Chapter 21 ~"A caseof the green eyed monster"~

Kayla tapped her mouse in frustration. Why isn't Keryn replying? She tapped harder. Technology is so frustrating. She checked her e-mail again. Nothing. She checked her watch, Keryn would still be in computers. Hurry up hurry up. Kayla tapped again. That evil Higgin's woman must have caught her. Kayla decided as she logged off and left the room.

In the kitchen Taylor was ranting and raving, Kayla rolled her eyes as she entered. Taylor was thrashing around in the cupboards, throwing stuff everywhere.

"Goodmorning to the lovely Taylor Hanson."

Taylor turned on his heels to glare at Kayla.

"What?" She demanded.

Taylor softened as he realised that Ike obviously hadn't told her about the morning's antics.

"Oh, Morning." He shuffled in the cupboard some more. "Why is there no freakin' food in this house? I had an apple in the fridge yesterday that I clearly marked "Taylor" with a post-it and where is it this morning? Somebody who bloody well cant read must have eaten it."

Kayla jumped back a bit. This wasnt the Taylor she knew.

"Taylor, something up..I mean I heard the chaos this morning, I think half the states did but it really can't be that bad."

Taylor stared at her,

"Bad, bad? Kayla this is worse than bad. This is hell….I am officially in hell."

He flung himself onto the bench and Kayla looked on, very confused.

"Taylor, okay so maybe it is bad. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No I do not want to talk about it."

"Okay then…."

Kayla stood there, lost for words.

"Taylor? Where is everyone?"

Taylor grunted and replied,

"I think Zac, our brother who acts like a 5 year old, ran off in a mood and I think Ike, as usual, took his side and went to find him."

"Oh, I'm sure Ike isn't on his side totally."

Taylor nodded, though his deepest anger he could still tell that Ike would never take sides. He never did.

"If you want to talk I'm here, especially if you want to talk about Kezza."

"You know too?"

"Yeah."

"Oh God."

HR>

Ike finally caught up with Zac. They had been running for so long that both of them were sweating like pigs and ready to go home.

"Ike, why don't you just leave me alone, I said I wanted to be alone so stop following me."

"Zac, do you realise how difficult this is for me too? I am supposed to be trying to help you but how can I when you don't tell me the whole story?"

"I told you the whole story, your problem is you listen to Taylor"

"Well at least he told me it was 'Spin the Bottle'"

"That doesn't make any difference, he still kissed her!"

"Zac, listen to yourself, he was playing by the rules, he had to kiss her."

Zac stamped his feet in anger, he didn't want to hear what Taylor thought or how right Taylor was. The issue was that his brother had kissed the girl he was crushing over and NOTHING could fix that.

"He could have made an excuse not to, everybody does."

"Do you really think he would do that to you? Honestly?"

Zac nodded furiously but as Ike studied him his nod became slower until he was staring at his feet.

"I can never tell."

"He would never do anything like that, we're brothers."

Zac, still staring at his feet, kicked some gravel as he listened to his older brother.

"Well, at least he could have said 'Sorry Zac I didn't realise' or something like that. Maybe then I would hate him less."

"I guess maybe he should have."

Ike didn't bother reminding Zac that he had woken Taylor by pulling his hair, enough to get anyone in a bad mood.

"I still hate him though."

"I can respect that."

They stood, breathing hard.

"Ready to go home?"

"Yeah, I'm starving"



Kayla heard the door bang as Ike and Zac entered. She paused her movie and went out to meet them.

"Hey," she greeted Ike and hugged him, "Wow, you stink."

"Geez thanks Kayls, I've just run to the moon and back chasing a brother who could have done anything he was so agro, and I come home and my girlfriend tells me I stink."

"But you do."

"I know I do, that's why I'm going to have a shower."

Ike disentangled himself from Kayla and she laughed.

"I still love ya though."

"I know, and you'll love me even more when I smell better, right?"

"You got me."

Kayla watched Ike walk away, as he walked Zac let out a wail.

"I need FOOOOOD, why is nobody feeding me, I wish Keryn was here, she would never let me starve." As Kayla walked in Zac waved a Carrot stick in her direction, "Do you realise that if Mercury Records found out that Zac Hanson was reduced to eating Carrot Sticks that you could be sued."

"Me? Why me?"

"Because….because you're the closest one near me to blame."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"I hope Ike hasn't got in the shower cause he needs to drive me to the supermarket NOW."

"He's in the shower, I doubt they would let him in the Supermarket the way he smells. Talking of B.O. you stink to high heaven too, I recommend a shower before you go to."

"Why thanks for the compliment Kayla, I consider stinking, an art form."

"I can see that."

Zac took a bite of his carrot stick before throwing it out.

"How can anyone eat those things, they have NO TASTE."

