[HANSON STORIES]

Put Up Your Kingdom For Sale

Chapter 8 - Truth?



Zac smiled to himself, remembering the date with Eve. She was everything he had never known. She was so exotic and beautiful and listened to every word he said as if they were the most important things she would ever hear in her life. She had a body that drove him crazy and he never knew that anyone could be that gorgeous and still want him.

He closed the door to his car and threw his keys up in the air and caught them, whistling a tune as he made his way to the studio door.

Ike laid down his guitar case on the table and took off his hat. Taylor looked up from his sheet music.
“Hey.” He smiled.
“Hey.” Ike said non-chalantly.
“What’s wrong?” asked Taylor, concerned.
“I was thinking about Zac all last night. It just seems so strange. Why would he do something like that?”
“We don’t really know if he did.” Taylor said, looking back down at his music.
“I’m really tempted just to go up to him and ask him.” Taylor added.
“NO! You can’t do that!” Ike said.
“Why?”
“I…I don’t know.” Ike began.
“Let’s just rehearse a little.” He added, opening up the guitar case. He pulled out his guitar and sat down, placing it on his lap.
“Come on Ike. Seriously. You have to just wonder what the hell is going on.” Said Taylor standing up, throwing his music on the floor.
“All of a sudden, Claire isn’t around anymore and Zac starts acting real strange. Something’s going down.” Taylor said angrily.

“Hey guys.” Zac said, walking in.
“Zac!” Taylor yelled, choking on his own words.
“You’re…early.” Ike said with wide eyes.
“Why…why are you early?” They both stuttered.
“I don’t know. Woke up early I guess. Why are you two so surprised?” Zac laughed.
“No…no reason.” Ike said, looking down at his guitar, than glancing up at Taylor slightly.
“Well, I’m gonna grab my sticks and head on into the booth.” Zac said, starting to leave the room.
“Uh…Zac…I gotta ask you a question.” Taylor said.
“Taylor…” Ike began to interrupt him.
“No Ike. I want to know.”
“Want to know what?” questioned Zac.
“What…What’s going on with…” Taylor began.
* Ring *
“Hold on for a sec.” Zac said, running to the phone in the other room. He closed the door and put his finger over his other ear to hear better. Taylor walked over to the door and pressed his ear against it.

“Hello? Oh hi. This is a bad time. I know. Yeah. 6 o’clock? Of course. Oh and Eve…I love you. Bye.” Zac hung up the phone and Taylor high tailed it back to where he was originally standing.
“So what did you want to say?” Zac said, smiling. Taylor glanced over at Ike who had a look of pleading on his face.
“What…What’s going on with…uh…dinner?” Taylor said biting his bottom lip and nervously put a stray lock of hair behind his ear.
“Dinner?” Zac was puzzled. He didn’t know what Taylor was getting at.
“I mean, do you want to grab some dinner tonight…with…with me and Phyl?” Taylor scrambled.
“Oh…uh…I can’t. I’m planning on going over to…uh…Claire’s house and eat.”
“Oh. Okay then.” Taylor said and smiled awkwardly.
“Well, lets get in there.” Ike said, getting up and rushing into the booth with Taylor soon following.

“Hello? Can I talk to Phyl?” said Taylor, on the phone.
“Phyl? What do you want to do about dinner tonight? Huh? You’re going out to dinner with Candy and the girls? What am I supposed to do about dinner? Oh. I’ll have to ask him. He probably doesn’t even know. Who are the other girls going? Amanda and Holly? Say hello to them for me. See ya at home. Love you.” Taylor hung up and walked back in the room.
“I take it your not getting dinner tonight.” Ike laughed as he finished up writing a lyric.
“Neither are you.” Taylor laughed back.
“They’re going out to eat?”
“Yeah. Girls’ night out. Do you want to grab a bite with me tonight?”
“Sure. Got nothing better to do.”

“Bye guys. I’m out of here.” Zac yelled, strolling out the door.
“Where you going?” Taylor called.
“Told you, Claire’s. See you tomorrow!” And with that, he shut the door.
“He’s not going over to Claire’s.” Taylor said plainly.
“WHAT!” Ike yelled.
“He’s having dinner with EVE!” Taylor said angrily, slamming his fist into the table.
“Whose Eve?”
“HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW!” Taylor yelled, kicking the chair.
“Calm down.”
“He lied. Why did he lie? What the hell is going on?” Taylor said, slumping down in the chair.
“Maybe it’s just a friend of his.”
“He wouldn’t be saying that he loved her if it was only a friend. I’m calling Claire!” Taylor jumped up and ran to the phone.
“NO! DON’T!” Ike yelled, running after him.
“This is ridiculous Ike!”

“Hey Phyl.” Amanda said, climbing in Phyllis’ car. Amanda was one of Phyllis’ oldest friends. She was tall, with brown hair that she normally kept in a braid or messy bun. She always wore glasses, like Phyllis, and was always very serious.
“I like that shirt Man.” Phyllis commented. Amanda’s shirt was a purple v-neck with a vine of morning glories embroidered around the collar. She also had on a pair of black dress slacks.
“Thanks. So…where’s lover boy?” Amanda joked.
“I left him to have dinner with Ike.”
“What about Zac?” her friend asked.
“I don’t know about Zac. It’s a long story…”
“What’s going on?”
“Well…I don’t know if this is true…but…you know Claire right?”
“Yeah…”
“Well, Candy got a call from Claire’s sister Rachel. She was really upset. She said that Claire walked in on Zac and some woman…doing…well.”
“DOING IT! Oh my God!” Amanda gasped.
“We don’t know if it’s true. I haven’t even told Taylor yet.” Phyllis quickly said.
“This is awful. Poor Claire.”
“Well, we’re not going to say anything because frankly it’s none of our business.” Phyllis informed her.
“Are we picking up Holly?”
“She’s getting a ride with Candy. Candy’s going to tell her too.” Phyllis said, looking straight ahead to the road.
“I can’t believe it. They were like the perfect couple.” Amanda said, shaking her head.
“Let’s not talk about this right now.” Phyllis pushed her cd in and cranked up the volume, drowning out any other sound.

They pulled in the parking lot and Phyllis turned off the engine.
“Are they here yet?”
“I think I see them over there.” Amanda said, looking out her window as she opened the passenger door.
“Hey guys!” a woman called. She had died blonde hair, pulled up in a ponytail and wore no make up. She was tall and wore a blue, skintight top and a pair of blue jeans.
“Hey Hol!” Phyllis waved as she closed her door.
“Did Candy tell you the gossip?”
“Boy did she ever!” Holly answered.
“What a shame.” She shook her head and grimaced. They walked into the restaurant and sat down at a booth.
“So…Taylor and Ike don’t know?” Amanda questioned.
“There’s no point in getting them involved in it if it might not be true.” Candy said, putting her napkin in her lap.

“I can’t believe he would do this! I just can’t believe it!” Taylor yelled, throwing his hands in the air.
“Who is this Eve person anyway?!”
“Who knows.” Ike said, putting his guitar away.
“Let’s just get some food. We can’t let this leak out.” Ike added.
“Just pretend you didn’t listen to the conversation.”
“But Ike…”
“Just listen to me Taylor.”
“All right.”


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