Chapter 1
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"Taylor!" I yelled as I got out of my dad's car and ran into Taylor's waiting arms. "I missed you Madie!" Taylor declared. "It's hard to go a whole week with no one fun to hang out with." he laughed. "Well, you're no day in the park either, little bro." Ike joked. "You know what I mean." said Taylor. Tay and his brothers were really close. Ike was two years older then Tay, and Zac was almost three years younger then Tay. Just then I felt cold water being squirt on me. I screamed and looked up to see 8 year old Zac grinning in a tree. "Zac, I'm gonna get you," I yelled at the top of my lungs. Zac jumped out of the tree and ran towards the back of the house. "AHHHHHHH, I'm being chased by a pack of monkeys!!" hollered Zac when he saw Ike, Tay and me chasing after him. Tay and Ike gained on Zac, and picked him up and threw him in a pile of dead leaves. Ike, Tay, and I were laughing hysterically when my brothers went into my yard to play football. " Will they ever stop playing that stupid game?!?" I groaned. Both of them were obsessed with the game of Football. "Come on," Taylor said as he took my hand and led me into his house where Ike and Zac already sat enjoying their hot chocolate. I walked into the living room where their bare Christmas tree sat. "Tomorrow's the day to decorate," Diana said. I turned and hugged her as Tay came in the room with the hot chocolate. "Thanks Tay," I said as I took the hot mug from his hand. The Hanson family always decorated their tree on December 1. Today being November 31, four days after my 10th birthday. "Guess where I'm going this summer, Tay!" I said happily, as Diana walked out when her youngest, Avery, started crying. "I don't know, where?!?" he asked. "I told you to guess, silly!" I said. "Please," he begged on his hands and knees. "Well, since you're begging," I said as he began to get up, " FLORIDA! I'm going to visit my Aunt Leigh in the Keys. My mom is taking my brothers and me!" I finished. "Wow, that's awesome!' he exclaimed. "I know it's no Equador or Venezualia," I laughed. Taylor and his family had lived in these countries a couple of years ago. Tay and I were crushed that he had to go. I had given him and his brothers a Time Life collection of 50's and 60's music for them to listen to while they were away. It turned out that they really liked the music. I'm happy he's back now, and for good. I would never let him leave me again, we made a packed to always stay together. "No, but Florida is still cool," he said interupting my thoughts. We both laughed. "Hey you two," said Ike as he came in. "Mom said to get washed up for dinner," he finished as he was leaving. "Oh yeah, and you two are in charge of setting the table," he laughed as he left for real. After setting the table and washing our hands, we all sat down to dinner. "So, Madie, how's your mom doing, I havn't talked to her in so long,"said Diana as she was cutting up Zac, and Jessie's, ham. "She's doing well," I said right before I stuffed a piece of broccolii in my mouth. Although I usually have dinner with the Hanson's when I visit, tonight was different. I don't know why, but everyone was acting more weird then usual. I awoke from my thoughts when I was hit in the head with a roll. As I looked up I saw that Zac was the only one laughing. That made him the guilty Party. "Zac, what was that for," I exclaimed. "To wake you up, you looked dead." he giggled. I had to laugh, it is so hard to be mad at him. As I got up to help with the dishes, Walker, Tay's dad, pushed me back down. "You don't have to help. We'll get the boys to do it. Ike, Zac, in the kitchen, lets go!" he ordered. "What about Tay!" Ike and Zac whined in unison. "He can stay with Madie." Walker explained. I laughed as Ike and Zac groaned and walked into the kitchen with the rest of the family. "Tay, what's going on?" I asked. "What do you mean." he said innocently. "What do you mean, what do I mean. Don't give me that Jordan Taylor." I exclaimed. He hated it when I used his first name. "Everyone is acting weird." I said defending myself. "Everyone is always weird around here you know that, Madeline Elizabeth!" he said attacking me with my full name. I laughed as he got up and turned out the lights. I gave him a funny look, when all of a sudden Diana and the rest of the Hanson clan came in with a huge Dairy Queen icecream cake with 10 candles around it and one in the middle for good luck. "Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Madeline. Happy Birthday to you!" the whole Hanson family sang in perfect harmony. "You look like a monkey and you smell like one too." Zac finished. I laughed as I hit him and blew out the candles. "I love it when you guys sing." I said to Ike, Tay and Zac as we were eating cake. They had been singing as an "official" group for almost two years now. I remember their first "real" performance was at the May Fest, which is a festival held every year here in Tulsa where we live. "Thanks" Tay said," But do you know what I like to see you do?" he asked. "What?" I asked puzzled. "Dance!" he said, as he turned on the radio and grabbed my hand and we started dancing to James Brown. I'd been dancing since I was 4. It was one of the only talents I had. "Okay Kids," said Diana as she entered the room, "time for presents."
Chapter Index
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Chapter 2
