After Kate had left, Anne turned to us and asked, "So, what do you guys want to do now?"
"Well, I should be getting home now," Michelle said. After goodbyes, she left.
As we were passing a "Claire's" store, Anne exclaimed, "Let's go in there!"
"Anne, I'm sure Ike, Taylor, and Zac don't want to go in there, do you guys?"
"What kind of store is it?" asked Taylor.
I laughed. "It's...a girls' store, basically. It has jewelry, headbands, and that type of stuff. I'm sure you wouldn't be interested."
Isaac agreed emphatically. Taylor also said he'd prefer not to go in there. Zac said he'd prefer to go into a music store next door. Then I said, "But I want to go to the music store, too! I guess you'll have to go to 'Claire's' by yourself, Anne."
After brief consideration, Anne decided to join us. "After all," she said, "I can go in there anytime. But you guys," indicating the Hanson brothers, "won't be here forever. When are you leaving, anyway?"
Zac sighed. "Not before we finish the album, anyway. Probably..." he paused, as though debating whether or not to tell. "Probably by the end of this school year."
"No!" Anne cried, throwing her arms around him. "Why do you have to leave so soon? Why can't you move here permantly?"
Zac attempted to laugh. "I wish we could, too. But it wouldn't be fair to anyone else."
"No, I guess not," Anne replied, trying to remain cheerful, although I could tell she was still upset.
"Anne, cheer up," I said. "We still have six whole months before the end of the school year!" She was a little happier after that.
We went into the music store as planned. Anne and I browsed through the Hanson section, just to annoy the guys, who stayed as far away as possible. Then Anne went off to look for the Britney Spears section. I meanwhile headed over to the Mariah Carey section. Isaac, Taylor, and Zac were looking at the Aerosmith section, but soon Zac went off to follow Anne, and Taylor came up behind me. "Big Mariah Carey fan, I guess?" he asked.
I turned around. "Yeah, for almost five years now. Ever since I heard 'One Sweet Day', I was a fan. That song has the same message as 'With You In Your Dreams'. But my favorite song of all time is called 'Hero'. Have you heard it?"
Taylor thought for a moment. Finally he said, "No, I don't think I have. Will you sing a little of it, so I can tell if I've heard it?"
I blushed. "Taylor, you don't want to hear me sing."
"Yes I do," he insisted. "Come on!"
"All right," I gave in. It was useless to resist him; one look into his eyes and I couldn't help but do what he'd asked. "Just remember, you asked for this!" With those words, I started the chorus to "Hero":
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you*
"Wow, that was awesome!" Taylor exclaimed when I finished.
I blushed again. "It wasn't that good. At least, it wasn't nearly as good as your songs." Then I changed the subject. "So...have you heard the song before?"
"Um...yeah, actually, I have. I liked that song, but I never found out who sang it, or what it was called."
"Well, now you know," I laughed. Then I happened to see a clock on the wall. "Taylor, I need to get home. I still have homework to do!" I ran through the store, looking for Anne. I finally found her and Zac, still over by the Britney Spears section. "Anne, we need to get home," I said.
She groaned. "Do we have to?"
"Yes, we have to. I have homework, and I bet you do, too. Now come on."
She said a quick goodbye to Zac, and we both waved to Isaac. As we exited the store, I called goodbye to Taylor, and then we went home.
*Musical credit goes to Mariah Carey for "Hero".
Chapter 24
Love Takes Time
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