Chapter 17: (not) Family Friendly

Author's note: I love whenever someone says 'absolutely not' LOL I just realized I write it a lot hahaha

Moments later, we're sitting in the VIP section of the venue. Tree has all exit points mapped out. I should roll my eyes at all her protectiveness but I can't help being completely mesmerized.

The lights dim and my heart rate picks up, but for once it's not from panic. The crowd's energy is electric, building and building until...

Taylor appears on stage and holy shit.

This isn't the woman who stress bakes at 3 AM, trauma dumps with me on her kitchen floor, and lets her cats judge her life choices. This is...

"She's something else, isn't she?" Sabrina whispers, grinning at my probably ridiculous expression.

I can barely nod. Taylor commands the entire arena like she was born for it, her voice filling every corner. The audience moves in unison, thousands of people connected by something I can't quite name.

"This is crazy," I breathe out, unable to look away as she launches into a song about being enchanted to meet someone.

"Just wait," Tree murmurs, looking proud. "She hasn't even started yet."

The lights dance across Taylor's sequined dress as she moves across the stage, each gesture deliberate and powerful. I can't stop staring, can't quite make sense that this is the same woman who trauma bonded with me on her kitchen floor and stress baked cookies.

"Close your mouth, mini me," Sabrina teases, nudging my shoulder.

"Shut up," I mutter, but I can feel my cheeks heating up. "I just... didn't know she could do that."

"What, be a global superstar?" Sabrina grins. "Yeah. She's THE music industry."

Taylor catches my eye from the stage and her whole face lights up, making my chest do something weird and fluttery. She doesn't miss a beat of the song, but her smile gets softer, more private - like we're sharing a secret across the sea of people between us.

"God, you two are disgusting," Sabrina announces, but she's smiling. "Look at her getting all mom soft just from seeing you."

"She is not," I protest automatically, even as Taylor sneaks another glance our way.

"Please." Tree doesn't look up from her phone but her voice is fond. "She's been working this side of the stage extra hard just to keep you in view."

"Has not." But I can't help noticing how Taylor seems to gravitate toward our section, finding excuses to move closer even as she works the whole crowd.

"You know," Sabrina says casually, "the songs she sings... about being enchanted to meet you, never growing up, long live,... those are all chosen for you babe."

Something thick lodges in my throat. "That's... that's just coincidence."

"Sure it is, sparkles." Sabrina bumps my shoulder again. "Just like it's coincidence that she keeps looking over here like she's making sure you're still breathing."

I smirk, "what happens if I pretend to faint right now?"

Tree immediately cuts in, "you are NOT doing that if you actually want to stay alive."

I stick my tongue at her and focus all my attention on Taylor. Deep down, there's something else. Something I've never felt before. Something close to safe.

And as I stare at Taylor, watching her pour everything into this performance, I realize maybe this isn't just her world. Maybe, somehow, it's mine too.

The second the show ends, my anxiety spikes. Taylor's not backstage and suddenly my chest feels tight. Too many people rushing around, too much noise, too much everything.

"Where is she?" I try to keep my voice steady but Tree definitely catches the edge of panic.

"Probably just got held up with..."

"But she said she'll come straight here," I interrupt, scanning the crowd.

"Breathe, tiny delinquent." Tree puts a hand near my shoulder - not touching, just grounding. "She's fine. Probably just..."

"What if something happened? What if Joe..."

"Okay, no." Tree's voice goes firm. "We're not going there. She's fine. Security's with her. And I literally track her phone."

"You track everyone's phone," Sabrina points out helpfully, looking way too amused at my obvious distress.

"Not helping, Sabrina."

But Sabrina just smirks, watching me pace. "You know what's cute? How you went from 'she's not my mom' to full-blown separation anxiety in like, two hours."

"Fuck off," I snap, but my voice shakes. "I just... she..."

"Said she'll come straight here?" Sabrina's smirk softens into something understanding. "Yeah, because she probably has the same separation anxiety about leaving you."

I stop pacing. "What?"

"Oh my god, you're both so obvious." Sabrina rolls her eyes. "She kept checking on you every thirty seconds during the show. Pretty sure she nearly fell off stage trying to see if you were still dancing."

"I wasn't dancing," I mutter automatically.

"I have video evidence that says otherwise," Tree says, still typing on her phone. "Also, she's two minutes out. Had to take pictures with some VIPs."

