OK pplz. Tis is the end of the story. If you have any comments please e-mail them to Alexis at: lex_10000roses@hotmail.com Chapter Forty-Two--Alexis
"Lex, I'm worried about Zac."
Alexis looked up. Standing in the doorway of her room was Isaac. She put down the magazine she was reading. "Why?"
Isaac sighed and sat next to her on the bed.
"Zac has been hanging out with this chick. She's not exactly the greatest person. And Taylor is becoming good friends with her too. He told me she offered to hook them up with acid."
Alexis's eyes got real wide. "How old is she?"
"Thirteen. She's a real punk. And, according to Zac, she carries a gun with her sometimes."
Alexis wondered why Tay or Zac hadn't told her about this girl. Then again, she han't talked to Taylor in a few days. Ever since they had woken him up and he had muttered something about it being Isaac's fault. That was two weeks ago.
Alexis and Ike talked a few more minutes, deciding to tell their parents about this girl, Chrissy. As Ike got up to leave, Alexis asked him to sit back down. "I need to ask you something. About Tay. Does he like me anymore?"
Issac squirmed uncomfortably. "Well, I haven't really asked him or anything but..."
"Ike, listen. I don't think he does. And actually, I....I don't really want to go out with him anymore. We..I..I don't like him anymore."
There. She had said it out loud. Isaac looked slightly relieved. "Well, I don't think I should be the one to tell you this, but, Taylor was kinda thinking the same thing."
"I should go talk to him, huh?" Alexis said uncertainly.
Isaac nodded. She stood up and he followed. "Ike, will you wait here? I want to talk to you afterwards. "
"Sure, see ya when you get back. Good luck." he said softly.
Alexis walked to Taylor's room. She knocked and Zac answered. He looked startled. "Uh, Lex, you can't come in. I.."
Alexis pushed past him to see an innocent looking blond girl sitting on the bed, with a bag full of a powdery substance. The girl turned her eyes, which were red, obviously contacts, on Alexis. The girl froze. Alexis would deal with this later. She had to find Taylor. The closet door was open slightly and she could see something moving. She opened it. Taylor was in there with another girl. His mouth looked as if it was fused to hers. Not even looking to see who was there, he said "Zac, go away.". Then he turned back to the girl.
Alexis tapped his back. "We need to talk." Taylor spun around in surprise.
Chapter Forty-Three--Taylor
"Uh, Chrissy. I'll be back in a minute." Taylor said, untangling himself from the girl's arms.
"Sure." she said.
Taylor followed Alexis, feeling extremely nervous.
They went down to the cafe in the hotel and sat at a booth.
"Alexis, listen, I'm sorry. I.."
"Tay, look, it's no big deal. I was just coming to tell you that I wanted to break things off."
Taylor looked surprised. He thought she'd be mad, because he wanted to tell her the same thing. "Well, uh, I was thinking the same thing. It's just not working out. We've changed."
Alexis nodded. "But, there's one thing. This girl Chrissy. I heard about the drugs." Taylor tried to interrupt, but she hurried ahead. "Zac is doing them. I walked in an he was with this girl. I saw the drugs. I could smell them on him, and in the room."
Taylor avoided her gaze.
"How could you? He's so young. He's getting influenced by you, and it's not good."
"Alexis, we can do what we want." Taylor said, trying to remain calm.
"Well, me and Ike decided to tell your parents."
Taylor's jaw dropped. "No!"
"Sorry Tay, but it's dangerous."
He stood up. "Alexis, if you say anything, I will never talk to you again. And, I'm sure I can say the same about Zac." He walked out.
Alexis
Alexis felt tears come to her eyes. She wanted to remain friends with Taylor, but what could she do?
She wiped away her tears and headed back to her room. She was glad Isaac was waiting. She needed someone to talk to.
She opened the door to her room and saw Isaac watching tv. He noticed her eyes were damp. He hurried over to her and put his arms around her. Alexis falt a tingle of excitement but brushed it away. They sat down on the bed and she told Ike what happened.
