"Shh." he replied, his fingertip gracing my lips momentarily. "She's in her bedroom, talking to Mike I think." he told me.
"Her boyfriend?" I asked, no one told me Jessica had gotten herself a boyfriend.
"Yeah. He's pretty nice." Tay whispered back, his reached for my hand and pulled me close to him, so close I could suck his sweet cologne in and exhale with passion for him. He knocked on the door, just to be safe, pushing me from his presence. I smiled, pressing my free hand by his left shoulder blade. He was still muscular, quite the heartthrob. "Jess?" he said, turning the knob and opening the door.
"Ah, sexy, hold on." Jessica laughed into the phone. I heard her, she sounded much more flirtatious from the image Ike had portrayed her to be. "Yeah Tay?" she asked, standing up.
"I have a surprise for you." he said, "c'mere," he whispered, turning toward me. I smiled, brushing my hair from my flushed face as I stepped into the door way.
"Ohmigod! AMANDA!" she shrieked, her voice screeching into the pink phone she held tight to her ear. Just like me, when I was younger. Now, I don't use a pink cordless, like her, I use my never-done-ringing orange cell-phone. I didn't pay for it, my company did. Which, shall I gloat, is wonderful. "I missed you so much!" she squealed, jumping against me, her body warm as she hugged me tight. I laughed at her, that was the exact way I use to hug Taylor when he came back from a promo. Luckily, he isn't as much into his music as he used to be at 16. Of course, his life is still music, but now, at nearly twenty, he has slowed his life down so he could enjoy his last few months of being a teenager.
"Wow, Jessica, I'm glad to be back." I said, kissing her hair. She giggled, pulling away from me, her right arm still around me as she brought her cordless up to her ear.
"Ohmigod Mike, ohmigod." she breathed to him, shock tingling her body. She hadn't the slightest hint that I would be here, never in a million years.
"Calm down Jessie, it's just Mandy." Zac teased, stepping into the room. I watched as she waved her brother away, her tongue showing out to him.
"Mikey, Mandy is back." I'm guessing he knew about me, I smiled to myself. "Yes! I'm so glad, I haven't seen her in three, almost four years, I'm so happy! Look, hun, I'll call you back later, when Mandy and I have finished catching up on our lost years." she nodded, and I assumed Mike was talking. Who is this Mike kid, anyway? I felt like asking her, as I gazed at Tay. He smiled at me, his hair layered around his passionate eyes. My heart melted, this was so wonderful. My life was back, and I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with happiness when Jessica called me Mandy. This is my life now. This is it, this is what I've waited three years to get back. "Alright sexy, I love you too baby." Wow, I wondered, she really loves this kid huh? I watched her hang up, and I couldn't help but smile at the memory that floated in the back of my mind. I use to talk like that to Tay sometimes, when the moment was called for. Of course, I wouldn't have said it with three people in the room. :-)
Zac stepped next to me, and his hand lingered by my shoulder before he placed his arm around my shoulders. I turned, smiling at him. "I'm glad your back Mandy." he said. I kissed his cheek, of course though, I had to stand on tip-toes and he had to lean down so I could reach his cheek. For a two month 18 year old he was almost as tall as Taylor, who was about an inch or so taller then Ike. Ike stopped growing, I assumed.
"Good to be ba-" I was cut off by Jess, who tightened her grip around my waist and tugged me away from Zac. I don't think he would have let go of me if we were in this same spot three years prior. But, being the "grown man" he is now, I don't think he'll fight over the stupid things anymore.
"OKay boys, as much as we both love you, Mandy and I would like to be alone."
"Ohh-la-la!" Zac teased a big sexy grin on his childish face. Grr, I smiled, still the same ol' Zac.