The tight band around my chest loosens slightly. "You're sure?"

"Have I ever been wrong?"

"Well...."

"Don't answer that." Tree glares at Sabrina, who's definitely about to list examples. "The point is, she's fine. You're fine. Everyone's fine."

"Except Tree's blood pressure," Sabrina whispers to me.

I manage a shaky laugh, but I don't really relax until I hear familiar footsteps and suddenly Taylor's there, slightly sweaty and out of breath like she ran.

"Sorry, sorry!" She pulls me into a hug before I can pretend I wasn't worried. "Got cornered by some managers. You okay?"

"Fine," I mumble into her shoulder, breathing in her familiar scent. "Just... you know."

"I know." She kisses my hair. "I missed you too."

"I wasn't missing you," I lie. "Just making sure you didn't fall off stage or something. You're kind of clumsy."

"Mhmm." She doesn't call me out on the obvious lie, just holds me tighter.

"You two are ridiculous," Sabrina announces, but she's grinning. "Like, actually ridiculous."

"Says the woman who taught my kid how to properly flip off paparazzi," Taylor shoots back, then freezes when she realizes what she said.

But I just press closer, pretending I didn't notice the 'my kid' slip. Pretending my heart didn't do something weird when she said it.

"She already knew how," Sabrina defends. "I just refined her technique."

"That's not better," Tree mutters.

Sabrina claps her hands, "Okay mini me, it's my turn to go on stage. You ready to watch your auntie put on a show?"

Ten minutes later, Taylor, Tree and I were back in the VIP section, watching Sabrina come on.

I watch in awe as Sabrina absolutely owns the stage, but in a completely different way than Taylor. Where Taylor was poetry and power, Sabrina is pure chaos and attitude. She's doing things that probably shouldn't be legal.

"Oh god," Tree mutters, watching Sabrina drop into what can only be described as a criminal split. "This is... this is not family friendly."

"This is amazing," I breathe out. Taylor's dancing next to me, clearly living for her friend's performance while Tree looks like she's calculating potential PR disasters for Sabrina's association with Taylor.

"Did she just..." Tree squints at the stage. "Is that move even physically possible?"

"Apparently," I grin, watching Sabrina basically defy gravity. "I want to be her when I grow up."

"Absolutely not," Tree says immediately.

"Too late," I smirk as Sabrina catches my eye and winks. "I'm already taking notes."

"Taylor," Tree pleads, "tell her this is not appropriate career planning."

But Taylor's too busy dancing and singing along to intervene. She catches me watching her and grabs my hands, trying to get me to dance too.

"Come on," she grins. "Tree's already having a breakdown. Might as well make it worth it."

"I hate this family," Tree sighs.

"No you don't," Taylor and I say together, making her roll her eyes.

Sabrina launches into something even more inappropriate and Tree actually covers my eyes. "Nope. You're fourteen. This is not..."

And that's how it goes for the whole show.

—-

That night, Taylor tucks me into bed. As she smooths the covers around me, I can't resist one last sass.

"You put on a good show," I tell her with a smirk. "But you're no Sabrina."

Taylor gasps in mock outrage. "Excuse you, I taught her everything she knows!"

"Uh huh. Sure." I settle back against the pillows, secretly loving the warmth and comfort. "I still want to be her when I grow up though."

Something flickers across Taylor's face - an emotion I can't quite recognize. She sits on the edge of the bed, reaching out to brush a stray hair from my forehead.

"You know," she says softly, "you can be whoever and whatever you want to be. Sabrina, sure. But also just... you. Wonderful, incredible you."

I swallow hard around the lump forming in my throat. We sit in comfortable silence for a moment, the events of the night settling around us like a warm blanket. I can feel my eyelids growing heavy, the adrenaline fading away.

"Hey Taylor?" My voice comes out small, almost shy.

"Yeah baby?"

"I..." The words stick in my throat, unfamiliar and scary. But looking at her, at this woman who's completely changed her life for me, they suddenly don't feel so impossible. "I love you."

The words come out rushed and quiet, but they're there. Finally there.

Taylor goes very still, and for a horrible moment I think I've ruined everything. But then I see the tears in her eyes, the way she's smiling like I just gave her the entire world.

"I love you too," she whispers into my hair, voice thick with emotion. "So, so much."

And there, wrapped in the arms of the last person I ever expected to call family, I finally let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, I've found my place to stay.