~"zac knows everything"~

Tuesday was a cold day in L.A. The wind seemed to conquer everyone in the city, they were all warm in their houses while the breeze whirled up chaos outside. It was one of those days where you stepped outside, and then after a split second, you knew that it was a mistake, but too late because your cheeks were frozen, never to be the same for the rest of the day. That's why Kayla and Keryn decided to ditch school and spend the day indoors.

"I feel like lazing around all day and watching Hanson videos!" Kayla announced after huddling under a quilt on the lounge.

Keryn rolled her eyes and laughed. "Don't you think you've seen enough of those guys in the past month or so?"

"Uhhh. . . No!" Kayla giggled. Totally hooked on Isaac. They had talked on the phone till 3 am the previous night. Keryn didn't feel right to ask what happened due to Kayla's moods the past few days, but she thought that it would have been good news. Kayla brightened again. "Let's ring the Hanson hotline!!"

"Kayla!" Keryn laughed. "You are such a cack!"

"Okay, so what are we going to do?"

"We're not eating. I am so full, it is early and I have already eaten too much chocolate. It feels like it's Easter or something."

"Well, well, who's fault is that." Kayla said looking around to see what was in reach. "I can't find anything to do, we don't even have any videos."

"You ate chocolate. Let's watch Armageddon."

"Okay then." Kayla sighed. "How many times have you seen it?"

"I dunno. I seriously love that movie."

"I can tell" Kayla laughed. "You also love Ben Affleck" she murmured.

"Eh hmmmm. . . Yes, that's true. He is hot. But of course, watching every Ben bit then rewinding and playing again gives you the overall perspective on the movie."

"True" Kayla laughed and picked up an issue of 'Seventeen.' She flicked through for a while and came to a page. "You know how many girls around the world think that Hanson are hot?"

"I have a fair idea" Keryn grinned. "Those guys are sweet. Who wouldn't like them?" She had now picked up her own issue of the glossy magazine. "Who do you think is the hottest guy in the world? Personalities out of it?"

"Ike." Kayla said straight away. "He is like a full on babe. But the main part is the way he treats people. I love that more." Kayla smiled.

Keryn grinned. . . but halted when she knew what was coming next.

"Who do you think?"

Keryn blushed. "I don't have one."

Kayla smiled back. "I don't believe you."

Keryn resembled a tomato. "I don't know. It's quite hard to pin point you know."

"I can read your mind. How's Taylor for example?"

Keryn sighed. Kayla knew her all to well, she had been caught out. "He's gorgeous" Keryn grinned.

Kayla laughed. "I know"

"Don't tell Justin."

"As if, what do you think I am?"

"Thanks Kayl."

"Justin's a babe!"

"I know, I know."

"And you have him."

"I know, I know." Keryn's smile was still there. She felt a bit eerie though. Everything seemed all too fine, but she still felt some kind of sickness in her, or butterflies, one or the other. The movie started and they were launched into Affleck heaven.





"Zac! Get you're lazy butt down these stairs now!"

"Taylor. You're little brother is in the next room." Walker warned.

"Sorry Dad." Taylor was yet to adjust to people other than teenagers in the house. Taylor climbed the stairs to look for his brother. Him and Zac had decided to go to the mall to look at the record store. Due to the fact that they weren't really mall people they sort of wanted to get the trip over and done with. "Zac, hurry." Taylor said as he met his brother at the top of the stairs.

"Tay, man. Be cool. I'm here dude."

"Zac, you sound like an idiot. Talk human."

Zac laughed. "Shut up."

"Did you ring Kath?"

"Ahh. . . Better still, I tortured her until she knew it was me."

Taylor smiled and rolled his eyes. "Is she coming?"

"Yep. You have to pick her up."

"Cool. Bye people!" Taylor called as he left the house.

The car ride to the mall wasn't all that fascinating. Zac entertained everyone as he put together and sang along to his own little version of 'My Heart Will Go On.' Kath was just giggling in the backseat, while Taylor concentrated on the road.

When they got out of the car, all three of them headed for the music store. "What are you looking at getting, Tay?" Kath asked.

"I think I will just look. But knowing me, I will buy the store as soon as I get to something that I want. I will just find more." He laughed.

"Have you heard from Keryn lately?"

"Well, not since yesterday."

"You talk everyday?"

"We did" Taylor trailed off.

"He's just pissed off." Zac offered. "He acts like Keryn is going out with someone else or something. That Jack? Justine? Justin? guy I think. But, like, stupid over here --pointing to Taylor-- won't say anything to her about his long life love or whatever the hell, I seriously hate to think, he dreams about at night. And like if I was Tay, I would just get on that phone right now --looking around then pointing at the payphone-- and confess his feelings. If he doesn't I will do it for him, you know? I mean like, she must think that he is such a spac now."

Kath and Taylor just stood in the middle of the parking lot and stared at Zac.

"What?"

Kath laughed and Taylor found it hard to stop smiling. "You think you know everything Zac, don't you?" Taylor grinned.

"It's obvious!" He almost screamed, glad that his brother didn't bite his head of or something.

"Yeah Zac," Taylor said "whatever."

After ten minutes in the music shop they realised that they had made a pointless trip and decided to walk through the mall to see if there was anything else going on. As they walked through they watched people. Taylor watched couples, teenage couples, that made him feel twinges of jealousy. Zac strided along with a big smile on his face as he got the occasional look from girls his age. And Kathryn walked in between them, she felt towered over by two major stars, her cousins. It felt good.

