Much to his surprise, Taylor woke up on the sofa bed the next morning without Erica tucked neatly under his arm. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Zac was asleep, and so was Ike. Just how early is it? Tay wondered as he glanced at the clock. 6:30. She's up at 6:30? he thought. His beliefs were confirmed when he heard someone shuffling around upstairs. He kicked off the covers and stumbled up the stairs and into the boys bedroom. Taylor's mouth dropped open as he saw Erica rummaging around her bags in only a bra.
Hearing the door creak, Erica gasped and turned around,"Oh Tay, it's only you." she said.
Taylor just stared at her.
Erica went back to looking around in her bags,"Wanna help me Tay?"
Taylor just stared at her.
She glanced at him,"Earth to Taylor, come in Taylor!"
"What?" Taylor asked suddenley finding his voice.
"Come here and help me find my red tank top please?" she asked.
"Umm, sure." Taylor said baffled by the fact that she wasn't embarassed by him walking in on her without a shirt, Chill,he told himself, it's not like you haven't seen her like this before. He started rummaging through her back pack when his hand fell on a pair of her panties. He gasped and pulled his hand back.
Erica gave him a strange look,"What's the matter with you?" she peered into her backpack. Her eyes fell upon the panties,"God Tay, it's just underwear." she rolled her eyes.
"It's not just any underwear, it's yours." he pointed out.
Erica laughed,"Tay, I've touched your boxers before, no big deal."
Taylor looked horrified,"You've never!"
"Oh yes I have, when I cleaned your room the first day I was here. What do you think I was picking up off of the floor?" she asked.
Taylor pouted,"But still..." he trailed off flopping himself on his bed.
Erica just shook her head and continued her hunt for her red tank top.
"Why don't you just wear another shirt?" he suggested.
"Because I wanna wear that one!" she whined stamping her foot on the floor.
Tay couldn't help but smile. Sometimes she made him feel five years old again. Just like when she used to throw a fit when she was younger and something didn't go her way,"Well, you could just not wear a shirt. I personally prefer you better this way."
Erica poked him in the stomach,"Oh, I'm sure that would just make your day."
He grabbed her wrist,"Of course it would." he said pulling her onto him and kissing her.
She let his tounge slide in her mouth and she closed her eyes. She felt his hands fall upon the clasp of her bra and she could feel him fiddling with it.
"Woah Tay," she said pulling away,"the object of getting dressed is to put clothes on, not take them off."
He kissed her again."Yeah, but if I take them off you can put them on all over again." he grinned.
Erica smiled and out of the corner of her eye, saw her red tank top in the corner between the wall and the bad,"Ah-ha!" she exclaimed grabbing it and pulling herself off of Tay. She slipped it over her head.
"Well that just takes the fun out of getting dressed, you're actually putting clothes on." Tay said.
"Erica, put this on the table outside." her mother commanded shoving a bowl of potato salad at her.
Erica grabbed the bowl and sighed. Her parents had come home, and after hugging and kissing her, they went right to work on getting things ready for her brothers return. Her mother was making enough food to feed an army even though friends and relatives were bringing things too. Taylor, who had helped Erica carry her bookbag and duffel bag across the street for no apparent reason other than wanting to get out of the house, had been lassoed into helping her father move the stereo system outside and being told to fetch him tools.
As Erica placed the green plastic bowl on the patio table she couldn't help but laugh at how her father was attempting to teach Taylor about wires and tools and other "manly" things of that nature. Taylor limply held a flathead screwdriver in his hand obviously not giving a damn about how hooking up the wrong wires could cause the system to short circuit.
Erica's mother burst through the back door carrying a bowl of taco salad. She simply stuck it on the edge and surveyed the table.
"We're going to need another table." her mother muttered to herself.
"We have a folding table in the basement." Erica reminded her.
"That will do, could you bring it out?" her mother asked.
"By myself? What do you think I am? Wonder Woman? Erica cried in disbelief.
Taylor, who had overheard their conversation, volunteered,"I can get it."
Mrs. Patten's eyes flicked over to him,"Are you sure?"
Taylor dropped the screwdriver,"Yes!" he said. Anything to get away from these damn wires. he thought.
He breezed past both Erica and Mrs. Patten and headed directly for the basement.
