Free A Tragic Heart by S. Elle Cameron Page A

Taylor.”
    Then I hear a female voice say, “Peyton, will you hurry up and come back in already? Who is it anyway?” It’s Keely. She comes to the door, sees me, and decides to be a bitch, as usual.
    “You know people don’t like stalkers,” she says, smirking.
    “You did see Jizelle’s face, right? Would you like to look like her?” I threaten, now filled with great animosity.
    “Try it, bitch!” she says and she pushes me.
    These girls never learn. I push her back and go to swing at her head, but Peyton pulls me away; just like before. This time, he isn’t on my side.
    “Taylor, you need to leave now!” Peyton says with anger in his eyes.
    “Go to hell, Peyton!” I say in a low tone filled with pure hate.
    He just lost his lifeline
.

Peyton
    G
o to hell
. I can’t get those words out of my head. But I had to do it. Taylor and I could never be friends for obvious reasons. I will admit that I do miss her, but I’m good at moving on. I have to move on. I want to tell her so much. Like how I listened to her advice and called my father late last night. He wants me to come over for dinner with his family later, and I’m nervous. She gives good advice even if she doesn’t know it.
    Keely distracts me from my thoughts by tugging on my belt buckle.
    “Come on. Let’s finish,” she says. Then she kisses me.
    I can’t. Not after seeing Taylor. “I can’t. It’s almost five, and I have to go somewhere soon,” I say, trying to avoid eye contact.
    “Well, we’ll make it quick.”
    “No. I can’t be late. I’ll just see you tomorrow,” I say, putting my shirt back on.
    “Fine. Later then, I guess,” Keely says, opening my front door and walking out.
    I lock the door behind her and sit on the couch for a while. I can’t get over the look on Taylor’s face. But I guess it hurts to do the right thing sometimes. Like the old saying goes, “Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.” Whoever came up with that line forgot to mention how much it might hurt.

Taylor
    I ’m still angry when I get home—with Peyton, Keely, and most of all, myself. How could I be so stupid as to believe that everything was going to work out fine and that things have finally turned around for the better? I know better than that. I know how life is. That’s why I’m blaming myself. When I came home, I noticed that Mason left his cell phone on the dresser in our bedroom. I know he can’t live without his phone, so I decide to take it to him at his job.
    The drive there is easy and it helps calm me down a lot. I go into the building and take the elevator up to the floor where he usually works. As the elevator doors slide open, I see Mason’s mom.
    “Oh, hi Taylor. Is everything okay?”
    “Yeah, everything’s fine,” I say with a smile. “I’m just here to give Mason his phone. He left it at the apartment, and I know how he is about it.”
    “Well, that’s very sweet of you, but did you forget? Mason’s not in today. In fact, I told him to take the entire week off. He just seemed so tired lately. Didn’t he tell you?”
    I didn’t know how to feel. Mason told me he’s been working all week, and I believed him.
    “Oh yeah, he did! I’m sorry—I just forgot. It’s just that he’s usually always here and he went out for a while. He’s most likely with Jagger or Peyton. He just didn’t tell me where he was going. Sorry,” I say, hoping she’ll believe the cover-up.
    She laughs a little and tells me it’s okay and I just need some rest. We hug, and then I leave the building with a million thoughtscompeting in my head. First Peyton and now Mason. This is all too much to deal with at one time.
    I arrive home half angry, half heartbroken. I can’t cry and I don’t even have the strength to lift up a razor or a knife to cut; so I just sit still. I’m still for at least an hour before Mason comes home.
    “Hey, babe,” he says as he walks into the living room.
    “How was work?” I ask dryly.
    “It was