He lay, listening to the conversation coming from the kitchen, not paying much attention to it.

His face hurt, ached a little, he was sure that would subside through the day, but his hands.

He lifted up to get a better look at them.

They were now covered in gauze bandage, and lightly held on with a peice of tape. Small splotches of red covered them.

He winced.

Zac stirred next to him, glancing over, he held his breath.

Sitting up as carefully as he could, one, so as not to wake Zac, and two, to enflict as little pain as possible on himself.

Throwing the blankets off himself, and pulling himself over Zac, Taylor felt the hard floor under his feet and stood.

He was stiff. Extremely so.

Stretching what muscles he could, he made his way to the kitchen, yawning and sighing.

"Look who's up."

Mercy glanced from her book. She had actually been worried about him last night. She now wondered had gotten into her. He was a guy, he would deal with it.

"Bright and cheery morning to you too mey."

She looked at him. This time without the eye rolling.

"How can you stand to be so perky?"

Standing up from her stool, she walked out into the living room, and up the stairs.

Dorin chuckled.

"She likes you Tay, it's a given."

Taylor's cheeks turned bright red.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Dorin smiled.

"It's obvious man, she's like, struggling inside man."

Taylor put on his best scowl. Waving one hand at Dorin.

"Shyeah...whatever."

Dorin's smile was wide, as he reached for the orange juice.

"Oh! like I'm not other days."

Zasc scowled at his sister.

"Fine, sheesh, I'll be nice to the guy."

He went back to rumaging through his drawers.

Today, of all days, was a video day. The first ever experience making a video.

Mercy made no effort whatsoever to get ready. SImply stating she could tell them what to do and they would get her ready.

Zac sat around waiting. Watching people scuffle around, hurridly, as though they had better things to do then this video.

"You D! Man what's up?"

Zac hanson ran over from the door.

"Nothing. This is so entirely boring I think I'm ready to sleep."

Zac laughed.

"Just wait. It gets better."

"So how's Taylor?"

They had gone home not 4 days ago, and had not been by to say hey lately.

"Or should I say, how mad are your parents?"

"They weren't too mad, a little irritated. Tay said it wasn't anyone's fault but eric's and he's taken care of. They are okay with it now."

"Yeah, I bet."

"So. Since you refuse to tell me what song you guys are doing......care to tell me now?"

"Awww, han the man, I can't."

They laughed.

"Zac! Get your but over here!"

"I'll just wait here D."

Zac stood from the chair he was sitting in. Walking clumsily over to Mercy, who was standing by Dorin, who was yelling at Jeremy.

And so it began.

"I'm not using anything against you. You seem to think you're the only one in the room with feelings."

"Bullshit! Taylor, you are the one stretching this whole fight thing way over what it should be! I'm fine with it!"

Taylor's brow was scrunched. Sometimes he didn't understand her one bit. Or maybe no one understood her.

"I'm not using it! For crying out loud Mey! If I was you'd know it!"

She rolled her eyes.

"Leave me alone."

She always said that. Then would spin away like a child.

"Don't walk away Mercy."

She turned, looking him straight in the eye.

"Don't even start with me Taylor Hanson. I'm not in the mood."

"That's just the thing! You're never in the mood. You treat me like shit Mercy."

Mercy's heart sank. No she thought, she wasn't that mean to him. Was she?

"Taylor I'm not so unbearably mean to you."

"Yeah. Whatever."

He threw himself onto the sofa. Staring at the blank television screen.

"Taylor. If you have a problem...."

"The only problem I have is that from day one, you've treated me like dirt. I don't have a clue what the hell I did to you."

She sighed.

"You don't look like it phases you in the least."

"How would you know! You never pay attention to me other then to tell me to screw off!"

She frowned.

Looking up at her, Taylor could not help but feel self pitty. He couldn't help that he liked Mercy. He may not love her as in true love. There was something about her that made him feel attatched, even though she surely didn't want it.

"Taylor I don't mean to say anything hurtful."

"Well you do."

"Can't you take sorry?"

"Is that all it is to you? A word? You know, an insult is like a stone. If you throw it out, and it hits someone and hurts them, you can't take it back. I remember every nasty thing you've said to me Mey."

