Never Broken Promise
My clothes fell to the floor as he wrapped
his arms around my waist and pulled
me closer to him. The moment reminded me of
something my mother once told me...
She said: “Sometimes the best music is the
music you hear beating in your lover’s
heart.” I smiled and placed my ear over his chest,
listening to the sweet rhythm.
“Run, Isaac, Run!” I
yelled.
Isaac turned his head
around but kept running. “Don’t make me turn around.”
“If you turn around,
I’ll win!”
Isaac just kept
running, but faster. It was really hard for me to catch up.
Let me explain why we
were running in the first place. Okay, Isaac and I have been friends, (best
friends but even bester, Zac would say) since we were born. Every Friday, we
held a race from our neighboring houses to the
Of course, he beat me
every race, which was about 180 races. We’ve been racing since we were twelve
years old. We are both fifteen years old now.
“Beat you again!” Ike
shouted, as we stopped at the store.
“What else is new?” I
smiled.
“You’re just jealous!”
he smiled, back.
“Pshh! Jealous of what?”
“You wish you had a
body like mine.”
“Oh
yeah, Ike. I dream every night about having your body. I really wanna look like a guy.”
He smiled, “Yeah, I
know you do. I can read your mind, remember? I know about ALL those naughty
thought you have about me.”
“24/7,
Ike. 24/7.”
We smiled and walked
into the store. Then, we walked to the cafe in the back of the store.
“Hey Michelle, hey
Zac,” we both said.
“Hey! Who won today?”
Zac asked.
“Zac, do you even have
to ask. You know it was me!” I said.
“Dream on,
I rolled my eyes, “What
if I would happen to win one of these days. No one would believe me!”
“That’s cause it would never happen.”
“Gee, I love how much
faith you have in me, Zac. It touches me, really.”
“You know I love you
man!”
“Yeah,
yeah. I’ll get our drinks.”
I walked over to the
bar and got two cappichinos and two root-beer floats.
Zac and Michelle were too young to have cappinchinos.
They were both ten and always hyper so they didn’t need the coffee.
Michelle moved here
from
I carried the drinks
back to the table without spilling them.
“Hey
“Yeah, I took off work.
So, I can definitely come.”
“You didn’t have to
take off work,” Ike said.
“Are you crazy? I
wouldn’t miss this performance for the world.”
Zac and Ike smiled,
“Thanks.”
“So, how is work,
anyway? Is that guy still bothering you?” Michelle asked, stirring her float.
I looked at Michelle
and gave her a hard stare, that clearly read “now is
not the time.” She looked at Ike, then Zac, then back to me. I nodded at her.
Her eyes got wide when she realized she shouldn’t have said that.
“Sorry,” she mouthed.
“What guy,
“Michelle!” I hissed.
“Sorry!” she said,
aloud.
“It’s nothing really. Just a guy that creeps me out. That’s all.”
“Yeah, that’s all,”
Michelle said, trying to be helpful.
Ike looked at me,
straight in the eyes. I had to turn away, because if I didn’t, I would break. I
looked back and he was still staring at me, concern filling his eyes.
“
I sighed. I knew I was
going to have to tell him everything. So, I agreed as did Michelle.
Michelle and I walked
onto the Hanson’s porch. I rang the doorbell and about a minute later, Jessie
opened the door holding Mackie.
“Please take this creton from my hands!” Jessie put Mackie down and he ran
over and pulled on my skirt.
I smiled and picked him
up. “Hey
“Thanks sweets. You
coming down or are you staying up here?”
“Let’s sneak down,” he
whispered.
I turned around to ask
Michelle, but she already took off with Jessie. I turned back around to Mackie
and we crept downstairs.
“... and just remember,
for every tear the falls, from your eye. Two tears fall from mine...”
We walked down and
heard Isaac singing, with Taylor and Zac joining in. I sat down on the steps
and Mackie sat on my lap.
When they finished, we
clapped, whistled and shouted. They looked over at us.
“Wow! You guys, that
was awesome!”
“Yeah, that was good
guys,” Mackie said.
“Thanks,” Ike said,
coming over.
Mackie held his arms
out to him. Ike picked him up and flew him around like an airplane. Mackie
squealed with delight. “Higher, Ikey,
higher!”
Isaac lifted him
higher, then brought him back down. He ran upstairs,
laughing.
Zac ran over and hugged
me. I looked at him wearily, “What’s this for, Zac?”
He looked up at me,
“You better sit down.”
I was getting scared. I
sat down, slowly. I looked at
“Scared ya, didn’t I?”
I let out the breath I
was holding. “Oh, you’re getting it now!” I tackled him to the ground and
tickled him. When I stopped, I looked at him. “Please, don’t ever do that
again. ‘Cause you know what I’ll do?”
He smiled, “What?”
I leaned down and
whispered something in his ear so only he could hear.
“Oh,
I looked down at Zac
and his eyes were wide. “Comprendo?”
He nodded his head and
gulped.
“Good.” I kissed his
head and got off him. I extended my hand towards Zac and pulled him up.
“Yo,
Zac, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,”
“Yeah, what did she say
to you?” Ike asked.
Zac gulped again and
looked at me.
I smiled and walked
upstairs, but not before I heard Zac squeak out, “She said if I did that again,
she’d make me really look like a girl. If you catch my
drift.”
Isaac and Taylor both
busted up laughing.
“You know she could do
it, too,” Isaac said.
“I know, that’s what I’m afraid of.”
I smiled and walked
into the kitchen, where Diana, Jessie, Avery, and Michelle were.
“Hey guys.”
“Hey
“Hey sweetie,” Diana
said, kissing my cheek.
She always treated me
like one of her own children. Maybe that’s because I spend more time at her
house then I do at my own.
Everyone was soon
settled at the dinning room table. Isaac, Taylor and Zac sang “Amen” and then
we ate.
After dinner, everyone
except Ike and I, went out in the yard. We walked up
to the boy’s room.
“So, what did you want
to talk about?”
“I think you know.”
I sighed and sat down
on his bed. He sat down beside me and grabbed my hand. “
I looked into those
eyes. Those eyes that I’ve trusted for the whole fifteen
years of my life.
“I’ve been having
some... trouble at work. This guy, I think he’s 28 or 29. Has
been coming in every day. And he just stays there, watching me, for
hours at a time. He writes stuff in a journal. I think it’s about me because everytime I get near him, he shuts
the book and stares at me. He’s really starting to creep
me out.”
“How long has this been
going on?”
I thought for a minute.
“About three or four months.”
“
“You’ve been really
busy lately and I didn’t want to bother you with my problems. Plus, you know I
would have told you right away if he was hurting me. But he’s only watching
me.”
Isaac sighed,” I don’t
want it to lead to something physical. If he even taps you, I want you to tell
me. I don’t care how busy I am, I’ll make time. You know I’ll always make time
for you.”
I smiled, “Thanks Ike.
That means a lot to me.”
We hugged then walked
downstairs to be with the others.
“HANSON! HANSON!”
People chanted outside the Blue Rose Cafe.
“Wish me luck!” Zac
shouted.
“You don’t need luck,
but good luck,” I said.
“Yeah, good luck guys.
We will be cheering for you,” Michelle said.
“Thanks,” they all
said.
We ran out into the
crowd as they ran out the “stage” door and onto the stage. (well,
patio if you wanna be technical). The shrieking
became twice as loud.
They started by playing
their newest song, “Two Tears.” Then, they played, “MMMBop,”
which totally got the crowd going.
Just when you thought
the screaming couldn’t get any louder, Ike started playing
I smiled. Everytime he played that song, all the girls were like
magnets. I looked at Michelle, and she smiled.
The played four more
original songs and then they played three covers. Then, they walked off stage.
After about two minutes, they rushed back out and took their places at their
instruments.
“The next song is a new
song that we wrote for a friend of ours when she was in the hospital. But she’s
here today, alive and healthy, and we’d like to play this song for her,” Ike
said, smiling.
Then Zac stood up on
his seat. “So you better wake up and pay attention,
I laughed, then looked at Michelle, wide-eyed. “Did they just say what
I thought they said?”
Michelle nodded, “Yeah,
so you better pay attention.”
I turned back to the
“stage” and listened.
“If I’m gone when you
wake up, please don’t cry...”
I listened to the whole
song and was practically hysterical. “With You In Your
Dreams” was such a pretty song. It was the first time I ever heard it. It’s
been five months since I’ve been in the hospital for severe dramatic stress.
They said it was so bad that I could have died. The reason I was in there, was
because my mother died in a car accident, and I kinda
lost it after that. But I’m doing much better now.
When they finished the
song, I ran backstage and hugged and thanked them.
“Geez
guys, you got me crying,” I said, rubbing my eyes.
“Did you like it?”
“Like it? God, I loved
it!”
“Cool,” Zac said. He
and Taylor went over and got a drink with Michelle.
I turned around to look
at Ike, and when I did, someone caught my eye at the bar and I gasped.
“What’s wrong?”
I turned my head away
quick and walked over to Michelle and them, with Ike
following, confused.
“
I stood in front of him
so the guy couldn’t see me. “Look over at the bar, third seat.”
Isaac looked over
quickly then looked back. “Is that him? That guy watching you?”
I nodded my head.
“Hey
“It would take too long
to explain, Zac. Hey, I’m going back outside. I didn’t like how he was looking
at me.”
As soon as I turned
around, I jumped backwards and gasped. Ike put his arm around my waist, Zac
picked up the pen I dropped and Michelle grabbed my hand.
The guy bent over and
picked up the CD he dropped. “Can I have your autograph?” He asked the boys but
stared at me.
Taylor was the first to
speak up, oblivious to what was going on. “Sure, why don’t you go and wait in
the line outside and we’ll be there as soon as possible.”
The guy turned around
and started to walk outside. Michelle let go of my hand and Zac gave me my pen
back.
The guy ran back.
“Look, that line is huge. Can I please just get it now so I can leave?”
I kinda
liked the idea of him leaving. Okay, I really liked the idea.
“Oh, I’m sure these
boys won’t mind signing that right now. For a warm-up,” I said, shakily, trying
my best to smile. I looked at Ike and he understood.
“Sure, just let me go
get a pen.”
“Here, this young lady
has one,” he said, pointing to me. He put his hand over mine and slowly took
the pen, smiling the whole time.
Just his hand touching
mine made me sick, so I pulled away. He gave the pen to Ike, who signed it and
passed it to Zac. Finally,
“Well, thank you. I’ll
be off now.” Then he took off.
“Hey, he took off with
your pen!” Zac exclaimed.
“I’m not so sure I
wanted it back.”
“What’s going on, why
were you so freaked out by that guy?”
I explained everything
to Taylor and Zac.
Zac slapped his
forehead. “Duh! I should have guessed, by the way he
was looking at you. I just didn’t expect him to look like that.”
“You
mean, you knew about it?” I asked.
“Yeah, Michelle told me
about it yesterday.”
I looked at Michelle
and she looked down to the ground.
“Wait a minute! You
mean, Zac and Isaac knew, but I didn’t!”
“
“It’s
okay,
“Don’t worry about it.
I’m sorry though.”
“Well, you guys better
get out there or they’ll come in here looking for you,” Michelle said. Michelle
and I sat at a table while they went out to sign autographs.
“Hey
“Michelle, it’s okay.
Don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal. They all know now anyway.”
“Really? No worries?”
“No worries,” I smiled,
patting her hand.
We talked for a little,
then I felt like someone was watching me. I looked at
Michelle, and she had the same expression on her face.
“Do you feel like...” Michelle started.
“Someone is watching
us? Yeah, I was just about to ask you that.”
