Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25
Hanson Through My Eyes
Chapter 21
I couldn’t sleep at all. I tossed and turned for a few hours then got up and walked around. I was excited about going home. I missed my friends so much but I knew that once I got on my plane, it just wouldn’t be the same. Granted, I was going to be in New York with them but that was only for a week or so and then it all came to an abrupt halt. I went back to Boston and they flew on to London. I stayed up and paced around for half the night. When I couldn’t take it anymore I put on my sweater and stepped outside. It was a bit cold, but I needed to get some fresh air. But even that wasn’t helping, I was tired but couldn’t sleep. I slid open the glass door to the outside and walked down the steps. I loved being near the beach. I used to live walking distance from the Atlantic Ocean when I was a girl and didn’t realize how much I missed it until I spent time in Bali. I had so many thoughts running through my head and they were all conflicting and random. Flashbacks from the whole summer were running through my mind. I was remembering the first time I saw them in the airport. I forgot that Liz pulled me over to see them. I laughed when I thought of how much I had to thank her for dragging me.
Well, that did it, the tears started. I knew they were coming, I’d been expecting them all week. I was tired, worn-out both physically and mentally. The kids were great but they wore me down. I just let the tears fall, didn’t even wipe them away. I walked the beach for a what seemed like an eternity. The light from the moon was bright enough for me to see where I was going. I got to the point where the beach wasn’t private anymore and headed back. I think the walk was what I needed because I started to yawn and feel my limbs get heavy. I took my shoes off at the bottom of the steps and quietly tiptoed up to the balcony. I caught a shadow moving in the boys’ room and ducked down so as not to be seen. I heard the sliding door open and silently cursed myself. I listened to footsteps coming closer and looked up. "What the heck are you doing out here?"
"I couldn’t sleep so I took a walk. I’m going to bed now, goodnight." Damn Isaac. Why was he still awake? Like I need this now. I tried to sneak past him but he wasn’t moving, "Why couldn’t you sleep?"
"Not tired I guess. Why were you awake?"
"I don’t know, I heard you leave and wanted to make sure you were okay." Ohhh! He was worried about me. That’s so sweet. I wanted to give him a huge hug but thought better of it.
"Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for watching me." I smiled a bit.
He shocked me by asking, "Were you crying?"
"Umm...uh....mmm...yeah a little. I’m tired, exhaustion I think."
"Liar" Well, what do you want me to say? I thought, Somewhere between London and Bali I developed a huge crush on you and don’t want to leave. Your family is one of the nicest that I have ever met and don’t want to say good-bye. Somehow I thought that that wouldn’t be the answer he was looking for so I lied through my teeth.
"Isaac I’m tired, I want to go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning." I was whining hoping that I could get out of a lengthy discussion.
I heard something inside and scurried across the balcony to the door. I turned around to say goodnight and was surprised that Isaac was right behind me, "Umm... goodnight."
"Sam, why were you crying?" Damn, he’s persistent.
"I’m tired. I am excited about going home but am going to miss everyone." I let my shoulders sag and looked at the ground, "I loved spending the summer with you and-"
He moved around me and stepped inside. I followed and slid the door closed, "I don’t know, I guess I’m just tired."
"Why would you get so emotional over lack of sleep?" Damn him, why couldn’t he let it go?
Sighing, I said, "I’m going to miss the girls. I loved being with them and I felt like a big sister. I never had a sister of my own so I guess this was my chance."
"Well they are going to miss you too. I know that they loved having you stay with us and I don’t think the summer would have been the same without you."
I looked up for the first time and was surprised to see him staring right at me. I let myself go a little more, "Thanks, I am going to miss you all so much."
I walked over to the chair and put my shoes on the floor, "Tomorrow is not going to be a fun day for me."
"Do you really think it’s going to be a fun day for us? Jess is going to whine the whole way to Toronto, I know she is. You keep her occupied on the plane and without you she’s going to be unbearable. Avery’s not going to be much better. None of us are, we all got used to you being there." Okay, my heart melted right there. If I could have stopped time and just stared at him at that moment forever, I’d have been happy. I walked over and wrapped my arms around his waist and turned my face into his shoulder. Don’t know what possessed me but it felt right. I stayed there for a few minutes totally content. Neither of us spoke, I really don’t think there was anything to say. But I can remember hearing the clock ticking and thinking it of how loud it sounded-that was how quiet it was.
Somehow we got back to reminiscing about the summer. We were sitting on the floor cross-legged, talking. I noticed his eyes getting heavier and heavier and finally, almost close. I got up and dragged the blankets off the bed. I put the pillow down on the floor and he silently laid down. I spread the blanket over him and he was asleep almost immediately. I grabbed one of the pillows off the couch and started to move across the room back to my bed. Thinking better of it, I took the comforter off the bed and tossed the pillow down on the floor. I curled up underneath the comforter next to Isaac. He was already asleep and dreaming away. I tucked a piece of hair behind his ear and snuggled a little closer. He didn’t seem to mind, though he was asleep. I turned my face up to his and just stared. I kept thinking that whoever marries him is going to be the luckiest woman in the world. He is definitely someone who will love one person forever and be totally happy. I somehow found the ability to stop staring and closed my eyes to sleep.
Sometime during the night, I opened my eyes and he was looking right at me. I smiled a bit and closed my eyes again. Though I did move a little closer and snuggled under my blanket a bit more. I yawned slightly and fell back to sleep. I woke up again sometime later and he had rolled over. I was staring at his back, trying to go back to sleep. I started gently tracing random patterns with my finger across his back. He moved a little and rolled over again. "Well that was easy," I thought, "At least I get to see his face if I can’t sleep."
I was awakened to knocking at the door. Isaac was still sleeping and I would have loved staying there and facing the consequences later but knew I couldn’t. I stumbled across the room and opened the door. Susan’s eyes were huge, "Sami, we have to leave in ten minutes. Hurry up."
She stepped into the room and gasped a bit when she realized Isaac was sleeping on the floor. I didn’t have time to explain so I let it go and grabbed clothes off the table. I ran into the bathroom and changed, silently praying that she didn’t think that anything happened between us. I threw my clothes into the remaining suitcase and took a quick look around the room to see if I left anything. Isaac was still sleeping peacefully and I didn’t have the heart to wake him up. I picked up my suitcase, blew him a kiss, turned off the light and shut the door. I put my bags down outside the children’s room and opened the door. I didn’t turn on the light, only gently shook Jessica and Avery awake, "Girls, I have to go. It’s time for me to leave."
Avery awoke, "You have to go?"
"Yeah, I’m running late so I have to go now. Give me a
call when you get to Toronto okay?" I heard a mumbled okay
just before she fell back to sleep. I moved over to Jessica and
gently shook her, "Jess? I have to go."
"Okay, I’ll see you in New York."
"Gee, don’t get to broken up Jess, thanks" She gave me a hug and I put my forehead against hers, "Jess, I need you to do something."
"Mmm hmmm"
"Jessica, wake up, just for a second. When you get up you need to wake Isaac up, he’s in my room. The door is locked but I left my key on the table. Please Jess, don’t forget. I don’t want your parents to worry about where he is."
"Hmm...ok...g’night."
I didn’t even attempt waking any of the guys up, I was late and didn’t have time. I shut the door to the children’s room and stepped into the hall. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Hanson were awake and I didn’t want to get them up. I figured they’d want as much sleep as possible. Susan was waiting for me in the lobby and I waved good-bye to Jason on the way to the elevator.
