Yes, it's true. I actually had a boyfriend. Well, I wouldn't really call us a couple, because we were more like very close friends. Almost closer than Isaac and I were. His name was Jones Freeman, and he had light brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes. We'd been dating since the middle of November. It was hard keeping our relationship a secret from my father; if he'd found out, he'd most likely have a fit and forbid me from ever leaving the house again. Olivia thinks that he is charming, but Brad doesn't seem to trust him. I should have expected that from him; he's a little overprotective of me too. Despite those misfortunes, things are beginning to look up.
"Zac! Hello?" Avie yelled to me. I snapped out of my trance. Avie walked up to me and grinned. "If you want to get her attention, I'd wipe the drool off your chin before she mistakes you for that dog she's walking."
I reach my hand up to my chin, unaware that I'd been literally drooling. It was dry. Avie laughed. "Sike!" She ran off giggling and singing, "Zakky and some-blonde-girl, sitting in a tree..."
"Zakky drooling like a doggie?" questioned Mackie, walking over and sitting himself down on the grass in front of me. I made a face.
"No I'm not drooling!" I exclaimed. By now, the girl was almost in front of the house across the street from ours, and she looked up when I practically shouted this. Mackie looked at her.
"Pretty," he stated simply. I looked at her also.
"Yeah, I know she is," I agreed. Mackie gave me a funny look.
"No, doggie," he corrected. He stood up and took off towards the girl. My eyes widened as he ran into the street, not stopping to look for cars. I yelled his name and ran after him. The blonde girl saw him, and dropped the dog's leash. Quickly glancing in both directions, she dashed into the street and swept my brother into her arms. I reached them seconds later.
"Mackie! That was very bad!" I scolded. He looked at me with watery eyes, then pointed to the dog that was sitting nearby.
"Doggy," he told me. I sighed, brushing my hair out of my face, then looked over at the girl.
"Hey, thanks for your help," I said to her. "I appreciate it."
"No problem," she waved off my words. "He's adorable. I wouldn't let such a cute little boy get hurt." She directed these words at my 3 year-old brother, who was staring intently at the dog.
"He wanted to see your dog," I explained sheepishly. The girl motioned the dog closer and Mackie reached his hand out, grinning when his fingers came in contact with the soft fur. "Gently, Mackie," I instructed him.
"Pretty," he repeated, smiling happily up at the dog's owner and me.
"What's his name?" I asked her.
"Her name is Noelle."
"I like her name. And what's yours?" I asked, secretly bursting with pride that I had the nerve to ask that. She smiled coyly.
"Brittany Spears," she replied. I rolled my eyes.
"Right, and I'm Elvis Presley," I went along. She grinned at my response.
"Actually, I'm not really Brittany Spears. Would you believe that I'm Baby Spice?" she asked. I shook my head.
"Not really. She's shorter and older than you are."
The girl laughed. "Okay, okay. I give. My name is Reagan," she told me. "And you're Zachary Hanson."
I hesitated. She knew my name. Oh no, a fan. God, why me? You like to pick on me, don't you? "Uhh, you know me?" I asked, slightly nervous. Reagan laughed.
"Of course I do. It's kinda hard not to know who you are when you and your brothers are plastered all over the TV, the radio, and the new stands. Plus, my sister is in love with you guys. She plays your CD 24/7." I blushed a little. Reagan only smiled, showing off braces on her white teeth.
"So, I take it that you're not a fan?" I asked, silently praying that I didn't sound as hopeful as I felt.
"I never said that," responded Reagan.
"Then you're a fan?"
"I never said that either," she corrected.
"Then where do you stand?" A thoughtful look crossed Reagan's face.
"I'd assume to be somewhere in the middle. I mean, your music is good, but I'm not a crazed fan or-" Her words were cut off by Mackie's high pitched giggling. We looked down to see Noelle sloppily licking his face, giving him doggie kisses. I smiled.
"Noelle, gentle," Reagan scolded this time. The dog backed off and sat down, looking curiously at me. I reached down and patted his head.
"Well Mackie, what do you say? It's almost lunch time," I told him. My brother's eyes lit up.
"Yay!" He reached up for me and I lifted him off the ground. I smiled at Reagan.
