Chapter Six

"Barney Waits For No Man…"

"Zac, that was Ike on the phone. Neil's run out of gas." Mr Hanson sat down on the bed next to his son. "I'm going to pick them up. Do you fancy coming? It would get you out of here for a little while."

"Nah," Zac turned the page of the magazine he was pretending to read. "I'm just gonna stay here."

"You okay? You're looking a bit down."

"Yeah, I'm fine," lied Zac. "Honest."

"Okay, well, Ike said that he wants to talk to you when he gets back, so don't go anywhere."

"Where am I gonna go?" muttered Zac.

Mr Hanson shook his head, ruffling Zac's hair and left the room.

"Bye, Dad," mumbled Zac absently, stuffing another handful of chips in his mouth.

He turned another page, having read absolutely nothing of what was actually on it. He'd been lying here for the past hour, not able to concentrate on anything. All he could think about was that kiss between himself and Libby earlier on that day. He had really felt something; he had felt that it was right between them. Libby obviously hadn't, the way she'd been all over Corey. That had really hurt Zac's feelings. Now he couldn't think of anything else.

There was a knock at the door. "Zac? Can I come in?"

Zac sighed. "Sure, Mom."

Mrs Hanson slipped round the door and sat next to him on the bed. "Okay, Zac, what's up?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play the innocent. Your dad said you were down, Ike wanted to know what was bothering you, and it's obvious that something is. Bothering you, I mean," she added, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Mom, it's nothing. I'm just kinda tired, that's all."

"You sure, sweetie?" She ran her hand across his forehead. "Are you feeling okay? Tay said you were really ill a few nights ago."

"Yeah, I was, but I'm okay now. Must've been something I ate, I guess."

"Zac, are you sure you're okay? You do seem really down."

"I'm okay, Mom," Zac reassured her, sitting up and leaning over against her shoulder.

Mrs Hanson slipped her arm around him. "Oh, Zaccy, it's okay."

"I know," whispered Zac.

"Okay, well, Jess would be very, very happy if you went downstairs to join in the argument about what video to watch."

"How come?" Zac looked up at his mother.

"Well, if you don't go, there's gonna be a two to one majority in favor of Barney's Waiting For Santa."

"It's May," Zac pointed out.

"Try telling that to Mack and Avie," smiled Mrs Hanson. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, in a minute," agreed Zac.

"Good. Well, don't be too long. Barney waits for no man."

Zac laughed as Mrs Hanson bent down and kissed him on top of his head. "I'll be down in a minute, Mom."

***

"Come on in." Gabbie pulled her key out of the front door and ushered Taylor inside, closing and locking the door behind them. "Can't be too careful," she added, when she noticed Taylor looking at her curiously as she fixed the three locks.

"I guess not," shrugged Taylor, walking through to the living room and sitting down on the couch.

"You hungry?" asked Gabbie.

"Yeah, but not for food." Taylor grinned slyly.

"You horny little slimeball!" gasped Gabbie, pretending to be shocked.

"Sit down!" commanded Taylor.

"Oh, I like the dominant male," teased Gabbie, collapsing down beside him and instantly feeling his arms go around her.

"Good." Taylor pulled her close, nuzzling her neck and nibbling at her ear.

She turned round and pushed him backward on the couch, pinning him down and pressing her lips against his.

Taylor groaned, wrapping his arms even more tightly around her and kissing her back, tasting the burger she just eaten. He felt her fingers run through his hair and down the front of his shirt, tickling him through the thin material. Suddenly, he realized that Gabbie was beginning to unbutton his shirt, and soon the red button-down was lying in a scarlet puddle by the couch. Taylor decided that it was probably a case of tit for tat, and began to unbutton Gabbie's green blouse. Unlike him, Gabbie wasn't wearing anything underneath her shirt except her bra, and for the first time, Taylor got to see her pale, creamy skin somewhere other than her face or hands.

He began to kiss her stomach, teasing it with his tongue. She grabbed his T-shirt and yanked it off over his head. Taylor winced in pain as it caught on his cartilage earring, but soon forgot the tingling sensation on his ear as he began to tingle everywhere else. Before he knew what he was doing, his hands were at the front of Gabbie's black pants, and unbuttoning them. Gabbie returned the favor by unzipping his jeans.