Susan had a cab waiting and I hopped in the backseat. I sunk down in the seat, happy to be out of the hotel. Susan was telling me about gates and tickets and lay-overs but I was blocking out her voice. I was too tired to think and didn’t care. We got to the airport and when Susan was sure that I was going to find the plane, she left. Nothing big, just a simple good-bye and a "see you in a week or so." The rest of the day is a bit hazy, I got on the plane and immediately fell asleep. I had to fly back to Jakarta then I had a stop-over in Tokyo. I called my parents from Tokyo and talked for a few minutes. Nothing really to do in Tokyo considering I don’t speak Japanese. I kept to myself and wandered the airport for a while. When I finally got back on the plane, I realized I was flying in business class so there was really nothing to do because the passengers were all on business trips. I kept looking around on the plane thinking that the family would come around the corner and say that they were taking a vacation to Boston. I knew that it was silly to think that but I guess I was just lonely. The person next to me never showed up so I lifted the arm rest and curled up to sleep. I had a great dream about a certain someone and it felt so real. I hate dreams like that because they seem too real. In fact when I woke up, I hadn’t opened my eyes and could have sworn that my head was resting on his shoulder. Imagine how sad I was when I opened my eyes and realized it was just the head rest. I sat back against the seat and looked out the window for the rest of the flight, afraid to go back to sleep for fear of feeling worse.
When I finally got back home, it was like I was never gone. My parents, brothers, Mary (my older brother’s girlfriend) and Chrissy were all waiting for me. They all commented on my tan as we made our way outside.
"Sam, why don’t you ride with Chrissy, Jamie and Mary-we’re going out to eat so what would you like?"
Oh man, I was so tired I didn’t care, "Umm...the Olive Garden sounds good. I’m in the mood for Italian."
"Okay, we’ll see you there."
I was telling everyone about all the things we had done and of course I was grilled about Jakarta. I stayed surprisingly awake through the car ride and almost made it through the meal. Though I drifted off just before we got the check. I remember waking up to my father dragging me out of my seat and plopping me down in the car. Jet lag is the worst thing about traveling. I was so tired when I got home, I just wanted my bed and that was it.
I woke up the next night and couldn’t believe I had slept for almost 24 hours. I went downstairs and had my breakfast and chatted with the family. I was only home for a few days and most of that was spent doing laundry. You’d be amazed at how long it takes to clean every piece of clothing you own.
Chrissy came over later that night and I curled up on my bed and recounted most of the summer to her.
"Sami, you fell hard didn’t you?"
I buried my face in my pillow and mumbled a yes.
"Well how does he feel about you?"
I rolled over on my bed and stared at the ceiling, "I have no idea, I’m not a mind reader."
"Well from what you have said about him he seems like a nice guy."
I sat straight up in bed and yelled, "He is! He is a sweet, kind person who is fun to be around and-"
"Whoa Sami, Stop! I know. You’ve been telling me this for two months now. My guess is that if you feel this strongly about him he has to feel something for you."
I flopped back down, "Ugh! But that’s the problem, I don’t know if he likes me. God, I feel like I’m back in junior high."
"Ha ha, would you like me to pass him a note in gym class?" She got hit in the head with the pillow for that comment.
Huh?....oh...what is that?....alarm?...whack....no, what is it?...oh damn phone!
"Hello?"
"Hello, is Samantha there?"
"Zac, you have got to be kidding it’s..." I poked my head out from underneath the covers. "7 o’clock in the morning. Why are you calling at this ungodly hour?"
"It’s earlier here and we’ve been up for an hour."
"Zac I just went to bed four hours ago, what do you want?"
"Four hours? What were you doing at three in the morning?"
"I was out with friends. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, we’re fine. Did you get smashed?"
"NO! Zac, you know me better than that. I don’t drink."
"I know but I thought because of your birthday..."
"No, I didn’t. What’s up?" I was now at least sitting up in bed and half awake to the world.
"Nothing, we have a few interviews to do and we get to chat on-line today. I just thought I’d be the first to say Happy Birthday to you."
"Sorry to burst your bubble but a few of my friends have already said it to me but you are the first Hanson to say Happy Birthday to me."
"Oh...gee, thanks"
"What’s everyone else up to?"
"They’re getting ready to go down to breakfast. They all want to say happy birthday though so hold on."
I heard the phone hit the floor and I crawled across the floor to find a scrunchie. I put the phone on the floor and attempted to pull my hair up.
"Hello?"
"Hold on a sec. I’ll be right there."
"Hello?"
In a louder voice I said, "Hold on a second!" I picked up the receiver, "Hello?"
"Sami?"
"Yeah, Taylor? What are you up to?"
"Nothing yet. Just wanted to say happy birthday."
"Oh thanks. I can’t believe I’m 18, that’s a scary thought."
"Why’s it scary?"
"I don’t know. I just feel old."
Laugher on the other end of the phone, "Hold on, Jess wants to talk."
"Good morning Jess, having fun in Canada?"
"Yeah, we get to go to the amusement park tomorrow."
"I know, the concert’s tomorrow. Are the guys psyched?"
"Yeah. Hey, Happy Birthday." I heard a struggle on the other end and finally Jessica gave the phone to Avery.
"Hey Sami, Mack says happy birthday-Mom and dad do too."
"Thanks guys" I was kind of wondering where Isaac was but didn’t want to come right out and ask, "So what are you guys up to?"
"Nothing much. Canada’s boring."
"Haha...I’m sure it’s not boring. You just haven’t been able to get out of the hotel yet. You’re going to have fun tomorrow."
"Sami? Hold on, Ike wants to talk to you."
Finally "Hello?"
"Sam? Hey, why didn’t you wake me up the other day?"
"I thought you’d want to sleep. Don’t get upset, I didn’t wake anyone up."
"You woke the girls up."
"Yeah, well, if I didn’t wake them up they’d have followed me home and yelled at me for it."
"Haha...yeah, I think they would." Uncomfortable silence.
I twirled the phone cord around in my hand trying to think of things to talk about but my mind was blank. Damnit, I’m going to get off the phone and think of twelve witty things to say.
"So you guys excited about tomorrow?"
"Yeah, they said it’s going to be huge and to expect a large crowd."
"Well after Melbourne I don’t think anything can top that."
"I don’t think so either. When are you coming to New York?"
"Umm...I should be there Monday morning. The train will be at Grand Central around 10. I didn’t really feel like flying. Amtrak is cool anyway, I like it."
The conversation somewhat stalled after that and after about the third uncomfortable silence, I gave up and ended it. We said our good-byes and I went downstairs to face the day. I love talking to Isaac but sitting with the receiver against my ear, trying to think of something to say is not fun.
My parents were ecstatic about having me home. They followed me around the house asking about Australia and what it was like. My mother loves koala bears so she was all jazzed when I got the pictures back from the zoo. Sometime in the afternoon when my parents were both at work and my brothers were not home, I sat down on my couch and just listened. There was nothing-no screaming children, no guitar strumming, no tennis balls being bounced off the walls. I hated it. I wanted noise and was a bit surprised by that. I went over to the stereo and blasted the radio. It still wasn’t helping though. Weird, I loved the being alone before...
My friends and parents had a party for me that night and I thought it a bit strange that none of my friends had brought presents, just cards. We ate cake and I sat down to open the cards. The first card I got had a ticket inside it-a ticket to the Broadway show, Damn Yankees. I was psyched because I always wanted to see a Broadway musical. The next card I got had the same thing inside. I figured it out by the third card. My friends had all bought tickets so they could come down to New York with me and see the show. Little did I know my mother called Mrs. Hanson and set it up weeks before. I was beyond ecstatic, my friends were able to come to New York for at least a little while with me.
I got a package in the mail the next morning and sat down on the floor to open it immediately. Inside the box was a crystal music box that played the song, Someone to Watch Over Me.
"Oh my gosh! They remembered." My mother had come out of the kitchen and was standing over me, "What?"
I turned to look at her, "They remembered the song."
"What song?"
