Odessa, Brix, and I were hysterically laughing in one of the aisles of Rite-Aid. The previous nights’ occurences were still plaguing me in the back of my mind.
“You’re just nuts, Tay,” Odessa was giggling.
We had gone to Rite-Aid because it was one of the only stores near school and I needed to buy Ike and Zac presents. I had suggested we buy them some cheap perfume, coloring books, and we were rolling with laughter in the aisle where they sold those diapers that old women with bladder trouble wear. All I had to do was look at the package and Brix and Odessa read my mind. Anyway, we picked out some candy, and then we went next door to Marshalls, where (surprisingly) I found a shirt for Ike that buttoned up the front and had some cool psychadelic print going on. For Zac I got a nifty t-shirt that was like, blue on the top and black on the body.
Odessa’s mom picked us up and dropped me off at my house. I didn’t even go inside, I went right over to the Hansons’.
Tay opened the door with a Dr. Pepper in his hand. “Come on in.”
I went into the living room. Ike was playing Playstation. Before I said “Happy Birthday,” or anything, I got a chill. Please, don’t let Zac have told his brothers.
“Hey, Robinson,” Ike turned to me.
“Hi,” I smiled, “Happy Birthday! This is for you.” I hadn’t wrapped the shirt and candy, but it was in a pretty RiteAid bag. I had one for Zac, too.
“Thanks!” he beamed when he saw the shirt.
“No prob. Is Zac here?” I asked, hoping the way I said it didn’t reveal... I was being silly. Ike probably had no idea that anything was different than yesterday.
“He’s upstairs.”
“I have a little something for him, too,” I smiled again.
“You can go up and give it to him. He’ll like that. He’s in one of his little depressed thingies and he’s spent most of today in his room,” Ike shrugged.
“Poor baby,” I said. Now, knowing what had gone on the previous night, that sounds really dumb, but the way I said it was the normal joking way I always talked.
Ike pointed me in the right direction. I went up to Zac’s room and knocked.
“What?” a rather grumpy voice responded from inside.
“It’s Robinson,” I said quietly. After a few seconds, Zac opened the door. “Um, I brought you this, as a very belated birthday present,” I smiled.
He smiled feebly as he had the night before, “Come in.” He shoved some dirty clothes and paper, etc. to make room for me at the foot of his bed.
I watched him open his present, putting up the front that I was feeling completely normal, when really I was quite nervous because I didn’t know what to do or say because I didn’t know if anything was going to change.
“Thanks,” he smiled.
“You’re welcome,” I shoved my hair behind my ears.
“Um...” he said. Uh-oh. He was going to ask me something, and I knew what about. I had no answers. “Robinson, I was thinking about...”
“I know,” I interrupted.
“Well?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I sighed.
“Why did it happen?” he asked.
“Because... because...” I had no idea, “um... well, I didn’t plan it or anything, it just kind of happened, and I hope that it doesn’t make you hate me or think I’m some kind of... slut...Or make things nasty and weird...” I rambled.
“No, no,” he kind of lauged, “You’re not a slut. And I really hope things don't get nasty and weird.”
For some reason, I started laughing, and Zac joined me. Finally, we were laughing so hard that I had to stop and breathe before I spoke.
“Anyway, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be Robinson,” he said, but he sounded like he wanted to say something else. “You know, that was my first kiss.”
“I know. Was it like, okay?” I felt like a complete idiot. Why did I say that?
“Yea,” he blushed. There was an awkward pause.
“We should go downstairs,” I suggested.
“Okay.”
But, before we opened the door, paused and he smirked devillishly.
“Zac,” I said warningly. I paused and turned, taking my hand off the doorknob, " You have to promise to never ever tell your brothers, unless I say you can.”
“Cross my heart.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his face close to mine, and kissed him. I was about to pull my face away, but he pulled my face closer to his with his hands.
I let us linger that way for a second, and then drew my face away, shaking my head at him. I smiled, but said, “Never again.”
“We’ll see about that,” he smirked.
I opened the door, but Zac shut it quickly. “Wait, are you wearing lisptick?”
“No, why?”
“Evidence,” he kind of blushed.
I opened the door again, but I closed it. “Do you swear to God that you won’t tell them?”
“Yea.”
“No, I seriously mean it. If you tell them, I’ll kill you,” I said it.
He could tell by the look on my face that I was serious, “Robinson, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this serious before.”
“And you’ll probably never again.”
I went downstairs, with Zac not far behind me. When we entered the living room, where Tay and Ike were talking, Zac showed them what I had gotten for him.
“Better late than never,” I shrugged.
