Half an hour later, my picture was finished. I still had about 20 minutes until class was over, so I started drawing hearts and puckered lips on the construction paper around the picture I had made. I smiled at the now half-nude picture of Zac and giggled at the fact that I actually made the picture. Just as I was about to tuck the picture carefully away in my binder, a hand snatched it off the table. I looked up and groaned. Señora Gonzalez studied the picture for a moment before directing her stare at me.
"¿Como es?" she asked. I smiled weakly.
"It's just-" I paused when she raised her eyebrows at me. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Es un chico."
"Un hermano de Hanson, ¿si?" she questioned. I nodded silently. Señora Gonzalez sighed. "Reagan, this is really unacceptable. I expect more out of you."
"I'm sorry, I was just really bored, and…" I trailed off, realizing that I didn't really have an excuse. I gave my teacher a miserable smile. "Will I get my picture back? Please? I promise never to do it again."
"On one condition," Sra. Gonzalez replied slowly, a smile spreading across her face.
"I feel so special. I've got people making pictures of me in Spanish class," I cracked. Reagan glared at me, and I gave her an innocent look. "Hey, it's not that bad! At least the body fits."
"Shut up, Zac. You should be the one writing the paper. It's your fault, you're the one who's got my thoughts preoccupied nearly 24/7," she grumbled. I grinned.
"Sorry, no hablo español," I told her. She narrowed her eyes at me. I lay down beside her and put my arm around her waist. "Do you really think about me 24/7?"
"Not anymore," she replied. I put my head down beside hers and stared at her closed eyes for a minute until she opened them again. "What?"
"Nothing. I just like to look at you. You're look at-able," I joked.
"Zac!" a male voice called. I rolled my eyes and sat up.
"What?" I yelled back to Taylor.
"There's some girl named Hannah here to see you!"
I shot a quick glance at Reagan, who gave me a confused look. "Who's Hannah?"
"A friend. She lives next door," I responded. I reached down and helped Reagan up, and we climbed down out of the tree house. As we crossed the yard towards the house, Hannah came out of the kitchen door and smiled when she saw me.
"Hi Zac!" she greeted.
"Hey Hannah," I replied. "This is Reagan."
Reagan gave me a blank stare, then clenched her jaw and looked away. Hannah smiled at Reagan quickly before looking back at me. "I'm sorry to come over unannounced, but I just wanted to thank you for the great tour you gave me the other day. I'm so glad to have made a new friend already."
"It's really no problem at all," I assured her uncomfortably. Hannah sensed the apprehension between Reagan and I, and gave me a guilty look.
"Um, I guess that's all I had to say. I'll see you around, okay?" she asked. I nodded and smiled. Hannah looked at Reagan again. "It was nice meeting you."
Reagan only nodded and kept her jaw clenched until Hannah disappeared around the corner of the house. I turned to her with a bewildered look. "Reagan! That was a bit rude, ya think?"
"I'm Reagan? Just plain old Reagan? I though I was your girlfriend," she shot back, ignoring my rhetorical question.
"You were," I answered. Reagan's eyes widened. "No no, you are. You are my girlfriend. As in presently, right now. And as my girlfriend… I know I've got some explaining to do."
"You are most absolutely correct," she answered firmly.
"Ike, it's Willow. Are you there? Please pick up… Well, okay. Please call me at Brad's when you get this message; I really need to talk to you. So… later. Bye."
I stopped drying my hair with the towel and gave the answering machine a funny look. If it was an absolute emergency, Will would have called back. Yet she sounded urgent. I finished getting dressed quickly and grabbed my car keys on the way out the door.
"Hey Will, I got your message. What's so impor-" I cut his words off by giving him a forceful kiss. He stepped back in surprise. "Whoa. I'm glad to see you too."
"Isaac, I'm going insane. This house is so huge and empty and quiet," I told him, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him into the front hall. Isaac smirked.
"You're not scared, are you?" he teased. I made a face at him.
"No, I'm not scared. I'm just lonely," I replied. Ike grinned.
"Right. I believe you." We went into the den and I sat down on the couch with a sigh. "So what was so important that you had to talk to me about? You had me nearly out of my mind with suspicion."
I shrugged. "It's not important. I just wanted you to come over here, that's all," I answered. He sat down beside me and put his arm around my waist. I instantly jumped up, fidgeting with a ring on my finger nervously. "Do you want to watch a movie or something?"
