Ch.3 Nowhere But Here

He was beautiful. Oh my God! I mean wow.( I promised myself I would never say “Oh My God!” like I just did.) Okay, I’m getting away from the subject.
Anyhow, he took my hands and led me out to the middle of the kitchen. Then he took my left arm, started at my elbow and put his hand around it, then he put it up on his shoulder as he drug his hand along my arm to my fingertips. then he put that hand sucurly on my hip. He then laced the fingers of his other hand in my free one and then he said,” Now, it’s not much, but it’s a start.,” He looked at me through strands of hair and said quietly,”One,two,three.”
I knew instinctively how the steps would go because he showed me, as Madem would say, “I learned to be led.” We were looking at each other intently. Then Tay tapped on my hip once to tell me I would soon be spinning, then, as he pushed my hip away to start the motion I took my hand off of his shoulder and spun once on my bare tiptoe. It was very fun and a laugh escaped me. That sent Taylor into giggles as we came back to the steady rhythm that we’d started origionally. We kept the steps up for a secend or two then Tay spun me forward and back then we came back to origional position, stopping. I curtsied, he bowed and we finished looking at one another. I could think of nothing eles but the fact that we’d stopped quite a long time ago and I was still in his arms. I was also still spinning.
“Wow, you learned all of that in one day?” asked Ike.
That brough us out of the staring match we slipped into. I turned to look at the inhabitents of the kitchen. His dad looked impressed, his mom looked dumb-founded and Ike looked a little bit confused. They all had one thing in common though, and that was silence.
“Um, I guess.” said Tay.
“So we did alright?” I asked
. “Well, yeah.” his mom said.
“IKE!” A little help out here please?” this deep, scratchy, and at the moment, a little strained voice, came from the open kitchen window.
Ike laughed a little and then went over to the window to yell out, “Alright!”
Then he went out the back door. Tay held tight to my right hand and led me out to the back yard behind him. In one corner of the yard there was a noisy, ball of flesh, hair, and clothing that was in nonstop motion. We followed Ike over to the loud mass and it spit out a tall boy that I was pretty sure I’d seen before. He was sweaty and had a mass of long, blonde hair plastered to his face and neck, he looked hot and aggravated.
“What was the meaning of throwing me to the snakes and then leaving me?” he said.
“Zoe ran off and I found her in the house with her favorite big brother and another.......newer friend.” he said pointing to me.
“Oh, hi.” said the boy. Tay reached down and helped the boy, who obviously was the little brother Tay had mentioned earlier.
“Hi, I’m Meg, nice to meet you.” I said
“I’m Zac, it’s nice to meet you too, where did you and Tay meet?” he asked.
I looked at Taylor and he gave me a look like “Oh, who cares anymore.”
“We’re taking a dance lesson together, I’m his partner.” I said.
“You’re taking dance lessons?” Zac looked at him and covered him mouth as if to stop himself from laughing uncontrollably.
“Yes, is that so hard to believe?” he asked.
“Nope.” Zac said as though it was a strugglre to say even that much without laughing.
“He ‘s pretty good at it actually.” I said defensively.
“Tay!” another littler boy and two young girls ran over and stopped in front of us.
“Let’s get him.” said the smaller girl and before he could have known what was coming, the three of them had tackled him and while one tickled his tummy the other tickled his neck. I was watching this from the ground next to him because in the process of attacking their big brother they’d pulled me down on accident.. I thought it over a moment and decided that they were having way too much fun and I needed to join them. So I got on my knees and started tickling his stomach. My hands were bigger than the childrens and did more tickling damage.
“Hey, what’s the big idea? “he said laughing, “Okay, you’re all gonna get it now.”
Then he over-powered The little boy, tickled the little girls and they backed away, but I was still going at it. He tried tickling me and just getting up and running away, but no, I had him. Just when I thought he was struggling the most, he was kneeling to one side of me with a hand around each of my wrists, and I was on my back staring up at him.
