"So, how far from the school do you live?" asked Kimberly, noticing that Amy was not walking to the parking lot.
"Only a few blocks," replied Amy. "I live down that way," she pointed down the street.
"Hey, that's the same direction as my house!" Kimberly exclaimed. "But I guess mine's a little farther, since we drove here this morning. Although it didn't really take more than a couple minutes. Which house is yours, anyway?"
"The blue one on the corner. It's only about four or five blocks from here. How about you?"
Kimberly thought for a minute, trying to picture her new house in her head. Finally she said, "It's white...it's not really big, but big enough...and it's got two trees in the front yard."
Amy gasped. "I know that house! I remember seeing the Sold sign in the yard! That's only a block away from mine!"
"Wow, that's awesome!" By this time they had reached the street, and Kimberly started to turn towards her house and Amy's.
Amy pulled her back. "My house is that way, but Isaac's is this way."
After a minute or so, Amy broke the silence. "Kim, before we get there...there's something I should probably tell you. You noticed I didn't tell you Isaac's last name?" At Kimberly's nod, she continued. "There was a reason for that. But I guess I had better tell you now. Isaac's last name is Hanson."
Kimberly stared at Amy blankly. "Okay, but why is that so important?"
Now Amy was the one staring. "You mean you've never heard of him?" Kimberly shook her head. "Ever hear of the band Hanson?"
Kimberly's eyes widened. "Oh! Yeah, of course I have. Their music is really cool. I love that song, MMMBop. But I never got their CD because of...well, never mind that. I just never got it, and I knew nothing about them. So you're saying that your boyfriend is in a world-famous band?!"
Amy laughed. "Yeah, I guess you could put it that way. Taylor and Zac are in it, too. Isaac plays the guitar, Taylor plays the keyboards and sings lead on most of the songs, and Zac is the drummer."
"That is so awesome!" Kimberly exclaimed. "But I've only heard the one song. Do they have any others?"
"Do they ever! There are several of them, but none got as big as MMMBop. And they released their new album last month, and it's done okay so far. It's called This Time Around."
"Wait a sec," Kimberly said thoughtfully. "I heard a song just the other day called This Time Around. Are you saying that was them?"
"Yep," Amy said proudly.
"Whoa," said Kimberly. "Hard to believe they're the same people who sang MMMBop!"
Amy smiled. "I know. And wait till you hear the rest of their songs, on both CDs!" She looked up and stopped suddenly. "Kim, we're here!"
Kimberly followed Amy up the sidewalk and watched as she rang the doorbell. After a minute or so, the door was opened by a tall guy with shoulder-length blond hair, who greeted the girls with a, "Hey, there, Amy! Who's your friend?"
As Kimberly looked at him, she assumed that this was the seventeen-year-old. Taylor, she thought. He was obviously not Amy's boyfriend, and she didn't think he could be only fourteen. Her heart sank at this realization, for she had had such high expectations after what Amy had told her, and if this was Taylor, then he was definitely nothing like she'd pictured.
But Amy smiled and said, "Zac, I'd like you to meet my friend Kimberly. She's new in town. Kim," turning to her, "this is Zac."
Zac? thought Kimberly. You mean this is the fourteen-year-old? Gosh, he's tall. Turning to Zac, she said, "Hi Zac. It's nice to meet you." She put out her hand for him to shake.
But Zac had other plans. Instead of shaking her hand, he immediately pulled her into a huge bear hug. "Hiya, Kim!!" he exclaimed. Amy started laughing. Zac saw this and said, "Are you laughing at me?" She shook her head, still laughing. "Yes, you are!" he said. "And you know what happens to people who laugh at me..." he trailed off and pulled Amy into another bear hug, releasing Kimberly in the process. "They get tickled!" he exclaimed, doing just that.
Amy pulled against him, still laughing, trying in vain to get away, when another voice rang out. "Zac!! What are you doing to my girlfriend?!"
Zac spun around quickly, giving Amy the chance to pull free. "Isaac!" she exclaimed, running over and hugging him tightly.
As Amy and Isaac embraced, Kimberly took a moment to observe her new friend's boyfriend. He was tall, though only slightly taller than Zac. His dark blonde hair, cut much shorter than Zac's, curled around his face. Overall, Kimberly decided that both brothers were very good-looking, each in his own way. She hoped that Taylor would be the same.
When Isaac and Amy finally broke apart, Isaac noticed Kimberly for the first time. Turning to his girlfriend, he asked, "Amy, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"
"Of course. Isaac, this is my friend Kimberly Lewis. She just moved here. Kim, as you've probably figured out by now, this is my boyfriend, Isaac Hanson."
"It's nice to meet you, Kimberly," Isaac said, putting out his hand to shake hers.
"Nice to meet you, too, Isaac," she replied, putting her hand in his warily. But he, unlike his brother, simply shook her hand and released it before returning to Amy's side.
"Hey, where's Taylor?" Amy asked suddenly. "Isn't he here?"
"No, he flew off to Milwaukee, or was that Albertane?" Zac said sarcastically, then grinned. "Of course he's here...but why do you ask?" He turned to his brother. "Ike, your girlfriend's looking for your brother! That can't be good! What did you do this time?"
Isaac and Amy were both laughing by this time, and Kimberly couldn't help joining in. "Is he always like this?" she asked.
"No," said Amy.
"Usually he's worse," Isaac put in.
Kimberly rolled her eyes. "Save me!" she begged. Amy and Isaac started laughing again. "What?" Kimberly said. "It wasn't that funny, was it?"
"It's...not...that," Amy said through her laughter. "There's a song called Save Me on This Time Around."
Kimberly started laughing at that. "Whoa...that's weird." This comment brought on more laughter, at which she questioned, "What, is that another song?"
"Yeah, it is," replied Isaac. "One of the ones from the first album."
"It's really pretty," added Amy.
Kimberly smiled. "I wanna hear all these songs! When can I hear them?"
"As soon as we find Taylor," said Amy, turning back to Isaac and Zac. "Where is he, anyway?"
"I'm right here," came a voice from inside. Kimberly, Amy, Isaac, and Zac turned around as Taylor stepped through the front door.
Chapter 5
Untitled, Untold
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