Chapter 21

Lee Severs had just gotten home from work and dropped her keys on the table by the couch when the doorbell rang.  "I'll get it, Mom!"  She yelled towards the kitchen.

Her mother was usually there so she just assumed nothing would be different about tonight.  "OK."  She heard her mother's reply.  She'd been right.

She looked out the window to see Isaac standing on her porch.  She opened the door.  "What's a nice guy like you doing in a place like this?"  She asked him flirtatiously.  When he didn't smile, she stepped out on the porch with him.  "Hey, what's up?"

"Well," he answered, "do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

"Does the bad news have anything to do with the beautiful one?  The mall was abuzz."  She said.

"Shit, why am I always the last one to know?  You should have called me."

Lee raised her eyebrows.  "Don't you guys pay people big money to tell you this stuff?  I figured you already knew.  Now, what's the good news?"

"I missed you."  He replied and pulled her into a hug.

"I missed you too."  She said and they kissed.  When they broke apart she asked, "so, is Taylor upset?  I mean, he had to know they'd find out sooner or later."

"Yeah," he answered, "but I think he was hoping for later.  He's still trying to come to grips with this himself and now everyone in the world knows and they're going to be swarming all over him.  Remember when he got the earring?  Some people went ape shit, how do you think this is gonna be?  And, to top it all off, him and I got into it and he took off, so, I was hoping maybe you'd help me look for him."  He gave her his best helpless look.

"First of all, no, I don't remember when he got the earring.  And why did people freak?  What's it to them? And second and, most importantly, why are you fighting with him when you should be helping him?"  She asked.

"Lee, he may be beautiful, but he's also stubborn and secretive among other things.  I had no idea what was going on.  He didn't say "Hey, Ike, something happened, the story is out.  He stomped at me and said 'Can I borrow your car?'  He didn't exactly look stable so I said 'no' then the kids came in and he just freaked."

"Mmm hmmm...  that's exactly how it happened, huh?"  She said sarcastically.

"More or less."  He replied quietly.

"Isaac, when I was at your house last week, I was overwhelmed.  There are nine people there.  Loud people.  And televisions, and stereos, and video games and guitars, drums, and pianos.  I watched you all and Taylor. I don't know how it used to be, but he gets ignored a lot now.  It's not on purpose, by the time he stomps though, he's tried to get your attention over and over.  He's frustrated.  Besides, I think that little stompy thing is cute."

"You would.  Are you sure you wouldn't rather be dating him instead of me?"  He asked.

"You're kidding, right?  He is so not my type.  You make me laugh Isaac, he makes me cry."

He looked at her black hair shining in the light from the living room and her dark eyes looking up at him and he kissed her again.  "Me too, Lee."  He said and he looked out into the darkness wondering where his brother was this time.

~~~~

Zac had been at Rick and Rob's house since morning.  As much as he loved his family, he just had to get away from them sometimes.  They'd been home two weeks now and today was the first day he'd gotten to hang out with friends.  He'd tried to get Taylor to come along but he wouldn't.  When the phone rang he looked at his watch.  "If that's my mom, tell her I just left."  He said to Rob as he picked up the receiver.

"Hello?  Hi Mrs. Hanson....  Zac?  He just left."  Zac smiled at his friends and got up and put his jacket on. Rob snapped his fingers at him.  "No, we haven't seen Taylor, is everything ok?"  Zac stopped in his tracks. "So, he left there about 6:30?"  Zac looked at his watch.  It was a quarter after 9.

~~~~

Isaac and Lee had gone to all Taylor's friends' houses and all the places he thought his brother might have gone but without results.  Finally, they decided to call it a night and headed back to the house to join in the waiting game.  Lee was amazed at how quiet the house was.  The last time it had been a kind of controlled mayhem with much laughter and talking over the top of each other.  Now, it was much more subdued.  Not long after their arrival, Zac got home, dropped off by his friends.

His mother immediately asked, "Have you seen Taylor tonight?"

"No," he replied, "but, the guy at the big gate says he saw him get in a car with a couple girls earlier."

"What!?  Good grief!  Walker, what the heck are we supposed to do now?"

He sighed.  "Just wait, I guess.  At least we know he's alright, at least until I get ahold of him."

At around 11:00, Isaac took Jessica, Avery, and Mackenzie upstairs to their rooms.  Before turning off the light in the girls' room, Jessica spoke, "Ike?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't be mad at him.  It's not his fault all this happened."

"I know Jess.  I'm not mad, just scared and stuff, y'know?"

"Yeah.  G'night Ike."

"Night Jess."

~~~~

By 2:00 a.m. Isaac asked Lee if she just wanted to camp out in the basement.  They had a nice family room down there and he could tell she was exhausted.  She'd agreed and they headed down the steps together.  He flicked on the light at the bottom of the stairs and they were both shocked to see Taylor sound asleep on the couch, the small window still open and letting in the cold air.  His hair totally blocked out his face and his arm hung limp off the side of the couch and rested on the floor. He was wearing a tight pink Sailor Moon T-shirt and boxers.  Black with glittery butterflies on them.

Lee got down and looked closely at his face as she pushed his hair out of the way.  He smelled like strawberries.... and tequila?    "Isaac, he is wasted."

"Oh man, what the hell is he wearing?"  Isaac asked, wrinkling up his nose.

"A pink Sailor Moo..."

"I can see that!"  He said.  "But why is he wearing it?!"

"Well," she answered.  "I'd say he got dressed in the dark."

Isaac looked at her dumbfounded.  "What makes you think he's wasted?" he asked.

"Smell him."

"Do I want to?"

"It's not vomit Isaac, it's liquor."

Isaac bent down towards his brother and was greeted not only with the pungent smell of alcohol, but a very odd sound.  He backed away from his brother's sleeping form.  "Lee, I think he just growled at me."

"I heard."

They looked at each other.  Isaac reached over and smacked Taylor on the cheek.  He'd obviously felt it because he furrowed his eyebrows and made some little sound.

"Do it again."  She said.  Before his hand made contact again, a most vicious sound was heard and for the first time they both were startled to see a tiny little mongrel dog pop it's head out from under Taylor's shoulder.

"Holy cow!  What the hell is that?!"  He said.  It was not as small as a Chihuahua but not a lot bigger.  And it had some kind of hair going every which way and many teeth which it had bared at Isaac.  Taylor stirred and the animal started licking his face.  He smiled but still hadn't opened his eyes.  Isaac smacked his foot.  He slowly opened his eyes and looked very uncomfortable with the bright light.

"What?"

"Did you just say 'what?'  Where have you been and who have you been with and what is that?"  He said and pointed to the animal.

Taylor looked to see where he was pointing and smiled again.  He slowly sat up and reached for his pocket which wasn't there.  He looked very disoriented for a moment, then spotted his jeans on the floor.  He pulled them over with his foot, dug in the pocket, got paper and pen and wrote, almost unreadable, Sparky.  He handed it to Isaac then seemed to sort of melt back into the couch and fall back asleep.  The little dog curled up in the spot where his neck met his shoulder and watched Isaac and Lee.

"Taylor."  Isaac said, trying to wake him back up.  But, no matter how many times he repeated it, his brother was down for the count.  Defeated, but relieved that he was alright, they decided that Lee would use Taylor's bed that night and so they headed back up the stairs.  He would tell his parents in the morning.  He didn't think his father would appreciate his sixteen year old son stoned on tequila and wearing some unknown girl's underwear.
 
 

 Back  Index  Next