Section Five

     Tabitha set down the phone receiver and looked into her mirror. The flesh around her left eye was swollen and purplish, she hoped it would go away before long. She figured she’d have to go to school tomorrow, and that would just make the kids at school wonder what happened and her few friends were bound to ask. She could duck her way around it somehow if she had to though.
     As she sat there in her desk chair (the mirror was on top of the desk) she heard her CD change from MatchBox 20 to Savage Garden. She hummed along with the first song, "Affirmation." She really wished for her Hanson CD though.
     After a bit she stood up and for a moment just stood there. "Oh," she said remembering what she wanted to do. She walked downstairs and got herself something to drink. As she pulled out the can of Fruitopia she was reminded of the episode in the kitchen with Taylor. "He really is silly," she commented aloud. Then she opened her drink and gulped a little down.
     She watched a little TV after that. There wasn’t much else to do and she couldn’t very well take a chance with the phone.
     Tabitha wished Taylor would stop by, being that he didn't know she was on restriction yet. She could sneak him in and he could be quiet if her mom called. Oh, well, though.

~*~

     Taylor walked into the house and was greeted by silence. There was a note on the TV screen that he saw when he walked farther into the house. He pulled it off and read:

Hey boys,

We went to your aunt’s. We figured you didn’t want to come so we didn’t bother you. It may be after dinnertime when we get back, so Isaac, could you cook something for the others? Well, see you when we get home.

Love,

Mom and Dad

      Taylor stuck the note back on the TV and headed to his bedroom. Of course, it was already occupied. Isaac was on the computer busily typing away and Zac was taking a nap in his bed. Though opportunistic, Taylor decided not to strangle Zac in his sleep. Where would they ever get another drummer? "Hey, Ike," he said walking up behind his brother.
     Isaac looked up at Taylor. "Oh, hey. What’ve you been up to?"
     "Nothing. Dave wasn’t home ... I just walked around the park all day. I’m going over to Tabitha’s when she gets home." Taylor sighed and sat down on the beige carpet.
     "What do you mean when she gets home? She just called here not twenty minutes ago." Isaac saw Taylor’s eyes light up.
     "Really?" he said, a faint smile crossed his lips.
     Rolling his eyes, Isaac nodded. "Yeah. I’m guessing she stayed home from school."
     "Obviously ... hey, did she ask about me?" Taylor’s eyes were becoming dreamily distant.
     "I don’t know. She talked to Zac more than me. Wake him and ask." Isaac turned back to the computer and went back to his typing.
     "I’m not talking to that brat," Taylor replied crossly.
     "Well, then I guess you won’t know if she asked about you or not," Isaac replied. He rolled his eyes again.
     Taylor sighed. Isaac was, of course, right. So, if he wanted to know, he had no choice but to ask Zac. "Fine." He walked over to the bed and gently pushed on Zac’s shoulder.
     Only in a light sleep, Zac woke immediately. His eyes widened fearfully as he looked at Taylor. He sat up and pulled himself up against the headboard. "What do you want?" he asked.
     Taylor would’ve laughed if it weren’t for the fact that the look on Zac’s face was one of real fear. "Jeez, Zac ... you’d think I was pointing a knife at you," he mumbled.
     "You might as well be," Zac retorted.
     Taylor shook his head. "Never mind that. Did Tabitha ask about me or anything when she called?"
     Zac shrugged. "I dunno."
     "Will you just tell me? I don’t have the mind to sit here and play games with you all afternoon." Taylor folded his arms and looked down at his brother.
     "She just asked what you were doing and told me to tell you that she was on restriction for the next two weeks." Zac backed up further; he knew what was coming now.
     "You got her put on restriction!?" Taylor glared at Zac. His eyes normally dark blue, were now so clear there was hardly any color to them. It was nearly impossible to tell where the iris of his eye ended and the white began.
     "I didn’t mean to, Taylor!" Zac exclaimed. He didn’t like the gleam in Taylor’s eyes.
     Taylor let out an angry sigh, "Whatever," he growled. He swung himself onto the top bunk bed and slumped down in it.
     Isaac had been watching his brothers and now he shook his head. This was going just a little too far.

