Love Unscripted

for.

“Hey lady! Get out of the street!” the driver yelled at me through his open car window, blaring his horn at me again. I glanced in his direction; his

viscous tone distracted me.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” the man continued shouting.

What the hell was wrong with me?

The lights of the oncoming traffic made starbursts in my blurry eyes. I was crying so hard that I forgot where I was for a second. My feet moved

unconsciously; I followed the yellow lines, hoping they would lead me to a place where the pain would stop.

My fingers found a door handle in the dark. I dropped Lauren’s poison-pe

anymore. I had witnessed all the proof I needed with my own eyes.

“Taryn!” my memory called out in a muffled tone, strangely in the sound of Ryan’s voice, but I couldn’t respond to it. Darkness had already taken

me under.

“Where to Miss?” Some man asked me. “Miss?”

“Hu… home,” I breathed.

“And where is home?” the man asked.

My lips quivered as I found the will to speak. “Airport.”

Desolation and despair enveloped me again, choking my ability to breathe. All my hopes and dreams that involved Ryan were shattered.

My phone chimed that stupid ringtone, reminding me of his biggest lie that crushed my soul... he wasn’t mine anymore.

I rolled the car window down and tossed out my cell phone, releasing his song to the wind.

“Taryn?” I heard a man’s voice calling my name. My mind must really be playing tricks on me. Now I’m hearing voices. So this is what a

nervous breakdown feels like. At least I’m not crying anymore.

“Taryn, wait up.”

My legs trudged on their own, instinctively following the rest of the people hurrying around me. If I follow them far enough, maybe the flashing

lights will stop?

“Hey! What are you doing in the airport?”

My eyes glanced over to my right; someone was talking to me. That’s when I noticed Kyle’s face.

“Stop taking her picture! Enough guys!” he yelled.

I saw an arm press out in front of me, shielding me.

“Why are you soaking wet?” Kyle asked quietly. “Taryn, just keep walking.” Something a

forward faster.

I felt cold and numb and utterly devastated. Creeping death must be inside me now, devouring everything.

Kyle glanced around my feet. “Where is your luggage?” he muttered.

I looked down at my hands - they were empty and trembling. The edge of my blue cast stuck out the end of my sleeve; water dripped from the

gauze packing.

I couldn’t remember if I was supposed to have anything in my hands or not. Instantly my chest tightened and it felt very hard to breathe.

“Hey, hey…” Kyle pulled me into his chest. “Calm down. Shh, it will be all right. I’m here.”

I tried to block him with my hands. I wanted him to stop touching me. No man would ever touch me again.

He whispered in my ear, “Don’t worry, babe. I’ll take care of you. Let’s get you home.”

Chapter 34 - Shattered

“Taryn, sweetie. Thank God!” Marie rushed to my bedside. “It’s go

shoulders to hug me.

Pete was frantically turning on all my bedroom lamps. It was dark outside so I presumed it must be night again. My eyes were swollen; I had a

hard time focusing them in the new light.

“Should I call Nine-One-One?” Tammy asked in a panic from the opening where my bedroom door once stood.

Marie ran her hand across my face to wipe my hair from my eyes.

“Taryn, talk to me. Do you need to go to the hospital?” Marie’s voice cracked when she asked.

Extreme sadness burst back into my chest and I started to weep again. I doubted any hospital in the world would be able to mend a shattered

heart.

“I don’t think she needs an ambulance, Tammy,” Pete said from the other side of my bed. I felt him pet my hair.

“Oh, Taryn, it will be all right!” Marie hugged me tightly. “Sweetie, what happened?”

“It’s… over,” I choked out. It was pure agony to say the words out loud.

Marie looked over at Pete and shook her head.

“Tell us what happened,” Marie whispered.

“I saw him with her,” I uttered between sobs. “I saw it with my own eyes. He touched her face, and kissed her hand, and I watched as he leaned

over the table to kiss her. Right there in the restaurant for everyone to see.” The magnitude of my admission crushed me again.

“Who, Taryn? Who was he with?” Pete asked gently.

“Lauren. He was with Lauren. All the rumors about them… they’re true.” I barely had the will to speak.

“Taryn, Ryan was filming,” Marie spoke cautiously.

I stared at her face through my tears, wondering why she believed him.

“Sure he was. That’s why the paparazzi were there,” I muttered.

She grimaced at me. “What’s all over your shirt?”

I looked at my chest, noticing yellow spots on the fabric.

“I think I threw up last night,” I sputtered. Another crack of unbearable sadness struck my heart.

“Come on; let’s get you in the shower.” She tore the blankets off my body and wrapped her arm around my back to help me out of bed.

“Have you eaten anything?” Marie asked, walking me to the bathroom.

I felt confused and weak. I couldn’t remember when I ate last. When I shook my head, the motion made me feel dizzy.

“Tammy, see if you can make something for Taryn to eat,” Marie requested.

“I’m not hungry,” I whispered. I deserved to feel the emptiness inside my chest. After all, it was the result of my own stupidity.

“Taryn! You have to eat!” Marie scolded, turning on the shower.

“What happened to your cast?” She peeled a big chunk of the casing off. The gauze padding was hanging out over my hand.

“I got it wet,” I answered, pulling on a piece of cotton thread that hung out from the hole around my thumb.

“Pete, do you have any tape? Look at this! It’s falling apart. I’ll call her doctor tomorrow.”

Pete came back with his toolbox. I wished he would have just cut it off instead of wrapping it in silver tape.

“Why didn’t you call us, Taryn? We’re your friends!” Tammy stressed, pulling my sweatpants off my body. “You’re not alone in this!”

“Tammy, let’s just get her washed.” Marie pulled my T-shirt off over my head and tossed it across the bathroom. “We need to wrap her cast in

plastic first.”

“I’ll go strip her bed then,” Tammy volunteered. “Are these her antidepressants? Here Taryn, take this. Drink.”

“Can you stand or do you want me to run a bath?” Marie asked, pushing back the shower curtain.

I stepped into the shower, noticing that the bruises on my stomach were almost completely gone but I had a fresh black and blue mark on my

thigh. I couldn’t remember how I got that one.

The hot water actually felt good on my skin although it stung a little on my face where I had been rubbing my eyes.

I used my right hand to push the water through my hair, hoping that the stream would somehow reach my memories and cleanse them of the

nightmares.

A few long strands of hair dislodged and tangled around my fingers like a spider web. Oh how I wished they would have been strong enough to

pull the misery from my mind before breaking away from my head!

Marie handed my toothbrush to me. “Brush your teeth while you’re in there.”

I let the water stream into my dry mouth, swallowing some to quench my thirst. I was feeling weak and tired and utterly miserable, so I leaned up

on the wall.

Will I ever find the strength to move on?

The shrill of a cell phone ringing startled me. I knew it wasn’t mine. My cell phone was probably in pieces on a Florida highway by now.