked seemingly coming down the stairs

"Yeah, I'll see you tonight Jim" he said before he left

"So how much did you hear?" I asked

"Not much?" He lied

"So everything" I sighed

"Yeah, I never noticed you had those feeling Mom" he said

"James, every housewife has those fears from time to time. Especially when her husband does business out of town. What I need is something to keep me busy. Luckily I have my bakery" I smiled

"You sure?" he asked

"Yes, James I'm fine" I said

"Okay but I think maybe you should discuss it with the other moms. They might be able to help clear some of your worries" he advised

"I'll think about it. By the way, will I be seeing you and Betty today" I asked

"Yeah, I called her a while ago" he said before he picked up a piece of toast

"I'm heading out," he said heading back upstairs

"Okay see you" I yelled

"Hubert Cornelius Taylor, what are you hiding," I said

(Sophie)

Stupid Taylor, He actually yelled at me. For who? Betty? That b***h. He must be out of his damned mind. You know what I don't care what he does with that bimbo. It's just his problem when he finds her in bed with another man. I wonder how his prideful little heart would handle that.

"Sophie darling are you okay?" My mom asked

"Huh? Yeah mom I'm fine. Why you ask?" I asked

"Because you've been brushing that side of your hair for thirty minutes," my mom said

"Oh," I said dropping the brush

"You seem a bit distracted Darling, is everything okay?" Mom asked

"Yeah mom I'm fine," I said

"Are you sure? Did something happen between you and Libby? You two didn't seem to be getting along yesterday" Mom said

"We're fine we just had a little argument," I said before she got a text

"Oh well, I'm sure you two will work it out. I should be heading to work" she said

"Um, actually would you mind giving me a lift? I could really use one today" I asked

"Isn't Nicholas coming to pick you up today?" She asked

"No, we've decided to not see each other for awhile" I said

"So you broke up?" 

"No we're just not seeing each other for awhile" I insisted 

"I'm sorry to hear that but I can't stop today I have to head straight to work now; there's something of the utmost importance that needs my attention as well as a management meeting I have to attend" she said

"Alright," I said faking a smile

"Maybe you can have James drive you. I mean you're going to the same place. Honestly, Darling I still can't fathom why you don't just get a car" she said before she left

Because until now I didn't need one. Taylor huh? I'm not really on the best of terms with him right now either.

I have talked to neither him nor Libby since yesterday meanwhile Nick has been blowing up my phone ever since I got home.

In fact, he's calling me right now and like all the other times I let it go to voicemail

{Sophie it's me. I know you said you wanted space but I just can't. Let's meet up and talk this out. I know you're there. I've literally called a hundred times can we please just talk}

"Talk this out," I mocked rolling my eyes as I take up my bag and go downstairs.

Mister Taylor was walking angrily to his car before he stopped. He looked towards my house and his scowl brighten into a smile as he waved then got in his car and driving off. I sat on my porch looking over to his house for like fifteen minutes before he finally walked out

"Hey Taylor," I said walking over to him

"Um...Sophie?" he said

"Hey"

"Do you...need something?"

"I...I need...to ask a favor" I said 

"Sure?" he said cautiously

"Can you give me a ride to school?" I blurted out 

"No problem," he said before he opened the door allowing me to get in before driving off. We drove down the empty morning streets not even saying anything to each other. Until he suddenly spoke

"I understand why Nick's not driving you but couldn't you have asked Libby for a ride?" 

"We're actually in an argument right now" I admitted

"Wow Sophie, aren't you cutting off ties a little too early. We aren't even to college yet? You're arguing with everyone recently" he chuckled

"It's not like I wanted to fight with her she was just talking nonsense" I said

"Like what?"

"It's too silly to even repeat" I scoffed

"Really what could have been so ridiculous?" he asked

"While we're on the topic of arguments, yesterday," I said changing the topic

"What about it yesterday?" He sighed

"I'm sorry."

