"I know," Taylor said. "I wish we could stay the whole week."
"Are you guys coming back next week?" Nicole asked, following the two boys down the stairs.
"If our parents let us," Isaac said. "They want us to be home all this week and rest, but they shouldn't have a problem with us being here next weekend. I'll call you and tell you as soon as we get home, okay?"
"You better," Nicole said playfully as Isaac wrapped his free arm around her. The three walked outside to the van where Zac was sitting, playing a hand-held video game.
"You better e-mail me this week Zac," Nicole said. "That last e-mail you sent was the funniest thing I've ever read. You e-mail me too Taylor." She knew better than to ask Isaac to e-mail her - he preferred to talk on the phone. She did too, but she also loved the mail that she recieved from Taylor and Zac.
"Well, I guess we'll see ya next weekend," Taylor said, giving Nicole a hug.
"Great," she said, kissing his cheek.
"Oh, and I think we're supposed to be on Oddville MTV this week," Isaac said. "We taped it a while back."
"I'll be sure to watch it," she saidd, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply.
"Get a room you two!" Zac said jokingly. Then Isaac pulled back and climbed into the driver's seat. Taylor slammed the side door, and soon Nicole was waving goodbye to them as they cruised down the street and out of sight.
"Perfect, but short," Nicole said, sitting down in the chair across the room. "This weekend flew by. Did you have fun at your mom's house?" Chris's parents were divorced and she had to go stay with her mother every other weekend in Oklahoma City. She had come home only hours after Isaac, Taylor, and Zac had gone.
"It was okay," Chris said. "My step-sister really gets on my nerves though, and I have to share a room with her. She's thirteen, and she doesn't believe that you actually know Hanson and go out with Isaac. She thinks that, for some reason, I like to tell her lies. I don't know why."
Nicole couldn't help but laugh. Sometimes even she didn't believe that she was dating on of the most wanted guys in the country, and was friends with two more. It was amazing to see them on television and hear them on the radio and think, 'just a few days ago, they were playing video games in my living room and playing basketball with me in my driveway. This was all very amusing to her.
"So what did you guys do all weekend?" Chris asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"Well, we slept all Friday evening, toured the city Saturday, and hung out here Sunday. Zac was on an eternal sugar high, as always and Isaac was hilarious and sweet; but something seemed to be bothering Taylor. I never figured out what it was though," Nicole trailed off.
"So what's Taylor like anyways?" Chris said. "I only got to talk to him for a few minutes, but he seemed really shy."
"Oh, he has a shy side," Nicole said. "But once you get him to open up, he's as fun and playful as Ike and Zac. He's more serious about everything than they are. So sometimes he seems a little bit withdrawn, and it's really, really hard to get him to crack." She sighed and leaned back in her chair, remembering the sad expressions that crossed Taylor's face that weekend. He had seemed happy whenever she was around, but she sometimes caught him sighing and biting his lip as if something was bothering him. She decided that if he was still acting that way next weekend, she would stop at nothing to figure out what was wrong.
Greetings from the land of Tulsa! What are you up to? I'm supposed to be looking up some stuff about earthworms for a report mom is making me do, but I decided to sneak and write to you instead. So how are ya? Me, Tay, and Ike are fine. We miss you a lot though. When are you coming back? Oh, my bad. Tay told me not to bring up that anymore. Oh, hold on. I hear someone outside my room.
Okay, I'm back. It was Tay. He wants me to say hello to you so <<"Hello" from Taylor>>. I'll tell him you said hey too. Well, I better go and do this stupid report; I just thought I would write you some e-mail and brighten up your life with my wonderful personality. See ya on Friday - Write me back!
Z@( |-|@|\|§0|\|
Nicole laughed as she read the last paragraph of Zac's letter and then hit the PRINT button on her printer. She then logged off of the internet and placed the printed letter into a folder that Zac had decorated for that purpose.
Their parents had agreed earlier that day to let Isaac, Taylor, and Zac come to stay with Nicole the whole next week, from Friday until the next Thursday. After that, they were off again to New York for some more concerts and publicity things.
Isaac had called Nicole the second that they arrived home with astounding news: They had pulled into their driveway only to be swarmed by tons of local fans. Of course, being the sweethearts that they are, they stayed outside until every last autograph was signed, and every girl had gotten a chance to shake hands with or hug their favorite Hanson brother.
They were really becoming well-known by now, and Nicole could see the horror and envy in each Hanson fan that found out that Isaac already had a girlfriend, her. Taylor had told her not to let Ike announce her name on television, for fear that a gang of angry girls may come and beat her up. He was only kidding, but even the thought made her uneasy. But she got over it whenever she saw the boys' smiling faces as they performed live. Their success was becoming more and more evident, and Nicole knew that they were enjoying every second of it. She only wished that she could share it with them.