Mr. Hanson stood by the door and heard her crying sobs. The sniffles she made when she tried to suck in a deep gulp of air to breathe.
   He'd been standing there for almost five minutes now. Just listening to her. He wouldn't have believed it, but he was witnessing it for himself. The girl actually knew how to cry.
   After a few seconds he straightened his shoulders and walked away. He'd seen that girl badly beaten, limping after she'd fallen out of a tree from one of the highest branches, and hit in the forehead with a wooden baseball bat. Yet, she never even shed a tear when those happened.
   And now she was crying, and only because she found out that the one person she loved and trusted, didn't love her back.
   As he slowly sank himself into his e-z chair he faced the large window and looked out among his kids. His oldest was there, walking around with Avery on his shoulders. Taylor was there too. With Jessica hanging all over his back. And then there was Zac. He had Mackie on his shoulders. Trying to make him and Mackie taller than Isaac and Avery by stepping on a box.
   He laughed out loud when Mackie jerked on a fistful of hair. Zac's head followed wherever his hair went in that tiny fist.
   Then he saw one of the neighbor girls halfway up their tree. She was smiling down at them. But didn't look to be happy.
   A few more minutes passed and the short girl exited the bathroom. Her eyes were only slightly swollen but other than that, you couldn't possibly tell that she was crying.
   She gave him one of her bright smiles and headed for the front door. He nodded his head but decided to speak as well. "You know, just because he doesn't return your feelings now, doesn't mean that he won't ever." He stated softly.
   Rae froze in her steps. "He likes Shayla, sir." She answered him, after she got her lip to stop quivering.
   "Ahhh." He said softly. "I thought he acted kinda funny lately."
   Rae shook her head sadly. "Yeah, him and Shayla are getting pretty close now." She shrugged her shoulders lightly. "And she doesn't like him in that way."
   Mr. Hanson nodded his head. "Still, you look a little like her." He replied.
   "But he doesn't see her when he sees me." Rae responded. "He sees plain old Rae Kori."
   "You're not plain and old." Mr. Hanson told her smiling. "You help keep this family together." He reminded her. "If it wasn't for you and Shayla, we would be paying out the ears for a babysitter."
   Rae gave a small laugh. "We prefer child technician."
   Mr. Hanson laughed also. "Semantics." He stated rolling his eyes.
   "You and Mrs. Hanson gave me a job after what her uncle was doing to us." She was quiet for a moment. "To me." She corrected. "We cannot repay such a debt."
   "There is no debt to pay. You're family." He stated, waving his hand as if to dismiss her words. "We may not be blood related, but still you are family. And you always will be."
   "You're not going to tell anyone I cry, are you?" She questioned, as she bit her lip nervously and self-consciously.
   He shook his head 'no.' "I don't think it's my place to." He commented.
   Rae smiled at him. "I hope that Zac will see me and not Shay someday." She confessed quietly.
   Mr. Hanson nodded his head. "Someday." He told her.
   Rae rolled her eyes. "That can be a long time from now." She stated before she walked back outside.
   Mr. Hanson laughed quietly to himself and watched as Rae started to climb up the tree next to Shayla. Even though he could not hear their words, he knew that they were arguing.

   "Hey, Rae." Shayla said absent-mindedly.
   "Hey." She responded quietly and unenthusiastically. "What's up?"
   Shayla shrugged her shoulders warily. "I'm thinkin' about askin' Tay or Ike out."
   Rae glared at her. "Weren't you the one just flirting with Zac last week?" She questioned roughly.
   Shayla gave her a side-ways glance and shrugged again. "I was only chattin' with him." She stated calmly. Not really caring about the conversation she was having with her younger cousin.
   "Whatever, Shay!" Rae whispered loudly in disgust. "You were flirting with him. And you were hanging all over him!"
   "Rae, he's like a year and a half younger than me." She replied. "Besides he's young. If he got attached he'll learn not to next time."
   "Look, I got you this job." Shayla told her in annoyance. Hated to be given any form of a lecture.
   Rae's shoulders slumped sadly, and Shayla noticed. "You like him, don't you?" She questioned as a slow smile started to spread across her lips.
   "Of course not!" Rae denied quickly. Too quickly to be truthful.
   Shayla grinned evilly. "Yes, you do." She said in a singsong voice.
   Rae moodily started to climb down the tree. "I don't, Shay. Sorry." She grumbled.
   She went over to Taylor and Jessica. They both started tickling her and laughing. After a few minutes a huge dog started. Taylor was on the bottom and Mackie was on top, laughing gleefully.

