:::Always::: ©

Zachary Hanson laid back where he had been sitting and watched the clouds float by overhead. The sky was a beautiful pale blue, and the clouds in it were fluffy and white, like beds of marshmallows. But nothing seemed right to Zac today. The clouds seemed to move just a bit faster than they usually did. In fact, everything in Zac’s life had been moving a bit too fast for him recently. He closed his eyes. Pictures of his childhood came into view, and he heard the laughter of two children playing in a playground. “Best friends always!” a little girl said cheerfully. “Best friends always.” Zac’s eyes opened and a tear ran down his cheek, cold from the wind.

He sat up and ran his hand along the cold marble stone and read the words that were engraved:

Allison Harvey

March 18, 1985 - November 17, 2002

“ a daughter, a friend, an angel on earth.....we’ll be together again”

The single tear turned into a massive flood. “Allison.....” Zac said aloud. “...she hated that name.” he smiled to himself, remembering his dear friend. “Why’d you have to take her away so soon?” he asked as he looked to the sky.

There was a moment of silence as Zac thought to himself. “She was so beautiful.” he remembered her always cheerful face. He laid back down, remember everything he could about her: her caramel colored hair, her rosy cheeks, the way her eyes glowed with joy...even in the saddest times. “she always knew things would turn out just fine.” Zac continued to talk to himself....... or rather just to the sky.....maybe it was the beautiful scenery around him......the green field....the apple trees.....the beach, not too far away.....the pastel sunset...... “what about now? Who will comfort me and tell me that things will be okay?” Zac asked. “Will things be okay?” another tear fell from his eye. “How can it be?” he sat up. “She was my world....my life...everything. Is there anything left for me in this life?...I mean...without Alison??” the tears started to pour from his chestnut eyes. He let out a long, shaky sigh and laid back in the blowing grass. As he slowly dosed off into a soft sleep, memories flooded his mind. Memories of the two, and their life together.

~*********************~

“Zac, we’ll always be together. Cause your my best friend, right?” the three year old Allison said to Zac as they watched Snow White on video. “What do best friends do?” Zac asked

“They love each other for life. And they keep each other’s spirits up and alive. They’re like the same person, just in two bodies.” Alison informed Zac.

“Oh. Then you’ll be my best friend, and I’ll be yours, okay?” Zac told her.

“Deal! Best friends always!” Alison gleamed and hugged Zac.

“Always!” Zac smiled, and gave her a peck on the cheek.

The two children finished watching Snow White, and began talking.

“I wish I could be Snow White.” Allison day dreamed.

“Why? Don’t you like being Allison?” Zac asked.

“No. I hate it. I want to be named something that a princess would be named. Like Nestacia. And I want to travel the world, and be considered a queen.” she smiled, telling Zac her fantasy.

“Well, if you weren’t Alison, how would I have ever met you?” Zac asked her.

“I guess you’re right. But I still want to be more than just a country girl. I want to travel. See the world, you know?” Alison asked. She was so intelligent for her age....only three...and already talking about traveling the world.

“As long as I go with you. Best friends have to stick together.” Zac smiled.

“Okay. You can come with me.” she smiled.

~*********************~

“Hey Allison! Come here!” a seven year old Zac yelled down the stairs of his Tulsa home to where Allison was watching TV.

“Don’t call me that! It’s such a plain, dull name! Call me Nestacia! I want to be as much of a princess as I can in this boring town.” Allison expressed to Zac.

“Fine, Nestacia! Come here! I wanna show you something!” Zac shouted to her.

“Okay, I’m here! What do you want to show me?” Allison walked into the room that Zac shared with his two older brothers, Isaac and Taylor. “Look. It’s your castle.” Zac pointed to the lego castle he had been working on.

“Ohhh! Thank you Zac! That was very thoughtful of you!” Allison’s eyes glowed with joy.

“That’s what friends are for, right?” Zac smiled. “Zac, thank you. You’re the best friend anyone could have. I’m glad you’re my best friend, not anyone else’s.” Allison gave him a hug. “So are you. One day I’m gonna take you to your own castle. It’ll be great.” Zac assured her.

“Really, Zac?” she smiled.

“Really. I promise.” Zac put his pinkie around hers. “Pinkie swear.” he looked into her emerald eyes. “I love you Zac. You’re my best friend. In the WHOLE world. We’ll always be together...forever.” she smiled. “Good. Cause I don’t know what I’d do without you. Life just wouldn’t be worth living.” he shared her sweet smile.

