I'm just a hairy guy

Hair

She asks me why
I'm just a hairy guy
I'm hairy noon and night
Hair that's a fright
I'm hairy high and low
Don't ask me why
Don't know
It's not for lack of break
Like the Grateful Dead
Darling

Gimme head with hair
Long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming,
Streaming, flaxen, waxen

Give me down to there hair
Shoulder length or longer
Here baby, there mama
Everywhere daddy daddy

Let it fly in the breeze
And get caught in the trees

I want it long, straight, curly, fuzzy
Snaggy, shaggy, ratty, matty
Oily, greasy, fleecy
Shining, gleaming, streaming
Flaxen, waxen
Knotted, polka-dotted
Twisted, beaded, braided
Powdered, flowered, and confettied
Bangled, tangled, spangled, and spaghettied

My dad didn't have the cast on in anything close to record time. The conversation between Zac and my dad was classic. I never knew my dad was so funny or that he was so sarcastic. I laughed as my dad gave Zac a really hard time about all of things he wouldn't be able to do, play the drums, sign autographs, take a shower, clap, masturbate. Because, after much cajoling and prodding, it was discovered Zac does toss off with his left hand. Or that is what my father finally dragged out of him.

Zac was also really on a roll. He had my father laughing non-stop. In fact, I think it took longer than usual to get the cast just right because of how much fun he was having with both of us there. I cannot even explain how much we laughed when Zac admitted that of all the things he wouldn't be able to do, the last on the list was probably the one he'd miss the most. Zac on painkillers is a very fun and loquacious Zac.

As we stood to leave, my dad gave me a hug. "Cleo, are you sure you've picked the right brother?"

"Yes, Daddy, I'm positive." I said wrapping my arms around his waist. "I love Taylor."

"I know and I'm happy," he said planting a kiss in my hair. "But think about how much fun Zac would be at a Burton or a Groton family party. Your poor grandmother wouldn't know what hit her."

"She wouldn't. Maybe I can just switch brothers for dinner parties." I said wandering down the hall arm in arm with my father. I was so happy to have him in my life after not having him for so long. Our relationship was what it should have been all along. I could hear a very jovial Zac flirting with the receptionist. Her twanging voice floated back to us punctuated with colossal gum popping.

"I think you should go and rescue Zac from Melodie." My dad said pulling open the door out to the waiting room. Zac sat on the edge of the reception desk, leaning way over so that the very busty receptionist could sign his cast.

"Rescue Zac?" I asked watching as he playfully tried to toss a paperclip down her criminally low-cut shirt.

"Yeah, you could never pay her what mom does." I stopped and gave my dad one last tight hug. "I'd better get my stoned boy back to Bixby. Come on Zac, let's head."

"Alright," he said standing up and swaying slightly. "I'll see you in a couple weeks… Melodie, right?"

"Uh huh," she said her nose wrinkling as she giggled. She was cute as a button and vapid as a flat beer. And as a side note, I knew she was only 22 years old and on her way out of her second marriage. By the calculating look in her eye, I could see she was trying to figure out how to get one Zac Hanson as her third husband. "Take care handsome…"

I followed behind Zac watching him cut a drunkard's path back out to my car. He pulled the front doors open a little too hard and almost fell over backwards. "Steady there big guy," I said grabbing him around the waist. I sputtered as his hair was blown into my face. "Dude, control the mane."

"Cleo, I think I want to get my hair cut today." He said as the wind whipped his way too long hair across his face. His hair stuck to his face in the sweaty spots. He was trying to pull the small hairs off his skin. "I am so sick of always feeling like I've just walked through cobwebs."

"You want to what?" I asked watching him trying to smooth his hair away from his face.

"I want to get my hair cut." He said struggling to get his cell phone out of the left front pocket of his jeans with his right hand. "I think I'll call Jarrod and see if he'll do it…"

"I don't think you need to go to Jarrod for a trim." I said finally just reaching in his pocket and retrieving the phone for him.

"Naw, just a guy." Zac said as his hair blew across his face again. "That's it, I really am cutting it all off."