   "I can't believe you!" Rae shouted hurtfully.
   Shayla was looking at herself in her mirror. Smiling both innocently and deviously. "You can't believe what?" She questioned raising a perfectly penciled eyebrow. "That I'm going out on a date?"
   She continued on when Rae didn't say anything. "I have gone on dates before." Shayla replied informatively. "More than you have." She commented, as she gave her cousin a pointed glare.
   Rae crossed her arms in front of her. Giving her cousin a cold glare in return. "You said Zac was too young for you. And that you were gonna ask Ike or Tay out."
   Shayla shook her head. "No, I believe what I said was that Zac was a year and a half younger than me, and that I was thinkin' about askin' Tay and Ike out."
   She stopped looking at herself and looked at her cousin again. "You never did listen to me well, did you?" She pouted playfully. "Besides you said you didn't like him." She reminded. "And don't worry, I won't tell him you said that." She said smiling again.
   Rae groaned angrily and stomped out of her room.
   This was normal for the two cousins. Every guy she liked her cousin took. Only because she was the 'Beauty Queen' and the envy of every girl in Tulsa. All except Rae.
   She had a serious distaste for her cousin. Shallow and self-righteous were high in her characteristics. Things that did not go well with good looks.
   Gazing out her window she saw as Zac walked nervously up their driveway. She sighed and waited until she heard her cousin giggling like she always did to be cute in front of guys.
   Bitterness rose in her throat as she heard the front door open, and then shut behind them.
   She watched as the two figures started down the driveway. But as if Shayla knew that she was watching she leaned over and kissed Zac flat on his mouth.
   And Rae watched as he returned the kiss and deepening it by sliding his arms around her waist.
   She turned away and cried out painfully. Her heart felt as if it was being squeezed in someone's hand. And she had the feeling it was Shay's.
   She forcefully ripped her notebook out, and furiously started writing.

   When she was done writing, Rae noticed that she was crying and went into the bathroom she shared with Shayla.
   She saw all the facial products, the make-up, and a tube of moisturizers, and lipstick and fingernail polish bottles everywhere on the counter.
   Groaning, she started searching for the facial tissue. Wanting to dry her eyes and cheeks as soon as possible.
   When she walked back into her room she saw Isaac and Taylor standing over her notebook. Reading her latest entry.
   She stood still, mortified. "What are you guys doing here?" She squeaked.
   Instantly Taylor and Isaac put the notebook down and Taylor flipped the cover over. "Err, sorry." He murmured.
   Isaac smiled sheepishly. "We wanted to come over and ask if you wanted to see a movie with us."
   Rae walked farther into her room and snatched up her notebook. She went over to her dresser and slipped it inside and closed it. Then she looked back over at her two friends. Taylor was flushing slightly from being caught, but Isaac was smiling, knowing he did something wrong but didn't regret it.
   "Why do you want me to go?" She asked tentatively.
   Isaac shrugged. "Why wouldn't we?" He questioned. "You are our friend, aren't you?"
   "I guess so." Rae replied. "I mean, yeah." She quickly corrected herself.
   Taylor smiled at her. "Then come on. Besides we have to tell you something about Zac and Shayla."
   Rae stopped moving. "I know they went out." She whispered hoarsely. "Shay, had a wonderful time rubbing it in my face before they went out."
   "That's just it." Isaac said as they started down the steps. "They're not technically on a date."
   Rae eyed him for a second. "Aunt Karen, can I go out?" She shouted into the kitchen as she stood on the last step of the staircase.
   Taylor and Isaac stood on the step below her.
   "Be home by ten?" Was her reply.
   "Of course!" She shouted.
   "Then have fun! Jason will be here shortly to pick up Kaylee."
   Rae nodded. "Thanks!" She shouted back. "Now what do you mean, they're not technically out on a date. I saw Zac pick her up."
   Taylor laughed lightly as Rae picked up a blond frizzy hair child. "Nah, Zac just wanted to shut Shayla up. She's been buggin' him forever. So he figured if he supplied to her demand tonight that he'll tell her to leave him alone."
   Rae hid her grin by bending over and looking at her younger cousin, Shay's sister. They both had the electric green eyes and light blonde hair. Perfect features, she grimaced slightly but quickly stood up. "Cool." She responded as she grabbed her wallet. "Are we going?" She questioned them.
   They nodded and the trio walked out the door and down the driveway to Isaac's car.
   "Hey, umm, guys?" She started nervously.
   "What?" Taylor asked as he offered her shotgun, but she declined and got in the backseat.
   "Umm, you're not going to tell anyone I cry, are you?" She asked as she gnawed on her lip. Crying was one thing she just did not want to admit to doing.
   "Nah." Isaac said shaking his head as he started the engine and started backing out. He winked at her. "Besides no one would believe us."
   Rae laughed at that. "I guess so, huh?" She asked.
   She was staring out her window, when Taylor nervously cleared out his throat.
     "Hey, umm Rae?" He asked.
   "Hmm?" She asked, not wanting to pull her eyes away from the autumn leaves.
   "You know Zac likes you and not Shay, right?" He questioned.
   That was all it took for Rae to look up at Taylor, he was staring at her. Then she looked to Isaac. He only nodded his head.
   "No, I didn't." Rae responded distantly. "I thought he only saw Shay, when he looked at me."
   Taylor shook his head roughly. "No one really sees Shay. She's your cousin, so I'm not going to dis' her or anything." He said slowly. "But everyone knows she's kinda flaky."
   Rae laughed. "Tay, I've said worse about her to her face. But yeah, flaky would work."
   He laughed, relaxing alightly. "Anyways, we just didn't want you to think that Zac fell for her or anything. And he didn't want you to think that too."
   She nodded her head slowly. A huge grin on her face. "I'm glad he didn't."
   Isaac laughed out loud at that. "So are we!"
   That night Rae wrote a new poem when she got home.