Three days later, Thursday.
Tomorrow is Ilana's wedding, and, now, here I am, standing outside the old church, the one down the street from the famous 'Hanson House'. "Wow, look, Tay." I said, gasping. I smiled at him, speed walking toward the old orchid tree. There, still in mint condition was the scronie carved heart with the initials 'A.M.L' and 'J.T.H'. It had a cute little heart in the center, in between our names. I didn't like the fact that he carved 'A.M.L', because it stood for Amanda Maxwell London. *grr* I never liked the Maxwell part, but hey, thats life. You move on, right? Death doesn't mean death, it just means loss, losing someone you love, right? I could only wish it were.
"Yeah, I know it's still there. Believe me, I know." he said, keeping something hidden in his voice.
"Why do you say that?" I questioned him, grabbing his hand and tugging him down next me. We plopped on the semi-warmed ground at exactly the same moment, and we smiled, laughing silently.
"I've seen that heart everyday for the past three years, hun. I would come out, at like 12:30 at night, after mom and dad were asleep and I would just sit here and stare at it."
"I'm sorry."
"Nah, don't be Manz, it was pretty inspiring. One of my favorite songs came from this very spot. You know 'Love Song' and 'Save Me'?"
"Mmm, from 'This Time Around', right? The 2000 release." See, I know my Hanson.
"Yeah. They were written' for you, about you, from you..ya know?" I smiled at him, my heart soaring. He really does love me, and I know it now, truly. Love conquers all.
"Mmm, I know." I told him honestly, believe me, I know.
"Are you guys coming in or what?" a high voice requested. I turned, my passionate gaze being shattered. I almost scolded myself for breaking it, but I didn't know I was being looked at so intensely until I stood up. It was Ilana, who was looking better then ever. She died her hair, its not dirty blonde anymore, it's jet black, with bright red highlights accenting it. She was chubbier then before, so she was about my size now, which was totally awesome, 'cz as I looked at her, I noticed her wardrobe kicked ass! Ilana stood there, in a pair of electric blue leather pants, hip-hugging type, with a breast tightening hippie shirt. It had ruffled tiny two inch shoulder sleeves, with embroidery over the chest, pink and orange roses. The rest of the shirt was just beaded color strings, they were thick, and there was two yellow ones that she has braided on each side, so it was open for her belly button to peak through. She looked quite old, but so young, well..hey..it's Ilana!
"Lana!" I gasped, recovering from my gazing spell. She smiled, rolling her eyes at me and pulling me into a hug. I almost didn't remember she was a lesbian, as if it matters anymore, Ilana is just plain ol' Ilana!!
"Aye, babe! So glad you came!" she pulled away from me, looking me over. She seemed alittle disappointed with my look, I wasn't all decked up like she was, but I wasn't exactly dressed down, either. I had on a three quarter melon orange v-neck tee-shirt, with a pair of bright read Capri-pants, the ones from Old Navy, from years back, the All-Terrain ones. My belly-button was pierced, it had just a plain silver ring in it, nothing fancy. My hair was back in two pig-tail braids, I had one elastic orange the other red, my lips weren't all silver like her's, they were just shiny from clear watermelon lip gloss. Cute? Aye, I guess! That's for Taylor to judge, not me.
"Hey Lan." Tay said, sticking his hands in my front pockets after he got up and wrapped his arms around me. I titled my head, smiling at him. We gazed over each for a moment, and when we returned to Lana, she was gawking at us, confused.
"What is going on here!" she shrieked, her head whirling in all directions, as if looking for someone. "Where's Matt?" Ah! She was looking for someone...Matt.
"Home." I told her simply, touching my hands to his, feeling his body heat rush over me, causing me to feel dizzy momentarily.
"Why? Don't you think he should of come? I wanted to see him again." she stated, pouting. I shook my head.
"He doesn't have to come, we aren't together anymore."
"I can see that." she remarked, noting Taylor holding me, rocking slightly.