"It was nice meeting you," I told her. She nodded.
"You too. It was a pleasant surprise," she replied. Mackie and I waved as we cautiously headed back across the street and into our house.
"How was New York? You're so lucky, I'd giving my right arm to go to New York City," Willow gushed, giving me an envious look. I merely shrugged.
"It was the same old, same old," I replied with a teasing smile. Will gave me a light punch. I skated ahead of her, then turned and skated backwards so that I could look at her. "Jealous much?"
"I am not jealous," she argued. I raised my eyebrows at her.
"Could've fooled me," I retorted. Will opened her mouth to reply, but shut it abruptly and shook her head. I grinned. "What? No snappy comeback? I'm hurt!"
"Just as you should be," she informed me with a sly smile. She sped up, and I turned back around so that I could see where I was going.
"Hey, wait!"
"No way," I called back over my shoulder.
"Scared much?" Will laughed, following closely behind me. We flew past Taylor and Jonas at lightening speed. Will waved quickly at them before continuing to follow after me.
"Willow, slow down!" I heard Jonas yell after us.
"They always do this; you'll get used to it," Taylor informed him. They took off after us. Up ahead, I jumped up onto the sidewalk and swerved quickly to avoid collision with a lady pushing an occupied baby stroller. I stumbled onto the grass in a park, slowing down sufficiently. Willow cautiously jumped onto the sidewalk after me, narrowly missing the lady with the stroller, and toppled face first onto the grass. I stepped over beside her and smiled.
"Have a nice trip?" I teased. Will slowly lifted her head, giving me a stormy look.
"Yeah, see you next fall," she added to the pun. I offered her a hand up, which she took. As I pulled her up, she yanked fiercely down and I landed on the ground beside her. Willow burst into laughter. "I can't believe you fell for that!"
I scowled at her, brushing dirt and grass clippings out of my hair. Will smiled innocently before dumping a handful of grass back into my hair. We got into an all out grass fight, which I am happy to say I won. I kneeled beside her, pinning her wrists down as she spit grass out of her mouth.
"Hmm, tasty," she joked. Taylor and Jonas arrived, out of breath, and I let Will go. She sat up and smiled at them. "I won."
"Yeah right, you wish," I argued, carefully standing up. Jonas reached down and helped Willow get up as well.
"You could have gotten hurt," he said disapprovingly.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't have let her be in harm's way," I assured him seriously, wondering why he was so concerned when all we were doing was having some fun. Willow nodded in agreement. Jonas didn't seem convinced. He looked at his watch quickly.
"We have to go. I've got to be at work in an hour," he said. He and Will smiled and waved goodbye before heading off down the street. Taylor and I started back towards our house.
"He's weird," I commented. Taylor shrugged.
"He seemed nice, but there is something different about him. I don't know what it is," he agreed. We thought about it for a moment, then shrugged it off as we entered our driveway.
"Well, it's just you and me tonight, kiddo," I announced, carrying a bowl of buttery popcorn into the living room.
"We watching a movie?" Mackie asked, looking up from playing with a pile of action figures on the floor.
"Yup. Mom rented the new 'Power Rangers' movie for us," I told him. Mackie's face lit up. He liked the action figures more than I did.
"Yay! Go, go Power Rangers!" he shouted, quoting from the popular show. I laughed. We sat down on the couch and I turned on the movie. After about an hour, Mackie's breathing was deep and he was sound asleep, sprawled out across the couch. I turned off the TV and VCR, then carried him up to our parents' room and laid him on their bed. As I tucked him under the blankets, he didn't even stir. I quietly crept down the hall to the room I shared with my brothers and proceeded to finish my homework from the day's lessons. Before I knew it, I drifted off into a nice little power-nap. About 45 minutes later, I was wakened by the sounds of high-pitched wails. I groaned and sat up, knocking my books and papers to the floor as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
"Mackie?" I called, dashing out of the room and down the hall. When I entered my parents' room, Mackie's cries were quieted into little sniffles.
"Zac," he whimpered, reaching his arms up for me. I turned on a light on the nightstand and sat down beside him.
"Hey, what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?" I asked softly, rubbing his back. My little brother sniffled and shook his head.
