"Where's Taylor?" Mrs. Hanson asked looking at the empty breakfast chair.
"Upstairs...he's upset." Zac replied.
Isaac kicked him under the table.
"Ow!" Zac exclaimed.
"Why?" Mrs. Hanson asked.
"Because Erica broke up with him." Zac explained.
Isaac kicked him again.
"Quit kicking me Ike!" Zac yelled.
"Oh I should go and talk to him." she said.
"Mom...I'm sure he's fine...he just needs to be alone." Isaac said.
"Nonsense." she patted Isaac on the head and walked out of the room.
"Way to go Zac!" Isaac said sarcastically.
"Oops." Zac said sheepishly.
"Taylor?" Mrs. Hanson asked knocking on the door,"Can I come in?"
"I guess." she heard him reply.
She opened the door and didn't see him anywhere,"Where are you?" she asked.
The heap of covers on his bed moved slightly,"Over here."
Mrs. Hanson walked over and sat on the edge of his bed and pulled the covers back so she could see his face,"Wanna talk about it Taylor?" she asked.
"About what?"
"Erica."
He rolled away from her and groaned,"Who told you?" he asked.
"That's not important."
"Well...I knew Zac wouldn't keep quiet for long." he said.
"Honey...I really think you should talk about it."
"I already did." Tay mumbled.
Mrs. Hanson raised her eyebrows,"Oh really? Who with?"
"Isaac and Zac."
Mrs. Hanson tried very hard not to laugh.
"Look mom..." he said,"I just kind of want to be by myself now so...if you don't mind...could you..."
"Okay Taylor...I'll leave." She got up and headed for the door.
"Mom?"
She turned around,"Yes?"
"Thanks for caring though." he gave her a weak smile.
"Your welcome sweetie." she said and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
He pulled the covers back over his head.
"Erica...you can't mope around this room forever." Stacie said.
"Yes I can." Erica said defiantly.
"It's not healthy." Karen said.
"Guys...I had you come here for support not to nag me!" Erica pointed out.
"Support for what?" Stacie asked,"You broke up with him! Remember?"
"I didn't know what I was doing." Erica mumbled.
"Well you should have thought of that before you broke up with him." Karen snapped. She walked over to Erica's desk chair and sat down.
"What the hell is this?" Karen asked picking up Taylor's jacket,"That has got to be the ugliest jacket I have ever seen!"
"Give me that!" Erica said,"It's Taylor's." She grabbed the jacket and pulled it close to her,"It smells like him." she sighed and laid down.
"Ooh!" Karen mocked,"Why don't you check it for a strand of his hair! Oh happy day!"
Stacie laughed but Erica didn't.
Karen turned around and started drawing.
"What are you doing?" Stacie asked Karen.
"Nothing." Karen said shoving the drawing in her pocket.
"She's probably drawing guys having sex with farm animals!" Erica joked getting Karen back for her previous joke.
"Shut-up...I'll kill you!" Karen said laughing and throwing a pillow at Erica.
This only made Erica laugh even harder.
"Ha ha," Karen said,"I'm gonna go."
"No...I'm...sorry. I'm calm." Erica said biting her lip to stop from laughing.
Then the phone rang.
"Taylor?" Zac asked.
"What Zac?" Taylor sighed.
"I'm sorry I told mom."
"It's okay."
"Hey Taylor?"
"What now?"
"I'm sorry that Erica broke up with you."
Taylor didn't answer him.
"Are you ever going to leave your bed?"
"I don't know."
"You can't hide forever."
"You're a pretty smart little guy Zac."
"Thanks." Zac smiled. Tay didn't see it though, he hadn't moved since his mom left the room. He was so depressed. He would think and cry and think and cry and that's it. He resisted the urge to call her. Too hard...too painful.
Isaac walked in,"Get up Tay."
"What's the point?" Taylor asked burying himself deeper under the covers.
"It will be good for you." Isaac persuaded.
"No, the only thing good for me would be Erica...here."
Isaac sighed. He was taking this way to hard and Ike wasn't about to watch his brother become a vegetable. He had to do something...anything.
"Zac?" Isaac asked.
"Yeah?"
"Come with me."
"Okay."
All three of the girls looked at the phone. Erica reached to answer it. Please be Taylor, Please be Taylor she thought.
"Hello?" she asked. Karen watched Erica expectantly.
Erica's whole body slumped,"Oh, hi Ike." she said.
Stacie sat up.
