Something Real

by Allegra Johnson

  James grunted and picked up his controller. “You ready for round two?”

  “Yah. Let’s do this.”

  Chapter 3

  The following morning, Silverton

  Ella pulled her Jeep up alongside her mother’s SUV to park. It was just after eight o’clock, and the morning rush should be just about over. Ella turned to Autumn. “Well, let's see how this goes. You know she’s gonna blame me, right?”

  Autumn offered a small smile but no words in return. They turned to get out of the Jeep. Ella met Autumn around the other side, and together they walked into the back of her mother’s café. She sent up a silent prayer for understanding and a resolution from her mother.

  They walked through the kitchen and into the café, looking around for MacKenzie. Ella caught her sister-in-law’s attention. “Where’s Ma?”

  Candy pointed down the hall toward the office. Ella nodded as a thank you and pulled Autumn behind her. She was not facing her mother’s wrath alone. Oh, hell no.

  She entered the office and looked around. Seeing it empty, she made her way to the staircase leading up to her mother’s apartment. At the top of the stairs, she could hear Sebastian’s bold laughter and smiled to herself.

  Laughing means she’s probably in a good mood. Let’s do this.

  As the girls followed the sound of quiet conversation to the kitchen, she cleared her throat and tried to play it casual. “Hey, what’s up?”

  “What are you doing here? I thought you’d be sleeping off your first hangover.” MacKenzie raised her mug to her smirking lips.

  “Yah, about that . . . there was an incident last night, and—” Ella froze at the Medusa-like stare coming from her mother.

  “What happened this time? What did you do now?”

  Ella jumped at her mother’s tone, defending herself loudly, “I didn’t do anything! It wasn’t me this time. It was Tay.” Her words softened at the last sentence. “It’s bad, Ma, really bad. She was arrested. It wasn’t her fault, though,” she finished in a firm voice.

  MacKenzie sat down on the bench and took a deep, calming breath. “What happened? Why was Taylyn arrested?”

  “Trent was at Lucky’s last night and had some chick with him. Tay got mad and she might have punched him. Twice. She may have also used his car for batting practice . . . I mean, that’s what may have happened, given the circumstances of the situation she found herself in at the time of these alleged acts of violence and destruction. Maybe.” Ella collapsed in the chair, seemingly exhausted from retelling the events of the night before.

  “Oh shit, this is bad.” MacKenzie blew out a breath. “Where is she?” She stood up and began pacing and muttering to herself.

  “Silverton. They arrested her last night at the scene. I think her arraignment is this morning. I’m not sure what her bail is going to be yet. Sergeant Miller said the magistrate hadn’t seen her yet when I called this morning.” She gave her mother a pleading look. “Ma, you have to help, please. You know her parents won’t help her. They’ll leave her in jail to rot because she’s not the cheering princess,” Ella spit out in a disgusted tone.

  “I know! Just let me think, will you?” MacKenzie continued her pacing. “I guess I should start by calling the station and seeing what’s what.” She picked up the landline and dialed.

  “What’s happened? I’m confused,” Sebastian spoke up finally. “Should I be concerned that your mum knows the police station number by heart? She didn’t even look it up!” He continued to watch MacKenzie as she spoke into the receiver, then waited and spoke again.

  “Oh, I forgot you were still here. How're things? Did you guys set a date yet?” Ella avoided answering his questions by asking her own.

  “Your avoidance is not making me feel any better,” Sebastian grumbled.

  MacKenzie hung up the phone and faced the pair waiting for her. “She’s on her way to the courthouse for arraignment. Taylyn is facing some steep charges. The issue of bail will be addressed later.” She paused to take a deep breath. “Why don’t you two stay here and help Candy downstairs? I’ll go get Tay and bring her back here. We’ll figure out everything after that. She needs her family now, and that’s us.”

  Ella let out the biggest sigh of relief; she knew she’d be able to count on her mother. MacKenzie was the best mother anyone could ask for, even if the other kids were only hers through friendships. Ella wrapped her mother in a tight hug and whispered her feelings into her ear. “I love you, Ma. You are the best mother on earth. I knew I could count on you. I knew Tay could count on you. Thank you so much.” She squeezed her mother again. “For everything. Always.”

  ♡

  Taylyn sat on the cold metal bench in her cell after her brief appearance at court. She was there long enough to plead not guilty, be assigned a public defender, and see the magistrate about bail. In less than two hours, she was back in her cell at the station waiting for her one phone call. Fifteen hundred dollars cash bail. Where was she supposed to come up with that kind of money? Her parents were out of the question, that’s for sure. Who could she borrow it from? Autumn, maybe? That is if Autumn was still friends with her. It would serve her right if both Ella and Autumn never spoke to her again. Taylyn ruined what was supposed to be the best night of Ella’s life. Taylyn was always ruining things.

