I was fuming mad at Zac. Not as mad as our parents, but still pretty angry. I think Isaac wanted him to knock it off, but I don't think he was paying much attention. He was pretty wrapped up in… well, whatever it was he was wrapped up in.
"But Ike," I sighed. "Zac is being such a jerk. What if it gets out to the press or one of the fans sees or hears him acting like that? What if he treats a fan like that? That could ruin our entire career."
Isaac and I were unpacking in our room while Zac was getting some food with Mackie. I listened to Zac and Mackie returning to the room, laughing.
"Hey guys," Zac laughed, setting down two Dr. Peppers for Ike and I.
"What's so funny?" I asked suspiciously.
"Oh, there's a girl in the hallway stripping in front of our door. On one boob she wrote Isaac, in the center she wrote Taylor, and on the other boob she wrote me. And while she's stripping, she was singing MMMBop."
This was when Mackie started cracking up. Six-year-old Mackenzie.
"Mac, why are you laughing?" Isaac asked, staring at our littlest brother. I followed his gaze.
"Because she can't sing. It was funny. You should go see her," Mackie grinned. Isaac and I glanced at each other and took off in a run. I reached the door first and immediately stuck my eye to the peephole. Sure enough, a girl about 16 or 17 was outside our door stripping. Isaac shoved me aside and tried looking but I pushed him back over and watched.
"Taylor!" Isaac whined. "You have a girlfriend and I don't!"
"Your point being?"
"Mmmbop, ba duba dop ba du bop…" the girl sang faintly. Isaac finally opened the door a crack, and the girl jumped to attention.
"Hi, I'm Miranda," the girl said breathily. Isaac and I exchanged a disgusted look.
"Um, hi," Isaac frowned.
"I wrote you on my right because I'm right handed, and I know you are too. I wrote Taylor over my heart because he's the only one who can have it. And I wrote Zac over my left boob because I know he'll become a republican."
Isaac and I frowned at each other, and with a disgusted look I ran away from the door and locked myself in the bathroom in attempt to get away from the strange girl. I could hear Isaac trying to explain to "Miranda", that republicans were right and democrats were left.
"Dumbass," Isaac muttered, shutting the door and locking it. I laughed and freed myself from the bathroom. "Taylor can you call security?"
"Yes, I can," I replied, not moving.
Isaac sighed exasperated. "Will you? That girl is a left-wing republican, apparently. Not only that, but she is also naked. Now will you?"
"Yes brother dear," I grinned, walking over to the phone. As I started dialing, somebody started pounding on the door.
"TAYLOR LET ME IN! ISAAC! ZAC! IT'S ME! HELP ME! THIS GIRL IS ATTACKING ME!" I heard Corrine scream at the top of her lungs. I dropped the phone and ran for the door. Isaac had already opened it and was trying to pull "Miranda" off of Corrine, but was so far unsuccessful.
From my worry of Corrine getting hurt, I flung myself at the girl and ripped her off of my girlfriend. "Do NOT touch Corrine! Get out of here!"
Security and our bodyguards were already barreling out of the elevators. Zac and Mackie ran out of the room to make sure everybody was okay and watched as Miranda was arrested. Serena, Anna, and Jessie came out of their room to comfort Corrine.
As soon as Miranda was gone the seven of us crowded around Corrine. She was sitting on the floor looking dazed and I hugged her. When I pulled away, however, she started laughing hysterically.
"What?" I asked, alarmed.
"I just realized how stupid that was!" Corrine laughed. "That girl was stripping! Your fans are nuts!"
I immediately stood up. "Our fans are supportive. We wouldn't get to do any of this if it weren't for the fans! Do you think they're nuts for liking our music?"
"No," Corrine said, her laughter fading away. "Taylor, don't take it so personally. I'm just saying…"
"I know exactly what you were saying," I frowned.
"Yeah, Taylor. You wouldn't get to get as horny if it weren't for the fans," Serena laughed.