"I wont argue with you there, go and have a shower."

"You'll be a good mother, 'Go and have a shower, wash behind your ears, don't bite your toenails…'"

"I'm never having children."

Zac stopped eating, never had a female told him they weren't going to have children.

"But everyone does."

"Not me."

Zac thought about this for a while.

"Why not?"

"Well think about this…. Imagine your nostril….now imagine a watermelon coming out of your nostril."

Zac scrunched up his face.

"I'm having a shower."

Kayla just laughed as Zac fled out of the kitchen. She wandered back in to the lounge to watch the end of 'The Crucible".



Ike ran his hands through his hair as he walked into the lounge. Kayla was sprawled on the couch watching as Daniel Day-Lewis ripped up his confession. She was obviously enthralled. Ike sat next to her on the couch and she moved over for him, but kept her eyes glued to the screen. Even as the movie ended Kayla still watched the screen.

"That good huh?"

"Oh, well not really, it's for school, we're reading it at school."

"Well you looked pretty into it."

"Nah, only cos Daniel Day-Lewis is such a spunk!"

Ike furrowed his eyebrows.

"Really?"

"Well I think so, he's got hair like you."

"Mmmm I suppose you could say that."

"He does!"

Kayla leant over towards Ike….

"You smell so much better now. You smell like my Ike now"

"I have a smell?"

"Yeah, doesn't everyone?"

"Well, I guess so..so what does it smell like?"

Kayla picked up the remote and began to rewind the movie…

"Well, like you…its hard to explain..but it's a nice smell."

"Oh, okay then. Where is Zac?"

"Probably in the bathroom measuring the dimensions of his nostrils."

"What?"

"Nothing…he's having a shower."

"Okay then…seen Taylor?"

Kayla picked up the remote again an fiddled with it..

"Yeah he's around somewhere, he's a bit hurt that Zac actually thought that he would do something like that and he is as confused as hell about Keryn."

"Oh, I see."

"He's, along with Zac, dead hungry and wants to know why there isnt any food in the house."

"Oh does he now."

"Yep, so when Zac comes down, we have to pay the supermarket a visit."



Keryn walked into Justin's and slammed the door. Never had she had a more awful day in her life. Never. She threw he keys on to the table and stumbled into 'her room' and threw herself on her bed. Justin's face appeared around the corner.

"That bad huh?"

"Worse."

"Ready for our little chat?"

"Oh yeah, as ready as I'll ever be."

"Okay, where shall we start? We have some choices here, we could start with, The Kayla-Dan saga, the save-the-day Ike, the fight you've obviously had with Taylor or the fantastic day you've had."

Keryn rolled her eyes.

"Okay Jussy, do you want the good or the bad first?"

"I'm an optimist, I'll take the good."

"Okay then…Kayla and Dan…"

"This is the good story?"

"Yeah, well it has a happy ending."

Keryn and Justin sat on the couch until the cool breeze from the night sky sent chills through the entire room. They were talking about everything that had happened over the past three weeks in depth. Well, almost everything.

"So, what's the goss with this Tay guy?"

Keryn quivered for a second. "Oh, Taylor's great." She smiled.

Justin shuffled in his seat. "You're head over heels girl."

Keryn smiled again.

"Jus, no I'm not. It's just what everyone thinks. A couple of teenagers that grew up together, simple."

Keryn sighed. She was sick of everyone continully accusing her of having a thing for Taylor. Taylor was probably sick of it too, it was something that was bought up at least once a day.

"Are you sure Kez?"

Keryn threw her arms up in the air. "I am totally sick of it. Me and Taylor so do not have anything going on." "Did you kiss?"

Keryn rolled her eyes. "Jus. Why?"

"Well... None of my business, but, why would you kiss if there was nothing there?"

Keryn thought for a moment.

"Look, we're friends. If I were about to lay one on you, you would know there was nothing there. Am I right?"

Justin rolled his eyes, as if Keryn had not got the point.

"There would be nothing."

"See! I mean, it is just a moment thing."

"Fine Keryn. Whatever you say."

"That's what I say." She grinned and got up off the lounge. "I gotta get going now Jus. See you in a few days?"

Justin yawned and started to walk to the door. "Did Jan move out yet?"

"Oh, that's right, Kayla didn't get back. She might be moving in."

"Oh, that's cool. You two can talk about your rock star boyf's."

"Shut up Jus." Keryn laughed. "We all know you want Anna Kournikova."

"She's too young for me" Justin blushed.

"Jussy, she's the same age as me!"

"But you're you, and you call me Jussy." He cringed. "Go on, go. It's getting dark." He finished off pushing her out the door.

"I need a car."

"You're almost there. Walk walk walk. It'll do you good."

"Yes yes, thanks a lot."

"Bye Kez"

"Bye Juzzzzz."

