"Me too!" she had exclaimed as they settled into their booth. Dinner had gone well. They'd made jokes about everything; from teachers to politics.
Deciding they weren't quite ready for the evening to be over, they went out for ice cream. She'd ordered chocolate double-nut fudge, and he'd ordered a banana split. Then, they headed for a drive through the 'burbs. He didn't make a single move on her, which she appreciated, and when he saw that it was getting close to her curfew (which he remembered on his own) he drove her home.
Randy is so sweet, she thought, kicking off her shoes. She flopped down on her bed. As she looked up to her clock on the nightstand, she saw a picture of she and Taylor right before he'd gone off to California. Their arms were slung around each other's necks, and they were grinning like oxes. We'd just won the community basketball league championships, she remembered. Her nose wrinkled and she groaned. Quickly, she reached out to turn the picture face down, not wanting to see the accusations in his eyes.
We didn't even kiss, Taylor, she told him mentally. We didn't even kiss...
Taylor and Isaac looked up from the jigsaw puzzle they were working on. Their dad was calling them from downstairs.
They got up and sprinted to their dad, who was already waiting in the kitchen with their mother, Zoe, and Zac. They looked from face to face. Zac seemed as confused as they did.
"What is it?" Isaac finally asked.
"Guys, we've got good news," Mr. Hanson told them.
"What?" Taylor and Zac blurted simultaneously.
"Your latest single hit #1," Mrs. Hanson said, grinning. The boys all sighed, relieved, and began to laugh and give each other high fives. The first two releases off their new album had done well, but neither had hit number one. This was GREAT news.
"But," their father said over the hubbub, "you're gonna have to go on tour."
The boys stopped abruptly. "Whhhhaaaaat?" they asked in unison.
"I know it's in the middle of school and everything, and I KNOW we said we didn't want you to go off until you had a break or until after semester, but Mercury is pushing for you to tour."
The guys looked at each other uncertainly. Slowly, Zac said, "What are we gonna do about school?"
"I guess we'll go back to homeschooling," Mr. Hanson said with a shrug. "Or try to get you some sort of special...leave of absence. Maybe you could attend classes over the internet or something. We're going to have to discuss this with your teachers and the school administrators."
"When?" Taylor asked.
"Right after Thanksgiving."
"BUT THAT'S IN TWO WEEKS!!!" he shouted.
"Taylor, calm down," their father instructed. "I know when Thanksgiving is, but I can't help it. We'll be home for Christmas and New Years, but you've got shows booking right and left."
"When does it look like it will end?" Isaac asked.
"Around March or April. Maybe May, if it goes well," Mrs. Hanson said. "I'm REALLY sorry if there was something you were wanting to do."
"I wanted to play on the basketball team," he muttered, but looked away. He didn't want to seem ungrateful.
"Tay, if you want to wait until after basketball season, I can call and tell them that we have a slight problem with the schedule," his dad told him.
"Will it cause a lot of backup in the plan?"
"We may have to cramp some of the shows, yes."
Taylor shook his head. "All systems go."
"Are you sure?" Mr. Hanson doublechecked. Taylor flashed him a weak smile.
"Positive," he said. "I'm getting to do what most kids could only dream about."
"I just don't want you to be unhappy," Mr. Hanson assured him.
"The tour isn't what's making me unhappy; it's not basketball, or tour buses, or tight schedules," he said softly. "It's a girl."
"Oooh," he said. He looked at his wife and other two sons. "Everybody out."
It was left just to Taylor and Daddy Hanson; talking man to man.