"About what?" he asked

"The underwear thing, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that and I might have slightly overreacted" I apologized

"Slightly?" he said sarcastically before I glared at him

"Okay okay apology accepted" He chuckled 

"So we cool now?" I asked

"Yeah you've mended one bridge. To be fair I wasn't really all that angry at you anyway. I was just upset about Betty" he said before I felt something turn in my stomach

"What happened with her?" I asked

"A lot," he said

"Does that mean she won't be hanging around much" I smiled

'Why am I smiling?' I thought

"I'm not so sure," he said

"So mind telling me the real reason her underwear was in your car," I asked curiously

"We went to the beach and spontaneously decided to play in the water. She didn't want to go back in wet underwear so she took them off." He said

"So you sneak a peek?" I asked fearing an answer

"No" he lied before noticing I was staring disbelievingly at him

"Well maybe I got a glimpse," he said cutely hiding a blush which made me blush just looking at his face

"Honestly, I don't get why you were so upset about that anyway," he said looking back on the road

"I wasn't." I lied before he gave a disbelieving "huh-uh"

"Fine. I was a little upset because I thought you slept with her." I said before he started coughing

"You okay?" I asked

"I'm fine, you said you were worried I slept with Betty?" 

"Yeah"

"Would that really be a bad thing though? I mean we aren't exactly together or anything"

"Um I know it's just.....you know"

"Know what?" He asked

"The two of us never"

"Never what?" he asked with a smug look

"You're gonna make me say it aren't you," I glared but he just smiled

"We never had...sex. So the thought of you two doing it, with Betty Ann Turner of all people, made me feel like you just didn't want to with me. It might have hurt my pride a little" I said looking away from him

"I wanted to. I've always wanted to." He said

"So why did you freak out when I offered that time" I said turning towards him

"I...I just wanted it to be special" he said looking me in my eyes

"And it would have been if it was with you," I said before we went silent just staring into each other's eyes the distance between us once again closing however before our lips could actually touch a car honked at us causing Taylor to look on the road just in time to turn the wheel

"Crap!" I said as we just barely dodged the car

"You okay?" Taylor asked

"Yeah," I said

"Good. I think I should probably pay attention to the road" he said

"That's a good idea," I said as he continued driving

The rest of the ride was as it started in awkward silence. Once we arrived he got out of the car gentlemanly opened the door for me

"Thanks," I said stepping out of the car

"No problem," he said with a smile which brought one to my face too

"Um I have to get to class," I said

"Yeah I should too," he said

"Well see ya," we said before we both stepped off in the same direction remembering we had the same class

"I guess I'll be walking you to class," he said before I smiled and we walked.

(James)

We had just entered the class and were semi-greeted by Mrs. Jones

"Glad you two could grace us with your presence," she said before the first bell rang

"Sorry. We almost met in a car accident"

"No excuses Mister Taylor just take a seat. You too Miss Vortex"

"Yes Mrs. Jones," we both said going to our table

"Okay, Class I hope you all enjoyed your little break yesterday because you won't be getting another one. Today, you are expected to finish today's as well as yesterday's workload. This means you have homework which is due tomorrow and the day after that. Which I'm sure you all know means one today and the other tomorrow" she said before everyone in the class let out a collective groan.

"You've got to be kidding."

"Then what was the work we did yesterday?" some random student asked

"You think this is a joke. Okay I'll tell another one, you will also be getting a test during the last fifteen minutes. A hundred-question multiple choice paper. Anyone that gets less than seventy right will have detention for a whole month" she said.

Everyone once again groaned before she started the class.

When the class was over the other students seemed like they were about to pull out their hair or they had just returned from war. Unlike them I was confident I got all of them and Sophie, from what I had seen, seemed to have done fine along with one other girl. Everyone else, though looked like they had taken the hardest test known to man

"Hey, Sophie how do you feel you did?" I asked

"Meh probably got eighty. How about you?" She asked

"Pretty good I guess"

"Is that Taylor for I got all answers right?" She added only getting a smile as a reply before Libby came up to me

"James can I talk with you? In private"

"Um...sure." I said looking at Sophie before Libby walked away and I followed. Libby hadn't even spared Sophie a passing glance the entire conversation 

"So what's up?" I asked

"What happened last night with you and Betty?" She asked

Having been caught off guard I stuttered a bit

"W-w-what are talking about?"

