Chapter one: Dr. peppers and twinkies?  

Mandy watched the familiar scenery through the window of the limousine as she neared her house in Orlando.

She smiled tiredly and excitedly as they pulled up in front of her home. ‘Finally’ she thought to herself.

The chauffeur holding Mandy’s two VERY large bags opened the door. She thanked him quietly and walked up to the door, he was close behind.

Before Mandy could even knock, the door flew open and the most wonderful sight stood before her, her mom.

* Mandy ~ Point Of View(POV) *

My mom was standing before me smiling from ear to ear, oh how I’ve missed that smile.

She opened her arms and I fell into them, wrapping my own around her. I breathed in her scent and smiled. I was home.

I thanked the chauffeur gratefully as he left my bags just inside the door and drove away.

‘Goodbye luxury, hello heaven’ I thought and smiled again. Home was my heaven, it was my safety net.

My mom (Stacy) put an arm around my waist and lead me into the house, I looked around a feeling of comfort and warmth swept over me. We entered the living room and sittings on the couch were my brothers and my daddy.

They all greeted me with hugs and kisses, saying they didn’t expect me home so early. It’s true, I was early, I decided to take a different plane, which left California 2 days before the other flight I was meant to take, I didn’t tell anyone except for my mom, who said she would tell them, apparently she ‘forgot’ *laughs* oh mom…

I sat down on one of the couches as a small conversation initiated. I was thirsty, I stood up asking if anyone wanted something from the kitchen, they all shook their heads no. I shrugged and started walking into the kitchen, my mom offered to get it for me but I wouldn’t let her, to tell you the truth, so many people do things for me, with or against my will, it feels good to actually be able to do things for myself. I just want to forget about being a ‘pop-princess’ while I’m home and be, ‘Mandy’.

I opened the refrigerator and peeked in, ‘wow’ I thought, ‘what’s with all these dr. pepper cans?

"Mom, why do you have so much dr. pepper?" I asked, I mean, there was a LOT in there, basically taking up two whole shelves in there. She didn’t answer, I shrugged, ‘okay’ I thought.

I didn’t really like dr. pepper so I took out a bottle of water instead. I turned around and put it on the counter. I looked at a plastic bag on the counter, I looked inside and saw a whole lot of twinkies. I stared at them for a while, ‘twinkies…dr. pepper…twinkies…dr. pepper…’ the only person who came to me mind as I giggled a little was…

"Zac" a male voice said from the stairway in the kitchen. I looked up shocked, "Zac got all of that"

"Isaac?" I was still in shock, "IKE!" I squealed as I ran around the counter towards him and threw my arms around his neck, it was Isaac Hanson, from the band Hanson, I hadn’t seen him in SUCH a long time. Although the last time I saw him was the only time I remember, it was just before I was signed to my record label I’d spent 2 weeks with them as when they were in Florida for a little break. But before that, apparently I used to spend time with him SO much when I was younger, his mom and my mom were best friends.

"Mandy, how have you been sweetie?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around me. He laughed lightly because I wouldn’t exactly let him go, "How long has it been? A year?"

"I’m great! It’s been tooo long!" I replied, stepping back a little, "OH MY GOSH! Your hair!"

Ike nodded and smiled. "You haven’t seen it?! I thought everyone in the whole world had!" he laughed, I blushed.

"Yeah, well, I, um" I started blushing even more.

Ike laughed, "You’ve seen Taylor’s haircut because he had it in those two weeks we were here, just before we saw you, I got my hair done after we left Florida." there was a hint of sadness in his voice when he mentioned Tay, but I didn’t exactly notice it. (AN ~ I know Ike and Tay got their hair cut at the same time, but I don’t know, it just seemed right to make it like this in my story)

I sighed at the mention of Taylor, you could say that we had a history. In those two weeks last year, he and I had developed a ‘love at first sight’ relationship, we tried a long distance relationship, but after around three months we couldn’t handle it anymore. He broke up with me and I couldn’t stop crying. I cried myself to sleep night after night, and even now, nine months later, I still think about it and on occasion cry about it.

It scares me that I can have such deep feelings about someone, I was confused, I didn’t know what to do. I had never felt so strong about someone before. During those two weeks last year, I had shared my first ever kiss with Taylor, and he shared his first with me. It is something I can never forget.

~ Flashback 0~

9 months earlier…

On the third ring Mandy picked up the phone, "Hello?" she asked.

"Mandy?" Taylor said quietly.

"Taylor!" Mandy exclaimed, she was so happy to hear from him.

"Mandy." he repeated sadness filled his voice.

She noticed and frowned, "What’s wrong angel?"

Taylor winced, why does she have to be so lovable? "Mandy, I can’t do this anymore..."

Mandy swallowed hard, "What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

‘Don’t make this harder Mands, please?’ Taylor thought, "Mandy, we can’t be together anymore" tears were forming in his eyes as his face grew red.

"I…I don’t understand…" Mandy started confused and hurt, "Wh…why?" her eyes, too, were filling with tears, she didn’t want to lose him.

"It’s too hard Mands" Taylor said quietly, "I can’t be with you, knowing you’re not there all the time, knowing that I can’t just reach out and hold you in my arms, that I can’t just kiss you and…be with you"

Mandy was even more confused, "Is there someone else?" she asked sobbing, the thought of that made her knees turn to Jelly and she fell back onto her bed.