"Ilana, didn't you want me to leave Matt?" I questioned her, confused. She always lectured me about coming back home, coming back to her, coming back to Taylor, and now she's turning against me? *grr*
"Mmm, I guess." she answered softly, turning her head away from me.
"Hey guys!" Oh, thank God, it was Ike. Just the guy I needed to see, well..not really, but he got me out of this mess.
"I was just think-" he was cut off by the slamming of the church door. Isaac and another women rushed in, Ilana hot on their tail.
"Cass! C'mon Cassady! It's over! There's-" he stopped, gawking at me. I stood, looking back and forth between Tay, Ike and the women. She wasn't exactly a sight too see, she seemed as if she couldn't care that she was here. Her hair hung loosely behind her head in a pony-tail, strands curling around her high cheek bones. She wore a loose grey skirt, paint splatters scattered through-out it, and she wore an inside out grey sweat-shirt, the sleeves pushed up at her elbow.
"Ike!" Taylor gasped, stepping toward me. He touched my waist, his fingers caressing my stomach momentarily before he locked hands with me and turned toward his brother. Everything was just starting to process through my mind, as I locked eyes with the women. It was Cassady, the girl who vandalized my house with such ugly, beautiful, disgusting, but ever-so-truthful words. Cassady, the girl who kept me away.
"Sorry Tay," Isaac replied, not loud enough for everyone to hear, but I just happen to see him speak it from the corner of my eye. He cleared his throat and stepped toward Cassady, trying to touch her. She pulled away, and I couldn't help but want to know why. "Um..Mandy, I want you to meet my friend Cassady." he instantly regretted saying it the way he said it, I could read it in his face.
"Yep, thats right, I'm just his friend, Cassady."
"Oh," I said, giving Isaac a sornful look, apologizing for anything I did that might have played a part in this. "Hello." I told her, unsure what I should do. Should I extend my hand in great offering, for treat her the way she deserves to be treated? Ah, I wish I could settle for both.
"You," Cassady snickered, gazing over me, "must be Mandy. Figures."
"Excuse me?" I shot back at her, letting go of Taylor's hands. What the hell crawled up her ass and died? When have I ever treated he back?
"Anyway, whateva," Cass said, her voice high and snotty. If I wasn't a mature eighteen year old, I would have got in her face, but I'm calm..I'm mature, right? She turned toward Ilana, smiling broadly. What a cheesy smile, she's such a flake. "I'm not hear on will, hun, so can I just leave?" How rude! *grr*
"Cassie! Girl, get real! You can't leave!" Taylor said, sounding almost as if he was mimicking her. I turned my head toward him, my body weak in the desire to punch the rude girl in front of me. No way did Cassady deserve Isaac, he was too good for this.
"Whateva. I'm so sick of your shit Taylor, ever since Ilana told you that Amanda was coming back to you, you've treated me like crap." she was spitting white by the time she turned back to me. "I may not know you, but I know what you did, and it's not fair that Taylor took you back! It's not fair I got stuck with the one I never wanted." Ohmigod! "The nation talked for months about how you treated Taylor, how you got up and walked off, but never once was I ever recognized, never once was I thanked for being here to hold them together! All the work I put into this, it isn't right. You leave and then, years later you come back expecting Taylor took drop everything and pull you back in his arms? How selfish are you for doing that!" she paused, sucking in deep air, not phased at all by the awed stares, and outrageous silence that ran through-out the church. "You don't deserve it!"
"And like you do!" I shrieked back, grateful for getting my say in this. "Your the one who kept me from coming back! I was always afraid of the 'Great Cassady' that the Switzerland tabloids always gloated about! But I finally came back, not knowing Taylor still loves me, and I come back, seeing you! I even cried every night for the past month thinking about going back and being afraid of you, but look at you! I'm ashamed I was scared of this." I sighed, my body feeling as if bricks were pulled off of my chest. My whole life was turning around, and I wasn't about to stop this feeling, not for a long time. "And, I feel even more worse of Isaac! He has to deal with this! Your being so god damn rude, you have no respect what-so-ever for anyone around you! I always knew you wanted Tay, now, doesn't it hurt that I've got him? Doesn't it hurt to look at your boyfriend's face and see the pain and tears in his face! What kind of any self-respecting women would do that to such a wonderful person, epesically to Isaac.-" I was far from finished, but I saw Cassady open her mouth and I allowed her to speak.