"Don't worry, I'll talk to them. But lets wait to tell my parents about Chrissy." Alexis nodded.
"I'll go talk to them now." Isaac stood up and Alexis walked him to the door. He turned to her and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Don't worry, it'll be all right." And he left.
Chapter Forty-Four--Isaac
"Tay? Zac?" Isaac called into the hotel room.
"What?"
Isaac saw Taylor, Zac, Chrissy, and Chrissy's little sister, Jessica, sitting on a bed, all as high as a kite.
"Oh my God." Isaac said to himself. He walked over to them. "What are you doing?"
"Chill out, man. We're having fun." Zac said. He held out a joint. "Want some?"
Isaac pushed away his hand. "Chicken." Chrissy muttered.
Isaac hurried out of the room and back into Alexis's room. "Lex, we have a problem. Everyone in there is high."
Alexis jumped up an dialed a number on the phone. It was where their parents and siblings were, at a restaurant.
"I need to speak to Walker Hanson, please." she said to the person on line.
After a minute, Walker came on the line. "Hello?" He sounded slightly annoyed.
Isaac listened as Alexis explained the situation to him. Then she hung up. "They're on their way over." she informed him.
They waited nervously for them to come. After ten minutes, Mr. Hanson and everyone else hurried into the room.
"They're in you and the guys' room." Alexis told Mr. Hanson
She and Isaac followed him. He burst into the room.
Isaac watched Zac jump up in surprise. Taylor and Chrissy looked pissed and dizzy, and Jessica looked scared.
"Taylor, Zac. What the hell are you doing?" Zac smiled at him. "Want some." offering him a joint, as he did to Isaac.
Mr. Hanson looked to Chrissy and Jessica. "I want you out of here withen 10 seconds or I'm calling the police."
The two girls jumped up, gathered their stuff, and left the room. Zac was now laying down on the bed, breathing hard. Mr. Hanson was starting to yell at them, but Alexis interrupted.
"I think something is wrong with Zac."
Zac's face was now white. Taylor laughed at him, not knowing what was happening. "He looks like he's wearing powder. Zac is a girl. Zac is a girl, Zac is a.."
"Taylor, shut up!" Alexis yelled. Tayloe looked surprised, but remained quiet.
Isaac noticed Alexis was shaking. She was scared. He was too. Zac was in bad condition.
"I'm calling an ambulance." Isaac said. He picked up the phone and dialed 911.
Alexis
Alexis was focusing on Zac. She put her arms around him and laid his head on her lap. Mr. Hanson got a wet washcloth and put it on his head because he felt like he was burning up.
Withen minutes, there were medical workers there to help them. Alexis was still shaking as Zac was put on a stretcher. Taylor, too, was brought to the hospital, just to make sure he was okay from the drugs. He wasn't quite sure what was going on.
Zac went straight to the emergency room. Mr. Hanson rode with him and Taylor in the ambulance, while Isaac and Mrs. Hanson, and Mr. Neilson rode in the van.
They waited for hours in the waiting room. Soon a doctor came out. "I have some bad news.." he started.
Chapter Forty-Five--Avery
"Mommy, what's wrong with Zac? And Tay?"
Mrs. Hanson looked at her youngest daughter, who was sitting on her lap.
"They're having a problem. They took too much of something and now they're sick. You know when you eat too much, you feel like you have to throw up?"
Avery nodded. "Well, that's basically what's happening to your brothers."
"Oh. Okay, I understand now."
She turned to say something to her brother, Isaac, but was cut off by a man that walked in.
"And I don't think Zac will make it through the night." Avery heard him say.
She watched as her mom started crying. So did Alexis.
"What won't Zac make?" she asked the man.
"Avery, honey, Zac might die tonight." her mom said.
"What?" she yelled. She didn't understand. How could you die from having too much of something. She started crying. She loved Zac. He was so funny. And sometimes he'd even play barbies with her. Jessica was also crying. Isaac and Mr. Hanson and Mr. Neilson were trying not to. When Mackenzie saw everyone in tears, he too started crying.