"Well in that case Erica, you can..." her mother started.
"I'm gona help him find the table." Erica said dashing into the house.
"The soundsystem!" Erica gasped dropping the wooden spoon that she was stirring the macaroni salad with.
"Huh?" Taylor asked stealing some macaroni sald from the bowl and shoving it into his mouth while she wasn't watching.
"That's him!" she said grabbing Taylor's hand and running through the house and out the front door just in time to see her brother pull up the driveway in his jeep.
"Tim!" she called, dropping Taylor's hand and waving.
"Sis!" he cries shutting off the jeep and jumping out.
Erica leapt off of the proch and ran to him. He was a big guy. Very muscular from all that work in the army. He had his army regulation buzz cut and a pair of dark black oakley's that covered his deep brown eyes and brought out the squareness of his face. He hugged her and picked her up off of the ground without effort.
Taylor simply stood on the porch, studying how big he was and thinking about the various ways that Tim could kill him.
"So, where's the boyfriend?" Tim asked staring at Taylor.
"Oh yeah," Erica said suddenly remembering. She smiled and waved for Taylor to come over.
Taylor slowly trudged over there, trying to enjoy the scenery of this, his last day on earth. When he got there, Erica wrapped her arms around Taylor's one arm,"Here he is."
Tim dropped his sunglasses to the end of his nose and leaned in towards Taylor,"Short shit?" he asked.
"Taylor." he corrected and then mentally made a note to kill himself for correcting Tim.
Tim pushed his sunglasses up his nose and croosed his arms,"So short shit grew up, huh?"
"Tim stop it!" Erica scolded.
"You're going out with my sister?" Tim asked looking Taylor over as if he was not good enough.
"Yeah." Taylor squeaked nodding.
"What?" Tim asked dropping his arms.
"I said yes." Taylor spoke up.
"Yes sir damnit!" Tim yelled,"Drop and give me twenty!" he yelled pointing to the ground.
"Yes sir." Taylor said as he started to get on the ground.
"He's just kidding Taylor." Erica said stopping him from dropping to the ground.
Taylor glanced nervously at Tim.
"I'm just messin with you." Tim said slapping Taylor on the back a couple, hard, times. Taylor almost fell forward.
"So, where's mom and dad?" Tim asked turning his attention back to Erica.
"In the backyard, I'll go tell them you're here." she said letting go of Taylor and proceeding into the backyard.
Taylor glanced nervously at Tim before starting to follow Erica. Once he turned around he felt a firm grip on his shoulder, he felt his stomach flip.
"You and me are going to have a talk later." Tim said in a low, harsh voice.
About an hour later everyone was there. All of the adults were chugging beer and wine coolers and eating barbecued chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs and whatever other kind of animal flesh they could throw on the grill. The little kids were running around, eating or swimming. Isaac had come up to Taylor earlier and told him about Stacie's older brother Rob, who went to school with Tim. Taylor laughed and admitted that he knew about Rob, but since Isaac had been so intent on making fun of Taylor because of Tim, Taylor had figured to let Isaac find out on his own. Isaac now had something to fear.
Erica and Stacie and Kerri walked up to Taylor and Isaac and Zac who were over by the food devouring the potato chips, perhaps, their last meal.
"Think you guys can quit stuffing your faces for about five seconds?" Stacie laughed.
They all swallowed hard and looked at her,"We're just trying to enjoy another meal before all of your older brothers kill us!" Isaac said.
Kerri laughed,"They won't kill you, they might hurt you severely, but I don't think they'd kill you."
Zac just grumbled a few choice words about her brother before shoving a handful of potato chips in his mouth.
"Come on Tay, I'll protect you from my brother." Erica smiled as she poked fun at him.
Taylor wiped his greasy fingers on his pant leg,"Cute, real cute. I might die before the night is over and you're laughing at me."
"Sorry," she stifled a laugh and wrapped her arms around him,"he won't touch you, I promise."
Taylor just looked pathetically at his brothers who were nervously glancing around for the girls brothers,"Well guys, we have a choice," he said,"we can walk around scared and looking over our shoulders every five seconds or, we could enjoy the company of these three lovley ladies."
Isaac smiled and put his arm around Stacie in ease,"I vote to enjoy the company of this lovely lady right here."
