"So?"
"Don't get smart."
"I'm not, the first thing you do is turn nasty."
"Did I? Do I have reason too?"
"No."
"Prove it."
"Stop acting like my father."
Dorin took a deep breath.
"Stop acting like a child."
"A child? I am anything but."
"Is this a new self confidence I see?"
"New self confidence? No, it's always been there."
Dorin sat back into his seat. Closing his eyes temporarily, he sighed.
"Dorin I don't think you understand."
"Understand what."
"She left last night cause she was mad."
"So then where did you go? Not your place because your mom called."
"Dorin, she wanted to go somewhere else."
"What about you? Didn't you have any say in this matter?"
"Well, yeah, but..."
"But what?"
"Nothing."
Dorin didn't feel let down. Maybe irritated his sister had gone off...
"Taylor. Answer me this, where did you guys go, and what did you do while there?"
Taylor blushed.
"Taylor, I mean it."
"I can't."
"Taylor damnit!"
Taylor sat foreward on the sofa. Sighing and staring at his shoes.
"Is mey in the car?"
"Uh huh."
"Taylor."
"Tell me."
"Why should I tell you if you already know?"
"I don't already know."
"Liar."
It was obvious that Taylor and Dorin had not noticed them. Matter of fact, quite so, they had yelled at eachother so much it was quite apparent.
The two of them had decided to go back to Zac's room, only to get away from more or less the talk of which they wanted nothing to do with.
"D man, that's like..."
"Gross?"
Zac finished his friends sentence for him.
"Did they really?"
"Dunno."
They sat in silence for a moment.
"Zac?"
"What?"
They turned to eachother.
"Han man! It's Christmas! Like, Christmas!"
Zac hanson frowned.
"Kay."
Taylor sat down on the cold step.
Dorin was so insistant, and Mercy had said she didn't want to talk about anything anymore. He had promised his lips were sealed.
She had sealed them for him.
It was cold out, and even though the sun was up, and slowly making it's way across the Christmas sky, it was still cold out.
Taylor watched as a small breeze blew hair across his face.
Tucking it back behind his ear, he wrapped his arms around him again.
His whole mind and picture were changed now. He really had no understanding of what the next few days would bring, the next few hours.
Dorin had promised himself to keep quiet, even though they had never really adressed the topic.
"This world is so friggin confusing."
Taylor rested his head in his hands, and closed his eyes.
"Tay?"
It was more of a mirical. He had actually fallen asleep, backwards, so instead of falling off the porch, he leaned against the house.
Mercy crawled up next to him.
"You've been here for a while."
Taylor looked at the street to see the water, where snow had melted from the suns heat. He watched a small stream flow down the sidewalk.
"How long is a while?"
"Bout 2 hours."
Two hours! Two whole hours! No! Impossible! Not that long.
She sighed.
"Mey."
She turned to him, pretending almost nothing had happened. Matter of fact, she looked like she barely knew him.
"Yeah?"
"How come?"
She looked away. The house across the street from them was dripping with water, the lawn held the reminiscanse of a snow man.
"Mey?"
"I don't know."
Taylor sighed.
"Don't know?"
"I don't."
He looked back at his hands.
"Mey."
"What."
He sighed again.
"What tay?"
"Mey, I don't think it made anything better."
She frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Did it cure your problems?"
She looked at him more intently.
"No."
"Did it make you any happier?"
"No."
"Did it make anything seem different now."
She paused.
"Mey, I don't think it was for the better."
She coughed.
"Mey, I know how you feel okay? I've been there before. I just don't know about last night."
She rested her head on his shoulder.
"Mey don't cry."
Trying her best, she held back tears.
It was so stupidly obvious, it didn't cure her problems, it hadn't changed anything, nothing at all. So where was she now? No better or worse off then before.
He put an arm around her, pulling her up next to him.
"Are they gone yet???"
"Zac! Sit down! We don't even have any in the house!"
Zac flumped down, somewhat disappointed.
"Don't be so anxious."
"Why not?"
Glaring at his friend, he looked back out the window.
"So then when dude?"
"Zac! Shut up already! I have to find some."
"I'm sure you have some in this house somewhere."
"No."
"Does jem have some?"
"I don't know."
"Would he give it to you if you asked?"
"Zac!"
"Just asking."
Zac Hanson was now about to get on his friends nerves.