"In Australia, I was humming that song while I was reading. It was on a commercial and it got stuck in my head. I have heard it before and liked it so I was humming it. The guys were doing schoolwork and my humming got so annoying they threw me out of the room. I apologized later but they were even angrier because I got it stuck in their heads. Hehehe...Zac wouldn’t talk to me all afternoon."
My mother was kneeling down to examine the box, "Sam, that box is beautiful. I can’t believe that. What did the card say?"
"Oh I didn’t even read it." I went fishing through the paper to find it and opened it up. Everyone had signed it-even Mackenzie in red crayon. I picked up all the paper and brought it to my room. I started to dial the phone number but realized they would be at the park already. Oh well, I need to pack anyway. I went over to my bureau and moved knickknacks around to fit the box on the top shelf. I wound it and let it play me to sleep.
I never really realized how big the guys were until I got away from them. From the safety of my own computer I logged onto a popular search engine and typed in Hanson. There were forty or so sights on the guys and many more sights that I started to explore. I discovered something else too-Hanson stories. Some of the made me laugh, the way they portrayed the guys and some made me cry. Ever read Walls? I cried all afternoon. Not because it was true but that it could happen and that it has happened to so many talented artists. I had a nightmare that night about what could happen to them and stayed up pacing the floors for the whole night. I was anxious to get to New York and see the guys just to make sure everyone was okay. I knew it was silly for me to worry but I couldn’t help it.
I packed my bags again and was off to New York. I got on the train and curled up to listen to music. My friends were excited about coming to New York and Chrissy made it her goal in life to see Isaac and I together.
"Chrissy, please. If he felt any connection he’d say something, just let it go."
"Sami, no way. I’ve never seen you this depressed. He’s like five hours away in Canada, you haven’t seen him in four days and you’re already about to gouge your eyes out."
"I am not!!"
"Sam, you’re pathetic. If I’m going to go to New York, I’m going to make sure you two are together." We laughed it off but in the back of my mind I knew she was serious.
I got off the train with my headphones on and wandered into the center of Grand Central Station; I was turning in small circles standing on my tip-toes trying to see anyone I recognized but there wasn’t anyone. Not that you could see a lot with the crowds of people trying to get through. I finally spotted Susan running through the station toward me and I had to laugh. Usually she is in dressy clothes because she is working. She had on shorts and sneakers when she picked me up, "Come on, hurry. I’m double parked." She eyed me closely and grabbed one of my bags, "This is all you brought?" I looked at the two bags and looked back at her, "Yeah I’m only staying for a week. I don’t need that much." She gave me a weird look and I would have questioned her about it but she turned and disappeared back into the crowd. I had to push people out of the way just to keep up with her. We reached the rental car and she threw the bags, none too gently, into the back seat.
"What’s the rush?"
"The boys are already taping and we should get there for support."
"Where are they?"
"Central Park-filming for MTV. It’s for the video awards."
"Oh. How did Toronto go?"
"It was great. Hot like you wouldn’t imagine but the guys had fun."
We talked for a few minutes as she swerved through traffic trying to get a parking space near the park.
She found a space and we ran to the bridge where they were filming. The girls that swarmed the park were obnoxious. I stood on the outskirts of the crowd while Susan mingled with the MTV crew. I strained my neck and stood on tip-toes trying to get a glimpse of the guys. A girl moved to her right and I could see the three of them sitting on the bridge. It was as if the world stopped around me. My stomach flipped and dropped in a split second. It wasn’t hard to spot Isaac, Candace struck again and made him wear butt nasty ugly clothes. I was looking so innocent behind my sunglasses but if someone could reach inside my mind they’d see my thoughts were flying in a hundred directions. No one around could have known that I was staring so blatantly at the object of my devotion. I spent most of my time in Boston reminiscing about the summer, I thought New York was going to be torture because I knew I would have to go home. Those thoughts of sadness were wiped away from my mind when I looked at him. It didn’t matter to me what was going to happen later, all I cared about was seeing him. Maybe Chrissy was right, I thought, Maybe I am pathetic. I never dreamed I’d be this happy to see someone. I didn’t even miss my family this much when I went half way around the world for the summer. I smiled to myself and just stood staring. Happy to be sharing the same space with him again. He didn’t even know I was there but knowing he was there was enough to send my heart racing. I was also shocked at my reaction to being there. A thousand girls were standing around me, bumping into me but I didn‘t even notice. There was one thing on my mind. It was in bright orange pants and didn’t know I was there. It was so sweet seeing him fool around him with his brothers; not worrying about little things, just being himself. I felt as though I was the only one seeing him. The crowds of girls saw him as Isaac Hanson-1/3 of the most popular band to come out of the U.S. in years. To me, he is Isaac, the sweet honest one who makes me smile by just looking in my direction. As if he were reading my mind he turned his head toward the crowd and gave a small wave of his hand. It was enough to send the teenies into hysterics but I quietly took the gesture and locked it away in my heart to take out and remember later. Later would be when I am alone in my room, without him-without any of them. I stopped myself from thinking of those times though. I concentrated on the now, I was there and so was he. I smiled, trying to convince myself that leaving wouldn’t be the hardest thing I ever had to do. He turned back to the cameras and cocked his head to one side to read the cue cards. It is the small things that he does that sets my heart at ease-the way his eyes shine when he finds the chord he is looking for or the way his smile makes you feel special. I stood behind my sunglasses in my own world. No one bothered me and I was alone. I couldn’t hear anything even though the sounds of the city was almost deafening to the people around me.
I stood unnoticed by the teenies for almost an hour. I heard someone yell behind me and I turned. Didn’t see anything unusual but I did notice Louis eyeing me from the other side of the crowd. He was standing rigid and looked quite mean while surveying the crowd of teenies. He looked around for a second to see if anyone was looking and when he saw that no one was, he motioned frantically for me to come over. I cracked up laughing at how funny he was. He had to keep his bad boy image as a bodyguard but is such a teddy bear in reality. I slipped through the crowd and only got a few death looks before I made it over to Louis. He was facing the crowd and I was looking out toward the guys. Louis and I spoke for a few moments. We couldn’t really make it look like we were talking because he knew the crowd would come after me like a shark smelling blood.
"How was Toronto?"
"It was great. The boys sounded really good. It was hot but they did well."
"That’s good. I missed everyone. You’d be amazed at how much you miss the screaming and the, ‘Sami! Avery took my doll. Make her give it back.’ ‘Sami! Make Mackenzie stop yelling’."
He dropped his demeanor for a moment and turned, "Really? I thought it would have been Heaven without the entourage around-no screaming girls or tremendous crowds."
I thought for a minute, "Nope, I never thought I’d say it but I actually missed it a little bit."
"Wow! You feeling okay?"
I laughed, "No, I’m fine." I was looking out toward Fifth Avenue when I heard someone yell, "That’s it. Wrap it up."
Louis moved over toward the bridge where the guys were and I tried to push through the crowd again to get back to Susan. She motioned for me to head for the car. I walked back thinking of how much I did miss it all. Susan met up with me a few minutes later and was mumbling under her breath.
"Don’t they ever go away?"
"Were they that bad?"
"Did you hear about Toronto?" I flopped down into the front seat while she cranked the A.C.
"No, what happened?"
She rested her hand on the console between the seats and turned her head, "They set a new world record for the loudest decibel audience in the world."
My mouth fell open, "Are you serious?"
"Yes. I thought my ears were going to explode. The guys took it well though. They loved it but they all had major headaches Saturday night."
I just kind of stared through the windshield as we drove.
I yawned a little. "I hope you aren’t planning on getting any sleep while you’re here. We have so much to do it’s pathetic."
I rested my elbow up on the window and looked at her, "I know they have the concert and the tennis thing what else is there?"
"Weird Al. The video. The concert. MTV, which thankfully is done now. They need to get ready for England and they have to film something for ABC-though I think that might get pushed back till September."