"I second that." Taylor grinned at Erica.
Zac raised his hand,"I vote scared."
Kerri punched him on the arm,"Hey!"
Zac whimpered,"I can't win either way!"
Across the yard stood Tim, Rob and Bryan. Rob was another version of Tim, but instead of Tim's brown buzz cut, Rob was sporting a blonde one of his own. Bryan, Kerri's older brother, stuck out like a sore thumb, he was pretty tall and lanky with bright blue eyes and blonde hair. He wasn't all buffed up like Tim and Rob either. Nonetheless, the three of them all hated Hanson.
Now throughout time older brothers have repeatedly said that they do not like their younger sisters suitors. And we all know why don't we? It has nothing to do with what guy it is, whether he's grungie or presentable, polite or an asshole, it is simply because they know what they do with girls. They know exactly how teenage boys can be and do not want their "baby" sisters subjected to such behavior. And thus Tim, Rob and Bryan had to get rid of Taylor, Isaac and Zac...fast.
"Look at how they hang all over them." Tim sneered to the others as he watched his little sister sit down on Taylor's lap,"I am ready to rip that guys nuts off."
Rob nodded and took another huge gulp from his can of soda,"Look at Stace and Isaac, Jesus! You know that kid had the nerve to talk to me and ask me how school was! Like he thinks he is going to be my best friend or something!"
"Yeah!" Bryan agreed throwing his fist in the air.
Tim and Rob looked at him with hate,"You're next on our kick ass list." Tim said as he crushed his soda can in his hand.
Bryan swallowed hard,"Hey man, I have to beat the crap out of that little one though."
Rob laughed,"Look's like your sister is doing okay on her own, she's hit him about ten times in the past two minutes!"
Tim shook his head and growled as his sister placed her lips next to Taylor's ears and whispered something into it causing Taylor's face to turn red. Then he watched as Taylor put his hand way to far up on his sister's thigh,"He's dead. He is fucking dead!" he said leaving his spot in the corner of the yard. Rob and Bryan followed.
"Hey guys." Tim said putting on a fake smile as they walked up to their sisters and the Hansons.
"Oh, hey Tim." Erica smiled.
Taylor's face creased in worry and he gently tried to nudge Erica off of his lap. She just gave him a weird look.
"We were wondering if you girls would be so kind as to lend us these fellows for a few minutes." Rob asked sweetly.
"What do you need them for?" Stacie asked curiously.
"Man stuff." Bryan interjected.
"Oh good, I don't have to go." Zac smiled,"I'm still a litte boy." he lied.
"No, you can come." Bryan grinned evily.
"Well, if they want to go. It's completley up to them." Erica said.
"Well, I'm pretty comfortable right here. I'm sure I'd only get in the way." Taylor said now clinging onto Erica hoping that she would shield him from Tim.
"No, really. We would greatly appreciate it." Tim sneered.
"Well, why don't you go Ike?" Stacie asked letting go of his hand.
"Uh, are you sure?" Isaac squeaked.
"Yeah, go ahead. Maybe you'll come in handy with whatever they're doing." Stacie smiled.
"Uh, okay." Ike said standing up nervously. He was surprised he could stand with his kness shaking. He was sure everyone could hear them slamming together,"Come on Tay, Zac." he said.
Erica got up off of Taylor,"Go ahead sweetie."
Taylor nodded slightly and joined his brother Isaac. Zac looked like he was about to cry, but got up and joined his brothers.
"Uh, Tim, come here." Erica said waving her brother by her.
"What?" he asked walking over to her.
"They come back in one piece, all of them." she warned.
"Awe but Erica..."he pouted. His sister knew him too well.
"One piece." she repeated,"I know that you're all going to scare the crap out of them. I'm not stupid. But if you touch one hair on their heads..." she trailed off leaving it open.
"One piece." Tim consented.
"And one more thing," she continued,"don't really scare them. I'm letting you guys feel like you've done you're part as the older brothers by warning them, but don't scare them so bad that they pee their pants or something ok? Or so that they break up with one of us, because if that happens..." once again she trailed off leaving her brother to imagine what harm she could possibly inflict on him.
"Fine, I promise." Tim sighed.
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