Chapter 7
It has been three weeks since the concert Taylor had given Angel tickets to. She had heard nothing from him. He hadn’t called, he hadn’t visited. When she beeped him, he either told her he was extremely busy or he didn’t call her. She had seen him on tons of TV specials and heard about many concerts Hanson was doing in Europe. He was traveling with his brothers back and forth around the country switching hotels. She had to admit she missed him. More then anything she wanted to hear his voice, only she wanted to hear it directed to her not on TV.
Back in Long Island Skye felt the same way as Angel, only worse. She was convinced Taylor really loved her. She was a total mess without him. No one could stop her tears. She wanted more then anything to see him. Even Jenny couldn’t make her feel happy. Skye felt empty without Taylor by her side, on the phone with her.... She had heard from fans on the internet that Hanson would be back in NYC mid August. She was counting down the days until when she would see him again which was about a month. Counting down was a bad idea considering the more days she counted down, the shorter the days until school began.
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Here Taylor was, on the plane with the rest of his family heading to Tulsa from Europe without even saying good-bye to Sandra or Angel. Taylor was mad he didn’t have any time to meet up with Sandra and have sex. He couldn’t stand the busy schedule his brothers and him had the last three weeks. One thing was for sure, he was glad to finally be going home. Taylor stared out the window at the rainy weather. It was about 12:30 at night and he could see huge lightning bolts through the darkness. He was scared but pushing his fear away quickly fell asleep.
“Taylor!!!”
Taylor woke up to hear Sandra’s greeting and many upset passengers telling her to be quiet.
“I’m so glad your here” She whispered.
“Am I dreaming?” He smiled.
“No, can we be alone?”
“Yeah sure” Taylor left his seat leading Sandra into the bathroom of the plane.
“Why didn’t you call me?” Sandra asked looking down at the floor as they entered and closed the door.
“I was so busy. I hardly had time to breath unless a note came out of my mouth or an answer to an interviewers question.
“Oh okay, at least I am getting to say good-bye” She looked up at him. “Taylor, where do you live?”
“Tulsa Oklahoma, you?”
“Oklahoma City”
“So we’re a few hours away. I might get to see you again” Taylor’s voice seemed to cheer her up.
“I guess your right”
There was a pause.
“Tay, I’m sorry about what happened in your hotel bathroom that night. I was just surprised at that ‘Girls are to fuck’ comment you made” She apologized.
“I didn’t just say it, I believe it and have my reasons”
“Are they good reasons”
“I would have to say, yeah, they are”
“So, share with me”
Taylor took a deep breath and began. “Im not too sure if I want to”
“Tay.... I really want to hear”
“It’s kind of depressing”
“Im in a depressed mood anyway”
“Oh god” Taylor began. “My whole life I only had one girl friend who I didn’t get intimate with. She was someone I could talk to about any of my problems. I really trusted her” He paused.
“So what happened?”
“I ruined everything”
“Why?” Sandra searched Taylor’s eyes for an answer now interested.
“Because I told her all this stuff about how much I wanted her, how much I loved her. It turns out the way I loved her was as a friend but it was to late. I had already had sex with her which was a mistake. I lost her as a friend and as a girlfriend”
“So who is she to you now?”
“No one, she took her own life about a year and a half ago because of me”
“Oh my god!! Why?!”
“Its a long story”
“I have time” Sandra wanted to desperately hear about this.
“Okay, well” Taylor paused again looking at Sandra’s curious expression. “My brothers and I were just making it big and I wasn’t going to be around very much because of recording ‘Middle Of Nowhere’. The night before we left to California to record was the night I had sex with her. The next morning I told her what we did was wrong and she started to cry. I told her I loved her as a friend and as a couple it just wouldn’t work out. After I told her my feelings I left. When I told her this I didn’t know she had a crush on me for six years and wanted to be my girlfriend. My family got a call about a week after we were in CA claiming that she had tied herself around her mouth, hands and feet and thrown herself into a river. The river she had drowned herself in was the one we hung out at a lot. Her family was hysterical and so was I. I cried for months after. Everytime we weren’t recording or promoting the album I cried. Just knowing it was my fault made things horrible. I will never forget the look on her face when I told her I didn’t love her”.
Taylor’s eyes were watering and tears were starting to run down his cheeks. He looked empty and sad. “How did you find out that she wanted to be your girlfriend” Sandra was so interested in his dismal story.
“Her 19 year old brother Jeff told me”
“What was her name and how old was she?”
“She was the same age as me and her name was Rachel”
“I’m really sorry” Sandra moved her arms around Taylor embracing him.