"Sure…" he answered slowly. He followed me upstairs to the guestroom and watched me flip quickly through the movies until I had selected one.
"How about 'The Dead Poets Society'? An oldie but a goodie," I suggested. Isaac nodded and I put the movie into the TV/VCR that was in the room. I sat on the bed for a moment before standing up again. "Are you hungry? I can go make us some pizza?"
"No. What's wrong, Will? You're acting strange," he said, grabbing my hand. I pulled away from him and shook my head.
"Nothing's wrong. I just thought…" I trailed off with the look he was giving me. I looked at the floor for a minute. "Really, nothing is wrong. I just… missed you. Kind of a lot."
"Really?"
"Yes, and I feel so stupid because we just saw each other yesterday. It's getting really crazy, because if I miss you this much in a day, what's going to happen when I go back north?" I asked, sitting miserably beside him on the bed. Isaac put his arm around me again and turned my face so that I was looking at him.
"Don't think about that. We have an entire summer together. Let's not think of it ending," he said quietly. I looked at him cautiously and he looked gently back. I sighed, then nodded. "Good."
He leaned over and kissed my lips once, then again. I brought my arms up around his neck and let my fingers twirl into his damp hair. We quickly forgot about the movie as we continued to kiss. Ike pushed me down until I was lying back on the bed, and he was lying above me. His lips grazed over my cheek and along my jaw as his hands roamed along the skin of my back. Minutes later, he pulled away and looked down at me.
"Willow, I don't want to pressure you to do anything you don't want…" he trailed off, and I stared urgently into his soft, brown eyes.
"You aren't, you aren't," I assured him airily. "Just don't stop, ever."
"Hello? Did you even hear a word I said?" she asked, sounding annoyed. I smiled innocently and nodded. Megan gave me a curious look. "Then what was I talking about?"
My mind panicked for a split second, but I grinned and put my arms around her. "You were talking about this wonderful man who has great looks, a great personality, musical talent and, oh, is madly in love with you," I answered slyly. Megan smiled.
"I think that man just walked past our table," she teased, pointing to a guy walking away from us down the sidewalk. I gave her a skeptical look. "Honest! You should have seen him look at me. It was love at first sight."
"Very funny." I sat back in my chair and looked back at the jewelry store across the street. I felt Meg's hand on my knee.
"So, if you weren't listening to me, what were you thinking about?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to go across the street and pick out a present," I admitted. Megan looked in the direction I was looking, then hit my shoulder playfully.
"Victoria's Secret? Taylor, I'm shocked…" she trailed off, giggling. My cheeks turned bright red as I shook my head.
"No, not that store. The jewelry store," I corrected. Megan stopped laughing and looked at her watch.
"I don't know. Willow and Ike should be here any minute…"
"I'll keep an eye out for them while we're in there. Come on, let's go." I stood up and grabbed her hand, and we crossed the street. As we passed the display on our way to the door, Meg slowed down a step and dropped my hand. I turned to see her staring critically at the rings. I stepped up behind her and put my arms around her waist, gently resting my chin on her shoulder. "See any you like?"
Meg didn't say anything at first. After a moment, she turned to give me a nasty look. "Real funny, Taylor. Those are engagement rings."
"I know. You don't like any of those? Let's go see what else they have," I suggested, tugging on her hand to follow me into the store. But Megan didn't move.
"Tay, what's going on?" she asked quietly, giving me an uncertain look. I smiled.
"I want you to come with me to pick out a ring so we can get married," I told her. She didn't react at first, then her eyebrows crinkled in confusion.
"Is this a joke?"
"No, this is so real. I want you to marry me," I said softly, suddenly feeling awkward and wondering if I should have ever suggested the idea. I took her hands and a smile spread slowly across her face. My heart felt light and I smiled back. "What do you say?"
"I say yes, I'd love to marry you," she answered. In an instant, I threw my arms around her and held her tightly. My heart was racing and I felt lightheaded.
"Oh Meg, I love you. We'll be great together, I promise," I told her. Megan looked up at me, tears glistening in her eyes as she smiled and nodded, and I gave her a kiss. "Come on, let's go inside."
"You're what?"
"I asked Meg to marry me and she said yes. We picked out the ring today," he explained calmly. I dropped my slice of pizza on my plate and stared uncertainly at my younger brother.
"Oh my God, you're serious," I muttered. Taylor nodded. After a moment, I shrugged and went back to my pizza. Tay didn't move.