"Yeah she's here..." Erica said,"Stacie? It's Ike for you."
Stacie took the phone from Erica,"Hi Ike." she said and watched as Erica started to cry and walked over and sit on her windowsill while Karen tried to calm her down.
"Yeah...yeah...same here...yeah...okay be right over...bye." she hung up.
"I'll be right back," she announced,"Isaac wants me to run over there." She paused,"Do you want me to give Taylor a message?" she asked Erica.
Erica looked thoughtful but in the end shook her head no.
"Hi Stacie," Ike said and gave her a hug,"this is Zac."
"Hi Zac." she said and shook his hand.
He grinned,"Hi."
"Ike...I hope this works." Stacie said.
"Me too," he said,"me too."
He brought Stacie inside and led her to the boys bedroom.
"Taylor?" Isaac said when he opened the door.
"Hmmm?" he spoke from under the covers.
"You have a visitor." Zac said.
Taylor bolted up,"Erica?...oh...hi Stacie." he laid back down.
"Hi Taylor," she said,"how are you doing?"
"How am I doing? How am I doing? How does it look like I'm doing?" he asked.
"Sorry, bad question." she said.
"Yeah well..." he trailed off.
I can't do this she mouthed to Ike.
He gave her an encouraging look Go sit by him. he mouthed back
Stacie took a deep breath and walked over and sat by Taylor. He opened one eye and looked at her.
"You know Taylor...Erica is pretty upset." she said.
"Why is she upset?" he asked confused.
"Do you think she wanted to break up with you?" she asked.
He opened both eyes and looked at her,"Seemed like she did to me." he retorted.
"Well...you're wrong. She just mopes around and holds onto that jacket of yours."
"Really?" he asked.
"Would I lie?"
Taylor shrugged.
"She is driving me crazy. She keeps showing me pictures of the two of you. I could recite the story behind every picture." Stacie sighed.
"Like what?" Taylor challenged not really believeing that Erica was as hung up over him as he is over her.
"Okay...how about the one where you guys were...seven I think...and you had shoved ice cream in her face so she threw hers in your hair."
Taylor snickered,"I remember that."
"See you guys had good times. And there is no reason to end all that." Stacie pointed out.
"I tried to talk to her but she wouldn't listen." Taylor whined.
"Well then try again!" Stacie demanded.
"I tried my best and it didn't work." he said closing his eyes.
"Well then your best isn't good enough!" Stacie snapped.
Taylor's eyes fluttered open.
"I refuse to sit her and watch you both wallow in self pity! You are both stubborn jackasses!" Stacie said raising her voice.
Taylor frowned,"I'm not stubborn."
Seeing she was getting nowhere Stacie gave up,"I gotta go."
Taylor nodded.
"Do you want me to give a message to Erica for you?" she asked praying he would.
"No...she said it was over."
"Taylor do me a favor...stop moping around in this bed and have some fun." she asked.
"I'll try." he mumbled.
"Good enough for me...bye." she stood up and Isaac ushered her out of the room. Zac went and sat by Taylor.
"Thanks for trying Stacie." Isaac said.
"No problem." Stacie hugged him and kissed his cheek,"well good luck with him." She started to walk away but turned around and pulled a pen out of her pocket,"Give me your hand." she instructed.
He stuck out his hand and she scribbled something on it. Then she gently brushed her lips against his,"Bye."
He looked at his hand she had written: 555-0551 Love, Stacie
He watched her walk across the street and inside Erica's house and then he went inside his house.
Stacie was attacked the moment she got in the door.
"How's Taylor? Did you see him? What did he say?" Erica asked.
"He is just like you." she replied.
"Huh?"
"He is moping and hasn't even moved from his bed. I think he is trying to sleep the pain away."
"Awww...poor guy." Erica said and then started to violently cough.
"That doesn't sound good," Stacie said.
"Yeah," Karen agreed,"she's been coughing like that since you left. I think she's sick."
Stacie frowned and put her hand on Erica's forhead,"Wow you're hot."
"No I'm...I...ACHOO!!!...fine." Erica sniffed.
Stacie glanced at Karen.
"I'll get a thermometer." Karen volunteered.
Erica protested,"You guys are over-reacting. I'm fine I swear. It's just a little cold."
Karen came back in the room with the thermometer,"I got it."
"Here!" Stacie said shoving the thermometer into Erica's mouth.
"Do you really think she's sick?" Karen asked.
Stacie shrugged,"I don't know, she seemed fine before."