~*~

     The following days of the week dragged by. It was depressing, she had to go to school and she couldn’t do anything once she got home except watch TV and do her homework. She usually ended up doing her homework then lying down and eventually falling asleep.
     It was all too wonderful when Saturday came. Well, at least it meant it was the weekend and she didn’t have any school. It sucked though because she couldn’t go anywhere ... more specifically to the carnival with Zac.
     She sat on the couch and sighed. There was nothing worth watching on and she couldn’t do anything else.
     Looking at the clock, she saw it was already noon. Her mom would be home in a little less than an hour. Oh, yippee, what amazing fun. Tabitha rolled her eyes at the thought.

~*~

     Zac and Trevor walked down to the carnival; it wasn’t too far from where Trevor lived. Trevor noticed that Zac hung his head as they walked. "Hey, Zac. You okay, man?" Trevor asked sounding concerned. He didn’t like seeing his normally upbeat cousin looking so depressed.
     With a long sigh, Zac looked up. "I just wish she could’ve come. But her dorky mom had to ground her for something I did. So, it’s kinda my fault though..."
     Trevor nodded understanding how Zac felt. "Don’t kick yourself, cuz. It’s not your fault she has, as you put it, a dorky mom."
     "If I hadn’t have painted the dumb woman’s shirt though, Tabitha might still be able to come." Thrusting his hands in his pockets, Zac kicked at a pebble on the sidewalk as they walked.
     "Sheesh, Zac. You shouldn’t be all downhearted about it. Who knows, maybe something good will happen at the fair to get your mind off of it." Trevor tried to console Zac.
     "Maybe." Then the two of them kept walking.

~*~

     Tabitha sat on the couch watching a rerun of X-Files. Ellen was in the kitchen eating a bowl of shredded wheat and reading a magazine at the counter. She looked into the living room at her daughter.
     Feeling the weight of her mother’s stare upon her, Tabitha looked down at her hands in her lap. That’s when Ellen said, "Why do you have sit down here all day?" Her tone was cruel.
     "Because I’d just end up going to sleep up in my room. There’s nothing else to do since you grounded me and I can’t go to the carnival." Tabitha kept her voice even and calm.
     With a sneer, Ellen said, "Well, here. Take this money and go. I’m sick of looking at you so just go get out of the house." She pulled about twenty dollars out of her wallet and set it on the counter.
     Tabitha looked up at her mom to see if she was joking. But there, plain as day, was the twenty-dollar bill on the counter.
     Tentatively she stood up and walked into the kitchen. "You’re really going to let me go?"
     Narrowing her eyes, Ellen said, "Yes. Now get out before I change my mind!"
     With a smile, Tabitha grabbed the twenty eagerly and ran out of the house.

**

     It didn’t take her long to reach the carnival. It was really close to her house and only a ten-minute walk. She paid for her tickets at the gate and stepped in.
     Granted, it wasn’t going to be as fun as if Zac were there, but it would still be better than being cooped up in the house all day long. She counted the money she had left which totaled $17.98. She decided she wanted something to snack on while she inspected the games and rides.
     She bought herself a candy apple ... with lots of ooey gooey caramel. Briefly she thought of Zac. Had he come to the fair after all?
     Tabitha didn't know and she amused herself with the prospect that at that moment she didn’t care so much. Whether he was here or not, she could have fun.
     She made her way through the throngs of people looking for something to do. Finally she saw what she wanted. A ride called the "Tilt-A-Whirl." She’d ridden it a couple times at a fair that was held back in Virginia, where she used to live. She loved the way it jerked her around and gave her a dizzying high. It was more fun than anything she had ever done at a fair.
     With a happy sigh, she walked off towards the ride.

