"Get out , Love. Right now." Isaac glared at me from his bed. I stumbled away from him, tears on the verge of bursting out of my eyes. "If I don't go through your stuff, should you go through mine?"
"Ike, I was just looking through pictures," I stuttered, trying to calm down. "I saw the cardboard box and I picked it up. I'm sorry."
"Well, you should be!" he yelled, jumping up from his bed. "I don't hide things just for fun! Now get out!" He pushed me into the hallway and slammed the door. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks. I have to get away from this house, I thought as I began to run to the front door. Taylor stepped in my way, taking a hold of my arms.
"Whoa, Love," he said, gently pulling me close. "What happened?" His blue eyes gazed into mine, soft and worried, unlike Isaac's cold, hard stares I'd been receiving.
"Ike's been yelling at me, and I don't know what I do wrong!" I cried out all of a sudden. "Why is he being so mean?" I brushed the tears that had fallen from my eyes away with the back of my sweater's sleeve.
"Hey," he said softly, hugging me. "It's okay. Come tell me everything that has been happening and we'll try to solve this problem together."
We sat on the couch together, as I started to tell Taylor what was happening. I paused once in a while to keep the tears that had sprung to my eyes from bursting out.
"Every time I even try to hug him he thinks I'm going to hurt him or something," I said, crying one of the many things I'd like to do then. "Or that I know something. He's been pushing me farther and farther away, Tay, and pretty soon I'm gonna be in the middle of the road!"
"Hey, don't cry," Taylor said softly, pulling me into a hug. "I hate to see someone I care for cry." I buried my head deeper in his shoulder. "I don't think Ike's in this world, right now. He's been under a lot of pressure. But if he keeps pushin' you around and everything, tell me. Mom will straighten him out." He jerked his head to the left and I saw that Isaac was standing in the doorway. A really hurt expression was on his face, but I didn't care. At the moment, I didn't care what was happening to him.
"Love, I'm sorry," he whispered. "I don't know why I've been acting like this. But I think it's the pills I'm on. They give me mood swings."
"Ike, don't make excuses, all right?" Taylor told him, shifting his place on the couch. "I'm on the same stuff, and so is Zac, and we don't have any mood swings like yours. And unless you are doing drugs or something, you should learn to control-" He was cut off by Isaac.
"Why do you people think I'm on drugs?" he screamed. "Everything I do has something to do with drugs!" "Ike, I was just saying if you were, you know, we can get you help," Taylor explained, gripping my shoulder. "But don't take anything out on her, okay? She doesn't need this at the time, or anytime, for that matter." I watched as Isaac relaxed a bit, his face turning it's normal color.
"Sorry," he mumbled. "I guess I get carried away sometimes. Love, I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just that, well, I don't know. I'll try to control my temper around you, all right?"
I gazed at him. He was trying so hard to get me back. I liked that, but I didn't know if I could trust him as much as I had been.
"Don't yell at me, anymore," I told him in a soft voice. "I can't stand to be yelled at. It hurts too much." "I promise I won't yell at you." Isaac stepped towards me, Taylor gripping my shoulder still. I didn't move; I knew Isaac was desperate for forgiveness. He had always tried to get my forgiveness, and he always won it, with just a simple smile or hug. Then, he held his hand out. I took it and stood up, letting him pull me into a hug. I felt lost in his arms, but safe. I hugged him back.
*present*
"You can go in now, Love," Diana told me. I stood beside Isaac's room's door. It was open a tiny bit, just so I could see Isaac lay still. I felt horrible about what had happened to him. I wished I would have noticed all the signs before anything like this would happened.
"Thanks Diana," I said, letting her step out of the room. "I'll only be a few minutes."
"Take as long as you'd like," she told me. "I'll be in Tay and Zac's room." I nodded and went into Isaac's room. I closed the door, then slid onto the stool beside his bed.