We looked around, then I spotted him at the dart board and pool table. I
closed my eyes and turned back to Michelle. Apparently, she saw him because
when I opened my eyes she had a concerned look on her face.
“I thought he left,”
Michelle said.
I felt like crying. “I
don’t know Michelle, but I’m really starting to get scared. Can we please go
out there were there’s more people?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
We got up and walked
towards the door. I looked over and saw he was coming towards us.
“Michelle, run!” I
grabbed her hand and started running. Right before we got to the door, he
jumped in front of me. He pushed Michelle to the ground and clamped his hand
over my mouth before I could scream.
“Listen to me, and
listen good.” He let go of my mouth and grabbed my
hand when I tried to run. He dug his nail into my skin. It was really starting
to hurt. I looked down and saw it was bleeding. It hurt even more when I moved,
so I had to stay very still.
“Good, now listen. I
see how you hang all over those Hanson boys. You’ve probably screwed them all,
even the little one. Right? Right, now listen you
little whore. You stay away from them boys. How will my daughters ever have a
chance with them if you are constantly around them.
You know what will happen if you disobey me? Well, I’ll tell you. I’ll kill you
and your father just like I killed your mother.” And with that, he pulled out a
knife.
I was already crying
but when he pulled my wrist up and slit it open, I cried about ten times
harder. “Stay away from them.”
He took off out the bar
door.
Michelle crawled over and
put her arms around me. “It’s going to be okay...”
“No! Michelle, don’t
say that! It will not be okay! Didn’t you hear him! He killed my mother and
he’s going to kill me and my dad!”
I took off running out
the stage door. When I ran out, I accidentally bumped into Ike’s shoulder but I
kept running.
“Hey
I slowed down, turned
around and began walking backwards. “Ike, please. Just stay away.”
Isaac saw me crying,
and saw that I was holding my wrist, but there was blood coming between my
fingers. I looked around and saw all the fans were staring at us. Then, I saw
him again. He was standing behind a van, holding his knife.
I looked back at Ike
and saw he was soon caught up to me. I turned back around and started running.
I ran faster than I ever
had. Faster than all those races. The
races. They would most definitely have to stop. What am I saying? I
can’t even talk to them. I started crying even harder, which I didn’t think was
possible. I was crying so hard that I had to stop running. I sank to my knees
on the pavement. I buried my head in my hands. A few seconds later, I felt
strong arms go around me.
I screamed and tried to
break free but the person held me down.
“
I turned my head around
and saw it was Ike. I looked around quickly and when I didn’t see the guy, I
flung myself into his arms and hugged him tightly. I thought he was going to
say something about me hugging him to tight but he didn’t. Instead, he just
held me back.
A few minutes later, he
pulled back slightly. “What happened?”
I wiped away the tears
but they kept falling. He started wiping them away, softly. But they kept
falling.
“I think we need a
bucket.”
I laughed lightly and
they soon stopped.
“Okay, the guy came
back and he told me I have to stay away from you guys. He was calling me a
whore because he thinks I slept with all of you. Then, he said that if he even
catches me talking to any of you, he’ll kill me and my father like he killed my
mother. He killed my mom. He was the one driving the car. He killed my mom,
Ike!” I choked out between sobs and I was soon in hysterics again. Ike wrapped
his arms around me tightly.
“I’m so sorry,
“Yeah, he said because
his daughters won’t have a chance with you guys if I’m always around. Then, he
slit my wrist.”
Ike picked up my wrist
and looked at it. He made a disgusted look. “That guy is messed up. Come on, we
have to get this checked out.”
“No Ike. Thank you for
caring and everything. And you know I love you for it, but we can’t be seen
together. He could skitz out and go on a frickin’ killing spree. It would be better if we stayed
away from each other.” I only let a few tears fall.
“Is it really that
easy? I can’t just stop seeing my best friend. Please tell me you just did not
say that,” He said, letting his own tears fall.
“You think it’s that
easy for me. This is one of the hardest things in the world for me to do. You
know how hard it’s going to be for me not to run to your house every day?”
“I have an idea,” he
whispered.
I looked down and
sighed, “I’m sorry.”
He grabbed my hand.
“No, I’m sorry. I guess I was being selfish.”
“No, Ike, you have
nothing to be sorry for. This is my...”
“No, don’t even say
this is your fault. Listen, you have to check your wrist out. If I can’t go
with you, promise me you’ll get someone to look at it.”
I smiled,slightly, “I promise.”
We stood up. “How will
I know if you’re okay?”
I thought for a minute.
“I can tell Michelle, then Michelle can tell you.”
He nodded and looked
down. “If you ever need anything, somehow, I don’t care how. Let me know,
okay?”
I smiled, “Okay, and
thank you again... well, you better get back before they really start to worry.
Plus, the fans might get the wrong idea,” I smiled and winked at him.
He smiled and kissed my
hand. “I just hope this soon ends. You know I’ll be waiting.”
I smiled and hugged him
for a while.
I turned around and
started walking home. When I got about ten feet, I turned around. “Hey Ike!”
He turned around and
stared at me. I felt very bold all of a sudden. I ran over to him and kissed
him softly. I pulled away and he smiled. “What was that for?”
“For
always being there, and for wanting to be here now. Thanks.”
I turned around again
and ran home.
When I got there,
Michelle was sitting on my bed. “Oh, thank God! Where did you go?”
“Isaac caught up to me.
I had to explain everything to him. God! Michelle, you don’t know how hard it
was to say that we couldn’t be together anymore.” I sat down on the bed and
Michelle put her arm around me. I put my hand on her knee and patted it.
“Hey, where’s my dad and Dudley?”
“Uh, your dad left when
I came. He said he had an emergency at the firm. And, uh...
I don’t know where your dog is. I’ll help you find him.”
“Thanks. Do you
remember when we got him?”
Michelle laughed,
“Yeah, he would keep licking you and Isaac, but then we would attack
I smiled and laughed, “Yeah, that was funny. I love my dog.”
We walked down to the
backyard.
“Look, he’s in his
doghouse,” Michelle said.
We walked over to the
doghouse. I sat in front of it and patted my knees. “Here,
After awhile, I pulled
the chain out and screamed so loud.
“Kissing Isaac was the
worse mistake of your life. Be prepared to pay tonight,” Michelle read.
“Oh
my God, Michelle! I have to get out of here.”
“Where are you going to
go?”
“I don’t know. But help
me pack quick!”
We ran back into the
house. I grabbed a blanket and quickly ran it out and out it over
I quickly packed a few
clothes, a journal and some writing utensils, lots of money and a couple other
things.
“Listen, I won’t be
able to contact you or anyone. So, I’m going to need you to tell my dad. I’m
going to stop and tell Isaac goodbye and explain a little, but you have to
explain everything else to him, Taylor, Zac and my dad only. Okay? Please?”
“Of course I will. God,
I’m going to miss you,” she said, hugging me.
“You know I love you
more than I love my sister, right?”
She laughed lightly
while crying. “Yeah, I love ya too.”
“Okay, I gotta jet. Tell everyone that I love them and that I’ll
miss them.”
“Okay.”
I ran down the steps
while putting on my bookbag. I ran out my back door,
through my yard and into the Hanson’s. I saw a van pull into the driveway so I
waited a few minutes till I knocked on the door. When I did, Diana opened the
door and smiled.
“Hey sweetheart,” then
she frowned, “Were you crying? And why is your arm bloody?”
I looked down and
gasped. “Shoot, I forgot to clean this up. I don’t have time now. Is Isaac
around?”
She grabbed my good
hand and pulled me into the house. “Honey, you are going to clean that up
first.”
She pulled me over to
the bathroom and cleaned my cut up for me.
“Hey
Mom? Who are you talking...” Isaac started,
but stopped when he saw me. “
“I’ll be going now,”
Diana said.
“Thanks for cleaning
this for me.”
“No problem,” she said,
then left.
“I have to run away,
Ike.”
His eyes got wide.
“What? Why? I thought we just couldn’t communicate for a while..”
“He saw us on the
sidewalk. He killed
“God Devon, I’m sorry.”
He hugged me tightly.
After awhile, I pulled
away. “Okay, if I stay here any longer, I’ll never leave.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” he
whispered, looking down.
“I know.” I lifted his
chin. “Either would I. You know I love you, right?”
“Yeah. You know I love you,
right?”
I nodded my head
slowly. “Well, I better say goodbye to Taylor and Zac quick. Um, could you do
me a favor?”
“Anything.”
“Don’t tell your
parents, Jessie, Avery, or Mackie about this. Okay? If they ask, tell them I
went to live with my grandfather, who needed someone to take care of him. But
tell them I’ll miss them and that I love them and that I’ll never forget them.”
“I will. They are going
to miss you like crazy. Especially Mackie. He still
thinks we’re married.”
I smiled, remembering
the time Ike and I watched the kids and Mackie insisted that Ike and I get
married. So, we performed a fake marriage. It was cute.
I sighed, “God, I’m
going to miss you guys.”
“Well, you know, we’ll
always be here. If you ever need anything, just come to us.”
I looked up into those
eyes. I had that feeling again. This was going to be our last time together. I
leaned up and softly kissed his lips again. He wrapped his arms around my
waist. We broke apart and rested out foreheads against each others.
“I have to go,” I
whispered.
His grip on me
tightened. “I don’t want you to leave.”
I hugged him tighter.
“I don’t want to leave, but I have to.”
We reluctantly walked
out of the bathroom. Zac and Taylor ran up to us. They both hugged me. I kissed
Zac’s forehead and
“I have to go, guys. I
probably won’t see you for a long time so good luck with everything. Ike and
Michelle will explain everything to you.” I started to walk towards the
backdoor.
“
I turned around.
“Zac,
go get the box.”
Zac ran up the steps
and within seconds he was back. He handed me a box. “Open it.”
“What’s this for?”
“Well,”
I smiled lightly. “Oh,
okay. Thanks.”
I slowly opened it and
pulled out it’s contents. There was a silver chain
with a heart-shaped locket, mini-compass and a cross attached to it. I opened
the heart and was greeted with a beautiful picture of all three boys and I on
one side and the inscription “Friends Forever And A
Day” on the other side.
“So, you won’t forget
us.”
I looked up, teary-eyed.
“I could never in a cabillion lifetimes, forget you
guys. We’re the four musketeers!”
“The compass is for
when you get lost, you can always find your way back to us. And the cross is
for when you feel like you’ve lost everything, you know God is there.” Ike
said.
I smiled and hugged
them all again. “I love you guys so much.”
“Bye
“We’ll miss you,” Zac
said.
Ike walked me to the
door. “Here,” he said, taking off his ring. “Just a little
reminder.”
“Thanks.” I put it on
the chain they just gave me.
I hugged him again and
walked out the door. I turned around once to wave goodbye, then
took off towards the bus station.
One Year Later...
“Hey
I looked up from my
journal, to the TV, on my position on the couch.
“...Can you tell me?
Which flower’s gonna grow?...”
My eyes got wide and I
started crying. “Oh my God! They did it!”
I looked at Andrea, who
was staying with me in the hotel. She too, was a runaway. I met her in
“You were right,
“Yep, that’s Ike. The
one playing the keyboards is
“I understand,
The song ended and the
“10 to the hour news” came on. Serena Altchul started
talking. “As some of you may know, the hottest new band around is a band of
three heartthrob brothers from
They showed the guy and
I gasped. “That’s him,” I whispered.
“That’s all for now.
We’ll have more at ten to the hour, every hour.”
I looked at Andrea and
she was smiling at me. “Do you know what that means?”
“
Later that night, I
packed up all my things and ate my last dinner with Andrea.
