~"168 hours in my week"~

"Kayla?" asked Ike as he watched Kayla bent over her notebook. He would kill to know what was in there as she was always scribbling.

"You wanted to go to the mall…you still want to go?" Kayla looked up at him in confusion….

"Mall? Oh…the shopping centre"

"Hey! Our communication skills aren’t that bad are they?"

"No….their fantastic." She looked at him with that glazed look in her eyes and once again and Ike felt like there was never going to be a day when he got through to her. Never.

"Yep..so are we going?" She reached across the table and held his hand.

"Not today Ike, I think I need to stick around in case Keryn needs something. Sorry Ike, you know I want to go with you." He smiled at the realisation that she hadn’t forgotten about him. Zac burst in to the kitchen and saw then at the table, still holding hands.

"And you tell us that you’re not going out and you DONT like each other?" Zac demanded.

"We never said we didn’t like each other." Came Kayla’s reply, Zac brushed it off but Ike was shocked. She had never said that before, he never even knew she thought about him that way. She smiled at him.

"It’s true." She said, his face must have been doubtful.

"I know, I just wasn’t expecting it, after..after yesterday."

"Well Ike, it’s not too bad of a surprise…is it?"

"Nope..not at all."

They laughed together and Zac rolled his eyes. His brothers were in love, and they all didnt notice.



In her room Keryn was going crazy, she was practically climbing up the walls out of sheer boredom. Not that she didn’t have anything to think about, she had heaps to think about. All revolving around Taylor. She was convinced that she didn’t like him. I don’t like him. It’s as simple as that. It was one of those crazy moments when you are totally disillusioned. Even, in the rare case, we did intend it didn’t mean anything. We were just saying goodbye because a week is a long time when you think about it…..it’s 168 hours and that is AGES…so it was definitely a goodbye kiss, if it was anything. Keryn was also baffled at the Kayla/Ike situation. It didnt matter how much she bugged them neither would give anything info about what happened when Ike picked her up at the gas station. It was all too crazy. Honestly they both like each other, it is so incredibly obvious but they aren’t doing anything about it. I can understand that Kayla may think that it is "too soon" but hey that was DAN this is Ike and he is totally different….TOTALLY different he actually cares for people other than himself. Keryn just felt so frustrated with life, and she had only been in the room for half a day.

Taylor was playing catch with Wickit. His mind was racing and he was so incredibly confused. Why had he done that? She was a friend, he had never ever thought of her like that..ever. What had come over him? Drowning in his thoughts he was oblivious to Kayla who stood behind him watching.

"Taylor?"

"Jesus Kayla, scare the living out of me!!"

"Sorry."

"Thats cool."

There was a pause as he threw the ball and Kayla sat down on the grass. In the early evening air everything was covered in soft light and glowed.

"It’s so bad about Keryn getting the pox isnt it."

"Mmmmmhmmmm."

"Hey, you dont seem to effected by it!"

"I am."

"Okay then."

Taylor threw the ball with even more force, so much that Wickit seemed to take a double take at Taylor before scampering off after it.

"Taylor, you okay?"

"I’m fine."

"You just seem a bit agro."

"There’s something on my mind."

When Taylor didnt go on Kayla realised that he didnt want to talk about it.

"Well I’m here if you want to talk about it, you were here for me so I will be for you if you need me."

Taylor grabbed the ball off Wickit before turning to Kayla.

"I’ll tell you if I need to talk."

"Cool."

They watched as Wickit went mental after the ball and broke into hysterical laughter.

"I’m so bored…Kayla you dont understand..I am so bored…I am going crazy."

Kayla wasnt listening she was flicking through the latest copy of seventeen.

"I didnt know that Sporty Spice wants to go solo?"

"Well she does, listen to me Kayla!!"

Kayla continued to ignore Keryn and was deeply absorbed in the magazine. Keryn snatched the magazine out of her hands in frustration.

"Jesus Keryn."

"Well then listen to me."

"Okay, totally listening."

"Good, I am going crazy cos this room is so boring I have read those stupid mags about a thousand times and if I eat anything else by the end of the week I will be so huge you will have to make a huge hole in the wall so I can get out."

"Keryn shill out! It’s not that bad, it will go by really fast..I promise!"

"No it wont..it will drag by…don you know how many hours there are in a week?"

"No I dont, but I guess you are going to tell me."

"Yes I am..there are 168 hours."

"Thats very interesting."

"Kaylaaaaaa!! I am going to go crazy."

By now Keryn was running around the room throwing pillows around in frustration.

"Okay ..Okay….well maybe Taylor can visit…really quickly, so you have someone other than Zac and I to talk to. Besides you came here to see him didnt you.?"

Keryn stopped throwing things around long enough to say.

"No I dont want to see Taylor."

Kayla rocked back on heels in shock. There was a pause as Kayla digested what keryn had said.

"Keryn?"Kayla questioned softly.

"What?" Came her venomous reply.

"Did you and Taylor have a fight?"

"No."

"Then why do you suddenly not want to see him? Isn’t he your best friend?"

"Yes he is."

"But you dont want to see him."

There was a pause as Keryn stared at Kayla and then collapsed on the bed.

"I dont want to talk about it."

"Okay then…"

Kayla picked her mag up again and began to flick through it before saying,

"You know what puzzles me Keryn? Taylor said the same thing to me about an hour ago."

Keryn looked up in sudden interest. He was thinking about it too.

"It’s nothing."

"If you say so." Kayla replied as she continued flicking.



"Ike?" Kayla questioned. They were in the lounge room watching TV.

"What?"

"Did Keryn and Taylor have a fight?"

