Everything had settled down after Zac's birthday the next day. He still acted like Zac, talked like Zac, and most importantly, he still was Zac. Now, everyone could go back to their day-to-day plans. Jessica and Avery could go in the playroom, Isaac could go on his daily drive to Adam's house, and Taylor could make a quick trip Hallie's. Now that everything was cleared up between her and his brother, Isaac, he could go over there without hearing her yell, scream, and sob about the way that Ike had hurt her. But, once he got over there, what would happen between him and Hallie? Would it be awkward? Taylor would just have to hold his head high and hope for the best. He wasn't going over there for just a quick "Hi" or anything, either. Tay was going over to Hallie's house to do what he wished he did years ago, he was going to ask Hallie out. What would happen? Would she laugh in his face and reject him? Jordan Taylor could only pray that she liked him as much as he liked her and that her happiness, could become his own. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taylor sighed as he began walking down the street to Hallie's house. He couldn't believe he was actually going to ask her out. After years of practicing the same, "Will you go out with me?" speech in the mirror, he had finally wracked up enough nerve to do it. But, what would her reaction be?
"Don't be stupid, Tay," Taylor thought to himself. "It's just a girl, if she doesn't like you, that's okay."
Tay stopped walking and squinted into the bright sun, Hallie's house was up ahead and he had been waiting for day for so long. Now, he had his chance, but would he go through with it?
The gravel beneath his feet seemed to get hotter and hotter, or was that just his heart racing that was making him hot?
Taylor knocked on a large, light brown door, shaking with fear of rejection. Then, to his surprise, the door slowly opened.
"Hey," Hallie said, quietly as she opened the door.
"Hey," Tay mumbled, "can I come in?" Taylor stuck his hands in his pockets nervously.
"Sure," Hallie opened the door wider.
Taylor walked in and asked, "Where can we go? We need to talk."
Surprised, Hallie inquired, "Why do we need to talk? Is something wrong, Tay? Fine, let's go into the living room."
The two young teenager walked into the living room, making no coversation.
Taylor lead Hallie over to the couch and set her down beside him. He took a deep sigh, then looked at Hallie, taking her hand, "Hallie...I've been meaning to say this to you for...so long, but I never had the nerve to."
A strange feeling came over Hallie. She sensed that what Taylor was about to tell her was big, and really meant a lot to him. "What is it, Taylor?" she whispered.
"This is it," he thought, "I've gotta do this." Then, he said aloud, "Hallie, we've been friends for so long, and we've grown up together practically. You're my best friend and I really care about you."
Hallie tried to study Tay to see where he was going with this, but she couldn't exactly see it.
"Hallie..." Taylor hesitated, "...you are the most beautiful girl on this Earth. I would do anything for you. When God placed you in front of me that first day you moved here to Tulsa, I was sure I had seen an angel. And I did, her name was, Hallie."
Hallie could of been more astonished when she heard these words fall from Taylor's lips. She was too baffled to say anything in return.
"I would be honored to have you as my girlfriend. But, that decision is solely up to you," after that, Taylor became mute. He was praying to God that her response would be a positive one.
"Taylor," Hallie began, "you're right. You and I have been friends forever. What I'm about to tell you, should have been said a long time ago."
She lightly lifted his chin so that he was looking her directly in the eyes, "Taylor...I love you. I have always loved you. Ever since I first became interested in guys, you were my first love...and I would be just as glad to be your girlfriend, as you would to be my boyfriend." She smiled, brightly at him and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.
The kiss took Taylor by surprise. He wasn't expecting that sort of reaction from her. "Wow!" Taylor thought, "It's that easy?" Then, Tay put his arms around around her, hugging her tightly. He had hugged and kissed Hallie before, but not like this.
"I love you , too," Tay softly whispered into her ear, sming so big that his smiled reached ear-to-ear. Then, he leaned back against the couch once again, saying, "Can I tell you something, Hallie?"
Hallie replied with a smile, "What? More surprises?"
Tay laughed, "Yeah, I guess." Becoming serious, he added, "Anyways, I just wanted to let you know, when Isaac asked you out, I was so infuriated with him. I didn't talk to him for weeks. It hurt a lot."
Hallie giggled softly, and brushed Tay's hair behind his ears, saying, "Isaac never really liked me like that, Taylor. He only did it to get even with you. He told me himself. Besides, that's over anyway."
"True," he sighed.
The words to say next were hard to find. Taylor's dream had finally come true. Hallie was finally his girlfriend, and he was beyond the definition of happy. But, he could only wonder, through all the bliss, would it last? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at home, Ike and Zac were sitting in the playroom grueling over the title for "Video Game Master" and so far, Isaac was winning by one game.
"Man! I can't do this!" Zac shouted with frustration, as he threw down the controller to his Playstation.
His older brother, Isaac paused the game, "Huh?"
Zac didn't give Ike any sign of response except for a deep sigh, and then placing his head on his knees.
Ike then, shut the Playstation completely off, "Zac, what's wrong?"
Zac looked up, "Nothing, nothing." He hesitated for a moment and then, continued, "I like another girl besides Chrissy. Now, I have to choose between the two of them."
His older brother chuckled at what Zac had just said, but tried to keep quiet so that Zac wouldn't be too mad, "You met another girl at your party? What's her name?"
Zac slammed his head back onto his knees, "Kelly."
Isaac put a comforting arm around his brother, "Kelly Jacobsen? Tay's friend? Dang...love sucks, doesn't it?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well, is there anything I can do to help?" Isaac inquired.
Zac looked up at his brother, "How about some good advice?"
This was where Ike was stumped a little. He didn't know what to exactly do. He never really had experience with it.
Trying his best, Isaac offered, "How about this? Go somewhere with Kelly and see what she is like. If she's got a worse personality than Chrissy, choose Chrissy. If she's cooler than Chrissy, choose her."
"All right," Zac answered, smiling for the first time. Zac picked up the controller again, "C'mon, let's start over. I gotta title to win."
"That's what you think," Isaac laughed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at Hallie's house, Taylor and Hallie were eating a snack. Taylor prepared it for Hallie and himself in celebration of a new beginning between the two of them. He wasn't really a gourmet cook, but he figured sandwiches were enough to satisfy both of their appetites.
"So, you doing anything Friday?" Hallie asked Taylor as she bit into her sandwich.
"Nope, not a thing. Wanna do somethin'?" Tay hoped she'd say 'yes'.
"Sure," she said, after swallowing, "wanna go to Skate World?"
Tay's joy was overwhelming him, "That sounds great to me. What time should I pick you up?"
Hallie smiled, "Does 8 sound good to you?"
"Yeah, it sounds great," he tried not to show how happy he was, even though he was exploding with excitement.
It was final. Taylor Hanson finally landed a date with Hallie. It took him 3 years to just get the nerve to ask her out and now, they had a date already set. Taylor couldn't have been any happier. He couldn't wait till Friday!
He glanced at his watch and saw it was 6:30 already. He knew he should really go home because his mom was going to put dinner on the table at 7, like she did every night.
"Well Hallie, I better get going. My mom is gonna have dinner soon and likes the whole family present, so I really gotta go," Taylor informed her. "I'm sorry."
"No, that's alright. Just give me a call later, okay?" Hallie made him promise.
"Okay," he told her, "I will."
After Tay hugged Hallie good-bye, he let himself out the door and started walking home. He couldn't wait to get home. But, most of all, he could wait until Friday, to be with Hallie.
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Chapter 10-Surprises, Surprises
Chapter 12-To Love, Or Not To Love...
Tulsa's Long Road Home
