Hiya darls!!

Thankyou so much for your letter! Thankyou for writing back so soon! I really do miss you.. I wish you were here right now. See.. I have a problem.

I found myself a hunky american fella.. only thing is, the only friend I've managed to make over here is majorly insterested in him and has even already been out with him. Thing is, he just called and asked me out for tonight. Sarah, I wanted to much to say yes! I'm telling you ... this guy is G O R G E O U S!! and not to mention he's a sweetie, funny, out going... and ... he's just everything I'm looking for. Sarah, he's better than Mark.... and thats saying a lot! But anyway, I turned him down. Now, now.. stop yelling at me... I know what you must be saying... I know I'm crazy. But how can I go out with him when Danielle (my new friend) thinks the two of them are together now!??! I can't! But Sarah, every time I look at Taylor Hanson (geez, even his name is gorgeous!) I melt. My legs go weak. The only other person who has half done this to me is Mark... but what makes Taylor different... I think he's starting to feel the same way about me. He told me that he wanted to take me out last night, not Danielle. He knows I exisit! There is a slight remote chance with this guy.. cept for one thing. Danielle.

What am I gonna do Sarah?? Should I just go out with him? But then if I do, Danielle will be hurt. And I'll lose the one friend I've got over here. She's such a nice girl... the only person who made an effort to help me at school. No.. I think I've already made up my mind. As long as Danielle likes him.... I'll keep my distance. Taylor understands everything. Yes, I've explained all my feelings about the whole situation... (cept exactly how I feel for him..) and he wants to be friends. But I don't want that. I want soooo much more than that... I don't think I should have to settle for anything less than what I want.. so the best thing would be never to see him as long as Danielle is with him.. which is gonna prove to be a hard task.. but I'll try my best and keep ya updated!

Ok, that's enough about my problems... man I wish you were here... just to hear you tell me what to do would make things seem less hard. I dunno.

My Dad and Carol were starting to fight over me.. I heard them in the kitchen earlier this morning. I think my Dad expceted me to just be the same... like before he left. Sarah, I've tried.. I really have, but I can't act like everything is the same. It's not. It's been three years... we've started talking more.. a bit... so thats good, I guess.

Anyway, I think I've depressed us both enough in one letter! Hear from ya soon I hope!

Love forever!

Liz

I read over what I had written and then folded up the letter. Taking an envelope from my top desk draw, I shoved it in and wrote Sarahs address on the front, then I stuck a pre bought stamp on the top right corner.. After letting my Dad know where I was going, I walked down the street to the corner where I had spotted a letter box. As it was freezing out, I wasn't long posting my letter. Upon returning to the house, I went into the living room, to warm up by the fire, before retreating back to my room.

"Hi Dad..." I said, seeing him sitting at the kitchen table, a newspaper infront of him. I could see into the kitchen from my place infront of the fire.

"Hi hon. Back already?"

"Yeah, only had to post a letter to Sarah.... remember her?" I asked.

"Of course. How is she?"

"Good.. I miss her though...." I said, looking down at the carpet. "Hey.. where's Carol?"

"She had to go into work."

"Huh? Isn't she a writer?" I asked, confused.

"Yes, but she has a part time job as a counselor at a local Youth Center. She'll only be another hour or so." Dad explained.

"Oh.. ok then. Is she coming back here or is she going to her apartment?" I asked. Carol didn't live with my Dad. They didn't want that as it was still quiet early into their relationship.

"She'll probably go to her apartment first, then come here. She said something about going over to a work colleges house tonight for dinner." He told me. All I did was nod. Just as well I hadn't agreed to going out with Taylor. It suddenly stuck me then that I hadn't listened to their CD yet.

"Ah, I'm gonna go back up to my room now. It was nice talking." I said. It was a stupid thing to say though. Without waiting for an answer, I flew up the stairs and down the hall way to my room. As soon as I got in there, I put the CD on. After listening to it, I decided that my faveourite songs were "A Song to Sing" and "In The City". I recognized In the City as the song they had been playing when Danielle and I had first arrived at the party on Friday night. I grinned to myself and then settled down to actually do some homework.

"Hey sweetie." Carol said, standing in my bedroom doorway. I hadn't realised that I'd kept my door open. I turned around and smiled at her.

"Hey. How was work?"

"Oh, okay I guess. You don't have any plans for tonight do you?"

"No... just homework"

"Want to take some time out from that for a couple of hours? One of my friends from work wants us to join her and her family for dinner tonight. She has some sons who are around your age. Interested?" Carol asked. I had nothing better to do so I nodded.

"Okay then. When do we leave?" I asked. Carol looked at her watch.

"Oh, not for another couple of hours yet. You can do some more of that homework of yours" She said, grinning. I laughed.

"Oh gee, thanks. You're way to kind to me! I've nearly finished anyway. Let me know when we're leaving okay?"

