~"big mistake"~

It was the next day and Keryn still felt awful when Kayla burst into her room with her breakfast.

"Hey dude what’s up?" Kayla said as she glanced at the sullen looking figure on the bed.

"Nothing much, I just feel so gross and tired."

"Didn’t you sleep?"

"Not much, too much to think about." Keryn didn’t realise she had let slip until too late.

"Think about what?"

"Nothing." Was her sharp reply as she tossed her incredibly boring book onto the floor.

Kayla raised her eyebrows and watched as Keryn pulled herself out of bed and scrambled around the floor for a clean T-shirt. Her face was fixed in a frown.

"Doesn’t anybody clean any of my clothes?"

"Keryn! We're not your slaves."

Kayla was shocked at her snappy outburst and hurt. It seemed that everything she did lately wasn’t quite good enough and it was starting to annoy her. Keryn didn’t seem affected by Kayla's reaction and went on digging in her clothes.

"Keryn, stop a second." Keryn stopped her search and stared at Kayla, " I don’t know what’s wrong, but I do know that yesterday and so far today you have been really sulky, if something’s wrong well then I can understand but every time I ask if there is anything up you always say 'nothing'. Keryn if there is something wrong can you please tell me."

Keryn put down the clothes she was holding and thought for a few seconds. She couldn't tell Kayla what had happened, not yet anyways.

"Nothings wrong, I'm just stick of this stupid room"

And with that she returned to her digging and only registered Kayla when the door slammed as she left. Now she felt stupid. Why did I do that? She was only trying to help and I give her grief when all this is my fault. And Taylor's. She hit the floor in frustration and wished that she could just vaporize away her problems. She didn't come to Tulsa to cause trouble and she certainly didn't intent to fight with her best friend. It was all too much. She flopped down onto the bed and started to cry.

Although Kayla had stormed out of the room she hadn't gotten far. She didn't want to race into the kitchen and have the guys ask what was wrong. So she had stood outside Keryn's room. Standing there she felt like her world was warped. Her usually clear headed and calm best friend had just gone ape at her for no apparent reason, she liked a perfectly nice guy who liked her back and she wasn't with him and Dan had suddenly left leaving a big gaping whole in her life. She was so confused. When she heard sobs sounding from within Keryn's room, she breathed a sound of relief, something was up Keryn just wasn't telling her. She swung the door open. A startled Keryn looked up and through her tears mumbled,

"I'm sorry Kayla..I didn’t mean to take it out on you."

Kayla smiled and went and sat with her friend on the bed and they hugged. Keryn felt a sense of relief as she opened herself up to a friend. It felt so good just to let all the feelings come out, she wondered why she hadn't done it earlier. Kayla although she felt happy her friend had finally admitted something wrong was worried. What on earth could make Keryn feel so unhappy?

"I knew something was up. You can't keep these things from me I can tell. Next time just tell me instead of acting so painful."

"I'm sorry Kayla, I didn't mean to be such a bitch after all that has just happened to you, I am just so confused."

"Hey, what's going on?"

Keryn broke away from the hug and wiped her face. She took a deep breath and got ready to start. Kayla's reaction could be anything.

"Will the guys wonder where you are?"

"No, their still sleeping, well Ike should be, we were up half of last night talking."

"Just talking?"

"Yes, just talking! Anyways back to you…"

"Okay, well..this is a complex story..are you sure you're ready?"

"As ready as I will ever be." Kayla replied

Keryn smiled and began,

"Okay, Taylor and I have been friends for ages." Keryn paused while Kayla smiled and chuckled. "Look if you're not going to be serious then.."

"I'm as serious as hell, it was just that now I know what Taylor was talking about the other day."

Keryn looked puzzled. " What did he say."

"Oh..I'll tell you later..go on."

"Well, we have been friends for ages but ever since I arrived I have been thinking about him..differently. It is like I have been watching him closer than usual, and noticing him as well, more than a friend. Apparently he feels the same too. The other day, just after I got banished here he came to visit. I know he wasn’t suppose to but he came and we were just talking and then suddenly, he kissed me."

"Oh My god!"

"Exactly, so anyways I was all worried about it and then last night I got that letter."

"The letter he gave me to give you?"

"Yes, I didn’t know what to do..I was so scared I didn’t want to open the letter. So I had to go outside in the quiet. I go out there and I start reading and almost as soon as I finish Taylor comes out"

"So that explains his disappearance half way through the movie."

