What's going to happen? Read on for Part 2!

"Gone? They can't be gone." Taylor got up and looked out the window. "How do you know he didn't just take her home?" Zac stood there, feeling a bit stupid for acting like he did.
"I guess you're right. Ike's got more sense than to just drive off." Zac sat down on his bed and leaned against the wall.
Taylor backed away from the window and went back to his bed. "Yeah, he's got sense," he picked up a pillow and threw it at his younger brother. "A lot more than you!"
Zac sneered at his brother and started talking in a bad fake Asian accent. "Oh, you have greatly errd... prepare to taste my wrath, grasshopper!"
* * *
Isaac and Jazmine were sitting on the ground at the park. Jazmine put down her jacket, lay down, and looked at the clouds. "So, how long are we going to be here?" Isaac didn't respond, he just sat looking at the small portion of Jazmine's stomach that was visible.
He jumped as she hit his leg to get his attention. "What?”
"How long are we going to stay here?"
Isaac lay back, put his head in his hands and sighed. "I haven't thought that far ahead yet."
Jazmine sat up. "We can't just stay here forever. I think someone'll notice. Why don't you just take me home, it'll take less time than waiting for you to think of something."
Isaac jerked up, ignoring the implied insult. "No, I'm not letting you go back to that woman!"
"Why do you care so much? You've known me for how long, 3 days? You barely know me."
Isaac stuttered. "I, I do know you."
Jazmine squinted at him. "Ok then, let's just see. What's my favorite ice-cream?"
Isaac laughed then started looking perplexed. "Um, chocolate?"
Still squinting, she replied, "Lucky guess." Both started laughing. Before Isaac could start bragging she asked, "Who's the person I've most wanted to meet?"
Isaac stopped laughing and thought. "Celebrity?" Jazmine nodded. "Trent Reznor."
"Nope, try again."
"Um, Manson?"
"Sorry, wrong."
"Well then, who?
"You."
Isaac looked at her, confused. "Me?"
"Yeah, you." Isaac stuttered something incoherent. "Why not you?"
"Well, you didn't seem the type... You didn't seem to recognize me when we met."
"Aren't I good at playing dumb?" She said and smiled.
"But... why me and not Taylor or Zac?"
"Well, Zac, nothing personal, but he's a bit too young. And Taylor? He looks too much like my ex. You, on the other hand, look like my ex's best friend." They both smirked.
"So, may I presume your ex's best friend is the reason he became your ex?"
Jazmine sighed and closed her eyes. "Yep. He sure is."
"Would you mind if I ask what happened?"
She turned to face him. "Well, I was sitting with John, the best friend, watching Jordan, the now ex, practice for his basketball game. John and I talked, not really paying much attention to Jordan, except when we knew he was watching. When the team went into the locker rooms to change we got up to leave. When we were at the door, he gave me a hug, but neither of us let go. We looked at each other, and when our lips were nearly touching, in burst the whole team, Jordan in the lead. All the other guys knew Jordan was going to kick some major ass for this and I think they wanted him to. Well, he pinned me against the wall and started sucking my neck, while the other guys held John back. When he was through he said 'You bitch' and punched me in the stomach. While I was keeling over in pain, he went and beat the pulp out of John. When he was done the team cheered and left, leaving the two of us on the floor in pain. So, can you see why I'm not too thrilled with your brother?"
"Oh yeah. But what happened with you and John?"
"Well, when his mom saw him bruised and bloody she nearly sued, but John convinced her not to, but she wouldn't let him stay in the district, so she made him switch schools. I haven't seen him since.” She sighed and closed her eyes. For a while, neither of them said or did anything. But after a while Isaac took his fingertips and traced the side of Jazmine’s face, brushing the hair away. She opened her eyes and looked at him as he started running his finger around the outside of her lips. She gently kissed it, and he moved his hand to under her chin, lifting it up to his face. Their lips were nearly touching when Jazmine bent over, clutching her stomach.
Isaac stroked the back of her head. “Hey, you ok? What happened?”
She sat up, but was still holding her stomach. “I don’t know, I just got this sharp pain...” She shook her head, released her stomach, and took a deep breath. “I’ll be fine.” She moved herself over to Isaac and put her arms around his neck. Once again, they nearly kissed, but again, the same thing happened.
