Carter stepped into her room and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Meli, Jade, and a girl of unknown origin sitting on the bed that used to be Melissa's. "Uhm..." Carter paused. "Hi."
Melissa smiled. "Ok we had an idea. Ok?"
"Am I gonna be skinned alive and eaten?"
Meli laughed. "No."
The girl sitting next to her laughed. "You were write about her."
"Who's that?"
Meli pointed to her. "This is Justine, Justine, this is Carter."
"Hi." Carter smiled. "Ok what's this idea of yours?"
Jade jumped up. "Ok so we were thinking of having this big... triple date type thing. Todd is in on it too. He wants to take you out to dinner, and we were thinking of hooking Justine up with Zac because she has this big crush on him even though she's never met him, and I was kinda hoping you'd suggest to Taylor that he... take me out too."
Carter's eyes widened. "Wait... ok first of all... the only thing out of all that that's even remotely a good idea is hooking Zac up with Justine. He needs a chick."
Jade's expression fell. "What about Taylor and me? I've kind of sort of had this huge crush on him ever since I first saw him."
Carter nodded.
Melissa grinned. "So you think you can pull it off? You know, getting everybody together? I'd love you forever and ever."
Carter laughed. "You guys, it's not gonna happen." She shook her head.
"Why not?" Justine frowned.
"Oh, I can probably hook you and Zac up somehow. But... the me and Todd and Jade and Taylor thing isn't going to work."
"Why not?" Jade looked so disappointed, Carter hardly had the heart to tell her the truth, but she knew she had too.
"Well uhm, Todd and I won't be getting together any time soon."
Melissa raised her eyebrow. "I thought you two were going to go out."
"That was about a month ago, when I saw him last. Things have changed."
"Does this have anything to do with why there's a huge hole in Zac's bedroom wall? And why all three of them are grounded until they're 73? Or at least that's what Diana said yesterday while we were having class."
"No, it has nothing to do with that. And by the way, they're only grounded for a week now." Carter sighed. "Which is total agony seeing as though I can't go over there."
Melissa nodded. "To see Zac." She turned to Justine. "The two of them are best friends."
"Actually, I didn't mean Zac. See last night, Taylor and I kinda..." Carter paused.
Melissa covered her eyes. "Ew? EW!!" She screamed.
"No you ass, not that. He asked me out."
"Like.... In what way?"
Carter laughed. "After they're ungrounded, he's going to come with me to Dillie's and then after I'm done singing, we're gonna have dinner."
Jade gave Carter and Melissa both a confused look. "Wait, so you and Taylor are like... a couple?"
"Ok where was I when this happened?!"
Carter laughed at Melissa and patted her shoulder. "Seeing as though I've barely seen you since Tay's accident, who knows."
"I've been... busy."
Jade put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "I don't get it. Nique's brothers were right. And they're never right about anything."
"Huh?" Everybody looked at Jade.
"They kept telling me and Nique that we shouldn't date any of the Hanson's cause they pass chicks around like expensive desserts. And Carter is their dessert queen."
Carter's jaw dropped open. "They said that?"
"Yeah. So tell me Car, who's a better kisser? Taylor or Zac? Or maybe Isaac."
Melissa shook her head and smiled. "Carter's never kissed Isaac. She wouldn't know that."
Carter looked down at the ground.
"Ok. Ew."
Jade glared at Carter. "Next time you introduce me to a great guy, make sure I know that you're planning on doing him in the future." Jade grabbed Justine by the arm and pulled her out of the room.
Justine smiled and waved. "Sorry... bye."
Carter waved back and turned to Melissa. "Ok... I didn't know she liked him. You gotta tell me these things."
"She's supposed to be your friend."
Carter sighed.
"ZAC LIT THE YARD ON FIRE AGAIN!"
Carter and Melissa screamed and jumped back as Taylor ran into their bedroom, soaking wet, hair sticking to the sides of his face, jeans muddy, smelling of smoke.
"Uhm?" Carter tried not to laugh. "He did what?"
"He was burning the trash as part of our punishment and it's windy... and the yard's on fire... again. And the hose doesn't work. And my shoe caught on fire."
Carter and Melissa flashed back to the last time this happened. They all ended up covered shoveling buckets of water from the swimming pool. But that was in the summer, it was barely spring, and the pool was covered.
Carter grabbed her sandles and walked past Taylor. "Alright, let's go risk our lives."
The three of them found Zac, sitting on the ground in front of the inch high fire that was burning a huge black circle into the yard. He was blowing lightly into the small flame.
Carter laughed and knelt down next to him. "Zac honey, that isn't gonna work."
"No kidding. But rain dances didn't either."
Carter grabbed him by his arm and dragged him up the hill, leaving Taylor and Meli to stomp out what they could. "Why is Taylor all wet and dirty?" She whispered into his ear.
Zac laughed. "He tried to save us all by getting the hose out, it exploding in his face, soaked him, then he fell down the hill. He laid there for a minute until his shoelace caught on fire, then he screamed and ran inside."
Carter looked down at Taylor, taking note of how cute and pathetic he looked, and the started yanking on the pool cover. "Dammit! We've gotta get one of those electric ones."
"God no."
"Why not?"
"That's like when they came after me at the dentist office with an electric water pic. I'm sorry, but electricity and water doesn't mix. Besides, ever seen Carrie 2?"
Carter stopped him. "Ok ok. Just help me with this." She bent over and grabbed the side of the cover, pulling on the string. After fiddling with it for a while, she noticed Zac wasn't helping. She turned around to see him standing directly behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her into the pool.
"HA!" He laughed as she came up for air.
Carter's hair was covering her entire face, she was practically laying on top of the pool cover, soaking wet. "THAT WAS SO NOT FUNNY!" She screamed at him.
Zac leaned over and held his hand out, pretty much knowing he shouldn't. Carter grabbed his wrist and pulled him in on top of her. "THIS IS FREEZING!!!"
"No freakin freakin freakin duh!"
"Wow, three freakins."
Carter laughed and pulled herself out of the water to find Taylor standing next to the pool, half dry, but still dirty. He took her hand and pulled her up to his level. "Fire's out."
"Oh." Carter blushed when she realized she was wearing a white t-shirt. "Heh..."
Taylor wrapped a towel around her shoulders and smiled. "Meli figured out how to get the hose working... I looked up here and saw Zac standing behind you. Figured he was going to push you in so..."
Carter smiled. "Thanks."
"So hey. Guys... I'm still in the pool you know." Zac swam to the side.
Carter continued to stare into Taylor's eyes which were a deep color of blue at the moment.
"HEY! WET PEOPLE!"
Taylor looked over Carter's shoulder and laughed. "Sorry man." He bent over and pulled Zac out of the pool.
"Geez. If you're gonna be all mushy and tense around eachother, at least do it when Zaccy isn't drowning."
Carter laughed and hugged Zac. "Sorry. I'll remember that next time."