"What are you talking about?" Taylor asked.

"Oh, just the fact that your brother and your girlfriend still want each other, and everyone's hiding it.

"What?" Nicole cried, sitting straight up. "Where did you get that from?"

"Come on Nicole!" Leslie said. "I can see it, and I've only known you guys for a few hours."

"That's not true!" Taylor said. "Tell her its not true," he told Isaac and Nicole. Isaac had buried his face in his hands, and was shaking his head sadly. "TELL HER it's not true!" Taylor repeated, raising his voice.

"It's not true Leslie," Nicole spoke up. "I'm with Taylor now. Can't you see that? If I wanted to be with Ike, I would still be with him."

"Or you would be denying it, hiding it from yourself, and from everyone else so that you don't hurt Taylor," Leslie said.

Nicole felt as if she had been slapped. All of this was hitting her too hard; cutting her too deep. But little did she know, Leslie's game was far from over.

"Fine," Leslie continued. "Whatever you say Nicole. And what about you Isaac?"

"Leslie, please-" Isaac said, looking up.

"Please what? Please help you tell the truth? Because you know it, and I believe that I know it, and I think they deserve to know it too."

"Dammit, shut up!" Isaac yelled. "I don't want to do this!" Leslie smiled, emotionless, but now it was Taylor's turn to speak.

"You don't want to do what Ike?" he asked quietly.

"Tay, no. I can't do that to you," Isaac begged. "Please just drop it."

“No!” Taylor said, jumping up. “You can’t keep this from me anymore. Tell me what’s going on!” Isaac stood so that he was on Taylor’s level, and so did Leslie. Nicole stayed on the floor, still shocked by what was happening.

“Fine Taylor,” Isaac said, staring him straight in the eye. His brother was no longer the foolish kid he used to be; he was growing up. Isaac just hoped that he could handle this. “You want to know the truth?” Taylor nodded defiantly. “Well here it is. It must have looked so easy and clean cut, the way me and Nicole broke up. But it wasn’t. It was horrible, and it tore me up inside. But I kept it inside, and I didn’t let anyone know.”

“Are you saying that-” Taylor began.

“I’m saying that I’m still in love with Nicole!” Isaac said. “I never stopped loving her, and I never moved on. I want her back more than anything, but I’m sacrificing my own heart for your happiness. Is that what you wanted to know Tay? You wanted her for so long that you let it get ahead of everything else. You made Nicole everything, and you didn’t care who you hurt when you got her. And the person you hurt was me, the one you call your best friend. If you treat your best friends like that, I’m really glad that I’m not your enemy.”

Taylor staggered backward a few steps and tried to control his rapid breathing. He had never been so hurt in his life. Not wanting to hold himself back anymore, he ran forward, his temper flaring. “Shut the hell up! You don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re just mad that Nic chose me over you!”

“Yeah Tay, she chose you over me. But who says that she didn’t just do it because you guilt-tripped her into choosing you!”

Nicole stood up the to stop them, but jumped back when Taylor’s arm zoomed by her face. She heard a loud thunk, and then saw Isaac crouch back down to the floor, holding his eye. But shrinking away didn’t help him; Tay jumped and was soon on top of him, fists flying. Isaac struggled to fight back, and soon had his younger brother pinned to the carpet. “Tay!” Isaac cried, out of breath. “Stop it!”

Nicole rushed forward then and pulled Taylor up from the floor. He backed away from Ike cautiously, holding his clenched, red fist in his other hand.

“Nice left hook,” Leslie commented to Taylor. Tay looked in awe from Isaac to his fist, and back again. His brother’s eye was already swelling and looking bruised. His arms were covered in red marks, and so was the area below his neck, above his tee shirt. Taylor tasted blood and wiped at his lip, which he knew was busted. But in comparison to what he did to Ike, it didn’t seem to matter.

“I’m sorry Ike-” he began, walking toward his brother to help him up.

“Don’t,” Isaac said, moving away. “Just stay over there.” The force of what he had done hit Taylor then, and he sat down on the floor heavily.

“Ike, why didn’t you say anything before?” she asked, breaking the heavy silence.

“And shake up the couple of the year? Why would I do that?” Isaac said sarcastically.

“Quit being so sarcastic!” she said. “That’s not like you.”

“But getting in a fist-fight with my brother is, right?” Isaac shot back. “Face it Nic, I haven’t been myself for months. You’re just now noticing it though. And you,” he said, turning to Taylor, “well, let’s just say that I thought you had grown up a little bit. I thought you could handle my little confession. But now I see that I was wrong. You have a lot to learn about life Tay.”

Taylor remained silent and pulled his knees up to his chest, resting his face on them. And once more this decision plagued Nicole. Should she go to Taylor, her boyfriend, or Isaac, her first love? A decision had to be made. Thinking quickly, she decided to do the first thing that popped into her head.