“Willow?” a voice startled me from my thoughts, and I turned suddenly to face the door. Alex was standing in the doorway, a binder in his hands. “Johnson asked me to bring this up to you.”
“Oh, um, thanks,” I replied, getting up and going to take the binder from him. He lingered for a moment, watching me place the binder on top of a neat pile at the edge of my desk. I paused and looked back at him expectantly. “Can I help you with anything?”
“Oh, no. Sorry. I was just noting how organized you’ve become in such a short time,” he stated. I nodded.
“Yeah, I just needed a little time to get used to things,” I explained. He nodded a little in agreement, then turned to leave again, but stopped.
“Hey, we’re going to be ordering some Italian for lunch today? Are you interest?” he asked. I smiled, suddenly feeling like I was being accepted in the company.
“Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll just grab a sandwich from the lunch cart or something,” I replied.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah-” I was cut off by the beeping of the intercom in my phone.
“Ms. Carter, there is a gentleman here by the name of Lang to see you,” the secretary told me. I reached over and hit the reply button.
“Thank you, please send him in,” I said. When I looked back at the door, Alex was gone. I quickly looked in the mirror that was hanging on the wall opposite me to double check my appearance, then sat back down at my desk. A minute later, there was a knock on the open door, and I looked over to see Johnny standing there. I smiled and stood up, waving him in.
“Hey, I’m not interrupting you or anything, am I?” he asked, stepping into the office. I shook my head.
“No, I was just in between projects,” I assured him, giving him a little hug. “What’s up?”
"Nothing, I was just…” he trailed off, then gave me a sheepish smile. “You know, I really like being friends with Isaac, but I really like being friends with you too. I don’t think I can appease him and stay away from you.”
“Aww, that’s sweet,” I said, smiling politely. Inside I was falling apart. Isaac had told him to stay away from me? How fair is that? Johnny shrugged.
“It’s the truth. And seeing as I’m leaving tomorrow, I just wanted to stop by and say goodbye in person,” he said. I glanced over at the clock on the wall, and saw that it was 12:15. I gave Johnny a smile.
“Well, what are you doing now? I was just thinking of going to grab something for lunch. Would you like to join me?” I invited. A smile spread across his face and he nodded.
“Sure, that would be nice,” he agreed. I grabbed my purse and followed him out of my office, closing the door behind me. As we walked towards the elevators, I couldn’t help but notice Alex’s eyes following us.
“Nothing,” I replied. He put his arm around my shoulders.
“How’s work?” he asked. I stepped away from him.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” he questioned, confused. “Don’t ask you how work is, don’t touch you?”
“Isaac, you’re my best friend, and you know I love you,” I said, then I paused for a second before suddenly turning around and lunging at him, gently punching him with my fists. “But how could you do this to me?!”
“Whoa, stop!” he cried, putting his arms up to shield himself. He tried to grab my wrists but I somehow managed to keep hitting him.
“What gives you the right to tell people to stay away from me? Especially people that I care about!” I said, hitting him right in the stomach and causing him to double over.
“I can explain,” he insisted. “Just stop!”
He tried to push me away gently, but my foot got caught and I stumbled back onto the floor with a thud. His eyes widened and he knelt down over me. “I’m so sorry, Will, I didn’t mean to do that. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Don’t touch me,” I insisted, pushing him away. He backed away and I stood up on my own, then tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. We looked at each other uneasily for a second before I leapt at him again. He was ready this time and put his hands up, capturing my wrists and holding them so that I couldn’t hit him. I knocked him back and this time he fell, bringing me down with him.
“Willow, stop it! You’re acting like a child,” Isaac exclaimed, fighting to keep a hold of my wrists. I struggled and squirmed, trying to free myself as I kneeled above him.
“I don’t care! You can’t just go around telling people who you feel are threatening to you to stay away from me. It isn’t fair!” I stated, finally freeing one wrist and trying to scratch his hand to get my other wrist free.
“Ow! I wasn’t threatened! I was jealous,” he told me. I paused for a second.
“Oh, that explains everything,” I said sarcastically, then catching him off-guard by starting to hit him again. He gritted his teeth and managed to overpower me, and somehow he flipped us over. I now found myself on the bottom of the pile. I scowled at him. “No fair. You’re stronger than I am.”
