"Hello?" I asked annoyedly. I'd been studying for a test in my guitar composition class and been interrupted three times by phone calls. My mother, Shirley, and now...
"Hi, is this Andrea?" A voice asked.
"Yes, may I ask who's calling?" I said, wondering who was calling me this time.
"Um, this is Isaac Hanson." came the uncertain reply. Hm...he'd never called me before.
"Oh, hey Isaac, how are you?" I asked, trying to hide my confusion.
"Hey," his voice relaxed a little. "I was calling to ask you a favor." I wrinkled my eyebrows. Where was this going?
"Sure...what do you want?"
"Um...well, the night you played at Reality Squared, there was a friend of yours there." I nodded my head, even though he couldn't see.
"Yeah, Shirley."
"I was wondering if maybe...I mean, if you don't, that's ok, but if you do, I was just kina hoping you could, um, well, if you have her number could you maybe give it? To me, I mean?" I smiled to myself. He was really nervous and not doing a good job of hiding it.
"Sure Isaac, I have her number and I'll give it to you. I don't think she'd mind if you called her." I said, standing up and fumbling around on my desk to find the scrap of paper she'd written her number on. Ah-ha! I grabbed it. "Do you have a pen?" I asked.
"Yeah, right here." He said back.
"Ok, it's 555-8732."
"8732?"
"Yeah."
"Ok, thanks a lot Andrea."
"You're welcome. Do you mind if I ask why you want it?"
"Oh, um, no, I was just going to give her a call and invite her and Katie over to swim this week or something. Hey, since you're there, do you have any idea when they'd be free?"
"Well, I don't know about Katie, but Shirley only has her one class with me and Taylor on Tuesday's."
"Oh really? Maybe Taylor could bring her over when the class is done." He said, more to himself than to me. Hm...I wasn't playing at Reality Squared next Tuesday because I'd played 6 weeks in a row already. That's the limit there. After this Tuesday, I'd start up again for another six weeks.
"Well, that might work but Tay and I have the project to work on on Tuesday." I said.
"You could come too." He offered.
"Uh, sure! I think I'm free on Tuesday until 5:00. I could just drive myself down after the class and then get back in time for my other class."
"Yeah. And if you could do me one more favor and find out if Katie will be free...actually, I can ask Shirley, nevermind." He said. "Oh, Tay just came in and wants to talk to you. Thanks for the number."
"You're welcome. Bye Ike."
"Bye, here's Tay." I waited patiently for Taylor to pick up..
"Hey Andrea," he breathed into the phone. A grin slowly made it's way across my lips.
"Hey Taylor, how are you?"
"Better now that's you're talking to me." He said.
"Aww...what a charmer," I said sarcastically.
"Hey Ike, could you give me some privacy really quickly? Just for like, three minutes?" I heard Taylor ask. I heard a muffled reply and then Taylor came back on the phone. "Hey, sorry."
"It's ok. What's up?"
"Um...I just wanted to apologize again for the other night. I know it was mutual, but I still feel like I was pushing you to do something you didn't want to, and I feel really bad about it." He said, finishing softly.
"Taylor," I started firmly, "it was fine. As soon as I said something you stopped, and I really didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Don't beat yourself up over it. I was there too."
"I know, but I just feel like I did something I shouldn't have." He confessed. I smiled to myself.
"I wish you were here right now so you knew that I'm serious." I said softly.
"I wish that I was there too. It's the only place I'd rather be right now." He paused. "Are you doing anything important right now?" I sighed,
"Yeah, I'm studying for an exam in my guitar composition class. I have to take a written test over different scales and keys and write a song without using a guitar." I said boredly.
"What do you mean, without a guitar?"
"Like, I have to write down the chords and the notes for the melody, but I can't have a guitar with me. It's to test that I know which notes will work with which chords and stuff." I explained.
"Wow, I hope you do well. It's too bad though, because I could've come over there if you weren't studying."
"Aw man! Too bad!" I said truthfully. "I would've loved your company."
"Yeah, but I'll definitely see you tomorrow in class. And Ike mentioned that you're going to come over here with Shirley tomorrow and go swimming." He offered.
"That's tomorrow? Wow, I didn't even realize it was Monday today!" I exclaimed.
"Yeah, so then I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.
"Yes. I can't wait. I'm counting the hours." He laughed on the other line. "Hey, do you want to come early and have breakfast with me before class?"
"You mean, get up before I have to?!" He asked in mock horror.
"For me?" I said in a sickening voice. Both of us laughed.
"What time?"
"How about 9:00? In my dorm room, because I can't afford to go out and eat all the time. I have some breakfast stuff here anyway." I said.
"Ok, I'll be there at nine."
"Great!"