We finally made it to the hotel and the swarming girls followed us there. We made it up to the top floor through a back staircase. For some reason we were not allowed to use the elevators so I thanked the heavens that I only had two bags with me. Susan was jogging up the stairs with her purse over her shoulder while I was dragging a bit behind. I saw Susan peek her head over the side of the staircase, "Sami, hurry up."
I stopped and smiled politely, "Coming!" Meanwhile under my breath was, "Sure you can go fast. I am dragging my butt but really, it’s ok. Don’t offer to help, I don’t mind. I’ll just suffer alone here-"
"Did you say something?"
"No, nothing."
We made it to the twenty-third floor (finally) and we made our way through the tons of press people gathered around. There was a photo shoot going on in the boys’ room and I saw Zac’s hair flying around as I walked by. I walked past the girls’ room and they were sprawled on the floor, reading. I saw Mrs. Hanson as she was coming out of her room. She smiled and said, "Hey, you’re back." Then she kept walking. Nothing’s changed, I thought. I didn’t expect there to be bells and whistles but I thought someone would have said something other than a casual remark you would give an acquaintance. Susan showed me my room and handed me my key, "We’re here for the rest of the day and tomorrow I’ll fill you in on all the goings on." Then she was off-gone into the maze of people in the hallway.
After unpacking and collapsing on the bed I heard a knock on the door through the crowds of media personnel.
Without even getting off the bed I yelled, "It’s open." Bad idea, I was trampled by six Hanson children all wanting to talk at once.
"Did you like your present?"
"Did you miss your family?"
"Did you miss us?"
"Did your friends tell you about coming here?"
All these questions were being hurled at me at once. I loved it. I answered everyone and we talked about how their concert went and the crowd and the amusement park. They were pumped beyond words. They had the tennis tournament as their next concert and they were ready for it. They were psyched about getting to play in America again and were happy about getting to play in New York.
They spent a good twenty minutes in my room recounting every second of their trip to Canada. I laughed at how they kept interrupting each other. One of them would be speaking and another would think of something and jump of say, "OH!" and just start talking. I thought I was going to get whiplash just from trying to keep up with the conversation.
I tried my best not to stare at Isaac but it really wasn’t easy. I thought it was bad having to see him from across the park but sitting so close and not being able to look into his eyes was torture. It was pure agony, being deprived of seeing him for days and having to restrain myself from grabbing him around the neck and giving him a bear hug. Hugging him in Bali before I left was not a good idea. As my mother says, "It’s never enough. You always want more." She was right, I wanted more. I wanted to climb into his embrace and stay there forever.
Mackenzie was standing by the edge of the bed, trying desperately to pronounce the word specific. He was being so adamant but his tongue was not cooperating. I thought he was going to cry but he kept rolling his eyes and stuttering. I slid forward on the bed and sat in front of him. "Sweetie, spe-c-i-fic" He looked into my eyes and tried it again. He was getting better when I heard someone move behind me. Isaac kneeled down on the bed and put his hand on my back. He leaned down and enunciated the word. My mind shattered. Everything I had ever learned in my life, was gone in the blink of an eye. My whole body was aware of the hand that was against my back. Isaac leaned over to rumple Mack's hair when he got it right and I moved so he could get closer. The smile on Mackenzie's face when Isaac congratulated him was priceless. His smile could have kept the whole city lit for days. He was so happy to get it right for his older brother. Mackenzie jumped forward to give him a hug and ended up hugging me in the process. I kissed the top of Mackenzie's head before he pulled away. He was off and running, looking for his parents so he could proclaim his newly extended vocabulary. Isaac sat back on his knees and I turned to face him, "He loves you so much." He turned to look toward the doorway where Mack had disappeared, "Yes." It was more a sigh than a word. I stayed there, staring toward the floor not really knowing what to say or do. Isaac was behind me but not really saying anything. Susan came in then and announced we were all to meet at the elevators in five minutes.
Everyone started filing out but I heard, "I'll be right there" and I cringed. I knew he’d want to talk but I wasn’t sure if he was going to be happy or angry. I felt his eyes on me but I wasn't sure if I should be happy or not. We really hadn't spoken since I had gotten to NY and we hadn't been alone either. I got up to usher the girls out of the room and looked anxiously for something to keep me occupied. A quick scan of the room showed nothing promising so I walked across the room and picked up my shoes. I attempted acting cool but it wasn't working, "Sami, why didn't you wake me up?" His voice cut through the silent room like a dagger. He was nearly whispering but I could swear he was yelling. I slowly lowered myself to the floor. Apparently, he still wants to talk about this, I thought. Sitting Indian style, I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I don't know. You were sweet enough to stay with me that night and I thought you needed sleep." I wanted to add that he looked so peaceful, it would have killed me to wake him from his dreams.
"But I asked you to wake me up." Damnit, he was trying to rationalize the situation. I didn't know how to tell him that I wanted to wake him up but that waking him up would have made it all the more difficult to leave. How was I supposed to explain that?
He got off the bed and sat down on the floor. "Hey, I wanted to say good-bye, you know? I would have liked to have maybe gone to the airport with you." My head shot up to meet his eyes. I couldn't have even imagined him being at the airport. Good-byes at the hotel are one thing, but standing at the gate is even worse. I always see a couple who are being separated and it always breaks my heart because I wonder what their story is. I wonder if they are ever going to see each other again. I was brought back to reality when I noticed he was searching my face for a reason as to why I was looking at him as if he were a monster.
"Oh no, Isaac. I’m sorry. I was just thinking of something."
"What did I say?"
"Nothing, I was just thinking."
"Liar." Damnit, think Samantha. Think. I was attempting to make up a lie that sounded believable, you can come up with a lie somehow. Why is it that when you want to think of something, anything to say your mind picks that exact moment to spaz and draw a blank thought? I couldn’t have told you my name at that moment, let alone come up with a lie to get past Isaac "I can see right through you" Hanson.
I was fooling with the necklace around my neck when I saw him start to move his hand. Oh God, I thought, If he touches me, I’m toast. I don't have a nerve left in my body as it is. I inwardly cringed and braced myself for him to touch my arm when I heard the loud knock at the door, "Ike. Sam. We gotta go now." I jumped up so fast, you’d think I was sitting on a hot fire. I grabbed for my wallet and was out the door before anyone knew any differently. I surrounded myself with the children and avoided looking at Isaac all the way to the photography studio.
"Sam, did you miss us?," Jessica was standing next to me in the elevator on the way down to the lobby.
Turning around I said, "Of course. Why wouldn’t I?"
"I don’t know. I hate when Tay, Ike and Zac are gone so I was wondering if you missed your family-"
"Jess, I missed my family but I missed you guys too. I am going to miss you guys so much when you leave for London." Feeling myself start to get emotional I wanted to change the subject, "So what are you planning on doing today?"
"Not much. The guys have the photo shoot for the CD now but after that I don’t know."
"Already? I thought the shoot was just for a magazine or something. They haven’t even recorded the CD yet though."
"I know. Weird, huh?" Getting off the elevator, I stayed away from Isaac as much as possible without being suspicious.
The photography studio was pretty big, a loft on the top floor of a sky rise building. There was a wall of all windows on one side and the children stayed close to those. They did the best they could with the toys they had brought and I stood up to see if I could find the guys. There was a wall in the middle of the room and side there was fake snow all over the floor. People were milling around, getting things ready for the guys. I walked over to the wall and peeked around the corner. I laughed, two women were wrapping the TOT in Christmas lights. The women kept telling the guys not to try to move because if they did they’d fall. As funny as that would be to see, I didn’t want them to get hurt. After a few moments, I walked back to the window to play with the children. I wasn’t really paying attention to what I was doing though; I was staring out the window trying to figure out what I was going to do about Isaac. I knew that I was going to enjoy his company but I didn’t plan on my feelings being so strong. Leaving was going to be much harder than I thought it would. If I didn’t knock it off, the other children were going to figure out that their baby-sitter had a crush on the baby-sittee. Taylor and Zac would never let me hear the end of it if they knew and I still didn’t know how Mr. and Mrs. Hanson would react. I had been shuffling a deck of cards while looking out the window for a good 5 minutes before Avery tapped me on the shoulder, "Sami, are you going to deal the cards or not?"