“Which just goes to show that you shouldn’t try to beat up people who are bigger than you are,” Ike informed me smartly. He kneeled over me, pinning my arms to the floor by my wrists. “Okay, now, no more hitting. Calm down. Let’s just talk about this”
“There is nothing to talk about! You tried to chase Johnny away from me because you were jealous,” I stated, managing to control the level of my voice. “I have never known you to be so spiteful and mean, Isaac Hanson.”
He looked down at me seriously, a somber look coming over his face before he let go of my wrists and stood up. I froze in place for a second, trying to figure out what was going to happen. When I saw that he had walked away, I also stood up. “I wasn’t trying to be mean, Will. I was just… I was hurt and confused.”
“By what?” I asked, stepping up beside him. He gave me a weary look, and I held my hands up innocently. “No hitting, I promise.”
“I was just trying to figure out what it was that Johnny had and I didn’t that attracted you,” he admitted. I couldn’t help but smile, and when he looked over at me, he scowled. “Oh, that’s great. You think this is funny.”
“Well, yeah, Ike. You feel threatened by a non-existent attraction,” I explained to him.
“What?”
“I’m not attracted to Johnny like that. He’s a good person and yes, I like being around him. But we’re just friends, and that’s all there ever will be. What first drew me closer to him was the fact that he was so much like you,” I said. Ike looked at me cautiously.
“Really?” he asked. I nodded.
“Here was this guy who was an exact replica of my best friend without actually being my best friend, and not having the name Hanson,” I continued. Ike glowered a little.
“What’s wrong with the name Hanson?” he asked. I smiled and put my hand on his arm.
“Nothing. I love that name. But it’s yours, not his. It makes you special.”
“I am pretty special,” Ike agreed, joking. I smiled, and he finally did too. “I’m sorry that I went behind your back and made a mess of this.”
“Its okay. I think you need to apologize to Johnny, though. He leaves tomorrow morning,” I informed him. Ike nodded, and threw himself down onto the couch.
“Oh, this has been a horrible week…”
“How’s it going?” he asked. I held up a finger to silence him for second until the digital thermometer beeped, and I took it out of my mouth. Tay came into the room and sat down beside me on the bed. I peered at the numbers on the thermometer.
“Nope, no fever,” I replied, then looked up at him happily. “This means I’m getting better.”
“Yes it does,” he agreed, brushing his hand down the side of my face.
“Can I go out and play now?” I joked in a small voice. Tay grinned at me.
“No… but you can stay in and play,” he said, smirking a little. I raised my eyebrows, then pulled my arms around him and pulled him down until he was kneeling over me. He leaned down and kissed my mouth before sighing a little. “We shouldn’t…”
“Shouldn’t we?” I asked, confused. He shook his head, then sat up.
“You need to rest,” he said, distracted. I gave him a questioning look as he took the thermometer, then walked across the room to the adjoining bathroom to clean it and put it away.
“Tay, are you alright?” I asked, sitting up and watching him.
“Yeah, why?” he replied, closing the medicine cabinet and reentering the room.
“I don’t know, you just seem…distant,” I told him. He shrugged a little, then turned to leave. “Does it have anything to do with Zac and Reagan?”
He paused, then turned around to look at me. I patted the bed beside me and he sat down again. “Meg, it really doesn’t bother me that much, it’s just… They’re so young. What about college? What about the band? We travel and are gone so much, Reagan will be left alone all the time to care for this tiny little baby. She’s just a child herself.”
“Tay, there’s really nothing that can be done now. She’s going to have that baby. She would never get rid of it, I know that, and Zac would never agree to it,” I said softly, rubbing his arm a little. “They have so many people around them like us to love and support them. Don’t let this upset you like this.”
“I know…” Taylor trailed off, shaking his head a little. He looked over at me for a second before smiling slightly. “I’m actually a little jealous too.”
“Really?” I asked, surprised. He nodded.
“I love kids, I can’t wait until we start planning for our own…”
I smiled and took his hand. “Don’t worry Tay, we will have kids. Just not right now, that’s all,” I replied. He squeezed my hand a little and leaned down to kiss my forehead.