"Nuh-uh, don't play dumb with me. I saw you and her together with some weird shady looking guy"

"Oh that's what you mean" I let out a sigh of relief

"Of course it is. Now tell me what happened"

"Nothing, we just had a little mix-up. We sorted everything out" I lied

"You punch him in the face. I was this close to calling the cops" she said

"It really was just a misunderstanding Libbs. We sorted everything out" I said

"I hope so. However you should know i've seen her with that guy before James so be careful alright," she said

"Thanks for the reminder Libbs but I'm really okay"

"Alright"

"Now can I ask you something?"

" What is it?"

"What's exactly going on between you and Sophie?" I said

"I'm guessing Sophie told you about our fight?"

"She may have mentioned it in passing when I gave her a ride to school," I said

"You gave her a ride?"

"That's not the point. What were you guys fighting about?" I asked

"The inevitable," she said

"Should I even ask what that means?" I asked but she only let out a grief-filled sigh

"I'm going to class," she said walking away

(Libby)

After my talk with James, we went to class however as I neared my classroom I saw Betty taking something from her locker so I confronted her

"I need to talk to you?" I said

"Um sure. You're... Sophie's friend right. I think your name's..." she said

"Libby," I said

"Right Libby. So what can I help you with?" Betty asked

"What's your deal?" I asked

"Excuse me"

"You once told Sophie you weren't interested in James. Now you're making out with him. What's the deal?"

"Look I did say that but you've got to understand, Sophie and James were like some child version of a rom-com couple come to life. It was as if they were some Disney true love couple"

"And?" I asked

"And I didn't want to get wrapped up with all that nonsense"

"So what changed?" I asked

"They broke up. I mean it's been what?...four years and they haven't gotten together" She asked

"Yeah, four years of avoiding each other now they can't do that. What do you think is gonna happen when they meet up. By the way, I should warn you the first time they were alone together they kissed and the second time they did it again. After that, he spent his time in detention with you. Now that he doesn't have detention what's keeping it from happening again"

"Sounds like I'll just have to keep him busy" she retorted

"Nice plan but didn't you hear James gave Sophie a ride to school today. I wondered what happened" I said leaving for my class

However just before I left I heard her say

"As if I didn't know that"

Not bothering to talk anymore I walked into my class and saw Sophie so I just rolled my eyes and took the seat furthest away from her

(James)

Classes had just ended and I was sprinting down the halls hoping to find Betty. I didn't take lone before I spotted her by her locker

"Hey Betty," I said walking over to her

"Oh hey James," she said not looking at me

"You ready to head to my mom's?" I asked

"Sorry but I feel kinda sick. I'm actually heading home but when you're finished helping your mom you can come by and we have that conversation" she said putting more books in her locker

"Okay I'll tell Mom you couldn't make it," I said

"Oh yeah, I heard you drove to school with Sophie today" she said closing the locker

's**t!' I screamed in my head as she walked away

"Listen Betty nothing happened she just wanted a drive to school," I said chasing after her

"It's okay James you don't have to explain anything. I mean it's not like we're dating or anything. It's fine I'm not jealous or anything. We're just having fun you can do whatever you want. Don't worry about it" She said leaving

I let out a somber sigh before going to mom's shop

"Hey, sweetheart how was your day?" Mom asked

"Just perfect," I said sarcastically

"Glad to hear so where's Betty?" Mom asked

"She said she couldn't make it. She's sorry but you know the flu has been going around lately" I said

"That's a shame, I guess it's a good thing I got a new employee today then" Mom said before calling a girl over

"This is Rebecca, she's the new cashier" Mom said

"Nice to meet you, Rebecca. I'm James Taylor"

"Nice to meet you, James," she said

"Same to you," I said

Rebecca was a young tall girl with fair skin and long brown curly hair. She had on a pair of ripped jeans and a college sweatshirt from the local college and a pair of uppers converse