"Hey, at least I'm not a jerk!"
Corrine stood. "No, but right now you certainly are acting like one, Taylor." Corrine walked off, the girls following her. Zac, Mackie, and Isaac stared at me.
"What?" I yelled.
"She's right, Taylor," Isaac frowned. "You take yourself too seriously, and everything way too personally."
"Fine!" I yelled, storming into the room and slamming the door. Screw them. I didn't need any of them.
"What is his problem?" I asked, as the four of us sauntered into our room.
Avie looked up from her book. "What happened?"
"Your brother is an incredible jerk," Anna said forcefully.
"I know," Avie smiled, sticking her nose back into Black Beauty. I threw myself down onto my bed. Serena, Anna, and Jessie crowded around me, sitting on the bed.
"I mean, what I said wasn't even that bad! I wasn't trying to insult him. He was just being… UGH!" I screeched, exasperated. I sat up. "I'm going on a walk," I announced, standing up.
Avie looked up quickly and exchanged a glance with Jessie.
"Um, Cory, you can't go without a bodyguard or the rest of us. This is New York, not to mention your picture is all over the web, along with death threats."
I looked at Jessie sharply. "I'm seventeen. I can handle myself!"
"Then how come Taylor had to pull that chick off of you?" Anna asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"She caught me off guard!" I exclaimed, defending myself.
"So will the rapists on the streets. I'm sorry, but we can't let you go," said Jessie.
"It is not your job to tell me where I can and can't go," I yelled. I ran out of the room, sobbing. This whole thing was unfair. Taylor was overreacting and I couldn't go think about it in peace.
I reached the lobby and two security guards grabbed me.
"Let go of me!" I screamed. "I just want to go for a freaking walk!"
"Miss, I'm sorry but you can't. We have strict orders from the Hanson's."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Walker rushing over to us. He grabbed my arm as he approached us and the guards finally let go. I brought my wrists up to my face as they let go. They were blue from the grips of the security.
"OW!" I yelled. What can I say? Delayed reaction. Walker apparently thought he was holding me to tightly, which was why I had yelled, and loosened his grip. Mr. Hanson excused the guards and pulled me to him, hugging me. I sobbed into his chest.
"I know, I know. Why don't we go back upstairs?" he suggested calmly. I shook my head.
"I just want to go for a walk!"
"I'm afraid right now that just really isn't possible."
Walker led me slowly into the elevator and we rode it upstairs. He delivered me to Taylor's room instead of my own, and slowly I walked in, tears still streaming down my face. Walker left with the other boys and shut the door as they left. Taylor was lying on his bed face down into the pillow. I didn't know what to do; I was clueless.
I tiptoed over to his bed, careful not to disturb him. Goodness. Even the back of him was hot! How I ended up with such a hot guy, not to mention sweet- except for now- was beyond me.
I laid down beside him, facing him. Brushing his hair with my fingers, I sighed. What did he expect me to say or do? Why was this all up to me?
We laid like that for a while. Neither of us wanted to talk. I was pretty embarrassed about how I had acted, and leaving the room was not what I wanted to do. Sweat started pouring down my forehead, and finally I realized I was hot. I had been too caught up in the moment to notice. As I got up to take it off, Taylor finally spoke.
"Don't go," he sighed. I smiled a little at hearing his voice and felt that much better just from his words.
"I wasn't. I'm taking off my sweatshirt."
"Oh."
He still hadn't moved, but at least he was talking. That was a start. I didn't have anything under my sweatshirt except a leather string bikini I had bought when Serena and I had gone on our shopping spree the day before we left. I got back on the bed and Taylor finally looked at me.
"I overreacted," he said plainly.
I sighed and looked at the ceiling.
"I'm sorry," he sighed.
"Taylor, why did you even think for a second that I would be making fun of your fans or whatever? I know how much they mean to you. It's just that that girl was kind of, oh, I don't know, overzealous?"