"Sure" Carol said, then dissapearing from my doorway. Sooo, there would be guys there. Good. Maybe they'd be able to take my mind off of Taylor. I sighed and sat back in my desk chair. I picked up the CD cover that was lying on my desk top and stared at the picture. He was damn near perfect and I couldn't have him. Well, I could if I wanted to be some mega bitch who goes around stealing her friends boyfriends but hes not her boyfriend my mind pointed out. shut up! Danielle likes him so much, it's pretty much the same thing. You wouldn't like it if Sarah had gone out with Mark.... but Mark never showed any interest in Sarah. I groaned and got up from my desk. As long as Danielle was interested then I wasn't going to be... which was easier said than done.

"Hey guys, come on in!" Diana said, opening the door wider for Carol, my Dad and I to enter their house. I knew her name because Carol had told me on the way over that her friend was Diana Hanson. I was panicking and hoping that it wasn't the same Hanson family that Taylor belonged to.

"Di, this is John's daughter Elizabeth. She's over here from Australia for the next year" Carol introduced me. I smiled and said hello.

"Hey there honey. You look so much like your Dad... has anyone ever told you that?" Diana asked. I nodded.

"Yeah... used to be told that all the time when I was younger" I said. Diana grinned.

"Don't you just love Australian accents?" She asked Carol. Carol nodded.

"Yeah, now I have two to listen to all the time. It's great" She said. Diana and Carol continued to chat away while we were escorted into the "den" as Diana had called it. There were kids everywhere and my heart sank when I recognised Zac from Friday night.

"Okay, kids.. we have company. Jessica honey, turn the t.v down for a minute" Diana instructed. Jessica obeyed her mother and turned the tv down. Four heads turned to stare at me. One little girl was pre-occupied with a blown up balloon. They'd met Carol and my Dad before. "This is Elizabeth, she's Mr. Jaymison's daughter. Elizabeth, these are Jessica, Avery, Mackenzie, Zoe and Zac.". Those who could actually talk greeted me and I awkwardly said hi. It was so uncomfortable with them looking at me. "You guy's will look after Elizabeth while we adults go into the dining room wont you?" Diana asked.

"No Mom, as soon as you leave, we're gonna make Elizabeth-"

"I don't even want to hear it Zac" Diana said, cutting him off. "Well, you just make yourself at home here. if you need anything, Zac or Jess can either get it for you or show you. You'll be okay" She said, turning to me. I smiled.

"Okay. Thanks". They left me then. I stood in the den, not sure where to sit. It was either inbetween Zac and Mackenzie on the couch or on the floor. I opted for the most comfortable option.

"Where in Australia are you from?" Zac asked me as Jessica turned the tv up again.

"Adelaide. South Australia"

"Oh, okay. We've been to Australia a few times but we never went there"

"I know" I said, smiling.

"How?"

"Your brother told me."

"Which one?"

"Taylor... I met him at the party you and your brothers played at on Friday night"

"Ahhh, okay then. How'd you like the show?" Zac asked, grinning.

"What I saw of it was pretty good. How long have you been playing drums?"

"Years and years" Jessica piped up.

"Do you play anything?" I asked her. She shook her head.

"Nah, they're the musical ones in the family"

"She means me Ike and Tay" Zac informed me. I nodded.

"I gathered that" I said.

"Just in case you didn't. You go to Tulsa Memorial do you?"

"Yup.. do you?"

"Nah, we're all homeschooled, except for Ike. He's going to college now. What grade you in?"

"Eleventh"

"Hey who's car is that out front?" Taylor came striding into the room. He stoped short when he saw me sitting between his brothers. His face broke out into a grin. "Well hey there! What are you doing here?"

"She's John's daughter... you know, Carol's boyfriend?" Zac said. It sounded weird hearing the words "boyfriend" and my dads name associated with each other.

"Cool. So you guy's are staying for dinner? And I thought I wasn't gonna see you tonight" Taylor said, still smiling at me. I smiled, a little embarrassed.

"Zac? I wanta build a snowman now... come with me!" Mackenzie suddenly said, jumping off of the couch and tugging on his big brothers hand. Zac shrugged and stood up.

"Okay Mack. You guy's wanta come outside?"

"Are you kidding? It's freezing out there!" I exclaimed.

"You'll get used to it"

"We might come out later" Taylor offered. Zac seemed to accept that and left us with the three girls. I looked around and saw that it was only Taylor and I left in the room. His sisters had obviously left us. I didn't know if being alone with Taylor was such a good thing. He sat down on the couch next to me. "You still holding fast to this 'friends only' business between us?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yup. I can't do anything behind Danielle's back. She really likes you you know." I pointed out.

"I know. I really like her. But I like you more"

"You don't even know me! You've atleast had time to get to know Danielle"

"Not really. Before Friday night, we'd said all of five words to each other."

"Fine then. But I don't even like you in that way anyway so there's no point in having this conversation" I said. Taylor raised an eyebrow and I knew that he didn't believe me. "What? I don't" I said.

"I don't believe you. You would have told me this ages ago if it were true."

"It is true.". God, I'm a terrible liar!.

"Kiss me then."

"Excuse me?"

"Kiss me and tell me that you don't feel anything at all. You wont be able to."

"Why should I kiss you? It's just as easy for you to kiss me. Why automatically assume that I should be the one to kiss you? You want to do it so much you can kiss me. But I wont feel anything-" I was cut off when Taylor leaned over, took my face in his hands and lightly rested his mouth on mine.

Seven
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