She looked from face to face around the room. The three boys were definitely the Hansons. However, how she had gotten into their house was still a mystery to her. She couldn’t believe what had happened. And she couldn’t believe what she had just told them.
The oldest guy had thick, wavy, dark blond hair. His eyes were brown. He was either Zac or Isaac; she had never paid much attention to their names. The only one she knew for sure was the middle one - Taylor. Her only reason for knowing his name was the fact he had sang lead on the dreaded “MMMBop”. His blond hair was pulled back into a pony tail at the base of his neck and his blue eyes were probing. Finally, she looked at the youngest boy. His light blond hair hung loose around his shoulders and his brown eyes kept darting around the room. He was actually kind of cute - in a little brother kind of way.
“Your sister?” Taylor managed at last, his blue eyes growing slightly as he said it.
“What are your names?” the girl countered easily.
Taylor took it upon himself to do the introductions. He pointed to his oldest brother and said, “That’s Isaac.” Then, pointing to the younger boy, he said, “And this is Zac.” After a beat, he quickly added, “And I’m Taylor.”
The girl just nodded. “Oh,” was all she said.
There was a moment of silence. Isaac shifted uncomfortably. Zac looked off into a corner. Finally, Taylor asked, “Now, what were you saying about your sister?”
Abruptly, the girl stood. “Could I use a bathroom or something?”
“Yeah,” Isaac told her quickly. “It’s right down there,” he said, pointing.
The girl nodded politely and walked down toward where the oldest Hanson had pointed. She shut the bathroom door behind her and looked at herself in the mirror. Sighing at her reflection, she turned the faucet on the splashed cold water on her face.
Patting her skin with a towel, Tracy thought to herself, Okay, so I lied. It’s nothing big. Just my name. And not really even that. Chuck called me “Missy”, and, well, “Sheffield” . . .
Tracy again glanced at her reflection. Her light brown hair fell softly around the curves of her face. The green eyes that had always seemed so unique to her now gazed back like an old friend.
“Awe, man,” Tracy whispered. “I’m in trouble.”
She walked out into the hallway. “Hey, Missy,” Zac called, holding a glass in his hand, “are you thirsty?”
Tracy managed to smile at the little boy. “Yeah,” she said. “And . . . I’m a little hungry too - if you don’t mind . . .”
Zac looked into the kitchen. “Tay, have we got any food?”
From the kitchen, Taylor’s voice called, “Animal, haven’t we always got food?”
Tracy couldn’t help but giggle as she followed Zac into the kitchen. “Such an endearing nickname,” she said to Taylor as soon as he came into view.
Now, it was Zac who laughed. “You should hear what we call Ike,” he said. Without waiting for Tracy - or Missy - to ask what they called their oldest brother, Zac said, “Chewy.”
Again, Tracy couldn’t hide a smile. “That’s cute,” she sighed. Leaning up against a wall, she asked, “What about Taylor? What’s his nickname?”
Ike and Zac both looked up, deep in thought. Finally, Isaac said simply, “Tay.”
“Creative,” Tracy observed. “How on Earth did you come up with such a cleaver nickname?” she asked, grinning sarcastically.
Tay grinned as well. “Is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich okay?” he asked, his words irrelevant to the conversation.
“Yeah, fine,” Tracy said quickly, not caring what she was given to eat.
As Taylor on took the task of preparing Missy a sandwich, Zac picked up the former conversation.
“So, Missy,” Zac said slowly, eyeing the brown haired girl up and down in an interrogating fashion, “what’s your sister’s nickname?”
Tracy stared blankly at the cute little blond boy momentarily. Finally, his words registered with her. “Um, she doesn’t really have a nickname,” she replied at last.
“Like Tay?” Zac inquired.
“No,” Tracy replied. And then, before she could stop herself, she added, “I’ve never actually met her.”
Zac’s jaw dropped. “How can you not know your own sister?” he demanded.
Tracy opened her mouth automatically in order to reply, and was actually almost relieved that Isaac cut her words off. “Zachary,” he snapped through clenched teeth.
Zac just looked up at his brother innocently. “What?” he inquired.
“Here’s your sandwich,” Taylor announced in a voice louder than necessary. He walked between his brothers and handed a plate to their guest. Tracy nodded a thank you and started on her sandwich.
That was close, Tracy scolded herself. Why are you so damn impulsive?
As usual, the other side of Tracy’s conscious had to make it’s presence known. Zac just looks so trustworthy. With a face like that, how can he not be?
Trust nobody! Do you understand? Nobody!
“Um, good sandwich?” Zac asked slowly, carefully.
Tracy looked up and gave a small smile to him. “Yeah. It is. Thank you.” The last sentence she spoke was aimed at Taylor. He gave a nod in return.
When she was finished eating, Isaac cleared his throat. “You’re, uh, not from around here, are you?” he asked.
“That obvious?” she asked, a hint of sarcasm in her tone. Before he could respond, she added, “I’m from Wichita.”
Isaac and Tay’s mouths dropped in unison. Zac gaped at her momentarily before asking, “Wichita, Kansas?”
With wry amusement, Tracy replied, “No, dear, Wichita, Mexico. Yes, Kansas.”
Taylor nodded. “And you came from Wichita, Kansas, to here in Tulsa to -”
“Find her sister,” Zac interjected. “Right, Missy?”
Tracy looked into Zac’s face. “Yeah, that’s right, Zac,” she said.
Next Chapter
The "ON" Index
The Story Index