The thermometer started to beep angrily,"101.2!" Stacie announced.
"What?" Karen exclaimed.
Stacie shook her head,"That can't be right. Do it again." She cleared the thermometer and took Erica's temperature again.
"It's 101.2" Stacie said in disbelief.
"But I feel fine." Erica protested coughing again.
"Oh really?" Karen said,"Then why are you hacking up your lung?"
"Erica get in your bed." Stacie instructed.
"Stace...I'm not a little kid..."
"NOW!" Stacie yelled.
Erica hopped into her bed.
"Karen call Erica's parents okay?" Stacie asked.
Karen nodded and left the room.
"I'm sorry Isaac, she's still at Erica's," Stacie's mom informed him,"Erica is sick. Very sick from what I hear."
"Oh, okay well I'll try calling her there, goodbye and thank you." Isaac said.
"Bye Isaac."
He hung up,"Hey Taylor."
"What?"
"Erica's sick." Isaac announced.
"Huh?" Taylor was out of the bed and over by Isaac,"How sick?" he demanded.
"I don't know, let me find out." he said picking up the phone and dialing Erica's house for Stacie.
Taylor listened to what seemed like the never-ending conversation with a whole lot of "yeah's" and "hmmm's" before Isaac hung up.
"Well?" Taylor asked.
"Well she is running a fever of 101.2, she has the flu, not very serious, not contagious, the doctor left her medicine and Stacie and Karen are staying with her until her parents make it home form work." Isaac informed him.
In a heartbeat Taylor was getting dressed and throwing on his shoes and jacket.
"Where are you going?" Isaac asked.
"Erica is sick...I have to go there." he replied simply.
He was out the door before Isaac could even answer him.
After a whole lot of talking Taylor convinced both Stacie and Karen to let him go up to Erica's room to see her.
"Don't upset her or hurt her." Karen warned.
"I promise I won't!"
Stacie pointed to the stairs and he walked up them and into Erica's room. She was asleep and looked very pale and sweaty. He made his way over to her bed and pulled over her desk chair and sat down next to her. He slipped his hand into hers and started to push her sweaty hair off of her face. She stirred and woke up.
"Taylor?" she whispered.
"Yeah?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to take care of you."
"Oh no...I look awful." she said trying to cover her face with her blanket.
"No you don't." he gave her a small smile. He started to stroke her hair like she had done to him that night in the car. She closed her eyes and opened them.
"Taylor?"
"What?"
"Why did you come back after last night?"
Such an innocent question almost broke his heart. It hurt him so much to be near her after she rejected him but somehow he knew that he wanted to be there for her when she was sick, he wanted her to be able to turn to him,"Because this is more important."
She pulled his hand off of her head and held his wrist,"Stop being so nice."
"I can't help it." he said.
"No...go away." she said.
"I'm not leaving while you're sick. If it's over it's over but this is beyond that." he started to stroke her hair again.
She looked away from him,"I never wanted this to happen." she said.
"What to happen?" he asked studying the part of her face that he could see.
She turned back to look at him. her eyes full with tears,"Us to break up. I didn't want it to happen."
"I know." he said giving her a small smile.
"Do you think...I mean...maybe we could go back out?" she asked.
"Go out where?" he smiled.
"I mean..."
He cut her off,"Shhh..." he told her and kissed her forehead.
"Will you stay here?" she asked.
"Of course."
She smiled and closed her eyes. He stayed there holding her hand and stroking her hair as she drifted off to sleep.
Karen took her ear away from the door and nodded at Stacie a smile spreading across her face.
"They're back together Ike." Stacie told him.
The phone dropped,"Yes!!"
Stacie laughed.
Isaac picked up the phone,"So, how about our date?" he asked.
"We'll see." she said smiling.
Isaac hung up the phone with a smile and a promise of a date from Stacie just as Zac walked in the room.
"Aah...I see Tay has moved." Zac said surveying the covers thrown all over the floor.
"Yeah he's at Erica's." Ike told him.
"At Erica's?" Zac asked confused.
"Yeah she's sick so he ran over there."
"Poor Erica." Zac said clicking his tounge.
"She'll be okay Zac. I asked Stacie."
"Ooh...Stacie!" Zac teased.
"Yeah...Stacie...so what?" Isaac asked.
"You like her huh?" Zac asked.
"Yeah...she's nice.
"I swear you and Taylor are brainwashed by girls." Zac said shaking his head and laughing.
Oh man... Ike thought I can't wait until he has girl trouble.
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