“You know, if you’re ever in
“Thank you. I
appreciate it. But I don’t think I’ll need to. I got this letter in the mail
today. My dad was sent to jail for assault, and my mother is in the hospital.
So, I’m going home.”
“Oh
Andrea! I’m so happy for you but I’m sorry about your mother. How did you
know? I thought your friend couldn’t mail you anymore?”
“Yeah, well he did, I
guess because it was an emergency.”
“This really has been a
great day.”
The next morning, I
took off towards
Surprisingly, it only
took me three days to get there. I hitch-hiked three times and walked the rest
of the way.
When I turned onto the
street I lived on, I stopped dead in my tracks. “Oh my God,” I whispered to
myself and smiled. Isaac, Taylor and Zac were playing basketball on their
garage/court. They all looked so different, yet the same. Ike shot up about
four inches, had a darker complexion, and his hair was about an inch longer;
I never realized how
much I really missed them until now. Just watching them
brought back so many memories. I slowly got up and walked towards them, wiping
away the happy tears. I picked up my pace and soon found myself on the court.
The first thought that ran through my head was, ‘Thank God, I’m home!’
They didn’t notice me
yet. Good, because I wanted to watch them for a little longer.
Ike stole the ball from
Taylor, passed it to Zac, then picked Zac up so he could slam it in. When he
turned around, we made eye-contact. He practically dropped Zac, from shock.
“
At the mention of my
name, Zac and Taylor’s heads shot over to my direction.
I nodded my head, threw
off my book and extended my arms. “I’m home.”
They ran over and we
all hugged for what seemed like hours.
“Thank God you’re home.
You have no idea how much we missed you.” Ike said.
“I have an idea.” I
smiled. “Hey, congratulations! I told you guys that
you would make it big.”
All the guys smiled,
proudly. “Thanks.”
Zac smiled,
mischievously. “Yeah, you’re always right about everything, aren’t you?”
“You know it!”
“Well, come on, there
are a bunch of people who want to see you.”
“Yeah, Michelle’s
here.” Zac said.
“Michelle’s here?...” I asked, just as someone shouted, “
I looked towards the
house and saw Michelle jump off the porch and run towards me. I ran towards her
and we hugged each other tightly.
“
I just nodded. Isaac,
Taylor and Zac came up behind us. Isaac grabbed one of my hands and
We all walked towards
the house and went in.
“Mom! Dad, Jessie, Avery,
Mackie! Come here please!” Isaac yelled.
Within a few seconds,
everyone was in the living room, staring at me.
“
When I stood up, Diana
and Walker come over and hugged me. “We’re glad you’re back.”
I smiled. “It’s great
to be back. Hey, I need to go see my dad. Do you know if he’s home or on a
business trip?”
Everyone in the room,
except the younger kids, gasped and clasped their hands over their mouths.
“What?”
“
My smile faded,
instantly. “What? What’s going on?”
Isaac squeezed my hand
and I looked at him. “Your dad was killed in a car accident two days...”
Whatever Isaac said
after that, I didn’t hear. I passed out cold on the floor.
The next thing I
remember was someone rubbing my head and playing with my hair. I looked up and
saw it was Isaac. His eyes were closed and he was leaning on his other arm. I
guess he didn’t realize he was still rubbing my head. I looked at the clock.
“Hey, how are you
holding up?” He took my hand in his.
I sighed. “Okay, I
guess. I mean, I feel horrible because I don’t feel horrible. I mean... uh, nevermind,” I said, frustrated with myself.
“No, tell me how you
feel.” He ordered, gently.
“Okay, it’s like. You
know, I feel horrible that he died. Honest, I do. But...
I don’t feel half as bad as I did when my mother died. It’s just, of course I
love him and I’ll miss him, but I was never close to him. I saw him maybe once
or twice a year. I don’t know, does that make me a
horrible person?”
Ike put his arm around
me. “No, of course not! It just means that you were
closer to your mother than you were your father. And it just means that you can
deal with his death better.”
I leaned against his
shoulder. “How comes you always know the right things to say to me?”
“Years of practice...
from you saying the wrong things.” He laughed and I hit him with a pillow.
“Funny,
ha ha!” I smiled.
“I thought it was too.”
I rolled my eyes and
settled back against him. He picked the blanket off of the floor and covered us
up. “Night
“Night
Ike.”
We fell asleep in each
other’s embrace.
I woke up when I felt
little hands tugging on the blanket. I opened my eyes slowly and smiled. “Hey babe! What are you doing up so early?”
Mackie laughed, “It’s
I looked at the clock.
“Well, it is
He climbed onto my lap
and cuddled. I smiled and played with his hair.
“Can we watch Barney?”
I silently shuddered at
the name but then smiled. I thought to myself, ‘Hey, it’s been forever since
you last watched Barney with him. It could be different.’
I smiled at him. “Of
course we can watch Barney.” I turned the TV on and started watching the show.
“Hide-eli-o kiddos!”
‘Oh
my God! It’s still the same!’
I felt shaking behind
me. I turned around and saw Ike laughing. “I can not believe you are watching
Barney!”
I smiled and whacked
him upside the head.
“Hey
Mackie? Are you going to sit there and let her hit me like this?”
Mackie looked at us and
smiled. “You know you want her!”
Ike and I both looked
at him, wide-eyed. “Who told you to say that?” I finally asked.
“I heard Tay-Tay say ‘I know you want me’ after some girl hit him.
So I thought that was what I was supposed to say.”
We both just cracked
up. “Mackie, you are too adorable.” Ike said.
“Sssshhhh!
Barney’s on!”
Ike and I got up and
silently walked into the kitchen.
Michelle and Zac walked
into the kitchen, wiping the sleep dust from their
eyes.
“Did you fall asleep
here, too?” I asked Michelle.
“Yeah,” she yawned.
I sat down at the table
and just thought for awhile.
“Penny
for your thoughts.” Ike said.
I looked over and saw
Ike, Michelle, and Zac staring at me.
“I was just thinking
about where I’m going to stay. I’m not old enough to live by myself. What am I
going to do with the house? Heck, I can’t even drive yet.”
Diana walked into the
kitchen. “You know you are always welcome to stay here with us, for as long as
you want.”
I stood up and hugged
her. “Thank you, that means a lot to me. But I couldn’t impose...”
“
I smiled, “Thank you.”
“So, what would you
guys and girls like for breakfast?”
After breakfast, I
grabbed my journal and headed for the backyard. I climbed up the ladder to the treehouse and went in.
I opened my book and
read the last entry. “...I’m going home!!” I smiled and started writing
again. “I just found out yesterday that my father is dead... The Hansons’ and Michelle have been wonderful to me... I’ll be
living with them for awhile...”
When I finished
writing, I turned back to the first page. There were over 500 pages filled. It
consisted of thirty-two songs and sixty poems also.
I looked at one of the
songs:
“The Keeper Of My Heart
He’s a
distant memory
Sketched
in my brain
One
that I’ll never forget
The one
I pull out when it rains
He’s the keeper of my
heart
Yet he doesn’t know it yet
He’s
always been the sweetest guy
Everyday
since we’ve met
We could be the last
thing people expect
We
could be millions of miles apart
But I
feel him so close
He will
always be the keeper of my heart.”
“Hey, that was really
good? Did you write that?”
I jumped and looked at
the doorway. “Ike! How long were you listening?”
“Chill! I wasn’t
eavesdropping, I was coming out to see what you were up to and I heard you
singing. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
I looked down and
blushed. “Sorry, it’s just that I’m very... protective of my work. I guess I
was half-expecting you to say how horrible it was and how bad I sounded...”
“You’re so pessimistic!
The song was great and you have a very beautiful, sweet and unique voice.”
I smiled and whispered.
“Thanks.”
“So, what is this
thing? Your song book or something?”
“Actually, it’s my
journal I kept for the past year. It has everything I did in it, all the states
I was in. And a lot of poetry and songs. And ‘Oh, I
miss the Hansons so much’, ‘I miss Michelle’, ‘I miss
my dad,’ ” then I whispered, “God, I miss my mom.”
He put his arm around
my shoulder. “Why don’t you talk about all the places you’ve been?”
I smiled. “Okay, well
I’ve been to Cali, Montana, Washington, Oregon,
Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Mexico, Colorado and Kansas, and of course, around
Oklahoma.”
“Wow! You hitch-hiked all through those states, by yourself.”
“Well, I wasn’t by
myself the whole time. I met a girl in
“Hey guys, what are you
doing?” Michelle asked, coming up with Zac right behind her.
“Jeez! Are you guys
connected at the hip or something?” I asked.
“They’ve been like that
since you left.” Ike supplied.
Michelle looked up at
me. “So, you’re like that with Ike.”
“Michelle, I wasn’t
here for a year.”
“So,
before that and now.”
I looked at Ike and he
shrugged. I looked at how we were sitting and laughed. We were sitting hip to
hip, his arm around my shoulder and mine around his waist. “I guess you’re
right.”
“Of course I’m right.”
“We were just talking
about
“Ohh! Read one
“Yeah! Please?” Zac said,
giving me the puppy-dog face.
I smiled, “Okay, jeez!”
I opened my book. “Oh,
here’s one. It’s called. ‘The One That I Love’
When I wanna cry
You hold my hand
You
always were the man
To
understand
There’s
nobody else I want
But you
When I
feel lost
You
know what to do...”
When I finished the
song, they all applauded and whistled.
I smiled, “Aww, you guys are too good to me.”
“Well, you give us a
reason.” Zac said.
I smiled, then my head shot towards the window. “Shh!
Do you hear that?”
Everyone got silent.
“What am I listening
for?” Michelle asked.
“Don’t you hear that
ticking?”
“Yeah, I hear it,” Ike
said, putting his head to the floor. “It’s coming from beneath the wood.”
“Open the trap door,
this is driving me nuts,” I said.
Isaac opened up the
door and we both looked in. Then, we both screamed. Well, I just plain out
screamed, Isaac yelled, “Oh my God!”
“Michelle, Zac, get down the ladder and run!” I yelled.
They did as they were
told, then Ike and I stood. We ran to the edge of the treehouse.
Ike looked at me quickly, then grabbed my hand and we
jumped. When we landed, we fell to the ground and Ike rolled on top of me.
Then, the treehouse blew up. Debris flew everywhere,
including on us.
A few seconds later,
everyone ran out of the house and over to us.
“Devon, Isaac! Are you
okay?” Diana asked, once Ike rolled off of me.
“Yeah, just a little
shaken up. How ‘bout you Ike?”
Isaac sat up and we
noticed a gash above his left eye. Everyone gasped and Diana crawled over and
inspected him.
“Mom, I’m alright. It’s
just a little cut.”
“A little cut? I don’t
thing so! Come on, you and
We helped each other up
and went inside.
Later that night, we
talked about in incident after supper. Michelle stayed again.
“Why would someone want
to put a bomb in the treehouse? I mean, who are they
trying to kill? What if one of the kids were up
there?” I rambled.
“I don’t know
“Yeah, but we better be
careful. Don’t let the little kids go out by themselves,” Ike said.
“We are going to inform
the police tomorrow morning. I doubt anybody heard anything since it’s just us,
“Okay,” we all said. We
got up and kissed them goodnight.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Keeper
Of My Heart" and "The One That I Love"
are © aj hess.
I woke up around
Finally, I looked up at
Ike’s bed and saw him staring down at me. I wish I had a camera with me,
because he looked so cool. He was leaning on one hand, with his hair falling in
his face a little. The moon was reflecting in his eyes and I could see little white
specs shining. It was one of those moments that you store in your head because
you knew it would never happen again.
I smiled at him and
quietly got up. I crawled up onto his bed and laid
beside him. “What’s up? Is there something wrong?” I whispered.
