Lacey Kidman woke up with the sun in eyes and her puppy, Madeline, happily licking her nose. Madeline, of course, had been named from the Hanson song. From the outside Lacey was just another Hanson fan...owning all their albums and magazines and posters...but there was something extremely different about her. She had actually grown up with who the world now knows as THE Zachary, Taylor, and Isaac.
Lacey sat up and rubbed her eyes, yawning and waiting for herself to totally wake up. She put on her slippers and walked downstairs to the kitchen where her mom was making breakfast.
"Morning Mom," Lacey said. She stood leaning on the counter for awhile in thought, "Mom, what if they don't remember me? What if they don't recognize me or remember my name or..."
"Lacey," Mrs. Kidman interrupted, "Stop worrying! You KNOW that would never happen! You guys grew up together, you played with them every day of your life honey. Just cause Ike, Zac, and Tay happened to get the chance to live their dream doesn't mean they've forgotten their past! And hey, I talked to Diana last week...she said they're looking forward to coming home and seeing everyone. Honey don't torture yourself...they probably think about you all the time..." Lacey's mom continued with a little wink and smile. Lacey wasn't really worried that they'd actually forgotten her...she was just so nervous. She hadn't seen them in over a year and a half.
Lacey finished breakfast and went upstairs. She sat on her bed and began remembering all the time she'd spent with the Hansons...she remembered the time when she and Taylor were 8, Ike was 10, and Zac was 5. Lacey was the only girl that the three guys would ever play with, since all the other girls had "cooties". That's not how they thought of Lacey, since she was such a tomboy...she always had her chin-length blonde hair and had always worn jeans and tank tops and sneakers, and would always rather play with frogs than Barbies :) There was one time though, when Taylor had actually started treating her more like a girl. Isaac and Zac had gone to a pee-wee soccer camp and instead Tay went over Lacey's and asked if she wanted to go swimming down at the lake. Lacey ran up and put on her bathing suit then challenged Taylor to a race. They ran all the way to the lake and plopped down on the grass under their favorite willow tree near the dock. That lake was kind of their hide-out. Not many people went swimming there so usually they could splash around and make as much noise as they wanted. So that particular day, when were lying in the grass and staring through the tree at the clouds, Taylor turned over and looked at Lacey...
"What are you staring at me for?" Taylor asked her.
"I don't know. Well, I was just thinking...do you think it's gross for a boy to kiss a girl?" Lacey stuttered. Something like that sounded funny coming from herself.
"Uhhh...." Taylor sat there thinking for awhile, then shot Lacey a strange look. "Why Lace?"
"Cause this girl in my class at school chases all the boys at recess and makes them kiss her. I just wondered what it was like and..."
Taylor stared at her for a second, then surprisingly leaned over and kiss her REALLY quickly on her mouth. "There...it wasn't that great was it?" Taylor asked a stunned Lacey.
"Taylor Hanson! I didn't say you could do that," Lacey shrieked, trying to hide the fact that she was quite flattered.
Taylor just grinned and shrugged his shoulders, stating, "Well I don't like you like that anyway. For all I know you could have cooties like every other girl in Tulsa." He kept making desperate attempts to hide the fact that he didn't regret it. Finally he stood up and looked at the lake. "Last one in has to kiss the other AGAIN!" he yelled and ran for the dock. Lacey shot up like a bullet and made sure they jumped in at the same time so no one had to kiss anyone again...
Now, 6 years later, Lacey laughed at that little typical day in the life of an 8-year-old. It was hard for her to believe she was actually reuniting with the Hansons again that very day. It seemed like years ago that she'd stood in their driveway with tears rolling down her face, waving goodbye to them as they pulled away for the airport to go to LA. She'd always known that they could be famous from the beginning, since they'd always loved music and were constantly doing it. Still, it was strange for her to accept that it had actually happened...her 3 best friends were famous around the world, and she hadn't even talked to them since that day they left to record their album.
Lacey finally snapped out of her little daydreams and walked across her room to her dresser. She stared in the mirror and realized how much she'd changed in the past year and a half. Her hair was now dirty-blond and halfway down her back. She'd begun to dress much more like a girl, and act like it too...after losing the Hansons, she had to make new friends- and they ended up being girls. She also got permission to redecorate her room a few months ago, and her walls changed from yellow paint to flowered wallpaper. She was so different now, and suddenly hoped she hadn't changed too much for Taylor, Isaac, and Zac to still like her.
'You're just being paranoid', Lacey told herself. 'They couldn't have forgotten me...'
Meanwhile, Taylor Hanson was in his family van staring out the window. He couldn't help but wonder if Lacey had changed at all..and if she'd still treat Taylor the same. He also wondered if Lacey ever knew that since that day they kissed at the lake, he vowed that someday he'd tell Lacey how much he liked her...that she wasn't just another one of the guys- she was one of his best friends. He just also hoped she wouldn't think he had changed from the past year and a half in the spot light...
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Chapter Two