"My tummy hurts. I don't feel good," he complained. I saw that his cheeks were flushed and he was sweating, but trying to stay warm under the blankets. I rubbed his arms quickly before getting up.
"Okay, pal. I'm gonna go look for something to make you feel better, okay?" I looked sympathetically down at the little boy as he nodded.
"Hurry," he insisted in a miserable voice. I went into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet, looking for something to give the ailing 3 year-old. One by one, I went through everything in the cabinet and put it back in. Toothpaste, fingernail clippers, Jessi's blue fingernail polish, dad's Mylanta. I examined the back of the bottle before setting it back into place and continued to look. Vitamins, mom's morning sickness pills, Children's Tylenol. Hmmm. Mackie started to cry again and I looked at the warning on the back of the bottle. Children under 4: Consult doctor. Frustrated, I chucked the bottle back into the cabinet, causing an avalanche of products to come tumbling back out. I flew back into my parents' room, grabbed the phone and dialed the number I had known by heart for months, all while trying to calm down Mackie. Someone answered on the second ring.
"Hello?" the voice greeted. I recognized it instantly.
"Will! I need your help!" I shrieked. "Something's wrong with Mackie!"
"I'm sorry for calling, but I didn't know what else to do," he explained as we hurried up the stairs and into Walker and Diana's bedroom. Mackie was curled up under the blankets. "He say's he's cold, but he's sweating."
"Willow," Mackie murmured. I smiled down at him.
"It's okay," I assured the little boy as I sat beside him. I pressed my hand against his forehead and was surprised to find it burning hot. I turned to Zac. "Go get a warm wet washcloth."
"I want my mom," Mackie groaned as Zac ran off. I brushed my cool hands across his forehead and pink cheeks.
"Shhh, she'll be back soon," I promised. Zac returned with the washcloth and took my seat on the bed as I hurried down the stairs to the kitchen to get some juice for Mackie. Almost two hours had passed before the ailing boy's fever broke and he finally fell asleep again. Zac was already asleep, curled up beside Mackie in their parents' bed. I sighed, watching them peacefully, before I fell asleep too.
"Zac?" I called softly, crossing the living room to the stairs as Tay searched the first floor. The light was on in the room that I shared with Zac and Tay. It was also empty. I found my two youngest brothers asleep in my parents' room. Oddly enough, Willow was there as well. She was kneeling next to the bed beside Mackie, her head and arms resting on the bed. She was fast asleep. I knelt beside her and touched her shoulder gently. Her blue eyes fluttered open and she looked up at me. I smiled.
"Hi," she greeted quietly, stretching.
"Hi yourself. What are you doing here?" I asked, putting my hand under her elbow to help her stand up. She looked over at the sleeping boys in the bed.
"Mackie had a fever and Zac didn't know what to do, so he called me and I came to help," she explained. I went and roused Zac from his slumber. I helped him walk back into our room, as he was still fast asleep, as Willow carried Mackie down the hall to his room to tuck him into his own bed. We met again in the hallway.
"It was good of you to come and help. Can I give you a lift home?" I offered. Will smiled, but shook her head. I watched her yawn, then laughed. "Come on, let's go."
She gave in easily and followed me down the stairs. Taylor passed us on our way down to the front door, and he gave me a confused look at seeing our friend here, but I merely shook my head and gave him a look that said I would explain everything when I got back.
"Isaac, where-" she started. I quieted her by pressing my pointer finger gently against her lips. She looked around and recognized where she was, and I took my hand away.
"See you tomorrow," I whispered before slipping out of the room, down the stairs, and back out into the chilly December night. My parents were back by the time I got home and I explained what had happened to them and Taylor before going up to my room and climbing tiredly into my bed.
Around 1:30 that afternoon, the four of us stood in the entrance of the South Trail Tulsa Mall. Cheery Christmas music, decorations, and shoppers surrounded us.
"Ike, I swear that if any screaming female fans approach us, I am never leaving the house again," Tay had to practically shout to be heard over the noise in the crowded mall. Zac and Ike grinned at each other, then shrugged.
"Where to first?" I asked.
"Pacific Sunwear," Zac announced.
"B. Dalton," added Ike.
"Claire's," Taylor piped in. We all gave him a funny look. "What? I need to buy something for Jessi and Avie," he explained. Zac snickered.