He shrugged his
shoulders. “I dunno. I guess I just couldn’t sleep. I
kept having this vision of the treehouse blowing up
with one of the kids in it,” he shuddered, “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost
any of them. You know?”
I smiled and rubbed his
shoulder. “Yeah, I know. But you don’t have to worry about that anymore. It’s
over. If you don’t get any sleep tonight, you’ll be a groucho
in the morning. Now, go to bed!” I smiled
“Away for a year, she
thinks she’s my mother!” he smiled.
I picked up the pillow
and whacked him.
“You know you want me,”
he smiled, trying not to laugh.
I put the pillow to my
face so I wouldn’t laugh. “Oh yeah.” I laid my head
down on his shoulder and we fell asleep.
“Devon, Ikey, get up. The police people
want to talk to you.”
I opened my eyes and
saw Avery sitting on me and Jessie sitting on Isaac.
“Aren’t they here a
smidgen early?”
“It’s
“Jeez, I get up later
and later every day.”
“Ikey,
get up!” Jessie said.
“Yeah, Ikey, get up,” I said, smiling.
He cracked one eye
open. “Did you call me Ikey?” He asked, in a Pumba voice.
I smiled, “Yeah.”
“Did YOU call ME Ikey?” he asked, a little louder.
“YES, I DID!”
“Attack!” he yelled, to
Avery and Jessie. They all started tickling me. Five minutes later, I was a
mess. My hair was everywhere, my face was red and sweaty, and tears were
streaming down my face from laughing so hard.
Two hours later, we
trudged up the steps and back into the bedroom.
“I swear to God, if I
get asked one more question, I will severely hurt someone.”
Zac looked at me. “Hey
Before he could finish,
I grabbed him and threw him onto the bed. “Do you give?”
“NEVER!
“I’m giving you one
more chance, or I will brutally tickle you while Isaac, Taylor, Jessie, Avery
and Mackie stand back and watch!”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“Just try me, Zac.”
Zac swallowed hard, then smiled. “I call you a bluff!”
I shrugged and smiled.
“Suit yourself.” Then I started tickling him.
Not even five seconds
later, Zac yelled. “Uncle! I give!”
I got off of him and
walked over to the window. I looked over into my house. You could see my
bedroom from this window. Ike sat down on his bed, that was right beside the
window. “See anything interesting?”
“I see a squirrel in
the tree, I see some birds in a nest... and I see someone in my house.” I took
off towards my house.
“
“You can’t go over
there by yourself. It’s too dangerous!” Zac said.
I rolled my eyes. “Zac,
I’m just going over to my house to check it out. I’m not accessing government
files.”
“So
what? You don’t know who could be in there!”
“That’s what I’m going
to find out.” I turned around and walked towards the house again.
“Zac, if we’re not back
in ten minutes, send Dad over. Okay?” Ike asked.
“Okay,” Zac said, running back into the house. Ike caught up and walked
beside me.
“Where did Michelle and
Taylor go?”
Ike looked at me. “I dunno. Michelle left after the questioning and
We walked inside and
stood quiet, waiting to hear any noise.
.:Thump:. “Ow!”
“It’s coming from
upstairs.” Ike whispered, grabbing my hand and leading me towards the stairs. I
giggled lightly. “What?” Ike asked, looking back.
“I feel like I’m in a
cheesy horror movie. Sneaking up the steps. Whispering. The guy leading the girl.
What’s next? The killer jumps out and I screw him?”
Isaac smiled. “Why must
you always be difficult. If it would make you feel
better, would you like to go first?”
“Uh,
no. I wouldn’t want to break the traditional male role from the past
million years.”
Ike smiled wilder.
“You’re just chicken shit!”
“Clarke Isaac Hanson!
Do you kiss your mother...”
Before I could finish,
my bedroom door opened. I quieted down and looked at Ike. He looked at me, then
back to the door. Just then, Michelle and Taylor walked out, holding my things.
My eyes got wide. “What
are you guys doing over here?”
Michelle looked at Taylor, then looked back at us. “We, um, wanted to bring
some of your stuff over to the Hanson’s so you feel more at home.”
I knew they were lying
through their teeth. Ike spoke up. “Oh, that’s a good idea. Did you get the
picture albums?”
“Okay, let’s go then.”
Ike said, ushering them out the door.
I followed them
reluctantly. But I stopped Ike at the door. “What the hell just happened
there?”
He shrugged. “They were
just doing something to make you feel better. It’s nothing. You should be more
concerned about your birthday.”
I smiled. “Oh yeah. That’s right! My birthday is coming up! I’ll be
seventeen, finally. It’s this Friday, right?”
He laughed. “Yeah, two days away.”
“Happy Birthday to
you...”
I opened my eyes to see
Diana and the three younger kids singing to me.
I smiled and sat up
when they finished. “Well, thank you very much.”
“We made something for
you. Here,” Jessie said, handing me a hand-made picture.
“See, there’s you. There’s Ikey with his
arm around you. There’s Tay-Tay and Zacky. There’s me and Jessie. And there’s Mackie on your
leg.”
“Nuh-uh! I’m right here!” I smiled and picked him up.
“Thank you. I love it. I will treasure it always.”
All the children smiled
with pride. I stood up and hugged them all, then hugged Diana.
“Here you go,
sweetheart.” She handed me a tiny box.
“You didn’t have to get
me anything. You’ve already done so much for me.”
“Oh honey, just take
it. It’s from Walker and I.”
“Well, thank you.”
I opened the box.
Inside, was a silver chain and a small heart locket,
similar to the one the boys gave me last year. I opened it up and saw a picture
of the whole Hanson family on one side and a picture of my family on the other.
My mother was in that picture. The tears welled up in my eyes. I flipped it
over and saw the inscription, “Love has brought these two families together.”
I looked back at Diana,
and she was smiling. I hugged her tightly. “Thank you so much.”
Isaac walked in the
door. “Get dressed. You have fifteen minutes till our race.”
I smiled. “You’re on!”
I quickly got a shower,
dressed and was downstairs within fifteen minutes. Ike was the only one there.
“Hey, where’s everybody
else? It’s awfully quiet.”
“Oh, they went
shopping. The little ones needed new shoes,
“Lemme
guess? Candy?”
Ike sighed and smiled.
“You know us too well.”
“Yeah, well. Are you
ready to start this race?”
He stood up and walked
towards the door. “Let’s go, Mademoiselle.” He opened the door and put his arm
around my shoulder as I passed.
“Ready?”
“You bet. I’ve been
ready for a year.”
We took our marks and
got ready. “You better not let me win either, or I’ll kick your...”
“Ready, set, go!”
We took off running.
I watched him speed in
front of me. ‘Jesus God! He was fast enough back then, he’s like a cabillion times faster now.’
Ten minutes later, we
were a few feet away from the shop. Somehow, I managed to stay pretty close to
him. Right as we got to the shop, he reached his hand back, grabbed mine and
pulled me up so we finished together.
When we stopped, I
looked at him. “You... didn’t have... to do that.” I said, trying to catch my
breath.
He looked up from his
crouching position and said seriously. “Yes, I did.”
“Why?” I asked, softly.
He paused for a minute.
“You’ve been gone for a year. We haven’t seen each other in forever. We’ve been
apart too long. I want us to stick together from now on. Your problems are mine
also. And mine are yours. I should have said this a year ago, but I was being
stupid and I let you go. I’ve spent the last year, waking up and praying to
God, that I wouldn’t get a phone call saying that something has happened to
you. ‘Cause you know what would happen?” he asked, softly.
I crawled closer so I
was right in front of him. “What?” I asked, trying to keep the tears that were
forming in my throat, from rising.
“If something ever
happened to you, I would die. I would just die...”
My breath got caught in
my throat. “Oh Ike.” I wrapped my arms around his neck
and we hugged for a very long time. This was the first time he really told me
how he felt about the whole situation. What made me cry even harder,
was when I realized that Ike was crying silently, on my shoulder. Ike hardly
ever cried. In fact, he’s only cried three times in his life, and two were
because of me. That made me feel horrible. I stroked
his hair softly and buried my head in his shoulder.
About ten minutes and
about fifteen stares from passerbys later, we reluctantly
got up, but kept out arms around each other. We walked past the store.
“Hey, aren’t we going
in?”
“Oh,
yeah. Can we stop at the Hall for a minute. I
need to pick up my music that I left there.”
“Oh, okay.”
We walked about a block
down and then into the huge Hall.
“SURPRISE!”
I jumped back, shocked.
I looked around the room. The whole Hanson family, Michelle’s family and a lot
of my friends and their families, that I haven’t seen in a
while, were there.
I looked at Ike, and
noticed he was smiling. ‘At least he’s feeling better,’ I thought, feeling
better myself.. “You knew about this?”
“Guilty!”
I smiled and hugged him
and then I walked over and hugged everyone else. After that, I changed into the
out-fit that Michelle and Diana brought for me. I guess they knew I was going
to be wearing old clothes for the run.
About an hour later,
after all the gifts and food, the dance started.
“Alright, let’s get the
birthday girl out on the floor for the first slow song.”
I looked around at the
guys. “Okay, who’s turn is it? I think I danced with
Zac at my last birthday party, right?”
“Yeppers,”
Zac smiled.
“Okay, so that means it’s Mackie and Ike, since we missed my last birthday.”
Every birthday, for the
first dance, I danced with one of the boys.
I walked over to
Mackie. “May I have this dance?”
He smiled and lifted
his arms up to me. I picked him up and walked over to Ike. “You ready?”
He stood up, smiled,
and grabbed my free hand as we walked out onto the dance floor. Mackie wrapped
his arms around my neck, Ike put both his arms around my waist, and I put my
free arm around his neck.
Needless to say, there were a lot of “Aww”s, “How sweet!”s, “How cute”s
and of course, “They make such a cute couple.”
No matter what we tell
them, they somehow still think that Ike and I are a
couple. Especially the older people. ‘Maybe they know
something I don’t’ I smiled to myself.
“Now look what you
did,” Ike said, breaking my trance that I was in for the past minute.
“Huh? What?”
“Look about two or three
inches below you.”
I looked down and saw a
sleeping Mackie. I smiled, “Aww! I put him to sleep.”
“He always goes to
sleep when we don’t want him to. And he NEVER goes to sleep when we want him
to.”
“Well, I think my arm fell asleep, if that counts for anything.”
“Here. I’ll take him.”
“You
sure?”
“Of
course. If I wasn’t, I would have made you suffer.”
“Aww,
you’re too good to me.”
“Yeah, I know,” he
smiled.
I gently put Mackie in
his arms, and when he got situated, I laid my head on his free shoulder. I was
hugging him and Mackie together.
Again, we heard the “Aww”s and everything. Everytime
Ike and I got close, they do that. Who knows why.
A minute later, the
song ended.
I danced with Zac three
times, Taylor three times,
Overall, it was an
awesome party. It ended around
“Thank you guys so much
for this.”
“Oh, we aren’t finished
yet,” Zac said.
“What do you mean?” I
asked Zac.
Zac looked at Taylor,
who looked at Michelle, who looked at Ike, who then looked at
“Okay, I’ll let you
kids go. Call when you’re ready... Nevermind, Ike,
you can drive my car home because your mother just pulled up. Be home before
mid-night.”
“Thanks Dad.”
“Okay guys, what’s
going on?”
“You’ll find out,”
Michelle said.
Just then, Ike came up
behind me and placed a blindfold over my eyes.
“Ike! I can’t see!”
“Duh! That’s the point!”
They led me out to the
car and put me in. Taylor, Zac and Michelle hopped in the back.
“If you even peak, I
will pull this car over, turn around and go back, understand?”