It was, to say the least, an awkward moment. I was thinking, wow his eyes are so pretty, but at the same time I thought, what’s he gonna do with me now? I don’t know what he was thinking but I would have paid any amount of money to know. He actually looked as though he thought over the possibillities for a moment and then he softened his face and smiled.
“Are you guys ever going to get up?” those few words sent my mind into a maze of questions that made me very uncertain, but one in particular stuck out of all the rest : Did I really want to get up? And you know what? I didn’t have an answer, but luckily Taylor had an answer, “Yeah, we might.” and he smiled down at me. Then he got up and held his hand out to help me up.I accepted.
“Hi, what’s yer’ name?” asked the younger of the two girls.
“I’m Meg, it’s nice to meet you.” I shook the girls hand.
“Well, I’m Avery, and she’s Jessica.” she said refering to the other girl,” and we have to go and beat up Mickenzie.” she said, referring to the little boy who, I hoped, was the last member of the family, then she tried to slink away.But before she had even turned her back on me Ike said in a sing-son voice,”Av-er-y?”
“Ye-es.” she said mocking him.
“What exactly did you say you were going to do, again?” he asked in more of a warning tone like, “it-better-be-the-answer-I-want” kind of thing rather than curiousity.
“Um, I said I was going to play with Mackie.” she said innocently.
“Oh, that’s what I thought you said, I just wasn’t sure.” he said smiling at her with an almost sickeningly-sweet authority. And then that kid was outta there like nobody’s business. Jessica, however was still standing in front of me looking me over, then out of nowhere she said,” Hey, do you think you could help me out with some girl stuff?”
“Oh sure, if you don’t mind.” I said looking at Tay.
“Well, I guess if you want to, she’s all yours.” he said to me.
“ Cool.” I said and took Jessie’s hand and we started to walk towards the house.Then when we were out of ear-shot Jessie began to explain.
“I’m so glad that I can talk to another girl, my brothers are great, but they’re my brothers, and this is not something that they would understand easily. I invited this guy over here and now I can’t decide what it is that I’m going to wear or how I’ll do my hair. So that’s what I need help with. How old are you anyway?” she finished her explination.
“I’ll be sixteen in two weeks.” I said.
“Whoa, well Tay’s seventeen, Zac’s fourteen, and Ike is going to be twenty in November, then Avery is nine, Mackie is six, Zoe is two, and I’m going to be twelve this year.” she said.
“So, who’s this guy?” I asked.
“Sam Roman, he’s so sweet, but I practically had to twist Tay’s arm so that he would keep everyone away when he came here.” she said looking up at me.
“Tay?” I asked disbelieving.
“Yeah, it’s weird, they all listen to him, even Ike. He doesn’t know it though. He’s naive about things like that, very innocent, you know?” she said, a questioning look on her face.
“No, I didn’t know that, he seems more like a take-charge kind of person to me.” I said.
“Oh, he is, he’s just plain oblivious to it. It’s almost like one of those invouluntary actions with him.” she said then we came to the door of the room where I’d changed.
“This is a nice room.”I said when we were inside and sitting on her bed.
“Thanks, Okay now, let me see....” she drifted off at the end of the sentence and started rummaging through her closet
An hour later we’d found the perfect outfit, all the accessories, and we were in the middle of what was to be a killer hair style.(haha)
“I’m never gonna be able to do this with out you.” she said.
“You’ll be alright, when is Romeo coming over here anyway?” I asked.
“This Thursday.” she answered.
“Hey, Tay and I have another dance lesson, you want me to try to come over and.....” I didn’t even get it all out when she inturupted.
“YES! Let’s go ask mom right now.” She said trying to get up.
“Wait........there now you can go show her.” I said putting the last pin into the girl’s soft wavy hair. She then jumped up and ran downstairs pulling me along with her. when we stepped into the kitchen Taylor, his mom and Zoe were in the kitchen along with her dad. Jessi said, “Mom, what do you think?”