“Of course, I will be going along as well,” dad explained to Tay, Ike, and I a few evenings after the first suggestion of a tour. My spirits instantly sank as his words. Thank God for Isaac’s determination of independence.
“Dad, you know we love having you on tour, you keep us leveled. But I think the three of us would benefit greatly from some quality time spent, just the three of us,” he persuaded gently. He leaned closer to Dad, intending for only him to hear the next words, but I have impeccably keen hearing. “And I think Zac would benefit greatly as well, if you know what I mean.”
“I agree…” Dad said slowly after a moment’s hesitation. My heart leapt. Dad finally nodded firmly. “Yes, that would be the best. You three do need some time alone.”
“And Meg too,” Taylor included, and we gave him strange looks. “Oh come on! I’m not going to leave her for a summer so I can go romp around the country. She’s coming with us. We’ll give her a job. Personal Assistant, if you will.”
“Ok, fine,” Dad accepted, flustered. “I’ll call Steve back and we’ll start working things out. Hopefully you guys will be on the road by the end of next week.”
“Have I ever mentioned that you’re my favorite brother?” I whispered to Isaac as we headed out of the kitchen after our little “meeting”. He looked down and grinned at me.
“Really?” he joked. “I always had my suspicions…”
“Seriously, Ike, thank you for convincing Dad not to come on tour. I think they are overdoing my punishment just a tad. I haven’t been off of our property for even one millisecond for nearly a week,” I explained to him. He slung his arm around my shoulders casually.
“Wow, then I guess you’re really gonna love me for what else I did…”
“Eehh, well, I had to pull a few strings, bargain a little, make a few promises…” he trailed off, teasing. “I hope you realize that I gave up my firstborn child to get you out of there.”
I laughed at him, then sighed a little and slouched down into the seat, watching the scenery fly by as we headed towards Isaac’s apartment. We rounded a corner and I saw a familiar road sign approaching. “Hey Ike…?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Isaac interrupted, reading my thoughts. “I can only imagine what Reagan’s father will do to you if you show up on their doorstep.”
“I know… I just miss her…” I pouted unhappily as the road came and went, and we did not slow down. “I’m scared for her.”
"You should be scared for yourself,” Ike corrected. “Imagine the field day the paparazzi would have if they knew the situation you’re in. And negative press is most definitely not better than no press at all, mind you.”
“I know,” I said again. “I just wonder what she’s going through right now, how she’s feeling, what she’s thinking. I wonder if she’s scared too.”
“I’m sure she is,” Ike replied quietly, looking over at me with sympathy in his eyes.
“We’re sending you to your Aunt Kathryn’s in Ohio,” my father told me over dinner one night. I dropped my fork.
“What?”
“It’s for the best,” was all he said. I gave my mother a frantic look and she avoided my eyes.
“No! That’s not fair,” I complained.
“Life’s not fair,” Dad replied curtly. “Eat your peas.”
“Why can’t I just spend the summer here, grounded?” I asked, ignoring his command to eat the peas. “I don’t want to go to Ohio.”
“We all have to do things we don’t want to,” he said, raising his eyebrow a little at me. I knew I was getting on his nerves, and I tried to bite my tongue, but I was very bad at keeping my mouth shut when it should be.
“But-”
“Don’t try to fight it, you’re going, and that’s it. We already have your plane ticket, you leave the day after graduation,” he informed me. Defeat settled over me and a frown crossed my face. I gave my mother a pathetic look.
“It isn’t forever,” she stated. “Just until… well, until you’re feeling better.”
“Until I have the baby, you mean?” I grumbled at her. Surprised filled her face, as if it was the first time I had said that to her, and then she scowled, turning her gaze down to her plate. I sighed. “This is just great. I’m an embarrassment now, and this is the easiest way to get rid of me. Out of sight, out of mind, right?”
“Reagan, please! Don’t make this any harder than it already is!” my father barked at me. Tears stung my eyes as I clasped my hands together tightly in my lap. He took a deep breath, then lowered his voice. “Don’t do this to yourself. Just accept it and move on. You have a new future to look forward to. A new life in Ohio, maybe you can even take some summer college classes up there or something.”