"Zac think about what you're saying." I said trying to straighten out his weaving path towards my car. "Are you sure you're ready to cut off all your golden locks?"

"Damn, did you give Ike and Tay such a hard time about this?" He asked shrugging me off. "I mean, did you ask them if they were sure..."

"No, but it's cause they both really needed haircuts. Ike's was just always bad and really, with Tay's..." I stopped before saying what was actually on my mind. I really didn't need to tell Zac that it was a good thing Tay cut off his hair, cause there were only so many processes one head of hair can go through before it starts to fall out. I loved my beautiful blonde boy, but I would love him just as much if he had the dark hair that was natural to him.

"Nothing," I said as I helped him into the car. I sighed thinking back to those first post haircut days and how traumatic they were for the fans. I could only imagine the reaction when Zac, the final, longhaired holdout, finally and actually cut his hair.

"I'm not gonna say." I said as I started the car and headed out of the parking lot.

"Zac, no power on Earth is gonna make me tell you." I said pushing him back to his side of the car.

"Fine," he said crossing his arms over his chest and pouting. "Go ahead ignore the power of a higher authority."

"Whatever," I mumbled pausing before I turned out onto the road. "What do you want to do?"

"Okay, what do you want?" I asked turning towards town. There was no need to go towards Bixby just yet. I noticed a lascivious look cross his face. "To eat, what do you want to eat? More Big Mac's from McDonalds? Potato Burritos from Taco Bueno? A seven course meal at Zio's?"

"Burritos!" Zac cheered. We drove along the familiar streets, in silence. But I didn't expect much conversation from Zac; he was high as a kite. Every once in a while he would giggle which interrupted his soft humming. I found myself smiling as he broke into a very passionate chorus of Lula Belle. I had to bite the inside of my lip to keep myself from laughing. "Cleo, tell me what?"

"What are you blathering on about now?" I asked looking at his sorry stoned ass. Really, my dad needs an office closer to Tulsa.

"What were you gonna tell me? About when Tay got his haircut." He said squirming around so he was facing me. "Were you gonna say something bad about him?"

"Zac, you're high." I said patting his cheek. He was warm and moist, but not in a scary way.

"No, you were going to tell me something?" He said leaning forward and resting his forehead against my shoulder. "I hate when you do this to me."

"I'm not doing anything to you." I said trying to laugh as he started breathing in such a way it sounded like he was snorting.

"Zac, I was just going to confirm that we all knew you choked the chicken left handed." I said watching him sulk.

"Whatever… Why are you so mean to me?" Zac said pushing up off my shoulder. He suddenly noticed that he was still holding his cell phone. "Why am I holding my phone?"

"That's right!" He said as he scrolled through his massive phone book. Zac knows everyone in the world and he has every single phone number programmed into his phone. He found the number he was looking for and hit the dial button. "Jarrod, dude! What's up? Hey, do you think you'd have time to cut my hair if Cleo brought me over? No, I mean all of it. Absolutely! Umm… I don't know." Zac put his hand over the mouthpiece of his phone. "What time is it?"

"How does 3 sound?" Zac asked. He listened for a few moments and then laughed. "Well, maybe we can talk Cleo into cutting off all of her crazy hair too." He laughed mightily at something Jarrod said. "Too true, too true. Hey, we're at Taco Bueno and I think I have the munchies. Do you want a burrito? A Diet Coke? Who are you? Taylor? Well, you know, he has to watch his girlish figure... You are so bad. Damn Jarrod! Okay, see you soon."

"Are you sure you want to cut your hair?" I said pulling into the median to turn left into the Taco Bueno on Peoria.

"Absolutely," He said shrugging. "I've been thinking about it for a while now… Even before that hideous picture of me in Jessica's magazine."

"Yeah, but think about it," I said turning into the driveway of the Taco Bueno on Peoria Avenue. "Tay says it's horrible to surf with his short hair cause it just hangs in his face, basically blinding him."

"The strange thing about what you are saying is that I live in a landlocked state…" Zac said laughing.