"I guess so, anyways he comes up and we are really polite and everything and suddenly we start talking about what happened."

"Hold on, tell me what he said in the letter."

"Basically he just said it was a mistake."

"Oh..okay."

"So we are talking and we both agreed that being a 'couple' would never work as we were only ever cut out to be friends. Then we talked about you and Ike for a while."

"What?? There is nothing to talk about!"

"Yeah right Kayla, there is heaps to talk about, we just don’t understand you."

Kayla looked annoyed but gestured Keryn to go on.

"Then we talked about Dawson’s creek and how I thought Joey and Dawson should get together as they were best friends, then I realised I had put my foot in it. I then told Taylor that I wasn’t going to risk our friendship for a quick fling, he tried to tell me that we could make it work but I wouldn’t hear it and then he left…."

Keryn broke into silent tears as Kayla sat there not quite sure what to say. So she just put her arms around Keryn and waited until she calmed down. As Keryn's breathing slowed Kayla began to tell Keryn the obvious, the people involved always never saw the obvious.

"Okay Keryn, you have to listen to me okay."

Keryn nodded and continued to let the tears flow with no attempt to stop them. "Keryn you like him. He likes you. You cant ignore these feelings."

Kayla paused as Keryn gave her a 'and you can talk' look. Kayla leapt into defence mode.

"Hey, did I ever say we wouldn't get together, we are just taking our time. But back to you and Taylor, if you both lie each other it is going to be very hard to fake a normal relationship and keep your hands off each other."

Keryn thought back to the unclassified kisses on both lips and forehead and found herself agreeing with Kayla.

"So what should I do?"

"I dunno, you have to think about it, I cant make this decision for you. Think about you and Taylor, what's realistic."

Both girls thought together in silence until there was a holler at the door. It was Ike wondering if Kayla was going to come join him for breakfast. After a crude joke from Keryn, Kayla shouted back that she would be there soon. The girls resumed their silence.

"I better go Keryn."

"I know, you can't keep you hands off him can you!"

"Oh Give it a rest….I'll be back down soon..seeya."

"Bye."

Keryn listen for Kayla footsteps before crawling back into bed to continue thinking.



Kayla walked into the kitchen an immediately walked over to Ike at the sink and gave him he hug. He looked at her happy but a bit shocked. Taylor sitting at the kitchen bench looked on with a melancholy face. Still hugging Ike Kayla whispered in his ear,

"Always talk to me okay?"

"Always." Replied Ike even though he had no idea what she was talking about.

Kayla let go of her grip around his waist and sat down at the bench next to Taylor.

"Not looking to good Tay, you feeling okay?"

Taylor looked at Kayla through squinted eyes.

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

So.. Kayla thought He has Keryn's snappiness too, obviously this is bugging him as much at is eating her up. Kayla forced herself not to say anything, it was too soon, she didn’t know what Keryn would think. Actually when she thought about it for longer she imagined Keryn's exact words to be 'I am never opening my mouth to you again.' Kayla decided to leave the probing into other peoples business until a later date. She turned her attention to Ike.

"Hey Ike, wanna hit the mall today?" Ike cringed at her attempt American accent as she said mall. Despite living in LA she had still kept her Aussie accent.

"Yes, I would love to go to the shopping center with you today." Now it was Kayla's turn to cringe.

"Okay then, we have it all set up, lets go."

Kayla got up to leave and Taylor suddenly looked up all worried and burst out,

"Who will look after Keryn? I mean Zac is off somewhere and I can't exactly go in there can I?"

Kayla started hard at Taylor and decided that risking him getting chicken pox was better than risking him and Keryn's friendship.

"Tay I'm sure Keryn will be fine and if in the extreme case something desperate happens like she needs a glass juice then I think it would be okay if you went in for a second."

Kayla smiled at Taylor while he looked at her suspiciously.

"C'mon Kayla. The shops will close you know?" Ike shouted from the front door.

"I'm coming, for God's sake Ikey's give me a break we only made the plans two minutes ago."

"Don't call me Ikey's!"

Kayla turned to look at Taylor. "Bye, see you in a few hours."

"Mmm....bye" Taylor said as he got up and walked to the sink.

"Taylor?" Kayla re-appeared in the kitchen.

"What?" he snapped.

Kayla ignored it. "Taylor. Don't worry. There is always someone there for you."



Taylor turned around and burst out the kitchen, leaving Kayla there. He threw his body out the back door and started to pace the backyard. "I am going to kill her. I am going to kill her." he chanted to himself as he tried to calm his breathing down.