“Cool,” Tay said disinteredtedly, sipping his soda.
“So, Zac, you seem to be in a better mood,” Ike noticed.
“Yes, well, the present cheered me up,” he shot a glance at me as he sat down on the couch. I bit my lip to keep from giggling. Sometimes secrets make me laugh.
“So, Ike,” I asked, “what are you going to do today?”
“I don’t know, not a party or anything,” he shrugged.
“Wanna go roller blading?” I asked.
“Sure,” they all answered in unison.
“I have to go get my skates, I’ll meet you on my street,” I said, exiting the living room.
“Why your street?” Ike wondered.
“Because it’s a dead end, and I can’t skate for my life.” I left their house and cut through the woods. I went into my house and got my blades from the closet in the hall.
I was strapping on my skates when they got to my house. I attempted to get up from the porch. Zac cheered for me when I didn’t fall. “Leave me alone!” I whined.
They were speeding up and down the street as I tried to make it down the driveway. “Good job!” Ike teased as he skated in circles around me.
“Stop doing that!” I complained.
“Why? It’s fun!” he laughed.
“You’re making me dizzy!” I retorted.
I skated out into the street. Compared to them, I really sucked at this. “You wanna know something funny?” I asked.
“What?” Ike replied.
“I’m the best at this out of all my New York friends,” I laughed.
“Wow, that says a lot about them,” he taunted.
“Shut up!” I said again, skating at him to push him over. As I approached him, it occurred to me that there was no way he was going to fall, but I couldn’t stop. “Help me! I can’t stop!” I yelled. I tripped over the cub and fell on my face.
They were laughing at me. “Leave me alone!” I laughed, turning over. I sat on the curb, pouting.
After a few minutes, Tay skated over to me. “What’s the matter?”
I laughed, “I can’t stand up!”
“Why not?”
“Cuz I suck!”
He offered me his hand. He yanked me up. I almost lost my balance again, but he kept me steady. “Thanks,” I laughed.
“How do you stay up like that?” I asked.
“Bend your knees,” he advised.
I did. Zac skated by backwards. “Show off!” I yelled after him.
“At least I can stand up,” he stuck his tongue at me.
I looked at Tay and whispered sadly, “He’s making fun of me.”
“Don’t worry about him,” he said to me, he raised his voice so Zac could hear him, “He’s just a PUNK!” Zac gave Tay a dirty look but commenced in racing Ike.
I skated over to the curb in front of my house. I unbuckled my skates and went inside. I got my portable cd player/radio and my Sublime and Green Day cds. I plugged it in and attached an extension cord to it. I brought it out to the porch and cranked the volume, plutting my Sublime cd to “Garden Grove.” I slipped on my sneakers.
I went out into the street and sang really loudly. “What’s this?” Ike wanted to know.
“Sublime!” I yelled.(Sublime is the butterest band like, ever.)I ran around after them, trying to push them over.
“Not fair!” Zac yelled as I pushed him into the grass, “Put on your blades and then we’ll see who pushes who!”
“Are you kidding?” I laughed, “All you’d have to do is look at me and I’d fall over!”
I chased after Ike. He put both his arms under mine, lifted me up, and dragged me with him. “Let me go! I’m going to die!” I screeched. He slowed down and let me go. “I’m going to kill you!” I was standing in the middle of the road and yelling. Then, Tay came up behind me and picked me up just as Ike had. “Let me go!”
He just laughed, “Make me!”
“I’m going to kill you, too!” I screeched.
He sped up.
“Stop!” I tried to kick him in the shin. Instead, I tripped him, and sent us both flying into a pile of leaves by the side of the road.
I was breathing heavily. “You’re going to die,” I growled, rolling over to face him.
He just kept lauging. “It’s not funny!” I laughed. “Stop it!” I hit him in the stomach.
“You could’ve killed us, you know,” he continued to laugh.
“Me? You’re the one who picked me up!” By then, “Santeria” (Sublime song) was on. I shook my head at him like I was mad and got up.
“Aw, come on, Robinson, I’m sorry,” he said, getting up after me.
I said nothing. I started to hum and began to walk away.
He skated slowly next to me, “Come on, I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”
I said nothing and continued to walk.
“Robinson?” he said seriously.
I looked at him. He was giving me a little puppy dog face. I tried not to smile. “I don’t know, Tay,” I bit my lip. When I looked at him again, he still had the puppy face on. I squeezed his face together with my hand. “How could I resist that face?” He smiled.
Zac skated over to us. “Hey, Tay, I’ll race you.”
“First one to slap my hand wins,” I said, stopping and standing where I was.