"NO!" Taylor replied firmly, "I could never, WOULD never, ever, do that!" he cried.

"Taylor, I don’t understand…" she stopped, interrupted by Taylor.

"Mandy, I love you so much that we can’t be together" he tried as best he could to stay as calm as possible, it wasn’t working.

Mandy was now trembling as sobs overcame her body, ‘did he just say he loved me?’ she asked herself, "You…you love me?" she sniffed.

Taylor broke down inside, he just admitted to himself, AND her that he loved her, he couldn’t answer her question, "Goodbye Mandy" he said quietly, he listened as her sobs got louder and she tried to get some words out. He hung the phone up and collapsed to his bed burying his face in his hands, "I love you" he whispered.

Mandy was crushed, it seemed her life had all just shattered into pieces at that one phone call. She pulled her knees up to her chest and encircled her arms around them, she dropped the phone and was sobbing uncontrollably, she had never felt such pain in her entire life, she was heartbroken. ‘I love you too’ she whimpered as she closed her eyes and thought of him.

The music on Taylor’s radio changed and the DJ introduced the next song as a song by Britney Spears called, ‘From the bottom of my broken heart’ he listened to the words and they kept ringing in his head…’What have I done?’ he asked himself.

"Never look back" we said

How was I to know I’d miss you so.

Loneliness up ahead emptiness behind

Where do I go?

But you didn’t see all the joy through my tears

All the hope through my fears did you know?

But I wish you were here,

From the bottom of my broken heart

There’s just a thing or two I’d like you to know

You were my first love you were my true love

From the first kisses to the very last touch

From the bottom of my broken heart

Even though time may find me somebody new

you were my real love I never knew love

Until there was you..

From the bottom of my broken heart.

"Baby!" I said "Please stay, give our love a chance for one more day"

"We could’ve worked things out, taking time is what loves all about"

But you put a dart, through my dreams through my heart

And I’m back where I started again.

Never thought it would end

From the bottom of my broken heart

There’s just a thing or two I’d like you to know

You were my first love you were my true love

From the first kisses to the very last touch

From the bottom of my broken heart

Even though time may find me somebody new

you were my real love I never knew love

Until there was you..

From the bottom of my broken heart.

You promised yourself but to somebody else

And you made it so perfectly clear

Still, I wish you were here.

From the bottom of my broken heart

There’s just a thing or two I’d like you to know

You were my first love you were my true love

From the first kisses to the very last touch

From the bottom of my broken heart

Even though time may find me somebody new

you were my real love I never knew love

Until there was you..

From the bottom of my broken heart

"Never look back" he said

how was I to know, I’d miss you so..

(If you don’t know, the song is from Mandy’s point of view when you think about it)

Taylor leaned up against the head of his bed. He couldn’t take it anymore. His head was pounding and his heart was broken, visions of Mandy’s beautiful face cascaded his mind, she was smiling and looking deep into his eyes, then she was singing and having so much fun, then she was on the phone, her eyes burning with pain and tears. Her body was trembling and sobs were escaping her mouth as she dropped the phone and collapsed. ‘I’m so sorry angel’ Taylor said, no longer holding back…he cried.

~ Flashback stop ~

"Mandy? Mandy?!" I snapped back to reality, Isaac Hanson was standing in front of me waving his hand in my face.

"OH! Ike! I’m sorry, I was just thinking" I said quietly, looking down. He seemed to understand and nodded sympathetically.

"He misses you, you know?" he said looking down at me.

I looked back up at him, confused, "Excuse me?"

"I said, he misses you" Ike explained, "Taylor, he misses you, I talked to him, after I caught him…" he trailed off.

"Ike, you caught him? Caught him what?"

He was obviously thinking if he should tell me or not, he looked up at me, "Crying" he said quietly.

I was bewildered, Taylor was crying? "Wh…when?"

"Almost every night Mandy, every time I wake up and he’s not there, he’s either on a balcony of our hotels or in the bathroom, crying" Ike had a downhearted look on his face. I nodded and forced a smile,

"It can’t be that bad, can it?" I asked, Ike nodded, Taylor was in pain…so was I.

I tried to change the subject and asked what he was doing in my house. "My mom and your mom arranged for us two families to be together for Christmas, our whole family is here!"

"Funny, my mom never mentioned that to me" I laughed a little, the tension disappearing.

"That means she might not have told you that we’re all having dinner tonight? At that really nice place, to celebrate you coming home" Ike smiled, "We all thought you were coming in two days, but I guess that you’re here now…she said she had changed some sort of plans for the dinner thing but we didn’t know what she was talking about…" he shrugged

"WE ARE?!" I laughed, "Mom never tells anyone anything!"

Ike shrugged, "Now, common, let’s go out there"

I thought for a moment, "Wait, would you mind helping me bring my bags up to my room?"

"Where are they?" he asked,

I took him to my bags and he picked both of them up, yeah I know, I know, I’m weak, believe me I tried picking one up, I couldn’t! We got to my room and I opened the door, he put the bags down next to my bed, I thanked him as he walked out, "Could you tell the others that I need a little rest?" I asked.

"Sure, I know what you feel like, we just finished our tour, look, Zac and Tay are still asleep! And the rest of my family are out shopping!" he laughed.

Ouch, he mentioned Tay again. I shrugged and fell onto my bed when he closed the door. This was going to be an interesting holiday.

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