I answered my front door that was being knocked on. To my surprise, it was Nathan.
"Nathan! Hi!" I exclaimed.
"Hey." he said quietly, giving off a slight wave.
"It's not Tuesday or Thursday." I informed him, recalling the days to which our schedule implied on math tutoring.
"I know. I just, came by to see if you were going alright, about, you know." he said, slowly and shyly.
"I'm doing okay. Still in rehab, but alright." I replied.
"I mean, because you're always with your friends, always going out to lunch with them to Taco Bell and stuff, and because we never talk to each other at school, and our only relationship is mathematically speaking," he rambled, "Nevermind."
"I appreciate your concern, thank you." I thanked him, "It's cold outside, do you want to come inside?" I invited.
"Well....."
"Your company is welcome."
"Okay." he agreed, and stepped inside, taking off his coat.
"Here, I'll hang that up for you." I offered, taking the jacket away from him.
"Thanks." he said, and stepped into the living room.
"Do you want some coffee?" I asked, leading him into the kitchen, "It's fresh."
"Sure."
I took out two mugs from a cabinet and poured the macadamia nut flavored liquid into them. I handed one to Nathan, and he took a sip of it as I put the pot back in its holder.
Nathan brought the mug away from his mouth, and twitched his lips, making a retched face. "You made this?" he asked, smacking his tongue.
"My first time." I replied, and took a sip of mine. I made the same reaction as Nathan, only worse.
"Blechhhh!" I moaned, filtering my mouth with backwash to rid the foul coffee, "Why didn't you tell me it tasted horribly?" I asked profusively.
"Hey, you're a girl, a guy can't tell women those things. That's how wars get started." he exclaimed, holding his hands up in surrender.
I laughed at his joke, and dumped the coffe down the sink.
"Hey, do you want to go to Java Jungle at the mall for some real coffee?" he asked after my laughter died down.
I leaned on the counter facing him, hugging my elbows. "Sure, I need to get out of this place." I accepted, "Let me go get my shoes. I'll be right back." I charged up the stairs.
Three minutes later, we were walking out to Nathan's car. As he pulled out, I saw a face appear in the window of Taylor, Zac, and Mackenzie's room. I couldn't quite make it out, but I also didn't let it bother me.
"Hey Tay." Zac said, getting up from the window seat.
"What." he replied, not looking up from his magazine.
Zac walked over to him, and snatched the magazine away from him. "Penthouse?" he asked, looking at the cover of it.
"You seen the girls' tits in there?" he asked, gesturing large breasts on his chest.
"That is so sick." Zac commented.
"Hey, I'm a guy. It's normal. Have you checked yourself lately?" he snatched the magazine back from Zac.
"Ha ha. Anyways, you know that guy Nathan that Kim is tutoring for math?" he asked.
Taylor didn't reply. He was too occupied in his male entertainment.
"Taylor!" Zac yelled, taking the magazine away from him once again, and sat on it.
"What?!" Taylor was getting annoyed.
"Listen please." Zac begged.
"What do you want."
"You know that guy Nathan that Kim is turoing for math?"
"Ya, what about him?"
"Well, he just took her somewhere in his car."
"So what?" Taylor asked, shaking his head and not catching Zac's point.
"Well, do you know where they might have gone?"
"Who knows and who cares? I'm not a psychic. If they went anywhere it was probably the mall. THere's nothing else to do today."
"Well you take me there?" Zac asked.
"No."
"Please?"
"What are you going to do? Spy on them?"
"No. Just see what they're doing."
"Why do you care? You broke up with Kim."
"Because I care!" Zac exploded with frustration.
"No. Go ask mom or dad."
"God Taylor, you're such a dick." Zac said, heading out the door and trudging down the stairs.
"Yeah whatever." Taylor replied.
"Mom? Mom!" Zac called out.
"In the kitchen, hon!" Mrs. Hanson called back.
Zac marched into the kitchen to find Zoe finger-painting and Jessica playing video games. Mrs. Hanson folding laundry on the counter.
"Mom, could you take me to the mall?" Zac asked.
"Oh Zac, I'm so busy today. I have to do two more loads of laundry, vacuum the house, pick up Avery from Ashleigh's house, and I have to re-wallpaper your bathroom. Why don't you go ask your father." she excused, not looking up from her pile of clean clothes.
