Section Three

     Zac sat down at the desk in the room he shared with his brothers. Taylor had gone off to do something that required him taking a vehicle, and Isaac was lying in his bed listening to headphones and reading. Looking down at his algebra work, Zac wished Ashley, their tutor, was there. Ashley would know what in the heck all those little variables meant, after all he was a math wiz ... of course, that’s why Zac’s mom and dad had gotten him to tutor the children in math.
     Zac scowled at his paper, actually, he knew what everything was and how to do it, he just hated algebraic equations. They took way too long to solve, and besides, his mind was on other things. Like what he had done this morning.
     Okay ... maybe slashing Mr. Miller’s tires was a bit much ... but it was the only way Zac could think of to get back at him. Okay, Zac was becoming a vengeful little boy ... but he didn’t care. No one had a right to lay their hands on someone as Mr. Miller had laid his hands on Tabitha. So, all in all, he got what was coming to him.
     He was just about to give up on those stupid math problems then when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up to see Isaac standing over him. "Need any help?" he asked.
     "Lots," Zac replied.

~~*~~

     The movie wasn’t all that interesting; Taylor could barely concentrate on it. His eyes longed to be locked with Tabitha’s again. Unfortunately, she was into the movie they were watching. Well, the only good thing about it was that he got to stay with her as long as he pretended to be watching it. All of a sudden the phone rang. Tabitha muted the TV and dashed to the phone with lightning speed, as she picked up the receiver, she gave Taylor the signal to be quiet.
     "Hello?" Tabitha asked quietly.
     "Tabitha, is your mother there?" It was her stepfather.
     "Not yet, Steve," she replied.
     Steve snorted, "Well, you make sure you tell her to pick me up from work when she gets home."
     "Why, what happened?" Tabitha asked, trying to sound concerned.
     "Don’t ask questions!" Steve shouted huffily, "Just do as you’re told!" Then he slammed the phone down.
     Sighing sullenly, Tabitha hung up the phone. "Who was that?" Taylor queried.
     "My stepdad..." Tabitha answered.
     "Is there anything wrong?" Taylor asked. Of course there was, but he figured a kind word was what she needed.
     A melancholy sigh escaped her lips, "Something happened at his work today ... when I asked what happened he just yelled at me and hung up."
     Taylor stood and walked over to her, "I’m sorry," he uttered softly, he knew not what else to say.
     Folding her arms across her midsection, she spoke, "No, he’s the one that’s sorry. Let’s finish our movie." Tabitha sidestepped him and returned to her place on the couch.
     For a moment he stared ahead of him. Evident enough she didn’t want to talk about it anymore, so he turned around to look at her. She had huddled in the corner of the couch and was hugging one of the throw pillows close to her chest. Taylor wished he could just hug her, but he knew she would just pull away from his comfort. With a helpless sigh, he ambled back to the couch and took his seat one cushion down from her.
     As he sat down, Tabitha picked up the remote and unmuted the television. It was the only noise in the silence and it was driving Taylor crazy. He found he couldn’t get comfortable and he changed positions on the couch at least five times. Tabitha actually started to watch him with more interest than the television. "Are you okay?" she asked him when he seemed to have settled.
     "I’m fine. I just can’t seem to get comfortable." He offered her a smile.
     Returning it, she then glanced at the clock just beyond him on the far wall. "Oh, crap ... You better leave now, Tay. My mom will be home any minute."
     He frowned, "All right ... do you think you could come over later maybe?"
     "If I can get out of the house. I’ll try my best, don’t worry."
     Taylor nodded and headed for the door then, Tabitha followed him and the two stood there looking at one another. "I hope you come over later."
     "Me too, Tay." She smiled.
     Taylor smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkled merrily. "All right, see you later, Tabitha."
    "Later, Taylor." And she shut the door behind him.

