He just stood there watching. He'd come too late to have time to get through the handshake and autograph signing line or to save himself a front row seat for the small concert they were giving. But he'd also come too early to realize that the mall was already full. As soon as he'd walked in, the mass of people seemed to swarm around him, sucking him in, making it impossible for him to leave. Not that he really wanted to leave. People watching was a hobby of his.

'Damn these girls are rude.' He thought as one girl refused Isaac's handshake. Others had made faces as they walked away. Faces that seemed to say 'He touched my hand. What the hell was he thinking? He'd seen girls walks past Zac as though he wasn't even there.

So he stood there, leaning against a collumn in the mall. In the middle of the food court, staring at them. He was counting. Counting how many girls shook each Hanson's hand. Taylor was in the lead, with Zac and Isaac straggling behind at about the same number. He'd come to one final, utterly revolting, and depressing conclusion. "Only the pretty people matter."

"What?"

He hadn't meant to say it, not outloud anyway, but somehow it had slipped. Now some girl with short brown hair and squinty eyes was staring at him. Man, life, you're a bitch.

"I just saw you standing alone over here and I thought I'd say 'hi'." she smiled. She had big teeth. But nevertheless, she was pretty. She was one of those people where if you picked her apart each separate part of her face would be horridly ugly, except for maybe her nose. Yet somehow, the concoction of it all was somewhat appealing.

"Well, um, hi. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Cassidy." She stuck out her hand.

"Bryan." Thousands of handshakes for Tay, a few hundred for Ike and Zac, and one for Bryan.

"So what are you doing here?"

He laughed. "All by my lonesome?"

"Yeah." she grinned.

"Nothing really." He glanced back at Hanson to see another girl shake Taylor's hand and then rush past Zac.

"You're a fan?"

"Huh?" He'd zoned out and she'd caught him off guard.

"Hanson? You're a fan right?"

"Yeah." He whispered He glanced around, almost wishfully at all the other fans.

"It's a bit depressing, isn't it?"

"Why do you say that? The guys have got a great following right now, I bet they're thrilled."

"Well sure. Until a year from now when the tour's over and the record is falling down the charts. How many of these people do you think will still be cheering them on? I bet three quarters of them forget all about Hanson by next September."

He nodded, "Actually, while I was standing here, I was counting how many handshakes each guy was getting."

She laughed. "How far was Taylor ahead?" Her voice oozed of sarcastic disgust.

He shrugged, "A lot. I lost count."

"Nothing against Taylor, really. He's awesome, really talented."

"Totally."

"But his fans drive me insane."

H laughed. "You know, sometimes you can tell which brother is a person's favorite, just by talking to them."

"Without them saying it."

"Of course. I mean, for instance, the mean ones are usually Tay fans."

She laughed. "And the ditzes, prisses and sluts too!"

"Actually, the ditzes are Zac fans. They mistake their lack of brain cells for humor. The funny ones, like insanely funny, sarcastic, stubborn, and suicicidal ones tend to be Zac fans."

"Suicidal?"

"There are a lot more than you think. And they all like Zac. He makes them feel better."

"Because he's wacky?"

"Because he's not afraid of rocking the boat, in fact, he seems to like making waves. He's not afraid to be the way he feels like being."

She nodded, "Yeah."

"Isaac fans are usually really nice. They're thoughtful and caring, usually capable of maintaining intelligent conversations. It's kind of refreshing. Everyone here is about 15 and younger, but some of them are surprisingly intelligent. It's nice."

She looked confused. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-two." She covered her mouth, shocked and embarrassed. He laughed, "Don't worry, I get that a lot. Before I cut my hair people thought I was Zac."

"So, um, who do you think is my favorite Hanson?"

"Probably Zac." He nodded his head, contemplating his decision.

She smiled, "But I'm not funny."

"You're subborn and you're sarcastic. Was I right?"

"Yeah, kind of, I tend to fluxuate as to who my favorite is on a day to day basis. Today is a Zac day though."

She was smiling but it faded as she stared into the sea of girls. "I can hear these girls. Last year if you'd asked them about Hanson they'd have wrinkled their noses and said 'They were so '97.' And if you asked them now they'd insit they were loyal fans from the beginning and always had been."

Bryan furrowed his brow. "Yeah. It's like their entire concept of loyalty is based on the 'dine and ditch system.' While it's hot they're right there, but as soon as it's gone or cold it's like they were never there to begin with."

"Do you think they'll forget us?"

"Who?"

"Hanson. Do you think they'll forget the people who've supported them all along?"

Bryan rolled his eyes. Cassidy, you were so close. You were close to being the coolest fan I'd ever met. And now you've ruined yourself, you forget it's for them it's for their music. You can't have or keep the love you never possessed to from the start.' He sighed. "I guess you can't forget someone you never knew existed."

"But they know I exist." She seemed to be reverting further and further into the childish state of temper-tantrums.

"They know that fans exist simply because they're successful. They don't know us individually, and they probably never will. All they know is that people are liking them right now."

She slumped helplessly onto the floor leaning against a collumn in the mall. "That's not fair. I love them more than..."

He stood up, a little frustrated, a little angry, but mostly disappointed. "You can't measure love. Look, they've got a big thing going for them. We should be happy for them. They don't know us," he motioned towards himself and her. "But they know us." He pointed his hand in the direction of screaming girls around the small stage. "It's just the way things are." Then, Bryan walked away.