Chapter 34
4 days later, Taylor nudged Isaac with his hand softly. "Ike? Get up! Ike?" he
urged in a soft whisper. Tay really wanted to go to the mall, to by a present from me, since
it would be our 7 month anniversary this Wednesday. Dawson's Creek night, none the less.
But that's okay, I could always have Patricia record it for me. "Ike!" Taylor whispered
again, this time shoving his brother hard in the chest.
"What?" Isaac groaned with annoyance.
"Can you come to the mall with me? I need your help with something."
Taylor said, feeling kind of guilty that he woke his brother up on a Monday morning, at
7:00am. Isaac turned around and looked his brother straight in the face.
"Taylor? Should I kill you now or later?" he paused, giving Taylor a nasty
stare, "You had the nerve to wake me up at 7:00am so you could go to the mall? I honestly
believe I should kill you!" Taylor laughed with dryness, as he pulled Isaac out of his bed.
"Please Isaac?"
"No!" Ike groaned, headed back toward his bed. Taylor stepped in his way
and gave him a pitiful puppy face.
"C'mon...um..I'll make your bed for a week." Tay tried to bargain.
"Nope." Isaac said, crossing his arms infront of his chest.
"I'll, uh, make breakfast for a week, and uh..make your bed too."
"OKay, fine!" Ike gave into his brother. Taylor smiled and walked out of the
room. "Damn Tay." Isaac whispered as he pulled on his shorts, and then proceeded to pull a
wrinkled shirt out of their closet.
"Where are you two going?" Mr. Hanson asked from behind his coffee cup
and newspaper.
"The mall." Taylor said, reaching in front of his father and grabbing a
cinnamon muffin. Isaac took the chance, and sipped some of his father's orange juice.
"I saw that young man. Get your own glass." Mr. Hanson laughed and sipped
his coffee. Taylor pulled the glass from Isaac and placed it back near his father.
"Hey dad?"
"Yes Taylor?"
"Is it alright if I borrow $5, its all I need to have a few extra bucks..-"
"You know what I always say about borrowing money you won't return." Mr.
Hanson said sternly, as he placed his newspaper down in order to look at his two eldest
sons.
"I know. But its only $5-"
"I got it covered Tay, now c'mon." Isaac groaned as he grabbed the back of
Taylor's shirt, pulling him backwards toward the door. When Taylor and Isaac were finally
outside, and in the car Taylor thanked his brother. "You should know by now not to bug dad
about money..its only a waste of time!" Isaac replied.
"I know. But it was only $5-" Taylor was cut off once again on the same
sentence.
"Shut up. Its bad enough you woke me up on a Monday morning at 7:00
am..and now you need my money. Gee Tay." Isaac said. Taylor ignored him.
"Take the back roads..cause if Amanda sees us, we're busted." he directed.
Isaac nodded his head and rolled his eyes as he backed out of the car and turned left. Tay
reached over and turned on the radio. None the less, Where's the Love was playing. "I
haven't heard this song in a long time!" Taylor joked. Isaac rolled his eyes at his brother.
"Oh shut up." he groaned.
I looked out my bedroom window just in time to see Isaac and Taylor turn down
the street. "What do I do now? He's already out buying a gift..and I still have, no clue
what to get him!" I said to my friend Autumn, from school. Autumn was a short, brunette
who had a great sense of humor, and we've been friends in the 7th grade.
"I'm clueless Amanda. How could you not know what to get Taylor?!"
Autumn laughed. I looked at her with an arched eyebrow.
"You try raking your mind for two weeks straight, and not coming up with a
single gift idea." I stated. I've been waiting for a long time to find something for Taylor. I
have $80.00 to spend on him, but money wasn't what I wanted to use to show him how
much I love him. I want to make him something special..maybe...Oh I got it! A photo album of
everything we've done together in the past 11 years. I thought to myself. "I got it! Autumn I
got it!" I grabbed her hands and squealed. She looked at me with a weird look in her eyes.
"What is it?" she asked. I smiled and went over to my bed. I got on my
knees, lifted the mattress, and pulled out two of my diaries, and a photo album. "What else
is under there?" Autumn laughed, as she took the photo album from my hands.
"Nothing." I paused and opened my diary. "I figured, I can make a memory
book for him. With..like, photo's, and diary entrees, letters, and stuff. You know?" I told
her. She smiled.
"I did that once. For George..remember him?" Autumn said, a huge smile
falling across her face. I looked at her, and laughed. She's been in love with a 14 year old
boy names George Shenard. He's in my class, but not in hers. She's always had the hots
for him..but he's alittle to conceded to see that she likes him.
"Yea, how could I forget him?" I laughed. "His eyes are so blue, they drive
me insane!" I teased her. Autumn snickered at me, and ignored my remark.