"But mom-" Zac whined.
"Not Zachary," she interrupted, "don't argue with me. I told you I can't. I'm sorry."
Zac left the kitchen frustrated, and went in search of his father. He went up to Mr. Hanson bedroom, where he was apparently on the phone.
Zac inched the door open, and found his dad on the phone. He thought it looked safe to interrupt him.
"Dad. Dad." Zac whispered to get his father's attention. His back was facing Zac, and he didn't look up from his conversation.
"Dad." Zac said louder, stepping into the bedroom.
Mr. Hanson cupped the mouthpiece of the phone with his hand and turned around. "What Zac?" he asked in an irritated tone.
"Can you drive me to the mall?" Zac asked, praying for a 'yes.'
"Zac no-"
"Why?" he whined once again.
"Zac, I'm on a very important phone call trying to reserve the studio dowtown for the next two months so that you guys can get your album recorded and on the road, it's very hard to. Go ask your mother or Taylor." he angrily explained.
"But mom's too busy and Taylor won't do it."
"Goodbye Zac." Mr. Hanson concluded, and turned back to his conversation on the phone.
Zac charged back to his bedroom.
"Tay, please?" Zac pleaded.
"No!" he replied.
"I'll do your part of the dished for a month, pay your way to the movies for the next three times, and be your slave for a week." Zac bargained.
"No, no, and no!" Taylor yelled, closing the door on Zac.
"Fine!" he yelled back, "I guess I'll have to ride my crappy bike there." he concluded, jumping down the stairs and walking into the garage and hopping on his bike, zooming from the house.
Taylor thought for a moment, thinking about how he despised doing dishes, and reconsidered his younger brother's offer. He got up and zoomed outside.
"Zac! ZAC!" he called out to him, now willing to drive Zac to the mall and accepting his offer. But it was too late; Zac had already turned out of the street and on his way to the mall.
Zac carelessly threw his bike onto the bike rack at the mall's entrance. He threw his hair into a messy ponytail and a Mets baseball cap on, along with his jet-black sunglasses. He didn't want anyone to catch him spying or acting suspicious in public, even though this act he was commiting was juvenile, and he admitted it. He also came to terms that he had stooped this low to spy on his ex-girlfriend, me, because Nathan was moving in on me, or at least trying to. It was all jealousy. Pure jealousy. And as he approached a safe corner by the food court, all jealousy and anger fired up in his system as he eyed me and Nathan drinking hot flavored cappucinos and holding a humorous conversation, body language enough to make him burst.
"Okay okay. Two blondes were driving to Disneyland when they saw a sign that said, "Disneyland left," so they turned around and went home!" Nathan said, barely containing his laughter. We sat there at a table in the food court drinking coffee and telling blonde jokes. Nathan had some of the best ones, and I was dying of laughter. All of it stopped to an abrupt halt when a piercing scream shrieked throughout the mall.
A loud scream rang out from a person behind Zac. It was a girl, obviously, who appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen years old. She had curly red hair and piercing green eyes that gave off light to all four corners of the mall, which came to Zac's attention incredulously when he turned around to see who the scream belonged to. Of course, one of the many rare fans that lurked around in Tulsa, or just an obsessed fan that just "accidently" happened to pass by through the famous town.
Zac went to the girl and covered her mouth with his hand to block our the screech and pulled her into the nearest store, careful not to disconceal his secret identity, for fear that I might spot him and spoil his sought-out-after plan. To embarrass him more, the store that he happened to duck into had to be Frederick's of Hollywood.
"I don't mean to be rude, but what do you want?" he hissed in a whisper, looking around the store, his cheeks a burning crimson. He cautiously took his hand away from her mouth.
She screamed again, and Zac covered her mouth up immediately. "Look, I"ll sign anything, just please. Don't.....scream." he begged, "Do you promise me."
She nodded. "Now, calm.....down. I mean it." he said.
She took a deep breath and exhaled. He removed his hands from her mouth once again, and she kept cool.
"Hi, I'm Mary Sue Jones." she spoke with a heavy southwestern accent, "I just want to say I really love your band and I think it's the greatest. WOuld you be kind enough to sign one thing for me?" she asked sweetly.
"Yeah yeah, anything." he wanted to hurry this meet-and-greet along before he lost track of me and Nathan.
