"Isaac, are you sure this is where the party is?" I asked my oldest brother nervously.
Taylor gave me a look that said he couldn't believe my stupidity.
"No," Ike replied in his best Butthead voice. "Those cars aren't really there, and that music you hear isn't really playing."
I rolled my eyes and looked away, but I was still scared. Tay and Ike had only recently begun to accept me as one of their crowd. They were different than I had expected and I was never sure how to act.
"Earth to Zac. Come in, Zac. This is Mother Bird, calling Baby Bird," Tay yelled in my ear. I glanced at him as he held up a pack of cigarettes and repeated his question. "Do you want one?"
Ike put the flame on the end of his cigarette and inhaled deeply. When the cherry was burning brightly, he passed the lighter to Tay, who also lit one up.
"Um, sure," I finally answered as Tay began to puff his square. I took one from the pack and put it between my lips. As I lit it, I tried to imitate Ike's deep inhalation. Then I started hacking up my lungs.
"Not so deep, dude." Ike smiled at me kindly, realizing how nervous I was. "Just get used to it right now. You should barely inhale the first time."
"I'm nervous," I admitted.
"Just do what I do," Tay advised. "You're a Hanson. Partying is natural for us."
We moved toward Robert Gibson's house. Ike counseled me on how I held my square while Tay demonstrated the art of blowing smoke rings.
Ike banged against the door with the side of his fist. As it opened, I saw her shoes. She wore funky black Doc Martens with silver stars on the toes. My eyes continued up the long legs to army green shorts, a flat tummy with the appropriate piercing, a nice chest covered by a black tank top and a slim neck. Her hair fell around her face in dark red layers with blond chunks randomly placed in it. Big green eyes and pouty lips were dominant in her beautiful face.
"Hey Tay, Ike. What's up?" She took a hit off of the joint in her left hand and blew the smoke toward me. "Who's the hottie?" Her tone indicated that she knew who I was, but wasn't about to let me know that.
"This," Tay said, beaming proudly, "is our little brother, Zac. Zac, this Robert's sister Destiny."
Not knowing what to say, I simply smiled and nodded my head politely. Destiny stepped aside for us and gave me a shy smile before floating toward the living room.
Ike stared after her. "She's got major attitude," he commented. "A real tough girl for sixteen. But she's far out of our league."
"Not for me," Tay smirked, letting his ego take over. Then he caught my eye. "Not for you either, Zac. She was into you."
I wished that I could agree with him, but I doubted it.
Robert appeared at my side, his dishwater blond hair flying in every direction. "Hey guys," he screamed over the music, which blasted from speakers in every room. "The party's turning out pretty good. Try this." He handed a joint to Ike. "By the way, Ike, my mom wanted to talk to you." He winked and wandered off.
Ike, after taking a hit, began looking around boredly. Tay coached me on smoking my very first blunt.
"It's very simple." He motioned with his hands as he explained. "Inhale like you do with a cigarette, but more. After a couple of hits, you'll feel a head change."
After a few tries, I had it figured it out. After a few more, my head change kicked in and I felt good. Ike and Tay were talking to two dog ugly chicks in scanky outfits, so I half-walked, half-stumbled to toward the living room.
'I'm so stoned,' I thought to myself. That realization made me giggle helplessly.
The room was almost empty except for several guys with a bong, and Destiny. I fell onto the couch beside her. Her joint was gone, having been replaced by a large bottle of Hennessy. She handed it over silently and I sighed as I took a sip.
She pointed to my red chords. "Nice pants," she said. I felt as if I were moving in slow motion as I handed the bottle back and nodded.
"I like your shoes," I answered, trying to form a complete thought. "If you're Robert's sister, how come he never brought you over?"
"Only half," she mumbled dazedly, moving closer. "We have different dads. I spend most of the year with my dad and the rest of the time I'm here."
"Where's your dad live at?" I pushed, being nosy.
"New York." She stood and extended a hand to me. "Let's go someplace that isn't full of stoners." She glared at the bong-holding crew near the doorway. They catcalled her as we walked by. In return, she flipped them off.
We walked up the stairs, making our way over and around the people settled there. "So you aren't a stoner?" I said, sounding more like a question than a statement.
She shook her head. "Don't get me wrong. I like to get high or drunk or whatever just as much as everybody else, but I have responsibilties. I'm not going to give up everything for any drug."
I knew that she was referring to Robert and his friends, all of whom had barely made it through high school and were now satisfied working at Burger King.
Destiny led me down the hall, toward the door at the end. She opened it. Glancing inside, I saw that it was her bedroom. She walked in while I hesitated outside.
She laughed at me and gripped my arm tightly. "Zac, come on. Don't tell me you've never been in a girl's room before."
"I have." I entered confidently. "Just not with a girl as beautiful as you." I turned around to see her reaction.
"Thanks, you're not so bad yourself." She closed the door and leaned against it. "Come here," she taunted.
I moved slowly toward her. Her arms went around my neck and her lips pressed against mine. I placed my hands on her waist and deepened the kiss.
"Okay, enough." She casually pushed me away and flopped down on her bed. She flipped the television on and patted the empty space beside her in an invitation.
"You're a tease," I informed her in a disappointed voice as I lay down beside her.
