Isaac

I knew I’d find them there. I was only about five feet away from the door when it opened and they walked out. The smug look on Taylor’s face didn’t surprise me, and neither did the irritated one on Zac’s.

“You know, you could have at least said hello to him,” Zac snapped.

I took a step back as they got closer, not wanting to get involved in the argument.

“And what for? So I can make him think I care about him and delay the whole heartbreak thing a little more?” Taylor spat back.

Uh-oh. Taylor’s being a bitch...

Zac sighed. “Well, since you couldn’t keep your dick in your pants in the first place, it’s kind of your responsibility to – “

“Just fuck off, Zac! Where I put my dick is none of your damned business, alright?”

From the following silence, a blind man might have deduced that it was midnight. Just about everybody within a five-mile radius had completely stopped what they were doing to turn and stare at my brothers. Some looked shocked at his outburst, others amused, and others totally supportive. Really, it didn’t matter how they looked, because Taylor seemed oblivious to the fact that he had made a complete spectacle of himself.

“Christ, Tay,” I whispered harshly. “Keep your voice down. Do you know how many press passes had backstage access to this thing?”

He gave me a look I hadn’t seen for some time and brushed past me, bumping my shoulder pointedly as he went. Before he was out of hearing distance, he mumbled, “Go fuck yourself, Isaac. We all know nobody else will.”

Bob

I don’t know what bug crawled up my brothers’ collective ass, but it must have been a big one. Dave was mopey, Scott was pissy, and Clint...Clint was quiet. Clint is never quiet. And to top it off, he wouldn’t tell me what was up. I seemed to be the only one with the normal pre-performance high, and to tell the truth, it’s no fun by yourself.

Personally, I was happy to be staying in L.A. for an unknown amount of time. It’s not often we get to settle down and relax anywhere, and I had a soft spot for Los Angeles. The sunshine, the city life, the girls...The city as a whole appealed to me on a level that no other place could match. Los Angeles – the city that never sleeps. Or was that New York? I couldn’t remember, and I didn’t care.

As far back as I could recall Scott had shared my love for this city. But this time, when he found out we were staying longer, he looked really disappointed. Actually, it was more than that. He looked almost disgusted, like he was going to be sick.

“Scott, dude, don’t worry about it,” I offered. “We don’t even have to stay in a hotel. Dad talked to Mr. Hanson, and we get to stay with them since the rest of their family isn’t coming out here.”

Scott eyeballs fell out onto the carpet, bounced twice, and landed on the floor next to his jaw.

“Are you kidding me?” I barely heard him.

“No...”

“Well...But...That’s crazy! We barely even know each other!” Scott tried desperately to jump out of his chair for emphasis, but his hair-stylist was not having it.

“Wait a minute...What?”

Great. Now Dave’s freaking out, too.

“Yeah, dude. What was that?” Clint craned his neck to look at me around the frantic Scott, only to be pushed back into his seat by Raul, the crazy Puerto Rican make-up man.

“Move your lips when you speak, not your whole body,” Raul commanded.

I sighed. How could this be so hard to understand? I thought it was pretty self-explanatory, and when I get it...Man. “They have a house out here. It’s a big house. We’ll all fit. So –“

“Wait...If they have a house out here, why’d they stay in a hotel?” Dave demanded.

“They rent it out to family or something,” I tried to explain. “I don’t know all the details, but the tenants or whatever couldn’t be out until the day after tomorrow. So that’s when we all move our crap in.”

“Oh, my God. This blows,” Dave groaned.

Odd. I thought he would be ecstatic.

Before I could inquire as to why exactly it blew, Scott shot our youngest brother a vicious look and spat, “Says you.”

Zac

“Zac, what are you doing?” My father asked, stopping in his tracks to stare as I dropped my two duffels in the hallway.

“I’m staying with Isaac tonight,” I explained, venturing back into Taylor’s room, formerly Zac and Taylor’s room, to grab my soda, Discman, and hair ties.

“Okay...” My father crossed his arms over his chest and watched me like he was waiting for something. When I didn’t respond, he asked me straight out. “Would you like to tell me why?”

I contemplated the proposal for a moment, then bent to pick up my bags. “No.”

My dad cleared his throat and stepped in front of me. “Alright, then. Let’s rephrase that. Tell me why.”

I sighed and dropped my bags deliberately on his toe, hoping there was a shoe or something there. No such luck. “Because Taylor and I are fighting.”

“Again? Jesus, Zac! What now?” My dad rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips. Obviously, I was not getting out of this one fast.

“Taylor was rude. I called him on it. He got pissed,” I stated simply.

I could tell my father wasn’t satisfied, but I didn’t get my hard head from him. He knew I wasn’t going to give him any more than that, so he let it go. He was grumbling something about talking to Taylor while he walked away, and I smirked to myself as I wondered how Taylor was going to explain the present situation.

“What are you doing?” This time it was Isaac’s voice as he stood in his doorframe, just in my way.

“I’m staying in your room tonight.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Ike, you know I could take you.”

He moved aside.