They went back down my street to the very end. They sped toward me. When they were pretty close, I held my hands out. Tay slapped it just a second before Zac.
“Tay wins,” I called out as they sped past.
“What do I win?” he asked, skating around me.
“Umm... you get to... umm...” I stopped to think, “Nothing.”
“Well, then, what’s the point of winning?”
“What do I look like, some kind of philospher?”
I ran to the cd player and changer the track to “Caress Me Down” one of my fave songs. It’s also one of the most... risque... ones on the whole cd. It says bad things.
“What is this?” Zac asked when the song was only up to the second line.
I didn’t answer, I just sang and danced.
“What did he just say?!” Tay asked.
I just smiled and kept singing.
“You’ve got some weird taste in music,” Zac said as Bradley (I really love Bradley)started to sing in Spanish. I went over to Zac and put my hand over his mouth.
By the time the song was over, all three of them were surprised that I could have sung some of those lyrics.
“I always knew there was another side to you,” Tay laughed.
The song “Doin’ Time” came on. “Hey, I’ve heard this one,” Ike said, skating by.
“They play it on the radio,” I commented.
I took my hand off of Zac’s mouth, “Seems that way to me,” he said.
When Doin’ Time was over, I switched the cd player to “What I Got” again. “This is my favorite song!” I said. I sat down on the curb. I leaned back and looked at the sky. I sang along with the lyrics to my fave song. A few minutes later, all of a sudden, someone was pretending to step on me with his roller blades.
“Oops, I didn’t see you there,” he said innocently.
I pushed his foot off me. I looked at my shirt (which was a gray sweatshirt because it was November). There were little brownish-gray wheel marks. “Ew!” I sat up. “Look what you did!”
“Sorry,” he said.
I attempted to brush them off. “It’s okay I guess.”
Ike skated over, “Hey Robinson, can I have a drink?”
I said nothing. “Tay, please tell Ike that I’m not talking to him.”
“Ike,” Tay said, “Robinson is not talking to you.”
“Why?” Ike asked.
“Because you almost killed her,” Tay said. He knew the answer.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Okay, I’ll get you a drink,” I said.
“All he had to say was ‘I’m sorry’?” Tay complained, “I had to practically beg you!”
“Yea?” I said.
“That’s not fair!”
“What?” I said, getting up to go get Ike a drink.
“Why did I have to beg?”
“Because I like to see you grovel.” I stuck my tongue out at him and went inside to get a drink for each of them. I left Tay’s drink by the door and came out with one for Ike and one for Zac. “Zac!” I called. I handed him the water.
“Thanks,” Ike and Zac said at the same time.
“I don’t get one?” Tay asked, looking shocked.
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Because I hate you,” I shrugged.
His face got even more shocked. “Fine then,” he crossed his arms over his chest.
I laughed and went to the door where I had left his drink.
“Aw, thank you.You’re so nice,” he said, smiling when I brought it to him.
“Shut up, Taylor,’ I shook my head in disgust at him.
“All right, Tayler,” he did the same to me.
I took off my shoes and put my roller blades back on. “Zac,” I said, stepping past Tay, “Pull me?”
“Okay,” he said, throwing the plastic cup on the lawn. He reached for my hand and started to skate really fast, pulling me behind him. After a few minutes, he yelled, “Guys, come help me!”
Ike and Tay skated up to us. Tay grabbed my right hand and Ike pushed me from behind.
“If you touch my butt, Ike, I’m going to kill you,” I said over my shoulder.
“I’ll try to control myself,” he said.
“Go!” I yelled. They all took off. It was fun. We were going really fast.
Then, all of a sudden, Zac yelled, “Now!” and they let go of my hands.
I went flying. I tried to stop, but because of my lacking skills, I tripped over nothing and splat hit the pavement. “Ouch!” I yelled.
They skated over to me. “Thanks a lot, Zacky,” I scowled as I examined my hands to see if they got scraped.
“Are you okay?” Ike asked.
“I think I broke my butt,” I laughed.
Zac and Tay took my hands and hauled me up.
“Why did you do that?” I asked.
“You skated!” Zac said excitedly.
“I fell!” I whined, rubbing my behind.
“Yea, but you skated for a second.”
“I guess.”
They continued pulling me.
“Bend your knees,” Tay said, bouncing on his own legs. I tried to. “Good,” he nodded.
“Now, lean forward a little bit,” Zac advised. “You got it,” he acknowledged.
“Okay, let go,” I said, removing my hands from theirs.
I tentatively took a step, then another. I actually can skate kind of okay on really smooth surfaces like tennis courts and stuff, but I was always shaky on regular surfaces.