Taylor whistled and gave Jessi a killer smile. God he was gorgeouse. Could that whole hair-falling-ruggedly-over-my-face-just-the-right-way thing be natural ? Yes, I told myself, It could be. Then I sighed inwardly, at least I thought that it had been inwardly, it hadn’t been.
“What’s wrong sweety?” Mrs. Hanson asked me seeming almost startled
. “Huh?” I said ripping my eyes away from the blue peepers that had been staring right back into mine for at least a minute. What an intense stare.
“You sighed so loudly, I thought something was wrong.” she said.
As soon as she said this I knew what had happened and I could feel the heat trickle up my neck to reveal my embarassment. At this juncture Taylor laughed out loud and then turned around to the sink, but his hair was short enough to see the identical color of mortification slide up his neck as well. So he’d been staring right back at me and it hadn’t been my imagination. No Meg, it hadn’t been your imagination, I told myself sarcastically, he was staring at you, he just haden’t sighed extremely loud, and not only ruined the moment, but drawn the attention of everyone in the room. I always scold myself. It’s a thought process I think. Anyway, he did finally turn back around, but that was because his mother was oblivious to the moment and told him he was being impolite. While I’d been in my own little world with the blonde boy, Jessi had proceeded on with the topic of our origional decent from upstairs, although I noticed that she had noticed our deep staring contest, and smiled.
“So, mom?” Jessi said dismissing the thoughts of a moment ago. Bless Jess, I thought to myself.
“Oh, that would be just fine, sweety.” Mrs, Hanson said conveying the answer without much other thought. Jessi, then exited the room as she said, “ YES !” I started to follow her back up the stairs, but just as we were about to go up the stairs she turned around.
“What?” I asked her, in response to the look she was giving me.
“What do you mean, “what? “she said,” I saw the both of you, you two have got it bad and you need to go and find out just how bad, because if he feels that I’m stealing his time with you then I’m going to get it when you leave, so go, be with him, you’re coming back I’ll see you again, go stare into those baby-blues some more, you know you want to.” she said smiling in an almost wise, motherly way.
“Thanks Jess.” I said.
“No prob, but you must give me details later.” she said returning to a teenage-girl state of mind.
“Okay.” I said.
I then rushed down the stairs expecting Taylor to have gone outside where the other kids were, but he was still in the kitchen.....
..............with his parents. Darn. I thought. This kind of giddy puppy-love was so much easier to deal with when in the presence of other kids. Parents always gave those looks like “oh, that’s so cute” or “I’ve been there”. Okay, maybe it is cute, or in my case adorable, and maybe they have been here before, but those kind of looks AREN’T HEPLING!!! I really need to calm myself; stress less.
“Oh, hey.” said Taylor looking up, sending me the second knock-out smile he’d given that day.
“Hey.” I tried to sound casual, I don’t believe it came off though.
I then went over to my bag and tried to look uninterested at my two CD cases, one was Rascal Flatts, a country group, and the Dixie Chicks.I was semi-into country music,these were the only two country Cds I have though
“Whacha’ got?” Mrs, Hanson asked.
“ Oh, just a CD.” I said smiling, finally feeling uncomfortable.
“Well, then we’ve got to hear it.” she said smiling, “Pop it in to the player.”
There was one sitting on the kitchen island.
“It’s country.” I said in a warning tone.
“I’ll try anything once.” she said with a smile.
“Okay.” I said. I put the Rascal Flatts into the player and skipped it to number two.
“You got the words?” Tay asked, and I threw the cover to him.
The music and lyrics slid smoothly out of the speakers, and Tay and I hummed along.. There is a line in the begining where the song goes “ Each morning the sun shines through my window, and lands on a dream come true” Taylor smiled to himself at the liner notes.
