Chapter Two: Book One
The booming of Taylor getting yet another strike filled my ears.
"Yesss," he hissed, walking back over to the boys' side of the lane, high-fiving Ike on his way.
No one really wanted to be at the bowling alley in July, but LazerQuest was shut down for remodeling, which devastated Zac greatly. We all had decided to bowl for a couple of hours and then see what happened.
"Ya think he's cheating?" I whispered to Aria as Kate got up for her turn. She turned around and looked at both of us.
"He's a musician, he is capable of anything." Taylor glared at her playfully and she coolly walked over to get her bowling ball as if she didn't care, but everyone there knew was loving every minute of it.
"I'm hungry," Zac complained, slouched in his seat. He had moaned and groaned when everyone decided that we would go bowling. "I wanna go Laser Tag-ing!" he whined all the way to the alley.
To shut him up so everyone else would leave here in a good mood, I spoke up. "Come on Animal, let's go to the snack bar." I stood up and started for the snacks. Zac was right behind me.
As we waited for Zac's small pizza, large fries, hamburger, hot dog with relish--no bun--, and a side of ribs, I was looking over at the rest of the group.
Kate had missed only two pins on her turn and went to sit down. Ike and Tay were talking, while Kate and Aria glared at them.
I loved 'em. They were always there for me. Even Katie, who I hardly saw anymore since she had moved to New York, searching for an acting career.
They were all right there beside me when my parents died in that horrible plane accident.
I still remember it as though it were yesterday: I was with my Aunt Mary for the weekend, since my parents decided to go on a "second honeymoon" to the Bahamas. I had screamed and yelled at them for sticking me with my boring aunt to be cooped up in that horrible house for a whole weekend. Trying to cheer me up, they kept reminding me that Aria lived right across the street, and that I could have sleep overs and do all sorts of things with her. It didn't work. They left for the airport that day with me crying up in my aunt's guest room, which was my "temporary" room. Or so I thought.
The next morning I woke up to Aunt Mary gently shaking me, trying to wake me up. She told me that Mom and Dad weren't coming to get me. The plane that they were on had a bomb aboard and crashed the plane. No one survived.
The light tapping on my shoulder jolted me back to the present time.
"Are you all right? You look kinda pale," Zac asked, looking quiet and concerned.
I nodded. "I'm ok. Is your stuff ready?" I asked, then noticed him trying to juggle 4 plates at once.
I laughed and grabbed two of them. "Come on."
As we were walking back to our lane, Zac looked up at me.
"You know what?" He asked.
"What?" I replied, looking at Tay making, once again, another strike.
"He likes you." Zac had a tendency to not elaborate on what he's trying to say.
"Who likes me Zac?"
He gave a little smile. "Taylor."
I stopped in mid-step and looked at Zac. "What?" I asked, shocked.
"Tay, he likes you. I read his diary the other night and you were in it." He didn't seem to notice how stunned I was because he kept walking.
He didn't say anymore, and neither did I because we had arrived back to our lane.
"What in the world took you two so long?" Aria had said, but then noticed that we had brought the whole snack bar back. "Oh."
"We were beginning to think you left us. You know, to be. . .alone," Kate exaggerated.
Tay snickered. "Yea, we know how much you two like each other." I had a hard time looking up to meet his eyes. I let out a humorless laugh. Could he actually like me? I thought to myself. I've always thought of Taylor Hanson as a friend, a pal, a bud. Not the boyfriend type.
When I finally was able to lift my eyes to his, his expression startled me. It wasn't the teasing, playful look that he always gave me when joking about Zac and me. It was a look of concern and worry. As though he was reading my thoughts.
But just as fast as I saw it come, I saw it fade, and the look of trouble disappeared.
****
Chapter Two: Book Two
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