"Oh, sorry Sweetie. I was just thinking about something."
She just gave me an odd look before taking the cards from my hand and going back to converse with Jessica. Man I hate when they do that. It’s like they’re twins. The girls were talking in hushed tones and every few seconds one of them would look in my direction. I felt myself slowly sinking into a ball of nerves. What if they knew? Would Mr. and Mrs. Hanson be mad? I sat back and looked out the window to the city, wishing that my friends would get to New York soon so I could get Isaac off my mind for at least a few seconds.
My friends got to the hotel around noon. I was sitting on the edge of my bed wringing my hands wishing that Chrissy didn’t do anything to embarrass me. I was so deep in thought that I jumped three feet in the air when the phone rang. I grabbed the phone and frantically gasped, "Yes"
"Ms. Dervan? There are people here to see you. You need to come downstairs to verify they are with you."
"Yeah, I’ll be right down."
I stuck my feet in a pair of sandals and headed for the elevators. I took a deep breath as the elevator doors opened and prayed that everything would be okay. I loved Chrissy dearly but I was afraid of what she might do.
The lobby was filled with crowds of people but somehow my friends made more noise than the rest of the hotel combined. As I got closer, my friends moved as a big mass of bodies towards me. I was enveloped in a sea of arms pulling me into a group hug. I could hear an annoying voice buzzing in my ear and I peeked my head over someone’s arm, "Yes?"
"Do you know all these people?" One of the hotel staff was standing near us, with pen and paper in hand. She looked a little snobby, not at all happy to be appointed to keeping track of a dozen or so teenagers.
"Yes. I know them all. They are all friends of mine that will be spending the day with me."
She stood with her pen poised, taking down all the names of my friends. Along with my friends, both my older brother and his girlfriend were there. In all we were 7 teenagers that were going to wreak havoc on their hotel. We made our way up the elevators and after everyone was checked in by Jason and the others we were free to roam the floor. Somehow we all fit into my room along with people’s bags. The original plan was for them to drive home right after the show but they were too tired. They ended up crashed on my floor but that’s getting a bit ahead of myself. I need to start from the beginning. His name is Eric, he’s been a friend for years and I would do anything for him. It’s not my fault we’re close.
I was standing in the middle of the room when Eric grabbed my from behind and lifted me up in the air just because he felt like it. My friends were used to seeing us do stuff like that, we’d always done it. It’s just the way we are. Taylor and Isaac chose that moment to come and meet my friends. They were a bit surprised to find me dangling upside down in the arms of a strange guy but Taylor took it well. He bent over to talk to me upside down, "Hi Sam! I take it these are your friends."
"Hey Taylor, this is Eric." Taylor straightened up and said hello. Isaac was not as personable to Eric. I ignored his tactlessness and introduced everyone. My friends were examining Isaac with scrutinizing eyes. They all thought the guys would be snobby, which was not the case. After a few minutes of small talk the guys were called away for more interviews. As soon as the guys left the room, my friends attacked. All giving opinions on Taylor and Isaac. All but Dana were impressed by them. She was still convinced that they were just being hospitable and that they were really going to be rude at lunch.
The whole Army O’ Hanson, along with my friends, had lunch together in one of the basement rooms in the hotel. It was nice, everyone seemed to enjoy having my friends there. Dana, Mary, Chrissy, Liz and Nikki all fell in love with the girls. They loved hearing about all the silly things I had done over the summer. My friends also loved hearing about them.
"She tripped? That sounds like Sami."
"Thanks Nikki. I don’t need to remind you who tripped in the church in Seville, do I?"
A small gasp was heard among my friends, "Oh Sami, that was low."
"I’m just teasing. I tripped too, remember?" The girls were having a grand old time recounting all of my embarrassing moments over the summer. Not only that but not too far after that, the guys joined in and it was the Hanson clan vs. me.
"Remember when she walked into that pole in Indonesia? She was talking then...bam!" Zac was having a great time embarrassing me. He even added sound effects. Then to add to my horror, my friends started talking about all the stupid things I had done all through high school. Needless to say, I wanted to crawl underneath the table. I was sitting next to Eric and slowly slumping down into my chair as everyone recounted all of my imperfections. Eric was telling a story about how I gave him a bloody nose by accident and how I cried for an hour because I thought I was going to get in trouble, "You were so scared, Sam. You thought your mom was going to ground you." He was looking at me and laughing at the silliness of the story. I laughed with him but secretly was hating him at the same time. Why did everyone have to bring up all the stupid things I had done with Isaac sitting right there?, I thought. Eric put his arm around my neck and pulled me into a bear hug. I really loved having my friends in New York but I wish they didn’t have to recount all my embarrassing moments. I smiled over at Isaac but he only gave me a weak, indistinguishable head nod. I think if someone stuck a knife in my heart I couldn’t have felt any worse. I immediately starting getting nervous. Was it something I did? Something I said? Is he feeling okay? All my thoughts were of hoping I didn’t do something wrong. It put a damper on my whole afternoon.
I had had enough of staying in the hotel so I gathered my friends and we took over Manhattan. It was great to get out of the hotel and away from Isaac’s icy glare. He should have been getting psyched about the Arthur Ashe concert but he seemed really angry instead.
My friends and I were walking down Fifth Avenue and I was such in deep thought about Isaac that I walked straight into a light post. Great, like I need this now. Of course my friends thought it was hysterical but Liz put her arm across my shoulders, "Sam, you’ve got to get him out of your head. He’s not worth all this pain." She smiled at her own pun.
"I know but I just don’t understand why he’s acting like this. I didn’t do anything wrong, he was in a good mood before."
"Maybe he’s just having a bad day."
"Liz you know that’s not true, he’s been fine to all of you. I get glared at. Don’t even try to deny the fact that he is ignoring me."
She didn’t say anything to that because she knew it was true. He was ignoring me. I finally was able to admit I had feelings and now he won’t even look at me.
Chrissy had slowed her pace and was walking next to Liz and me, "Sam, really, it’s jealousy."
"Jealousy? Of who? There’s no one to be jealous about."
She stopped walking and turned to face me, "Sam are you blind? I know you’re not that quick on understanding people but come on! Even you should see this."
I was getting a bit angry at her and snapped, "What Chrissy? What am I not seeing? All I see is his glare. I said good-bye before we left and if looks could kill, I’d be six feet under already."
Chrissy, looked over my shoulder at Liz and said, "She really doesn’t know, does she?"
Calmly, Liz said, "No she doesn’t. She thinks he’s angry at her."
"Oh I’m sure he’s angry at her but not for the reason you think, Sam. He’s jealous. He is so jealous he can’t even see straight. Sam, he likes you. If you can’t see that then you need glasses A.S.A.P."
I was still not seeing it, "Okay, if he likes me so much why won’t he talk to me?"
The two girls threw their hands in the air in exasperation, "Sami, he’s jealous! Dear God girl! It’s so obvious."
Liz grabbed my shoulder, "Think about it. He had you the whole summer to himself. You two had to lean on each other because there was no one else to lean on. Now you have us here. Not only us but you have Eric here."
"Eric? Eric is my best friend." Both girls raised their eyebrows, "Ah...best GUY friend. Isaac should know that there is nothing between us. I’ve told him about Eric. He knows we don’t like each other."