“What is that?”
“I, I don’t know.” she turned away from him and sighed. “It must be... you look and act so much like John... I keep thinking you’re him and then remember what happened. I, I’m sorry.” She reached to get her crutches and started to get up, but Isaac pulled her down.
“It’s ok. I don’t mind.”
Jazmine smiled, but it soon vanished. “I really should go home though. I mean, think about it. How long could you possibly keep me away from my mom? She’ll find me soon enough, it’s not like you’re parents are too thrilled with me as it is, so they’re not going to help anymore. And would you really risk your career on me? Hiding me away would take a LOT of effort, cause my mom’s a pretty determined person, and she already knows I’m with you, so the way I see it, it would just be best to...” Isaac put his arms around her waist and started to kiss her. It lasted for quite some time before they stopped.
“Now, would you calm down? I’ll handle everything.”
She sighed and smiled. “You know, it didn’t happen that time.”
He smiled back at her. “Of course not. You didn’t have time to think about it. Thinking too much at one time can be quite a problem.”
Jazmine continued to smile and moved closer to him. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I'd like to try that again, you know, just to see if I’m over that thing.” Isaac smirked, pulled her into him, and started kissing her again. Nothing happened. They just kept on kissing, and the kisses got longer, and they probably wouldn’t have stopped for a while, except a high, loud scream came from nearby. When they jerked away, they saw a crowd of girls, appearing to be between the ages of 14 and 16, coming at them. Isaac tried to help Jazmine up, but some of the girls came and knocked her over.
Isaac pushed them away and helped Jazmine up. “Hey, what’s your problem?”
One of the older girls spoke. “My sister came wanting to see you. It was going to be my birthday present to her, take her to see you, and I had heard you came here allot. She saw what she thought was your car and got excited, but when she saw you two,” she glared at Jazmine. “When she saw you two, she screamed and started crying.” She pointed out a girl standing a few feet back, head in her hands, bawling like a baby. “I can’t believe you.”
“What? You’re blaming this on me?”
“You’re not supposed to be going out with anyone. You’ve said so in every magazine article and on every TV show. You lied.”
“I didn’t lie. I didn’t have a girlfriend.”
Jazmine got up the courage to speak, “And he still doesn’t. We’re not together, you see...” Before she could finish the girl who had been crying came over to her and started choking her, screaming various obscenities. The other girls and Isaac tried to pull her off. When they got her, the older one who had been talking had to hold her back.
“You! You! Slut! Get away from him! Tramp!” One of the other girls came and took the girl away from the crowd, arm around her, trying to comfort her.
Jazmine started rubbing her neck and Isaac put his arm around her and told the older girl, “I think you should be going now.”
The others walked away, but the older one stayed behind. “You know we’re going to tell people about this. Don’t expect this to be kept a secret for very long.” She glared at Jazmine and started walking away.
Jazmine pulled away from Isaac and went over to the other girl. “What do you want?”
The girl smirked. “Is that a bribe? Ohh, now I’ll have something to say.” She started to walk away.
Jazmine stopped her again. “Why are you so intent on telling everyone? You know, you’re just going to be hurting him. Telling people will only get him in trouble, and probably ruin the band’s chances. Are you that angry with me that you’re willing to get him in trouble?”
The smirk on the girls face went away, and her eyes narrowed. “Ok, we won’t tell everyone.” She looked back at where Isaac was standing. “But I’m sure his parent’s would love to know what he’s been doing between performances.” She turned around and left.
Isaac went over to Jazmine and tried to hug her, but she pulled away. “I, I’m sorry. I’m going to get you in so much trouble...”
Isaac stroked her hair to calm her down. “Hey, don’t worry. No one’s going to get in trouble. You see, I’ve already thought of a plan. A friend of mine lives real nearby, and has his own place. I’ll call him up on the pay phone and ask him to pick us up. He owes me.”
Jazmine looked up at him, nearly smiled, but then started to look confused. “But what about your car? You’re just going to leave it here?”
“Don’t worry about the car. I’ll see if I can get it towed, but if not, it’s just a car, it doesn’t matter that much to me.”