Keryn walked down the drive way and up the street as the Los Angeles air gently pushed on her. She was still confused, but she didn't know what her problems really were. They were hidden. Blocked away so no one could read them.

Keryn slammed the door of the apartment and threw herself on the lounge, looking at the clock, five.

"My butt it's getting dark, Jus." She mumbled to herself.

Keryn settled in for her half an hour with Entertainment Tonight as the answering machine caught her eye. Keryn reached over and pulled it down next to her, muting the television.

There were three messages. Number one...

"My brother is a freak."

Short but sweet, It was Zac, Keryn figured he was bored and needing to use the phone.

Number two...

"Hey, Kayla here. Yep, me. I hate these things. I don't know what to say." Kayla paused, Keryn knew she would fill the whole tape. "Did you get my e-mail? I don't think so, I wanna move in. If you'll take me... ha ha. Ummm, Zac isn't as strange, Taylor is happy he now has food and Ike doesn't stink anymore. Me, I'm fine. Bye bye ring later if you want."

That was a bit short, but there was still one to go, Keryn thought Kayla. But she was wrong. Taylor had kind of ignored her ever since she got back to L.A. This came as kind of a shock.

Number three...

"Hey K, it's Tay" Keryn smiled and looked at the muted television. "I thought that I would get you in. It is arrrrr... Let me see. ten to six. So, yep, well, you're not here. Well. Haven't talked to you since the airport. How are you? Me, I'm okay. A bit distressed and feeling as if I'm about to die. But, okay. How's school? I watched Day's of our lives today. Yep. We practised a whole lot after that. We are really getting into it at the moment, it's cool. We have to album, then tour. Australia, Keryn, you should be happy, we are not neglecting your home country. Why am I talking to a machine? Okay then, ring me Keryn. Bye."

Well, why not? Keryn picked up the phone and started to dial in the digits. It was ringing, considering Taylor only rang about fifteen minutes ago, he shouldn't be too far.

"Hey."

"Hello? That Kayla?"

"The one and only, hey Keryn."

"Hey, well.... I rang ya. Blocking up my answering machine. Three messages!"

"Three?"

"Zac, you and Tay."

"Wow, we must've all got bored and nothing could cheer us up but you."

"Awww, I feel loved."

Kayla laughed. "So, whats up?"

"Awwww... nuffin." Keryn laughed. "Nah, can I have a chat to Tay?"

"Sure, he is right here. You two have weirdo connections. He bounded down the stairs and raced me when he heard the phone rang. He is now standing here, in a rather strange position trying to get the phone off my ear."

"I am not!" Keryn heard.

"Bye Keryn."

By the time she said goodbye to her friend Taylor was on the other end of the phone

. "Heya Keryn."

"Hey babe. How are ya?"

"I'm cool. What about you?"

"Oh, I have been okay. Zac's pissed at you hey?"

"I really don't want to talk about him... sorry."

"Nah, it's cool. I know how you get when you fight with him."

"Yeah, I hate it. So how was school and that?"

"Same as it was before I spose. It is fine, I got caught e-mailing Kayla in computers."

"Arrr, she said something 'bout you not replying."

"Yeah, well it wasn’t as if I didn’t want to, she knows that."

"Yeah, so what ya been up to, it’s been as boring as hell since you left."

"Really? Thats’ good, don’t want to think about you having a good time without me!! Well I’ve been sulking around really, missing you."

"Missing me.."

"And everyone else, or course"

Keryn smacked her leg, why did she always say the wrong things at the wrong time?

"Oh, yeah well we all miss you."

"I know."

"So it looks like we’ve both been ‘sulking around’"

"Yep, Jussy’s been a great help though, a stayed at his place last night."

" Oh really?"

Taylor narrowed his eyes and wondered what this Justin guy was like, he’d only seen him on TV.

"Yeah, he talked some sense into me, I’d forgotten how good a listener he was."

Taylor began to get a small case of the green eyed monster while Keryn wondered why she was telling Tay this.

"Oh, well tell him that he must be a cool guy."

"He is, he is. But I still wish I was with you guys."

"Then come back."

"I can’t, you know that, I’ve got heaps to figure out."

"Well, I’m here for you."

"As usual, I know you always are even if we just spent a good part of our holiday together at each others throats."

"That was a misunderstanding."

"A big misunderstanding."

"Well at least were over that now, hey Taylor?" She didnt’ give him a chance to speak, "I better go now, I doubt I will be able to pay for the phone bill without inter-state calls!! Tell Kayla that I am covering for her butt at school and she owes me okay? Bye Tay"

"Bye Keryn, miss you."

"Yep, bye."

Taylor listened as the dial tone buzzed in his ear. I didn’t get to tell her he thought. He had lost his guts when he heard about Justin. Was she ever going to understand?

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