"Me? I hurt him! That doesn't matter! Look what you did to Taylor! Imagine all the pain you put him through, for what? Three, four years? Isaac will get over it anyway, I'm moving back to 'The City' soon. I don't think I am such a bad person for hating you for what you did to the Hanson family. I am pretty wonderful actually, and I am not seem like it, but I know how to get my way."
"We know." Taylor replied, laughing with enjoyment. Isaac, on the other hand, had tears in eyes, after all, wouldn't you? He just found out his 'girlfriend' was never in love with him, she had been in love with Taylor for her entire life time, tell me thats tough.
"Isaac, I'm sorry." I told him, totally forgetting that Cassady was even there. I stepped toward him, stopping when I was several inches away. He gazed back at me, his stare would look blank to the untrained eye, but to me, I knew what he was going through. I softly shook my head, and I saw him pull something from his over shirt's pocket. It was square, and I knew exactly what it was, almost instantly. "Oh, Ike." I gasped, wondering what his mind was telling him, what he was thinking.
"Cassady, I love you, and I thought you loved me too, but I see through it all now." Ike choked, and I stepped aside, looking back and forth between Tay, Cassady and Ilana. Ilana looked quite funny, her face was blank and her mouth gapped open and close, like a speech-less fish. "You always wanted to be with Tay, why didn't I see it?" he questioned, and I wondered if he didn't mean to say it. "I'd never do anything to hurt you, Cass, and I was planning on telling you how much I love you and if you would show your love and marry me. I'm so sorry you wanted it to be otherwise." He slowly opened the box, and almost immediately you could see the sparkling blue tint to the triangle diamond that was extremely fancy and very large in width. It was a big digger, and I almost had the urge to smack her for being so cruel to Isaac. Ilana and Cassady both let out a gasp when they finalized the look of the ring, and I laughed at them.
"I'm proud of you Ike, you tell her!" I said, giving him a pat on the back and walking toward Taylor. I took his hands in mine and I knew that this was exactly the time to do what I've always wanted to do. "I've wondered for years if I would be here, in this place, with you again. I've always wondered if we would still love each other as much as we did before I left. I'm so in love with you Taylor, and I want you to know that, so, seeing everyone is so cheery today, I finally want to let you know this." I paused, gazing around at everyone, ooh...Cassady's face was priceless, mm! "I love you Taylor, and I want to ask you if you love me also, before I say this." Here we go, I breathed, waiting for a reply from Taylor. He leaned his head down, as if minusing everyone else in the church.
"I love you always." he said broadly, his crystal eyes truthful and perminate. This really is love, the kind of love I always dreamed of, the kind of love I always had.
"Then, I know we are young, and we both have alot to do career wise, plus we are both to immature to raise a family, but I want to marry you." I told him, wondering if he understood what I meant.
"Ohmigod!" Ilana shrieked, jumping up and down, her smile non-fading. "Like a pre- marriage?" she questioned. Taylor rolled his eyes at her, and leaned down to kiss me. We exchanged simple-sweet kisses and I knew he felt that tingling sensation I felt in the pit of my stomach.
"I love Amanda London. I will always love you." Taylor said, pulling his mouth from mine. I smiled, wondering what the answer to my question.
"Tay and Mandy are getting married! Oh thats soo awesome!" Lana spoke, her voice piercing and proud.
"Oh yea, awesome." Cassady said, running down the isle and out the front door. I watched after it took her several minutes to open the heavy wooden door before she finally managed to run out.
"I can' believe it, my little brother is getting married!" Isaac said, over come with happiness, although in a bad time.
"I'm not getting married, we are too young to be married." Taylor stated, and I smiled, knowing he knew what I meant. "We are engaged, we'll marry when we are good and ready. A wedding is far to come." I lifted my head and kissed him, enjoying my life.