  This was just what Taylyn didn’t need, and she only had herself to blame. Why do I do this to myself? Every time. No more. Taylyn ran her fingers through her long blonde hair and felt tears welling up in her eyes. She was done. No more boyfriends; all they did was use her and break her heart. She couldn’t keep putting herself through this bullshit. She banged her head against the wall, hoping she’d knock some sense into herself.

  “You’re only going to get a headache by doing that.”

  The voice startled her. She opened her eyes and saw an officer unlocking the door to her cell. Taylyn stood and stretched the kinks out of her back. “Time for my phone call? Can I have my phone?”

  “You’ve been bailed out. They’re waiting in the lobby for you. Come on, I’ll get your property and you can be on your way.”

  Bailed out? By whom?

  Taylyn followed the officer to a desk where he indicated she should sit. After taking his seat behind the desk, the officer handed Taylyn a sealed plastic bag containing her belongings. She opened the bag and retrieved her hair tie. She finger-combed her hair and put it in a messy bun.

  “Thank you,” she said almost as an afterthought.

  “I need you to verify that all your belongings are there and sign this form. We're keeping your bat as evidence, you understand.”

  “It wasn't my bat.”

  “Right, just like they weren't his pants or her purse.” He pointed toward the cells.

  “No, really. I found the bat on the ground, near the dumpster.”

  “Doesn't matter now, it's evidence.”

  Taylyn checked through the bag. Everything was there. She signed the form and handed it back.

  “And I need to give you this. You have been trespassed from Lucky’s, and you can no longer go there. You will be arrested on the spot if you enter the establishment. Do you understand?”

  Taylyn nodded, taking the paper with a shaky hand. “I understand.”

  “Good. Now let’s get you out of here.”

  ♡

  Taylyn walked into the lobby of the police station and saw MacKenzie standing off to the side with Sebastian. Taylyn felt both joy at seeing her and regret that it was under these circumstances. How did Ma even know? Ella. Relief flowed through her like a warm current. She hadn’t lost her girls. They still had her back, even if she didn’t deserve them.

  She slowly walked toward the couple, bracing herself for the yelling that was sure to come. Instead of yelling, MacKenzie took the last few steps to Taylyn and wrapped her in a hug and held her tight.

  The dam broke. Tears fell, and her body began to shake. Taylyn held MacKenzie like a lifeline, afraid she’d disappear and
she’d find herself all alone. Where she belonged.

  “I’m so sorry, Ma,” Taylyn whispered and felt MacKenzie hold her tighter.

  “Shush. It’s okay. You’re gonna be okay. Come, let’s get you home. The girls are worried sick about you.”

  Sebastian joined the women, and they all walked out to MacKenzie’s SUV. Once they were settled in, MacKenzie spoke up.

  “What have I told you about beating up people and vandalizing property?”

  Taylyn met her gaze in the rearview mirror. MacKenzie had a slight smirk. “Never do it when there’s a witness around.”

  “That’s right. Especially a whole goddamn bar full of people! What the hell were you thinking?”

  “I wasn’t. I don’t even know how it happened. One minute I was at the bar with Ella and Autumn doing a shot. The next minute I’m being restrained by a huge-ass bouncer.” Taylyn shrugged. “Trent was with some chick, grinding up against her at the pool table. I guess I just lost it. I really don’t remember much.”

  “Aye, a wee bit pissed, were you?” Sebastian spoke up with a light laughter to his words.

  “Yah, you could say I was pissed off—”

  “Not that kinda pissed, Tay!” MacKenzie laughed. “Pissed as in drunk.”

  “What?”

  “Sebastian was asking if you were a little bit drunk.”

  “Aye, that’s what I said, pissed,” he repeated.

  “Pissed doesn’t mean drunk here, babe.”

  “Och! You’re right, Beautiful.”

  “I usually am.”

  A round of laughter echoed through the vehicle as MacKenzie pulled out onto the road and headed up one-forty.

  Taylyn smiled to herself. She was so happy for MacKenzie. The story of how she’d met Sebastian at a bachelor auction was the sweetest one she’d ever heard. Taylyn felt a twinge of envy at the obvious love the couple shared. What I wouldn’t give to find a love like that.

  That was wishful thinking on her part. She’d never find a real love. The only thing Taylyn found was heartache. She blinked to slow her tears. She needed to stop crying. What was done was done; no use crying over what had never been.

  “I’ll pay you back for the bail money. It might take me a while—I can probably do twenty-five dollars a week.” Taylyn did some quick math in her head; if she could borrow the textbooks for next semester, she could take that money and give it to MacKenzie.

  “Or you could work it off at the café. I could use help on Saturdays.”

  “Really? That would be great! Should I start this week?”

  “Sure. You want iced or hot coffee?” MacKenzie asked as she pulled up to the drive-thru of the Dunkin Donuts.

  “Iced. Please.”

  Taylyn settled back in her seat and relaxed for the first time since she was arrested. She still had her girls. MacKenzie was letting her work off the bail money. Life was okay for now.

