Taylor lay awake in his bed and glanced at the clock. 11:45 p.m. This was it, now or never. He was leaving Sunday, it was Friday night now. He and Erica planned to sneak out tonight to spend as much time together as they could. Sure it was crazy but, they didn't care. Nothing really bad could happen.
Taylor kicked off the covers, that so neatly covered his clothes, and carefully got out of bed, trying not to wake Zac or Ike. His hand hit the doorknob.
"Freeze!" Ike said climbing out of the bunk,"Where are you going?"
"To the bathroom." Tay lied.
Isaac flicked at Taylor's jacket,"With your jacket on?"
Taylor shrugged,"There might be a draft."
Isaac shook his head,"Try again." he said crossing his arms.
"Fine, I'm going to see Erica." Taylor confessed.
"Well, well, well," Isaac said smiling,"Why am I not surprised?"
Taylor sighed and fidgeted,"Cut to the chase Ike, what do you want?"
"I'm coming with you and we're going to get Stacie." Isaac informed him.
Zac sat up,"Me too and we're going to get Kerri."
Taylor stared at Zac in disbelief,"You were sleeping."
"With you two yapping away like a couple of drunken chicks? Even I can't sleep through that." he said kicking off his blankets.
Taylor glanced back at Ike and finally, seeing no way out of it, he mumbled,"Hurry up and get dressed before you make me late."
Ike rolled his eyes,"I didn't know you were on such a tight schedule to sneak out of the house."
Erica sat on the side of her house and pulled her jacket around her tighter. Where was Taylor? She checked her watch, twelve a.m.
"Erica!" she heard Taylor whisper. Her head shot up and she saw three people coming towards her.
"They caught me, I had to bring them." Taylor whispered once he was at her side.
She nodded,"It's alright, I figured they would."
"We have to get Stacie and Kerri." Ike spoke up shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Okay, let's go." she said grabbing Taylor's hand.
They walked to Stacie's first. She left Zac on the sidewalk as a lookout for any sign that her parents were up or anything. Erica took Isaac and Taylor with her over to the side of Stacie's house by her bedroom window,"It's open, boost me through." she whispered to Isaac and Taylor.
Isaac cupped his hands and Erica put her foot in them. She grasped the window sill and Taylor grabbed her waist,"1...2...3" she said bouncing with each number and on three they hoisted her up and she climbed through.
Once inside she turned around,"Wait here." she whispered to them before proceeding towards Stacie.
She got next to Stacie's bed and covered her mouth. Stacie's eyes shot open and she let out a muffled scream,"Shhh, it's me Erica."
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"The guys are waiting outside, hurry up and get dressed. Don't ask any questions." she told Stacie before walking back to the window.
Stacie rolled her eyes as she got out of bed to get dressed. Her cousin had seen too many James Bond movies.
"You ready?" Erica asked looking at her.
Stacie rejoined her at the window,"Yup."
Erica nodded,"Go out legs first, they'll catch you."
Stacie sat on the window sill. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her legs and a pair of hands on her hips, they pulled her out. Then Erica followed.
Isaac gave Stacie a quick kiss,"Hey."
"C'mon let's get Kerri!" Zac whispered walking back around to the side of the house. And so the five of them were off.
Once they reached Kerri's house, Zac brought them to her window,"Looks like you're going in again Erica." Zac said smiling.
Erica sighed,"Ready guys?" she whispered to Taylor and Isaac.
They nodded and boosted her through the window once again. Moments later her and Kerri were back outside.
"Where to now?" Stacie asked.
"The park." Erica and Taylor said in unision.
"Gee Tay, this was brilliant." Zac said sarcastically,"I mean sneaking out of the house to go to the park is simply a stroke of genius."
"Hey," Taylor said turning around,"no one said you had to come, you wanted to."
Zac just scowled and turned his head.
"I don't get it," Ike whispered to Stacie,"what's the big deal about the park?"
Stacie shrugged.
Taylor turned around,"Alright guys, since me and Erica were the ones who actually planned this whole outing, we would like to be left alone."
"So they can do the horizontal polka." Zac snickered.
Taylor shot him a death glare.
"No problem." Stacie said holding her hands up.
Taylor nodded and grabbed Erica's hand and pulled her down the pathway in the park.
"The sensuous tango..." Zac said after them, this time a little louder.
They kept walking in an attempt to ignore him, but Zac wasn't the type to be ignored.
"THE FORBIDDEN DANCE!" he screamed.
Isaac smacked him upside the head,"You asshole, keep it down! It's like, one in the morning or some crap."
Zac rubbed the back of his head,"Well there is absolutley no reason for violence here."
Isaac looked to Kerri,"I think me and Stacie are going to go to the lake, do you think you can make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid?" he said referring to Zac.