"Sam, he only knows what he sees. He sees the girl he likes fooling around, laughing and joking with another guy. Remember when you called me crying because of a girl in Singapore who Isaac was talking to?"
Busted, I quickly tried to rationalize, "It was Jakarta and I wasn’t crying-I was just a little upset."
Chrissy laughed out loud, "Oh please! You were so upset it was pathetic." Her smile faded and her tone of voice became more supportive, "Seriously Sam, look at it from his point of view. He’s had you all to himself and now there is someone else getting most of your attention."
"Chris, you make him sound like a puppy who is starved for attention. What am I supposed to do? Ignore Eric for the next three days?"
"He’s not a puppy but he does want your attention. Don’t spend all of your time with Eric; try talking to Isaac alone, it’s the only way you’re going to be able to find out for yourself what’s wrong. My vote is that he’s jealous but that’s just me."
The rest of the afternoon was better. For awhile my friends got me to forget about Isaac. We climbed on the F.A.O. Schwartz bear only to get yelled at by policemen on bicycles. We got down and stood in front of the bear to take pictures.
Around 4 o’clock we started heading back toward the hotel. My friends had had enough of me trying to find where the Beacon Theatre was.
"I swear Susan said it was on 78th Street."
My brother was practically dragging his girlfriend Mary down the street. She was exhausted and leaning on Jamie for support, "We’ve been up and down 78th street twice. It’s not here. Sam, you know I love you, you are like a sister." Mary raised her head off my brother’s shoulder, "But God damnit, girl! I woke up at 3 a.m. to drive all the way here and have not sat down for more than 20 minutes since I got here. Either we go back to the hotel now or I leave you to fend for yourself."
"Umm...why don’t we all head back to the hotel?" Mary gave me a trademark smile before slumping back onto Jamie’s shoulder and trudging down the sidewalk. I trailed the pack of my friends a little. I had my hands in my back pockets and was thinking about what I was going to say to Isaac. I wasn’t sure if I should confront him right away and tell him what a dink he was being or to be kind and sympathize with him.
We walked back to the hotel in relative silence. I sent my friends to my room while I went in search of Mr. Attitude.
He was sitting outside on the balcony. I wasn’t sure why because all he could see was the concrete wall in front of him but he was staring at it like it was one of the Great Wonders of the World. I leaned back against the cheesy floral wallpaper and smiled. I loved times like these, I wish they could go on forever. I love getting to see Isaac without him knowing I am there. He does not try to impress or act; he is just him. He was sitting with his elbows resting on his knees, leaning back against the sliding door. I saw him roll his head back and forth across the glass, not caring about anything at all. I couldn’t see his face so I didn’t know if he was worried or not. I can read Isaac’s emotions by his eyes. He does not hide his feelings well-at least not with me. I remember worrying a bit if he was okay. Were his eyes heavy with sadness? I couldn’t see but I would have done anything to see his face; search it for an answer to his emotions. My brain started to reel with thoughts. Samantha, why are you doing this to yourself? You know you can’t stay with him, why hurt yourself anymore? It’s better to just keep away from him for the next few days and go back to Boston where you belong. When he gets on that plane there is nothing you can do to stop him because no matter how much he values your friendship, he values his family and career more. My eyes slowly closed to stop the realization that clouded my thoughts from further invading my head. I swallowed my fears and started walking toward the door. Taking a deep breath, I ever so lightly tapped against the glass. His head shot up to look at me. He had a look of panic in his eyes that faded away as he leaned forward. He did not seem overly thrilled to see me so that only made my heart feel heavier. The balcony was not that big, only a few feet wide so instead of invading his space, I moved to sit on the wall to face him. He looked up at me and squinted because he was facing the sun.
"Umm...Isaac, did I do something? You don’t seem to be liking me at all today. Do you not like my friends? Did I say something to upset you?"
"No."
My mouth dropped open slightly. Isaac does not lie well. Does he really think he’s fooling me? Obviously there’s something wrong. "Isaac, please obviously there’s something wrong. You’ve been in a bad mood all day. I would like to know if I can help. Are you worried about the concert tomorrow? I know you’re going to do well if that’s what you’re worr-"
"Samantha, it’s not that." He raised his head and looked up at me, "I’m fine, really. Please, I’d like to just sit here. Go back and find your friends, I’m sure they are looking for you." He dismissed me as if I weren’t even there. I couldn’t argue, so I quietly slid off the wall and walked back inside. Instead of feeling sorry for myself I went in search of everyone. If Isaac was going to be a jerk and not talk to anyone then I was not going to sit around waiting for him.
"Mack, where is everyone?" Mackenzie was running down the hall with his truck in hand. He stopped for a minute and gave it some thought.
"Avery and Jessica are in your room with your friends and Taylor and Zac promised they’d play with me." He got a serious look on his face and swung the truck onto one arm. His other hand went to his hip. "Zac and Tay can’t play with you, they’re playing with me." With that he turned and continued running down toward the open door of his room. I could here him yelling even after I walked into my room. "That boy is so loud. I wonder where he gets it from?"
Avery looked up at me with a knowing look on her face, "Sam, come on, like you don’t know who taught him to yell like that...."
At the same time we both said the same name, "Zac!" For as loud and rambunctious Zac is now, Mackenzie is like a miniature version of his brother. He laughs like Zac and most of his mannerisms are copies of what Zac does. I wonder sometimes if Zac was like that at Mackenzie’s age. I never asked Mr. or Mrs. Hanson but made a mental note to do so.
"Are you guys having fun?"
Jessica looked up from the book she was reading and smiled, "Yeah, your friends are really cool."
"I know." Chrissy, Liz and Dana were sitting on the floor, chatting with the girls while Nikki, Jamie, Mary and Eric were outside trying to figure out where the Twin Towers were.
"What are you reading, Jess?"
"Your yearbook. Nikki brought hers down for us to see. You look different now. There’s a picture in here from when you were Tay’s age. You looked so funny."
"Yes, I know. I hadn’t gotten braces yet and fashion was not a word in my vocabulary." Oh man, my tomboy days. Those were interesting times. I wish every picture of me before my junior year in high school could be burned.
I walked over to Jessica while she was reading and brushed out the rather large knot in her hair. I was humming quietly when I realized Chrissy and Liz were staring at me, "What?"
Liz shifted her weight and answered, "Nothing, I was just watching you. It cracks me up."
A while later Zac and Taylor came to see if there was anything fun to do. "Where’s Mack?"
Taylor was standing, with his hands in his pockets, looking down at my open yearbook on the floor, "He’s with Dad. He wanted to show Mackenzie something and we were bored playing alone."
Zac was toying with the Gameboy that Eric brought to New York with him, "Isaac isn’t talking to anyone so we thought we’d come in here." I looked up when I heard Isaac’s name but neither one of the boys seemed too upset that Isaac was so moody. Oh well, he must get like this sometimes. He’s probably just having a bad day.
Dinnertime was mostly a replay of lunch, my friends were recounting my embarrassing moments. I was a little bit more sure of myself and joined in on the fun. I told my friends about some of the embarrassing things that the guys did over the summer.
Dana nearly spit her food across the table, "You what?!?!" Her eyes went to Zac when she spoke.
Zac sheepishly said, "Yeah, I honestly thought that the girl was Isaac. I just attacked like I normally do." He grinned a little and turned to Taylor, "Do you remember the look on her face? That was so funny. I thought her eyes were going to bug out of her head." He turned his attention back to the fork on the table, "She got scared though, she practically ran away. I wonder if she figured out who I was."
I laughed, "I’m sure she knew who you were. The look on her face was priceless; I don’t think I’ll ever forget it."