"Would you sign my bra? Right here?" she, unbuttoning her shirt, pointing to place just above the left cup of the bra. Zac figured the store would allow this.
"I wore it to my first Hanson concert in Houston last year."
"You got a pen?" he asked.
Her face fell into a deep disappointement, and she hung her head down.
"No problem, I have one." he saved her, whipping our his pen from his pocket and signing her bra away.
"Now just go home and tell all your friends about this or whatever, okay?" he asked, wanting to get rid of her.
"Okay great! Thanks very much!" she said, and kissed, running off.
Zac had no time to worry about the kiss. He thought over his plan, and approached Nathan and I just as we were getting up and leaving.
A hand landed on Nathan's right shoulder, and Nathan turned around. Then another fist flew for the middle of his face. Nathan fell down to the ground, blood dripping from his nose. I turned to see who had hit him; it all happened with a blink of an eye.
"ZAC! NO!" I yelled as Zac dove for Nathan, punching his with both fists.
I dove down to Zac, coaxing and pulling him to get up from Nathan. But it was no use; Zac was on Nathan, punching his and hitting him everywhere. There was nothing Nathan coudl do; he was in a body lock.
"Zac stop! Zac! Don't!" I yelled. Tears fell from my eyes, I wasn't strong enough to pull Zac up off of Nathan.
By then, mall security guards came to the scene. Zac wouldn't give it up; I was so frightened.
"You stay away from her! You hear me?!" Zac yelled at Nathan, holding the collar of Nathans' shirt, threatening him. Nathan's head fell back, limp and almost lifeless.
The guards lifted Zac up from Nathan and separated the two. Nathan looked very confused and distraught and Zac was glaring at him. I ran to Nathan and inspected him.
"Oh my God, Nathan! Are you okay? Oh my God." I asked Nathan, looking over his whole face and body. This caused Zac to be even more angry than he was to begin with.
"Son, we're going to take you to the hospital and have them check you out." the guard holding Nathan said.
"No. I'll be fine." Nathan said weakly, still in the state of shock.
"Nathan, you should go." I said, examining his face. His eyes were starting to form light black circle rings under them, and scars painted his face from Zac's finger rings.
"No, I said! I'll be fine." Nathan protested, wriggling himself out of the gaurd's hands.
The other gaurd gave Zac a warning, and let both the boys go loose.
"Oh my God, Nathan. I'm so sorry he did that." I exclaimed, embracing him.
I felt a tug on my shoulder pulling me away from Nathan.
"Come on Kim, let's go." Zac said.
I didn't move, and a sorrowful expression made up my face. "Why Zac? Why?" I asked him, my eyes squinting and my head shaking.
"I couldn't let him have you. I want you back so bad, I can't stand it."
"And you thought the way to do that was to beat up Nathan?"
He stood there and didn't reply.
"You think I will?" I shook my head, "I don't understand Zac. That was a really pathetic thing to do. Asshole." I said, and continued to stand in front of him.
Zac fidgeted, squinting his eyes. Quickly, he brought his hand up to my left cheek.
My right hand was quicker, and I gripped his wrist hardin mid-air, glaring at him evily.
"Don't. Touch. Me." I said slowly and deep, gripping his wrist even harder. If he knew what was best for him, he wouldn't try to get out of my grasp.
"Bastard." I muttered, letting go of him and backing up. I went to Nathan, and we walked to the nearest exit closest to his car.
"Kim-"
"No," I turned around, "You. Stay away from me." I growled, and Nathan and I left the mall.
There was a nice fire burning in the fireplace at my house. Dush had fallen into night. I had Nathan stay at my house for awhile; he was in bad shape.
"Oh Nathan. I'm so sorry. I had no idea." I apologized over and over again. I wringed the washcloth of cool water that I was using to cleanse his wounds, and stuck it back into the steaming hot water.
Nathan winced when I touched the cloth to his forehead. "It's not your fault. I mean, I don't blame him for doing such a thing. Your'e a great girl. Woman." he said, looking down.
I stared at him. "You don't mean that."
"If I didn't, I wouldn't have said it."
"Oh Nathan, that's so sweet." I whispered.
Nathan opened his eyes after a long time. "Kim?"
I put the washcloth back into the bowl of water. "Yeah?"
Nathan leaned in and kissed me. I returned it, and deepened it. We broke away.
Then we kissed again.