"You are such a pain in my ass." I said pulling up to the speaker to order. I ordered an ungodly amount of tacos and burritos, cause whenever I'd order something, Zac would say get three. So, the grand total that should have only been around $8.00, ended up costing me almost $30.00. I watch amazed as Zac scarfed down burrito after burrito and managed to finish 3 Two-Fisted Burritos. "Zac, you don't need to eat all the food right now."

"There will still be food after your haircut." I said driving the short few miles to Artistic Asylum. "Seriously, you're gonna make yourself sick."

"Whatever," he said picking up his drink and finding it empty. He reached over and grabbed my drink from between my legs. "Cleo, are you going to finish that bean burrito?"

"Yes!" I said rescuing my bean burrito with cheese, extra onions and sour cream from his grip. "I mean it you have to calm down."

"What you need to do is stop being so bossy." He said cramming chips into his mouth. "I don't think I've ever been this hungry in my entire life."

"Zac, promise me something." I said as I pulled into the parking lot of Jarrod's salon. "Don't ever smoke pot."

"If you had, they you wouldn't be saying this is the hungriest you've ever been." I said parking right in front of the salon.

"Maybe I should amend what I said," Zac said popping open the door. "This is the hungriest I've been in recent memory."

"Ah very good, what good rock star hasn't imbibed?" I said as I walked around to where he sat. He had one leg out of the car with his head leaning back against the seat and his eyes closed. "Zac, you have to actually get out of the car."

"I'm not feeling great." He said cracking one eye. He was definitely very pale and he had little beads of sweat around his hairline.

"I'm not surprised." I said reaching in and grabbing his hand to drag him out of my car. "What do you feel like?"

"I don't know, but I think I may puke." He said struggling to his feet. "I feel all light headed and sleepy."

"That is the drugs there buddy." I said pulling the door to the salon open. The inside of the store was filled with the loud, trancelike sound of whatever the music playing overhead was. I immediately saw Jarrod, standing behind his current customer, blowing her long hair dry. He was so tall and handsome, his chocolate skin shimmering in the stylized salon lighting. He was doing a sweet sashaying dance. Standing at the station next to his, Trevor was cutting the hair of a handsome young man. Trevor made a comment to Jarrod and he threw his head back and laughed before leaning over and kissing him firmly on the lips.

I deposited Zac in a chair and walked over to the reception desk. To my shock and horror, the woman sitting behind the desk was none other than Marci Maynes. I watched as her eyes lit up with a sort of malicious joy at the sight of Zac. I knew she was pretty key in the sullying of my sweet boy, or at least she did a bang up job of teaching him how to kiss. "Hey Cleo, who are you here to see?"

"Um, Zac has an appointment with Jarrod." I said looking over my shoulder at a vaguely green Zac. "Would it be possible to get a cold wet towel?"

"Why?" She asked her eyes narrowing suspiciously. Marci had never liked me much. She had always campaigned for the job of Hanson lackey, but they all pretty much ignored her. Or mostly ignored her, Zac obviously thought about her enough to learn how to kiss from her.

"Well, unless you want to clean up Hanson puke, you may want to get that cold cloth." I said smiling nastily at her.

"Oh, okay," she said slipping off of her tall stool and heading over to the hair washing station. She returned rather quickly and basically threw the towel at me. "Tell Zac "hi" for me."

"I will," I said walking back to where Zac sat with his eyes closed. I kicked his foot so he opened his eyes before placing the cool cloth on the back of his neck.

"Thanks," he mumbled as I slumped down next to him. He sighed deeply. "I can't get over the fact that he's gay…" Zac said his head dropping onto my shoulder.

"And then, it makes so much sense." I watched as Jarrod put the blow dryer down and started putting the finishing touches on his current customers hair. Jarrod looked over at me and smiled the most dazzling smile, his teeth shining brilliantly.