"I'll see you then, and I'll think about you until then." He said softly. I rolled my eyes.
"Taylor, let's not be foolish now." I said with a snicker.
"I was being serious!" He defended.
"I know. Now goodbye. I have a nasty studying session calling my name."
"Ok, bye Andrea." Taylor hung up the phone and looked around the room. No one was there. Oh yes, he'd kicked Isaac out. He walked slowly to the door and peeked out. No one. He headed down into the kitchen and found his little sister Jessica sitting on the counter, eating an apple.
"Hey Jess."
"Hey."
"You seen Ike?" He asked, opening the fridge and rummaging through for sandwich makings.
"Yeah, I think he's watching tv with Zac and Mackie." She said around the apple in her mouth.
"Thanks," Taylor said, beginning to walk out of the room. Actually, now that he thought about it, he hadn't talked to Jessica very much recently, so he plopped down next to her on the counter and took a bite of his sandwich. He nudged her with his shouldner.
"So, watcha been up to today?" He asked.
"I went over to Carrie's house for a while and then we went to the mall together." She said. "We got manicures." She held out her free hand and waved it in front of his face.
"Ah...pink. My favorite color." He teased. She smiled a bit. The two sat quietly, each thinking their own thoughts.
"I miss Cody." She said suddenly. Cody was Jessica's best friend (and a little more, Taylor was convinced) back in Tulsa. She probably hadn't seen him for three months now.
"Really? What do you miss about him?" He asked, hoping to get some perspective.
"Oh, just hanging out and doing nothing with him. Playing pool, going swimming, listening to him make fun of you guys..." she trailed off. Taylor smiled fondly, remember Cody and his antics.
"He never did like us, did he?" He questioned thoughfully.
"No, he just pretended like he didn't because his friends teased him about hanging out at our house all the time. He told me that you guys are cool. Even if your music sucks." She finished with a laugh.
"He said that?" Taylor asked incredulously.
"Yeah, but I think he was joking." Jessica said. She paused for a minute, before continuing. "About you guys being cool, I mean." Taylor narrowed his eyes at his sister and poked her in the side with the handle of the knife he was holding.
"Why don't you give him a call?" He suggested. "Mom and dad wouldn't mind. It's not like you call Tulsa that often."
"Yeah, maybe I should. I haven't talked to him for a few weeks." She took one last bite of her apple and hopped off the counter, tossing her apple core into the trash can.
"Can I use your phone?" She asked.
"Yeah."
"Thanks." She headed upstairs. Taylor finished his sandwich and meandered into the den where Isaac, Zac, and Mackenzie were watching a re-run of Seinfield. He sat down on the floor in front of the couch.
"Hey Ike, I'm done with the phone." He said. Isaac nodded and started to get up.
"I'm inviting Shirley and Katie over to swim tomorrow." He told Zac and Taylor. Zac tore his eyes from the screen.
"Oh really, how'd you get their number?"
"I called Andrea and she had it." Zac nodded, focusing back on the tv. It went to a commercial break at that very moment. He stood up and stretched a bit before glancing over at Isaac.
"So go call!" He said. "Are you nervous or something?"
"No, why would I be nervous?" Isaac asked.
"I don't know, you tell me."
"I don't know, I'm not nervous, so I have nothing to tell you about."
"Then why aren't you calling?" Zac said with amusement.
"Jess is on the phone in our room." Taylor offered from the floor.
"Oh, nevermind." Zac said, sitting back down on the couch. "Yeah, tell them to come swimming tomorrow. I'm tired of spending my off days with Ike while Taylor gets to hang out with his girlfriend all day."
"Ha ha Zac. I'm not jumping for joy at the thought of spending another day with you either, you know." Isaac countered.
"You guys are being stupid." Mackenzie said from the couch, who was slightly pissed at not being able to hear the singing duck commercial he liked so much.
"Sorry for offending you, Mackenzie." Isaac said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm gonna go call Shirley. Is there any time they need to be gone tomorrow?" He asked Zac and Taylor.
"No, I'll be here all day." Zac said.
"Yeah, me too, after my class. It's too bad Andrea has another class tomorrow evening or she could stay here longer. She has to leave at 4." Taylor said.
"Boo hoo. You see her too much anyway."
"What's your problem Zac? I see her twice a week, and 90% of that time is working on a school project."
"Yeah, I know. Sorry. I guess I'm just tired. I think I'm going to get to bed early tonight. Night guys." Zac said, standing up and heading over to the staircase.
"I'm gonna be using the phone in there in a minute." Isaac reminded as he sat back down on the couch.
"I know, I'm gonna take a shower anyway." Zac walked up the stairs and headed into the shower, while Taylor, Isaac, and Mackenzie laughed loudly at Elaine.