I smiled. “Yes, Ike.”
Even though he was
being serious, I could tell he was smiling.
Ike started the car and
we were off. Ten minutes later, we arrived at our destination.
“Keep your eyes
closed,” Zac said.
“What difference does
it make? I’m wearing a bandanna.”
“Oh
yeah.”
I felt strong hands
grip my shoulders. Ike. Two people grabbing my hands. Michelle
and Taylor. And I heard someone running up steps. Zac.
“Hurry up guys!”
“Zac,
just go turn on the lights awhile. We wouldn’t want her to trip or
anything,”
Zac ran into the place
and obviously turned on the lights. They were so bright. Even though I was
wearing a blindfold, I still had to squint.
“Yo!
Zac! Turn it down a wee bit!” Michelle yelled.
“Sorry!” he yelled out,
then he turned the lights down. Then, he ran back out.
“Ready?” Ike asked.
“Yeah.”
He pulled off the
blindfold and let it fall to the ground.
My eyes got wide. “Oh my God!”
We were at my house,
and I was staring at an ‘89 classic, convertible, silver and black corvette. My dream car.
“How?...
Why?... What?” I stammered.
Ike laughed. “I take it
you like it. Your father left it for you for your sixteenth birthday. He kept
it in a garage so that’s why it’s in such great shape. We decided to show you
now.”
“Guys, this is so cool.
Thank you so much. I don’t know what...”
“We’re not finished
yet!” Zac said.
‘Whoa! Deja vu!’
I
thought.
“Are you guys in a
giving mood or what?”
“Well,” Ike started,
“We missed your last birthday. Plus, we really missed you. So, this birthday is
extra special.”
I just smiled and
looked down.
“Okay. Next stop. Our house,”
I looked at them
strangely, but accepted Ike’s and Zac’s hand and followed them over.
“Follow me! Follow me!”
Zac said, leading me upstairs. When we got to the attic steps, they stopped.
“Well, here we are.”
“I hope you like it,”
Ike opened the door, and I followed him up the steps. When I got to the
top, I practically fell back down. But Ike grabbed my hands and pulled me back
up. “Thanks,” I whispered.
“Anytime.”
I smiled and looked
around the room.
“Welcome to your new
bedroom. I know you’re going to miss sleeping with us, but... you know.” Ike
smiled.
I smiled back. “Yeah. Well, this is really cool. Did you...” I said,
scanning the room. Then, my eyes lit on a certain picture hanging on the wall.
I stormed over to the
wall and snatched it. I turned back to them, crying. “Is this supposed to be
some sick joke?” I yelled.
Ike walked over to me.
“What are you talking about?”
“This! This is what I’m
talking about!”
I turned the picture
towards them and they all gasped. I’m guessing by their initial reaction that
they had nothing to do with this. The picture was of the guy who was stalking
me last year, with the words “I’m coming!” written in blood.
“
“I know, I’m sorry I accused you. I know you wouldn’t... but who
did? I thought this was over!” I cried, sinking to the floor.
“Why don’t you guys go
check on the little ones, okay?” Ike asked Michelle, Taylor and Zac.
They reluctantly walked
down the steps. Ike sat down in front of me and held me.
“
I looked up a little,
still shaking. “I’m scared, Ike. What if he really comes back after me? I don’t
want to leave again.”
“Well, then we’ll have
a problem...”
“We? This is my problem. I
don’t want to get you involved. You have too much too...”
“
I smiled slightly. “Can
you stay up here tonight?”
“I’ll stay up here for
as long as you need me.”
I looked up at him and
we just stared at each other for awhile. We leaned in slowly and just when we
were about to kiss; Michelle, Taylor and Zac came running up.
We backed away from
each other and smiled.
“The kids are fine,”
Zac reported.
“Good. So, anyway, this
room looks really awesome. Did you do all this?” I said, changing the subject,
pointing to the drawings on the wall.
“Yeah, hope you don’t
mind, but once we see an empty and clean wall, we just can’t help ourselves,”
I hugged them all
again. “Well, I love it. Thank you guys a lot. This means so much to me.”
After we drove Michelle
home (we could have walked, but better safe than sorry) we came back to the
house and got ready for bed.
“Night
Zac, night
“Okay,” Zac said,
hugging me.
“Will do,”
Ike was in the bathroom
so I went upstairs awhile and got changed.
I looked around the
room for awhile. I hadn’t really looked at the drawings, but now I walked over
and studied them. I laughed softly. There was a drawing of a spaceship with
three blond boys and one auburn girl sticking out of the top. Had to be Ike’s
drawing. I looked closely and saw four “MMMBop”s
coming out of their mouths. I smiled and looked at the next drawing. There was
a tall skyscraper, with a gold, bald, half-dressed man climbing up the side. He
was holding girl, which resembled me a lot, hostage. Then, just above the
building, was blond boy wearing boxers and a blue and red shirt with a “Z” on
it. (Like Superman.)
“Zac
to the rescue!” I read the caption aloud and smiled.
There were a bunch more but I was getting tired so I went over and
laid on my bed.
Just then, thunder
cracked and lightening flashed.
“Oh man, I didn’t need
this now.”
I put the pillow over
my head and tried to block out the sound. A few moments later, I fell asleep.
I wasn’t asleep for
long. I woke up when I felt someone watching me. I opened my eyes, but was only
greeted with blackness. A few moments later, my eyes were fully adjusted to the
dark. The first thing I noticed was that I was laying
on my back, and covered up. But I thought for sure I fell asleep on my stomach.
I turned on my side and as soon as I did, I froze. Someone was staring at me
from the floor, but I couldn’t see who. I started shaking and moved further
away from this mysterious person. The person sat up and stared at me. I yelped
and fell off the other side of the bed, with my feet still on it. To my
surprise, I heard laughter. I felt the bed shake as someone got on it. Then he
peered over the side and laughed again. I grabbed my pillow, stood up and
whacked him good on the head. He fell backwards and laughed even more.
“I do not find this
funny, Ike. You scared the crap out of me.” I jumped on top of him and started
hitting him with my pillow. But he kept laughing.
“You... should...
have... seen... your... face,” he said, between laughs
and blows from the pillow. When I threw my pillow to the side, he mocked me by
putting on this shocked face, then laughing.
“Oh, so you find this
funny?”
He simply nodded.
“So, do you find this
funny?” I said, then whacked him with the pillow.
“Actually,
yeah.”
“Really? Then
how ‘bout this?” I said, and then leaned down to brush my lips against
his softly. Then I pulled away.
“Tease,” he whispered,
turning his head away and closing his eyes.
My eyes got wide and I
frowned. I didn’t think he would take it seriously. I thought he would joke
around like we always do. I guess that was my problem. I thought too much.
I looked down at him.
It’s not that I didn’t want to kiss him. In fact, I very much wanted to do so.
But I didn’t know if I’d be on the receiving end also. Judging from his
reaction, I guess he wanted to do it just as much as I did.
“Ike,” I whispered. He
still didn’t look at me. I knew our relationship would suffer terribly if I
didn’t do something... but would it suffer if I did do something? I decided
that I was thinking too much again, so I stopped. I slowly slid off of him and laid beside him, facing his side. I gently ran my fingers
through his hair with one hand.
“Ike,” I tried again,
with more need.
He slowly opened his
eyes and stared at me. There was a lot of pain and confusion buried in his
eyes, but there was something there that dominated his eyes and radiated out
through them. I was sure he could see the same thing in mine.
I leaned over and
kissed him. I kissed him with every ounce of me that was stored in my body for
my entire seventeen years. All the inevitable love.
All the pain I’ve suffered. All the emptiness I felt when we were apart for
that entire year. All that came out in one kiss. One
incredible kiss.
It only took him a
second to respond. He brought one hand up behind my head and tangled his
fingers into my hair, while his other hand stroked my jawbone. Then his hand
swooped down to my waist and pulled me closer.
A few moments later, we
pulled apart, breathless and smiled at each other. I wrapped my arms around his
neck and rested my head under his chin. He put one arm around my waist and
pulled the blanket over us with the other. Considering we were laying sideways, that was kind of hard, but he managed.
My eyes started to go
shut, but before they did, I heard, “I love you,
I smiled, “I love you
too.”
“Hey, lovebirds, wake up.” I felt a bright light being shone into
my eyes. I opened my eyes, and saw Ike covering his.
“What’s going on?”
“Get up! Get up!” Zac
yelled.
We both sat up and
noticed Taylor and Zac opening all my window blinds.
“Guys! What time is it?” Ike
yelled.
“It is precisely...
“Why...
so early?” I yawned.
Ike looked over at me
and smiled. I returned the gesture and rested my head on his shoulder.
“What are you doing?
You can’t go back to sleep. Get up!”
Zac came over and
pulled me up while
“You have no strength!”
I grabbed both of Ike’s hands and pulled. No movement. I looked at his face and
saw he was trying to conceal his laughter. I tried again, but this time he
pulled me down on top of him.
Taylor and Zac busted
up laughing. They started towards the door. “Hey, be downstairs in ten minutes,
or we take the surprise away. Ten minutes. No later.” Taylor threatened,
playfully, before they left.
I smiled. “Ding dong,
the witches are gone.” Ike smiled and pulled me into his lap, and we both sat
there, relishing the new-found feeling.
We broke apart and
slowly got up. I grabbed my clothes and turned around, bumping into Ike. My
clothes fell to the floor as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me
closer to him. The moment reminded me of something my mother once told me...
She said: “Sometimes the best music is the music you hear beating in your
lover’s heart.” I smiled and placed my ear over his chest, listening to the
sweet rhythm.
He kissed my hair then
looked down at me. “I’ll let you go so you can get dressed, but be downstairs
in...” He checked his watch. “... Four minutes.”
I smiled. “I’ll try my
hardest.” He kissed me softly before leaving.
I quickly got dressed
and walked downstairs. I passed the boy’s bedroom and saw no one was in there,
so I continued on. Suddenly I felt strong arms go around me. I bit my lip and
made my voice as whiny as it would go. “IIkkee...” I
turned around a gasped. I yelled and tripped over the person’s feet, which sent
me flying into the banister. I tried to get up, but a sharp kick from behind
toppled me down the steps and onto the hard, wooden floor. The last thing I saw
was the man running back down the hall into the guy’s bedroom, then blood distorted my vision.
“
I felt Zac put his hand
in mine and then everything went black.
I woke up to an
annoying beeping. I couldn’t quite open my eyes though. I felt something warm
against my lips, but then it was gone.
“
“How comes whenever
something good happens, something bad has to follow. I mean, something
wonderful happened between us and now look.. Why?
“The doctors say since
you lost so much blood and you hit your head really hard, there’s a chance you
might not make full recovery. Even though I gave you some blood, they still say
that. Well, that’s bull because I know you’ll make it.”
He gave me blood? We
really are connected now. He saved me. I would have cried. I wanted to, but I
couldn’t.
I slowly opened my eyes
and let them adjust. When things started to look clear, I gazed over at him.
His head was still down and a silent tear rolled down his face. Just seeing him that way, made me ache.
“Ike,” I whispered. His
head shot up and he stared at me. His eyes got wide as he climbed on the bed
and hugged me.
After a few minutes, he
pulled away and smiled at me. He gently pushed the hair away from my face. “You
had us all worried. How do you feel?”
I smiled slightly, then winced in pain. I slowly brought my hand up to my face
and sighed. “How bad is it?” I ran my fingers over the bandage.
He put his hand over
mine. “It’s not that bad. It could be a lot worse. Plus, it’ll heal in time.”
“I hope so. Did you
really give me your blood?” I asked, softly.