Taylor laughed. "Yeah. I know you know. I shouldn't have been so oversensitive."
"It's okay," I smiled, turning my head to look at him.
Taylor smirked a little and tilted his head so he was staring at my chest. "Nice top ya' got there."
"Thanks, I like my boobs, too."
"No, I said-"
"It's fine, Taylor, I don't care," I cut him off, laughing. I actually did a little, but not enough to say anything.
"Anyway, what's on the agenda for tomorrow?"
"At 7:00, a photo shoot, at 10:00 an interview, at noon we have a promo gig at the big Sam Goody outlet thing, at 4:00 we have another interview and then we're all done. But then we have school."
"In the summer?" I exclaimed.
"Yup. We only have school three hours a day, babe. So it's year round. We get a few weeks off for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years however, and we each get a week off for our birthdays."
"Oh, I see," I smiled, curling up into his arms.
We laid like that for what must have been hours, just laying there and talking. At two AM, Isaac and Zac stumbled into the room tiredly, Isaac holding a sleeping Mackenzie. Taylor and I had been falling asleep, but were awoken by their shuffling feet.
"I see you two are hot and heavy once again," Isaac smirked sleepily.
"Mmm," I smiled, burying my head into Taylor's chest. I still wasn't completely aware of what was going on, but Taylor just laughed, and tightened his grip on me.
Walker poked his head in when I had awoken fully. He analyzed mine and Taylor's most compromising position. "Well," he started, "since I know you have better judgment than to have six with a sex- sith wex a six- Oh I give up!" Walker exclaimed. "It's two in the morning! Go to sleep!"
Walker groaned, shutting the door. The four of us laughed and settled into bed. I was amazed Walker was actually allowing Taylor and I to sleep in the same bed. Obviously we weren't going to even try anything, but it was still shocking.
"Goodnight!" Zac yawned.
"Goodnight," the rest of us echoed. Five minutes later, we were all fast asleep.
"So, you never came back to the room," Anna grinned at my sister. This was a fact. Us four girls, Anna, Jessie, Avie, and I, and the guys waited up until two AM, when finally the guys, who had vacated their room when Corrine went in, became fed up and went back to their room anyway.
Corrine grinned mischievously and kept on applying her make-up. What was with this girl? She had been in such high spirits since she came back and frankly, I was getting pissed off with this entire lovey-dovey, singy songy mystery mood my sister was in. My sister was never this way. Or never this happy, when I think about it. For an instant when she returned, I wondered if they had done anything the night before. Then it hit me that Corrine was too smart to waste it on goody-boy. Or should I say goody-it.
"Cory!" Anna exclaimed. "Come on! I need details!"
"Why?" Corrine smirked.
"Because we are teen girls Cory! We need gossip! We need justice! And god damn we need details!" I yelled. Corrine and Anna started laughing.
"Okay. Here is a basic run down. Taylor and I talked. We made up. We fell asleep. There ya go!"
"That's IT? Corrine! What did you do? I know you must've done something!" cried Anna.
"Nope. Nothing at all. Mostly I just laid in his arms," Cory sighed dreamily. "It was so romantic."
"You call that romance? I call that boring! Romance is hot, steamy-"
"Okay, that's enough," Cory said, cutting me off. "Let's remember there's a ten year old in the room."
"What? I was going to say coacoa!"
"BS!" Anna and Cory laughed, walking out into the hallway. I grabbed my purse before the door closed and was behind them in a flash. I was going to get all of the details I could squeeze out of my sister. Zac and I had a right to know. Heck, we need to know!
"Seriously, though, nothing happened?" Anna asked in a hushed voice.
"Nothing. Sorry to disappoint you."
Anna and I sighed. "No worries."
"So," I grinned as we entered the elevator to go downstairs to breakfast. Taylor and Corrine had woken up late (I wonder why), and skipped the first part of breakfast, along with us girls. I was just waiting for my first view of Zac for the day.
"So, what?"