Frowning harder, she spun towards the kitchen. Walking quietly there, she walked to the back door. Slamming it shut after her.

Taylor lay his head on the arm of the sofa. Closing his eyes just to think, he heard a car pull up.

Not bothering to sit up, he waited.

The front door swung open, and in walked Dorin, a girl on one arm, and Jeremy close behind.

"Hey tay."

Taylor sat up. Hearing his name and to find who this girl was.

"Oh! Taylor hanson. Aren't you cute!"

Dorin smiled, and walked to the back of the house.

"May I ask who you are?"

"Oh, I'm Mey's friend, Lissa."

"Nice to meet you lissa."

She paused, looking at him quizically, she thought.

"You look depressed man. What's up?"

Good lord. So Ike was right about the chicks reading your mind. And boy could they do it well.

Putting on a smile, he took a deep breath.

"Nothing worth talking about."

She smiled.

"Liar."

Damn. There she went again.

"I bet you had your heart broken or something....maybe?"

He shook his head.

Was she just stabbing around? Make wild guesses?

"I know. Maybe you were, oh, I don't know, say, I know! You were seperated from your multi million dollar car!"

Jerking my chain. At least she had humor. Unlike, some people in this house. Ehem, Mercy.

Lissa walked to the kitchen, being followed obediantly by Jeremy.

Mercy sat on the back porch, looking out into the alley, watching a cat rumage through the garbage.

"Liss, you know, this sucks."

Her friend reached over and put an arm over her shoulder.

"This can't suck hun, in days, you will be on Mtv, cryin' your heart out to that cute carson vj, and every hot guy in america will see your picture and say, 'hey, that is one hot babe!'"

Mercy giggled.

"That's not what I meant lissa."

"Well then, what did you mean?"

"Well. Now that Zac is like, best friends with Zac hanson, he brings Taylor and Isaac over all the time. I can't get away from them."

Lissa looked confused.

"Taylor is utterly impossible to be around. Zac is fine to be around, and Isaac, leaves me alone. But me and taylor, man, we never quite nagging eachother."

Lissa smiled to herself.

"Mey."

Mercy turned to her now serious friend.

"What?"

"Liss! What!"

Lissa's smile turned into a beaming grin.

"No way lissa, nu uh, that's out of the question! What are you thinking!"

Lissa started laughing. Playfully giving Mercy a noogie.

Their single had sold like hotcakes, matter of fact, stores had said they were having a tough time keeping it on the racks.

Zac thought of it just as some sort of begining phase, and it would die down, but over the week it had been released, it had not made a substancial drop.

Mtv, amongst places in LA, Las Vegas, and New York had made the debut of their first video fairly large and well known. They were at #9 on Mtv's total request, and had entered only 2 days earlier.

All Zac's friends told him of rumors that had already started passing around their school. So what, they couldn't deal with ANOTHER pop star from tulsa? They'd learn.

Their favorite bouncer had called them up the previous month and offered his services for them, and they, had generously accepted.

They were now due, at the release of their album, to fly first, to California, then to new york.

Zac sighed.

Was it always going to be this hecktik? He could not help but wonder. He had seen the Hanson's concerts one too many times to realize that, yes indeed it must be nice to have all those fans, but screaming all the time? No, he couldn't do that."

He sat up from his bed, staring at the digital clock on the nightstand.

Hearing the phone ring downstairs, he stood, subconciously walking to his door and down to the living room.

"Hey Zac! Phone!"

He lightened up. Racing to the kitchen, and grabbing the reciever from Jem, he held it to his ear.

"Hello?"

click.

"Helllloooooo?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he hung up.

"Who was it Zac?"

"Dunno, wrong number I think."

"Oh."

The phone rang again.

Cocking his head to the side, he slowly reached for the reciever.

"Hello?"

Zac shivered.

There was only slow breathing on the other line, no voice, just breathing.

"Gonna talk or just sit there?"

He shivered again.

click.

Looking oddly at the phone he hung it up.

Turning, he walked away. It started ringing again, this time, Zac left it.

Chapter 26 ~*BACK*~