SAY DON'T GO || A Taylor Swift Story

06.

A/N: Happy new year y'all!! I really wanted to get this chapter out yesterday before the new year, but I got caught up talking to my friend on FaceTime for 3 hours and just finished. So, from my sleep deprived self that really needs to make it to May of this year, here you go :)

~T~

09.25.23

I woke up the next morning, feeling the heat of another body pressed up against my back. As I rolled over onto my side, I could make out Vallie's sleeping figure. I gently brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face, smiling at the relaxed expression on her face, a stark contrast to the way she had looked last night.

I reached for my phone, which was sitting on the nightstand next to me, to check the time. 11:23 a.m. Well, that was later than I had expected it to be, but part of me wasn't surprised that I had slept in so late. After the excitement of the day, combined with everything that had happened with Vallie after the party, a long night of sleep had been much needed.

Vallie stirred in her sleep next to me, her eyes fluttering open. "Taylor?" she mumbled, her eyes darting around the room in confusion. "What the..."

I resisted the urge to smile at her slightly delirious state as she tried to comprehend all that had gone on in the past twenty-four hours. "Good morning," I said, running my fingers through her hair as she looked up at me as if she had seen a ghost. "How are you feeling?"

"You're... you're Taylor Swift," Vallie mumbled again. "Or you're Ashley. But you don't sound like her."

This time, I couldn't help but actually laugh. "Yes, honey, it's me. Do you remember what happened last night?"

"Last night?" Vallie repeated, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "What... oh." A look of realization crossed over her features, and the relaxed look disappeared from her face. "Yeah. Sorry. Yeah, I do remember. I... I'm sorry."

I rested a hand on her arm. "You don't have to apologize, honey. I'm just glad that we were able to make sure that you were safe."

"I guess so," Vallie shrugged, mumbling her words under her breath, but not softly enough where I couldn't hear them.

I rubbed her arm, not wanting to say anything that might trigger her to go back into a dark place, but still wanting her to know that I was there for her. "It's about eleven-thirty," I said. "So I was thinking that you could take a shower or something, just something where you could unwind a bit, and I can go order something to be delivered for lunch. Does that sound okay with you?"

Vallie shot up in bed. "It's eleven-thirty?" she cried. "Taylor, I have to go to school."

I shook my head, placing my hands on her shoulders to calm her racing heartbeat. "It's fine, baby. I'll call the school and let them know that you're taking a mental health day today. You don't have to go to school, not after the night you had."

Vallie sighed, giving in. "Fine," she said. "If you're sure that's okay."

I placed my fingers under her chin, tilting it up so she was looking at me. "Do you want to go to school?" I asked her.

Vallie shrugged, chewing on her lip. "Not really," she said. "But... I have band rehearsal today. So..."

I nodded in understanding. "Would you like to go to that?"