Taylor sat in one of the lawn chairs at his friend Scott's house. Unlike his Aunt Sarah's house, Scott's backyard had a pool. Scott Matthews had been friends with Taylor since he moved out here with his family to record Middle of Nowhere. The day was hot, so Scott invited Taylor, a long with a couple other guys over for the afternoon. Taylor was the first one to arrive, but then again, he was the one of the only people how lived close to Scott.

"So then there's really not that much to do in Tulsa asides from that arcade you were talking about?" Scott asked.

"Actually, yeah… you know, it's really nothing much. It really makes me wonder why some fans wanna travel out there, you know? Maybe I'm just saying that 'cause I've lived there all my life, I don't know. But it's very pretty there." Taylor shrugged.

Scott nodded, "Where's your brother Zac? He knew I invited him too, right?"

"Oh yeah, he knew. Where is he? He's at… wait a sec, where is he anyways?" Taylor asked laughing. He pondered for a little while longer.

Scott began singing the background music to Jeopardy, "Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doooo. Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, do, do, do, do, do! C'mon, Tay, man, you don't even know where your own brother is?"

Taylor punched him in the arm, "Hey, shut up, man!" Taylor laughed some more, "He's with his, like, best friend or something. You know the Jackson family from across the street from my aunt's?"

"Yeah. There's a little family there with two kids right? My sister is friends with the older daughter, Erika."

"Well Zac is out with Erika right now. I have no idea where they went. I think them and a few other friends headed over to Venice Beach. Yeah, that's where they're at. Zac's friend Nathan got his sister to drive him, or something like that..."

Scott waved his hand in the air, "Otherwise?"

"Otherwise I'm guessing that if they are going to the beach, they're probably walking since they're only thirteen and can't drive. But seriously, Erika and Zac are hanging out somewhere. They've been starting to hang out a lot."

"Oh really?" Scott smiled,

Taylor shook his head, "Nah, Zac says they're only best friends."

"Of course, " Scott agreed.

On the way to the beach, Kim stopped over at Vanna's house. Vanna, was another friend of Nathan's, but not so much Erika's. There's much to do about that little subject. It wasn't so much that they minded each other, yes, the two were friends, just not the best of friends. The main reason as to why was because Erika was fed up with Vanna's competitive attitude towards everything; academics, sports, sometimes friends and even boys sometimes. At school, Erika hardly said much to anyone about it, except for Nathan. One could say Nathan was in between the two, but he was not. He figured that one day it might go down to having to pick and already he had his mind set.

From left to right, their beach towels were set down, Erika, Nathan, Zac, then lastly, Vanna. Kim sat elsewhere with friends she met up with.

Vanna took her shorts and tank top, so that she was now in her baby blue two piece, "Well, I'm glad I began working out earlier this year. Now I have a nice flat tummy. What about you, Erika?"

Erika, who was paying more attention to applying sun block looked up, "Gee, I don't know, Vanna?"

Vanna laughed that phony laugh that she only used with Erika.

Nathan turned to Zac and rolled his eyes, "When you put the two of them together, well… they'll sorta get like that." He lowered his voice, "Now you know why I insisted that we not bring Vanna."

"She seems nice though. I'm sure Erika will understand once I explain to her why she came along. Erika told me these things already but…"

"Yeah, if you tell her…"

Zac laughed a little, "have a little faith in me…"

Vanna took a step closer to Erika saying, "Nothing, I'm not saying anything. It's amazing to see some people wearing two pieces but their bodies…"

Erika sighed and stood up in her red and white Roxy two piece, "Yeah well, I guess I'm just lucky unlike others. I don't have to work hard for my body." She sat back down by Nathan and began reapplying the oily sun block. Vanna sat there silent now.

Both Zac and Nathan took this moment to lighten up the mood, "GIRLS! WE'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND 'EM!" it did work though, both began to laugh lightly.

Zac wanted to get out into the ocean immediately and begin body boarding. He held his board and looked at everyone exasperated, "Doesn't anyone one go out there?"

Vanna looked at the chance and took it before Erika, "Sure, Zac." she smiled at him, receiving a smile back from him. "I'd love to go out there."

"What about you guys? Erika? Nathan? You guys comin'?" Zac looked at them, but his eyes averted back to Vanna.

Erika went on reading her book. Only Nathan answered, "Tempting, tempting. But maybe later on." Zac shrugged and Vanna followed him out to the water. Nathan eyed the two as they walked off.

Erika set her book down, "They're going swimming together? How come you didn't wanna go out there? You love to body board."

"Yeah, I know I do. But how come you didn't wanna go out there? Isn't because of the bruises on your arm let?"

She tried to not look up surprised, "Yeah, that's the reason."

"How'd you get them? Do they hurt much?"