Lying there in nothing but his boxer shorts, Taylor suddenly felt very vulnerable. For a moment, he felt like grabbing his clothes and bolting, but then he remembered that this was Gabbie. He loved her. He knew full well that he'd only known her for a few weeks, but he'd never had feelings this intense for anyone. He knew what he wanted to do, and he knew who he wanted to do it with.

"Gabbie?" he whispered, trailing his fingers across her flat stomach.

"Hmm?"

"Are we gonna…you know?" He rested his fingertips on the lace edging of her underwear.

"Do you want to?"

Taylor squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, thinking. Did he want to? He wasn't exactly sure. A strong wave of emotion washed over him. "Yes," he replied firmly. "Yes, I want to."

Gabbie's eyes snapped open. "You sure? I mean, you're a virgin, aren't you?"

Taylor winced inwardly. Why'd she have to bring that up? She was three years older than he was; it was obvious that she would be more experienced. "Yes, but I don't want to be anymore. I want to lose it. With you."

Gabbie smiled. "If I still had mine, I'd want to lose it to you, too."

"Really? How sweet…" He leant forward and kissed her eyelids.

Gabbie pulled open the drawer beside the couch and handed Taylor a small package. "Here. Either we share our experience with Durex, or we don't have an experience to share."

Taylor examined the small package in his hand and felt a smile spread across his face. He felt warm and tingly from his head to his toes. It was a feeling he'd never felt before, and he doubted he'd ever feel again. This moment was special.

Very, very special.

***

"Stupid rain!" muttered Isaac, stomping into the bedroom and slamming the door shut.

Zac burst out laughing. "Ike! What the hell happened to you? Did you fall in the Arkansas?"

"Yeah, ha freakin' ha, Zac! Damn weather!"

"Oh blame it on the weatherman…" sang Zac.

"Zac, I'm probably gonna catch pneumonia and all you can do is sing B*Witched songs?"

Zac carried on, oblivious to his brother's ranting and raving. "It's just one more day, no one said there would be rain again, won't blame it on myself, yeah, I'll blame it on the weatherman. Get away, for a while…" he trailed off and Isaac pulled off his wet T-shirt and jeans and grabbed a towel from the closet. "Where you goin'?"

"For a shower!" snapped Isaac. "What's it to you?!"

"Sheesh! Somebody's crabby!" Zac rolled his eyes. "So that's your answer to being drenched in water, is it? More water?"

"Zac…" growled Isaac.

Zac held up his hands in mock-surrender. "Hey, hey, hey, chill. Go shower." He lay back down in his bed and pulled his comforter up to his chin, the sick, depressed feeling returning to the pit of his stomach.

Isaac noticed the look on his brother's face and remembered the talk he'd wanted to have with him. "Don't go to sleep, 'kay, Zac? I wanna talk to you."

"Fine," muttered Zac, pulling the duvet up over his head.

Ten minutes later, Isaac was dried and changed and feeling a heck of a lot better than he had before his shower.

He sat down on the bed, next to Zac. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Just peachy," replied Zac.

"Zac, something's wrong. You want to tell me what it is?"

"No."

Isaac slammed his fist down onto the bed. "Dammit, Zac, why not?! What is it with you and Tay keeping things from me?! Why don't I get to know anything any more?! Why? Oh, God…" he trailed off, slightly embarrassed about his little outburst.

Zac stared at him in surprise. He had had no idea that Isaac felt that way. "Ike…" he started. "Don't take it personally."

"How else am I supposed to take it, Zac?" asked Isaac quietly. "I bet you even knew that Taylor was friendly with Gabbie at that party a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, I did," admitted Zac. "He's with her now."

"He is?" Isaac looked shocked. "See, I don't know anything!"

