Chapter 151
"Zac, wake up." Carter poked Zac lightly on his right side and waited a minute before poking him again. He didn't move. Finally, she leaned down to his ear and blew into it lightly. Zac twitched and his arm shot out, hitting Carter in the face. "OUCH! DAMMIT ZAC!" Carter rubbed her nose and laughed.
Zac opened his eyes and his face turned red. "Sorry. Why are you in my room, blowing in my ear, when sane people should be sleeping?"
"Cause I'm not sane?" Carter shrugged. "Did you hear Taylor come home yet? I've been waiting up but I can't really hear over here and his moniter isn't turned on."
"I think he did." Zac yawned and rolled over onto his back. "Actually, if it was him who came in here and threw a shoe at my face about an hour ago, I'm pretty sure he's home."
Carter nodded and pulled the dirty shoe out from under Zac's pillow and laughed. "You could have at least put the shoe on the floor after it hit you in the face instead of... putting it under the pillow."
"At the time I thought it was a pillow. Did I mention I took about three doses of Nyquil before I went to bed?"
Carter laughed and leaned down. She kissed him on the forehead and smiled. "Ok, go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."
She kicked a pair of Zac's boots out of the way and made her way down the hallway to Taylor's bedroom. His bed was made perfectly and he obviously wasn't in it. She sighed and kicked a pair of Taylor's boots out of the way before going out on the balcony. Between the five young people who lived in that house, they own more boots than all of Oklahoma combined.
She smiled when she looked out onto the yard and found Taylor sitting on the diving board of the pool. He was wearing a pair of jeans with a hole in the knee and a black t-shirt. She stood there for a minute watching him before heading out to the backyard to join him.
She climbed the ladder to the diving board and crawled out to the end with him. After finally sitting down she sighed. "You never woke me up to tell me you were home."
"Sorry." Taylor didn't look up.
"I was worried about you."
"Oh."
Carter frowned. "Is Katie ok?"
"She's fine. I stayed at Jade and Nique's till she fell asleep. Then Nique started being a bitch and I had to wait until she and Jade had it out. Sorry. I should have called you."
"No, it's ok. Zac's all doped up on Nyquil."
"Yeah. He stole my shoes."
"Oh. That's why you threw one at his head."
"Yup."
Carter laughed and put her arm around his back and her head on his shoulder. "You know..." Carter stopped and looked behind her. "What was that?"
"What was what?"
"I heard something. It was kind of like a creaking noise."
Taylor waited a moment in silence until he heard it. It was a light creaking but he wasn't sure where he was coming frmo. Suddenly, the creak grew to a moan and Carter gasped as the diving board split in half and she and Taylor flipped backwards into the pool.
Taylor came up for air and found Carter grasping the side of the pool, trying hard not to laugh. "You know," She chuckled, "I was waiting for that to happen. After so many years of all of us chilling on that thing, it was bound to die."
Taylor swam over to her and laughed. "So what were you about to say before the diving board bit the big one?"
Carter thought for a minute and blushed lightly when Taylor put his arm around her waist. She was leaning on the side of the pool with her head resting on the ground. "I uhm... forget. Must have been the trauma."
"Damn."
Carter took a deep breath. "Do you like Katie?"
"What?" Taylor eyes widened and he let go of her waist.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to all blurt it out like a yuppy or something. She's just... really really pretty and she's nice and..."
"A good friend. And I want us to be even better friends but, Carter you know I love you. I've loved you for a really long time no matter who or what has come between us."
Carter smiled and wiped the water off of her face before resting her head gently on Taylor's arm. "I love you too. I'm just a little worried, that's all."
"Why would you be worried?"
"Just cause she's like... single... and available... and beautiful. It's a little intimidating."
"Ok do you have any idea how many girls hate you cause you're hot?"
Carter laughed. "Wow, thanks. That just made my day."
"Sorry." Taylor shrugged. "You don't have to worry about anything. She likes Zac."
"Whoa! Wait... Where did that come from?"
"When I took her home after the storm she told me. It was kind of an in confidence thing but my dumb mouth let it out before I remembered that part. So don't go saying stuff to Zac. She's already afraid that she freaks him out a little."
"Well you know Zac. He get's freaked whenever people mention tarot cards or crystal balls or signs of the apocalypse..."
Taylor shook his head. "Did my mom tell you to never mention the end of the world in his presence again?"
Carter laughed. "It slipped. So wait, what do we do now? Do we tell Zac and tell him to ask her out? You know how dense he is about girls."
"No. We can't." Taylor said bluntly. "I promised her."
"You like her a lot, don't you?"
"I just told you..."
Carter laughed. "No I mean as a friend."
Taylor nodded. "I guess, you've always had Zac as this great best friend type person and I've just kinda of had... Isaac. Not that he's not cool, too. You know what I mean."
"So you didn't think of me as a best friend type?"
"No. I mean. Yeah. I mean. Ok is there a good answer to this question?"
"Not really." She laughed and turned around to look at the broken diving board. "So what do we tell your parents about that?"
"I have no idea. They're still pissed about throwing the dresser through the wall."
"And catapaulting Zac through the kitchen window."
Taylor thought for a moment in confusing. "Wait, wasn't he like... 4 when we did that?"
"Yeah but when you throw your little brother through a window they tend to remember that."
"True." Carter swam to the ladder and climbed out with Taylor following her. When they got out he stopped her and gave her a long hung.
"Seriously, you don't have to worry about losing me to Katie."
"Why's that?"
"Cause... now that I have you again, I'm not going to give you up this time."
Carter smiled.
"Not that I think I have you or that you're mine or an object or anything I just..."
Carter slapped his arm lightly. "Tay, shut up. It was sweet." She laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Oh." He laughed lightly and blushed. "Thanks."