I was given most of the afternoon off because the guys had a television shoot they had to film. Not that meeting Weird Al wouldn’t be fun but I opted to spend the day with my friends instead. I loved laughing with them and reminiscing about all the crazy things we had done. As we were walking past a convenience store near the hotel, a thought crossed my mind. I laughed out loud at my own plan and after getting curious looks from my friends, walked inside. I was carrying the plastic bag with me as we got upstairs to our floor. I called down the hall for the children and after a few moments, their heads popped out into the hallway. Mackenzie did not look happy until I held up the bag, "I thought you might want one." The girls were the first ones to reach me and they grabbed the bag right out of my hands. In a flurry of ripped plastic and shredded wrappers, my friends watched with shocked faces. I smiled, "I learned about their love of popsicles while we were in Melbourne, Australia. I thought they were going to tackle the poor man who had to bring them for room service." The three children walked away happy.
I laughed a little and handed each of my friends a popsicle. Unlike Jessica, Mackenzie and Avery, my childish friends who are supposed to be mature adults fought over who got the "tasty" raspberry popsicle and who got stuck with the "yucky" lime flavor.
"I can’t believe you guys. The kids fought less over this." We walked down the hallway and I stopped at the guys’ room, "You guys go ahead, I’ll be there in a sec." I stood in the doorway until they finished playing. I had one pop in my hand and threw it at Taylor, "Look alive, it’s coming at you." He caught it and started eating it as I threw another one at Isaac. Zac snatched it out of the air and grabbed it before Isaac even saw it flying towards him. I sighed and walked into the room, "Here, do you want one?" I was standing over Isaac and dangling the article in question in front of his face.
"Umm...yeah. Thanks." Ugh, I could smack that idiotic look right off his face. I dropped the popsicle into his hand as if he were diseased and pasted on a fake smile for Zac and Taylor before leaving the room. It took all my strength not to slam the door as I left.
After finding various members of the Army-o’-Hanson to get rid of the last of my fast-melting popsicles my friends and I found our way back to my room. The rest of the day was spent fooling around in my room and making lots of noise. The hotel staff was none to pleased when they started getting calls about colorful water balloons being thrown from the hotel balconies. I swore the children to secrecy as I saw their eyes grow wide. Jessica cleared her throat and asked, "You’re gonna throw that over the balcony?"
My brother had the balloon in his hand and smiled, "Yeah, if you want to watch go back to your room and stand on the balcony. You’ll be able to watch us."
The two girls stood for a few seconds before they ran back down the hallway to their room. I could hear them shushing each other as they went. I turned back to my brother, "You do realize if I get caught, I’ll be in deep trouble. Not only with the hotel but with Mr. and Mrs. Hanson."
"Oh come on Sam, I know you want to do this. We only have a few balloons and you really can’t tell what floor we’re on if you’re trying to look up at the hotel. We won’t get caught."
"Well just make sure you don’t. Please, I don’t want trouble for my last few days." I started walking toward the door, "I want to make sure the girls are okay. I don’t want them out on the balcony by themselves, I’ll watch from there."
My friends were conniving with my older brother, debating over which would be the best target. My friends, who were supposed to be mature adults, had a sparkle in their eyes that could only mean trouble.
I could see Avery and Jessica leaning over their balcony as I walked into their room. I laughed at how excited they were over a silly water balloon, "Hey, be careful, I don’t want to have to explain to your parents how you fell off the balcony."
Avery turned to face me, "Your brother is cool. I like him."
"Thanks. I like him too. I won’t like him very much if he gets caught but there isn’t much I can do." I ran my hand down the back of her hair and smiled, "What do you think your parents will do if we get caught?"
"They’ll get angry but they’ll probably laugh about it."
Jessica wasn’t as optimistic, "Remember what happened to Isaac when he got caught with those eggs on Halloween? I haven’t heard Mom and Dad yell like that before." She turned to look up at me, "I hope we don’t get caught." I knew that if we got caught we’d be in serious trouble but I laughed at how the girls were so excited about seeing the balloon hit its target. I allowed Jessica to sit on the wall and picked Avery up to see better. My friends were all crowded around the two windows in my room, pressing their faces against the glass and Eric and Jamie were on the balcony. Jamie gave the girls and I are menacing smile and leaned over the wall. He aimed for a tree across the street from the hotel and as it hit a high branch it exploded sending water flying in all directions. The people down below scattered as the water hit them. I could hear Eric and Jamie high-fiving each other from inside the girls’ room. The girls collapsed in a fit of giggles and ran into the hallway to join the rest of the "delinquents."
They were brought up short when Jason walked by. The two girls turned back into the room with a look of utter horror on their faces. The thoughts of getting caught were far from their minds until they saw Jason. I laughed, "Jason do you know where Mr. and Mrs. Hanson are?"
He stuck his head inside the room, "No, I thought they were downstairs in a meeting but I might be wrong. Why, do you need something?"
"No, I just wanted to ask a question but it can wait."
He walked back down the hallway to the elevators. I took both of the girls hands, "You know you’re going to get us caught if you keep looking as guilty as you do right now."
The girls were literally skipping down the hall, they wanted to know when the next balloon would be launched. Just as they got into my room, Taylor and Zac came out of theirs, "Hey, what are you guys up to? All we can hear is laughing."
The girls looked back at me for help and I smiled, "Wouldn’t you love to know?"
I gently pushed the girls into my room with the two boys close on my heels. It was too much for Zac, "What are you doing? Tell me, please. You guys are doing something, aren’t you? How come we didn’t know?"
"You were practicing and I didn’t want to disturb you." I saw Zac’s eyes get huge and turned to look over my shoulder and see what he was looking at. Jamie had just finished another balloon and was heading toward the balcony. He let the girls poke the balloon before he told them to go back to their room to watch. I turned back to the guys, "Obviously you figured it out. Come on." The girls had run ahead and were already on the balcony yelling at us to hurry up. With two extra people the balcony was a bit cramped but Taylor picked Avery up and Jessica was already sitting up on the wall. This launch went just as smoothly as the first but this time, one of the food vendors was waiting for us. I couldn’t exactly understand what he was saying but I knew it wasn’t good. As soon as we noticed we had been seen, all five of us ran back toward the door at once. Avery tripped and fell to the carpet, laughing hysterically. After that it was the domino effect, we were all in a heap on the floor, clutching our sides laughing when Eric came in, "That was awesome! We have to do that again."
"Eric no. Wait a little while before you do. That guy looked really peeved and I don’t want him going into the hotel yelling."
Too late. The guy complained to the hotel and even though they could not positively identify who threw the balloon, Jason spoke to us, "I won’t tell Mr. or Mrs. Hanson if you promise not to do it again. I just got yelled at by a woman with no sense of humor at all. Just please, no more water balloons." He tried to act all tough but when he broke into a grin and asked if we hit anyone, we knew we were safe.
The Arthur Ashe concert went well for Taylor and Isaac. Zac was up most of the night before because he couldn’t sleep. His performance was good but you could tell his heart wasn’t in it. He got off stage and practically fell asleep in Mr. Hanson’s arms. He had to be carried to his parents’ room and we didn’t hear from him until the following day. My friends and I watched the concert from the stands and watched the other tennis players too. There really isn’t much to say about tennis. As fun as it is to play, it’s not exactly the most exciting sport to watch. Though it is fun to see the whole crowd’s heads bob back and forth watching the ball. Eric and Jamie attempted to start a wave but the crowd just wasn’t buying it. It was actually quite pathetic but oh well. That night was the Damn Yankees show.
My girl friends and I changed and got ready in my room while Eric and Jamie were allowed to use the guys’ room. It was a lot of fun dressing up and going out. We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant before the show. Liz and I were putting on make-up in the bathroom when we noticed Avery and Jessica staring intently at us from the doorway. Both of us were leaning over the bathroom sink and looking in the mirror. Liz noticed them before me and asked, "Do you guys want to put make-up on?"
