Chapter 14

Chapter 16- Three weeks later, I lay outside my house in Tulsa, waiting for some sign of life. It's so boring, I can sleep and I wouldn't miss anything; not a cloud in the sky moved more then an inch. Hunter and Lauren have been talking alot, and I even think they be starting to get into "dating quality". But it doesn't seem as if it is right, Hunter from New York, and Lauren from Tulsa, it just doesnt seem to fit. I mean, Lauren, little miss flirty, and Hunter, Mr. I'm To Good For AnyOne But Amanda..they just shouldn't be together, under any circumstance. Just as I started to fall asleep, the phone rang. I rolled my eyes, knowing that was going to happen, and scrambled toward the phone. It lay on the other side of the patio. I groaned, and after 4 rings, picked up the phone. "Hello?" I asked, now releaved I had something to do. "This is Tulsa High School, we are calling due to the concern of Ms. London. Do you know if she'll be joining the 11th grade students this year?" Mrs. Levesque, the school secretary, asked politely. "Mrs. Levesque? It's me, Amanda. Hi." I said. She laughed. "Hey hun, how are you doing?" She asked. I smiled. "Fine. Alittle bored maybe, but okay. School's starting soon huh?" I had to ask right? I really didn't want to school. I mean, c'mon, I graduated from Atlanta High School three months early coz I was leaving for New York, so I had an extended summer. I'm smart, I know what I'm doing, why go back to school? Sighing, I knew, that if I didn't finish High School, I'd have no chance at Harvard, or a writing scholarship. "Yes Amanda. It's already September 1st hun, we need to know if your reentering this High School, or do we need to ship your records to another school." Mrs. Levesque questioned. No matter how profession she was to sound, she sounded like close friend of mine, with serious concern in her voice. "Did Atlanta send the records like I told them too?" I asked her. Smiling to myself, I gathered my towel, hand radio, soda bottle, sun tan lotion, sun block, water bottle, three magazine's, my writer's idea notebook and went into the house. Heaving everything onto my living room couch I plopped across the room in my love seat. "Yes hun. Are you going to take up French like in Atlanta, or are you going for your 4th year here of Spanish?" She asked. I thought for a minute. "Wasn't I already in my 6th year of Spanish? College only requires 4, so I'll stick with French. It'll look good." I said, thinking for my future. My mood was starting to lighten up, and I felt like I was totally read for my Junior year. "Any extra courses hun?" Mrs. Levesque asked. I sometimes wonder if she even remembers my real name, she does call me Hun an awful lot. "Yes," I blurted, "I want an advanced theater class, since I took that up in Atlanta..and um..are there any Journalism classes left?" I asked. She laughed. "Sure are hun. Enough for you to take that class all for terms. Interested?" "Oh yeah, cool. Sure. How about Speed Writing?" I knew this was my main object of professionalism. "Mmm..yes..your lucky, your the last to get it. You can take it two terms, 2nd and 3rd, okay? How about art again? You seemed to drop art the last few terms, itsn't that what you wanted to major?" Mrs. Levesque asked, assuming I would be my usual self. I shook my head. Man, she really needs to get with the program. "Nope, no art this year. Just writing classes please, I think I'm switching major's now." I updated her. She gasped softly, trying not to act surprised. "What a change Atlanta did to you hun,.." I cut her off. "How about two advanced English classes too?" "Sure hun, your all set alright?" she said. I smiled, knowing that when I go back to school on the 10th, everything is going to be different. Everything. The people, the classes, teachers, homework, and even my grades. My only A wont be in Art, I'm planning on getting A's in all my classes this year. "Thanks Mrs. Levesque, see you soon." I hung up. Isaac rolled over in his bed, groaning loudly. "Ugh....I don't feel so good." he said, his head light and dizzy. Taylor rolled off his bed, closing his journal, and climbed the latter. "It's almost one, do you feel tired?" he asked. "Um..no, just..-" "Tay move, he's gonna puke." Zac shrieked, diving onto Taylor's bed for safety. Taylor jumped off the latter, and ran toward the bathroom, opening the door to help guide his brother. Isaac came running, well, rather stumbling into the bathroom, in his crumpled gray boxer shorts. He dove, literally, into the toilet, and started to gag. The sound of the contents hitting the water made Taylor wozzy, and he left his brother. "Hey mom!!" he shouted, walking down the stairs on his right. "MOM!!!!" he shouted, not getting a response from his mother. He turned right, heading into the kitchen. "MOM!!!" he shouted again. "WHAT?" Mrs. Hanson shouted back, standing in front of him. He jumped. "Oh- hey mom. Ike's upstairs puking his inside's out, I think you should go check up on him." Taylor informed her, sniffing the air. "Mmmm..home made strawberry