"Not you, that lovely piece of meat sitting next to you." Jarrod said laughing again. I watched him, astounded at how completely free and happy he seemed. I don't think I'd seen Jarrod this perfectly happy within himself since before Thad died. He was smiling and charming to his customer. Chatting with her easily as he walked her out of the shop. He walked back in and stopped in front of us, hands on hips, elbows akimbo. "So, sexy, what is it you're thinking?"

"Umm… I don't know." Zac said shrugging. "I don't think I've ever had short hair."

"Well, what do you want?" Jarrod said grabbing Zac by the hand and dragging him to the chair in his station. I sat in the chair under a hair dryer facing Zac and Jarrod. Zac was making amazing faces as Jarrod tried to brush through the mass of knots his hair was tied in. "Do you want your hair longer and layered like Taylor? Or, do you want it short and in a faux-hawk like Isaac?"

"Neither." Zac said tipping his head sideways as Jarrod fastened a black cape around his neck. "I want it to look like me."

"Okay, one Zachary Hanson haircut coming up." Jarrod took a rubber band out of his pocket. He pulled all of Zac's hair back into a ponytail. He took out his shears and placed them against the honey blonde mass. "Zac, are you completely sure?"

"Yes! Cut it already!" Zac said his voice cross. Jarrod closed the super sharp shears over his hair.

I didn't realize I had gasped until both Jarrod and Zac looked at me. I smiled softly. "Sorry," I mumbled. Jarrod went back to the task at hand, which was hacking through the rest of that hair. When the shank was completely free, Jarrod leaned forward and placed it in my hands. Here I sat in Artistic Asylum holding something that would be coveted the world over. Zac shook his head, his suddenly short hair flowing around his face. "Wow…"

"Come on, let's go wash the rest of this mop." Jarrod said. They walked toward the bank of sinks. I started sliding the super soft hair through my fingers when the full import of this hit me. Zac Hanson had cut his hair. The boy who claimed he was never, ever cutting his hair ever, had just cut his hair. I held in my hands the golden locks of Samson. The hair felt silky smooth and alive. I put it up to my nose and took a deep breath; it smelled faintly of the cucumber shampoo he used and of that essential ingredient, the Zac odor. His hair smelled like warmth and sunshine and citrus soap and just a touch of sweat. Really, Zac just smelled like Zac, a wholly singular scent.

But the thing that struck me more than the smell was that this really was the final piece of the past falling away. Zac's long hair had been the final link to the boys they had been when they had started all of this craziness. Their hair setting them apart just as completely as their amazing voices. I knew that Isaac, Taylor and Zac were no longer the boys who lived in the small dark house on 78th Street. How they were currently conceived was completely wrapped up in whom they had been… They were still judged by whom they had been. They were now and would forever be the MMMBop boys.

As I held the shank of hair, the weight of this choice struck me as well. Zac was severing his final link with the past, the final link with his childhood. I looked at the impossibly long hair and realized time was irrevocably passing. Not just passing, but actually hurtling past me. I rubbed the hair between my fingers and thought of the hours I had spent braiding his hair into tiny braids. The feel of the hair took me back to the many hours we had sat alone on the front porch talking about everything in the entire world. I remember him quizzing me from my SAT preparation book as I put approximately one hundred braids in his brilliant blonde hair.

"Of course," I said or at least I said something close to that since I was currently holding a tiny rubber band between my teeth.

"Zac, you're 10 years old, what about your future scares you?" I asked trying not to laugh.

"All of it… I don't know." He said his voice was getting quieter and quieter. "I mean I want to go to LA, but, what if I'm not good enough?"

"Zac, you kick ass on the drums." I said as I separated another lock to braid. "You're fantastic."

"I'm not as good as Tay and Ike…" He said a significant tremble in his voice.

"Zac, don't be scared." I said sliding down onto the step next to him. I was shocked to see his cheeks wet with tears. "You really are scared."

"I'm terrified," he said wiping angrily at his wet cheeks. "Cleo, what am I gonna do when we have to perform in front of big audiences? What if I forget the words to our songs?"

"You will be fine and you won't forget the words." I said hugging him tightly. I could feel him shaking with sobs. I held him as he cried; I was actually frightened by the sad horrified sounds ripping out of him. "Zac, don't worry so much."