Then a nurse led Taylor into the room. He looked at everyone.
"What happened?"
Isaac stood up and led Taylor a few feet away. He told him what had happened. He didn't want the little ones to hear him because it would just make them more upset.
Taylor gasped when Isaac finished telling him. "No! No way! You're lying. He was fine earlier!" Taylor was getting hysterical.
Alexis and Isaac led him into a seat.
Avery watched as Taylor sceamed a bunch of words that she wasn't supposed to say.
Zac *~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~* Zac felt like he was living in a dream. It felt like he was floating. He was. He was floating above his body.
"Wait, that's not right. How can I see myself?"
He watched as his family, plus the Neilsons, walked in, crying. They crowded around his bed.
"What's going on?" he screamed. But it appeared that no one heard him. Then he heard a doctor, that was standing at the edge of the room, mention something about drugs to a nurse.
It all came back to him. They were in a hotel room, doing drugs. Tehy were all acting really hyper. Zac had liked it like that. Then his dad, Ike, and Alexis had come in. He remembered Chrissy and Jessica leaving, but nothing after that.
"Am I dead?" he wondered. But all at once, he was back in his body. ~*~**~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~**~*~**~*~*~* He rolled over, trying to get comfortable. He desperately tried to open his eyes, but his body wouldn't obey.
Then he couldn't move at all. After a few minutes of struggling, his eyes opened. He quickly closed them again. The lights were so bright. Someone dimmed them, so he opened his eyes again. Ten faces peered down at him.
'It's hot.' he thought. He tried to open his mouth to tell them that, but for some reason, his mouth wouldn't open. Then, he got a chance to talk.
"I feel sick."
"Is he okay?" "Is he going ot make it?"
He heard lots of questions being asked. "Shhhhhh." he said. "My head hurts." Someone wrapped their arms around him. Blond hair dangled in his face. He recognized the color. It was his mom.
"Thank God you're okay." she said.
"Ahh, well, there's still no garuntee he's going to live through the night." a voice spoke up. Zac noticed it was a doctor. Zac looked around at the faces. There were his three brothers, his sisters, his parents, Alexis and her dad, a doctor and a nurse. "What do..what do you mean?" he asked, trying to sit up. He fell back down. He was too weak.
"Zac, the doctors think you had to much drugs. You might not live." his mom's sad voice told him.
He closed his eyes again. 'No. I can't be dying.'
He opened them. He felt sick to his stomach. It was getting hotter in the room.
"It's so hot." he said.
"Okay, lets have two people at a time in here. It's getting hot because of all the people." the doctor said.
His mom and Isaac stayed, while everyone else left. He talked for a few minutes, and they left and more people came in. Soon, the only people left were Taylor and Alexis. They came into the room.
"Hi Zac." Alexis said, trying to smile.
"Hi Lexy."
"You know, I'm gonna miss you a lot. All your jokes and hyperness."
Alexis said, tears rolling down her cheaks. Then, it sunk in. He was going to die.
Chapter Forty-Six--Zac
Like a dam bursting, Zac started crying. Everyone had been saying he might die, but he could now tell that he definatly was going to. Taylor and Alexis hugged him for a looooooooong time.
"Listen, do me a favor." he told them.
Alexis and Taylor nodded, tears running down their faces.
"Do a great job with the album. And the group. Play without me." "Zac, we haven't even thought about the group. But, I don't want to do it without you. No drummer can replace you. I mean..."
"Please, Tay. I want you to."
Taylor looked in his eyes for a moment, then nodded.
"I feel so tired now. I think I'll take a nap." Zac said.
"Zac, wait. Don't sleep now. Everyone wants to see you still. But Zac couldn't stop. His eyes closed, and he saw blackness.