ice cream." He said, opening the freezer door, his crystal eyes searching the area. He noticed his mother glaring at him. "Aren't you going to go check on Ike?" he asked. "Yes, in a minute." she whispered. He shrugged, noticing a pink container in the far back of the freezer. He reached for it, and popped the top, his mother still watching him. He smiled at her, and stuck his finger in the container. "What the- " "Don't say it." His mother warned. Taylor looked into the container. "I did not just touch that," he denied, his two fingers carved into the slimely liquid. "Gross..." he trailed off, pulling his finger's out, "Mom what was that?" he asked, sniffing the container. It reaked of squid, moldy pasta, and playdo. "Mackie was teaching Zoe to cook, isn't it cute?" His mother laughing, patting her son, and walking upstairs. "That's gross!" he said, dropping the container in the sink, washing his hand. He sniffed the air again, he smelled homemade ice cream. He looked around. "Duh, commen sense Tay." he said to himself, noticing his mother's ice cream maker on the table by the screen door. "I can't believe what a blonde I am sometime." He laughing, reaching for the spoon. "Mmm." he sighed, licking at the ice cream. "Don't eat any of that ice cream young man. Its for Jessica and Avery to bring to Sandra's birthday party." Mrs. Hanson called to Taylor from upstairs. On that note, Jessica and Avery ran in from their bedroom, and looked at Taylor. The spoon was still in his mouth, and this blue eyes looking at them like a little puppy dog. "No Tayles. Not for you." Avery giggled, jumping up, grabbing the spoon from his mouth. "Oh c'mon." he said. "It's strawberry." Jessica tugged on Avery's skirt, pulling her next to her. "I have an idea." she whispered into Avery's ear. "If we give him some ice cream, he can get Amanda over here, to do our hair!" "Yay! Amanda, yay!" Avery giggled. "Shut up Avery." Jessica hassaled. "Hey Taylor, we have a bargain to make to you." "Oh really?" Taylor raised an eyebrow. "Explain girl." he laughed, leaning against the counter, closer to the ice cream. "If you call Amanda and ask her to come over to do our hair,...we'll let you have a big bowl of our ice cream..deal?" "No way. Sorry..I can just bum some money off of Ike, and go by myself a big case of ice cream." Tay said. I'm not bringing her over here after she went with J.C..I just can't let her know. "Um..no you can't. Tay, if I were you, I'd call Amanda. You are not getting any money from me!" Isaac groaned, coming into the kitchen. Taylor leaned away from him, smelling his puke. "I'm on my way to take a shower, okay?" Ike responded, sticking his tongue out at Taylor and walking out of the kitchen. "It's free Tay..please?" Avery begged, seizing Taylor's leg. She wrapped her arms around his leg and held on tight. "Oh Avie, you know I hate that. Fine get me the phone." Tay gave in. I'll let it ring once, then I'll hang up, saying she wasn't home. Yeah, that's what I'll do. Jessica retrieved the phone, and handed it to Taylor. He dialed my number. I sat down at my new, orange, IMac, and opened up AOL. Just as I clicked onto one of my many screen name's, the phone started to ring. Anxious I picked it up. "Hello?" I asked, glad I wasn't bored again. Shit! Taylor thought to himself. "Hi. It's Tay." Tay said. I smiled. "Yeah I know. What's up?" I asked, I mean, I need some kind of conversation starter. After the time in New York we had together, Taylor seemed sorta of uptight, and he bearly said more then anything desides: Nothing! Sorry! Oh, I just got home. Stuff like that. He never opened up to me anymore, and I'm dying to know why. "Um, Jessica and Avery made me call," Gee, thanks Tay, "They want to know if you can come over to do their hair, and...other girl stuff." "Isn't your mom home to do that?" I asked. "Yeah, but she's busy taking care of Isaac." he said. "What happened to Ike?" "Morning sickness I guess." "He's not pregnant Tay. Yeah sure, I'll be right over. Ask them if they want me to bring any c.d's or something." "Kay, hold on," he turned toward his sisters, "Do you guys want her to bring music or something?" "Ooo, does she have the new Genie c.d?" Jessica asked. "Yes, I'll bring that." I answered to Tay, hearing his sister. "Okay, come throught the back." "See ya in a few." I said, hanging up. I sighed, grabbed my c.d and ran out the door. Avery looked at her braided buns in the full length mirror in her mother's room. "Ooo, so pretty." she gawked. I smiled. "Can you play Genie again?" Jessica asked. I laughed and replayed Genie In A Bottle for her. "Can I ask you something Mandie?" she whispered, as I ran a comb through her hair. "Sure., Oh Avie, go show the boys your new hair style." I replied. Avery smiled a Hollywood smile and ran out of the room. "Are you and Taylor still going out?" Jess whispered. I felt winded for a minute, but I didn't show it as I continued with her hair. "Sure, we still do stuff together." "No, I mean, you never do gross stuff anymore. Like the time you guys first kissed at