Five minutes later a figure became visible. It was walking towards her. Dawn assumed it was Taylor, but then another figure came up beside him.
"Hey baby," Taylor said and wrapped his arms around who he thought was Ashley.
"Hey Tay," she whispered.
"Hey Ash," said the other person that was with Taylor. It was Zac.
Oh no, Dawn thought. Play it cool. "Hey Zac." Her voice came out small and squeaky. She cleared her throat. "So what are we gonna do?"
"You don't mind that Zac came along do you? He's had a rough day." Taylor asked her.
Dawn forced a smile. "Of course I don't mind."
Zac gave her a half smile. "If you want me to leave, I will."
Taylor put his arm protectively around his brother's shoulders. "No way buddy. You can hang with us. Just wait here for a sec. I gotta tell Ashley something."
Zac nodded and went to sit on the sidewalk.
Taylor grabbed Dawn's arm and pulled her away from Zac's hearing range. "Dawn broke up with him today," he told her in a hushed whisper.
No shit Sherlock. she thought. But she decided to go along with it and dropped her jaw. "Oh my gosh," she whispered.
"Yeah. He's really upset. He really liked her," he paused. "Dawn didn't tell you about this?"
Dawn shook her head. "I haven't seen her much today."
Taylor nodded. "Oh okay. Come on. Let's get Zac and go do something."
Dawn smiled. "Okay."
Ashley pulled the bags from the car and brought them inside and stashed them in her bedroom. She pulled the gift she had bought for her sister for their up coming birthday out of the bag and hid it on the top self of her closet.
She left her room and walked across the hallway to her sister's bedroom. She knocked on the door and got no answer. She opened the door, only to find the room empty.
"Okay Tay! That's not funny! Put me down." Dawn demanded.
Taylor knelt down so she could climb off his shoulders. "Sorry," he laughed. "You used to like it when I put you on my shoulders."
Dawn scolded herself. "I do. Just not in front of your brother."
Zac gave her a half smile. "Don't worry about it Ash. I don't mind."
She's acting weird tonight, Taylor thought. She never cares if someone's around or not.
Dawn was having her own thoughts. I've probably traumatized Zac for the rest of his life.
Ashley wondered around Dawn's room for any indication of her sister's whereabouts.
She looked on the clothes-covered floor and spotted one of Dawn's text books under a pile of clean clothes laying open. Ashley shook her head. "And she's the conservative one?" she asked herself out loud. She picked it up and was about to toss it on her bed when something scribbled on that book cover caught her eye. D.S. + T.H.=Love Always She smiled. T.H., must be her new lust object. She turned the book over and what she saw made her eyes go wide and her mouth drop.
Taylor walked Dawn home. Zac had gone home a few minutes earlier, complaining he was tired.
They rounded the corner and walked up the street until they reached her driveway. Taylor turned to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I had fun tonight." He whispered.
Dawn smiled and hugged him. "Me, too."
Taylor returned her smile and pressed his mouth against hers and kissed her passionately. Neither one of them noticed the figure standing at the window, tears streaming down it's cheeks, then silently departed from the window pane.
Dawn's stomach did flip one thousand flip-flops. They finally parted and said their goodbyes.
Dawn walked inside and shut the door behind her. She turned around, only to notice Ashley standing there in front of her. "God Ash! You scared me!"
Ashley stared coldly at her sister. Tears flowed down her cheeks. "Did you have fun with my boyfriend?" her voice was shaky and horse.
Oh shit, Dawn thought quickly. "I wasn't with Taylor. I just went for a walk."
Ashley's already ice-cold stare turned frigid. Her normally happy eyes flashed with anger and held up the text book. "Dawn Smith and Taylor Hanson forever, huh? How could you do this to me Dawn? I loved him. And now I see he's been sneaking around with you. Well, you know what Dawn? Take him! Just stay the fuck away from me!" she threw the book on the ground and ran up to her room.
Dawn bit her lip. Oh God, what have I done?
Ashley locked her door and pressed her back against it, sliding down to the floor. She hugged her knees to her chest and sobbed quietly.
She reached behind her and removed the soccer ball chocker from her neck that Taylor had given her when he asked her out. She clutched the small necklace in her palm then tossed it on the floor. She then held up the hand that wore the promise ring he had given to her when they had gone to the movies. I won't let anyone come between us, Taylor's word, ringing inside her head. Those words, those promises they had made to eachother, broken in two by a third party, who she called her sister, who had betrayed her. Ashley slid the ring off her finger slowly, tears streaming down her face.
She picked up the necklace and stood up, both pieces of jewlery in her hand. She walked over to her wastebasket and reluctantly dropped them into the basket.
She crawled into bed, violently shaking as she pulled the covers up to her neck, knowing the impossiblities of sleep. She closed her eyes, but all she could see was Taylor.