"So you go to General State U," I said

"Yeah I'm a freshman"

"So you two have something in common then. James used to go over there quite frequently. He even almost enrolled" mom said making Rebecca confused

"I thought you were a high school senior," she said

"Yeah, it's a long story. The headmaster wanted to me skip high school and go directly to college so he had me go to experience the college life and curriculum. Unfortunately, I at the time had no such interest as attending college so I refused his offer, and then he decided to fund any experiments I was working on"

"So what you're some kind of genius" she laughed

"I'm guessing you're new here," I asked

"Yeah, I just moved here to attend college. Haven't been off campus all month" she said with a friendly smile

"Well, that's enough getting to know each other. Time for work" mom said before we went to work.

The time passed and the afternoon rush came and went leaving everyone tired especially me who was laying my head on the counter. Everyone had gone out on break so Rebecca and I were the only ones remaining in the store

"So I heard you were supposed to carry some girl named Betty. She your girlfriend or something?" She asked curiously

"Not really, it's just complicated I guess"

"Complicated huh, I know a few things about complicated relationships" she said

"Mind sharing?" I asked

"Sure, my boyfriend is cheating on me with my sister. I found out a couple months ago, on my graduation day no less, but still haven't broken up with him. Instead, I chose to come here" she said with a fake smile

"Well, this morning I woke up with Betty after what I consider the greatest night of my life. After that, she snuck out of the house then I gave my ex-girlfriend a ride to school which led to us almost kissing her in the process. Thankfully we didn't" I said

"Damn aren't you the rolling stone. So this ex of yours is she seeing someone else?" Rebecca asked

"She's in a relationship with a guy named Nick"

"Nick?"

"You know him?"

"No but I think I've heard that name before. I just can't remember where" she said

"Well, he's pretty famous around town. Especially with the girls" I said

"Oh so he's a cheater?" she asked

"Well, Sophie did say she saw him with another girl. And on top of that, he's paranoid. I mean the guy doesn't even want us talking to each other for longer than we have too" I said

"I'm sure he's not that bad," she said

"He made Sophie stay away from me ever since freshman year," I said

"Okay, that's bad. So does he have a reason to be paranoid?" She asked and honestly I couldn't give an answer

"Okay enough about them back to you and Betty. So is it you who doesn't want a relationship?"

"God no it's her. She says she's not ready for a relationship. That we should just be friends with benefits for now" I said

"But you don't want that," she said smiling

"No," I said

"Then maybe you should tell her that," she said

"You think she'd change her mind?"

"Probably not but it never hurts to try. Plus what's the worse that could happen?"

"She could decide to never talk to me again"

"So you're just let her go if she does?"

"Of course not. I've been crushing on her for years. I can't just let her go when I know she likes me too"

"Then what are you worried about?"

"You know what your right. Thanks for the advice Rebecca" I said

"No problem," she said before I left.

I drove straight to Betty's house.

I rang the doorbell until she opened the door

"Oh, good James you're here. Now we can talk about the rules: first of all, no one finds out about this which of course bans PDA just to make sure no one sees us, second, we only meet when we mutually agree it's fine, and third, there's only fun you're not allowed to catch feelings. Trust me it's all fun and games until someone falls in love and gets hurt. When or if that happens we end this." she said

"Sorry the last one is gonna be a problem because I'm already starting to fall for you"

"No, you aren't. You don't know a thing about me to fall for me. You just think you have because we had s*x. Trust me when you get used to me you'll see that you can't love me" she said

"That's why I'm gonna get to know you the real you. And I'm sure I'm going to fall for her too. It doesn't matter what you say. I want to fall for you and I won't stop saying it until you agree to go out with me, for real. Until then I'll pay along with your game but trust me when I say that I will make you mine Betty Ann Turner" I said.

"Fine do what you want but don't get your hopes up," she said but I could see a smile beginning to form on her lips before she closed the door

"Goodnight Betty," I said

"Go home James," she said but I knew or at least hoped she was smiling behind the door.