“So you’re saying, you’re just going to leave your family so you can hide me away? I don’t want you to do that, it’s not fair.”
Isaac sighed and continued stroking Jazmine’s hair. “Don’t worry about it. My friend’s a genius about things like this. He’s had to deal with two other guys trying to do... basically the same thing. We’ll figure out something.”
* * *
Taylor lay on the sofa in the living room, half asleep and staring out the window. It was nearly 1, and Isaac still hadn't shown. He had just decided to give up watching for him when the phone behind him rang.
He picked it up and began talking. "Hey, Ike, where've ya been? If ya don't get back soon Mom and Dad are going to be pissed."
The person on the other end had been silent, but when they spoke, it wasn't Isaac. "This is Mrs. Belmont, Jazmine's mother. Is she there?"
"Um, no, she's not.
"Was she there last night?"
"Yeah, she was. She got real sick, throwing up constantly. It wasn't pretty. Mom wouldn't let her leave until she was better, but that didn't happen until real late last night, so she had her stay over. She would have called, but it was kind of late..." He trailed off, waiting for Mrs. Belmont to say something.
"Ok. I see. Do you have any idea when she'll be back?"
"No. Isaac took her out for some ice cream, I think, to help settle her stomach. But if they come here before they drop her off, I'll call you, ok?"
"Ok." Click. Taylor sighed as he hung up the phone.
He started muttering to himself. "God, Isaac. What are you thinking? Do you know what you're doing?" he closed his eyes, lay back, and began an uneasy sleep.
* * *
Isaac's friend, Dave, came and picked both of them up. He said he knew someone who could take care of his car. When Isaac had said he had his own place, Jazmine was thinking an apartment, but when they pulled in the driveway, the house was huge. "Oh, you see, his parents moved to Europe for a few years, and they left him the money to take care of everything."
Dave led them in the house and grabbed a clip-board that was hanging next to the door. He flipped through till he was looking at what looked to be a layout of some part of the house. "Well, let's see, rooms 1, 3, and 6 are taken, so that leaves 2, 4, and 5. Ooh, the master bed room's free, what luck. But you can choose." He hung the clipboard back up and led them up the stairs. When they reached the top Jazmine was awe stricken. This room was huge, had 3 sky-lights, 2 sofa's, 3 love seats, a large coffee table, and a huge fire place. He started pointing out rooms. "That open door is 2, over there is 4, and back there is 5. You can go, check them out, choose whatever one you want. I'll be going now, Mike called asking for a room, so you have a while. When I get back, just tell me, and we can get things settled."
Dave went back down the stairs and left. Jazmine felt guilty for using the crutches, for fear of ruining the plushness of the carpet. She and Isaac went to the first open door, room 4. It was average size, had two twin beds, a little night stand, a nice walk-in closet, and a tiny dresser. Then they went to room 2. It was slightly bigger than 4, had a queen size bed, two night stands, a large walk in closet, and two average sized dressers. When they went into room 5, both stopped in their tracks, just looking around. The room was huge, had a king size canopy, 2 night stands, 2 large walk-in closets filled with the most awesome clothes, a love seat in front of a fireplace, a minibar, a deck over-looking the little pond and gazebo in the back yard, and a large jacuzzi. "Wow. What a room. I can't believe this, how could anyone afford to keep up a place like this?"
Isaac sat down on the love seat. "It costs a fortune, but Dave's parents are loaded. And, the money he makes from renting the rooms out helps."
Jazmine turned and looked at Isaac. "How am I going to pay? I don't have a job, and even if I did, I couldn't even come close to affording to live in this place."
Isaac patted next to him and Jazmine hobbled over, leaned her crutches against the fireplace, and sat down next to him. "You don't have to pay for it. Like I said, Dave owes me, so he's not going to charge that much, and anyway, I have the money for it, so don't worry."
"I'm not going to let you keep doing this. You keep doing all these things for me, and I have no way of paying you back."
Isaac pulled her head onto his shoulder and started stroking her hair. "You don't have to pay me back. Just knowing that you're safe is payment enough." Jazmine put her arm around him and started twirling a strand of his hair around her finger. "So, you like this one?"
"Yeah, it's great. I'd feel kind of weird sleeping here though, I mean, alone. In a stranger's house. It'd be too weird."