“Nice job,” Zac said as he skated next to me.
“It’s easier when you pull me,” I laughed.
We practiced for a while longer, and they pulled for a bit, and when I put in my Green Day cd, and sang to it, they laughed at me. The sun was starting to go down a little bit.
“Aren’t you guys leaving soon?” I wondered.
“Yes, tomorrow morning,” Ike affirmed.
“You suck!” I frowned.
“Have you talked to your mom about New York yet?” Tay wondered.
“No.” The reason was because after that whole kissing Zac thing, I wasn’t really thinking clearly.
“Well, then, we might see each other in a couple of weeks,” Zac said.
“I hope so,” I said, putting my hands on Zac’s shoulders and letting him pull me that way.
After a little while longer, my mom came out and told me to come in. “Wanna come in?” I asked.
They shrugged. I brought my radio inside and Ike, Tay, and Zac gathered their skates (which I told them to take off or else my mom would kill them) and plastic cups and came in with me. I led them up to my room because my mother was watching a movie in the living room.
“Let’s do something,” I said.
“Okay,” they said in unison.
“There’s this game I played with Odessa and Brix... you have to ask a question, and then answer it yourself, and then everybody answers it,” I explained.
“Cool,” Zac said. But he gave me a look that said, “Don’t ask anything about kissing.”
“I’ll go first,” I said. “What was your most embarrassing experience?” I paused to think.
“Don’t say anything that’s going to scar me for life,” Zac said.
“I’ll try to think of the least disgusting one... well, it was quite embarrassing the time my pants ripped, and Zac pulled off my pocket... In the eighth grade we had to wear our gym uniforms under our clothes. So, I took off my regular clothes, but it turned out that I had forgotten my shorts, and so I was standing there in my underwear with like, the whole class, including the boys, staring at me...” I covered my face with my hands while they laughed at me. “Ike’s turn.”
“Well, once when we were flying someplace, I had to go to the bathroom, and so I got up, you know, and I went to the back of the plane and I opened the door, you know, I like went in and stuff, but I forgot to lock the door, and so this lady opened the door right after I had pulled down my pants, thank God not my underwear, and she and this stewrardess started laughing at my boxers with little cowboy lassos and hats on them,” Ike laughed.
“You have boxers with cowboy lassos and cowboy hats?” I laughed.
He nodded, “It’s Zac’s turn.”
“Well, there was this one time, when I was generously helping my friend move into her new house, and she pulled my pants down...” he looked straight at me.
“Moi?” I said, shocked, “You must be very confused.”
“Yea, right, whatever... It’s Tay’s turn.”
Tay blushed, “Well, once we went swimming at a hotel. There were these diving boards...”
Zac started laughing.
“And anyway,” Tay continued, “when I jumped in and came up, I saw my shorts floating next to me. “So Zac jumped in and swam away with them, and my mother had to chase after him to get them back.” We all laughed at Tay’s story, especially Zac.
“I’ve got one,” Zac said. “What’s your bra size?”
Zac smirked at me and said, “Hey wait, I don’t wear a bra!”
Tay looked at him like he was crazy, “Um... no?”
Ike just shook his head.
They all turned to me. “I hope you know I hate you, Zac.” But I smiled and went to my underwear draw. I pulled out a leopard print bra. “Why don’t you see for yourself?” I dangled it in front of his face.
He chickened out, “Get that thing away from me!”
“Anyone else?” I asked, waving it. Tay reached for it, but I pulled it away and stuffed it in my drawer. “Oops, too late.”
“I was joking anyway,” he smiled, “But now I know where you keep them.”
“Ha ha. You’re so funny.” I sat back down.
“I ‘ve got a good one,” Ike said. “Who and when was your first kiss?”
I shot an “uh-oh” look at Zac.
Ike said, “Mine was Melodie Pierson when I was in the ninth grade.” He looked at Zac. “What about you, Zac?”
“I think you can skip over him,” Tay laughed, “And me.”
“Robinson?” Ike wondered.
I glanced at Zac who was biting his lip. “Um, well, I hate to disappoint you guys, but, I’ve never been kissed before either.” I noticed Zac breathe out heavily.
“Let’s do something else,” I suggested.
“Yea,” Zac agreed.
“Let’s play... seven minutes in heaven,” Ike laughed.
“How about no?” I said.
“That would be twenty-one minutes in heaven for Robinson,” Tay laughed.
“No, I’m not kissing all three of you. You have to beat each other up and whoever is alive at the end can play. Carnage turns me on.”