~*~

     Zac took a lick of his ice cream cone. For the time its sweetness was keeping his mind off of things. That’s when he saw her. In shock he dropped his ice cream. Trevor, who had been walking behind him, cried out when he ran into him. Zac seemed not to notice.
     "What is up with you now?" Trevor asked agitatedly.
     Zac reluctantly turned his gaze to Trevor. "It’s her," he replied dazedly.
     Trevor followed Zac’s gaze, but there was no one there this time. "Who?" Trevor shook his head. His cousin was starting to hallucinate.
     "Never mind, come on," Zac grabbed Trevor’s arm and began to pull him in the direction of the "Tilt-A-Whirl."
     "Where are we going?" Trevor asked trying to release himself from Zac’s grip.
     Zac didn’t say anything, but then Trevor figured he was pulling him in the direction of wherever it was the girl had gone.
     They reached it in record time. And Zac found whom he had seen. "Tabitha!" he called out breathlessly.
     A redheaded girl standing in line turned around. Trevor gasped. Her face lit up, a million times brighter than the brightest star, as she laid her eyes upon Zac. "Zac!" she cried out blithely. She ran out of the line and to Zac.
     Much to Zac’s surprise, and partly her own, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I’m so glad to see you!" she cried happily.
     Zac laughed ecstatically as he hugged her back. It was quite pleasant holding her in his arms and he was saddened when he had to let her go. "I thought you were grounded," he said when she pulled back.
     "Mom got sick of looking at me and she let me come after all. I figured that if you’d gone that you’d already be here so I just came and didn’t bother calling." She smiled at the end of her explanation.
     Trevor was caught up in her appearance at that moment and took no heed to their conversation. Well, he couldn’t fathom how Zac could’ve missed any inch of her, even if he’d not seen all that much. She was beautiful, and her voice was as pleasant as the song of any one of the Sirens from Homer’s epic, The Odyssey.
     Having been so wrapped up in Zac, Tabitha almost missed his companion. She didn’t recognize him as anyone she knew but she did recognize him to be truly one of the most handsome guys she’d ever seen. He had dirty blond hair cut just at the top of his ears, it curled over them and made him seem so cute. His eyes were a light jade and she felt as if she were melting within their gaze.
     Zac saw the two checking each other out. Uh, oh, he thought, not another relative to worry about. What is it with her and my family? He shook his head though; he wasn’t in the mood for conceiving the idea that his cousin had just become part of the competition.
     "So this is who you’ve been talking about," Trevor said, his eyes never leaving her face. "You never told me just how pretty she really was."
     Blushing greatly, Tabitha looked down at her feet.
     "Did I flatter you too much?" Trevor asked. He smiled when she lifted her head.
     His smile was too much for her. She felt lost in those dawn-tinted lips and pearly white teeth. "Um ... I don’t think we’ve met before," she said coyly.
     "Zac hasn’t told you about me?" Trevor asked incredulously.
     She shook her head, that blush once again making her cheeks rosy.
     "How could you, Zac?" Trevor said dubiously, he turned to look at Zac with a tone of shock to his voice.
     Rolling his eyes, Zac responded, "She didn’t need to know about you."
     Trevor also rolled his eyes. Tabitha smiled shyly when his gaze returned to her.
     "Come on, stop staring at one another and let’s go ride some rides." Zac sighed. This was more than just competition. She actually seemed attracted to Trevor. Great, that was all he needed.
     They took their eyes from one another long enough to look at Zac and agree with him. Then the three decided they’d go ahead and ride the "Tilt-A-Whirl" as Tabitha had planned on doing at first.

~*~

     Zac slammed the door as he walked in. "Stupid cousin..." he mumbled.
     Taylor, who had been sitting on the couch, asked, "What’s wrong?" He was trying to be nicer to his brother even if he felt like strangling him would be the best thing to do.
     Sighing mirthlessly, Zac shook his head. "Nothing major ... oh, but you’ll never guess who was at the carnival." Thinking about just her brought a smile to his face.
     "You’re right, I won’t. So, who was there?"
     "Tabitha," he said with another, happier sigh.
     Taylor scowled, "Man, I should’ve gone!" He folded his arms.
     "Yeah, and that’s good news..." Zac muttered something under his breath again, but Taylor didn’t catch earshot of it.
     "There’s bad news?" Taylor asked suspiciously.
     "You know Trevor was with me, right?" Zac said. He plopped down on the couch beside his brother.
     "What about him, though?"
     "It was both of ‘em ... I swear, I never saw two people stare at each other more than they did. And they’ve already exchanged phone numbers ... ugh, he even won her this huge stuffed tiger at one of the games." Sighing again, Zac folded his arms, much like Taylor had, and looked down at them. To look at him, one would think he was studying his arms diligently.
     If Zac was disappointed, Taylor was devastated. He sighed sadly; his whole body shuddered along with his breath.
     Zac watched his brother; he’d never seen him look so depressed. As he watched, Taylor picked up the TV remote and clicked on the television. He clicked numbly through the channels, not even stopping to see what was on them. Zac sighed and almost wished there were something he could do to make him feel better.