"Guys!" Taylor looked at Kath, her eyes widened and then they both looked at Zac who was just about a heap on the ground.

"Margo!" Kath screeched. She knew that this was the girl that majorly annoyed her cousins, best thing to be done is get her away. "I hear they are having a sale on short shirts over there."

"Have fun honey." Margo said and tried to walk over to Taylor and Zac.

"No, really," Kath scowled "they look like your kind of thing."

"Move out of my way please. I am simply trying to make up for lost time with Taylor and him." She looked in Zac's direction. No eye contact.

"Fine." Kath released her grip on Margo's arm.

"Guys!" She threw her arms into the air. "It's been a while!"

"Margo, you are such an annoyance." Zac proclaimed. "I am unavailable. Leave me alone."

Margo took a moment to look at Zac. "I don't want anything to do with you" She spat.

"Uh, Tay, be careful" Zac started "she's dangerous."

Taylor looked at Margo, she looked harmless enough. A bit over-excited and wannabe-ish perhaps, but not the Margo that Zac always complained about.

"Uh. . . Hi." Taylor politely smiled.

"Hi Taylor" Margo said in an over the top, flirtatious voice, causing Zac to roll his eyes, almost out of his head. "How are you?"

"I'm quite fine, Margo, how are you?" Taylor said.

"You look quite fine." She lifted her hand and moved it across his chest. "I like your shirt."

Taylor blushed. "Thanks, you look nice."

"I always do." She innocently smiled, letting a hand swiftly move into her hand bag, retrieving a slip of paper. "Call me" she said before she walked away.

"Sure." Taylor seemed quite pleased with himself. He looked around to see if anyone else had witnessed his fortune.

"Well, aren't we mister stud." Zac said as he disgustedly walked away. "I can't believe you man."

"Tay, that was really low." Kath followed Zac.

Taylor chased after them. "What's your problems?"

This was Taylor's repeated question until he got into the car and refused to drive away until they answered him.

"One more time, or I am not going. What is your problem?" He looked at Kath and then his eyes moved to Zac. "You like her Zac?"

"No!" Zac spat in discust.

"As if Taylor" Kath groaned.

"What's your problem, Kathryn?"

"Taylor, that was really lame. You like Keryn. That stupid whatever in there, she is nothing, you can do better than her."

"Taylor," Zac started, "You think that you are mister-I'm-so-good or something do you? Because I am really bored with it. You strut around the house one day and you are in a depressed heap the next. Keryn probably likes you back you know? But you are too scared to ask. Mister Ego. That's what you are, 'what if she breaks my heart?'" Zac mimicked Taylor. "Well, you know what?"

"What Zac?" Taylor said furiously.

"You have probably already broken her heart. I would never do that to a girl."

The car ride the rest of the way home was silent.





Kayla walked out of the bathroom and started to comb her wet hair.

"I don't know why I insist washing it on cold days, you know."

"Shhh..." Keryn sniffed through the closing scenes of Armageddon.

Kayla walked into her room and sat on the bed. She gazed around, out the window, she could see the beach through the trees. The wind was still swaying around, the water looked quite scary and stormy. It sent a chill up her spine. When a storm was about to hit the water always looked eery. It scared her. It reminded her of Dan for a second as she looked on her dresser. A letter. The letter. The suicide note. Kayla got up and walked towards it. She took it in her hands and walked towards the window and let her eyes move back onto the water. She couldn't look away from it, he thought of dying in something like that made her skin crawl. She thought of death and looked at the letter again.

The next thing she knew she found herself in the kitchen. Kayla kneeled down and opened the cupboard door, past the pots and pans there was a hiding place. Somewhere for the letter to go, so far un-read. She placed the letter there and shut the cupboard.

Kayla raced to the bathroom to wash her hands of Dan. Dan the word still scared her.

Keryn was still in some kind of dream land when Kayla came out so Kayla walked to the phone and began to dial in the memorised digits.

"Yep?"

"Hello, is Isaac there please?" Kayla asked Mackenzie in her mothering voice.

"Mom said may I ask who's calling?"

"Yes. This is Kayla."

"Hi Kayla!"

"Hi Mackie!"

"How are you?" Mackie asked her.

"I'm fine Mack, how are you?"

"Tay's home. Oooh. Tay's mad." Kayla laughed.

"IKKKEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! IT'SSS KAAAAAYYYYLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAA" He screamed into the phone.

"Thanks Mackie." Kayla laughed.

"That's no problems. Here's Ikey pooh's." Kayla smiled.

"Hey there Ikey-pooh's."

"Hello to you too. How are ya this fine day?"

"Well, it's quite freezing here."

"Yeah, weathers not quite up to scratch here either."

"Why are we talking about the weather?"

"No idea!" They laughed for a while.

"Ikeee, I gotta use the phone." Kayla heard Taylor ask in the background.

"Now?"

"It's an emergency!" He pleaded.

"Kayl, can I call you back?" Ike came back to the phone and asked.

"Sure, I'll be waiting."

"Okay then."

"Bye."

"Bye. . ."

Kayla smiled as she sat next to the phone, waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

Chapter twenty~six HOME Chapter twenty~eight
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