"So am I." I said still clinging to him. Both of us lost in our separate thoughts. I sat there scared about going to a big school and not fitting in cause I was so young. But I also knew that everything would turn out all right. I had Thad; what could possibly go wrong?

I sat fiddling with his hair feeling the tears pricking behind my eyes. I sighed wishing I could go back to that day to comfort Zac with the knowledge that it all would turn out just fine, fantastic in fact and warn myself about the hell I was heading for. It occurred to me that if I could return to my 15-year-old self, I would know not to go into the tree house with Taylor and to tell Jarrod and Thad to not go swimming.

Was it the broken bits of me that Taylor loved? Or would he have loved me regardless? He says he has always loved me, but who knows? Certainly not me. If I had been whole and more sure of myself, would I have dated Jarrod? Or would I have continued down the path I was sure lay before me with Ike standing at the end? How much of who I was at this minute would change if I had Thad back?

I felt my breath hitch in my chest as I watched Jarrod cut away the long hair, the light hair, the softly curling hair. I found myself only half listening to their easy conversation, wondering why we had to take such a long, hard road to this point. I watched as Jarrod stood in the large pile of hair, hair that would be coveted the world over.

"Doofus, why are you crying?" Zac asked from somewhere in the present, as I contemplated the past.

"I'm not crying." I said swiping at my eyes. I wasn't crying, but my eyes were definitely threatening. "I'm tired..."

"That excuse is tired." Zac said watching as Jarrod shaped his hair into a "Zachary Hanson." He smiled slyly at me. "What do you think my mom is going to say?"

"Diana is going to look at you when you walk through the door, place her hand over her heart and say, "child, the things you do!" Then, she'll probably laugh." Jarrod said as he pulled chunks of hair up on either side of Zac’s head making sure it was even.

"Actually, she probably will," Zac said agreeing. He watched me closely for a few minutes, before sighing deeply "So, Cleo, when are you gonna cut off all your hair? I don't think you've ever had short hair before..."

"That's not true," Jarrod said putting his left hand on his hip and wagging his right index finger at Zac admonishingly. He had a teasing tone, his voice filled with laughter. "Remember, she cut off her own hair? She did it with the pinking shears that one...” Suddenly he stopped when he noticed Zac's face falling. "But really, we shouldn't talk about that..."

"No, it's okay." I said. "Why does everyone act like talking about Thad is going to make me crumble?"

"Cause, it has in the past." Jarrod said rubbing something thick and greasy through Zac's newly short hair.

"Oh! I know!" Zac said a look of glee on his face. "Cleo, you should cut your hair!"

"Yeah, you should cut your hair too!" Zac said practically bouncing in his seat.

"I don't think so." I said shaking my head. "Tay asked me not to cut my hair ever again.”

“But, it’s your hair.” Zac said running his fingers through his newly short hair. “Don’t you wonder what it would feel like to have all of that messy mop gone?”

“Actually, every morning when I’m piling all of my hair up on my head.” I said shrugging.

“So, how do I look?” Zac asked as Jarrod positioned a mirror behind him so he could see how short his hair was in the back.

“You look…” I looked at his glowing face no longer framed by the outrageous quantities of hair and was shocked to see a truly handsome man looking back at me.

“No, it’s amazing.” I said standing and get closer to Zac. “You look incredible.”

“Yeah?” He asked pulling on his short hair. It was true; he looked incredible. He didn’t look like a little boy at all. He looked like an adult. His face seemed thinner, his cheekbones higher and better defined. All of his baby fat gone he looked like Walker. He had pulled the top up into a spiky, funky style. “It’s weird, but my head feels lighter.”

“Well, Zac my boy, it is lighter.” Jarrod said as he pulled off the drape. “I cut off at least five pounds of hair.”

“I don’t doubt it.” Zac asked standing up and stretching. "So, am I as hot as Taylor?"

"I think you may be hotter." Jarrod said turning Zac so he was facing him directly. "Cleo what do you think?"