"I have a memory book totally dedicated to him. I plan to give it him when
we get married!" she laughed, and her eyes glazed over as she fell into her own daydream.
I rolled my eyes and read some entrees of my diary.
"Perfect! Look, this one was written on the first day I realized I was in love
with him." I said. Autumn looked down at me, and slid off her chair so she was down on the
floor next to me.
"Who? George?" she asked. I smacked her in the forehead.
"No stupid..Taylor!" I laughed. "How could someone like me be in love with
George..honestly Autumn, your the only one who could love that kid!" I laughed. I could
never imagine myself being in love with George. I laughed again and showed her my diary
entree. "Isn't it perfect?" I asked. She smiled.
"He'll love it!" Autumn cooed. "Are you going to rewrite it so you can keep
the original copy?" she asked. I shook my head.
"I'm giving him the original, and I'm making myself a copy!" I corrected
her.
"Oh. OKay." she said, as she took the diary from my hands and read some
more entrees.
Zac looked around the kitchen. "Hey dad, what happened to the last of the orange
juice?" he asked. Mr. Hanson smiled and put some dirty dishes in the dishwasher.
"Ike drank it." Mr. Hanson laughed. Zac raised an eyebrow, then rolled his
eyes.
"Alright." he paused, a hint of confusion in his voice. "How about the
waffles?" he asked, as he closed the freezer door.
"Why would you care?" Avery asked, as she snuck by her brother to open
the refrigerator door. Zac gave her a nasty look.
"I'm hungry okay?" he replied. Avery smiled and pulled out the waffle box.
"Hmm. Don't these people look awfully familiar dad?" she laughed at the
waffle box, which had her three brothers on it.
"I believe I've seen one or two of them around town once or twice!" Mr.
Hanson said, as he fell into his own hysteria. Zac snickered, and yanked the box out of her
hands. He opened it and peeked inside.
"Aww man." he groaned. "There's only 4 left." Mr. Hanson laughed and
looked at his son.
"I don't see whats wrong with four. I can see your sister wants some, and
maybe if you split them in half, you will both get two!"
"Yea!" Avery giggled and ran to a seat next to her father at the table. Zac
groaned.
"I wasn't complaining about that, there's not enough for me!" he said dryly.
Zac closed the box and flung it onto the table. "Make your own." he mused while he opened
the back door of the house, ran down the patio stairs, and toward my house.
I heard the door bell ring, and I looked up."Be right there!" I screamed, thinking it
might be a member of the big-mouth-can-never-keep-a-secret Hanson trio. Autumn
grabbed all our stuff, and neatly placed it all under my bed. I gave her a smile of
thankfulness, and I ran downstairs. "Yea?" I asked. I opened the door, and Zac walked in.
"Do you have any waffles?" he asked, heading toward the kitchen. I
laughed, obviously confused.
"Um, I think so...can I ask you why?" I asked while I followed him into the
kitchen. He went straight to the refrigerator.
"Avery wanted my waffles, so I said no, and left the house." he paused,
munching on a carrot stick. I cringed, and pulled the carrot stick out of his hand.
"Zac that's gross. Make an omelet or something. Just make sure to put
everything in the dishwasher." I stated, as I turned on my heel to leave the room.
"Amanda?" Zac asked, followed by the clinging of pans.
"What?" I asked., stopping at the doorway.
"You don't have to hide the gift. I'm not stupid, I know your making him
something!" he said, as he shoved a piece of sliced cheese in his mouth. I smiled, trying to
hide the truth.
"I'm not making anything for him. I have money you know." I told him. I
knew that if he saw the gift, or knew about it, he'd tell Ike, and somehow it would go
around the house and finally to Taylor. That's all I needed. Zac laughed and poured himself
a glass of cold milk, while using his other hand to turn on the burner.
"Alright whatever. Go upstairs and make your gift." he paused and looked at
him, his glass up to his lips. "Do you want me to make you and Autumn an omelet or
something?" he asked. I smiled.
"Sure. Extra cheese." I stated. Before Zac could say another word, I ran
upstairs. "It's Zac. We have to hi- Autumn?" I looked around my bedroom. My room was
completely spotless. Not one pen, or shred of paper was to be found. I went over to my
bed, fell on my knees, and looked under it. Nothing. "Autumn?" I asked again. Something's
going on. I thought to myself as I went over to my closet. I opened the door. Nothing. I
closed the door, and listened quietly to the silence in the air. Running water! Autumn was in
my bathroom..but why? I went over to the door, and pressed my ear against it. I knocked
on it, and the door flew open. I almost fell on my face if I hadn't held onto my dresser.
"All set. Tay can come up now." Autumn said, a smile on her face. I looked
at her with an arched eyebrow.
"It's Zac. He's making us omelets...-" I trailed off. I stepped into the
bathroom, and looked around. Nothing. "What did you do with the me-" Autumn covered me
mouth. Ow. I thought to myself. That hurt.