~*~

     Zac looked up when he heard his bedroom door open. In stepped Taylor.
     "Where have you been?" Zac asked.
     "Oh, so now you’re my mother?" Taylor retorted with Zac’s own comment.
     Glowering at Taylor, Zac replied, "Shut up." Then he went back to his work.
     "If you must know," Taylor began curtly, "I was at Tabitha’s."
     Zac said nothing; he didn’t feel like getting into a fight.
     Taylor smiled derisively, "Besides, where were you this morning at six?"
     Zac kept himself restrained still. No need to make a fuss.
     "Ha, whatever, Zac. I’m going to take a shower now."
     "Good, you smell anyway." Zac held back his grin.
     "Shut up, Zac, just shut up." Taylor went to the bathroom and soon Zac could hear the water running.
     "You wanted me to shut up?" Zac asked aloud, "Well, we’ll see who’s going to need to shut up." With that he got up and quietly opened the bathroom door and stepped in. He waited until he saw that Taylor had lathered gobs of shampoo into his hair, then seizing the handle of the toilet, he flushed it.
     Taylor went to rinse himself and screamed bloody murder. "Oh my God, that’s hot!" he hollered.
     Zac chuckled tauntingly.
     "Just you wait, you little brat!" Taylor called over the pounding of the water.
     "Call me another name and I’ll flush the toilet again."
     "Flush it again and I’ll tell mom!"
     "I’ll just tell her you called me a brat."
     "And you think she’ll disagree with me?"
     "Well, let’s see." And he flushed the toilet once more.
     "MOM!!!!!" Taylor screamed.
     "Bye, Tay-Tay!" Zac smiled to himself and left the bathroom.
     Zac made a quick exit of the house and decided he’d walk down to his cousin Trevor’s place. They could play video games or something.

~*~

     Isaac walked into his bedroom, "What the heck is all that noise?" he asked.
     "Just start looking for a new drummer," Taylor answered irritatedly.
     "Why do I need to do that?" Isaac raised an eyebrow.
     "Because I’m going to kill our current one." Taylor finished dressing himself and began to brush his hair.
     "And why would you want to do that?"
     "Well, for some reason, he has just had it out for me lately. He flushed the toilet on me twice while I was trying to take a shower. And the second time he did it right after I told him not to!"
     Trying not to laugh, Isaac responded, "Well, why do you think he did that?"
     "I don’t know!" Taylor exclaimed huffily, "All I did was say I was at Tabitha’s and then went to take a shower, then out of nowhere the little brat comes and flushes the toilet on me!"
     "Isn’t it obvious then, Tay?" Isaac said.
     "What’s obvious?" Taylor folded his arms and sulked down a little.
     "Haven’t you seen how Zac reacts every time you talk about Tabitha?"
     "No. He’s still acting like the bratty little brother he’s always been."
     "But you said he’s gotten worse lately."
     "Will you just tell me what in the heck is wrong with him? Stop playing this ‘don’t you know?’ crap. We may be brothers but we don’t have any psychic links."
     "Well, it should be obvious that Zac has a crush on Tabitha."
     "A crush on Tabitha? How do you figure that?"
     "Come on, Taylor. Every time you mention her Zac does something to cause you grief. Haven’t you figured that talk about Tabitha equals pain for you?"
     Taylor began to look pensive. "Well, yeah ... every time I end up spending time with her we end up getting into some kind of spat. And now this... He’s becoming a regular nuisance, always listening in on our conversations..."
     Isaac smacked his forehead and, in a dumb voice, said, "Well, duh! Now do you see? Zac is mad at you because you have her and he doesn’t."
     Taylor snorted. "I don’t even have her..."
     "Well, you get to spend more time with her."
     "That doesn’t mean anything."
     "Well, to Zac ... it means a lot."