Chapter Forty-Seven--Taylor
"Zac!!!! Nooooooo!" Taylor lunged for his little brother. Zac's eyes popped open. He tried to sit up, but he was too weak. He looked very sick. He was pale and there were bags under his eyes.
"Oh, thank God you're okay." Taylor hugged him.
His family rushed into the room. "What happened?" Mrs. Hanson asked fearfully. Then she saw that Zac was okay, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
"I thought Zac...." Taylor broke off, crying.
Zac layed back down. "I'm really tired. Let me sleep." he slowly drifted off to sleep. Isaac, Alexis, and Taylor decided to wait for him to wake up in his room.
They sat down in three chairs that surrounded Zac's bed. Taylor decided to bring up what happened with Alexis earlier.
"Listen, I'm really sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean to.."
"It's okay." Alexis cut in.
Taylor shook his head. "No it isn't. You and Ike got my dad there in time to get Zac to the hospital. He has a few extra hours of life because of you and Isaac."
Alexis smiled, tears in her eyes. "Can we still be friends?"
"Of course." Taylor gave her a hug.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure." Alexis replied.
"Do you still like Isaac?" Taylor noticed Isaac sat up as he asked this. Alexis blushed and nodded. "Actually, I was talking to him in the waiting room and..we're going out."
Taylor smiled. He felt happy for them. Even though they had just broken up that day, he didn't mind.
The three talked for an hour, until Zac woke up.
"Hey, Zac. How are ya doing?" Alexis asked, standing at his side. He looked worse. Extremely pale, and was clutching his head and stomach. He looked like he was was in pain.
"Guys, go get the rest of the family." he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Alexis hurried out to gather the others.
"Tay, Ike. I think this is it." Zac told his brothers. I feel so bad." The rest of the Hansons and the Neilsons hurried in.
"Guys, can I have one last hug?"
Everyone hugged him. Mac sat next to him, crying. "I love you, Zacky." Then Jessica and Avery came to his side. "Bye Zac." Avery said. Then she whispered "Thanks for playing barbies with me." Zac smiled the last smile that he ever would. He looked around the room.
Chapter Forty-Eight--Zac
"I love you man." Zac told Isaac. Isaac squezed his shoulder and gave him a small smile.
"Tay..I.."
"Yeah, Zac?" Taylor asked.
Zac's eyes shut. "Zac?" Taylor asked again, only louder and a little more frantic.
A doctor that was standing at the door came and checked his pulse.
He shook his head. "I'm sorry. He's gone."
Alexis
It was three days after Zac had died. Things just weren't the same. There was no one there to pull pranks, or joke around with. Everyone was so sad. The Hansons and Neilsons went back to Oklahoma for the funeral. Alexis sat in the treehouse that Isaac and Taylor had built for Zac. Of all people, her and Taylor were most upset. They hadn't talked to anyone since Zac died. Alexis just sat in her room, listening to "Lucy", which was sung my Zac on their album, which had come out the day after Zac's death.
What was ironic was that Alexis's name was originally supposed to be Lucy. Her dad had liked the name, but at the last minute, they changed it to Alexis.
"The day, that I left Lucy, ohhhhhh, she cried....and said goooodbyyye," Alexis sang with Zac. She hated that part of the song because it seemed like it had been written after that horrible day, not a few months before. It was like someone knew what would happen. The words weren't meant to sound like a dying scene, it was talking about a guy that left his girlfriend and then regretted it.
Alexis sighed. She had brought a cd player into the treehouse. She had brought tons of batteries for it so she could listen to Lucy over and over.
Alexis stood up and walked down the steps of the treehouse. She went inside her own house and found her dad laying down on the couch and watching Comedy Central. Jeff Foxworthy was on.
"Dad?"
"Yeah, hon?"
"I want to move." Alexis blurted out. Her father looked up in surprise.
"Everything around here reminds me of Zac. I..I can't stay here any longer."
Mr. Neilson sat up. "Well, I got a job offer in Europe, but I haven't given them an answer yet. But the boys need a tutor. Especially on the road."