~*~

     Around six o’clock, Taylor picked up the phone and dialed in the phone number that Zac had willingly given up. Obviously, Tabitha’s number is what it was. It rang three times before a female voice answered.
     "Miller residence," she said.
     "May I speak to Tabitha please?" Taylor asked trying to use a polite voice. He realized this woman was Tabitha’s mother and he had a few things he would’ve liked to say to her. None without possible assault charges, of course.
     "Just a second," Mrs. Miller replied. There was a soft clunk as she set the phone down and a few moments later Tabitha’s voice said, "Hello?"
     "Hey, it’s me, Taylor," Taylor said.
     "Oh, hey!" she said happily, "I missed you today. I thought you were going to come to the carnival."
     I thought you weren’t going ... if you weren’t there, it would’ve been a waste of time, he thought, but he said, "Oh, I was tired. I slept most the day."
     "Oh, well," she said.
     "Yeah. Zac said you and him and Trevor had a lot of fun ... how’d you and Trevor get along?" Taylor just wanted to see her thoughts on the matter.
     "Oh, great! In fact, we exchanged numbers, and I just got off the phone with him a bit ago." Taylor hated how vivacious she sounded; her voice was so animated and lively. He hated it more than ever.
     "Really now?" Taylor sighed quietly, making sure she couldn’t hear it.
     "Yeah, and guess what?"
     "What?"
     "He asked me out for next Saturday!" she exclaimed ecstatically.
     Taylor gripped the phone like a vise; he’d almost dropped it when she said that. "You’re going on a date? What are you going to do?"
     She continued on, unaware of how Taylor’s mind was working, "Oh, we’re going to see a movie up at the cinema."
     "Cool," Taylor said sounding "interested." "What are you going to see?"
     "Um, we’re going to see, um ... Oh, yeah, End of Days, that Arnold Schwarzenegger movie."
     "Oh, that’s a good movie, I’ve seen it already," Taylor replied.
     "Really? Well, don’t tell me about it!" she said excitedly, "I can’t wait to see it with Trevor."
     "Well, I hope you have fun with him. Um, well, I gotta go cuz my mom’s callin’ me, ok?" Actually, he just couldn’t bear another word.
     "Oh, well, it was great hearing from you, Tay," she said almost sadly.
     "Yeah, it was great talking to you, too, Tabitha. I’ll see ya round," he sighed.
     "Ok, bye, Tay."
     "Bye," then he hung up. For a moment he stood there and looked down at the phone. Then he breathed in deeply and headed for his bedroom.
     "Hey, are you okay?" Zac asked Taylor.
     Taylor turned back and looked at Zac, "Yeah, I’m just going to lie down for a bit." Then he headed for the room.
     Zac looked after Taylor, he was pretty sure that Taylor needed a nap. On a second thought, he decided he’d go check on him, so he laid down the magazine he had been looking at and then went after him. As he approached the bedroom, he saw that Taylor had not closed the door all the way and it was open just a tiny crack. He was just about to head in when he heard:
     "Why? Why did I ever have to fall in love with her?" Taylor said, he sniffled. "I can’t believe what an idiot I was to love her. I should have known something like this would happen, now I’ve missed my chance completely."
     Zac peeked in the door and saw Taylor sitting up on the bottom bunk bed. He had one of Zac’s pillows and was hugging it tightly to his chest. Tears ran slowly down his cheeks and he sniffed in heavily. Zac closed his eyes briefly, sympathizing with his brother then he silently pulled the door closed.

*One day at a time...*