~*~

     "Hey, Zac! Zac, it’s your turn, man ... Zac, hello!" Trevor snapped his fingers in front of Zac’s face.
     Snapping from his trance, Zac replied, "Huh?"
     "It’s your turn! Jeez, what’s gotten into you?" Trevor shook his head.
     Zac frowned. "Nothing, I was just thinking..."
     "You were thinking? I’ve got to hear this!" Trevor said sounding suddenly "intrigued."
     Rolling his eyes, Zac said, "I was just thinking about someone..."
     "Uh-huh ... and who might this someone be? A girl perhaps?" Trevor pulled himself onto the couch beside Zac quickly forgetting about the video game.
     Sighing quietly, Zac said, "Just this girl that Taylor brought over about a week ago. She’s so pretty and all ... but Taylor just keeps her all to himself. I never get any time with her."
     Almost indifferently, Trevor said, "What’s she look like?"
     Zac shook his head, "Man ... that’s not the point."
     Trevor frowned, "Sorry, Zac. But can’t you still tell me?"
     Rolling his eyes, Zac said, "She’s a little shorter than me; curly, red hair; brown eyes."
     "Figure?"
     "Jeez, Trev! I dunno, I haven’t gotten that much time to look at her." Zac leaned back into the couch and shut his eyes.
     "Touchy..." Trevor muttered. "Well, do you want to finish our game or not?"
     "I want to go see her..." Zac opened his eyes and looked directly into Trevor’s.
     "Well, why don’t we go over to her house then?" Trevor smiled.
     "I can’t."
     "And why not?" 
     "I just can’t ... let’s finish our game." Zac picked up the controller and began to play.
     Trevor studied his cousin; somehow he was stupefied that some girl could have him so hung over. Then he shook his head, no need to worry ... Zac would get over it.

~*~

     Tabitha’s mom had already left to go get her stepdad, and now Tabitha was watching television. She was also keeping an eye out for them to come back. It would be a very bad thing if she were in the room when her stepdad was angry.
     Just then she heard a car pull up in her driveway, looking out the window she confirmed it was her parents. She clicked off the TV and went into the kitchen to pretend she was just down there to get something to eat.
     "I still can’t believe some little punk slashed my tires," Steve was saying as he walked in.
     "Do you know who it could be?" Ellen said following him in and shutting the door.
     "No, but when I find out who it was..." He frowned as he looked in to the kitchen and saw Tabitha standing there sipping at a glass of soda. It looked as if he thought she might have done it.
     Ellen looked into the kitchen and also frowned. Once their backs were turned, Tabitha rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at them. She was sick of this.
     Steve plopped into the armchair and leaned back. "Man, I do not want to paint that fence tomorrow. I’ve got enough trouble without having to do that."
     Ellen looked back over her shoulder at Tabitha whose attention was fixed on the Fruitopia can in her hand. "Why don’t you make Tabitha do it? At least she’ll be doing something worthwhile for a change."
     Tabitha looked up as Ellen looked away. She wanted to tell her mother to go to Hell, but she said nothing.
     "You hear that, Tabitha?" Ellen said looking back. There was a snide sneer on her face.
     "Hear what, Mom?" Tabitha asked innocently.
     "Don’t play games with me, you heard what I said." Ellen’s eyes narrowed.
     "Yeah, Mom. I’ll do it tomorrow when I get off from school." Tabitha put her can in the trash and headed for the upstairs.
     "You make sure you do, or you’ll be grounded," Ellen called after her.
     "I know, Mom, I know," she mumbled and shut her bedroom door behind her.