"Well?"
"Well what?" I asked, my mouth full.
"What do you think?" he asked. I swallowed and set my food down again.
"I don't know how you're expecting me to react, Tay. I mean, this is a shock, but if you're sure this is what you want, I'm happy for you," I told him honestly. Taylor smiled.
"Thanks Ike, I knew you'd support this. I'm really happy. Meg and I… We're really happy," he told me. I nodded seriously. He paused, and gave me a nervous look. "What about mom and dad?"
"What about them?"
"For some reason, I don't think they're going to be as understanding about this as you are being," he admitted. I smiled.
"Just tell them what you told me. Only, bring some earplugs just in case. Dad does have a loud voice when he chooses to use it."
"But dad-"
"No 'But dad's. I won't stand for this," my father bellowed. My eyes widened as I entered the front door of the house and was greeted by yelling voices.
"We don't want to do anything now, we just want to promise each other for the future."
"I don't care. You're way too young to even think of getting married. Zac, you're 15 years old. You can't honestly know the beginning of what it is to be in love," dad continued. I coughed, trying to hide my laughter, causing my parents and my younger brother to look over at me in surprise. I smiled innocently at them.
"Hey y'all, what's up? Zac trying to get married again?" I quipped, entering the room. Zac turned bright red, and my father put his hands on his hips.
"Taylor, this is not the time nor the place for your jokes."
"Sorry," I replied. I sat beside Zac on the couch and offered him a smile.
"Tay, is there something you need?" mom asked from her position in an easy chair beside the couch. I nodded.
"Yes, but it's far less interesting than seeing Zac get yelled at. Please, do continue." Zac scowled at me, and I grinned.
"Taylor, out," Dad demanded, pointing towards the door. I sighed and stood up.
"Okay. When you're finished with Zac's marriage ideas, I'll be in the kitchen waiting for you to hear mine," I told them. I glanced over my shoulder quickly before heading towards the kitchen. When I reached the hall, I paused and looked at my watch. Three… two… one…
"Taylor!"
"Right on time," I mumbled, spinning on my heels and walking back into the room. Zac smirked at me as he brushed passed me on his way out of the room.
"Busted…," he hissed, sticking his tongue out at me. I looked confidently at my parents.
"You called?"
"What's this you're talking about?" Dad asked.
"I asked Megan to marry me and she said yes," I revealed to them. The lines in my father's forehead deepened as he frowned.
"Oh not, not you too…"
"Hey y'all, what's up?" I asked, puzzled by their sudden appearance with stony looks on their faces. They exchanged quick glances.
"Zac, that was Jane St. Pierre on the phone," my father started. "Reagan's been in a little accident."
"What?" I asked uncertainly.
"She left her house to come over here and hang out. A car came out of nowhere when she was crossing her street and she couldn't get out of the way…"
"She's okay, right?" I asked in a quiet, shaky voice.
"Yes, she's fine. Her parents are taking her to the hospital just to make sure that nothing is wrong. But she's okay, Zac," he explained gently.
"Take me there."
"Is Reagan okay?" I asked. They nodded.
"She's going to be just fine," the doctor assured me.
"Can I see her?"
"Not right now, she's asleep," he told me. My jaw dropped and I panicked.
"Oh my God, she's in a coma?!" I cried.
"I never said that."
"You said she was asleep," I reminded him, on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
"Yes, that's right. Normally, patients fall asleep when we give them pain killers," the doctor explained. He put his hand on my shoulder. "Why don't you and I go in and talk?" he suggested. I nodded and followed him into the room beside us. Reagan was asleep on the hospital bed. I reached down and touched her hand gently.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Reagan sustained slight head injuries when she hit the pavement," he started. I glanced at him with a panicked look and he held his hands up quickly. "Yes, head injuries. Also know as minor concussions. Nothing to worry about. Hence the word slight."
I sighed in relief. "So she's fine."
"Yes. She's got a few fractured and bruised ribs, and a couple of cuts and bruises, but nothing that won't heal with a little time and rest." At that moment, a shrill beeping sound caused the doctor to check his pager. "Please, excuse me. I'm needed in the OR. Feel free to hang around for a little while, she may wake up. But don't wear her out. She most likely won't be feeling like a million bucks."
I nodded, not daring to take my eyes off of Reagan. With that, the doctor hurried from the room. I sat down on the chair beside the bed and held her hand for a few minutes until she woke up.