Zac swallowed, feeling a bit awkward. Where was Tay when you needed him? He would manage to say just the right things to make Isaac feel better. Tay was good at that. Zac wasn't. "Ike, we just… It's just… We didn't mean to leave you out. It's just that, well, you haven't been here much, and you're always doing something with Honey, so…"

Zac had just confirmed Isaac's worst fears - that he'd been neglecting his brothers for Honey. "Zac, I'm sorry," he said at last, his voice cracking slightly.

"Hey, man, don't sweat it." Zac smiled slightly, holding up his hand.

Isaac slapped him five. "Now, tell me what's wrong. And don't say nothing, cos I've been your brother for thirteen years, and I know when something is bothering you." He peered at Zac down his nose, trying to look authoritative.

Zac smiled. "Okay, it's Libby," he began.

"I guessed as much."

"You did?"

"Sure I did. Zac, I've been through all this before you, remember." Isaac found a band and pulled his wet hair back into a ponytail.

"I bet you've never been through this…"

"Tell me," prompted Isaac.

"Okay. Well, Corey called and asked me over to his house. We were just gonna, like, mess about in the pool, you know, me, Corey, Matt, Steven, Kim and Jane, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, I was just about to leave and Libby came over, so, naturally, I asked her if she wanted to come too, and she did."

"Right. Go on," urged Isaac.

"And we decided to play dares," continued Zac. "So Jayne went first, and didn't want to do her dare, so they held her head underwater. Libby and me went into the kitchen to get some soda."

"Okay."

"We were talking about Tay having more fans than us, and that it didn't bother us, and then, Libby said that she didn’t see why Tay got the most fans because I was really cute."

"Ohhhh…" Isaac was getting it now.

"And then…and then…then…she…uh…she kissed me."

"Whoa…just chicken-pecky kissing or kissy kissing?"

"Uh…kissy kissing. Tongue and all." Zac blushed. "Then she like, does a Houdini and disappears!"

"Houdini was an escape artist, Zac," pointed out Isaac.

"Who gives a damn?! Anyway, we went back to the dares, and, um, Libby got dared by Matt to kiss Corey. Properly. For a minute."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh. So, here's me thinking that after that happened in the kitchen barely thirty seconds ago, she'll refuse, but no."

"She kissed him?" asked Isaac.

"Big time. All over him, tongues and everything. And when the minute was up…um…they didn't stop." Zac felt his eyes tear over again.

"And what did you do?" asked Isaac gently, noticing the tears in his brother's eyes and not wanting to upset him anymore.

"Um…I left. I just couldn't take it." Zac looked down at his bedspread.

"Oh, Zac…" Isaac squeezed his brother's hand.

"I just thought, you know, Ike, I just thought that the kiss meant that she really liked me." Zac gazed up at him, the tears glistening in his eyes.

Isaac didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry, Zac."

Zac managed a weak smile. "Hey, it's not your fault. You didn't kiss me in the kitchen then go kiss Corey."

"Damn right I didn't!" Isaac screwed up his nose. He looked at the clock on the wall. "God, it's eleven-thirty! I thought Tay had an eleven o'clock curfew."

"He does," frowned Zac. "Mom and Dad are gonna annihilate him!"

"They're in bed. They told me to make sure that Tay was in on time."

"Okay, correction: You're gonna annihilate him!"

"Damn right I am! If he's not in soon, I'll…"

"You'll what?"

"I dunno yet. But believe me, he'll be sorry!"

***

Taylor rolled over, not quite ready to wake up yet. He was so warm underneath the duvet, but his T-shirt felt like it was all bunched up. In his sleep, he felt around to pull it down, but couldn't find it. He cracked his eyes open for a split-second and peeked under the covers, the shock of what he saw waking him right up. He wasn't wearing any clothes. Since when did he sleep naked? He looked upwards, realizing that he couldn't see Ike's bed above his. Where the hell was he?

He turned round, finding himself face to face with Gabbie. The realization dawned on him, and the memories of earlier on came flooding back to him.

The activities on the couch, which had later been moved into the bedroom, and the fact that he was now a man. Well, in his books anyway. He looked at his watch, trying to focus on the numbers in the darkness. Squinting, he realized that it was three-twelve a.m.

"Shit!" he cursed, jumping out of the bed and quickly pulling on his clothes.

