Zac pulled a stray photograph out of the shoe box in his lap. He held it at an arms-length, staring.
The photo had been taken in November of 1996, right before the Hanson family had left to go record Middle of Nowhere in Los Angeles. In it were Isaac, Taylor, and Zac, along with two of their friends, Sydney and Annabelle Terrence. The Terrences had been the Hanson's neighbors for years. They had been living on the street when the Hanson family moved in several years back.
Sydney and Annabelle, or Anna as she preferred, had been good friends with all the Hanson children. They had occasionally baby-sat the younger ones, and had fun hanging out with the older. Sydney was about three months older than Taylor, born in later December of '82. In the picture she had brown hair, falling about four inches or so past her shoulders in deep waves. Zac remembered her soft brown eyes that had always shone brightly. In the picture they were surrounded by glasses, and her teeth sparkled with the glint of braces.
Anna was exactly six months younger than Zac, born on April 22 of '86. In the photograph she had dark blonde hair, cascading in a long, straight waterfall to her slender waist. She had big blue eyes to envy Taylor's, and her smile was flawless. Zac had always had a small crush on her.
In January of '97, though, the Terrences had moved to Ohio. The two families had kept in touch through letters and e-mail, but they hadn't seen each other for over a year and a half. Zac had wondered why pictures were never sent, but he never asked anyone.
Zac's eyes drifted over him and his brothers. They hadn't changed all that much, except for hair length, and Isaac had gotten his braces off around when Taylor got his on. But everyone knew that. The three brothers' fame had been on the ups all summer, but now, in August, the flame seemed to be flickering slightly. They hadn't known what was causing it exactly, but they didn't have a single thing booked until mid-September. The guys were ok with it, however. They sort of had wanted a small break from everything. And they had the feelings things would look up some when their new album hit stores the first week in September.
The door to the bedroom opened then, disturbing Zac's thoughts. Taylor sauntered in, whistling a tune to a song off the new album.
"Hey Zac. Whatcha doin'?" he asked. Zac dropped the photo back into the box and slipped the lid on. "Nothing," he said casually. Taylor grinned. "Sure. Anyway, it's time to go. Mom told the Terrences we'd be waiting at the airport."
Zac smiled and stood up, leaving the box on Taylor's bed. "Ok. Let's go then," he persisted. Taylor left, and Zac stayed. Once Taylor was safely down the hall, Zac picked the box up and put it back in its original spot. Then he ventured out into the hall, ready to see his friends after so long.
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