. By the time the last refrain came around, he was twanging like a pro, but that refrain changes and he was singing with confidence untill he wasn’t singing with the words anymore, then he stopped abruptly and we all laughed. Although he looked slightly embarassed he laughed also. I couldn’t stop staring though. he cautght me every five seconds and one time I had been in such a trance I hadden’t noticed he was staring right back. When I finally shook myself out of it he laughed at me and then we were both laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Mrs. Hanson asked smiling at our happiness.
“Huh? Oh, nothing.” said Tay, speaking for the first time in a long time. Looking quickly up at his parents and back at me, giving me a look like “that was a close one.” I just gave him a wide smile that was obviously contagious because he returned it quickly.The song ended and Taylor turned to me.
“You wana’ go see what the other kids are up to?” he had mischief in his eyes.
“Sure, why not?” I said.
We headed out the door and into the backyard. Ike was sitting back there alone.
“Where’d they go?” I asked him.
“They went down the street to see the Deeman’s, they have a small crew of kids also.” he said sounding releived.
“They also have Bella.” Taylor said chuckling, and raising his eyebrows up and down at Ike.
“Yeah, we both know that’s why Zac went.” Ike said laughing.
We sat down on the grass making a semi-circle around Ike.
“Okay guys you’ve got to dish, who’s Bella?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Oh just a fourteen year old redhead who looks like she should be able to vote.” said Taylor.
“So, dose Zac have a thing for her?” I asked.
“Oh, just a little.” Ike said sarcastically poking Tay playfully in the ribs.
“Yeah, and he thinks we don’t know, or he at least pretends not to know that we know.” Taylor said.
“You don’t tease him do you?” I asked.
“Not unless he’s being annoying and deserves it.” Ike said
“Yeah, and not usually in front of mom and dad, we have a pact about that.” Taylor said exchanging a glance with Ike.
“So, did Jessi tell you about this Sam guy?” I asked, knowing that Taylor already knew about it.
“Yeah, she’s stressing big time, is that what she talked about all that time?” Taylor asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course, what do you think the hair was all about?” I asked in amsuement.
“I had no idea and I didn’t think much about it either.” said Taylor.
“Well, it was a big deal to her, and if you can refrain from it could you not makle any rude comments about it?” I asked
“Yeah, we won’t make her feel bad about it, hey, didn’t you say before that you grew up in Egypt?” Taylor asked.
“Egypt?” Ike said looking impressed.
“Yeah, my mom used to be an archeologist, so I didn’t really learn the language or pick up the accent, I was always by her side down in a cave somewhere, but I was stuck in a time warp, so to speak,” I said.” I came to America saying things like groovey, and far out ‘cause that’s how my mom talked, my dad died when I was four, and I only remember him through pictures. We moved back to America on my fifteenth birthday last year. I didn’t really miss anything except the digging, so the only hard thing about the move was fitting in with the American people. At first it was really hard, but then I met Sicily. She taught me how to talk, look, and act like an American. I never had a best friend before Sicily. She’s about six months younger than me, she’s got a dark brownish/blonde head of hair, naturally curly like mine, she has large green eyes, a small nose, and the most perfect mouth in the world, she’s short and a little stocky. She makes me laugh, she’s just hilariouse, you guys would love her, and boy dose she love you. She thinks Zac is a god. But she would never be one of those people who would come up and scream in your face, more than likely she would come up and say something witty and then start up a conversation that would keep you entertained for hours. Maybe you can meet her sometime.” I said.
“Yeah.” Taylor said.
“Zac.....a god?” Ike asked amused.
“Oh, God yes, she has it bad for the little blonde boy.” I said, a smirk on my face.
“Oh, she does, does she?” came a voice from behind me. Zac.
“Yes.” I said to him as he sat down on the ground next to me.
“She’s simply maaaad about you daaaling .” I said putting an accent on the phrase. Thay all laughed.
“Yeah he does tend to have that effect on people.” said Taylor with a smirk. We all laughed
“I’m laughing on the inside Tay, I really am. “he said giving Taylor a look.
Then he laughed right along with us.