Once he was dressed, he looked down at Gabbie, who was still fast asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he bent down, kissed her gently on the cheek and whispered, "Bye."

Unlocking all three locks, he slipped out of Gabbie's apartment and into the hallway. He broke into a run, boots slapping on the concrete passage.

He ran all the way home, stopping at the end of his drive. Security systems were tough on the Hanson premises, for obvious reasons. He crept round the edge of the garden, keeping into the bushes and the shadows, so the security light wouldn't switch on automatically.

It was still raining, and his hair was plastered to his wet face, raindrops running down his cheeks and dripping off his nose, his ears, his elbows and just about anywhere possible. There was only one thing he could do. He obviously couldn't go in the front door, because he'd wake the whole house up and get himself into some serious doo-doo. He was going to have to climb the tree. It was going to be hard; the trunk would be all wet and slippery as a result of the rain, but it was his only option. Then he'd have to reach over and knock on the window to wake Ike and Zac and get them to help him in.

He darted across the lawn, reaching the base of the tree. He jammed the toe of his boot into the first foothold, and grasped the first branch with his fingers. After climbing carefully, quietly and methodically for about a minute, he'd reached the top, a little scratched, a little bruised and a little sore, but in one piece all the same. Now to wake Isaac and Zac.

There was a gap in between the curtains, where they didn't quite meet, and through this gap, Taylor could see that the room was dark. He couldn't see Ike, but he could see Zac, sleeping in his bed.

Clinging on to the branch for dear life, Taylor reached one arm out and rapped lightly on the window. Zac didn't stir. Cursing, Taylor knocked again, this time a little louder. He saw Zac roll over. "Come on, Zaccy!" he muttered to himself. "Come through for me. Please!" He knocked one more time, hoping that he wouldn't terrify Zac, like the other night. Finally, Zac sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked around, then lay back down and closed his eyes again. "No!" hissed Taylor, knocking again.

This time, Zac sat up and got out of bed. He disappeared from view for a moment, presumably getting Ike up.

After a moment, the curtains were pulled open and Isaac and Zac stood in full view, Ike's face like thunder as he reached out and opened the window. "Where the hell have you been?!" he hissed, brown eyes flashing angrily.

"Don't matter, Ike, just let me in!" Taylor was freezing.

"You were meant to be in by eleven! It's half past three, Taylor!"

"I know, I know. Look, Ike, I'm drenched, I'm freezing and I'm probably gonna die unless you help me in right now!"

Isaac relented. "Fine, fine," he muttered. "C'mere."

Taylor leaned over and wrapped his arms round Isaac's neck. Isaac reached out of the window and wrapped his arms tightly around Taylor's waist.

"Come on, it's okay, I've got you," murmured Isaac, lifting him in from outside, dragging him in through the window and dumping him in a soggy heap on the floor. "You," he told him, "are getting way too heavy to do that to!"

"Sorry," muttered Taylor. "But there's no other way you can get in from that tree."

"Well, most of us tend to use the front door," put in Zac, speaking for the first time.

"And most of us tend not to miss our curfew by four and a half hours!"

"Ike, gimme a break!" Taylor picked himself up off the floor and grabbed a towel.

"Don’t tell me." Zac fell back onto his bed. "You're gonna have a shower because you're soaked. You have the same stupid logic as Ike."

"Tay, don't you think it's a bit late to be showering?" asked Isaac, ignoring Zac completely.

"It's a quiet shower," shrugged Taylor.

"Well, we'll discuss this when you come out."

"No, Ike, we won't. I don't want to, and - not to be rude or anything - but it's none of your Goddamn business!" And with that, he stalked off into the bathroom, leaving behind him a fuming Isaac and an over-awed Zac.

***

"Tay, you were late!"

"Ike, will you stop saying that?!" Taylor pulled on a T-shirt over his head. "You make me sound like I'm pregnant or something!"

"But, Tay, three-thirty?" Isaac fastened his hair back into a ponytail.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot, Saint Isaac. I'm sorry we can't all be as perfect as you!"

"Tay, that's not what I'm saying!" fumed Isaac. "How long have you known this Gabbie person, anyway?"