"I know." She slid backwards into my arms, her back pressed against the front of my body. "But it's worth it when I finally give you what you want."
"I can imagine."
We relaxed against each other and drifted off to sleep, my arms still around her soft body. TWO
The beeping of my pager awakened me from slumber. I struggled to find it in it's hiding space, deep in my pockets.
Destiny yawned widely and shoved a hand into my front left pocket. She pulled out my pager and set it on my thigh.
A code flashed up, 4663. That was my mom's code for curfew.
I untangled the covers from myself and climb over the foot of the bed. "Destiny, honey." I tugged on her hair, realizing for the first time that we had slept with our heads at the wrong end of the bed.
She rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows. "Time to go home?"
"Yeah. Do you want my pager number?" When she nodded, I found a tube of lipstick on the dresser and prettily decorated her mirror with my name and pager number. "Page me anytime, baby."
"What time is it, anyway?" She came up behind me and layed her head on my back.
I showed her the flashing '2:00 AM' on my beeper. She scooted past me and opened her desk drawer. Pulling out a piece of stationary, she scribbled something down and gave the paper to me.
A quick glance told me that it was digits. My brothers would be proud. I kissed Destiny again, not wanting to let go, but knowing I had to. Then I shut her bedroom door behind me, after promising to page her tonight.
We had been at the party since seven. I calculated in my head, nearly six hours. Most of which, I added to myself, I had spent in Destiny's room, asleep. The party was still in full swing throughout the house. I found Ike in the kitchen, hugging up on some woman that looked to be at least thirty. The shot glass rose to his mouth twice in the time it took me to make my way over to him.
As I approached, I heard that familar beeping. He nodded at me to show that it was Mom, since we couldn't really talk over the music. He sobered up in the blink of an eye and headed back up the stairs I had just come down.
Taylor was exiting a room as we reached the top of the stairs.
"Did you two get a page from Mom?" He continued without waiting for an answer. It was clearly written on our faces. "I had Reverend Bethel's daughter in there, guys. Wonder if he knows how good she is at what she does? She's not as pure and chaste as he'd like everyone to think."
Tay went on babbling about who was there and who wasn't and most everything else as he took the keys from Ike. Relief flooded through me. Ike had been drinking more than either Tay or me. I let myself hang out the window for the short ride to our house, a few blocks away. A silent house greeted us on our arrival. Mom, in her typical fashion, had apparently fallen asleep after blowing us up.
As we prepared for bed, my brothers teased me about my dazed state of mind and Destiny. I was too exhausted to fight back with sarcastic remarks. I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.
Morning came sooner than I had ever imagined. Mackie was jumping on my stomach at what felt like dawn, calling, "Get up, Zac! Mom made breakfast and she wants you to eat. Come on."
"Okay, Mack." I pushed him off sleepily. "I'm getting up right now. Tell Mom I'll be down after my shower, okay?"
Satisfied, he left me to debate on whether or not to get out of bed. After five minutes of half-concious arguments with myself, I struggled to the bathroom to shower. Ten minutes after that, I entered the kitchen to find a disgustingly cheerful Tay. He gave me a wide smile, revealing all of his perfect teeth. I glared back, damning him for my headache.
"Zac, my boy." He was so awake that I had to fight the urge to puke on him. "Robert called. There's another party tonight. Destiny said she might go, if you're going to be there. Interested?"
That statement sparked more interest than anything else he had said. "I guess I'm in," I yawned. If Destiny was planning to be there, I wasn't one to pass up the opportunity.
After a bowl of Captain Crunch, I decided to call her. I dashed up the stairs, suddenly revitalized, and grabbed the cordless phone off of my dresser.
I pulled the paper out of my pocket and called the number, breathing deeply to calm down. THREE
"Yeah?" she answered casually. My heart beat sped up.
"Hey, Destiny. It's Zac Hanson. You remember, from last night?" I said, trying to sound cool.
"Hey Zac." I could hear her smile over the phone. "I recognized your voice, actually. So what are you up to?"
"Oh, just hanging out." I twirled a piece of hair around my finger nervously. "I just wanted to see if you're going to that party tonight."
She paused a second before answering. "Party? Oh, the one over at Gavin's house. Is that the one you meant?"
"Yeah," I replied, even though I had no idea if that was the party I was talking abuot. "I thought if you're going, we might be able to go together." As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted it.
"That's a good idea." I breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll drive, if that's okay. Pick you up at six? We'll grab a bite to eat before the party. Is that alright with you?"
"That'd be great. My house is over on-" She interrupted before I could finish telling her the directions.
"I know where it is. Hey, if you're not doing anything, why don't you come over now?" She didn't give me a chance to ask how she knew where my house was. "See you in a few." I heard a click as she hung up.
I skipped down the steps to find Tay. He told me that Ike was already at Robert's and offered to drive me since he was on the way over there. As Tay pulled into the driveway, I started fixing my hair.
"What's wrong, Zac? Afraid that Destiny won't like your hair?" he taunted.
I walked up to the door alone while Tay went around back to the shed where Ike and Robert always hung out.
I knocked once before walking in. I glanced around the empty hall before entering the living room. Ike and Destiny were laying on the couch together.