~*********************~

Zac’s eyes fluttered and he slowly awoke, sat up, and took a deep breath.

“That was over ten years ago.” Zac said to himself. He gave himself a small smile as he turned around and admired the old stone castle on the other side of the field......the one that he bought for Allison. “pinkie swear.” he kissed the tip of his little finger and pressed it against the marble headstone. Zac crossed his legs and began picking at the strands of grass in front of him.

“You’re still my princess.” he said aloud, looking at the sky with a smile. However, it was a sad smile. “Best friends are supposed to stick together.” the words stuck in his head. He began to daydream:

~*********************~

“Why do you have to leave?” Allison asked.

“We’re going to L.A. to record an album.” Zac told her.

“I don’t want you to go. I wish I could go with you. I want to travel so bad. I really want to go to Prince Edward Island.” Allison smiled. “ You want to go everywhere!” Zac laughed.

“I mean it! I saw it on TV. It’s soo beautiful. I don’t care when or

how, I’m going there someday.” Allison looked to the clouds

. “Is that where you want your castle?” Zac looked at her.

“Yah. That’d be the perfect place.” Allison said.

“Deal.” Zac smiled and stick out his pinkie.

“What?” Allison looked at Zac in surprise.

“That’s where your castle will be.” Zac smiled. “ I’ll buy you a castle on Prince Edward Island.” he hooked their pinkies together.

“Why are you so nice to me?” Allison looked into Zac’s eyes.

“It’s a bad habit.” Zac joked as he looked deeply into her emerald eyes. They always had a certain glow to them. They were beautiful.

“You’re the best Zac.” she kissed his cheek, then stood up and brushed off her pants. “I’ll miss you.” she said.

“I promise to write.” Zac stood up and hugged her goodbye.

~*********************~

Allison,

All I do here is think about you. I can’t sleep much. But I do dream. Last night, I dreamt that you were my girlfriend, and we kissed each other.....on the lips. I know it sounds weird, but it kinda got me thinking. I’ll write more later.

Can’t live without ya,

Zac

~*********************~

Zac,

When do you come home? I miss you soooo much. I had a dream after I read about yours. We were married......in the castle you bought me on Prince Edward Island. It was a beautiful wedding. I wonder if something like that could ever happen to us. I guess we have a long time before we find out. We’re only eleven. But I won’t be for too long. Will you be home for my birthday? I can’t turn twelve without you, so if you’re a week late coming home, I’ll be a week late to turn twelve. I’ll wait as long as it takes. I want you to be here for my birthday.

Love you lots _allison

~*********************~

Allison,

I’ll be there. Definitely. So we were married huh? I don’t know, I think I’d like that. Do you really think it would work out? You know, being more than just best friends? I don’t know how to be a boyfriend, but I’ll try anything for you. We’ve known each other for a long time. Maybe it is time that we took another step. But don’t make it official, I want to still be called your best friend. Best friends are the best type of people there are, you know.

Love,

Zac.

~*********************~

Zac

Sounds good. We’ll still be best friends. Just romantic. Every princess needs her prince.

Your princess,

Allison

~*********************~

“That was a great birthday Zac. Thanks.” Allison kissed Zac on the cheek.

“Don’t do that.” Zac said flatly.

“What?” Allison’s smile dropped.

“Don’t kiss my cheek.” Zac said with the same melo-tone.

“Oh. I’m sorry Zac. I just....” she was interrupted when Zac’s lips met hers for the first time.

“I’m your prince now. Kiss me on my lips.” Zac gave her a smile. “I’ll remember that next time.” she smiled and kissed him on the lips. “That’s more like it.” Zac gave her a loving look.

It wasn’t too long before Hanson was traveling through several different countries doing promotional stuff, taking Zac away from Allison once again.

Zac and Allison barely saw each other for the next three years. They kept their friendship strong through letters.

~*********************~

The most akward part about Zac coming back home, was the fact that both of the two friends grew and changed so quickly over the few years. The doorbell rang at Allison’s house, and a girl answered. She looked like Allison, only taller, prettier, and had a woman’s figure. “Zac!!” she gave him a massive hug.

“Allison!?” Zac looked her over with surprise on his face.

“You look like....a woman.” Zac finally said, admiring her figure.

“Well your nose has gotten bigger, and your voice is like two octaves lower now!” Allison laughed, taking his hand, and walking him upstairs to her room.

“I can’t believe how much you’ve changed.” Zac was nearly drooling over her.

