"Ike, can you help me with this?" Alexis called. Isaac came rushing into the room. After the baby was born, he was trying to help as much as he could, even though most of the time, he just got in the way. It had been two weeks since Alexis had her baby.
"Yes, Lex?"
"Could you watch Zac for a while? I'm going to go take a nap." she yawned.
"Sure. Go on ahead." Isaac replied. He took Zac, who was wrapped in a lavender blanket, from his wife's arms. Alexis leaned over and kissed Zac on his nose. Zac made a little noise in the back of his throat. Then Alexis kissed Ike. "See ya." she said before going upstairs. Isaac held his little baby. He stuck out his finger and Zac held on to it.
"That is soooo cool how you named him after me." Isaac heard a voice behind him say.
He turned around. "Zac?"
Zac appeared in front of him. He peered at the baby. "He's cute. I guess he takes after his uncle." he remarked, grinning.
"Uhh, no." Isaac said in his Butt-head voice.
"Well, he's still cute."
"But of course." Isaac looked so proud it was as if we would burst. The baby was staring intently on the new person that entered the room.
"So ya like me, little fella?" Zac said. The baby just stared. "I'll take that as a yes."
DING DONG!!!!
"Zac, sit down and hold Zac 'till I get back." He shook his head."That sounds weird. Zac, hold Zac."
Zac obediently sat down and Isaac set the baby in his arms. "Be very careful." he instructed. Zac nodded his head.
Isaac hurried to the front door. When he opened it, he saw his sister. "Hey Jess, what's up?"
She pushed past him into the house. "Nothing." she replied. She was about to heard towards the room where Zac and the baby were.
"Wait, I have something to tell you before you go in there." Isaac said. Jessica looked at him strangely.
"Zac is in there."
"By himself??!!! Is he sleeping?"
"No no no, the other Zac."
Jessica's face turned white. Isaac led her into the room. They saw the older Zac with the younger Zac on his lap. He was shaking a little rattle for the baby. When they entered, big Zac looked up. "Jessica!"
Jessica's mouth dropped. Isaac put his arm behind her just in case she fainted. "Zac?" she asked faintly.
Isaac went over and picked up his son. Zac got up and hugged Jessica. "Oh my God, it's really you."
Zac nodded. "Hey, no fair. You're taller than me."
"And older. I'm fourteen."
"I know, I know. I can watch you from up there." he said, pointing up. Isaac noticed Jessica was blushing. "What exactly can you see?" she asked, embarrassed.
Zac grinned. "I won't mention specifics, but if you're talking about that little thing with Joey and Taylor......"
"No, that's okay. You don't have to share." Jessica's face was crimson. Isaac spoke up. "What exactly are you talking about?"
"Nothing" Zac said, grinning mischiviously.
"Um, okay." Isaac said. He thought 'I'll ask Taylor later.'
"Zac, where've you been? It's been a while since we've seen ya. Like, almost six months."
Zac smiled. "I've been busy. There's this new girl and I've gotta show her how stuff works up there. Like how to fly, and other stuff."
"You can fly?" Jessica asked.
"Not here. But, yeah." Zac replied.
"A new girl, huh?" Isaac teased. "I thought you didn't like girls."
"That's when I was eleven. Well, really eleven. You know what I mean." Zac said, sounding slightly frustrated.
They heard a sleepy voice call from upstairs. "Ike, who's here?" "Jessica and Zac." he called back.
He heard Alexis coming downstairs. She walked into the room. "Zac, you're back."
"Hey Lex." Zac said. "That baby is a cutie." he commented.
"Thanks" Alexis and Isaac said at the same time. They all laughed.
"Alexis, I thought you were going to take a nap?" Isaac said, noticing how tired she looked.
"Yeah, but I heard people talking. And, Zac is here, so I'll stay."
"Actually, I've got to be getting back. First I'm going to stop by Taylor's apartment and say hi. Oh, and Jess, don't tell anyone about me, okay?"
Jessica nodded. "Okay. Bye Zac."