"Don't ask! I'll tell you!"
Zac stuck his tongue out at his friend.
"Well how much longer am I supposed to wait?"
Dorin's heart sank more and more that week. It was just one of those times where you couldn't get warmed up, and you felt like you hadn't showered in three years, and last but not least, you felt like you were keeping some horrible horrible fact from the government that could save millions of peoples lives, just because you were too selfish yourself to die.
He walked around down town, Isaac and angie next to him.
"How was your christmas dude?"
He hated being a liar...to anyone.
"Oh, it was good. Yours?"
Angie frowned. Dorin wasn't usually so quiet and worn looking.
"It was pretty good. Mom and dad had us for a big breakfast, then all the kids opened santa presents."
Dorin smiled.
When exactly was the last time santa visited their house? When Zac was 4? 5 maybe?
"Did they have fun?"
"Oh I think so. Mack was just bouncing off the walls."
Dorin grinned.
Where on earth had that happiness gone too?
"Door, I've been meaning to ask you lately. Tay's been gone a lot this week, like, a lot, and he's been leaving and spending the night places, with mey man? You know that?"
Dorin winced. Of course Ike had to bring up, Taylor and Mercy, it was murphy's law.
"Yeah I know."
Isaac looked over at his friend.
The many shops they walked past looked fairly empty.
Most people were finished with the chrismas rush.
The sidewalks were almost empty, except for an occasional person that hurried on, head stuck down, staring at the walk instead.
"Lets look in here Hun!"
Angie and Ike made the cutest little couple. She clung to him, and he sassed her. They were completely compatible.
They looked in the window to the pet store.
"You need to take one home with you ike."
Dorin patted his friend on the back.
A small yellow lab puppy stared back at him, making tail wags and barking as if in protest to their lack of play.
Angie tapped on the glass, making kissing noises.
"Go in and see it if you want, I need to talk to Door real quick."
She walked around to the glass door, and stepped inside as the jingle of bells announced her.
"Door?"
"Ike, don't start."
"What's up dude, you seem so, depressed lately."
"Nothing."
"What's with tay?"
"Dunno."
"You know, I think you're hiding something from me."
"Where's mey been Door?"
"Dunno."
"So have tay and Mercy been hanging out lately?"
"Dunno."
"Where did they go on Christmas?"
Dorin paused.
"If you already knew then why are you drilling me?"
Wow. Sounded just like some other conversation he had taken part in.
"I just want you to know, it's no surprise. Zac told me."
"Zac?"
"Yeah, your bro and mine."
"Oh really? When did they hear this?"
"Oh door, they are kids, they just turned 13, you know, they found out that sneaking around gets them things."
"So. When did they hear this?"
"Oh say, when you and tay had a little talk and forgot the two minors on the floor?"
Dorin paused.
"You can't tell."
"Who am I going to tell?"
"You parents. Your siblings."
"Like I would."
"You could."
"I won't."
"You sure?"
"Promise."
Taylor walked down the street.
One of his friends tagged at his shoulder, talking about nonsense and looking in at stores,
"I have so much work to do this week! I have homework to boot!"
"Marc. Do you have to ramble?"
"Tay man! lighten up! It's Friday afternoon!"
Taylor sighed.
"Dude, want to do something tonight?"
"Can't."
"Tay! You've worked at the damn studio all week. You can't possibly have to go work there now!"
"Don't."
"Then what?"
"Me and Mey are going to a movie."
"A movie?"
Taylor shook his head. Now it was marc's turn to tease him.
"Don't even start in."
Marc ran around Taylor in a circle, slapping him on the shoulder with each pass.
"Okay, well, up here I'm going to let you go, I have to go home and start to work."
They walked in silence to the street corner where Taylor's friend turned off, waving good by to him, and cracking jokes as he walked away.
Taylor headed back down the street. His only plan had been to get out of a house, a building, a studio, and take in the fresh air. It was the middle of January, and it was still brisk out.
Watching the sidewalk as he moved on, he bumped into someone.
"Tay!! Aren't you too cute in that shirt!"
Taylor looked into Lissa's smiling eyes.
Standing up right, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a friendly hug.
"Boy I haven't seen you in forever!"
Taylor smilled, nodding his head.
"How's you and Mey?"
His grin grew broader.
"Is it a story that's deserving of coffee?"