“Yeah, or something,” I agreed in a murmur, avoiding his eyes. He went back to eating and I stared out the window absently, wishing desperately that Zac would ride up to the front door on a beautiful white horse and steal me away from this. I waited a few minutes, the sound of utensils scraping gently against the dinner plates ringing in my ears, but Zac did not come. I set my napkin down on the table beside my full plate and stood up. “Excuse me, please. I’m going upstairs to lie down.”
I didn’t wait for an answer from them, but rather turned and walked away instead.
“Zac!” I said in a loud whisper. “What are you doing here? If my father sees you he’ll kill you.”
“I’m sorry,” Zac whispered back, scooting up the tree branch he was sitting on. “I had to see you. I miss you.”
“I miss you too,” I replied. He continued to crawl up the branch until he was about 3 feet from the edge of my window. I reached out my hand to him and helped him climb in through the window. Once he was safely standing in my room, I threw my arms around his neck. “Oh Zac, it’s horrible."
“What’s wrong?” he asked, brushing his hands through my hair gently.
“My parents are sending me away,” I told him. He pulled away a little to look at me.
“What?”
I nodded, feeling tears well up in my eyes. “They told me tonight. I leave for Ohio to stay with my aunt the day after graduation.” I paused as a concerned look crossed his face, and I reached up to brush my fingertips along his jaw line. “Zac, I don’t want to leave.”
“I don’t want you to leave either,” he agreed. “Can they even do this? You’re 18, you don’t have to do what they say.”
"As long as they are paying for me to go to college I do,” I disagreed, sitting down unhappily on the end of my bed. Zac sat beside me and took my hand in his.
“They don’t have to pay for your college. We’ll do that together,” he insisted. I just shrugged a little, and he put his arm around my shoulders. “So what is this, just a summer visit or what?”
“Or what. My parents are trying to hide me away until the baby is born,” I informed him, my voice quavering as my tears threatened to spill. “And I don’t know how long after that. I don’t think I can stand being away from you for so long.”
“Don’t worry about that,” he said quickly, kissing my cheek. “We’ll get that all figured out later. I came here with a purpose. Since we didn’t make it to be legally married in the eyes of the Lord, I figured we could settle for being married in our own way. Just until we can make it legal, that is.”
“Okay,” I agreed, nodding and wiping at my eyes. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a thin silver band with a little twist in the middle. It was plain, but perfect.
“Consider this a trial ring,” Zac said with a little grin, slipping it onto the ring finger of my left hand. He held my hand and looked over at me. “I love you, no matter what, and I will find a way for us to be together, I promise.”
“I know,” I sighed, hugging Zac tightly. Then I pulled away. “I don’t have a ring for you…”
I trailed off as I remembered something. I got up and went over to the jewelry box on top of my dresser and took out the ring that my grandmother had given to me a few years ago. It had belonged to her father, my great grandfather, and was his gold wedding band. I had never really known what to do with it except keep it in that box, but now I knew that it had a purpose. I went back and sat down beside Zac and showed it to him.
“It was my great grandfather’s,” I explained as I put it on his ring finger. It was a little bit too big, so Zac slipped it onto his middle finger, where it fit perfectly.
“Well, it’s not the traditional finger, but it’s better than having it fall off somewhere,” he said lightly, smiling at me. He took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “So I guess we’re married now.”
“Yes we are,” I agreed, smiling back at him. I moved our clasped hands down until they rested against my stomach and looked into Zac’s eyes, searching. He rubbed his thumb over the knuckles of my hand, then leaned down and kissed my forehead.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too,” I whispered back. We held our breath suddenly when we heard movement in the hallway. The footsteps went past my door and towards the bathroom down the hall, and I gave Zac a wide-eyed look. “You should go.”
He nodded and we got up, and I followed him to the window. He paused for a moment and leaned over to kiss me. “I’ll talk to you later, babe.”
“Don’t call me that,” I scolded gently, smiling as he carefully climbed out of the window and back into the tree. I watched as he made his way down the tree branch until he could jump to the ground. He waved a little before turning and running off into the night.
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