capitulo catorce:

Graven sat in the large ex-guest bedroom hugging her large green pillow to her chest. She felt her heart pound noisily against her chest as she thought about her latest fight with Taylor. All she'd wanted was to be his. She wanted her parents to live, to have her mother cry at her wedding one day while Diana sat beside her also crying happily. To have her father walk her down the isle and wink at Taylor before traditionally giving her away to him. Oh Mom please don't be dead! Daddy, please live!
There was a soft knock on the door interrupting Graven's thoughts. "Come in," she called although she didn't want to see anyone.

Isaac poked his head in the room. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Thanks," she wasn't sure how much of her and Taylor's argument Isaac had heard but she wasn't going to bring it up if he didn't.

"I thought you might like something to eat. Tay says you didn't have any breakfast."

Something told Graven that Taylor hadn't actually been concerned about her not having had had any breakfast but probably something that Isaac had figured out on his own. "Thanks Ike, I am a little hungry." A little hungry didn't even begin to describe the gnaw in her stomach. She hadn't had much to eat during her stay in the hospital.

"Be right back," Isaac said smiling as he left Graven's room and headed towards the kitchen.

Zac walked into the house with Chuckles' leash in his hand. The dog had moved in with the family indefinately and was now hobbling along beside him quietly. "Morning," he called to his two brothers who were in the kitchen. Then he did a double take. So Taylor and Graven are eachother's throats again. Zac recognized the situation. Taylor was sitting at the table with his head in his hands and Isaac was busy making tea. Tea was a bad thing in Zac's opinion. It seemed that Isaac made tea whenever there was a squabble and whoever it went to usually meant that he or she had Isaac on their side. He wondered who would get the tea now.

"Morning," Isaac said. Taylor looked up. His eyes looked glassy and pained. He didn't say anything. Zac watched as Isaac poured the hot tea into two mugs and placed one of them in front of Taylor. Zac's mouth flew open. That's practically against the rules! You can't take two people's sides! Isaac patter Taylor's shoulder and walked off with the other mug and a piece of toast with raspberry jam on a plate, presumably to find Graven.

"I just don't understand," Taylor was muttering. "I've been trying so hard for her. I've given her everything I can give her and she still acts like I owe her more!"

Zac took a seat beside Taylor. As long as Isaac was upstairs with Graven he might as well comfort Taylor. "What happened this time?"

After telling Isaac she wanted to rest and thanking him for the food he'd brought up Graven sank back into her bed. It really wasn't the same as her soft, cozy bed in the Tenkiller Lake cabin. She really wished she was anywhere but there and once more contemplated taking her own life. Those thoughts scared her. "No one knows what it's like," she whispered to the room as a tear glided down her cheek. "I'm a pretty little rich girl with no friends." Another tear fell and Graven reached for a small package of Kleenex she kept in her purse. As she dug her hand in, blindly because of the tears, her hand touched the pill bottle the doctor had given her last night. She pulled out the orange plastic bottle and popped two of the pills. That would help her calm down. Feeling better already she decided to go downstairs and get something else to eat.

"Tay?" Liz rolled over and opened her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Good morning... I don't know... Graven is being just horrible, and I don't know what I did wrong."

"Graven's home?!"

"Yeah..."

"That's great! I can't wait to see her... where is she?"

"Who the hell knows? She just ran out of the house."

"Well... Taylor, we have to find her - she can't be alone when she is depressed in her condition!"

"You go ahead, I'm sick of kissing her ass."

"You have to understand that-"

"No, you have to understand. She is milking everyone for everything they're worth. She wants to be the center of attention, and she'll step on anyone to get there."

Liz looked at Taylor extremely confused. Why was he being like this? "Taylor-" Liz brought her hand up to his cheek, but he moved his head away. Extremely hurt, she just got up walked out of the house with her pajamas on.

Great, now my girlfriend's gonna be pissed at me... I can't win...

Liz walked through the wet morning grass silently cursing herself for not slipping on shoes before she left the house. She reached a small creek that was behind Hanson's house, and saw Graven's blonde hair through the thickness of the dark green trees.

"Graven!" Liz ran through the small patch of woods ignoring the fact that she was hurting her bare feet on the sharp rocks and sticks below.

"Hi, Liz." Her words were emotionless.

"Grave... what's the matter?"

"Nothing."

Liz walked up to her slowly and sat down beside her on a low log. "I know you better than that."

"Well, you obviously don't know me as well as you think you do, do you?"

"What?!" Liz was completely taken back.

"You heard me."

Liz was at a loss for words, and the two just sat there until Graven spoke again. "God, Liz... I'm not mad at you because you didn't know but... I just..."

"Okay, calm down and tell me what's wrong." She put her hand on Graven's back in an attempt to sooth her, but she shifted it off of her.

"Please don't touch me right now. I just want to be alone."

A million thoughts were racing through Liz's mind. She couldn't handle this. Her parents were gone forever. Graven was upset with her and she didn't know why. Taylor was upset... she needed someone to talk to, but most of all she needed to hear Graven and Taylor say that they were sorry. She needed someone to tell her that her parents would be back soon to take her away from all the grief. She needed someone to come and wake her up from the nightmare that she was living at that moment.

Without saying a word, she stood up, defeated, and ran back to the house.

Graven stuck her finger in the mud below her for no apparent reason... I am right. They are wrong. And everyone is against me.

Taylor heard the door shut lightly and footsteps up the stairs. He knew that it was Liz, because Graven wouldn't come back so easily. That would be admitting that she was wrong. He decided to try to apologize to Liz for being so rude. He climbed the stairs, still extremely tired from getting up so early, he took his time. When he finally reached her room, he knocked softly.

Between chocked back tears, he heard, "please just go away."

"Hey, Gravie, you want some turkey?!" Zac asked when he saw Graven down by the river in his favorite spot.

"No."

"Oh come on, you always laugh at that one!"

"Haha." She stated dryly, not taking her eyes off the sky.

"Well that wasn't very enthusiastic."

"Zac, what do you want?" She snapped at him without even realizing it.

"I just wanted to say hi... I haven't gotten to talk to you since..." he trailed off not wanting to say the wrong thing.

"Well, can you wait another day?" Inside, she just wanted to scream. She wanted to just be left alone. Was that so much to ask?

"I'm not gonna leave till you tell me what's wrong..."

"Gee, that sounds rather familiar."

"Just tell me..."

Graven thought about that. Oh sure Zac. I'm in love with your brother who is now going out with my best girlfriend and he doesn't even know I exist any way other than a friend. That would go over well. Just thinking of the whole thing upset her even more. "Zac, please! I don't want to talk about it and you are not helping me!"

"Fine." he snapped back at her, and walked away from her quickly. He couldn't help but think as he walked away... Everything around me is falling apart.

*capitulo quince
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