your house, and the time Duncan thought you did grown-up things, how come you don't do that anymore???" she asked. I dropped my brush, and looked at her. She turned around to face me. "Where did you hear that?" I asked, thinking she over heard Taylor telling Ike. Jessica's face blushed and she looked at her hands. "I read it. Tay wrote about it in his Journal. Mommy was cleaning the tour bus and she put it on my bed for a minute, and...I read it when she wasn't looking. He's mad at you Amanda, did he tell you?" Right then I knew this was wrong, but something told me this was just 'girl' talk. "No." "He thinks you kissed the cute one from *N Sync when you were in New York." Suddenly everything pieced together. "I don't want you reading anything that belongs to your brother's without them giving you permission, understood?" I asked, turning her around, and continuing to twist her hair. She nodded, and we sat in silence for twenty minutes as I twisted her hair and clipped Butterfly clips in her hair. Mrs. Hanson gasped in awe when we approached her later that morning in the living room, with her daughter's new style's. Both the girls giggled, and twirled. "Hey, careful, you don't have time for me to do them again." I noted. Taylor crept down the hallway, careful not to distrube his sleeping brother. "You should major in beauty this year when school starts Amanda, I think you could make a career out of it." Mrs. Hanson told me. Taylor stopped by the doorway, making sure not to be seen or heard. "No thanks," I laughed, "Actually, school called today, and I decided I'm majoring in Journalism and Novelity writing." I stated. The girls smiled, thanked me, and ran upstairs to get changed. Taylor held his breath, thankful the girls didn't see him. "Really? Amanda that's wonderful." "I think so, I'm actually working on a novel as we speak..well...sort of." we laughed, "It's cool, maybe I'll let you read it. I wanted to let Tay know first, so don't tell him." I said. "All the boys are going to be proud of you dear." she told me, I laughed. "No, I don't think so." I said, remembering what Jessica told me. "Why not?" "When I was upstairs with Jessie, doing her hair, she asked me why I don't do 'grown-up' things with Tay anymore. I asked her what she meant, and she told me that she came across Taylor's journal while you were cleaning the tour bus, and she read it.," I paused, "She said that he was mad at me, coz in New York he thought I kissed J.C, from *N Sync, and I never did that. Never!" I ended, falling against the couch. "Did you tell him that?" Mrs. Hanson asked, squeezing my shoulder. I shook my head. "Oh honey, you should go talk to him, I think he's in the rec room. Tell him everything you just told me, don't let him get one stubborn word in. Not one, then when your finished, tell him you never did anything with that boy. Believe me sweetie, Taylor will understand." I smiled at her. Shit! Tay thought to himself. Rec room, rec room. Damn! He realized that if he was going to be in the rec room, he'd have to cross the door way. Maybe not, he laughed to himself, running back up the stairs and toward the other staircase. "I will. Thanks, mom." I laughed, hugging her. She smiled, and pushed me toward the door. I walked out, and turned toward the rec room. As I opened the door, I heard the radio go on. And then, what I suspected was Taylor, groan in agony. I laughed, and softly knocked on the door. "Come in." Taylor called. I let out a deep breath and stepped into the room. "Hi." "Hey." he said. He was sprawled out on the couch, he almost looked as if he was tangled. "Can we talk?" I asked, sitting on the far edge of the couch, almost off of it. He mumbled something and sat up, his elbows on his knees. "When I was upstairs with Jessica, she asked me why me and you didn't do 'grown-up' things anymore. And she told me that she went in your journal while your mom was cleaning the bus." "I knew it!" he said, looking as if he were gonna strangle her. "Wait..and then," I trailed off, "I never kissed J.C Taylor." I blurted. Nice approach Amanda. Taylor started to rub his palms against his thighs and knees, as if trying to dry his hands. "What made you think that?" I whispered, looking at his face. He turned toward me, his blonde hair almost covering his crystal eyes. "Went you called for me to go swimmng, I opened the door and saw you go into his room. Then when you called, I sort of panicked and told you I couldn't go. But then when you went down with him, I thought I was out of the picture." he admited. "Why?" I asked. I stood up, pulling my shorts low on my thighs, and I sat back down, right next to him. Our shoulder's connected. "Tay." I whispered. He looked at me. "Now tell me your out of the picture." I said, lacing my hands around his neck. I pulled him close, and kissed him. His lips felt like home to me, as he kissed me with all the passion that was bottled up in side of him. "Finally!" Jessica cheered, jumping onto our laps.

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Ever Lonely
HandInHand