"So, how about we make catapults out of spoons while we wait for everybody to finish up, and shoot scrambled eggs at fans who ask for autographs?" I laughed.
"Good idea!" Anna grinned.
"What do you say, Cory?"
"Um, no thanks."
The elevator doors opened and the first thing we saw was none other than J. Taylor Hanson. Attorney at law- er, um, Guy at sexual longing. Hey! That could be a thing to practice! Taylor would do a lot better at that than he does at singing. I can't believe I ever even liked his voice. Just… ugh!
"Hey babe," Taylor grinned, holding his hand out to Corrine. She stepped out ahead of us and took his hand. They started walking, Corrine giggling like a crazed teenybopper; Taylor grinning like someone had shoved a plate in his mouth. Corrine turned around and grinned at us, and Anna and I winked and shot her thumbs up. Once she had her back turned, however, we made gagging noises and pointed into our open mouths.
Disgusting.
"That's wonderful, just wonderful! Look straight at the camera now, boys, it's drooling for your beautiful big eyes! Keep the camera drooling, it needs you, it wants you! Okay, that's enough of that," screamed the photographer. The guys were in the middle of a photo shoot. While the rest of the family had decided to go out and shop, Corrine, Anna, and I had decided to stay behind and watch.
"I want a different pose!" the photographer shouted. He looked very, well, gay. He had on all black- black slacks, a black turtleneck, black horn-rimmed glasses, and a black beret.
"I was thinking a pose to show off their sexuality." The boys looked at each other horrified.
"You mean like… naked shots?" Zac gasped.
"Naked, naked," the photographer laughed. "YES NAKED! I am an artist! I NEED the complexity of the human body! When you go to an art museum, you don't see pictures of clothed people. YOU SEE NAKED PEOPLE!"
"Um, I'm sorry, but we're not comfortable with that," Isaac said. Corrine, Anna and I, of course, were already cracking up.
"THEN GET COMFORTABLE!" The photographer turned around and glared at us. "SHUT UP!" He then returned his gaze to the boys. "Unless…"
"Unless what?" Zac asked uneasily.
"Are those your girlfriends?" he asked, pointing to us. Us three exchanged worried glanced.
"Yeah," Taylor frowned. "Why?"
"You," the photographer said, pointing to a man who had been milling around, looking for things to do.
"Yes?"
"Get those girls up here."
The man strutted over to us and waved his finger at us. "Up there," he pointed.
We got up and warily walked over to the guys.
"Now. Who is whose girlfriend? Arrange yourself, boys, so your arms are on your girlfriends' shoulders."
"Uh, we don't want them in the pictures. They already get enough death threats without people knowing exactly what they look like. Anyway, aren't we out of time?" Taylor asked, defending us as their parents entered the room.
The photographer looked at his watch and clucked his tongue.
"Yup, well, time to go," Isaac smiled warily, pushing us out of the studio. We ran out of the studio and then out of the building, screaming our farewells.
"What was that all about?" Walker frowned as we all packed into the van.
"Um, the photographer first wanted us to pose naked and then he wanted us to pose with them," Zac explained, throwing a thumb at us when he said "them".
"Oh," Diana nodded, knowingly.
"So, where to next?" I asked, looking around myself happily.
"We have an interview to do at Teen People. It's actually not that much of an interview, and we're going to a really cool record store in downtown Manhattan for the interview. Then we're going back to the headquarters for the little photo shoot they want us to do, and then we have to hop on over to Sam Goody," Isaac supplied. I noticed Zac was frowning continually.
"Hey Zaccy, what's wrong?"
"I hate these stupid interviews! That's all we ever do these days! And get our picture taken," Zac spit out spitefully.
"Oh, Zaccy. I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. C'est la vie. I got myself into this. Anyway isn't that Nick Carter?" Zac asked pointing out the window. Anna thrust herself against the window screaming, "Where? WHERE?!"
