+chapter.five+

I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to offend anyone. If Mr. McMillan was going to be our manager for…God only knows how long, then that means that Chloe was going to be traveling with us too. This was not good. Not good at all.

I looked at Tay and Zac. They were both smiling wider than ever. "That's awesome!" Tay said a little to enthusiastically.

Chloe nodded, her nose kinda scrunched up. She liked this idea as much as I did.

"Glad you agree," Dad said.

"Uh…yea…" I said.

"Well," Mom started, "considering you're going to be together for awhile, why don't you boys and Chloe get to know each other better."

I made another face, I could have sworn Chloe did too, and got up. "Alright," I said as nicely as I could. I plastered a fake smile on my face, the kind I usually have when I feel like crap and am made to go do a show, and motioned for Zac, Tay, and Chloe to follow.

Chloe gave a fake smile too and stood up and followed my brothers and I out of the room. "Do you just wanna hang in the living room?" I asked.

"Yea, whatever," Chloe replied.

Zac was staring at Chloe, not looking where he was going. "Whoa!" I turned around and Zac was on the ground by Chloe's feet.

"Are you okay?" Chloe asked, helping him up.

Zac nodded slowly. He was blushing, something Zachary Walker Hanson never does. "Thanks," he said, looking down.

Chloe smiled at him and nodded. Well, she obviously liked Zac out of all of us. Maybe because he was younger and wasn't as all over her. Or so she thought.

I looked back to Tay. He looked pretty disappointed, but he'd get over it. Chloe sat down on the end of the couch. Zac sat down next to her then Tay next to him. I rolled my eyes and sat down on the recliner in the corner.

The rest of the night passed pretty quickly. The more I talked to Chloe, the more I was giving in. She seemed to be pretty cool after all. At first I was kind of rude, not exactly paying attention to anything she was saying. After a while though, I was suddenly interested in what she had to say. When I caught myself staring at her, I kind of asked myself, 'What am I thinking?' But now…it's hard to explain.

Before I knew it, the McMillans had to go. By then it was like, eleven-thirty. The family left and Zac, Tay, and I went up to our room for bed.

I stripped down to my boxers and undershirt and got in bed.

"Hey Ike?" Zac asked. I could hear him grinning in the dark.

"What?"

"What do you think of Chloe?"

I couldn't help but smile. "She's cool…"

"Just cool?" Tay asked.

I grinned. "I guess I like her."

"What happened to, 'Oh my God, she's such a bitch'?"

I blushed. "I dunno."

Tay rolled over. "Ike, you've got problems."