They watched as he disappeared. Jessica turned to Isaac. "I thought Taylor was going crazy when he told me."
Isaac nodded. "We barely believed it at first, and we actually saw him."
"Well, let me hold my little nephew." Jessica said. Isaac handed her Zac.
"That's how I was with Mackenzie. I was thirteen or fourteen when he was born. I thought he was the cutest thing in the world."
"He was." Alexis said. "When he was three, he looked so much like Zac." Jessica glanced at her watch. "I just stopped by on my way to the Johnsons' house. I've gotta watch the 'terrible two'. Ugh, what a night this is going to be."
Alexis laughed. The 'terrible two' were twins that lived down the street from her. They were five, and looked very innocent, with big blue eyes, but once their parents were out of sight.....they were monsters!! "Why do you watch them if they're so horrible?" Isaac asked. "Because their parents are real nice and they needed a last minute babysitter. It's not their fault their kids are brats. Plus, I get paid more for two."
"Oh, so you're in it for the money." Isaac remarked, grinning.
"Yup." Jessica handed Alexis her baby. "I'll see ya later." She walked out the front door. Zac started to cry.
"I think he's hungry." Alexis said. Isaac hurried to the kitchen and made a bottle with formula.
Then he headed back to the baby. He heard his wife shouting. She sounded upset. "Ike, something is wrong!"
Chapter 11--Jessica
'Oh man, I am NEVER babysitting those brats ever again!' Jessica thought as she walked into her house. It was one a.m. The minute the twins' parents left, they started screaming and running around. They refused to go to sleep until their parents came home. Luckily, they had gotten tired and went to bed around ten o'clock.
The house was completely dark. Jessica decided everyone must be asleep, seeing how it was real late. As she did every night, she checked in Mackenzie's room. She always liked to check on him. He wasn't in his bed. She checked the rest of the house. No one was there. She went downstairs and found a note attached to the refrigerator. It read
Jess,
We had a problem. We won't be home. Don't worry, we'll call in the
morning. Love you.
Mom
Jessica frowned. What would keep them out at this time? She grabbed a can of Pepsi from the fridge and went upstairs. She turned on the computer. Since she had Microsoft Internet Explorer, she could have her own settings. She entered her name and password for that and a background of a collage of her favorite groups came on the screen. She clicked on AOL.
After logging on, she noticed many of her buddies on. She decided to IM Jackie.
She pushed send. A minute later, she got a reply.
Jessica went into that chatroom.
babybop14: hi all
[babybop14: [to sailorv169] meet me in private room JESS]
Jessica smiled. She clicked into her room.
babybop14: jackie, hello
A few minutes later, Jessica got mail. It was from sailorv169.
Message from SailorV169
hey jess, here's the ppl from L to R.
mike, danielle, heather, john, joey, ashly, laura, adam, me, and the guy
w/the beer bottle is daniel.
Jessica downloaded the picture. She saw a bunch of kids just having fun.
Then Jessica realized: she hadn't been to a real party with her friends
in a long time. She had been to premere parties and award shows, but
those didn't mean anything to her. She just wanted to be normal again.
Tears started to fall. She typed an IM to Jackie.
I'm so upset
message from sailorv169
why?? u ok??
i haven't had that much fun lately. i wanna be normal. not famous
message from sailorv169
run away
where would i go??
message from sailorv169
come to florida. u could stay with us
if i went, ppl would know who i am. i'd just be home in no time
message from sailorv169
go back to the chat room. we'll talk bout it
Jessica clicked back in partyhearty
sailorv169: guys, we have a prob
After 20 minutes, she got all the info she needed.
babybop14: my whole family is out somewhere. don't know why. i could
Jessica logged off. She set her alarm for five a.m. she'd only get 3
hours, at most, of sleep. Well, she could always sleep on the plane.
She called the airport. She set up a flight for 6:30 a.m. to Ft.
Lauderdale airport. She lay back in her bed and fell asleep.