“Look in the mirror Zac!” Allison pointed out.

“I guess we’ve both been growing.” she continued.

“Yah, I guess we have.” Zac smiled, leaned over and gave her a kiss.

Allison kissed him back and ran her fingers through his blonde hair. Zac placed his hands on her hips and kissed her more pationately, sticking his tongue in her mouth. She did the same. Zac rubbed his hands up and down her side then laid her down on the bed.

“Zac.” Allison stopped kissing him.

“I know, I’m moving too fast aren’t I?” Zac asked.

“Just a bit.” she told him.

“It’s okay, we’ll save that stuff for when we’re married.” Zac assured her.

“You really want to marry me?” she asked him.

“Of course.” he smiled and kissed her.

~*********************~

The next month, Zac was touring with Hanson again. He and Allison barely saw each other over the next two years.

Then, shortly after his seventeenth birthday, Zac came back to Tulsa, and planned to stay the entire year.

The phone rang at Allison’s house, and Mrs. Harvey answered the phone. She had a tired worry about her voice.

“Mrs. Harvey?” Zac asked.

“Zac, Allison isn’t here.” she said. “she’s in the hospital.” she told him..

~*********************~

Zac sat in the waiting room with Mr. and Mrs. Harvey.

“Zac, she’ll be okay.” Mr. Harvey patted Zac’s back. Zac looked up with nervousness and doubt on his face. The room was silent until the doctor walked in.

“How is she?” Mrs. Harvey asked in hope.

“She’s very tired. And she’ll need a lot of rest.” the doctor said. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey searched the doctor’s eyes for a sign that she was okay. “The blood tests we ran suggests that Allison has Lupus.” he said “This disease causes the immune system to work too hard and in most cases, it means that the body attacks itself.” the doctor informed them. Mrs. Harvey was in tears. “Sometimes it is serious and on other patients, it is mild. Right now, Allison’s is very serious. At the rate her body is going, we may need to give her a five organ transplant.” the doctor delivered bad news. Mr. and Mrs., Harvey’s faces were painted in shock. “The problem with transplants on Lupus patients is that the body may not accept the one thing that can save it. It is very risky, but there is nothing else we can do. If we do the transplant, and the body accepts the new organs, then Allison will probably live a long and healthy life. If the body rejects the organs, then her body will basically attack itself until it can no longer function.” the doctor went on. “But I’m not saying that she needs a transplant just yet. She is a very strong hearted young lady. She may heal before the transplant is needed.” he finished.

Mr. and Mrs. Harvey asked many questions which the doctor answered in detail. Zac sat in the waiting room chair, tears streaming down his face, his body overwhelmed with shock.

Soon, Mr. and Mrs. Harvey went into the room Allison was in. Zac still sit there, motionless, with a million thoughts scrambling his brain. An hour later, Mr. and Mrs. Harvey came out of the room.

“Zac, she’ll be okay. Don’t worry.” Mr. Harvey told him. You could tell he had been crying.

“We’ll wait for you here. Take as long as you need.” Mrs. Harvey said. Zac swallowed, stood up, and started to slowly walk to the hospital room. He opened the door and looked in to see Allison. Her face had a pink tint to it. She had a redness over her nose and cheeks. The rest of her body was pale and looked very weak.

“Hi Zac.” she said softly. Though she was weak and pale, she still had that strong, joyful glow to her emerald eyes.

Zac didn’t know what to say. He simply walked over to her bedside and took her hand. He ran his fingers through her caramel colored hair and kissed her forehead.

“I’ll be okay.” she tried to comfort Zac.

A tear ran down his cheek and landed softly on hers.

“Don’t cry Zac. They can’t take me away. Because best friends have to be there for each other. Best friends are always together.......aren’t they?” she looked up at Zac with a glimmer to her teary eyes.

“I hope so.” Zac said, his voice shaky.

It got silent as Zac softly stroked Allison’s heated face.

“I’m afraid, Zac.” Allison did her best to hold back her tears.

“I am too.” Zac didn’t lie to her. He wanted to tell her that everything would turn out just fine, and that they’d grow old together, but honestly, he didn’t know.

“What did the doctor tell you?” Allison still wasn’t too sure what was wrong with her.

“You’re very sick.” Zac couldn’t explain the whole thing, because while the doctor was explaining things to her parents, he was so overwhelmed with shock that he barely knew what was going on.

The scared, shaky look in Zac’s eyes told Allison exactly what everyone knew, but didn’t want to believe, was going to happen. Tears began to stream down her face. The strong seventeen year old woman turned into a scared little girl.