"That 'Gabbie person' and me have been seeing each other since Martin's party!" Taylor pulled on a pair of blue socks.

"And you were with her last night?"

"Elementary, my dear Watson!" snapped Taylor sarcastically.

"And what were you doing?"

"Ike, as I said last night, that's none of your fu-… damn business!" Taylor stopped himself just in time. The last thing he needed to be doing was swearing at Isaac. Since when did he use the 'F-word' anyway? He seriously needed a reality check here.

"Tay, it is my business!" protested Isaac.

"Oh, and how'd you get that one, Einstein?" Taylor quickly ran a comb through his hair.

"You're my brother."

"It took you sixteen years to figure out that you had me for a brother? Well, look around, Ike. You've got five other siblings!"

"That's not even funny. My point is that I'm your brother, I care about you and I'm worried when you're out till God know what time doing God knows what!" Isaac, now finally fully dressed and ready to go, flopped down on the bed.

"Well, it's nice to know you care, Ike," snapped Taylor angrily. "But on this one, I'd rather you didn't. Keep your big beak out!"

"Charming!" Isaac, seeing that he was getting nowhere at all, stormed out of the room.

Taylor clicked his tongue, then dived across the bed and picked up the phone. Punching in Gabbie's number, he waited for her to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey, baby," he whispered softly, and what he hoped was huskily.

"Excuse me?"

"It's Tay," he explained, reverting to his normal voice.

"Well, in that case, goodbye." The phone was slammed down.

Taylor frowned, totally confused. What was all that about? He pressed redial, and listened to the phone ring and ring. Gabbie obviously wasn't answering. Why the silent treatment? He had no clue.

Unfortunately, he didn't have time to figure it out. It was three o'clock, and Hanson were due to do a small acoustic set at the Tulsa mall in an hour and a half. It had been almost two years since Hanson had played in any malls, and after the disaster that was Paramus Park Mall in New Jersey, where Zac had nearly been eaten alive, they tended to stick to bigger venues. But the mall management had promised top-notch security and a proper stage, and they had all agreed that it would be nice to do a small scene, non-publicized gig in Tulsa again. They were definitely too big for the zoo and the water parks, but a large mall, they thought they could handle.

"Tay!" came the yell from downstairs. "We’re going!"

Taylor heaved himself off the bed, shooting one last glance at the phone, then ran downstairs and out to the minivan. He took a seat next to Isaac, who gave him a curious look, perhaps because the depression was blatantly obvious on Taylor's face.

Zac twisted round in his seat. "Nice of you to show."

Taylor ignored him.

"In such a great mood as well," added Zac, rolling his eyes.

"Zac, why are you wearing sunglasses?"

"Because, man, I'm a rock star!"

Taylor sighed. Zac was obviously very hyped up about the performance. So should Taylor have been, but after the late night last night, then the arguments with Ike that had been going on ever since, he was exhausted. He just wanted to go to sleep. Oh well, it was a half-hour drive to the mall. Why not?

He leaned back in the seat, closed his eyes and let the rhythm of the wheels turning lull him to sleep.

Isaac watched Taylor with a frown of concern on his face. His brother sat beside him, eyes closed. Round his eyes, there were dark circles, his skin was pale and sallow and he looked thoroughly depressed, not to mention exhausted. Ike figured that the last thing Taylor needed right now was a rocky relationship with his brother.

The van swerved and Taylor leaned over in his sleep, resting his head on Isaac's shoulder. Isaac smiled, figuring that Taylor couldn't be that mad. He knew that no one had complete control over their actions in their sleep, but if Tay really hated him, his sub-conscious would have told him not to do that.

Twenty minutes later, they pulled up outside the back entrance to the mall. Fans were lined up outside, screaming as they realized that their heroes had just pulled up outside.

Mr Hanson turned round. "Okay, Diana, you get the little ones in first. Juan can go with you," he added, referring to one of the bodyguards. "I'll get Ike, Tay and Zac in with Jason and John."