“For Sicily, crazy isn’t that far off.” I said.” the girl is nuts, she’ll do anything.”
“I like nuts, I’d like to meet her.” said Zac.
“Yeah, she sounds like someone you’d get along with real well.” said Ike jokingly.
“What in the world are they doing over there?” Taylor asked. We all followed Taylor’s gaze.
Jessi was walking up behind me, “I’m too old for this.” she said pointing her finger back at the three small children, then she came and sat down inbetween Taylor and Ike. The children were in the middle of the yard and every once in a while they would jump and pretend to be hurt, then all of a sudden they would just look back down at the ground like nothing ever happened.We were hysterical by then. I mean, rolling on the ground laughing.
“You know, what they’re doing, don’t you?” Jessi asked, “they’re pretending to be bitten by snakes, we saw this show on TV the other day and they ca n think about nothing else.”
“Do they think that being bitten by a snake only lasts for a second?” asked Zac.
“I don’t know exactly what they think.” she said like she didn’t care.
“I like your hair, by the way.” said Ike., winking at me.
“Yeah, it’s really pretty. “said Taylor.
“Awwww, don’t I have the cutest brothers?” she said, after grabbing Ike’s chin and wiggling it around, and kissing Taylor on the cheek.
“Yes, you do. “ I said, dreamily, I’d been staring at Taylor for the past two minutes and hadden’t even realized how I’d said it untill Zac cracked up and looked at me weird. Then there was an awkward silence.
“Does anyone else want lemonaid? ‘Cause I do.” Ike said, tactfully breaking the silence.” Why don’t you two come and help me.” he said tapping Zac and Jessi on their shoulders, then he got up and started to walk away, Jessi and Zac followed, but they weren’t out of earshot when I heard Zac say, “Yes, you do.” in an over-acted way to mock me.
“He didn’t mean that.” Taylor said when they were gone.
“I know, I’m good at taking jokes.” I said.
“So, what made you decide to take dance lessons?” he asked. And you know what? I actually told him the truth which is very weird because I usually won’t talk about this with anyone.
“Well, when I was little the only thing I could do to get any attention at all was make alot of noise and keep in motion, and the best way to do that is to dance around. Well, my mother, bless her heart, thought I just liked to dance. Well, there was this big, bald archeologist that my mother worked with all the time, he was a close friend of ours. He had once been a ballroom dancer, go figure, anyway, we met every first firday of the month at 8:02 pm.for ballroom dancing lessons. I wasn’t all that crazy about it to begin with, but I ended up loving it. During one lesson he told me that if we were ever far apart that I would take lessons from someone else or get a partner and learn with someone new, to see if I was really as good as he thought I was. He died the week after my fourteenth birthday, he died in the night, we don't really know how though. Well, my mother then, didn’t have any coleegues so she decided by the time my next birthday came around we would be citizens of the USA and as I said before, we got on a plane two days before and arrived in New York City on my fifteenth birthday.” as I was explaining all of this I had the feeling that he was looking me up and down, and I was pretty sure he was enjoying it emensly from the look on his face. Not to say he wasn’t listening to me, he was. He was a good listener, you could see it in his face. But he could obviously concintrate on two things at once.
“How did you come to live in such a place as Tulsa?” he asked bringing his eyes back up to my face.
“My grandmother and my mother grew up here, I was born here, but I don’t ever remember living any place but Egypt before then.” I said trying to keep my voice calm.
“So, what do you think of the brood?” he asked dragging his eyes away from me to look at the three youngest.
“I think that they’re just adorable, Oh no not Zac and Isaac, not that they are bad looking, I mean.........Oh just fortget I opened my mouth.” I said giving a loud sigh and putting my head on my hand, looking away from him in embarrassment.. When I looked back up at him he was smiling at me through his hair (how sexy is that) and shaking his head back and forth slightly.
“It’s okay, I knew who you ment.” he said.
“Oh.” I said stupidly.