“Don’t be. Its over and I know never to have any girl friends”
“Taylor, that’s not true. There are a lot of girls who want to be your friend and aren’t attracted to you” She pulled away.
“It’s never happened”
“I could be your friend” Sandra held Taylor with her eyes.
“I don’t think you should chance it seeing what I did to Rachel”
“Taylor how many people have you told this story to?”
“Your the only one who knows. I didn’t even tell my brothers”
“Then we just had a major friend moment. A friend is someone you can tell anything to and you just told me a secret you never told anyone”
“I guess your right... Hey, you never told me a secret” Taylor grinned.
“I don’t think we can depress ourselves anymore then we have. Your story was one of the saddest I ever heard”
“Yeah, the whole thing makes me feel guilty”
“It can’t all be your fault. You told her how you felt and she couldn’t handle it. How were you supposed to know she liked you as more then a friend?”
“I miss her so much”
Sandra hugged Taylor again. You would think Tay would make a move on her but he just liked being held in her arms. He didn’t even want to kiss her. He felt exactly like how he felt when he was with Rachel. For a few minutes they just clutched onto each other. Sandra comforting Taylor’s falling tears. Nothing could move them, nothing could separate them, except for maybe an unwanted knock on the bathroom door. Taylor let go of her backing away to the door. She followed him out allowing the angry aged man to walk in. “Well, I guess its good-bye unless we see each other getting off the plane tomorrow” Sandra held Taylor’s hands.
“Your going to drive all the way back to Oklahoma City?”
“We’re taking a bus. This plane trip was the only one my family could get booked to go home this weekend”.
“Okay so then.... bye” Taylor leaned over to kiss her lips but she moved her head over his shoulder embracing him in another hug instead.
“Friends remember? And don’t go kill yourself” She smiled hoping she hadn’t hit a sensitive spot. He just smiled back.
“I won’t”
“Bye” She said moving away to her seat.
“Later, beep me!” Just seeing her walk away made Taylor know he was going to miss her.
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Taylor sat under the tree him and Natalie were under about two months ago. The whole trip to NYC and Europe had seemed to fly by. His family had arrived back at home at 5AM and he slept until 1:30. Isaac and Zac were still inside catching Z’s and Taylor decided to start a new song.
‘Her dark black hair, her dark green eyes....’ Taylor started to write and then wondered. ‘Who am I writing this about?’ He went on. ‘How I miss you so much and I don’t know why” Taylor knew this was a corny song but continued writing so he could understand where these ideas were coming from. ‘Just a touch from you...” Taylor stopped and laid on his back. He decided to take a break. ‘Wow the sky looks so pretty after seeing such a bad storm last night’ He thought. ‘WAIT!!!’ “Skye!!!” He said loudly. That was who he missed. He hadn’t thought about her for a month and now that his mind brought her up, he was washed with memories. He wanted to see her again, badly. He wondered where she was, what she was doing, if she was thinking of him. He decided he would most definitely call her later but right now all he wanted to do was rest. Soon Taylor was fast asleep.
“Taylor?” “Skye?” “Yes its me” She was wearing a long light yellow gown. Some of her black hair was scattered around by the wind and it was topped with a reef. The bright sun shown the twinkle in her eyes and her smile was calm. Taylor stood up. “Is it really you?” He asked. “Yes” “There’s something I have to tell you” Yes Taylor” “I love you and can’t live without you” “Oh Taylor! I love you too!” She jumped into his arms.
“Taylor wake up!!”
“What?!” Taylor looked at the girl standing before him. It was Amanda an old girlfriend. Her straight shoulder length blonde hair was pulled back by a white headband. The light around her face made her look like an angel.
“Oh hi” Even though she looked beautiful, Taylor was upset she had just ruined his good dream.
“So who’s this about?” She picked up the notebook with the three sentences shoving it in his face.
“No one” He took it from her.
“Sounds like a someone” She raised her eyebrow.
“Its none of your business”
“Well, aren’t we grumpy in the... AFTERNOON!!” She laughed.
“Yeah well...”
“So how was your trip?”
“Boring”
“Boring!? I somewhat doubt Mr. I travel all around the world doing what I like to do, had a boring time!”
“Well...”
“Mr. My friends would die to be doing what I’m doing”
“What are you getting at?”
“Mr. My friends can slap me if I ever change”
“Your point....” Before Amanda could throw another comment at him, his cheek was forcefully run across by her hand.
“There’s your slap Tay!” She stood up, looked at him and ran from his backyard in tears.
Taylor felt insulted. One thing was for sure, she was no angel. In fact she was a jealous girl with a bad attitude. “And she wondered why I dumped her” He muttered placing his hands behind his head and lying back down. Right after he had fallen asleep, his shut-eye was soon interrupted. This time by Natalie who was standing in front of him watching him sleep. “What do you want?” He slightly opened his eyes.