He kissed my hand that
he was cradling between both of his. “Yeah, and you know I’d do it again.” He
whispered back.
I smiled at him with a
new admiration. I gently pulled his hands. He understood and sat down beside
me. I pulled him down and kissed him softly and hugged him the best I could.
“I think the rest of
the family would like to see you too.”
“They’re here?”
“Of course they are.
I’ll go get them.” Then he disappeared out the door to the waiting room. Within
minutes, he returned with the entire family. He was holding Mackie, whose eyes
got huge when he saw me. I hit the button on the bed to make it rise more.
“
I laughed lightly and
scratched his head. “Yes, Zac, I’m alive.”
I smiled brightly and
stroked his cheek. “You haven’t called me that in a long time... thank you
Dan.”
He leaned over and
kissed my forehead. “You’re welcome.”
After everyone else
came over, Isaac brought Mackie to me. Mac practically jumped into my lap. He
hugged me tightly and started firing his questions. “Are you okay? Are you
coming home soon?”
“Yep, I’m good now.”
Mackie sighed and wiped
his forehead. “Good, because I don’t want Ikey
to be a window.”
I looked at him,
confused. “A window?”
“Yeah, I heard that
when you’re married and if the person you marry dies, you are a window.”
I looked at Ike and he
had a confused look on his face also. I glanced at everyone else and they
looked the same. I thought for a second and then it registered.
“Oh! You mean a widow!”
I laughed and soon everyone else joined in. I snuck a look at Ike and he
smiled, lovingly.
A nurse came in. “I’m
sorry, but visiting hours are over. You can come back in the morning.”
“Okay, we’re soon
leaving.” Diana supplied and picked up Avery.
“Wait! I gotta give
“I’ll see you later,
dude.”
“Bye
Everybody left, except
Ike. “Aren’t you going to miss your ride?”
“No, I drove my own
car. Do you need anything?”
“Nope. But you look beat, so
why don’t you go get some rest.”
“Oh, I see, you’re just
trying to get rid of me. I see how you operate.”
I smiled and kiss his
hand. “Never.”
“I don’t like leaving
you here, but it looks like I have to. Sweet dreams and I’ll see you in the
morning.” He leaned over and kissed my forehead. “Love you,” he whispered.
“Love you, too.”
He walked out the door,
turning around once to wave goodbye and to blow a kiss. I smiled and snuggled
back down into my bed, waiting for the dreams to come.
Four times I was
awakened that night. By nurses and doctors taking my blood
pressure and temperature. Frankly, it was becoming quite annoying.
I was woken again, but
this time by someone rubbing my hand. 'I swear, if that's another friggin' nurse, she's getting belted.' I opened my eyes
and saw Isaac smiling his irresistible smile.
"You're lucky. I
was just about you slap you."
He laughed and sat down
on my bed. "Why?"
"You would not
believe how many times those nurses came in last night and this morning. I
think I got about an hour of sleep."
"Aww, poor baby."
I crossed my arms
across my chest. "You better thank your lucky stars I'm in this bed or
I'd..."
"You'd what?"
He asked, amused.
"Wouldn't you
like to know!" I turned my head away, smiling. He
turned so he was facing me. He brought his hand up to my face and turned it
back to him. Ironically, he was still smiling.
"You'd what?"
I smiled, evilly, and
grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him over to me. I let my lips linger
around his for a few seconds, too tease, then kissed him hard. We broke apart
and I smiled at him. "That. Any questions?"
"No, but I'd like a another demonstration later." I laughed and pushed
him away. "So, are you hungry?"
I rubbed my stomach. "No, not really."
He looked at me,
concerned. "You have to be hungry. You haven't eaten any real food in
three days."
"What? How long
was I out? I thought I was only out for a couple hours."
"No, you were
unconscious for three days. That's why the doctors were a little worried."
I sighed. "But
really. I'm not hungry. Thanks though. But when do I get out of here?"
"The doctors say
within the next two weeks."
"Two weeks! I have
to stay here for two weeks! Why can't I just leave tomorrow?"
"Oh
waa!"
I gave him the look
again, threatening that I would repeat my actions unless he shut up. He just
smiled and leaned closer.
"Do you have
everything?" Zac asked, two weeks later.
"Well, considering
I'm leaving with more stuff than I came in with... I think I have
everything."
"Oh no, we would
not."
Isaac walked in,
humming some tune. "Okay, the car is out front, you ready?"
I looked at
"Yeah... all...
right, I obviously missed something." Ike stated, confused.
"Sorry babe, had to be here."
Zac picked up all my
clothes, Taylor was holding the *hospital souvenirs*, and I grabbed my bookbag with my personal stuff. Zac and
"You
sure?"
He grinned and grabbed
my hand. "It's not THAT heavy."
We drove home,
listening to oldies on the radio. I didn't even attempt to sing. The guys knew
every lyric to every song imaginable and my voice could never be heard over
them. I'm not complaining though. I enjoyed the mini-concert.
Ike pulled into the
driveway and we all piled out. Mackie was the first to attack me, throwing his
not-so-chubby arms around my leg. "You're home!" I bent down and
picked him up. His sticky fingers found their way into my hair.
I laughed and hugged
him tightly. "Someone was eating some candy." He pulled back and
looked down, sheepishly. He mumbled some word than squirmed out of my arms,
running into the house. We followed behind him.
"This has been a
very long month and I just want to go to sleep for a very long time." I
plopped down on the couch.
Ike sat down beside me.
"This month has been pretty eventful, hasn't it?"
"I need a
vacation." I said, before grabbing a pillow, putting it on Ike's lap and laying down.
"Did someone say
they needed a vacation?" His sarcastic smile made me laugh.
"Yeah that was me.
Unless I was just saying that in my head and Ike's voice got incredibly
higher..."
"Oh yes, I do need
a vacation." Ike said, in a high-girlie voice. We tried to keep straight
faces.. it just didn't work
out.
"You're such a
goof. But I love you anyway." I said, rubbing his leg/
I leaned over Ike and
rubbed
A content smile spread
to his face. "Okay, thank you."
"Anytime." I laid
back down on Ike's lap.
"So, did you tell
her yet?"
I looked up. "Tell
me what?" Isaac looked at Taylor, who nodded.
"Okay, I'm not
getting this brotherly lingo. What's going on?" I slowly got up, wincing
slightly from the pain.
"Okay, you know
how we told you about the tour coming up? Well it's starting next month. How
would you like to tour with us?" Ike asked.
My eyes enlarged.
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah, what do you
say?"
Just then, Zac popped
out from behind the couch and scared us all. "Please! Please say
yes!"
I smiled. "I dunno, Zac." Then I pulled him over the couch into my
lap. Minimal pain. I could handle it. He wrapped his
arms around me.
"Please! Please!
Please! You can't leave me alone with these guys. They'll mutilate me!"
"In that case, I'm
definitely not going."
I almost died from his
expression. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. I gently pushed his jaw back
up and smiled.
"I was kidding. Of
course, I'll go. I don't have anywhere else to go." He sighed, relieved,
then jumped off my lap and ran into the kitchen.
"I swear, that boy has more energy than a nuclear bomb." Ike
said, shaking his head.
I smiled, "Yeah,
that's our Zac." I yawned and stretched. I heard my back pop and yelped. "Ooo! Remind me to never do
that again." I rubbed my now soar back.
"You okay,
D?" Ike asked.
"Yeah, I just
popped my back and it hurt."
"Aww, poor baby."
I looked at
"Okay..."
Taylor trailed off, confused.
"Inside
joke." Ike explained.
"Um, okay, I'm
going to go help Mom in the kitchen."
I laid
back down for the third time but this time I faced him. He pushed the hair out
of my eyes lightly and smiled down at me.
I smiled back and
grabbed his hand. I looked at his ring. It was the first time I really looked
at it. I realized it was the same one that he gave to me over a year ago. I
pulled the chains from underneath my shirt. I picked up the ring and put it
right beside his. "Snap." I whispered.
He smiled. and picked up the other locket. "What's this?"
I sat up in his lap.
"Your mom and dad gave it to me for my birthday. You never saw it?"
He shook his head and
opened it. He flipped it over and read the inscription. He smiled as his eyes
read over the engraved words. "There is a lot of love in these families,
isn't there?"
I smiled, then frowned
and looked down. "Well, what's left of that family."
I said, pointing to my own family, or lack their of.
He put his arm around
me. "Hey, just because they aren't here physically, doesn't mean they
aren't here," he said, pointing to my heart.
"I know," I
whispered, looking down again.
"Come on, why
don't you get some rest? You look beat."
"Me? You should
look in the mirror." I stood up and extended my hand to him.
"You're right. I
am tired."
"See." I
smiled. I turned around and saw Diana standing at the kitchen doorway. She
smiled, then turned around and went back into the kitchen.
I started to feel a
little light-headed but I just shook my head and waved it off. Ike wrapped his
arm around my waist and we started walking towards the steps. The more I
walked, the more nauseated I felt. I clutched Ike's hand, tightly, with both
hands. I started rocking back and forth with my eyes shut.
"
I swallowed a couple
time and the nausea what gone, but I was still a little dizzy and shaky. I
opened my eyes and sighed. "That was freaky." I whispered.
"What
happened?" He asked, concerned.
"I just got
nauseated and light-headed and stuff out of nowhere."
"Are you
okay?"
"Yeah,
just a little shaky still."
He looked at my hand,
which ws clutching his, and saw both our hands
shaking. Then he looked at my other hand, which was now grasping the railing,
and my knuckles were turning white. "A little
shaky?" I smiled, sheepishly, and shrugged.
"Come on, put your arm around my shoulders." I did as he told
me, then he swooped down and picked me up. I wrapped both arms around him
tightly. He carefully carried me up the steps to my bedroom and laid me down.
Then he laid down beside me.
"Now get some
rest. I'll set the alarm for
I smiled.
"Okay." I turned over and saw him setting the alarm. He turned back
around and pulled me closer. I snuggled against his warm chest as he wrapped
his arms around me and kissed my hair, softly.
"Goodnight. Love
you."
"Love you
too," I whispered back, before falling into a deep sleep.
"Its time to wake
up," Isaac whispered into my ear.
I opened my eyes and
stared into his big, brown eyes. "Hey," I whispered, smiling.
"Hey
yourself."
"Okay. Hey
Ike laughed.
"You're impossible."
"I know."
We just stared at each
other for awhile, smiling. Then, he pulled me over and kissed me softly. I
gently pushed him over on his back and rolled on top of him. A shooting pain
ran through my back, but I ignored it. Like reading my mind, he started running
his hands up and down my back. I smiled, inwardly. He always knew how to relax
me.
We reluctantly pulled
away, but I stayed where I was. I neatly tucked my head under his chin.
"Can I ask you something?"
He gently stroked my
hair. "Of course."
"Did you ever
think that we'd be together, like this?" I intertwined my fingers with
his, and they rested on his chest.
He thought for a
minute. "Actually, I have. I think after our little marriage, I really
started wondering what we would look like together. Did you?" He ran his
thumb, rhythmically, over my hand.
"Yeah, I did. Especially when I was gone. You know, when you're
practically gone for a year, you have a lot of time to think. I promised myself
that I would do something about it if I got back to you. But when I did, I just
had too many things to worry about. Like Dad. And I guess I kinda
lost track of what I was doing. Then, at my birthday party.
You know, before we went in. When we talked, you know, you told me how you felt
and I guess that kind of reminded me. Then, of course, the people at the party
that kept 'awwing' and stuff... I'm sorry, I'm
rambling, majorly." I blushed and buried my face
farther into his neck.
"Don't be sorry,
I'm glad you're telling me how you feel. I am happy we're together now,
though."