"Hmm... I believe your new hunky status will take some of the heat off of me." I said smiling.

"No, I think the girls will still hate you." Zac said standing in front of the full-length mirror turning left and right, checking out how his new, lean body looked with his suddenly grownup hair. I watched as he flexed a little, showing the definition in upper arm. I met Jarrod's eyes across Zac's posturing, both of us raising our eyebrows. “Dude, where’s the restroom?”

“Back down that hall,” Jarrod said pointing. Zac sauntered slowly down the hallway, bouncing off the walls. I was surprised that he was still so messed up, but then again, my dad had to set his hand so he’d pulled out the big guns. Jarrod quickly set about sweeping up Zac’s hair. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Marci practically salivating over the chunks of hair.

“Jarrod, I know this is going to be a weird request, but would you put Zac’s hair in a bag that we can take with us?”

“I just don’t want to see Zac’s hair on eBay.” I said as Jarrod dumped the hair into a new garbage bag and handed it to me.

“Good thinking,” Jarrod said looking over his shoulder at Marci who was glowering at me. Her expression changed distinctly when Zac walked out of the back hall and straight over to her desk. As Zac talked to her, she kept sliding her lips together. “Cleo why don’t you jump up in my chair and let me just trim you hair?”

“I’ll just trim off about one inch.” Jarrod said. He hurriedly pulled a brush through my hair and then spritzed the ends with a water bottle.

“Are you cutting Cleo’s hair?” Trevor asked as he came over and slung his arm around Jarrod’s waist.

“You know what we should do?” Trevor said a glint in his eye. “We should do a wig.”

“Yeah, let’s put on one of the short wigs to show what you would look like with shorter hair.” Trevor said before disappearing down the hall.

“You can see if you want to cut it.” Jarrod said as he finished trimming the very bottom of my hair. “Although, I just can’t imagine you without too much, too long hair.”

“Cleo with short hair?” Zac asked as he ambled back up to us. He had gotten the appropriate response from Marci cause he was all smiles. “Never happen.”

“Well, wait and see my boy, wait and see.” Jarrod said as Trevor walked up with a short, straight, dark wig.

“Trevor,” Zac said back. There was little or no love lost between those two. I do believe that Zac had made the torture of Trevor a personal crusade. It had been bad and pretty much lifelong. “What’s that?”

“This is Cleo’s new hair.” Trevor said as he set the wig down. Jarrod had already started pulling my hair back into four separate ponytails. After twenty minutes, I was completely amazed that Jarrod and Trevor managed to get all my hair pulled up and smoothed down and tucked up in a stocking thing.

“Are you ready for your new look?” Jarrod asked as he lowered the dark wig onto my head. It was a chin length bob with thick bangs that fell well above my eyebrows.

“Wow.” Zac said as I swung my head back and forth. It felt strange to feel the chin length hair sweeping my neck and cheeks. This was so much shorter than when I cut my own hair. “You look amazing… I mean, totally different.”

“I think it’s very sexy.” Trevor said as he pulled on the wig a little making sure that it was attached securely.

“Zac, contrary to popular belief, I am not an idiot,” Trevor said his hands on his hips. “I recognize that Cleo is a gorgeous woman. I always have. We all did.”

"So, how much do I owe you?" Zac asked Jarrod, fighting to pull his wallet out of his back pocket.

"Don't be stupid, you aren't paying me." Jarrod said holding up his hands. "Hey, being able to say that I cut off all your hair is payment enough."

"Whatever," Zac said as he shoved a twenty down Jarrod's shirt. "Hey, are you coming to Ike's bachelor party?"

"Of course, Trevor and I will be there." Jarrod said pulling the door open for us.

"Yes, my boyfriend is coming." Jarrod said as he pulled open Zac's car door. "He will be there."

"I guess if Tay can bring his girlfriend, you can bring your boyfriend." Zac said settling into the car. "But seriously, why him?"