Kerri nodded,"Go ahead, we'll be fine."
Isaac and Stacie held hands and walked off in the direction of the lake.
Zac faced Kerri and attempted a British accent,"Aah to love or to lust, the infamous question."
Kerri shook her head and snickered,"You're so weird Zac." she said as she headed for a nearby bench.
He watched Ike and Stacie walk away for a few seconds,"I hope he remembered a condom." he mumbled sarcastically.
"Walker, wake up!" Mrs. Hanson said shaking him.
"Huh, what?" he mumbled opening his eyes.
"The boys are gone!!" she whispered harshly.
"What?" he asked sitting up.
"I was coming back from the bathroom and I poked my head in the room and they're not there. There's just a heap of pillows!" she exclaimed.
"Are you sure?" he asked kicking off the covers.
"Walker, I know a heap of pillows when I see one!" she yelled.
"Okay, just calm down. I'm sure they're fine. They're probably just with Erica or something. I'll call John and Diane okay?" he asked.
She nodded and fiddled with her nightgown as she sat on the bed next to him.
Walker picked up the phone and dialed Erica's house.
"Hello?" Diane answered half asleep.
"Diane, it's Walker Hanson. Sorry to wake you but, our boys are gone. Are they with your daughter?" he asked.
"No, I don't think so, she's sleeping." she said.
"Do you think you could ask if she knows where they are?" he asked.
"Sure," she said,"hold on." she put the phone down.
"Who's that?" he heard John mumble in the background.
"It's Walker, their boys are missing." she answered back.
John picked up the phone,"They're missing?" he asked Walker.
"Yeah, Diana noticed that they were gone." he said.
"Well where would they go?" John asked.
Before Walker could answer he heard Dinae yell,"Erica's gone too!"
"What?" John asked.
"She's gone!" Diane shrieked.
Walker looked at Diana,"You won't believe this! Erica's gone too!"
"Okay," John said,"let's be calm about this. Where can they be? How about with Stacie?"
"Yeah, call Stacie." Walker said.
"Okay, we'll call you right back." John said.
"I can't believe you remembered." Erica said.
"How could I forget?" he asked,"This is the tree that we kissed under for the first time."
Erica smiled,"That was a great day."
"And now, tomorrow, I'm leaving and I don't get to kiss you for a long time." he said.
"I'll miss it, but I'll miss you more." she told him.
He grinned,"By the way," he said out of nowhere,"how come you aren't going to the dance at the high school in two weeks?"
She looked down,"I don't know, I just don't really want to."
Taylor stood up and pulled her to her feet,"Well, why not?" he asked her.
"Because I can't go with you." she said quietly.
"Oh," he nodded as he guided her arms around his neck,"well I think you should go."
"Why?" she asked. Her confused eyes staring into his.
He placed his arms around her waist,"Because I don't want you to miss out on stuff while I'm gone. I want you to have fun," he paused,"not too much fun though."
She laughed,"I'll think about it ok?"
"Well there's a catch," he said smiling,"I get the first dance. And," he gasped," we seem to be in the perfect position to slow dance." he smiled.
She started to protest,"But there's no m..."
He put his finger to her lips,"It doesn't matter." he whispered pulling her closer.
They started to sway back and forth in the moonlight under their tree. She stared in his eyes,"Why are you so sweet?" she asked.
He shrugged,"Born lucky I guess."
She shook her head and laughed,"You're conceited, did you know that?"
He stuck out his bottom lip,"Does that mean you hate me?"
She smiled,"No."
"Everytime you smile it makes me want to smile." he told her.
She blushed and turned her head.
He put his finger under her chin and turned her head back to face his,"It's a compliment." he said.
"I know, it was just really sweet." she said,"Thank you."
"You're welcome." he whispered before kissing her.
"Guys come on!" Zac yelled running up to them,"It's three-thirty! We got to get back!"
Taylor and Erica pulled apart,"Let's go." he said grabbing her hand.
They walked up to everyone else,"Okay, let's get you guys home." Tay said to Stacie and Kerri.
They walked back to Kerri's first,"I'm just gonna go through the door." she told them.
She walked up to the front door and before she could open the door, it was flung open. Everyone's parents stood there.
"All of you, in here, NOW!" Lori, Kerri's mom, said.
"What were you thinking Kerri?" her mother screamed,"Did you think you would get away with it?"
Kerri's bottom lip trembled,"I...I didn't..." she stuttered before bursting into tears.
Zac put his arms around her and she sobbed into his shoulder,"Stop yelling." Zac said, tears coming to his eyes.
"Don't start Zac! You are also in big trouble!" Walker growled,"Do you know what you put your mother through? She's at home crying her eyes out!"
"I'm sorry." Zac said ducking his head down.