"Not like that, idiot." Jessica used her free hand to shove her brother hard in the chest. He jumped back, standing by Taylor, who shot him a warning look. Tay was always the peace keeper. Jessica than turned me toward a bright orange and blue bean bag by the end of her back, and nudged me to go get comfy, for we were about to have a sludge-night. An all girls night. Maybe we could include Avery, if she was home. I hope so, that would be so cool, I thought to myself. "Bu-bye boys." Jess said once again, as she use both her hands to grab her older brothers by the sleeves and shove them out the door. Locking the door behind them.
"So...," I began, watching Jessica turn toward her radio on, and then dive on her bed, the phone by her head. She rolled onto her stomach, propping her head up in her hands as her elbows sunk into the silver satin sheets that covered her bed.
"Isn't Mike so dreamy?" she asked, dreaming. I rolled my eyes, laughing at her.
"I would tell ya if I knew him." I replied innocently. I dug myself low in the bean bag, crossing my right leg over my left, looking at her from over my knee.
"Oh? I thought Ike told you!" she gapped.
"Noppers." I said, smiling. "Spill it girl!" I mocked. She laughed, bopping her head to the beat of an unfamiliar song.
"Well, Mike is the one. Ya know? When you look into his eyes, it tingles your entire body, and your soul urns for him to hold you and to tell you he loves you. Like you know he's the one? Mom and Dad tried to break us apart, because they caught us fooling around, but I got really depressed, so they gave me their ol' *If-your-going-to-have-sex-be-safe* speech...-" I cut her off, laughing.
"Their still doin' that? You'd think they'd get over it after a while, they did it to me and Tayl...," I trailed off, tears welling in my eyes. Any second, I was afraid, they'd fall down my cheeks, staining my lips.
"I know. They told me they didn't want to be repetitive, but they knew how much they hurt you, and all they wanted to do was protect us both." she told me. I smiled, realizing through her words that they honestly were trying to protect Tay and I. Maybe if I realized it three years ago, Tay and I would still be the same way we always were, and I wouldn't have to be taught the rules of "Hanson" living all over again.
"Oh. I know that now." I laughed, pretending as if it had no effect on me.
"Did you bring Matt?"
"No." I said flatly.
Her beautiful face fell. She got up, walking to her closet, opening the door. Her closet wasn't at all like the last time I saw it, when Tay had his socks in it. It was neatly separated, and it had an extension, where it was now a complete walk in.
"Why not?" her muffled voice peak from within the closet depths.
"We had a fight..," I smiled almost, "I left him."
"You did?" she said, her head peaking out at me, a huge grin on her face.
"Yeah."
"Are you gonna go back?"
"No." I told her, "I'm moving back here." Finally, I'm moving back to the place I belong. The place where I was invented. The place where I am, me.
"Great! So are you takin' Tay back?" she didn't let me answer though, she called for me to come over to the closet, so I did. Now, moments later, she stood next to me. "What size are you?"
"Four." I told her, wondering why she meant for that answer.
"Good. I'm a three/four. Your comin' to the Winter-Wonder Ball with me tonight." she said, smiling.
"Am I?" I laughed. "Do you have a dress?"
"Me? Of course."
"Well I don't, guess I can't go. Plus I have to go to Zac's to unpack, remember?"
"Unpack? Please!" she snorted, laughing, as she pulled me into the full depths of the closet. "You have a life time to unpack. Anyway," she said, rummaging through a rack of all gowns, all shear, pastel colors. All sparkling, all beautiful. "This one is a four, I bought it last year, for the semi-formal. But, if we take the jacket off, we can snip off the straps and add some more red gemstones, and we're all set." I smiled at her, looking at the dress she held up toward me. It was a pink gown, it was shiny fabric that covered the breast part, and it had Navy Blue and Purple colored gems that lined the top. But, I had to disagreed with her idea of the rebirth of the dress.
"Well, Jess, lets put it this way," I hummed, taking the dress from her and holding it up to me, gazing at myself in her full-length mirror. "We are gonna totally change this dress, okay?"
"What'd ya have in mind?" she giggled, pulling a box out from under all the gowns, and plopping down on the floor. "Let's get started."