  Chapter 4

  September, Silverton

  Taylyn sat behind the breakfast bar, watching as Autumn made the three coffees. Ella sat beside her, texting with her mother. It had been a long day, and it was only noon. Taylyn had been at court that morning, her defense attorney doing all the talking while Taylyn stood there looking remorseful. And she was remorseful, in some ways. She was sorry her temper had ruined her best friend’s birthday. She was sorry she was now forced to attend an anger management course. But she was not sorry for punching Trent or fucking up his car. Nope, those were the only things she felt zero remorse for as she stood there under the intense glare of the judge.

  Guilty without a finding for one year, pending attendance in an anger management course and regular meetings with her probation officer. There was something else about Alcoholics Anonymous she couldn't remember. Taylyn did not have a drinking problem; she was not an alcoholic. She did not need anger management. She needed to stop letting guys break her heart, which was exactly why she was never, ever getting into another relationship again. Never. Trent was the last straw. No more, she couldn’t do it anymore. It hurt too much, and it cost her more than she could afford to lose.

  “Hey, Autumn, do you have any of that special sugar?” Taylyn asked as Autumn added sugar to the cups.

  Autumn cast a smirking glance over her shoulder. “Do you have a license for the special sugar?”

  “You’re so mean.” Taylyn laughed.

  How did she ever get two best friends like Ella and Autumn? They were more than she deserved. They were the family she’d always wished for. The Carpenter family she was born into was not her family—to them, she was the mistake. A result of a failed vasectomy. It turned out those follow-up appointments to check the sperm count were extremely important. Nine months later, she was ruining a perfect family. She was never pretty enough, skinny enough, or smart enough for them. If she got a B on a test, she’d be grounded because it wasn’t an A. When it came to family photos, she was in the back, behind her perfect sister and two brothers, her face barely visible. That is, if she was even included in the family photos. For the past six years, the Carpenter family Christmas card had been missing one overweight, blonde, blue-eyed daughter. Three of those years, she was living in the same house, and one year she was asked to take the picture. That was the year she made up her mind that she had no family; she was just a guest overstaying her welcome. The day she turned eighteen, she moved out and never looked back. She knew where she wasn’t wanted.

  So why did she agree to be the Maid of Honor at her sister’s wedding? Taylyn knew the answer—it was to people-please. As much as she hated her family for treating her the way they did, she still tried to please them. That was part of her illness, and she was working on it with her therapist. She was working on a lot with her therapist, the deepest focus being her abandonment issues. Taylyn was in constant fear that she would suddenly be left all alone, that everyone would eventually walk out of her life. She cradled the cup of coffee, staring at the ripples caused by the nervous tremors in her hands.

  “You girls are always there for me. Even at my worst.” Taylyn voiced her thoughts out loud, not even realizing she had. She felt a small warm hand cover her own. Looking up, she saw Autumn smiling at her.

  “Especially at your worst. That’s when you need us the most. We’re family. The ones you choose, not the ones you’re stuck with by natural selection. We love you. Never forget that.”

  “Oh, are we doing that touchy-feely moment thing now?” A ripple of laughter followed Ella’s outburst.

  “Leave it to you to ruin a moment.” Autumn rolled her eyes and gave Taylyn a look before asking, “What are we going to do with her?”

  “Hey, I had to! Things were getting way too serious. I don’t do serious,” Ella defended herself with a shrug and a haughty sniff.

  “Well, I guess we're gonna have to keep her. She’s kinda like our best friend. And she’d be totally lost without us.” Taylyn answered Autumn, ignoring Ella’s comment.

  “I know, right? The poor little thing . . . Why, she doesn’t even know what she wants to be when she grows up yet! Did you hear she switched her major again? What’s this, the third one now?”

  Autumn continued talking, paying no mind to Ella’s huff and outraged squeak.

  “Let me think . . . pastry chef, cosmetologist, accountant . . .” Tay broke off in a fit of laughter. Regaining her composure, she continued, “So what does the little darling want to be now?”

  “Oh, she’s taking business courses. She’s gonna be a multi-billionaire businesswoman.” Autumn nodded, biting her lip. She had a twinkle in her eye.

  “You two do know I’m sitting right here, don’t ya? I can hear you!”

  Taylyn leaned over and wrapped one arm around Ella. “Oh, shut up. You know we’re just teasing!”

  “Oh, hey, did you hear the latest rumor spreading around?” Ella quickly changed the subject.

  “I’m almost afraid to ask,” Autumn murmured before taking a sip of coffee.

  “Well . . .” Ella stra
ightened up as if she was about to announce the solution to world peace. “According to Mrs. Sidney, Autumn is running a major drug organization out of this house, and Tay and I are her drug mules!” She maintained her serious face for a half second before she burst into a fit of laughter.

  “Are you serious?” Autumn asked after gathering her composure.

  “Yes.”

  “That woman is a fucking idiot,” Taylyn added, wiping tears from her eyes. Damn, she needed that laugh.