Erika laughed gingerly, "Oh, you know me. I was running during practice for dance and slipped on that darn slipper floor. I just sorta… slid and hurt myself. But I'm fine now."

Nathan carefully punched her arm, "Man, you're a trooper!"

"Thanks…" she blew a sigh of relief when he said no more. Though she and Nathan had been friends for long, she never told him about her father.

"No problemo Erika!" He watched her as her hands grabbed each end of the book and her eyes zip across the pages.

Slowly, Erika looked up from her book, "I can't how competitive she is. Geeze, you know, Nathan, sometimes I wonder about her."

Nathan grinned, "Erika… she was probably just trying to get Zac to notice her or something. But don't get me wrong, okay? She could have found other ways to do that other than pulling you into it and throwing the cheap shots."

"Thanks, Nathan." She looked out into the ocean and watched as Zac and Vanna splashed each other with water. "Ugghhh! Oh my gosh!!! Nathan, isn't it horrible? Look at them! Poor Zac… poor me." she quietly added the last part. "Besides, Nathan! Why'd you invite her anyways?"

"I… um… well, you know I am a little friends with her and plus..." Nathan's green eyes looked into her blue eyes, "You see… Zac asked me to ask if she wanted to come and hang out."

"Oh, I understand… how'd he meet her?"

"At that one party you couldn't come to because you said you weren't feeling well? Remember? She was there and they met."

Erika sighed, "Man… I never got to tell Zac that I…"

"You?"

"That I… I… Nathan, you know how she is… she might hurt him." She stuttered. "W-why didn't he tell me?"

"Oh no, Erika. Don't think that way. Nothing's gonna happen. Besides, he'll probably talk to you about it later. Why?" Nathan smiled, "Do you?"

Her eyes grew big and her cheeks grew rosier, "Nathan! NO! Of course not! Zac is my friend, my best friend… and that's it and that's all."

"Really?" Nathan asked.

"Yes really!" Erika said. "I just hope he's careful."

Nathan put his hand on her shoulder and watched her eyes watch them, "He will."

An hour or so later, Erika was shaken awake by Zac.

"Huh? Zac, why are you waking me up?" she groaned as he took her by the hands and pulled her to her feet.

"Because, let's go walking." He smirked at her. Erika tried to frown at him but failed, "Fine, fine, Zac! I may be smiling, but I am upset you woke me up!" she pouted.

"I'll make it up to you…" he took her gently by he arm and led her down the beach. They began walking along the shore.

"What's on your mind?"

Zac watched as a wave rolled in, "This is gonna sounds completely messed up when you hear it but, I've gotta tell and ask you. Then you gotta tell me your honestly answer. And I swear with your answer I'll trust your judgement and do what you think is right. You are my best friend, you know."

"Okay…" silently she hoped and wished he would change his mind and not tell her what she knew he was going to tell her. "And what does this have to do with?"

"Vanna. I do remember all the stories that you told me about her, but if you get to know, her, she's not all that competitive and stuff. She's really nice… and I'm getting this feeling that I should be taking a chance on her."

Erika looked at her friend blankly, "Taking the chance to do what? What chance on her?"

Zac picked up a flat rock and threw it into the calm ocean at the moment and watched it as it skipped three times. "Do you remember a long time ago, how we had that one talk, it was one of our first most heartfelt ones? Then again, all of them were heartfelt…"

"They all are, huh?" she half smiled. Her eyes locked with his, and she read his thoughts. "I remember which one you're talking about. The one where… we told out stories… the one where I found out about the pain from your brothers and your fear of love? Is it the one where… you learned of my secret? Why I've these bruises here and there?"

"Exactly!" Zac snapped his fingers. "I… it's not like I'm in love with Vanna, I just wanna take this chance on her. What do you think I should do? Honestly, whether it's good or bad, what do you think? Because I have no idea what to do at all. There's this funky feeling and I don't' know what it is. I just don't know what I should do."

Erika sat down on the sand. The two walked so far down the beach that there were barely any people. She looked out into the ocean and breathed in deep. "Do you think, Zac, that by taking the chance to ask Vanna out on one date… do you think it'll feel right then? Does it feel right to you to do this? To even be pondering about this girl and wanting to ask her out?"

Another moment of silence fell upon them.

"Yeah, yes… I-I do think so."

Erika shrugged and smiled, hiding the truth. "Then there's your answer, Zachary. One date will do no harm, right? And from there, decide what your next step will be. Either go on from there, or stop before anything starts."

Zac turned to her and hugged her, being careful of her bruises, "Thank you so much. I think I'll do just that… but I might take a little time to think about it a little more. You know, there's a little area I saw while we were walking towards the beach. It's sorta by the bike trail. Like along it with little attractions or something, you know? Let's go over there and see…"

"Okay." Her smile brightened as the two headed over there, hand in hand. "Zac? What exactly are you looking for?"