The next morning, or actually, a few hours later, she woke up. her alarm
was blaring. She jumped up and took a shower. She gathered all her
money, which was a few thousand. She packed a large suitcase and a
carry-on. She went to her dresser and picked up a picture of her whole
family. It was taken when she was 8. Everyone was in it, except for
Melissa, who came along later. She put that in her bag. She picked up
another picture, which was a little more recent. Only this time, Melissa
was in it and Zac was not. She also put that in her bag.
Then she realized that Zac could be watching her. She hoped not. She
gathered up her stuff.
'Oh shit!' she thought. She needed a ride to the airport. She knew how
to drive, from Taylor and Ike helping her, but she didn't have a
liscense. Still, one of the family cars was sitting in the driveway.
'What the hell.' she thought and she loaded her stuff in the car. She
had grabbed the extra keys that always sat on the kitchen counter.
She looked around. She didn't know if she'd ever see this place again.
Then she got in the car and sped off.
It was a good thing she looked older then she was, or she would have
been in a lot of trouble. She passed two police cars on the road. She
kept a pair of sunglasses on so people wouldn't recognize her.
After getting to the airport, she stopped at a gate where you pay for
parking. She handed her money to a man. He peered at her face. "Aren't
you Jessica Hanson?"
Jessica forced of the feeling of nervousness. "No, but I often get
mistaken for her. She's a little younger then I am."
The guy just shrugged and handed her a parking slip. She drove on. She
gathered her bags and walked into the chilly airport. She stopped at a
pay phone and dialed Jackie's number.
"Hello, Jackie speaking."
"Jackie, it's Jess. I got a flight over. It leaves in 20 minutes. I'll
probably be there in 3 1/2 hours. Okay?"
"Sure, me and Laura and Mike are going to meet you there."
"Great. I'll see you."
"Bye"
Jessica hung up the phone and headed to the desk for Delta.
"Hi, I ordered a ticket to Ft. Lauderdale last night." she said. She
kept her sunglasses on.
"What name is it under?" the lady behind the desk asked.
"Jackie Walker" she replied. She had to think fast when they had asked
her for her name last night. So, she said Jackie for her new friend, and
Walker for her dad.
The lady handed her a ticket and she paid for it. "Gate 5."
"Thank you." Jessica once again picked up her bags and went to her gate.
She put the suitcase on a cart which would bring them on the plane. She
handed the ticket to a man collecting them and boarded the
plane, carrying her carry-on. In it was a lap top computer. She had
never used it. She thought it might come in handy if she needed to
contact her friends.
Then she remembered that she didn't even leave a note for anyone. She
found her seat and logged on the computer. She decided to email Isaac
first.
From: BabyBop14
Dear Ike,
Okay, I just wanted to tell you that I'm leaving. I'm going somewhere
that fame doesn't affect who I am. Please don't worry about me, I have
people I'm staying with.
Next was to her parents.
From: BabyBop14
Mom and Dad,
I'm sorry u have to find out this way, but I'm leaving. I'm starting to
hate my life. I'm going to...well, I have ppl that I'm going to stay
with. Don't worry, I'll be safe. I'll email u sometimes to tell you how
I'm doing.
I'll miss ya.
Tell every1 I'm sorry. i already emailed Ike.
Love, Jess
Jessica felt tears slide down her face. She sighed and checked her buddy
list. No one was on.
She went into the chat room lobby. She noticed a certain name in here.
It was Taylor! He had noticed she was in the room.
He gave her a message in the room: 'J, go to private room HAN. T'
She went in there, nervous. He didn't know where she was, did he?
babybop14: what's up?
A quick message popped up, and she read it quickly.
babybop14: Tay, listen, I'm not at home.
When he asked why, she told him everything.
babybop14: I'm on my way out of Tulsa. Actually, were already in the
air. I'm going to stay w/friends.
She didn't get a reply. Suddenly, Taylor's SN went off the list and
Ike's came on.
IkeyPooh: where are u?
Jessica logged off. She decided to take a nap.
When she opened her eyes, a stewardess was standing above her.
