Isaac walked to the phone, thinking. How am I going to tell her? Should I just say, "We need to break up", or should I complain that my parents are forcing us to break up? What else could I do? he asked himself. He picked up the phone nervously. What if she gets really mad? What if... He shook his head. If she got mad, that was her problem. She couldn't do anything to him...could she? He dialed the number.
After two rings, the phone was picked up. "Hello," said the familiar voice.
"Hi Karen," Isaac replied.
"Isaac! I've been waiting for you to call me! When can we go out again? How about tomorrow?? I wanna go to that new restaurant!"
Isaac broke in quickly. "Karen, that's actually not why I called."
"It's not?!?! Of course it is!!! Why else would you be calling? Anyway, about that restaurant, I heard it has the best food in Tulsa! So when will you pick me up? I could be ready by --"
"Karen!" Isaac interrupted. "I can't go out with you anymore." He had decided that that would be the best approach - the direct one. He really couldn't blame his parents, since he had decided that he didn't like Karen anymore.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T GO OUT WITH ME ANYMORE???!!!" Karen shrieked. Isaac winced and held the phone away from his ear.
"Karen, remember yesterday when we were caught by the media? Well, the picture was in the paper this morning. My parents said that they thought we shouldn't go out anymore, but --" he was interrupted by Karen.
"AND YOU'RE JUST GONNA LET THEM RUN YOUR LIFE???? YOU'RE EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD, ISAAC, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS BY NOW!"
"Karen, if you'd let me finish, I'd explain. My parents didn't actually forbid me from seeing you --" he was once again interrupted.
"IF THEY DIDN'T FORBID IT, WHY CAN'T WE GO OUT ANYMORE?????"
"They didn't forbid it, but I started thinking. We've been going out for a month now, and lately you seem a bit...pushy. Like yesterday, it was almost as though you wanted the press to catch us. It almost seems like you're only dating me for the fame."
"WHAT??????!!!!!!" Karen shrieked indignantly. "I AM NOT JUST IN IT FOR THE FAME!!!!! I REALLY LIKED YOU, AND I THOUGHT YOU LIKED ME!!! OBVIOUSLY, I WAS WRONG!!! MAYBE IT WOULD BE BETTER IF WE BROKE UP!!! BUT THERE IS ONE THING YOU CAN BE SURE OF, ISAAC HANSON!!! AS LONG AS WE ARE NOT DATING, YOU WILL NEVER BE HAPPY WITH ANY OTHER GIRL!!! I WILL MAKE SURE OF THAT!!!!! YOU'LL BE SORRY YOU EVER WANTED TO BREAK UP WITH ME!!!!! YOU'LL BE BEGGING ME TO GO OUT WITH YOU AGAIN, BUT I WON'T!!! YOU'LL BE MISERABLE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, AND IT SERVES YOU RIGHT FOR BREAKING UP WITH ME!!!!!! So Isaac," she continued in a normal, but too-sweet voice, "are you sure we can't go out anymore?"
"Yes, I'm sure," stated Isaac.
"YOU WILL BE SORRY YOU EVER SAID THAT, ISAAC HANSON!!!!! I GUARANTEE THAT!!!!! YOU WILL BE THE SORRIEST PERSON ALIVE!!!!!..."
"Goodbye, Karen," Isaac said firmly, and hung up the phone to Karen's screams. "That went well," he mumbled to himself.
Karen's words haunted him. What if he never did find someone to love? More importantly, what if someone never loved him?
"Hey, Ike," Taylor said that night, sticking his head in the living room doorway where Isaac was sitting. "Zac and I are going to the karaoke night down the street. Wanna come?"
"Sure," Isaac mumbled, getting to his feet.
"Didn't go well with Karen, did it?" Taylor asked as they went outside.
"Nope," Isaac said, and he would say no more.
There was never a huge crowd at the karaoke night. It wasn't popular in Tulsa, although Hanson themselves made surprise appearances every once in a while. There was an elderly couple, enjoying some coffee, and two teenagers. Hanson sat near the back.
The two teenagers jumped onstage. One of them had long black curly hair that tumbled down her back. They turned around and the spotlight hit them.
The music to Britney Spears' "Sometimes" filled the room. The girl with curly hair started to sing. Her voice wasn't like Britney's but was more pure and musical. Isaac leaned on his arms on the table, taking in the song, and the curly-haired girl. She always wore a smile, and Isaac loved her smile. But, he reminded himself, I'm probably just looking for someone...anyone...to love me, someone to make Karen even madder and, besides, I can't date. It's a lost cause.
Chapter 3
Forbidden Angels
Story Page
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