He looked over at the place under the tree where he and.....HER had spent their third moment. How the hell could she do it? Honestly. Did I not tell her, simply, 'do not tell anyone'. That word anyone, is Kayla not an anyone? Oh yes. Ha, she thinks that she is MY best friend? But she tells Kayla everything. Even things me, her SUPPOSED best friend has told her not too Taylor had had enough of his own, personal commentary so he stormed back into the house to find the source of this whole, stupid problem.


"YOU IDIOT. YOU STUPID BLOODY IDIOT!" Taylor watched Keryn fall from the bed to the floor as a cause of his outburst. "HOW COULD YOU?"

"Taylor. Oh. Taylor. No. No. I am sorry. No"

"You told her?"

"Yes" Keryn quivered. She was obviously in a fragile state, but at this moment Taylor could not have cared less. "Taylor. Don't shout."

"No. It was a mistake. YOU decided that it was a mistake. YOU lead me on, made me looking like a fucking idiot to you and YOU don't even care."

Keryn curled up to try and take her frailing body off the floor. "Don't you dare" she said through furiously crying eyes.

"Don't me dare what?" he demanded.

"Don't you dare shout at me like that. I didn't do anything. So what if Kayla knows? It doesn't matter."

"She will tell Ike. Shit Keryn, Ike probably knows now!"

"So?"

"So. Huh! She says so!" he yelled at the cupboard.

"WHAT TAYLOR? WHAT?" she screamed loud enough to take the house down.

He was a bit taken back by her screaming. "I would not want Isaac to know. Why the hell would I want anyone on the face of this earth to know that I even had stupid little feelings for you?" he spat. "And I emphasise on the word HAD."

Keryn fell on the bed and crumbled into tears. "I can't take you anymore Taylor Hanson. You have changed. And I.........and I.....don't like it."

"Look at yourself." he looked her up and down.

"Don't you dare. All this fame shit has rushed to your head. You expect everyone to fall at your feet. WAKE UP TAYLOR!"

"You think that I have changed? She thinks that I have changed!" he seemed to have made friends with that cupboard. "You have changed! You have turned into some little bimbo teenage girl!"

"Oh I have not. I am not a bimbo" she defended herself.

"Well, you are not my so called friggin best friend any more!"

"The feeling is mutual" she said as she turned towards the window, avoiding eye contact. Taylor couldn't look her in the eyes either. Where had this outburst come from? His mouth was just spilling words. Words that he had created sentences with thoughts he had never conjured up before. He went and sat on the bed. She slowly turned around to face him. "Taylor?"

"Yes?" his voice had softened.

"GET OFF MY FUCKING BED NOW!" she said as she released her foot, causing Taylor to crash into the cupboard that he had befriended earlier.

Taylor was crouched on the floor, gasping into more madness. "Friend? FRIEND? Don't even think about ever calling any friend of yours. Don't even call me an enemy. CALL ME NOTHING!"

"Taylor. I want to you to go out that door now. And don't you dare ever let yourself into my eye sight again. We have never met. I have never met you Taylor Hanson. And I never will!"

"THAT IS GOOD!" he watched Keryn get herself off the bed and start to walk towards him. Taylor felt his reflexes going crazy. With no signals from his brain, his arm reached out and produced a stinging slap across Keryn's face.I am so fucking stupid. Oh shit what is she doing? Oh my God. The next second Taylor felt something pound his face. Like a boulder rolling down a hill and crashing to one thousand pieces at the bottom. Hey opened his squinted eyes to see that Keryn was standing there in shock, rubbing her hand. He turned to start walking out of the room.

"Don't you dare come near me again Taylor. I hate you."

Taylor was in all shock. He slid down the outside of Keryn's door. Not knowing what to think. He had blasted her because for the fact that she told Kayla about their stolen kiss, nothing more. Not knowing anything anymore. He had just been, well, severely bashed, sort of, by the girl he thought he loved. Now he didn't know what to think. He got up and ran towards the door.



Keryn just sat in her room. Staring at Taylor's cupboard.

"What the fuck did I do?" she asked. "I am such a bitch."

She rolled onto the floor and just laid there, the side of her face was tingling with sting. Her body still and aching.

Chapter Thirteen HOME Chapter Fifteen
Want to talk to the authors? Join "the backspace key"
Or e-mail us at poodle_face@hotmail.com