"Hey Ike. It's Love." He didn't move. I took his hand and squeezed it. "The doctor says you'll be all right. You just overdosed on the wrong medication." I gazed at him. His face was pale, his lips a shade of tan that I had never seen on him before. "Ikey, you scared me. I nearly had a heart attack when you passed out in your room. You turned purple and you stopped breathing. I tried to get you up, but you were out of it. With Zac and Tay in the hospital, I didn't have anyone to tell. I ran to Tim's room and he called an ambulance from his Cell phone. I almost lost you. I didn't want to lose you. I've lost everyone. Everyone I care for, everyone I trusted. Just when I thought I could trust you, you go and do something so stupid. And if you would have told me, I would have tried to help you. But you, stubborn as a mule, didn't." Tears slid down my face. I couldn't take what was happening. I had to do something, something to get my mind off of what was happening. "Look, I promised Tay and Zac I'd visit them, so I'll come by again later." I stood up, smoothing my jeans. I leaned over and kissed his forehead, brushing his hair back. "Sleep tight, sweet dreams." I walked out of the room, desperate to get out of there. I was being held under a strange power of guilt. I felt as if what happened to Isaac was my fault. As if I was the one who made him do drugs. I walked down the hall quickly, eager to see Zac and Taylor.
*4 weeks previous*
"Ike, you really hurt her! How could you even think of hitting someone? Especially a girl!" I listened outside of Diana and Walker's bedroom, hearing Diana confront Isaac. My cheek stung and I had a fat lip, but that's not what bothered me. Isaac had slapped me, and my heart hurt so bad because of that. I missed the old Isaac so much. In the past month that'd I'd been living with them, I'd seen Isaac change, evolve. But I never thought of him as the violent type. And worse, he'd promised he wouldn't hit me again.
"Mom, I'll apologize, okay? She is out in the living room with Taylor and all the kids, and I know I'm going to be confronted by Tay again, so I'm going to wait until she's alone." I heard him shuffle in place, then Diana's voice again.
"Ike, go in that room, and say you are sorry. I don't care who is in that room with her. You go. Now."
"But Mom-"
"Now!" I quickly ran back into the living room, plopping down beside Taylor.
"Hey Love," he said. "What's wrong?" I hadn't told him what had happened yet.
"Just forget it," I said quickly, rubbing my cheek. I felt a welt on it. I hurt to even touch it.
"O my Lord," Taylor gasped as he looked at it. "What happened? Did Ike hit you?" He leaned over and gently touched my cheek.
"I,-I'm fine," I stuttered, not wanting to make a scene. I hated to cry. Even when I thought I had no more tears to cry, they still came to my eyes when Taylor stared at me. He wrapped me in a tight hug.
"What's wrong with Love?" I heard Zac ask. He sat on the floor beside Zoe's car seat, playing with her.
"Nothing Zac," Taylor answered.
"Ike hurt her again, didn't he?" His voice was so calm. Zac always knew how to keep his cool, even in the worst situations.
"Yes Zac." I sobbed into Taylor's T-shirt, his hand rubbing my back gently.
"Get out." I heard Taylor say as he stopped hugging me. "Just get out."
"Tay, I want to say I'm sorry," Isaac's voice floated through the air, making chills fly down my back. I sat back, staring at Isaac. My eyes were wide with fear.
"Don't touch me," I said, sinking into the couch. "Just leave me alone."
"Love-" Isaac started, but Zac cut him off.
"Leave Ike! You've caused enough hurt to her for one day!" Isaac stomped out of the living room. I immediately began to cry again. I stood up and ran to Mackenzie's room and fell into his bed. I buried my face into his pillow, sobbing hysterically. Why, I thought, why do I always lose someone I trust? Why do I lose everyone I love? I heard my door creak open but I didn't look up. I couldn't stand to look at anyone.
"Love?" Taylor's voice. I didn't answer him. I couldn't take anymore crap from him. It was really too much to handle. He was always trying to be the sweetheart that always tried to take care of me, but I really didn't want him to. I was about as old as he was, and for all I could care he could just leave me alone.
"Tay, quit trying to be my big protector, okay?" I muffled into my pillow. "You can't change what has happened, and you can't make Isaac stop. You can't handle my situation, period."
"Love, hey, I don't mean to be so over-protective of you, but really, I just don't like to see you get hurt. It's not like I'm getting paid to do this."
"Thanks for caring, but I don't need anyone to care for me." I sounded harsh, but what I said was true. I liked Taylor, but I didn't need him hanging over me all the time.
"Okay," Taylor said, turning. "I guess I'll be in my room." With that last word, he walked up the stairs to his room.

h o m e