“Why don’t we pick a name out of a hat?” Tay recommended.
“Why don’t you calm your hormones?” I suggested.
“Can’t help it,” he replied.
“Well, try to,” I rolled my eyes.
My mother called me. I went to the top of the stairs. She said that I had to do my homework. I told her I would... shortly. I went back into my room.
“I have to do my homework soon,” I complained, plopping down on my bed.
“We have to go soon, anyway,” Ike said, looking at his watch.
“But not yet,” I said. I lay on my side and rested my head in my hand.
“So, you guys, what day, exactly, are you going to New York?”
“I’m not sure,” Ike said.
“But we can tell you when we know,” Tay suggested.
“Aren’t you leaving tomorrow morning?”
“It’s called a phone,” Tay teased.
“Don’t give me any of your lip,” I warned.
My mother called me again. I went to the top of the stairs again. She told me that Diana was on the phone. I returned to my room.
“Your mom is on the phone.”
They decided Zac was the lucky one who would take the call.
“Follow me,” I said. I led him into my mother’s room.
He sat on her bed and picked up the phone. “Hello?” pause “Yea, soon.” pause “We know.” I sat down on the bed next to Zac. “Yea.” pause “Yea, me too. Bye.”
“Did you get in trouble?” I asked.
“Not really, she just said we have to be home very soon.”
“How soon?” I asked.
“Like, fifteen minutes?” he shrugged.
“I wish you didn’t have to go,” I sighed.
“I know.” He leaned his head on my shoulder. “In New York, I mean, if you go, you can come to one of our shows. It’d be awesome.”
“I wish.”
“Just work on your mom. We’ll have to call you anyway to tell you when exactly we’re going.”
Zac took his head off my shoulder and we went back into my room. As we entered, Tay and Ike wiped the smiles off their faces and stopped talking, “What’d she say?” Tay asked innocently.
“What were you guys doing in here?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips.
“What?” Ike asked innocently.
“Spill it, guys, I know you’re up to something.”
Squinting at Tay, I went to my underwear draw and saw that my leopard spotted bra was not missing. Tay started laughing, “No, we didn’t steal any of your bras.”
“What did you steal then?” I asked.
“We didn’t steal anything,” Ike smiled.
“What did you do?”
“Well, you see, I was looking... um... at your desk... and I kind of noticed this book...” Tay was explaining.
“You fags!” I said, remembering I had placed my diary there.
“Don’t worry, we couldn’t open that one,” Ike pointed to the diary that I had written in the previous night after that whole... thing.
“We did, however, open that one,” Tay pointed to the diary I kept when I was in the third grade.
“You know that’s from the third grade, right?” I laughed, flipping through its pages.
“We didn’t get to read much of it,” Tay frowned.
“Wait a minute, I thought I put these two at the bottom of all my papers in the bottom drawer,” I said accusingly.
“Um...” they said in unison.
“You guys,” I shook my head. “I’m mad at you for real now. You’re never allowed in here again.” I said, shoving my diary in my underwear drawer.
“Now I know where that is, too,” Tay laughed.
“I’m not kidding,” I said seriously.
“We didn’t read them, seriously, Robinson,” Ike said.
“Yea, but you looked through my drawers and you found them.”
Don’t be mad, we were just kidding,” Ike pleaded. “Yea, whatever.” I plopped down on my bed.
“You piss me off, you know that?” I said to them.
“Why?” they asked.
“Duh,” Zac laughed.
“Well, not only that, but because you’re leaving in like, five minutes, I have to forgive you.”
“Really, we’re sorry,” Ike insisted.
“I know. I know,” I kind of grumbled. “Just promise you’l never ever do it again.”
“I promise,” I Ike said.
“Tay?” I asked.
“I promise, too.”
I looked at Zac, “You might as well promise too.”
“But, I didn’t do anything,” he protested.
“Just do it.”
“Okay, I promise,” he rolled his eyes.
“Good, now go home,” I laughed.
“No really, Mom said we have to go home,” Zac told his brothers.
“All right, let’s go,” Ike said, getting up off the floor.
“Wait,” I said.
“What?” Zac asked, as he got up off my bed.
“Here,” I handed him my diary from the third grade.
“Why?” he asked.
"Well, I read up on you guys, now you can read about me.”
“Okay,” Zac laughed.
I ushered them downstairs and out the door. “Don’t forget to call me,” I said to Zac, who was the last one out my backdoor.
“Could I forget you?” he asked.
“Who could forget me?” I laughed.
“You’re a slut!” he yelled as he entered the woods.
“I’ll remember that, you little slimeball!”