"We're about to land. Please buckle your seatbelt."
Jessica nodded and buckled it. The plane beagn to descend to the earth.
Soon, Jessica would be happy. Or would she?
windex420: mike, i can't believe u managed to get a keg in there
dfreak3632: no biggie, heather
sailorv169: hey jess
sk8dude21: hey, when cats are away, the mice will play
babybop14: what does mike mean?
dfreak3632: his parents are outta town, so he had a party
sk8dude21: the cops came. too much music. almost caught us w/booze
babybop14: i just got home from babysitting two screaming brats
windex420: u babysit?
sailorv169: bummer, boring night
babybop14: why wouldn't i?
dfreak3632: you're famous
SKAtegrl39: umm, ok, don't u have like lots of $$$
babybop14: well, yeah, but their parents needed some1 to watch em
sk8dude21: whatever, back to the party.....any1 wanna do another next
week?
sailorv169: hey hey, sounds like fun.
windex420: how do ya plan to do that?
sailorv169: okay
dfreak3632: okay what? what just happened
sailorv169: NOYB(none of your business)
dfreak3632: i'm not dumb, i know what it means
sailorv169: what up homy g?
babybop14: :) u sound cool. what's up w/those ppl?
sailorv169: don't know. did u know that dfreak--danielle, REALLY likes
your bro?
babybop14: which one, Ike, Tay, or Mac <--hehe
sailor169: we've only seen Mac when he was real young. but anywayz,
Taylor
babybop14: hehe, well, u know Alexis, Ike's wife?
sailor169: what about her?
babybop14: one of her best friends, Raychel, likes him too. Only they're
the same age. i think they're going out.
sailorv169: i'm not telling her. she'll be pissed
babybop14: u have a pic of yourself?
sailorv169: i brought my polaroid camera 2 the party
sailorv169: i have a big pic of all of us. want it?
babybop14: sure
To: BabyBop14
Subj: pic
windex420: what?
dfreak3632: what happened????
sailorv169: jess, u tell em
babybop14: i'm gonna run away
sk8dude21: whoa, cool. come to fl
SKAtegrl39: no way!!! awesome!!! u go! i've always wanted 2 run away
babybop14: i am going to fl. i need a place to stay
windex420: why are u running away?
babybop14: i hate being famous. i wanna be normal and do the stuff u
guys do
sk8dude21: u could stay w/me. my 'rents are outta town till next
saturday
babybop14: don't know. never really stayed over at a guys house b4
dfreak3632: hehe, heather has
SKAtegrl39: shut up, all i did was stay over at the other mike's house
sk8dude21: for 2 NIGHTS!!
babybop14: i need addys and #s
probably leave by tomorrow morning
sailorv169: call me and i'll meet u at an airport. either ft lauderdale
or miami.
babybop14: k. if i'm gonna go, i should get some sleep. i'll call u,
jackie, at 6 am 2morrow
sk8dude21: jackie, call me immidiately after. i'll arrange 4 her to stay
over.
babybop14: bye, and thanx guys
windex420: see ya
To: IkeyPooh
Subj: Goodbye
Love ya, Jess.
To: DiWalkHan
Subj: I'll miss u
babybop14: on a plane
IkeyPooh: why??
babybop14: i hate my life. i'm going to stay w/friends.
IkeyPooh: no, u can't.
babybop14: did u get my email.
IkeyPooh: i didn't check. Tay is w/me now. we're on his lap top at the
hospital.
babybop14: hospital!!!??? Why!!!???
IkeyPooh: we've had a problem w/Zac.
babybop14: what happened????!!!!
IkeyPooh: this is Tay now. Ike is upset.
IkeyPooh: Zac stopped breathing. He had seizures
babybop14: is he ok?
IkeyPooh: don't know. Here's mom
IkeyPooh: Jess, what are you doing?? It's mom.
babybop14: mom, i..i can't talk now. I'm gonna go. I'll write later.
IkeyPooh: Jess, wait. Please!
babybop14: bye