"I know. Well, I could go live with mom and Heather."
"No, I want to stay with you. I guess I can take the job in Europe. I guess I'll go talk to Walker now."
Alexis nodded. "I'm gonna go tell the guys."
They both walked over to the Hanson house. They just walked in. They had known each other so long and well that they didn't mind. Isaac was laying on the couch and Taylor was drinking a glass of water. Taylor still hadn't talked, not even at Zac's funeral, which was the day before.
"Hi guys. What's up?"
"Nothing." Ike said.
"Oh, well, I need to tell you something."
Mr. Neilson walked in the other room to talk to Mr. Hanson. Isaac stood up and gave Alexis a small kiss. "What's wrong?"
"Me and my dad are moving. To Europe."
There was a loong pause.
"Why?" Isaac cried.
"It's just..everything reminds me of Zac. It's too painful."
Taylor looked up, tears in his eyes. "So you're leaving us too. Great, two of my best friends are gone." He ran upstairs to his room. Isaac too had tears in his eyes. "I'll miss you. When are you leaving?" "I'm not sure. Probably in a week or two."
Isaac took out the Hanson cd and put on track number twelve. It was With You In Your Dreams. That song had been dedicated to their late grandmother. It was Isaac's favorite.
Inside the cd case, was the special thanks. Alexis's name was in there. It had been too late to put a dedication to Zac on the cd, but they always knew it would be for him.
Chapter Forty-Nine--Alexis
"Call me when you get settled in." Isaac told Alexis. The Hansons and Neilson were at the airport. Mr. Neilson and Alexis were leaving to move to England.
Alexis turned to Taylor. It had been two weeks and Taylor still didn't talk. Alexis missed his voice. "Tay, can you please say something?" Taylor had refused to talk, even when his parents begged, Isaac begegd, even when Mackie begged. And Taylor had always had a soft spot for Mackie.
Taylor shook his head.
Alexis sighed. "Bye Taylor." She hugged him.
"Lex.."
Alexis looked up, surprised. Taylor had said something.
"Promise me you'll come back one day." His voice sounded hoarse from not talking in a long time.
Alexis nodded. "I promise."
Taylor noticed she was still wearing the locket he gave her. She noticed and smiled. "Even though it's not that kind of love, we still love each other." She hugged him again and did the goodbyes with the rest of the Hansons. Then she turned back to Isaac. She kissed him on the lips. "I'll call you."
"Bye. I love you, Lexy."
"Me too, Ikey poohs."
Alexis and her father gathered their carry-ons and boarded the plane. Soon they had reached their destination...London, England.
**YES, THERE IS MORE TO THIS STORY!!!**
Chapter Fifty--Alexis
Alexis remembered seeing the light go out of Zac's eyes when he died. She remembered going to the movies with the Hanson brothers, watching them rehearse. She loved thinking about the past. She just wished Zac had lived. He was so young. She felt tears come to her eyes but she brushed them away.
Alexis was looking out the plane window. She had been flying for hours. Her legs were stiff. She stood up and walked towards he bathroom. She didn't go in. She just stood for a few moments, stretched, and went back to her seat.
She couldn't wait to reach her destination. Meet new people. Meet up with old friends.
She remembered feeing the same way a little over 5 years ago, when she had flown to England with her dad. She was now 19. She was in college. Soon the plane landed. She was in Oklahoma again.
When she landed, she gathered her luggage and rented a car. She drove to a hotel close to the Hansons' house.
When she got to the hotel, she checked in and changed into a pair of blue jeans and a red baby tee.
Then she dialed a familliar phone number. She had kept in touch with Isaac, but they hadn't talked in a long time.
"Hello?" A deep voice answered.
"Well, hello, hello." she said.
There was a pause. "Lex?"
She nodded, but then remembered that he couldn't see her. "Yup."
"Oh, hi. Hey, what's up?"
"Well, I'm just sitting here in my hotel room in Tulsa, Oklahoma, talking on the..."
"You're back!!??"