Isaac started looking uncomfortable, squirmed, and was about to say something when Dave came to the door. "I thought you'd like the master suite." When he walked in two people, one of which Jazmine guessed to be Mike, were sitting on one of the sofa's in the main living room. Dave had the clipboard with him and flipped to the page with the layout of that floor. "So, should I put you down for room 5?"
Jazmine sat up. "I don't know. Like I was telling Isaac, it's a great room, but it'd be to weird sleeping here, it's too big for just me."
Dave gave a confused look to Isaac, then started laughing. "You're joking, right?"
"What do you mean?"
Isaac squirmed tried saying something, but Dave spoke before he could. "You said it was too big for just you, like you were going to be in here alone."
Jazmine began to look uncomfortable. "Yeah, aren't I?" Isaac stood up and whispered something to Dave. He nodded and left, meeting up with Mike. "Isaac, what did he mean?"
"Um, well," he paced around the room, eventually stopping and looking out the glass door to the deck, then back over to where Jazmine was. "I'll start at the beginning. You see, Dave's like, the saint innkeeper for all his friends. He takes them in and lets them stay. But, the friends he takes in are always hiding out from their parents, until they accept who they're with." He stopped, looking to see if Jazmine had picked up the hint. She still looked confused, so he went on. "Well, I'll try to make this simple. The friends he takes in come with their girlfriends. They stay together. In one room."
Jazmine got up and got her crutches. "Isaac, you can't just leave you're family. It's not right. I'm not going to let you."
Isaac went over to her and stroked her hair. "I'm not going to just leave my family. I'd do everything, like with the band, I'd just stay here. I'm not going to let you go back to your mother. I'm going to make sure she's charged with child abuse, so they won't let you stay with her. And by the time everything is finalized, you'll be old enough to legally be out on your own anyway." Jazmine leaned her head on Isaac's shoulder and started nuzzling his neck. She dropped her crutches against the love seat and held onto his waist.
They didn't notice when Dave walked in the room, so they were startled he spoke. "So, I guess that's Hanson and Belmont for room 5?" When they turned to look at him he was smiling. He reached in his pocket, got a key, and tossed it to Isaac. "That's the skeleton key for everything in the room. You want some food, open the minibar. You want to eat outside, open the deck door. You want to sleep in," he started to smirk at Isaac. "You lock the main door. Well, I've gotta finalize things with Mike and Michelle. If you need anything, just ring," he pointed to a buzzer on the side of the wall next to the bed. "There aren't any set times for eating, considering everyone's on a different schedule. When you want a full meal, the kitchen's downstairs, last room on the right." He started walking out the door. "Have fun," as he left he closed the door.
Jazmine sat back down on the love seat. "I'll feel bad sleeping in that huge thing," she said, nodding towards the bed. "It's like a dream. Everything seems to be going so well." She sighed and looked around. Her eyes stopped at a door, which led to the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower soon, then sleep for a while. This whole thing is so, so, overwhelming."
Isaac had started looking through the clothes in one of the closets. He began choosing some things, then pulled them out to show to Jazmine. He held up a long sleeve, black silk shirt and a black satin skirt. We started speaking in a very fake English accent. "Would you care for me to set out your dinner clothes, madame?"
Jazmine giggled and replied in an equally fake accent. "Why thank you, sir. That would be just divine!" She got up and went into the bathroom, and within minutes she started her shower.
Isaac lay the clothes on the top of the love seat and went back to the closet. He looked to the back, then walked in, for he couldn't tell what was there. He pulled out two of the farthest hangers and looked at them. One was a black satin robe. The other was an emerald green velvet camisole, with a bit of lace around it's v-neck. All he could think of then was how good Jazmine would look in it. He took both off the hangers and folded the camisole under the robe. When he closed the closet door he could hear the shower turning off, so he quickly tossed the robe on one of the pillows and went to the other closet. He tried to look interested in the row of chinos, corduroys, jeans, and various shirts as he heard the bathroom door open.
"You found anything, or shall I help you look?" Jazmine asked as she walked up behind him. He turned and looked at her. For a while, he didn't speak, just stared at the ruby red terry cloth bathrobe which seemed to accentuate her curves. "Hey, genius, talk much?"
