Chapter 23 - Part 1

                                    

                                          
Taylor
One day passed slowly into another and time seemed to drag on. I tried to pick myself up and move on, but it was so hard when I couldn't stop thinking about him. I replayed our last fight over and over in my mind to figure out how I'd made him so angry that he'd packed his stuff and left.
I'd hoped that just a few days of cooling off was all he'd needed, but apparently I'd been wrong. There would be no cooling off. He'd closed the door on what we'd had. He'd shut the door with a bang and left.
There was a knock on my bedroom door.
"Come on, you can't stay in there forever," Matthew said through the door.
I begged to differ. I could stay in my room for as long as I wanted, or at least until the hole in my chest closed up, but I doubted it would ever heal completely. I lay on my bed looking up at my white ceiling, happy to be by myself. If I was around people, it was harder, since I had to put a smile on my face and pretend everything was fine. It was exhausting. 
In my room, I didn't have to pretend. People say that you never forget your first love, but in my case I wasn't sure if I would ever stop loving him despite how quickly he'd cut ties. Each time I thought about him packing up his stuff and leaving me, the pain in my chest worsened. It felt like betrayal. The least he could have done was listen to what I had to say, but instead he'd disappeared the first chance he'd gotten.
I hoped if I ignored Matthew, he would leave me in peace.
"It's a Friday night. Why don't I take you to see a movie?" he suggested.
I kept tightlipped, hoping that he would just leave me alone. He was trying to help and I understood that, but I just wanted time to deal with my heartbreak. I had to figure out a way to carry on.
"Taylor, you have to come out," he instructed and then he let out a sigh. 
Silence ensued.
"I'll stand here all day if I have to," he threatened. I pressed my lips together, feeling annoyed.
He would stand there and keep talking until I came out. I let out a frustrated sigh and then got off my bed.
"Fine," I relented when I opened the door and faced him. "But I'm choosing the movie."
It would have to be a comedy or an action because there was no way I could make it through a romance movie.
"You get to choose the movie," he agreed with an eye roll.
"Is Jordan going to come with us?" I asked as I peered past him into the living room.
"I don't think so. She's getting all dressed up to go out," he informed me.
I was happy that she seemed to be getting back to normal and going out on dates with guys. It wasn't a step I was ready to take yet. Jordan had nearly her entire wardrobe laid out on her bed when I entered her room.
"I can't decide what to wear," she said as eyed out the different items of clothing.
"I can see that," I commented as I stood beside her. "Where are you going?" 
"Steven asked me to out to dinner," she said with a smile and I mirrored it. She'd mentioned Steven was a cute guy in one of her classes.
"That sounds great," I replied, trying to keep my voice cheerful and light.
I wanted to know if she'd seen Slater, but he'd become that person whose name we never mentioned out loud in the flat. It had been another week and there was still no sign of Sin. I'd hoped he would have been back soon or at least have been in contact, but I'd received nothing from him. No messages or calls.
There also hadn't been any more incidents with the stalker, either, which was a good thing. I still wasn't talking to my brother. He still phoned regularly and spoke to Matthew. I wouldn't stay angry with him forever; at some point I would forgive him. There had been a few times that I'd wanted to contact Sin, but I'd stopped myself. The fact that he wasn't responding to my messages or calls spoke volumes and I didn't want to be some desperate chick who couldn't let go.
Jordan managed to find something to wear and she hurried out the door when Steven arrived for their date. He seemed like a nice guy and I told her to have fun.
Matthew walked me down to the car and opened the passenger door for me and I got in. Maybe Matthew was right, maybe spending a little time outside the apartment would be good for me. At least it would take my mind off my heartbreak for a couple of hours.
The street Matthew took to the theater was quiet and I stared out of the window as we drove in silence.
Suddenly, I heard the slight scrape of metal against metal. The car swung and the force of the movement pressed me painfully against my seatbelt that dug across my chest and waist.
"Fuck!" Matthew swore as he began to frantically fight with the direction of the car by pulling hard on the steering wheel in the opposite direction. I remember my brother telling me that advanced driving courses were a necessity for any bodyguard, but when I looked and saw the panic in Matthew's face and I knew we were in trouble.
I held on to the seatbelt as the force swung us across the road. The road had been quiet; otherwise, we would have hit another car. Everything seemed to slow down as I watched helplessly while the car lost control. Matthew's eyes met mine as he reached out with one hand and tried to hold my body back. Even in a moment like this, protecting me was built into his instinct. 
There was no time to brace for impact when a large tree on the opposite side of the road stopped the car with such force that I felt the imprint of the seatbelt bruise me and knock the breath out of me. The crunch of the metal and the sound of breaking glass echoed in my ears. My head flung backward as it came to an abrupt stop.
"Ow," I moaned as I touched my chest. It hurt to breathe. I couldn't help thinking that maybe I was injured worse than I thought. Adrenaline began to pump through my veins as I released the seatbelt. 
My neck hurt and I rubbed it with my hand, trying to ease the pain. It took me a few seconds to comprehend what had just happened.
Had we hit something? Or had someone hit us?
Matthew.
I looked to Matthew. He had a gash on his forehead and there was blood dripping from it. 
The sight of blood always reminded me of the scene of my murdered parents, but there wasn't time to panic. The darkness wanted to comfort me and began to creep through me, but I fought it. Matthew was hurt. He could die if I didn't try to do something.
"Matthew," I croaked, trying to wake him up, but he wouldn't respond. Fear gripped me and I began to panic. 
This can't be happening, I thought as I pressed my shaky fingers to the side of his neck, praying that he was still alive. I cried out with relief when I felt a faint pulse beneath my fingertips. He was alive.
I heard footsteps on the gravel. It had to be the person who had hit us. Pain shot through me as I turned to try and open the door.
For a moment I felt a wave of dizziness and closed my eyes, trying to let it pass over me. I felt a small prick of pain in my upper arm and my eyes flew open. Alarmed, I glanced to see a guy standing beside the car. A guy I knew.
I rubbed the spot on my arm that hurt.
"Why did you do that?" I asked, feeling more confused. It didn't help that my mind began to feel fuzzy and it was hard to concentrate. The numbness spread through my body and it became harder to keep myself awake.
"Need to...get help...Matthew," I tried to say urgently, but it came out slow and slurred.
My eyes grew heavy and it was impossible to stay awake. My eyes closed and I dropped into the darkness.