"Okay," agreed Mrs Hanson. She waited for Juan to come round the side of the van, then hustled up Jessica, Avery, Mackenzie and Zoë, quickly rushing them inside, ignoring the shouts at them.

Isaac jiggled his shoulder slightly. "Tay," he whispered. "Tay!"

"What?" murmured Taylor.

"Wake up. We're here."

"Ohhhhkay." Taylor rubbed his eyes. "We going?" he mumbled, still not totally awake.

"Yeah," replied Zac. "Come on."

They were hurried out of the van and into the backstage area of the mall.

Isaac grabbed Taylor's arm. "Tay, can we talk?"

Taylor nodded; his anger from earlier was gone. "Sure."

Isaac told his parents they were just going to be outside, then ushered Taylor out. Outside in the hall, he took a deep breath. "Tay, I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you. Incase you haven't noticed, we're pretty famous now. Your wandering the streets of Tulsa in the dead of the night makes me feel uncomfortable. It's not because I don't want you seeing Gabbie, it's just because I care. Besides, you really should be in on time. If it were mom and dad that had caught you, you'd have been dead meat. And it's not that I don’t like Gabbie, I've met her, she seems lovely, it's just that I don't want you getting hurt. I mean, she's older than me, Tay. I don't want you getting hurt," he repeated. "You're my little brother. I care about you, buddy."

Taylor smiled. "Thanks, Ike. I care about you too, and I'm sorry as well. It's just that I really like Gabbie, and I don't want you giving me grief for being happy."

"I'm not, Tay. Just promise me you'll be careful?"

"I promise." Taylor solemnly drew a cross over his heart.

Isaac laughed, leaning over and giving Taylor a hug. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Me too," replied Taylor, hugging him back briefly, then pulling back. "Come on, I guess we'd better get in."

"Yeah, " agreed Isaac.

***

Taylor shook his tambourine, grinning inanely at the mass of screaming girls. At lest five thousand people had turned up, and, Taylor had to admit, the feeling of performing for the first time in ages was electrifying.

He focused on one particular girl in the front row, wearing a teeny tiny pair of tight, tight, tight Lycra shorts and an even tinier top. Her hair was in bunches and her makeup looked…well, it looked painted on, which he guessed it was, but it was absolutely hideous. Blue eye shadow, pink blush and red lipstick. She looked like a porcelain doll gone very, very wrong. The outfit itself was luminous green, and her platinum-dyed blond hair clashed terribly with it. That outfit would look horrendous on anyone skinny, thought Taylor. But she even looks like she's carrying an extra fifty pounds or so.

"Uh…Tay?"

Taylor's head snapped up, turning to Isaac. He blushed, knowing that the girl had known he'd been staring at her. "Yeah?" he whispered.

"We're kinda like in the middle of a performance here. Keep your fantasizing about overly made-up, Jane Fonda outfitted elephants till we're done, please."

Zac sniggered from Taylor's other side and Taylor shot him a withering look, which Zac ignored, turning to yell to the girls. "Okay, here's one we think you're definitely gonna know… Man From Milwaukee!!"

Isaac began to strum the E major chord on the guitar as Taylor shook the stupid little tambourine and Zac clicked the castanets. He listened as Zac began to sing the words of the first line…

"It started at a bus stop, in the middle of nowhere. Sitting beside me, was a man with no hair…."

Isaac frowned. Taylor was supposed to join in, providing the harmony on the second line. He glanced at Zac, who was looking just as confused. Isaac shrugged, figuring Taylor must have missed it and would join in next time and Zac continued anyway.

"From the look on his face, to the size of his toes, he comes from a place that nobody knows…"

Taylor had missed it again. Isaac couldn't worry about that know though, he had to sing himself.

"Oh, maybe I'm hallucinating, hyperventilating, letting this big-toed, bald man sitting here, tell me about the sky…"

Taylor still wasn't singing. The audience was looking confused at the Ike-and-Zac duo that seemed to be before them; Taylor had even quit shaking his tambourine.

Instead, he was standing stock-still, staring at something in the doorway, with glassy eyes. Isaac followed his gaze, and, seeing what stood in the doorway, his heart sank…

Chapter Seven
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