"Ew, ew, ew." Zac said shaking his bed. Jarrod just threw his head back and laughed as Zac stuck his finger in his ear and wiggled it back and forth almost as if he were trying to "unhear" Jarrod's last statement.

"No, I think you should have gone a little farther." I said accepting his offered hug.

"You look amazing," Jarrod said leaning back and looking down into my face. "You look like a dream. You look like Lulu!"

"I do not!" I said shaking my head feeling the hair move as if of it's own volition. It felt sexy. Louise Brooks was Jarrod's dream girl, with her short, straight dark hair, enormous dark eyes and deep, blood red lips. "She was beautiful. I'm just plain Cleo."

“You are dumb if you really believe that.” Jarrod said walking me to my side of the car. "You are the single most beautiful woman I know, inside and out."

“Call me and tell me how everyone reacts to the new you," Jarrod said leaning in and kissing me on the forehead. "Both of you.”

“We will.” I said closing my car door behind me. Zac was in the seat next to me, compulsively running his fingers through his hair. “How are you feeling?”

“Well, maybe you should lean your seat back and try to sleep a little.” I suggested.

“Okay,” he said leaning his seat all the way back. Soon, he was snoring lightly as I sped along the streets of Tulsa. Each time I turned my head I was surprised about how cool it felt to have my hair blowing around my face. But really cutting off waist length hair is a major commitment and not to be entered into lightly.

The drive to Bixby was more than pleasant; the spring day was mild and smelled like the freshly planted fields that lined the road. My mind skipped from one thought to another, never stopping long on any particular thought. The craziness of New York left behind. The supreme sadness of the flight home gone. I just felt happy. I was young, in love and free to do what I wanted. As I realized this, all of the stress, guilt and worry seemed to blow away, floating away on the winds rushing through my car.

I punched in the secret code to open the gate and wended my way down the ridiculously long driveway. "Zac, wake up." I said nudging him. He sleepily looked at me before popping his door open. I walked around and grabbed his arm and dragged him from the car. "You have serious bed head."

"Well, your hair just plain freaks me out." Zac said as we walked up the front steps. I could hear the sound of laughter before I even opened the door. "So, who do you think will get the larger reaction?"

I just shrugged as Zac and I walked up the steps to the kitchen. "Zac, how is your ha... My Lord!" Diana cried as she went from looking at his cast to his face. At the sound of their mother exclamation all of the minor Hanson's stopped in the middle of what they were doing. I watched as each of them reacted with enormous eyes. "What did you do?"

"Well, son, it looks wonderful." Diana said reaching up and smoothing the crazy spikes down. "You are so handsome now. Well, I always thought you were handsome, but now I can actually see all of your face."

I looked over to where Jessica was sitting looking at Zac open mouthed. "Zac, you look so different." Her eyes shifted to me. "Oh my God!"

Diana tore her eyes from her son and looked at me. At first, her face was placid. But then a look of shock registered in her eyes. Her hands flew to her mouth. "My heavens! What did you do?" She said rushing over to me and pulling me to a stool at the bar. "What were you thinking?"

Jessica rushed to the doorway that blocked the stairs down into the studio. "Tay! Ike! You have to come see this!" I heard a quiet "what?" float up from downstairs. "Seriously, you have to come see this."

I was instantly surrounded by Avery, Mac, Diana and Zoë, all of them asking me questions at once. I opened my mouth to answer when the door from the basement was thrown open. “Ike, the thing is this, you’re just plain wrong. If you go down there, then it just loses the interest of the listener…”

“Tay, you so have no idea.” Isaac said following close behind. “And this isn’t the end of the song, but the entrance into the bridge…”

“Exactly, no one will listen beyond that point if it descends instead of ascends…” Taylor said stopping. “My God, Zac…”

Ike looked up at his younger brother. “Damn son, took you long enough to join the 21^st century.”

“Hey, where’s Cleo?” Taylor asked looking around. His eyes passed over me on his search for my familiar face. “Didn’t you go with her?”

“He did go with me,” I said smiling. Taylor stopped mid-sip. His eyes grew wide as the coffee mug slipped through his fingers.