Zac and I laughed and Anna, finally realizing that Nick Carter was in fact no where in sight, turned around and glared at us. Corrine, Taylor, and Isaac, however joined in the laughter.
"Hey! Hey! I can't help my lingering passion for BSB."
"I noticed. I peeked in your bunk," Isaac grinned.
"Perv!" Anna exclaimed.
"Hey," Zac frowned thoughtfully. "Does BSB stand for Bull Shit Boys?"
"That's it!" Anna yelled pretending to dive for Zac.
"Kids, kids, calm down and watch your mouth, Zac. I swear, you stereotypical rock'n'rollers," Walker grinned, shaking his head.
"Dad, you said 'I swear'," Zac snickered. I laughed and slapped Zac a high five.
"Way to go," I grinned.
"I know, I'm the best," Zac said haughtily.
"You wish! I'm the best," I nodded, raising my eyebrows.
"You dork!" Corrine laughed.
"Me? A dork? Since when?"
"Since 15 years ago… in three weeks 16 years. Whoa, Serena, you're going to be 16? Jeez… Time flies!"
"Time flied. Time has already flown Cory, hon. It's okay, we all know you have a problem with English."
"You mean time flew? And you say I have English problems?"
"You do!" I exclaimed. "Anyway, don't I completely look the age?" I grinned, flipping my hair.
"Ow!" Zac muttered as my long hair brushed his face.
"You baby!"
"No, Sari, sorry. You don't look hardly past 12," Anna snickered.
I looked to Zac for help. Zac raised his hands up in front of his face. "I want to SEE this cat fight. I didn't see the entire Miranda versus Corrine and I want to see a cat fight. And I especially wanted to see the Miranda one, 'cause she was naked!" Zac grinned. "Did anyone get that on video tape?"
I hit Zac, but it made no effect. "You are so disgusting Zac!"
"That's why you love me, though. You're just as disgusting, Sari, sorry to break it to you."
"Me?" I screeched. Zac tilted his head and raised his eyebrows sarcastically. "Oh, shut up!"
"Hey, I didn't say anything."
"Zac, you don't have to say anything. Your eyes say it all."
"Right."
"Are we almost there?" Taylor whined.
"Yes, Tay, dear. About ten more minutes," Diana smiled, turning around in her seat to glance at her beloved angel boy.
Zac and I rolled eyes at each other.
"So eager to get away from me?" Corrine flirted. Zac and I exchanged disgusted glances.
"No, of course not," Taylor grinned, giving Corrine a kiss. Zac and I immediately began making kissy noises and pretended to make out.
"Shut up!" Taylor and Corrine said at the same time, then giggled like… well, them and kissed YET AGAIN!
"QUIT KISSING!" Zac and I yelled.
"Guys, guys, keep it down!" Isaac scolded.
"Who put the stick up your ass?" I asked.
"Serena!" Diana frowned. "You and Zac…"
"Sorry," I said looking down into my lap. Oops.
"Hey… What's that rumbling slash hissing noise?" Anna asked frowning.
"Taylor's hormones," Zac snickered, achieving several dirty looks and a high five from yours truly.
"It's the fans. They always sound like that," Taylor said, rolling his eyes.
We approached the scene rapidly, and all of a sudden we were in the middle of a whirlwind- or so it seemed. The fans beat on the car, literally almost making the van tip over on its side. Anna, Cory, and I were grimacing and covering our ears, and when the van became a little tipsy, all three of us screeched. Taylor, Zac, and Isaac waved while trying to calm us.
"Oh my god, oh my god that person has a gun!" I screamed, pointing into the crowd. Within seconds, the crazed gun-girl pulled the trigger. The next thing I knew, the van window had shattered and I felt an unfathomable pain in my left shoulder. Everybody in the van and outside the van screamed and ducked. Cory was screaming and crying my name, and Zac screamed my name too, and clutched me. My arm hurt so badly, but I couldn't scream, I couldn't talk or pay attention to the chaos around me. The pain suddenly clutched my entire body, and everything turned black.