“I don’t want to die, Zac.” she said in a weak voice.

Zac couldn’t find words to express his feelings. He held her in his arms until she fell asleep.

~*********************~

The next few weeks were rough for everybody. Allison’s health declined rapidly. She was so weak that she could barely walk. The doctors knew exactly what was in store. So did Allison. Though no one told her. She could feel it. Zac wasn’t the same either. He didn’t know how to live an average everyday life without the spark that Allison placed in his world since they first met. Now it was nearly nonexistent. Allison was always the one to comfort Zac when things were going wrong. Now it was his turn to help her. But he barely knew how. He could barely keep himself sane. How was he supposed to help her?

The doctors informed Allison and her parents that it was at a point that she needed the transplant. They knew that it was a huge risk to her declining health, but it was thier only choice. The doctors agreed to let her go on a two week trip before the surgery with Zac. Zac had been planning a get well surprise for a long time. It was time for him to deliver it to her.....or rather, her to it.

~*********************~

“I have a surprise for you.” Zac greeted Allison one day in her hospital room.

“What is it?” Allison said in her weary voice, with as much excitement she could allow.

“Your castle, princess.” Zac smiled.

“No, you didn’t.” Allison didn’t believe her ears.

“I did. Let’s go!” Zac smiled as he picked her up from her bed.

Tears of joy flooded her pale face. “Zac, I love you. Thank you. This is all I could ever dream of dreaming of!” she softly kissed his cheek with her feverish lips.

“I pinkie swore didn’t I?” Zac smiled to see her happy for the first

time in a long while.

~*********************~

“This place is wonderful, isn’t it Zac?” Allison said. The two friends were in a small stone castle on the shore of Prince Edward Island. The landscape as well as the castle was overwhelming.

“I’m glad you like it. It’s all yours.” Zac smiled.

“Take me to the beautiful meadow you told me about.” she gleamed with joy, but was still weak.

Zac picked her up and took her outside to a large field with rolling hills. The deep green grass shimmered in the bright rays of sunlight. “Oh, it’s beautiful.” the sight was breathtaking to Allison.

Zac laid her down in the rich grass and laid beside her. “I love you princess.” Zac brushed the soft hair out of her eyes.

“I love you too.” she smiled the most beautiful smile. Zac found himself lost in her beauty. She was weak, pale, and flushed in the face, but she was most beautiful sight that Zac had ever seen. His heart pounded every beat with a strong love for her.

They laid in the meadow for nearly an hour, just taking in the beauty of each other, their surroundings, and their love.

They watched each cloud slowly pass above them in the deep baby blue sky. The clouds looked like puffy lace, slowly gliding along the horizon.

“Allison, did you put on your sunblock?” Zac quickly realized that she had forgoten, knowing that the sun would trigger her Lupus and send her into a worse sickness. He noticed that her face had turned a pale pinkish red.

The same fear stricken look fell over both of their faces. Zac quickly picked Allison up and carried her inside.

~*********************~

“I called the doctor.” Zac said as he handed Allison two of her pills and a glass of water.

Allison swallowed the pills and took a small sip of the water. “Take me to the meadow. Please, Zac.” Allison asked him. Her voice was soft, weak, and shaky.

“Of course.” Zac looked worried. He picked her up off of the couch and took her to the spot in the meadow where they had been before. The sun was starting to set. The sky was painted hundreds of pastel colors as it faded into the sea on the horizon. They laid down in the grass. “Tell me you’ll be okay.” Zac looked into Allison’s eyes. That joyful glimmer was gone for good. In it’s place was a pain-filled darkness in her eyes.

“Zac, I love you.” Allison looked into his eyes.

“I love you too.” he brushed her hair out of her face.

“Best friends always?” she asked him.

“Always.” Zac assured her.

“I have to go.” Allison said softly, touching Zac’s blonde hair. A tear ran down her pale, almost lifeless face.

“No. Please don’t leave” Zac pleaded. “We have to stay together always.” he continued.

“We’ll still be together. Remember? Best friends always.” she softly spoke her last words.

“Allison? Don’t leave....please.” Zac felt tears flood his eyes. There was no answer.

The clouds glided in the dark, cruel sky above him. He could feel Allison’s free spirit in the soft breeze that gently blew his few layers of clothing against his body. He stood up, and with one last tear falling from his face, looked to the sky , and whispered “Best friends always.”

~*********************~