~*~

     The very next day, Tabitha was glad that the school day dragged. It meant she had lots of time before she had to get out and do that stupid fence. She hated it when her mom did crap like that. Whenever Steve didn’t want to do something it got put on her. Heck, if Tabitha knew how, Ellen would have her fixing the cars and appliances.
     During seventh period that day, Tabitha didn't hear a word the teacher said, she was too busy watching the clock. It was too soon when the afternoon announcements came on then the bell rang. Groaning, Tabitha left the classroom and went straight to her bus. This time unfortunately, there was no Taylor to pick her up.
     When she got home, she put up her stuff then went outside to the garage to get the paint and paintbrushes. Ten minutes later, she was at the gate just starting to paint. She sighed as some of the white paint dripped down onto her jeans.
     "Just great," she muttered. She wiped at it, only succeeding in smearing it. "Stupid paint..."
      Just then she heard a voice, "Hey, Tabitha!"
     She looked up from her work to see someone with a hat and sunglasses walking towards her. They pulled off the sunglasses and she recognized Zac’s smiling face. "Oh, hey!" she said with a radiant smile.
     Zac hurried the rest of the way and kneeled down beside her. "What’re you doing?"
     "What does it look like?" she said with a roll of her eyes, "I’m doing what my stepfather doesn’t want to do."
     "Jeez ... no offense, but that’s a guy’s job unless the woman is an adult. I would’ve told him to get off his lazy rear and do it himself." Zac rolled his eyes thinking of her stepfather. He was glad he had slashed Steve’s tires now.
     "Yeah ... well, I can’t exactly do that unless I want a nice beating." She dipped the paintbrush into the can and stirred it around a little.
     "Hey, let me help," Zac said grabbing the brush away from her.
     She giggled, "I’m supposed to be doing this, not you."
     Smiling, Zac replied, "Oh, well. I want to do this ... it’s the least I can do to help you out."
     "So, what made you stop by?" Tabitha asked making casual conversation.
     "Well ... honestly, I wanted to drop by, say hi, just talk. With you spending so much time with Tay, we hardly ever get any quality time." Zac smiled.
     "Oh, well ... I don’t normally intend to spend all that time with him, he just shows up and who am I to turn him down?" She pulled the paintbrush from Zac’s hand and started painting the fence again.
     "Oh," Zac grabbed the brush away from her and painted a long line of white down one of the wooden posts. "Well, anyway ... so, hey, are you busy this Saturday?"
     "No, not really, why?"
     "Well," Zac paused as she grabbed the brush away from him, then went on, "You know that’s the first day of the carnival here ... I was wondering if you’d like to come with me?"
     "Well ... it would depend on how my parents feel. But if they say I can, I’d be happy to go." She smiled.
     Of course, Zac’s whole face lit up. "Cool, but how will I know if you can go?"
     "Why don’t we exchange numbers and I’ll call you when I find out?"
      Feeling more than ecstatic, Zac nodded eagerly. "That’s good."
     They took a few moments to exchange numbers and memorize them. A few minutes later, Zac had taken the paintbrush from her again and was painting the fence paying no attention to her protests.
     "All right, Zac. Go ahead and paint the fence," she said in mock defeat. Tabitha sat down on the sidewalk to watch him.
     Turning to her, Zac grinned. "You’re finally starting to see things my way," he said wryly.
     She shook her head. Just then a car came roaring to a stop at the curb. Tabitha recognized it as her mother’s Nissan Altima. Just great, she thought to herself.
     "What do you think you’re doing and who is this punk?" her mother screamed out the window.
      Instantaneously, Tabitha was on her feet. "He just came by and said he wanted to help me."
     "And did I give you permission to have anyone over here helping you while you did this?" Her mother cut the engine of the car and stepped out.
     Zac walked up behind Tabitha as she said, "I didn’t know I couldn’t!"
     "Well, I’m telling you that you can’t! And give me that!" She grabbed for the brush in Zac’s hand.
     With a disgusted look, Zac pulled on the brush. No way was he giving it to this mad woman.
     "You better tell your friend to let go, Tabitha!" Ellen yelled.
      I’ll let go, Zac thought deviously. Just before he let her have it, he pushed the brush forward smearing white paint all over Ellen’s navy blue blouse. Then he let go.
     Stumbling back with the brush in her hand, Ellen looked down at her shirt in shock. "You little scumbag!" she screamed. She threw the paintbrush down on the sidewalk.
     Tabitha looked away, she didn't want her mom to see her laughing. Surely things would only get worse. Zac was biting his lip to keep from laughing.
     Ellen saw the look on her daughter’s face, "Oh, you think this is funny, huh? You little brat. Get inside now!" she screamed.
     "Yes, ma’am!" Tabitha cried. She gave Zac a little wave and mouthed, ‘I’ll call you’ to him before running inside.
     "As for you, little punk, get off my property or so help me God, I’ll have you arrested. Now get going!"
     "Sure thing!" Zac agreed, then he took off down the street.

*One day at a time...*