I looked at him and
smiled. "Me too," I whispered then kissed him softly.
"As much as I'd
like to stay up here, we better get down there before they come up here."
I smiled and got off of
him. We walked downstairs, hand in hand.
"Well, nice of you
two to join us."
"Sorry Dad,"
Ike said, simply.
We sat down at the
table and after the boys said, "Amen" we ate. While eating, I looked
at Zac, shoveling in the food, looking up ever so often to catch me staring at
him. He'd offer a goofy smile and there was no way I couldn't smile back. I
looked out the window and saw the sun beginning to set. I realized it had
been so long since I had watch the sun set with a
clear conscience. Tonight was going to change that.
Grabbing two blankets,
I walked out to the front porch swing. I sat down and wrapped the warm blankets
around me. A few minutes later, I heard the front screen door squeak open, and
Zac walked out.
"Hey, want some
company?"
I smiled. "Always."
I opened up my arms and
he crawled into my lap, then I wrapped the blankets around us.
"Beautiful, isn't
it?" I asked, staring at the breath-taking scene.
"Yeah it is. Like
the moon."
"Ahh, both so beautiful, yet so different. The sun gives us this
wonderful yellow glow and warms even the coldest heart."
"And the moon
gives us mystery and casts shadows in the darkest nights."
We stayed as quiet as
we could. I looked at Zac and saw he was trying so hard not to break the
moment. He looked at me and then we both did it.
We laughed.
"We read WAY too
much Hanfic, don't we?"
I poked Zac in the
ribs. "We? I only read that one story that you
MADE me read! You're the one addicted." We both wiped the tears from our
eyes and sighed.
"So, mighty *H.A.A.s, would you mind some more company?"
I looked over and saw
Ike standing in the doorway, smiling. I looked back at Zac. "Do you think
we should let him?"
"I don't
know." Zac looked at Ike. "Okay, but if you guys start kissing, I'm outta here."
I looked down at him
and ruffled his hair. "Now, Zac, would we do a thing like that to little,
innocent you?"
"Um,
yah!"
Ike came over and sat
down. We all just stared at the sun. Finally, its orange glow could not be
seen. I looked down at Zac, and saw he was sleeping. I smiled and kissed his
forehead. I rested my head against Ike's shoulder and soon, we were all fast
asleep. Good dreams were inevitable.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*H.A.A=
Hanson Addicts Anonymous
"Okay, is
everything packed?
"Yes, Mom,
everybody has everything packed." Ike answered for everyone.
"Okay, well, gimme kisses because I'm won't see you for a couple of
weeks."
Diana was staying home
with the little kids until they returned to
Everybody hugged,
kissed and said their goodbyes to all those staying.
"Zac,"
"Okie dokie." He ran to the phone
and quickly dialed.
We carried all our luggage out to the van and packed up. We said our
final goodbyes then went to Tanya's house. She was waiting out on the sidewalk
and smiled when she saw us coming. We stopped and loaded her stuff, then headed
towards the air port.
Once we were on the
plane, a nasally voice crackled over the loud speakers. "Please fasten
your seatbelts..."
I looked over a row and
saw Tanya practically clawing the armrest. "Hey Tanya,
its going to be alright. Let the poor armrest go."
She just gripped the
defenseless cushion tighter and squeezed her eyes shut. I laughed lightly and
leaned back into my chair. This was going to be a long ride...
"Welcome to
I opened my eyes and
looked around.
"Mornin' beautiful."
I looked up and smiled.
"Hey handsome."
Isaac kissed my
forehead then inter-twined his fingers with my mine. We stood up and grabbed
our carry-on bags.
"What time is
it?" I groggily asked.
He studied his watch
for a few moments. "It's
I groaned. "Way too early for me, man."
He laughed. "Well,
you better get used to it."
We got off the plane
and drove to our hotel, only running into three screaming squads. How can
they have that much energy this early in the morning?
"Welcome to the
Hilton, where we suck up your money and treat you like crap." I said,
flopping on my bed. We all shared a common laugh then smiled at each other.
"So, when is the
first concert?" Michelle asked, flopping on her own bed beside mine.
"Um,
tomorrow at
"Well, at least
you can sleep for a little while." I said, rolling over on my back.
"Actually, we
can't. We have to do interviews at 8:00am and 9:30; be at soundcheck
at 12:00; do interviews again at 3:00 and 5:00; be back at the concert hall by
6:30 and showtime at 8:00." Zac offered, not
bothering to look up from his position at the end of Michelle's bed.
"Wow, Zac. You
have the whole schedule memorized, don't you?" Isaac asked, who was
sitting on the floor, with his head resting against my bed.
"Yep." He smiled, weakly.
"Hey, I'm going to take a nap. We have to be up by
"Well, I'm gonna follow the little dude. See you tonight."
"Later
guys."
"I guess I better
go, before they lock me out. See ya in a
little." Ike said, kissing my temple. "See ya
Michelle."
"Bye Ike." We
chorused.
I looked at Michelle
and she was smiling. "What?" I asked, smiling back, intrigued.
"Nuttin'" She said, still smiling, and then turned away
from me.
"Chelly! Come on! Tell me!" I said, pulling the
pillow from beneath her head and hitting her with it.
"Oww!!"
"Like that hurt!
Tell me!"
"Never!" She yelled, picking up
my pillow and whacking me with it. Soon, we were in a full-fledge pillow fight.
We heard laughter from
across the room. Turning, we saw the guys standing at our connecting door.
Michelle and I looked
at each other, nodded, then took off towards them.
Taylor ran back into the room and shut the door, while Isaac and Zac tried to
grab our pillows.
"
"No! I'm going to
bed. You kids have fun." Then a distinct 'click' could be heard.
Everyone stared
expectantly at the door. "That pimp locked you out."
Isaac looked at me,
somewhat amused. "
I blushed lightly and
looked away. "Sorry, word of the day underwear."
"Screw him."
Zac finally said, grabbing the pillow from Michelle's hands, and chased her
around the room.
While I was watching
them, Ike stole my pillow. I eyed him. "You wouldn't."
He proved me wrong. I
received a light blow to the head. "Oww!
That really hurt!" I spoke in my fake British accent.
He laughed.
I got him back.
The
pout.
His laughter ceased and
he put his arm around me. "Are you okay? Ego and
all?"
I slowly grabbed the
pillow and whacked him hard, causing him to fly backwards. But if he was going
down, so was I... it was a mutual thing, I suppose. His arms flew around my
waist, causing me to fall on top of him.
Tired of fighting, I
grabbed the pillow and raised it up. There was brief fear is his eyes but then
he saw my attentions and lifted up his head. I tucked it underneath and smiled
at him.
"All
forgiven?" I asked, batting my eyelashes.
He laughed and pulled
me beside him. "You know you don't have to bat your eyelashes to charm
me..."
"I know... it was
just an extra touch."
He leaned down and
kissed me softly. I smiled into it, relishing the feeling I got in the pit of
my stomach. He ran his fingers over my forehead and cheek, then
slowly pulled away.
"You know," I
started, staring into his eyes, pushing the hair from them. "I could
definitely get used to this." I ran my fingertips over his soft lips.
He kissed them and
smiled. "I think I'm already addicted."
I smiled down at him,
kissed his nose lightly, then rested my head beside
his. He turned on his side to face me. I gently ran my fingers over his cheek.
"I am so lucky."
I know he wanted to ask
me why I said, so I started again before he could ask. "After the hell
I've been through this past year, with my dad dying, the whole stalker thing,
falling down steps, being in the hospital... After all those
horrible things... I realize, I am incredibly lucky.
I have you in my life. I have you loving me everyday. And
that there is enough to keep me alive. Then I have your family... your
amazing family... and Michelle. I'm just so blessed to have all you wonderful
people in my life. And even though I don't say i
nearly enough... thank you." I looked up teary eyed. "I don't know
what I'd do without any of you guys... especially you." He pulled me over
into a tight embrace and just held me as I cried.
"Well," he
finally whispered. "We are very lucky to have you in our lives. Ask
anyone, they'll tell you the same thing."
We pulled away from
each other and just stared. I think we were both wondering how we were lucky
enough to end up with each other. But like the song goes... we must have
been a blessing from above.
"We get to back to
the
"Zac! Shut! Up! And! Go! To!
Bed!"
"Fine, Mr. Grumpy!
Its not my fault that chick dumped you!"
"She didn't... oh,
just shut up."
"Guys, we are all
tired, just please get some rest before you say anything you'll regret."
The reasoning voice of Isaac concluded.
*
"Rise and
Shine!" Zac sang into my ear. I pulled the pillow over my head but he was
already in hyper-active stage. Letting me go back to sleep was not on his 'to
do' list. So, I decided to get up before I was completely drenched or covered
in shaving cream... knowing Zac, it'd probably be the latter.
"Fine. I'll rise, but I'm not
guaranteeing any shine!"
Zac nodded his approval
then made his way over to
"Mornin' Sunshine!" I said, smiling extra
wide.
He laughed and pulled
me down beside him. "Uh, you are way too chipper for the morning."
"Yeah well, I
think Zac is wearing off on me or something..." I smiled before he kissed
me.
"That's Zac for ya."
"Did I hear my
name?" Zac asked, jumping onto our bed.
Ike grabbed and pulled
him between us. "Yep, we were just talking about how you still wet the bed
AND your Barney addiction."
"Ike!! You
promised you wouldn't tell anybody!! I trusted you!!" His mock anger
looked so real. I smiled at the duo. They would make an awesome comedy team.
"Don't worry Zac, your secret is safe with me."
"Thank you Devy, that means so much to..."
"Yeah,
yeah.
"
"Yeah, but my
fingers were crossed."
"Just wait till
Michelle hears this!" Taylor yelled, running out of the room to find Chelly, with Zac hot on his trail.
"Dang,
I smiled and wrapped my
arms around his shoulders. "Are you complaining?"
He didn't have time to
answer. My lips had already found his own.
*
"Hey
Three months later, the
tour had finished and we were all back home.
I looked over as Isaac
sat beside me then back down to the envelope in my hands. "I wrote a
letter to Grams and Gramp... I haven't seen them in
so long, so I thought I'd write them and let them know everything is
okay."
He gently stroked my
hair. "That's sweet. They're probably dying to hear from you."
"Yeah... Well, I'm
going to mail this.. wanna come? I know its not like..
a major adventure or anything.. but
we could have fun..."
Isaac smiled and pulled
me up with him. "Every day with you is an adventure..."
*
"Hey
"Zac, that was good man!"
"Okay, I'll be
right down."
I looked into the
mirror again and fixed the one curl that would NOT stay in place. Finally
deciding to do something different with my hair, and it wasn't working... I
carefully pushed it behind my ear again, and waited for it to pop out.. again. But it didn't. I left the
bathroom while the odds were still on my side.
I walked into the
living room and found the guys sorting their mail.
"Dang! You guys get more mail
then Ho-Ho!" They looked up at me and smiled.
"Cool hair,
D!" Zac said, grabbing a remote control of some sort.
"Yeah, I dig the
'do'!"
I smiled my thanks then
sat down next to Ike on the couch. He leaned over and kissed the top of my
head. "You look great."
I blushed slightly, and
instinctively pushed the hair behind my ears, then sighed when the hair didn't
come out. "Did Zac say I have mail?"
"Yeah, this came
in from our personal address, so it's probably family."
Zac said, putting the letter on a motorized Tonka Truck and controlling it over
to me.
"Thanks Zac."
I pulled the letter off and watched as the truck made its way back over. I
slowly opened the letter. "Hey alright! Its from Grams!"