"It's in the top shelf!" she whispered. Autumn pointed up the cabinets, and
her finger pointed on the top shelf. "He doesn't take showers in here? Does he?" she
panicked suddenly. "Coz if he does, we'll have to move them again." I twitched my face
around, and bit her palm. She groaned and pulled her hand off of my face. I looked down at
her, and smiled.
"No Autumn, he doesn't take showers at my house." I stopped. "Can we
please go downstairs now? Zac is making us Extra Cheese Omelets- his specialty!" I said.
Autumn smiled and rubbed her hands together while licking her lips.
"Mmm..lets go!" she said, waisting no time dodging me and running
downstairs.
Taylor groaned and looked at his brother. "I'm clueless." he said. Isaac looked at
Taylor, and pondered for a moment.
"Let me get this straight- you dragged me into Claire's, The Wall, JcPenny,
PayLess, Old Navy, that weird hat store, The Teddy Bear Barn, The World of Science, now
we're in Chelsea's candles..and now your clueless?" he asked. Ike was never one to
complain about helping out his brothers. But this was ridiculous. Taylor had dragged him
through 9 stores at 7:30 in the morning.
Taylor looked down at his watch. "Maybe we should get lunch." he suggested.
Isaac's head shot up.
"Lunch? It's only 8:45." he said. Tay laughed.
"I wouldn't bet your life on that one Ike. It's 2:00." Taylor said, showing
him his watch.
"NO WAY!" Ike yelped. The store went quiet. "Sorry." he mumbled, as he
grabbed his brother's hand and pulled him out of the store. "Your nuts. Stone nuts. Do you
know that?" Isaac said, shaking his head while they walked toward the food court.
"Sorry." Taylor said, a smile tugging at his lips. Isaac glared at him and
went toward Taco Bell. "I don't want Taco's." Tay said, grabbing his brother by the sleeve,
and tugging him toward a Chinese place. Isaac tried to tug way.
"I'm not going to put up with your crap Taylor. The least you could do is let
me have my meal." Finally, he managed to get loose, and he pulled his arm away. Sending
him flying backwards. Taylor watched as his brother and a tale blonde fell onto the floor.
"This is pathetic." he mumbled under his breath, as he went to help his
brother and the teenage girl. "Stupid." Taylor whispered into his brother's ear, while
bringing him onto his feet. Tay didn't wait for an answer, he went straight toward the girl.
"Let me help you." he said, taking her hand and pulling her onto her feet. She blew her long
blonde hair out of her face and looked at the two.
"OH MY GOD!" she screamed, turning around and grabbing two other's girl.
"Look, its..its..its HANSON!" she choked out.
"Opps." Isaac whispered, as he grabbed Taylor's sleeve cuff.
"Damn right. Thanks Ike!" Tay replied hastily under his breath. The blonde
and her to other blonde friends screamed out just pure screams. No words could be
recognized in their horrible screams.
"OH MY GOD!!! IT'S HANSON!" some rude teenage boy screamed with
sarcasm. Taylor and Isaac looked around frantically. They saw about 70 girls swarm
toward them.
"We'd better go." Taylor said, yanking his sleeve out of Isaac grasp and
running toward the other end of the mall. Isaac shook his head, rolled his eyes, and ran
after his brother. "This is not good. This is not good..not good not good not good.." Taylor
mumbled as he dodged someone girls. "Ike?" he managed to run in a clear path, so he
turned around to look for his brother. When Tay finally managed to spot his brother, he
turned back around to find himself face to face with an elevator. "Uhh." he groaned as he
tried to stop himself. No use. Taylor went head on into the opening elevator.
Isaac's face dropped, as he watched his brother stumble over himself and fall into
an elevator. As Ike turned toward the elevator, a huge white flash came, then it came
three more times. Photographs. Isaac recognized the man. He had been following Ike and
Tay around the mall all morning. But, they thought nothing of it., they were too busy
bitching at each other to make any sense of the man. Isaac ran toward the elevator, and
just managed to hold the door open wide enough to get in. "Tay..there's photographs out
there..Tay..Tay?" Ike questioned, as he nudged his brother. Taylor's hair fell in his face.
"Oww." he moaned. His head was throbbing, and his temples pounded along. "That really
hurt." "No shit genius." Isaac groaned under his breath. He pressed the elevator button
that would lead them upstairs to the parking area. Taylor nicely asked Ike to park the car
all the way at the top, basically because he liked the view. Isaac wasn't in the mood to
bitch back, so he listened. When the elevator stopped at the top, the door opened, and
Isaac pulled Taylor into his arms as he tried to get out of the elevator. "Oh shit., oh shit
oh shit!" Isaac shrieked. The elevator was stuck. They weren't even at the top floor yet.
"Just great!"