Isaac jerked his head to look at her. "Sorry. Um, you can choose, I don't really care. Plus, it's only fair, since I chose yours." He smiled and stepped out of her way. She grinned back at him and started looking. Isaac reached in his pocket and found the key Dave had given him. He opened the minibar, just to see what was there. A bunch of candy, mainly Swiss chocolate and cordial cherries, a random bag of chips, the most expensive kind, of course, two six packs of soda, and a few virgin daiquiris. "Damn," he thought to himself. "Dave had to go and get legal on the no alcohol thing."
"Sir, would this be to your liking? It's nowhere near as extravagant as what you've chosen for me, but..." Jazmine said in the same fake English accent. Isaac turned to see Jazmine holding up a pair of black corduroys, a white polo shirt, and a black and gray checked flannel. "I would have gotten something that looked more like a jacket, but this was the best I could do."
Isaac smiled and took the clothes from her. "It's ok, I don't like looking like a butler anyway." Jazmine grinned in triumph and turned to close the closet door. Isaac just then noticed a bead of water rolling down the back of her neck. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. He gently blew the back of her neck, causing the water bead to slide quickly down under the robe.
Jazmine shivered and turned around. "Well, I'm just came out to get something to wear to sleep. So as soon as I'm changed, I'm going to rest a little." About to open the other closet, she noticed the robe on her pillow. She picked it up and went to change in the bathroom.
Isaac felt a knot form in his stomach and began to go over the past few days. "I can't believe this," he thought. "Three days ago, I was annoyed about having to go greet the new neighbor, now, look at me." He looked around him at the huge surroundings. Almost lost in the amazement of it all, he realized something. "I've gotta call home, just so they won't worry. Won't say anything specific, just that my friend offered me a place where I could work, quietly. And plus, with the baby coming, one less person to shelter should be a blessing. When Jazmine comes out, I'll tell her I'll be back, go ahead and sleep." He sat down on the corner of the bed, not wanting to wrinkle the sheets too much.
Jazmine stuck her head out the bathroom door. "Um, Isaac?"
"Yeah?" He got up, waiting for her to finish.
"Tell me the truth," She stepped out of the bathroom and closed the door. "Do I look fat in this? Cause I feel really self conscious."
Isaac stood, looking at her. She had the robe tied loosely at the waist, and the top portion open enough for most of the camisole to show. "Fat? Hell no! You look fine."
"You really think so? I mean, I normally wouldn't wear this kind of stuff, and the two together feels a bit strange." Isaac wanted to say something, but he wasn't quick enough. "I'm going to check in the closet, to see if there's something that's supposed to go with this." She walked into the closet and started looking.
"Um, Jazmine?"
"Yeah," she called from the back of the closet.
"I've gotta go talk to Dave. I'll be right back. Ok?"
"Sure."
He closed the door as he left and went downstairs, looking for a phone.
* * *
Zac walked into the living room, finding Taylor sleeping on the sofa. He grabbed a pillow from one of the chairs and threw it at his brother's face. "Yo Tay, have a nice nap?"
Taylor jerked up and sneered at his brother. "So, you seen Ike around?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing." Zac fidgeted on the chair. "Tay, I'm getting worried. He's been gone for who knows how long."
"Yeah, and Jazmine's mom called around 1, so we know he didn't take her home." He sat up and faced his brother. "I just hope he knows what he's doing." Before Zac had a chance to respond the phone rang. Afraid that it might be Mrs. Belmont, Taylor let the machine get it. As the beep sounded, no one spoke, and whoever called hung up.
"Dang it. That could have been Isaac."
Taylor groaned. "As much as I wish it were, it probably wasn't."
Zac got up to get the phone. "There's only one way find out." He pressed *69, then 1 to call whoever it was. It only took a ring before someone picked up. "Hello," Zac said. "Sorry we didn't pick up, but we just got in the door when the machine went off. So, who is this?"
"Zac?" came Isaac's familiar voice from the phone.
"Ike?!?! Man, am I glad to hear you! Where've you been man?"