I read over the letter
twice. Making sure I had read correctly. The second full time
around, the tears were fully running down my face. But I hid it from the
guys. I was pretty much a silent crier. A tear dropped from my chin, onto the
letter. Unfortunately, Ike saw it.
"
"D?
"He's... dead...
She.. hates... He's dead, she
hates." Those were the only four words I could produce. Everything else
was blank.
"
I became angry. I don't
know how and I don't know why. I don't even know how I was able to move. But I
did.
"Quit talking to
me like I'm a damn child!!" I pushed whoever was in front of me to the
floor and ran out the back door. I instantly regretted what I did... I knew he
would forgive me. But after what the letter said I did, I didn't think I could
forgive myself.
I sunk down into the
soft grass. Almost wishing the world would just open up and swallow me. But
that would be the easy way out, and I've already been down that road once. One time too many. I cried again. Which
was to be expected.
Six hands found their
way on my body. I didn't even bother hiding the tears anymore. I turned around and fell into their arms. Ike in front, Taylor and Zac on either side of me. If I
wanted to get away, I couldn't. This time I didn't want to run.
I looked at
"I know, D, don't
worry about it." I smiled and pulled him closer.
A few moments later, I
was sick of crying and hugging so I slowly pulled away.
"Do you want to
talk about it?" Isaac asked, gently laying his hand over mine.
I sighed and picked up
the letter. I handed it to them and waited. Watching their eyes move at the
same pace and direction was almost humorous. Almost.
Zac looked up first. I
nodded at him then got up. "D? Where are you going?" I ignored him.
It was hard. His voice was so innocent and nearly broke me again. I felt a soft
hand grab my own. I turned around and Zac was staring at me. His gaze wouldn't
let me go. "Don't run away again. Stay and talk with us."
I couldn't help but
smile. "Zac, I'm not running away... I just need to clear my head,
okay?"
He wouldn't let go of
my hand. "No, stay and clear your head with us. We'll talk all night into
the morning if we have to... You're not leaving."
"He's right
"You guys are the
most stubborn I know... but also the most amazing. Fine, if you want to deal
with me crying and screaming... this is your last chance to get out of
it." None of their faces nor positions changed.
They were determined.
"No one else is home, you can scream all you want."
"She's right, ya know." I finally said. I hated silence.
"No she's not D.
She wasn't here..."
"Didn't you read
it? Shall I refresh your memory?... It's your fault
our son is dead. You had to be selfish and run away. We know you wanted
attention, but that was not the way to do it. You drove your father crazy... he
looked for you day and night... finally he couldn't take it... He was so
depressed... He would have paid more attention to the road if he didn't have
you on his mind..."
"
"Why
Ike? Its true! If I had stayed here, I would
be dead instead of him!" There. I finally said what was bothering me. All
the anger drained from my body and the tears I didn't even know existed
anymore, started falling again.
Ike pulled his chair in
front if mine and grabbed my hands. "Is that how you feel? Is that what
you wanted to happen? You die instead of him?"
I looked up, wishing
his face didn't look so caring. I didn't deserve to be cared for. "Why
should he die for me? I should be the one dead, not him. I took the easy road.
I ran away. He didn't deserve this."
"And you would
have?
I looked away for a
second, to wipe the tears, then looked back at him.
"I know... I guess... I just... This is so hard. How can I redeem myself
with her? I can't bring her son back... and now she just lost her husband,
because of me..."
"What?"
Taylor spoke up, coming over.
I looked at them. Each
looked genuinely confused. "Didn't... Didn't you read the P.S.?" They
all shook their heads 'no'. "Well, then let me do the honors." I took
the letter from Ike's hands and flipped it over.
"Dev..."
"No,
its okay Ike. I've read it three times, I'm immune to it." He
reluctantly pulled his hand away.
"P.S.- Not only did you have a hand in your own father's death,
but now the death of your grandfather now lies on your head. The overwhelming stress
caused by your run away and his only son's death, was too much. He had a heart
attack two weeks ago and died three days ago. I day I received your letter. You
missed the funeral, but you weren't invited. My only regret was not inviting
the Hanson family. But I knew you would come along."
Zac's hands flew to his
face. "How can she do this?
I attempted a smile at
Zac but failed. "I know, but it doesn't make it hurt any less..."
A door being slammed
inside cut me off. We looked in and saw the rest of the family coming in, each
carrying grocery bags. I looked back at the guys. "I'm not feeling too
well. I think I'm going to take a nap. Can you tell your mother I'm sorry I
won't be up for dinner."
Ike rubbed my hand as I
got up. "Get some rest and we'll be up, okay?"
I smiled and kissed his
forehead. "Thank you." I did the same to Taylor and Zac, then made my way upstairs, thankful everyone was in the
kitchen.
I fell asleep as soon
as my exhausted body hit the bed.
"Hey, I'm going
for a walk. I'll be back in about fifteen minutes or so, okay?" I asked Michelle,
two months later. She quickly scribbled some last thoughts down then looked up
at me, a distant look on her face.
"Sure... You want
some company?"
"No, that's okay.
I just need to be alone for a little while. If Ike calls, tell him I'll be back
soon, alright?"
"OK... But um, are
you sure you're alright? You and Ike aren't fighting are you?"
I rolled my eyes and
wrapped a scarf around my neck. It was mid March and as cold as ever. "I'm
fine Chelly. Ike and I are fine also. I've just been
in the house too long, I need to get out. Remember, if Ike calls..."
"I know, I know.
Have fun and be careful."
"Yes Mommy."
I muttered before stepping outside. My eyes were greeted with darkness. I
looked down at my watch and realized it was only a little after five. I dug my
hands deeper into my jacket and started walking.
I looked around to make
sure no one was within hearing (or seeing for that matter) distance.
"Well, tomorrow is a big day. I can't believe
"Excuse me,
ma'am?"
I stop abruptly and my
face warms. I turn around to see a man in a black van, the top half of his body
hanging out the window.
"Can you tell me
where I am? I'm a little lost."
I breathe a sign of
relief and smile. "Sure. You're on
The guy smiled, cleared
his throat and gave me the once over. "Well I was supposed to meet some
business partners of mine. But they can wait... Why don't you hop in, we'll go
for a drive."
Have you ever been so
scared that if felt like your heart was pounding in your head? "Nn-no. That's ok. I'd rather
walk... besides I don't live that far away." Saying that could have been
good or bad. Good because he might realize that if he tries anything, someone
will see or hear it. Bad because he now knows where I live.
"Please, it would
be my pleasure. You're freezing and the van is warm. Do you live near the
Hanson's? Because that's where I'm going. My partners
and I are working on their next project."
The breath I had been
holding was suddenly released. I smiled, genuinely, for the first time.
"You're working with the guys and Gus? That's so awesome. They showed me
some of the treatments. Its going to look
amazing."
He smiled brightly and
opened the door. "Well then come on! I'll give you a lift there and maybe
we can share ideas."
I hopped into the van
and buckled up. My skin began to tingle with excitement. Maybe this could be my
directorial debut. Just thinking that made me giddy.
The van halted in front
of the house. I stared at the front door, waiting for him to cut the engine. I
suddenly felt his hand on my cheek. "Wave goodbye
sweetheart."
My heart beat raced as
I unhooked my seatbelt and pulled frantically on the door handle. "Whoops,
did I forget to tell you the door is broken. Once its
locked, you can only open it from the outside... with the key, of course. Tricky bastard." I ran to the back and headed for the
double doors. The van picked up and I slammed into the sides. Slipping in and
out of consciences, that last thing I remember was his satanic grin... then a
shovel.
I woke up with the sun
blaring down on me. The concept of it even being a nightmare couldn't have
happened because I knew what he did. I could feel the pain that soared through
my body and the blood that was caked on my skin. I tried to sit up but it felt
like someone was jack hammering my abdomen. I could feel the tears making their
way down my face, but I didn't even come close to having the strength to push
them away. So I laid there.
After half an hour, I
was finally able to sit up. My head was pounding from the obvious concussion I
obtained and I couldn't keep my hands from shaking. But I knew that if I didn't
get out of there now, I would never get out.
Just as I opened the
back doors, I heard a faint whistling. I held my breath, for fear of sobbing
and quickly jumped out. I ran to the nearest object that could hide me, which
happened to be a baby blue Cadillac. I crawled underneath and cradled my
stomach. How I was going to get home... was beyond me. I didn't even know where
I was...
Just then the doors
slammed and I heard footsteps clamoring towards me. "Where the hell did
she go?... Girl!!" My
eyebrows furrowed and I stared hatefully at his form. He didn't even know my
name yet he took advantage of me in the worst way possible.
"Screw this, I'm outta here..." He hopped into his van and stormed out
of... where ever we were. I carefully pulled myself out and sobbed into the
pavement. A few moments later, I wiped my eyes and leaned against the car. I
looked around for anything that might trigger where he took me. My eyes widened
when I saw the
Thankful that the old
car didn't have an alarm on it, I stood up and headed for my safety. One minute
and forty seconds later, I felt like I was going to collapse - but I kept
going. If not for me, then for everyone else in the world who
might happen to be going through what I am.
I soon found myself at
the bottom of the porch steps. For the first time, I looked at my body and was
nearly disgusted with what I saw. My jacket had long been discarded. My jeans
were drenched with blood along the waist band and my shirt was ripped up the
center.
I took a shaky breath
and climbed up the steps. "
"Christ Devon,
what happened..."
I knew what happened.
They knew what happened. Why was he asking me to tell him...
I wrapped my arms around my stomach and sunk down onto the porch. "We need
to get you to the hospital, D..."
"No wait, we need
to know what happened first."
Isaac stared heatedly
at him. "
"Ike, she needs to
get it out. How are we supposed to help her if we don't know what happened. Was
she in a car accident? Did she fall?" His voice became low. "Was she
raped?"
Isaac's eyes inflamed.
"
"Yes,
"It would go
away... I'm sorry to disappoint you baby but I'm stuck with this for the rest
of my life." I tucked the hair behind his ear. "But thanks for caring
about me." I pulled him over to kiss his forehead and he fell into me, sobbing.
I stroked his head, starting to cry myself. "Hey, I'm the one that's
supposed to be doing that..."
Ike wrapped his arms
around both of us and I buried my head in his shoulder. "Then do it."
That's all the motivation I needed. I cried while Ike held me, and
A few moments later, I
lifted my head as did
I didn't want to know
him. I didn't want to prosecute him because that would mean I would have to see
him. And that's the last thing I wanted.
While the doctor was
out, Diana came back to sit with me. "Hey honey."
"Hey." I
replied softly. I suddenly broke. "I'm sorry Diana..."
She immediately got up
on the bed and started stoking my hand. "And why is that sweetheart? I
don't seem to remember you doing anything wrong."
I took a deep,
sob-filled breath. "I knew it was wrong to get in the van with him... God
my first reaction was to run... But I didn't... I listened to him and I
believed him... Now look at me!"
"Honey,
calm down. Do you honestly believe anyone here thinks this is your fault?
Isaac? It would kill him if he knew you were talking like this...
I was about to have my
weakest moment. And Diana saw it coming. "I don't think I can make it
through this on my own."
A single tear ran down
her face and she kissed the top of my head. "You won't have to sweetheart.
There's a man I know out in the waiting room who is madly in love with you.
He'll help you. There's also two young gentlemen who
love you like a sister..." She paused slightly, pulled herself up, and
smiled. "And on some days, a little bit more."
I laughed lightly
thinking of the guys. And at that very moment I knew.
I would survive.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Rape is NOT a joke.
It is
not something that should be taken lightly.
If
you, or someone you know,
has
been sexually assaulted
Seek
help immediately.
Click
here to learn more.
Sexual Assault Information.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *