Tara walked into her bedroom after listening to the brother’s practice. She always felt so hyper and energetic after hearing their music. She had wanted to stay longer, but she had to be home by 10:00 as always.
Her mom had been a friend with the Hanson’s mother and father since Tara could remember. Living across the street from “Hanson” was the best thing that ever happened to Tara. Her father had died when she was 3, and immediately after that they had moved to Tulsa Oklahoma.
Tara walked over to her mirror and leaned her hands on the dresser looking closely at her face. She knew that she was pretty. And she was told it often enough. “ Tara, you’re so great.” She said to herself pursing her lips in a kiss.
“ Well if that isn’t the most self centered thing I’ve ever heard.” Floated a guy’s voice into her open window.
Tara screamed and jumped back from the mirror.
Taylor’s blonde head stuck in through the window and she breathed a sigh of relief. “ God Tay, you scared the shit out of me.” The blonde exclaimed putting her hand over her heart.
Taylor smiled then motioned for her to come over to the window. Tara smiled then walked over. He motioned down to the ground. The blonde looked down from her second story window. In the front yard stood, Zac, Ike and Tara’s friend Andi. She smiled down at them.
“ We all got bored. And I was the only one brave enough to climb up here.” Tay remarked gripping onto the windowsill.
“ Well I can see why no one else wanted to climb up. Don’t go back down that way, you’ll fall and crack your head open."
“ Ok, I didn’t want to climb back down anyway.” Taylor laughed looking down at the other three. “ Be right down.” He whispered as loud as he could.
“ Here let me help you.” Tara offered reaching out for his hand.
She watched him put his arm through the window and boost himself up a little. She had been hanging out with Taylor just as long as she had been with Zac. And was a pretty close friend with him too. Along with Ike, they were all like a big family.
Tara gripped Taylor’s arm with her hand and pulled. Her fingers slid along the fabric of his long sleeved shirt. He grunted then slid the whole top of his body through the window. Tara giggled pulling on his arms with her hands.
“ You know this probably looks really weird from outside. Two legs sticking straight out of my window.”
Taylor laughed then put his hands on the floor, walking his body into the window. Tara laughed louder this time watching him. Taylor glanced up at her, his blonde hair was hanging over his eyes. “ What? This isn’t easy you know.” He remarked.
“ You could of just came in the back door.” Tara teased as Tay’s legs slid in through the window. He crouched on the floor and caught his breath before standing up. “ My mom is sleeping, lets just go out the back door, she sleeps like a log, I don’t think a truck crashing into the house would wake her up.” Tara remarked stuffing some pillows under the comforter of her bed to look like she was still there.
Taylor crossed his arms over his chest and examined at the lumps.
“ Is that your ass?” he asked pointing to a big lump in the middle of the bed.
Tara rolled her eyes. “ Why does it look like it?” She asked flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder. Taylor jokingly stepped around the back of her and looked. Then he looked back at the big lump on the bed.
“ Nah it’s bigger in real life.” He blurted trying to keep a straight face. Tara’s jaw dropped open and she playfully smacked his arm. He stuck his tongue out at her and walked out her bedroom door quietly. Tara flipped the light switch off and pulled her door halfway shut. She glanced back in at the mound of pillows under the cover.
“ Perfect.”
“ Zac… You know you’re pretty hot for a little guy.” Andi commented looking over her shoulder to where Zac was tossing stones into the air.
“ What?!” he exclaimed with a confused look on his face.
“ She said your hot retard.” Ike said leading the group down the side of the dark street. They were heading to the park down the road.
“ Your weird.” Zac muttered to Andi.
“ Jeez, someone can’t take a complement.” Andi remarked back laughing. She ran her hand through her short brown and blonde hair.
Tara laughed then said, “ Hey, Prozac, are you blushing?” she teased looking at her best friend as he threw a rock into a bush.
“ I think he is!” Taylor agreed looking over at his brother.
Zac looked up. His face was bright red. “ What? Me? Blushing? Nah!” He gushed spastically, trying to cover it up. Ike looked back at them and raised his eyebrows. Zac caught his brother’s gaze and ran up to him.
“ Help Ike! Help me! They are trying to get me. They are all evil.” He yelled grabbing Ike’s arm.
“ Uh. Ok Zac.” Ike said, “ And keep it down, your going to wake someone up.” He added pushing his little brother off of him.
Taylor looked over at Tara in the dark and smiled. Tara smiled back, assuming that it was a mere happiness smile. Taylor reached out and grabbed Tara’s hand, interlocking his fingers with hers. Her heart caught in her throat and she looked down at their hands.
Um. What is he doing? she asked herself.
“ Hey Zac, look I’m holding Tara’s hand.” Tay called up to Zac teasingly.
Zac looked back and narrowed his eyes at his brother. He seemed to stumble for words for a few seconds. “ So what. She’s not my girlfriend or anything.” He said. Tara frowned and pulled her hand away from Taylor’s. She crossed her arms over her chest and kept walking.Zac put his hands against Tara’s back and pushed hard sending her swing flying up into the air. The cool night air rushed against her face as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As her swing came back down to Zac, he said, “ Aren’t the stars pretty?” Tara looked up to the sky as she flew up into the air.
Taylor looked to Andi in astonishment. He could not believe what the 16-year-old had just said to him.
“ Come again?” He exclaimed with wide eyes.
Ike collapsed flat out into the grass in laughter. He rolled around clutching his stomach as he laughed.
“ You know, are Tara and Zac doing the nasty?” Andi replied almost innocently. She smiled at him.
“ What kind of perverted freak are you?” Tay retorted with a frown. “ He is only 13, people usually don’t encourage ‘Boys’ to do that.” Taylor made a disgusted noise in his throat.
Ike continued laughing and finally he managed to sit up and look at Andi. “ You are the most twisted…” Ike made a face, “ What’s the word I’m looking for here…” he added grasping for the word.
“ Slut?” Taylor blurted. Andi pushed him playfully.
“ Well, I wasn’t really going to say slut…but something around the terms of that.” Ike remarked. He pulled back his shirtsleeve and glared at his watch. He squinted trying to make out the numbers. “ Damn it.” He muttered pushing in the Indiglo button. The screen illuminated. “ Shit you guys, its quarter to 12.” He said worriedly.
“ What’s your point?” Andi asked running a hand through her short hair.
Taylor looked to Ike. “ Yeah it’s not like anyone is looking for us.” He said to his older brother.“ Well yeah…” Ike stammered. “ But I’m the oldest, the responsible one.” Taylor cut him off.
“ Oh yeah Mr. Responsible, let your younger brother’s out, actually let them go to this skank’s house.” he joked motioning to Andi, “ and then let them pick up the youngest one’s really hot best friend.” Taylor pointed. “ You’re not exactly off to a good start, so why worry about it now. Nothing’s going to happen, I mean, this is Tulsa not L.A.”
Ike rolled his eyes and stood up. He glanced towards the swing set to where Tara and Zac were fake fighting in the mulch. He laughed as Zac pushed Tara and she stumbled back into the sliding board.
Taylor and Andi stood up and followed Ike over to Tara and Zac. “ Are you guys ready to go?”
“ Truth or Dare…Tara.” Andi said to Tara as they walked down the road back to their houses. Tara could never figure out how she got tied up in these truth or dare games, all she knew is that she hated it.
“ Um…Dare I guess.” She answered quietly as she walked side by side with Zac.“ I dare you to…hmm.” Andi took a moment to think to herself. “ Run to the next car that comes by and scream, ‘ Oh my god its Hanson!’ then run over to the guys. She countered smiling mischievously.
“ Jeez what ever happened to streaking and egging houses?” Ike laughed.
“ Anyway, I wanted to someone get naked, I thought that was what this game was all about.” Taylor added.
Zac choked. “ You guy’s brains are in your pants.” Zac said. “ I have never met any one like you.” He added making a sick face.
“ Wow is that a compliment?” Ike joked.
“ Shut up you guys, Here comes a car!” Andi exclaimed she looked to Tara, “ You have to do it, it was a dare!” She said quickly. Tara sighed then ducked behind a bush beside the sidewalk. The others scattered, hiding in numerous other places.
“ I guess I could just act like I’m running out to a car, then hide from them, that would confuse them.” Tara thought. Her eyes widened and she smiled at her great Idea. When the car rounded the corner, Tara jumped out from the bush, walking into the road.
“ Tara!” one of the guys yelled from behind a tall oak tree. She spun around to look, and all of the sudden she saw the headlights coming from the other direction, It was too late. She tried to jump to the side, but it was too late as the car hit her. Everything after that was a jumble of yells and bright headlights.
Shattering glass and blackness was all she could hear and see. Tara tried to flicker her eyes open. She lay on the hard road helplessly.
“ Tara can you hear me?” Came Zac’s erratic voice.
“ Zac move back, give her room.” Came another voice. Tara tried to open her eyes, but she couldn’t. She tried to move but she couldn’t. She felt a hand grip her’s.
“ Tara if you can hear me squeeze my hand.” Came the person’s voice. It was Taylor. She could feel his thumb ring, just like when he was holding her hand earlier that night. Tara tried as hard as she could to squeeze his hand. But she couldn’t get it to move.“ Move back everyone!” Exclaimed a loud male voice. She then heard the sirens. But that was the last thing as everything blurred out.
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