I didn’t really think that it was such a great idea and tried to convey my hesitance but Liz was all for it. I thought about how Mrs. Hanson would react to her girls being used as real-life Barbie dolls but thought she wouldn’t mind too much.
"Okay, no mascara or eye liner and go easy on them!"
Liz made a stupid face, "Yes ma’am"
The two girls sat side by side on the side of the tub while Liz started using blush. Dana, Mary and Nikki didn’t want to be left out and before I knew it I was being kicked out of the bathroom.
I finished doing my hair and started down the hall to see if the guys were ready or not. I was standing in the doorway of the guys’ room, watching Eric try to make a knot for his tie. He looked over and gave a pained expression.
I smiled, "You should have gone to private school like us. We had to wear uniforms-which meant the guys had to wear ties." I stood in front of him and finished tying the knot for him. Jamie came out of the bathroom and gave me a look of shock, "Wow Sam, make-up and everything. We should feel honored." Immediately feeling self-conscious, I smoothed the back of my skirt with my hands. I still didn’t have heels on but I was surprised to notice I looked half-way human. My good mood was heightened when Taylor came around the corner and did a double-take, "Wow Sam, you look pretty good."
"Thanks. How’s Zac doing?"
"He’s passed out on Mom and Dad’s bed. I think he’s out for the night." Isaac came around the corner behind Taylor and looked over his shoulder. I almost melted into the carpet when he smiled at me. I gave him a weak smile and looked at the floor. After a momentary uncomfortable silence, Jamie said, Well we’re going to be late if we don’t get going so..." Taylor and Isaac stepped into the room and Jamie walked out into the hallway. Eric grabbed my hand and I took it before giving the guys one last smile.
My room was highly over crowded and by far the loudest room on the floor. The girls were excited about their make-up and after they stopped to let me see them, ran to find their mother to show her. We were all set and ready to go when everyone somehow congregated into my room and the hallway outside the room. Mary is picture happy and carries her camera everywhere she goes. She thought the girls’ looked adorable and made Mr. Hanson take a picture of all of my friends with the girls. Taylor and Isaac even hopped into for one of the pictures. As we were leaving I stopped to talk to Taylor for a second. We were in the middle of talking when he stopped and said, "Sam-you’re tall in heels. I can look you straight in the eye." Umm...was this a compliment?
I was kind of confused, "Is this a good thing?"
"Yeah, I just never realized how tall you were." I hate high heels. They are God’s way of punishing women. I try to avoid them at all costs but they were the only shoes that matched so I was stuck with them. I smiled and before I knew what was happening Mary had stuck a camera in our faces and commanded us to smile. The two of us were a bit shocked and it shows in the picture; it’s definitely not one of the best pictures of either of us. Before leaving I gave Mrs. Hanson my makeup remover and told her, "Good luck, I haven’t seen that much makeup on Tammy Fae."
Dinner was good and the show was funny. We were all pumped when we got back to the hotel. My friends were going to drive back to Mass. that night but were too pumped to get going so they decided to crash on my floor. I lied to the woman at the front desk and sneaked them past security. When we got to my room I was begging them to be quiet but they were too wired to calm down. A few minutes after we got back, as I was taking my shoes off, someone knocked on the door. After many shhhs that probably made more noise than if they had just shut up, I opened the door a bit. Taylor was standing there, "You guys are loud." He stuck his head in the door, "I thought they were driving home."
In a whisper I said, "They were supposed to but I don’t think they’re going to. They will probably just crash here and I’ll sneak them out tomorrow morning. Why aren’t you in bed? You have a long day tomorrow."
"I heard you guys go by my room, I wanted to see what was up." I opened the door wider and let him come in. After a round of hellos it was apparent that he wasn’t going back to his room. He was as awake as we were. "Where’s Isaac? Is he asleep?"
"He was when I left. Do you want me to get him?"
"No, let him sleep. Ten minutes and then you need to go back to your room."
I let him into the room and he sat down on the edge of my bed. I think he felt a little bit out of place with my friends since we were all so much older than him. He sat on the edge of the bed and didn’t say anything for a few minutes.
Along with sneaking my friends in, we sneaked in soda and various snack foods. We were laughing and joking for awhile when someone else knocked. I was in the bathroom changing at the time but was dragged out to answer the door. Isaac was standing in the doorway, "Is Taylor in there?" I still had toothpaste in my mouth so talking was a bit difficult.
"Yeah, come in." I ran into the bathroom and finished brushing my teeth. I walked back into the room and said, "Ten minutes and you’re both out of here. your parents will kill me if they find you in here." I knew they weren’t going to listen but I tried.
Two hours, seven bottles of soda and numerous snacks later, we were still partying. We were all sitting around the room and were swapping ghost stories and silly childhood pranks. Mary was snuggled against Jamie on the floor in front of my bed. Dana, Liz and Taylor were camped out on my bed and Eric and Nikki were sitting on chairs near the balcony door. Isaac and I were on the floor against the wall. For as much as he was ignoring me all week, he was quite personable that night. It was like nothing happened. I wanted to ask him why the sudden mood swing but decided it was better not to jinx it. I leaned against him a little and he made no objections so I was happy. Liz and Dana were doing their best to get Taylor to blush and were succeeding very well at it. He kept telling them to stop but I knew he was loving the attention of both girls. Isaac and I laughed to ourselves, Taylor was having a bit too much fun. The party didn’t start winding down until almost 3:30 and by then, Taylor was already asleep. Most of my friends just fell asleep on the floor but Nikki and Eric were lucky enough to get the chairs. I passed out on my bed after helping Isaac get Taylor back to bed. We kind of dragged him back to their room, "Where’s your key?"
Isaac reached into one of his pockets-nothing. He pushed Taylor off him and searched his other pocket. He smiled meekly and pulled out a pick. "That’s not going to do you any good right now. Is it back in my room?"
"I think so, check where we were sitting. It must have fallen out of my pocket." After leaning Taylor back against Isaac, I walked back to my room.
Almost everyone was asleep and I had to roll Dana over so I could look under her for the key, "Wha? Sam, what are you doing?"
"Nothing go back to sleep." I was kneeling in the center of the room and looked around, it was sitting on the table near the door. Under my breath I said, "Good job Isaac, it was on the table."
I walked back down the hall, dangling the key in front of me. I got them both back into the room and Taylor fell asleep with his clothes on. Actually he didn’t even wake up, he just fell onto his bed.
I turned back to Isaac, "Goodnight. Try to get some sleep. I’ll see if I can get the front desk to forgo your wake up call and let you sleep in."
"Thanks, I know we’re gonna be exhausted but I’m glad you let us stay. Your friends are really very nice."
"Yes they are. I luv them all. We’ve been through a lot together." I smiled, "Now, get some sleep." I almost made it to the door when Isaac spoke, "Did you ever go out with Eric?" I sucked in a huge breath and turned around, "No. We never went out. Eric and I met each other before we even knew what going out was. By the time we learned, we were such good friends that it would ruin the friendship to date each other." I hadn’t turned around but added, "Why do you ask?"
"I don’t know. I just wanted to know, I guess. Taylor yelled at me earlier today." He laughed a little, "He told me I was being stupid and that if I didn’t stop being so rude that he’d tell Mom and Dad about something I did when we were younger." I turned around and fiddled with my hands, "Nope, we never went out. I could never go out with Eric, it would be like going out with my brother. Eric is probably my oldest and best friend but that’s all." He let out a sigh of relief and said, "Okay, goodnight."
I was kind of surprised, "Okay, get some sleep. I’ll see you in a few hours."
"Aren’t you going to bed?"
"No. I mind as well stay up, I’m awake already. Don’t worry, I’ll see you later. Goodnight." I shut the door before he could protest.
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