"Why not! Man! This sucks!"

Zac shook his head on his end of the phone.

"Kate, Tammy is like, real for sure pissed off."

"So! You don't have to do EVERYTHING she says Zac! C'mon! this party is gonna be good!"

"Kate!"

"Forget her, do it next time."

Zac sighed.

"Fine. Come pick me up."

"On my way."

The two hung up the phone.

Racing out of her house and to her pickup, she climbed in.

"Well?"

"Well. Lets go pick up the Zac man!"

Sighing, she walked around to her side of the bed, and slipped under the covers.

"So how are things with my beloved little brother going?"

"Just fine."

"What was your argument about? I know you had one."

"He wanted to go out with his friends tonight."

Isaac chuckled.

"And you said no. You do realize he's going to anyway."

"I realize that, but he's going to feel guilty. He made me a commitment to help me out tomorrow."

"Don't count on him showing up then, if he's going out tonight, it's to party, and that means he'll come home tired and beat out."

Tammy shrugged.

"Only for you Isaac."

"No, trust me, he won't be home til 11 tomorrow morning and off to bed."

"I told him earlier today to be at the office at 9. He'll be there."

"Don't be so sure."

"I'm plenty sure."

"Why do you always get the chicks?"

"I dunno. I just do."

Brent hummed along, kicking little pebbles that lay on the sidewalk.

"How'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Get Kyla's number and a date. I can't do that."

"Cause girls are afraid to ask you."

Taylor looked amused.

"Whatever."

Brent stopped on the sidewalk to look at his friend.

"You really don't see it do you."

Taylor frowned.

"See what."

Smiling, Brent walked up and placed an arm around Taylor's shoulder.

"Tay, do you know how many girls would drop dead if you said one word to them?"

Taylor laughed, pushing Brent away.

"You really shouldn't jerk my chain man, it gets to me."

"No, I'm for real. All sortsa chicks ask about you all the time, it's true."

This time Taylor was the one to stop.

"So then why am I always single?"

"Cause! They're afraid to ask you. You are quite the something around here these days, you stay sober, girls like that you know, and your tall, you got the looks. You sing."

"I don't sing anymore."

Taylor grew defensive.

"No, but you did, and you still have the voice don't you?"

Taylor waved his friend off.

"If some girl liked me, she should walk up and plain ask me, that's all there is to it. I'm not a scary guy, I don't bite."

"They think you do."

"Shyeah, whatever."

Brent shrugged as the two of them continued walking down the street.

She heard a door slam, then a quiet knock on her front door.

Isaac rolled over to look at her.

"I told you he was going out. And he won't be back in."

Tammy looked at him.

"He'll be in. Don't worry about that."

They heard a dull thud as Zac hit the edge of the coffee table and let out a startled yelp.

"That was funny."

"Oh Isaac, it wasn't, it's just karma."

Isaac rolled back over on his side, reading again.

She listened as the front door was swung open.

"Hey kid, you ready?"

"I guess."

"Don't be so glum. You'll have a good time."

Tammy sighed.

The front door shut quickly and she heard giggles as the two teens raced down the sidewalk.

"There he goes."

"He'll be back though."

Mark slapped him on the back as he climbed in to the already crammed vehicle.

"Hey guys."

He took a seat in between Mark and Tucker.

"Why is it so important that I go here? I mean…you know how pissed off Tammy is?"

Zac looked inquiringly at Kate.

"Look Zac.."

Scott turned around once again, looking his friend in the eye.

"you'll always be able to patch things up with her alright? You can't always party dude, plus, I know a couple chicks there that dig you dude. It'll be a good party."

Zac sighed.

"Man, I don't care! I just want to be cool at home you know?"

"Listen, it's one party, it's not going to kill her."

Still protesting, Zac shrugged.

"Can you just imagine what Ike is saying about me? Man! I bet he's ripping me to pieces."

"Who cares!"

Mark nodded his head, a smile spread across his face.

"You pick up a girl, a beer, you hook up together, ya lock lips, then you forget the whole thing."

Zac raised an eyebrow and looked irritatedly at his friend.

"Don't be crude."

"Your gonna do it though."

"Who says."

"That chick from the last party."

"We didn't do anything."

Mark and Tucker giggled.

"Oh yeah? You were all over her."

Zac frowned.

"Man, if I hook up with some girl, I usually plan on staying with her."

Zac's mind sat spinning. Sure, he sometimes got involved, but not always, and he never went any further. Plus, the last girl he did anything with stayed his girlfriend for a while.

Tucker glanced over at his friend, seeing the irritation and anger.

"We're just kidding with you, you know that right?"

Zac nodded.

"Kay then. I still think you should hook up with lila."

Zac laughed.

"Lila? Are you nuts?"

"Nagh! She was definitely looking your way last time."

Zac shook his head.

"I was thinking Kristen."

"You wanna hook up with her?"

"Yeah. Gotta problem?"

Scott grinned from the front seat.

"I thought you guys knew Zac had a special place in his heart for her."

The three stopped bickering in the back seat.

Blushing, Zac rested his hand on Scott's shoulder.

"They don't need to know anyth…"

"Nooo just a minute Zac."

Zac rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat, his cheeks turning bright crimson.

"You guys didn't know Zac and this girl have been an item before?"

Kate looked into the back seat.

"Yeah, like, more then once."

She smiled quaintly and batted her eyelashes.

"You and Kristen Hodges have hooked up before?"

Mark looked amazed, Kristen was not exactly Zac's type.

"yeah yeah yeah, thanks for tellin' my story everyone."

"No problem."

Mark and Tucker looked impatiently at their drummer.

"What?!"

"Well?!"

"Yeah! So I dated her."

"And???"

"None of YOUR business Tucker!"

Tucker and Mark busted out laughing.

"Zac hooked up with Kristen…"

The two of them were chanting in the back seat.

Taylor looked up from his tv dinner.

"I thought that's what we did last night."

"It was."

His oriental food stirred around his fork, little pieces of corn sticking between the forks prongs.

"I don't' think I really wanna go dude."

Brent shrugged.

"C'mon. It'll be fun."

Taylor shook his head.

"Where is it?"

Brent looked at Taylor.

"What? What's that look for?"

Brent tapped his fingers on the table.

"Well that's the only thing."

"What?! What's the matter?"

"It's at Mike's house."

Brent winced as Taylor went off on a tangent.

"Hell no! that's Zac's hangout, I don't go there, ever!"

"You DO know your brother is at Isaac's house now, with Tammy, you know that right?"

Taylor paused.

"No. How do you know that?"

Brent sighed.

"You know Brendan?"

"Sure."

"His little brother, Scott?"

Taylor's face lit up in recognition.

"Zac's band mate eh?"

"Yeah. I don't think your brother will be there."

Taylor sighed again.

"Brent…"

"If he is, we'll leave."

Taylor rolled his eyes.

"C'mon Tay!"

"What if he's there?"

"We'll leave!"

Taylor stirred his dinner more.

"Right away? We'll leave right away?"

Brent nodded.

"Right away."

Chapter eight ~*BACK*~