| Dayna woke the next morning feeling as if she'd been out drinking all night. She dragged herself into the shower, washed quickly, got dressed and went to school. She was having a hell of a day, she couldn't concentrate in class and she didn't hear half of what anyone said to her. She finally gave up and went home, asking a friend to take notes in the rest of her classes for her. She cleaned the entire apartment from top to bottom, then pulled out her notes for the paper she had due. At least that class was her favorite and she might be able to work on it. She buried herself in school work for the next two weeks, thankful that Ms. Hanson, didn't let her go, she needed that job at least until the end of the semester. She was also thankful that Taylor and his brothers needed to be out of town for the next two weeks, which would make it easier for her to get her job done. She loved the family and didn't want to leave Ms. Hanson with no help at all before the holidays. Midterms were murder this year and she was exhausted by the time they were over, so much so that she let a friend of hers talk her into going to a club to relax after the last one. She really didn't want to, she would have rather stayed home, knowing that Taylor was back and didn't want to run into him outside of his house, but her friend was persistent and she agreed to go. |
| Taylor didn't really want to go out, he would rather have tried to see Day, he had picked up the phone and dialed, so many times in the last two weeks, but she was never around to pick up the phone or was avoiding him. At any rate, when the answering machine picked up, he had no idea what to say, because everything he wanted to say would be lame coming from a machine, so he just hung up. So he wound up at some 18 and over club, with his brothers and their dates, amazed that Zac got in. He sat and listened to Ike and Zac babble with their girls, then got the waitress to bring beer for all of them, and then drank until he couldn't see. Dumb waitress would have went down the street and bought him a few hits of acid if he'd asked, he just hoped she didn't get busted serving minors. Oh so what..he thought then, she would have been someone that would have run Day off. Day. His mind always kept going back to her. He ached to see her smile and brighten his life again, he ached to hear her voice call him her angel again. He downed three more beers and put his head down on the table, dizzy and basically trashed, but it was doing nothing to ease his pain. |
| Dayna looked across the room just to get a feel for what was going on when her eyes came to rest on Ike and his girlfriend Jenna. Oh my god she thought, they are back..she noticed Zac and chuckled, he was hanging on his date's every word, and she wondered who let him in here. Then she saw him. Taylor. His head was down on the table and his arm laid limp oh the table next to his head, his hand still wrapped around an empty beer glass. She immediately strode over, anger and concern, crowding out the pain she felt when she saw him. She cuffed Ike on the back of the head, lightly, and stood with her hand on her hip. "Why in the hell did you let him get like this? Y'all go home with him in that condition and your daddy will skin you and use your hides for throw rug." she told them. "Oh shit! Dayna, I didn't see him drink that much..and what are you doing here?' he asked her. "A friend talked me into it.." she nodded in her friend's direction but she was oblivious, hanging on some guy she didn't know. "I'd rather have stayed home, midterms were killer.." she smiled. "How we gonna keep you outta trouble?" she asked. "Jeez Dayna!" Zac piped up. "he's only like that 'cause ya damn near killed him.." Zac had had a few too. "Been nothin' but zombie since the last time he saw you. What the hell happened?" Zac asked. "Never mind Zacman..YOU better order food and eat it now, or you will be the first hide on the floor. Ike can you still drive?" she asked. "Yeah.." "Okay, hang out and get Zac something to eat, stay as long as you want but don't let Zac get hammered. Taylor is coming with me. I'll sober him up and make sure he gets home okay, just tell your folks we're talking.." she told them, then knelt next to Taylor as Zac and Ike's dates watched in silence. Zac shoved Tay, to get his attention. Taylor looked up, and gave his brother a dirty look. "Don't look at me like that, you got company.." Zac told his brother. "Taylor, it's me, Dayna." said, knowing he was having trouble focusing. "You are not...Dayna doesn't call me that.." he slurred, the banged his head as he let it drop back on his arm. "Then you're not my angelface either, 'cause he hasn't called me that since he was sixteen, my mistake.." she started to walk away. "Day? Is it really you?' he slurred again. "Yes, angel. It's me. Now come on, come with me before you get arrested." she told him. He tried to get himself out of the chair and failed. Dayna knelt down, grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder, then stood, letting him lean on her. |
| Taylor thought for sure he was dreaming, or hallucinating, if someone spiked his beer as his head clunked hard on the table. But then he heard her voice, and she called him angel, and he knew for sure it was her. He wanted to kick himself now, because he was too trashed to even think straight and there was so much he wanted to say to her. He felt her arm around his waist as his arm flopped lifelessly over around her neck and over her shoulder. He let his head fall against her, and felt her familiar soft curls against his cheek and when he breathed in he could smell her. "Daylight.." he murmured as she lugged him around to take him out the back door. |