"Stop making them cry!" Isaac shot back.
"You're the oldest here Isaac, you surprise me! You should have been the one to stop all of this! But you went along with it! You dissapoint me." Walker told him.
"And Stacie," her mother said,"I thought these days were over. Are you going back to all your old tricks again? Didn't you learn anything?"
Stacie glanced nervously at Ike but didn't say anything to her mother for fear she would open her mouth even more than she already had.
Taylor stood up,"Enough you guys! This is my fault. It was my idea to go out and meet Erica. Isaac and Zac just woke up at the wrong time and we woke up Stacie and Kerri. It's my fault they shouldn't get in trouble."
Erica stood up,"I was part of it too. I went along with the idea of going out. I even set the place and time we would meet. I'm equally at fault here."she said sliding her hand into Taylor's and giving a small squeeze.
The parents all gave each other weird looks. They weren't expecting a confession. Now what?
"Kerri, after Zac leaves you're grounded for a month." her father said.
"Okay." she sniffed.
"That goes for you too Stacie." her father said.
"Boys, we'll figure something out later. But, you will not go un-punished so don't worry." their father said.
"Well Erica, I guess it's grounded for a..." her mother started but was cut off by her father.
"You're grounded from Taylor." he said.
"What?" she asked staring at her father.
"You have to break up with Taylor, you can never see him again." he repeated.
"Don't you think that's a little extreme John?" Walker asked.
"I think the punishment fits the crime." John said.
"Taylor..?" Erica asked looking at him.
"He's not serious, he can't be." Taylor said staring at her father.
"I am." he said standing up and grabbing Erica's arm,"let's go."
"Taylor!" she said reaching for his hand as her father tried to drag her away.
"Let her go!" Taylor yelled. He went to grab her but his father stopped him.
"Taylor please!" she yelled. Tears were streaming down her face. She pushed her father away and ran back to Taylor, wrapping her arms around him and clutching his shirt.
"Don't let them pull us apart Taylor please!" she begged through sobs.
He cradled her to him,"I promise, I won't let them." he told her.
"Enough!" John boomed walking over and trying to pull Erica away from Taylor.
"NO! Taylor please!" she sobbed squeezing her eyes shut and clinging to him.
He held onto her tighter,"He's not going to take you away from me." he said.
Stacie leapt up in front of her uncle,"Leave them alone!"
Isaac and Zac and Kerri all jumped up too. Zac and Isaac stood ground next to Stacie and in the commotion Kerri slipped into the kitchen.
"John stop it!" Erica's mother yelled,"This is ridiculous!"
"No, I will not allow our daughter to be corrupted by their son!" he yelled.
"Corrupted by our son?" Walker cried in disbelief.
Kerri came back into the living room waving a butcher knife,"Everyone shut-up!"
"Kerri!" her mother gasped.
Kerri handed Stacie a pair of keys,"It's the van in the driveway. Start it and take Taylor and Erica."
"Don't do it Stacie." her father warned.
Isaac grabbed the knife even though he had no intention of using it,"Shut-up Mr. Fink."
"Come one guys," Stacie said pushing Taylor and Erica through the door and glancing back at Isaac.
"Isaac," his father said calmly,"just think about this, where are you going to go?"
"I don't know," he said crazily, "maybe California, or a bus stop in Albertane. Anything is possible."
The horn honked.
"Kerri, Zac, go and get in the van." Isaac said backing towards the door.
They both bolted out the door. Isaac glanced over his shoulder quickly to make sure that they were inside the van.
"Isaac, we'll go after you, you know that." Mr. Fink said.
Isaac glanced out the door again. He could just dive in and take off,"Catch us if you can." he said dropping the knife and running. He leapt into the car and stepped on the gas. They peeled away leaving a pair of skid marks on the road.
Isaac bit his fingernails as he drove. It was four-thirty and the gas was running low. Taylor and Erica sat huddled together in the back of the van. She was quietly crying as Taylor cradled her head to his chest and gently kissing the top of her head now and then telling her how it would all be okay.
Kerri and Zac just sat silently, holding hands and still shocked at what they had done.
Stacie glanced at Isaac,"Where do we go Ike?" she asked shattering the silence in the van.
He took his hand away from his mouth,"I don't know," he said shaking his head,"it's gonna be light out soon and we're almost out of gas."
Zac stared out the window,"We have to get out of this van, We have to ditch it and go somewhere before they track us down." he said quietly.
"I know Zac." Isaac said turning into the dark corner of a parking lot and killing the engine. He sighed deeply.
"How much money does everyone have?" Stacie asked.
She was met with blank faces and the sound of Erica still quietly crying.
"Well," Isaac said,"I knew we'd have to go back. I just didn't think it would be so soon."
"Wait," Erica sighed,"I know where we could go."
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