Taylor jumped up to where Zac was sitting and grabbed the phone away from him. "Damn it, Ike. Where are you? Dad's mad as hell, Mom nearly had a conniption, Zac and I were totally freaked out, and Mrs. Belmont wants to know where Jazmine is."
"Hey, Taylor, chill man."
"Chill? You want me to chill? You've got a lot of nerve!"
"Man, cool it. If you'll shut up for five seconds I'll explain." He waited a while, to make sure his brother wouldn't interrupt him. "I was out looking for a place to stay. I figured since the baby was coming, mom and dad'll need all the space they can get, so Mac can move in with you two and..."
"You're own place? What the.... You actually think Mom and Dad are going to go for that? You're dreaming! Where'd you find this place anyway?"
"A friend of mine lives in the same building, and he told me about an empty room. So, I'm renting the place for a while. The peace and quiet will be great to get some songs done."
Taylor couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Peace and quiet? Sure, in one of Tulsa's many loud apartment buildings. Anyway, where's Jazmine? Her mom's freaking out."
Isaac's stomach began to turn. "I found her a place in the same building."
"You what? Ike, she's still not old enough to legally live on her own. What the hell are you thinking?"
"Tay, listen. Her mother abuses her. If you think I'm going to let her go back to that woman you're crazy."
"Yeah, sure. We've all heard the little abusive mother story. It's getting old, Ike. Dad's gonna kill you if he finds out. Why don't you just drop it and take her home?"
"Because, Taylor, her mother does abuse her. I don't care what you think. I'm gonna make sure that woman pays for what she's been doing."
"Come on, you can't be serious. Like it's going to work!"
Isaac became frustrated. "Look, Taylor, I'll be dropping by the house in a day or so, to pick up some stuff, and go over some songs with you. Bye." He hung up the phone and went back up to his room. When he opened the door Jazmine was curled up on one side of the bed, covered by only one sheet.
Isaac went over and sat on the other side of the bed. Jazmine turned around and looked at him. "So," she whispered. "Did you find Dave?"
"Yeah, I found him." He took off his shoes and lay back on the bed. He closed his eyes and sighed. Jazmine, still half asleep, slid over to his side of the bed and gently kissed his cheek. He turned to look into her eyes. "So," he reached his hand over her shoulder and started playing with the end of her hair. "What time do you want to eat?"
"Dunno." She moved closer to him, putting her forehead as close as possible to his without touching it. She put her hand behind his head and moved it in to a position where their lips were already touching. He kissed her a few times, each one being a little more intense than the others, but she stopped and yawned. She turned over, and almost as soon as she did she fell asleep. Isaac, however, was still awake, but he didn't want to get up, which would wake Jazmine. He pushed the strap of her camisole down a bit and gently kissed her bare shoulder. He pushed it back then buried his face in her hair and attempted to sleep.
* * *
When the doorbell rang Zac jumped up from his reclined position off the sofa. Expecting it to be Isaac, he swung the door open. Much to his dismay, when the door opened there were a crowd of girls whining and a few who he could tell where whispering his name. The girl who had rung the bell towered over him. Nervous, he stuttered. "Um, can I help you?"
"We were just wondering if your parents were here. We wanted to talk to them."
"Nope, sorry. They're not."
The girl thought for a while. "Well, is Taylor home? We feel both of you should hear this."
"Hear what?"
"Where your brother is."
"Isaac?" The girl nodded. Zac closed the door and ran upstairs to get Taylor.
Taylor looked up as his brother charged in the room. "What is it, man?"
"Some girls are at the door."
Taylor shook his head disapprovingly. "Zac, I would've thought by now you would know to ignore them."
"No, but this is different. They say they know where Ike is, and they want to talk to us together."
Taylor got up and went down the stairs, followed by his brother. He opened the door, and a rush of high pitched female voices came at him. The one who had talked to Zac before was ushered in, and the door was closed. "So, what do you know about Isaac?"
"I know where he was this morning."
"Where?"
"At the park with some slutty looking girl dressed in all black."
"How do you know?"
"I was taking my sister to the park with her friends as a favor to my mom, and we walked in on the two of them."
Zac was confused. "Walked in on them?"
"Yeah, walked in on them." Zac still looked confused, so the girl elaborated. "We caught them in the middle of a make out session." Zac cringed.
Part 2 Continued