“So, are you going out with anyone, or anything like that?” he asked looking down at his hands, twisting his ring around nervously. Was he kidding? Me? He’s got to be kidding me. I mean, do I look like anything a normal guy would really look at? I know I’m not chopped liver or anything, but I have a big nose, small eyes, and three out-of-place freckles. I’m no Cindy Crawford. Not in the least. Was he kidding me? Did I already think that? Oh, who knows.
“Uh, no, never in this lifetime could that kind of thing happen to me.” I said, sarcasm almost drownding the sentence. I rolled my eyes.
“What do you mean, never in this lifetime?” he asked, snickering.
“Just look at me.” I said pointing to myself.
“What do you think I’ve been doing for the past half hour?” he said,a sly smile sliping onto his lips, a look that stayed as his eyes went to his ring again and his hair fell in front of his face. It was so sweet, and I couldn’t tell if he was serious or just being nice anymore. And another thing, what do you say to a guy who just admitted that he’s been staring at you for the past thirty minutes? Do you say “thanks” or “ how nice of you” or “ so what do you think?” I mean the possibilities are endless and nothing seemed the right thing to say and oh why was this so difficult? See what I mean about the questions? They just pop into my head one after another. It’s a viciouse cycle. I decided to go with avoidance, well, a little.
“Okay, so your telling me you’re blind in one eye, right?” I asked.He started to laugh.
“No! I’m not blind in one eye from looking at you. Why do you put yourself down? Your very pretty, I can’t take my eyes off you........” He said all of the putting -down stufff with conviction, but then when he got to the can’t-take-my-eyes-off-you part he started to get quiet and I couldn’t even hear the word “you.”
“What was that last part again?” I asked leaning over to look under his hair into his face.
“Oh, nothing.” he said blushing.
“That’s okay, I heard you the first time, I just wanted you to say it again.” I said sittitng back and smiling at him with mischief. Boy, this kid could blush something fearce.
“You are a devil.” we said shaking his head and laughing.
“Well.” I said raising my arms in the air in surrender.
“What’s that?” he asked, turning seriouse.
“What’s what?” I asked.
“ You have blood on you’re shirt.” he said pointing. Oh, no. I looked down and sure enough my left side was covered in blood.
“Oh, I burnt myself, I had to go to the hospital and everything, it was horrid.” I said standing up.Pulling my shirt away from my wound in pain. Of course it also didn’t help that I was lying to Taylor, lying through my teeth. I haden’t been burnt, not in the slightest. My lovely psycho of a stepfather had done this to me. I had been at home all day taking care of my two year old baby sister and I haden’t gotten finnished with the laundry when he got home. He went beserk, and to make a long story short, I got a monster cut on my side.
“Here, let me help you inside, you can clean up and stuff.” he said helping me to my feet.
“Oh, okay.” I said wicing in pain.
We walked into the house and Mrs. Hanson almost had a heart attack. She rushed over and asked me a million questions at once and didn’t wait for the answer to any of them she then rushed me up to her room and helped me rebandage the gash in my side and led me into the boys’ room with her bathrobe hanging over my shoulders, pulled out a grey tee and handed it to me as I sliped it on she explained, “It’s one of Taylor’s, all of mine would be too big and all of Jessi’e would be too small so one of his will just have to do.”
And believe me I wasn’t complaining. I slipped the shirt over my head and breathed in deeply as it slid down over me, it smelled like him. a mix of soap and cologne. I unzipped my shorts and tucked the shirt in, then zipped them back up and pulled the shirt out so it would make a bubble around me. Then I looked in the mirror, the color suited me and it was just big enoughto be a bit too big ang it hung off all of the right places, I had to admit, it looked better on me than my shirt had, or maybe, it was just that soft glow I seemed to have at the moment, I smiled at my reflection thinking about having a part of him be so close to me. And I’ll tell you something else, at that moment I wanted to be nowhere but here.

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Chapter 4 (coming soon!)

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