“I’m glad your back. We have to talk”
“When did you girls get the right to just walk in our backyard? I could have sworn there was a ‘No Trespassing’ sign in the front” Taylor opened his eyes wider.
“No one stopped me” She replied sitting down.
“What do you want to talk about?” He asked.
“You look cute after you just wake up” She smiled.
“Yeah well, thanks”
“No problem. So I wanted to apologize for what happened under this tree the last time I saw you. It was wrong of me to be so mean. I just hate feeling like you love me but knowing that you really don’t ya know?”
“Yeah”
“That’s it? Yeah is your response?”
“What do you want me to say Natalie?!” Taylor’s tone was angry.
“I want you to take me in your arms, hug and kiss me and tell me its okay?”
“That what’s okay?” He lightened up on her.
“That you except my apology”
“Okay I except” He leaned back against the tree closing his eyes.
“You forgot the take me in your arms, hug me and kiss me part”
“I can’t”
“What?!?! Since when did YOU have a problem in that area?!”
“Since I fell in love”
“What?! Are you kidding?! With who?!
“You don’t know her”
“You mean your a one girl guy now?”
“Yeah I guess you could say that”
“Oh Taylor come on... kiss me. Be like you used to be. At least I could have you even if I had to share you”
“Sorry but no” Taylor was holding back his temptation.
“What’s this girls name?”
“If you must know, her names Skye”
“You met her in NYC or your Europe tour?”
“NYC”
“Oh, is she a prostitute?”
“No of course not! She was just a girl at the concert who liked our music”
“Fifteen years old?”
“Yes”
“Pretty?”
“Yes”
“Nice?”
“YES!!” He opened his eyes again.
“Okay! You don’t have to yell Tay!”
“Sorry”
“We’re friends right?”
“I guess so”
“Cool! Well, I better get going”
“All right”
“Sorry about annoying you”
“Its okay”
“Bye” Natalie got up to leave the backyard.
‘She’s gone!’ Taylor happily thought. Natalie was starting to get on his nerves. He decided to go inside so that no one else would come and bother him. He also needed to think about the whole Skye thing. In fact he was going to call her.
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Skye sat by her bed. Jenny had called her to set something up but Skye was too depressed to go anywhere or do anything besides gawk over Taylor. She was actually lowering herself to buying teenybopper magazines and just yesterday she had bought Hanson’s documentary TT&MON. She was ruining her whole summer and she even admitted it to herself. She was happy when her phone sounded. Maybe it was Taylor. She thought this everytime the phone rang.
“Hello?!” Skye paused the documentary on her TV.
“Hey Skye! Its Tay!”
“Oh my god!! Taylor!!!!”
“Yeah what’s up”
Their connection was bad but Skye could still hear Taylor’s sweet voice clearly.
“Nothing much, you?!”
“Hold on, I’ll fix the channel on my phone”
“Okay!”
“Is that better?” Skye heard Taylor perfect now.
“Yes!!”
“Calm down” He laughed.
“Okay, where are you?”
“Home”
“Cool! When will you be back in NYC? Two weeks right?”
“I’m not sure yet. We might play CA”
“But, you can’t! I miss you!”
“We don’t have actual plans but we are scheduled to do The Morning Show August 24th”
“So you have to come back to NY! That is filmed in NYC isn’t it?”
“Yeah it is but I’m not sure if we will be in NY for a long time”
“Its okay as long as you find time to see me!”
“I’m not promising anything”
“I’m so happy you called Tay”
“Me too. I would have called sooner but we were really busy in Europe”
Skye had heard a familiar line from Taylor’s mouth like that before. “Did you meet any girls that you liked?”
“Yeah, Sandra”
Skye’s felt like a ton of bricks had hit her. “Sandra?”
“Yeah she’s a really cool friend”
“Friend? Are you sure she’s just a friend?”
“I’ve made it clear to myself that she is ONLY a friend. Besides your my girl”
“I’m your girl?” Skye’s face and voice lightened up.
“Of course!”
“Oh wow” She blushed. Good thing it was only a phone call with Taylor because she would die if he saw her flushing like she was.
“Yeah, well I have to go. It was really awesome to hear your voice again”
“Yeah same here. Are you sure you can’t talk?”
“Yes I’m sure. My mom needs the phone” Taylor used an excuse because he really didnt’t feel like talking.
“Okay so...bye”
“Yeah, I’ll call you again sometime. Later” Taylor hung up the phone.
Skye smiled. Her day was going to be great. She was so happy to hear from Tay.