"No. Not that I know of…why?"

"Oh just they both seem to be..well reserved about each other at the moment."

"They probably had an argument, they used to average one a day when she lived back here."

"Okay then, its just unlike Keryn to be so snappy."

"Well, I’m sure we’ll know what’s going on soon enough."

"Yeah, hey do you wanna drink?"

And with that Ike and Kayla forgot all about the mounting feelings that Keryn and Taylor were harboring.



Zac was keeping Keryn company in her bedroom, he had spent about half and hour trying to rig up the TV and now after finally fixing it the two settled back to watch "Wheel of Fortune".

"That guy is so stupid…it is so easy." Yelled Zac, he was getting VERY into the show.

"It’s "The Hubble Space Telescope" you idiot!" yelled Keryn, joining in on the fun. She found it much easier to relax with Zac at the moment than Kayla. Everything she did Kayla was almost monitoring and the last thing she wanted was her to find out about the kiss. If that happened she would never live it down.

"Hey Zac, tell me about Gillian."

Zac turned and frowned at her.

"Would you lay off the subject, I have met her once in my life and I hate her. Why do you have to go on and on about her?"

"I just think that…well you never know."

"I never know what?"

Keryn made suggestive eyebrows. Zac grunted.

"No way! No way..never, if I do I will…I will be your slave for a week."

"Is’nt that what you’re doing now?"

"Keryn your ego is just too big." Keryn laughed,

"I know."



Taylor was so confused he didnt know what was up and what was down. he had to talk to someone about this. He had to. Slowly he walked into the lounge room where Kayla and Ike were pigging out and watching MTV. He watched them for a while, the easy exchange of words that flew between them and the no pressure attitude. It was obvious they liked each other but it was so casual it was almost soothing. Taylor thought back to the "stolen" kiss and grimaced, Ike wouldn’t understand.

"What ya doing just standing at the doorway Taylor?" asked Kayla.

"Nothing, I just wanted to see what was the billboard number one."

"Oh, "started Ike "We have bets on this, Kayla thinks it will be anyone but Britney Spears and I think it will be Britney Spears…."

"It will be Britney" confirmed Taylor

"Nooo it cant be that song is so un-musical."

The boys laughed at Kayla’s use of words.

"Un-musical?" asked Ike raising his eyebrows.

"yes, un-musical….even I could sing that!"

Both the boys looked at Kayla expectantly.

"NO I am NOT going to sing for you."

Once again they all broke into laughter and settled back to watch the DJ announce that Britney Spears was number one. Kayla grunted and went into the kitchen, the thought of watching her "attempt" to dance was not appealing. Taylor followed her in.

"Kayla can I ask you a question?" asked Taylor as he leant on the bench as Kayla rummaged through the fridge.

"Yep, shoot." Came her muffled reply.

"Well, you see, I have this friend and he, on the spur of the moment did something he had never even thought about doing with one of his close friends…"

"What like he stole his mates bike or something?" asked Kayla as she brought out half a crunchie bar from the fridge.

"No, he did this to a friend that was a girl…"

"ohhh….I get it."

"You’re not going to eat that are you, you dont know how long it’s been in there."

"It looks fine, tastes fine, yep I’m going to eat it..anyways go on."

"Okay so this guy has done something un-intentional to his friend who is a girl and now he’s really confused."

"Okay let me just get this straight, this friend of yours is really confused right because although the thing he did was small the other person might take it another way and then there would be all these complex’s right?"

"Right."

"Wow, thats deep, let me think on it for a while Tay, I’ll get back to you."

Taylor smiled at her, knowing that she would think about it.

"Well I am going to go catch the end of "…Hit me baby one more time"" sung Taylor as he danced out of the room. Kayla just put her hands over her ears and poked her tongue out at him.

Alone in the kitchen Kayla wondered if Taylor’s friend was Taylor but if it was him, who was the lucky girl?



After dinner everyone had dispersed. Zac had taken Keryn down her dinner and was keeping her company before Kayla went down in time to watch "Dawsons Creek." Kayla once again was sitting at the kitchen table writing in her notebook. She had been keeping a "notebook" for ages now and it was filled with poems, quotes, stories and little snippets of her life. It wasn’t private as such and Keryn had read bits of it but it had always seemed to personal to read. Anyways Kayla religiously wrote things in it as a way of releasing her emotions. Ike found this intriguing. As he walked in to see her writing he was quick to ask what she was doing.

"And what is it that you are always writing about in there?" Kayla looked up sheepishly.

"Oh, all sorts of things, do you want to read it?" Ike was tempted, very tempted but it didn’t seem right. Not yet anyways."

"No, it seems personal, maybe another day." Kayla smiled, baffled at his restraint when he was clearly interested.

"Cool..hey I’m about to go down to Keryn, want me to take her anything from you?"

"No, but ask Tay."

"Yeah, I was just about to." Kayla got up from her chair and gathered her notebook and a box of arnotts goldfish that Keryn was craving for.

"Hey, dont forget Tay and I are watching "Con Air" at 9 so if you’re not back by then you’ll miss the beginning." Kayla smiled.

"I’ll be there. Seeya dude."

"Bye."

Kayla left and went in search of Taylor, she found him in the boys bedroom lying on his bed writing.

"That a new song, from the genius mind of Taylor Hanson?" Taylor laughed and rolled off the bed.

"Not quite, it’s a letter for Keryn, could you give it to her?"

"Wow, you can read minds, I just came up to ask you if you had anything you wanted me to give her!"

"Well give her this."

"Cool…seeya later."

As Kayla left Taylor listened as she walked down the stairs. He hoped he had done the right thing.

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