"A photo booth. Look, there's one right there. C'mon. Let's go in there and get some pictures taken of us. You pay for one round, and I'll pay for another. You can take the one I paid for and I'll take the one you paid for." Zac pointed, pulling her along.

"This should be fun!" Zac smiled when he noticed his friend laughed with her real laugh for the first time today, eyes sparkling and all.

Zac took a shower once he arrived back at Sarah's house. By that time when he was done, dinner had arrived. Sarah ordered in pizza for dinner that night because of all the paper work she had leftover from work.

Taylor and Zac ate together though, while their aunt ate diner and had to slave over the desk upstairs in her office. "Everyone was looking for you at Scott's today." Taylor stated while he got glasses out of the cupboard for him and Zac. "They were all like, 'Hey, where's Zac?'"

Zac placed a slice of pizza on his plate, "Cool! It's nice to know people are askin' for me. I'm being wanted! Did you guys have fun?"

Taylor nodded, "It was pretty cool. Scott's pool party reminded me of the one's that Paul and Dan Robeson use to have during the summer."

"Oh! I remembered those! Those could get pretty crazy sometimes…"

"But nothing compares to their pool parties. Man, the pranks Paul and Dan would pull on us sometimes!"

"HA! Tell me about it." Zac picked up the phone and began dialing.

Taylor looked at Zac curiously, "Who are you calling?"

"Vanna…" he answered, covering the mouthpiece. He removed his hand from it when someone picked up on the other line. "Hi, this is Zac, may I please speak to Vanna? Oh, I'm sorry… could you please have her call me back afterwards? Okay… thanks, bye." He hung up the phone and went back to his dinner.

"So who's this Vanna girl?" Taylor suddenly asked.

Zac picked off the sausage on his pizza, "She's sorta friends with Nathan and she went with us to the beach today. Vanna and Erika aren't really friends…" Zac said, answering one of the many questions forming in Taylor's hand. "I was calling to ask her something, but they're in the middle of dinner or something."

"Oh… what's she like?"

Zac gleamed in a way, that was different once again, Taylor noticed. It wasn't he way he gleamed whenever Taylor asked about Erika, it was different that time, very different. "Vanna, she's great. I've met her twice, but from what I know about here, she seems really nice… and pretty too."

"You like her something?" Taylor asked directly.

Zac looked away from his brother, "I guess… I'm not so sure yet but…"

the chat between the brothers went on, Zac having some odd look in his eyes.

Taylor wondered to himself, 'Could it be lust?'

Brushing her hair, Erika descended down the stairs. Her father, Michael met her at the bottom. A smile grew on her face when she noticed the twinkle in her father's eyes. It had been so long since the last time he'd been like this… like the way he use to and no so hot headed.

"Hey there, baby girl…" Michael looked at her smiling.

"Hi, dad… what's everyone up to?" she walked with him into the family room.

"Mom's making busy making dinner and little Tasha is playing." He sat down on the couch, turned on the television to the news. At the same time he read the paper. It never really made sense to Erika why her father would listen and read about the news at the same time; she also never took the time to ask.

Mary, Erika's mother, told her to not worry, and that no help was need in the kitchen except to set the table. Rather then waiting to do it later, Erika hopped right to it.

The phone rang.

"Erika!" Michael called from the family room. "Telephone for you…"

She set the napkins down on the table and scurried to her father, who was holding the phone out to her, "Thanks dad. Who is it?"

Michael whispered the answer, "It's your friend, Zac…" he winked at her and went back to the paper.

Erika took the cordless phone in her hands and walked up the stairs to her room, "Hi Zac…"

"Erika! Let me guess… by the sound of your voice, I'm guessing that you're in the exact same situation as me and that you've gotten sunburned really, really bad, right? Am I good or am I good?"

She giggled, "Oh please… yeah, Zac, uh-huh, that's exactly it!"

"See? I am good."

She sat down on her bed, "Well I never said that but…"

"HEY!!! That's not nice!" Zac pretended to sob over the phone.

"ERIKA, HONEY, I NEED YOU TO FINISH SETTING THE TABLE. DINNER IS ALMOST READY!" Mary called from downstairs.

"Just a sec, Zac… OKAY MOM!!!" she answered. "What was it you said, Zac? I'm sorry, I didn't catch it…"

"You're gonna be so happy for me, Erika. I took your advice and… I asked Vanna out…"

Erika drew her breath in and crossed her fingers, "And?" Zac grinned proudly, "She said yes…" Her breath was let out, Zac could hear. He watied patiently for her reaction.

Erika tightened her grip on the telephone, "That's great, Zac, just great."