"Okay, moving on," Ike said, trying to ignore Zac. "Where do you need to go, Will?"
"Kay Bee Toys," I answered. I had to find something for Mackie and Zac. I had easily found gifts for the rest of the Hanson family, but the two youngest boys were a different story.
"Oh, well, B. Dalton and Kay Bee are right next to each other. Why don't we split up and meet back here in an hour?" Taylor suggested. Everyone agreed and we started to go our separate ways. "Oh, and guys? Try not to break anything in the toy store!" Tay called over his shoulder before disappearing behind some shoppers. Ike turned to me with a gleam in his brown eyes.
"We'll try, but I'm not promising anything," he joked. I laughed as he grabbed my wrist and started pulling me towards the B. Dalton bookstore.
As Ike searched through the shelves of poetry books, I walked among the other rows, reading titles and subjects. I paused near the biography section and scanned the books uninterestedly until a few caught my eyes. I laughed quietly as I pulled one of the books out.
"Hey Ike, come here for a second," I called to him, thankful that the store was nearly empty. Isaac walked over to me and looked over my shoulder at the book in my hands.
"What's that?" he asked. I read the titles to the books on the shelf and grinned when I'd finished. Isaac's eyebrows had nearly migrated to the top of his forehead. "Those are all about the band?" he asked in disbelief, grabbing the Hanson Trivia book and leafing through it.
"Astonishing, isn't it?" I asked, putting the 'MMMBop To The Top' book back onto the shelf where I had taken it.
"How do you mean?" Isaac discarded the trivia book, then followed me over to the classics section.
"People actually want, and have the time and patience, to write books about you guys," I explained, then paused. "Who are you shopping for?"
"Tay," Ike answered. We started looking for things that Tay would enjoy. "It's really not that shocking. Maybe a little surprising, if anything. I mean, we're just normal teenagers, pre-teen for Zac, who sing and play instruments."
I held up a book. "Romeo and Juliet?" I suggested. Ike shook his head.
"Has it."
"Well, I just think it's astonishing because I know you personally. Lots of those fans and authors don't know you as well as I do. They automatically class you as God's gift to music," I went on, putting the book back. Then I smirked. "Too bad they don't know the real you. That would make them think twice."
Isaac shot me an offended look, then grinned. I continued browsing through the shelves. "Titus Andronicus?" Ike questioned, holding up a thick book and looking, puzzled, at it. I laughed at his expression and shook my head.
"Nah, it's too boring," I told him.
"Do you really think that my family and I are still normal, even after the publicity and everything?" Isaac asked, replacing the book and looking at another one.
"Well, I don't think your family was normal in the first place. And I don't even want to start on you and Zac being normal, 'cause- AAGH!" I stopped teasing when a book came tumbling down on top of my head. I looked menacingly at Isaac. He held up his hands innocently.
"I didn't do it," he insisted. Rubbing the sore spot that was forming on my head, I watched him reach down to pick up the book. "Hmmm, Macbeth. Good play. I don't think that Tay has this one." He decided to buy it, and another book of poetry by Robert Frost. When he was finished making his purchase, we headed next door to continue our shopping.
"Darn, I thought I'd lost you," she teased. I gave her a fake smile before looking at the shelves of building blocks. She held up a little box with contents that would make a spaceship. "Would Mackie like this?"
"Yeah, sure," I answered. She picked out a few more boxes with space themes.
"Now for Zac."
"Good luck," I commented, following her to an aisle full of games for older children. "So, have you gotten anything for Jonas yet?" Will frowned. "No. We won't be getting anything for each other," she answered. I gave her a puzzled look.
"Why not?"
"Because we broke up," she informed me shortly.
"Oh... I'm sorry," I told her sincerely. Willow shrugged.
"Thanks, but it's really no big deal. He had jealousy issues," she explained. I smiled at her choice of wording. She rolled her eyes. "He was too paranoid for me. It was like having my dad walking around with me."
"I agree. You guys didn't seem to click right," I added. Will smiled at me.
"Well, whatever. It's over and I can breath again," she joked. After picking out a game called Scategories, she went to the counter to pay for the items. We then linked arms and hurried out of the store to go rejoin with Taylor and Zac.