Two weeks seemed to pass quickly, with tests, writing songs, the Hanson brothers were extremely preoccupied and Isaac quickly drew out of his depression over Lauren’s hurt, and became his old self again. Lauren did never show up again. Two weeks into October and it was the sixteenth, one day less of a week until Zac’s thirteenth birthday, and the day Isaac was due to collect his Jacket from the dry cleaners.

"Where are you going?" Taylor asked, searching his room for a History book he needed for tomorrow, he had an important test and he couldn’t find his history book anywhere.

Isaac pulled a brush through his hair, wincing at a matted section, "pick up my jacket," he said, "I put it in for dry cleaning a fortnight ago," He explained, he looked at the clock noticing it was half ten in the morning.
Taylor searched under his bed, "Ike, have you seen my history book…?"

"Which one, you have five…"

"The one with the purple cover," Taylor answered, standing on a chair to see the top shelf of the closet, "It has to be somewhere…I need it for a test…"
"The one with the purple cover, the one you let Lauren borrow for studying with?" Isaac asked quickly, turning to look at Taylor.

Taylor’s eyes dulled over for a second and he muttered, "shit…I need it, Ike."

"So go get it," Isaac shrugged, and turned back to the mirror, and pulled his hair back into a ponytail.

"I don’t wanna see Lauren again, I hate her," Taylor folded his arms and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Stop being such a baby," Isaac rolled his eyes, he put on some cologne, not being fussy about stealing a little of Taylor’s CKbe.

"Look, she’s the one who punched me in the back—" Taylor stated but before he could get any further, Isaac shot back with, "and you deserved it."
Taylor looked at Isaac. Seemed Taylor was the only one in the family who didn’t think that he deserved it.

Isaac left the room, "see you later," he called over his back, and was gone.

Taylor stood, "maybe I didn’t loan it to Lauren," he said hopefully to himself, he began searching for his book.

"Tay, have you found that book yet?" Diana stepped into the bedroom without knocking as she often did.

"No," Taylor sighed, he climbed out from under his bed, where he was searching, "Ike thinks I lent it to Lauren, and I think I did…" he sighed.

"So go get it," Diana encouraged.

"No, ‘cause first I’d have to apologise to that—"

"Sweet girl who doesn’t deserve to be treated the way you treat her," Diana quickly intervened. "Tay, why can’t you and her just get along."

"Just ‘cause," Taylor quickly stated and he tried looking in a drawer.

"You never like girls," Diana folded her arms.

"So?" he muttered under his breath, not really caring.

"Are you trying to tell me something by this attitude towards girls?" Diana asked in a soft tone, she paused, leaning against the wall.

Taylor paused, "Huh?"

"Taylor…" She held her breath, bracing herself, "are you gay?"

Taylor spun around gaping at his mother, his blue eyes wide, her blue eyes were questioning him. "MOM!"

"What? It’s a fair question, Taylor, you never did like girls much, you’re sensitive, poetic, stylish, all the signs that point to it, so are you?"

"Mom, I am not gay!" he looked at her, kind of hurt she’d ask him.

"Then what is your problem…?" she demanded.

Taylor grabbed a jacket from the post of the bunkbeds and pulled it on, "I don’t have a problem," he muttered, and with that, he left to head over to Lauren’s to get his history book.

Isaac walked into the dry cleaners confidently, and nearly burst out laughing at what he found, there was a guy with black shaven hair wrapped with polyroll (a long strip of plastic bags) to the point of being unable to move, and he was tied to a rail, his mouth was covered with insulating tape. A blonde in her thirties was laughing her head off, and Ashley was nowhere to be seen.

Isaac looked at the blonde who responded to him and came over, "Hi, can I help?" she had a soft smooth, voice, though he could tell she smoked regularly or far too much judging by the sound of it.

"I’m looking for Ashley Douglas," Isaac answered.

The blonde responded, "sure, hold on," she yelled Ashley’s name and Ashley peered over from behind the partition. "Uhmmm, yeah…oh, Ike!" Ashley responded, "Be right back," she said and disappeared again.

Isaac glanced over to the guy strapped to the rail who was struggling and making noise like hell.

The blonde, who’s nametag read ‘Pauline’, smirked, she turned to Isaac, "don’t ask," she laughed, and she left him there at the counter. Ashley returned with a large purple bag on a hanger. "Here ya go…"

Isaac leaned over and kept his voice low, "What’s going on here…"
"Oooh, you mean him?" Ashley motioned to the guy strapped to the rail.

"Yeah," Isaac answered.

"He got on my bad side," Ashley rolled her eyes.

Isaac paused, "remind me to never get on your bad side," he stated.

Ashley went through to the process of writing on things, signing things, then she got a signature from Pauline who had to pass a staff discount, after taking money from Isaac and giving him his change, she walked over to the guy strapped to the rail. "Ready to apologise?" she questioned of the guy, pulling the tape off of his mouth, and probably pulling half of his moustache out with it, Isaac winced.

"Your Ma!"

"Yeah, your fucking dad!"

"Your Grandmother!!"

"Your fucking cousin!"

Isaac watched as Ashley taped his mouth over again, "what’d he do to deserve this?" Isaac asked.

Ashley walked over, "he’s one of the drivers, something had to be in the back of his van so he opened the van and told me to go put it in, so me, acting like a complete numpty, I got in the back of the van, he closed the fucking door and locked it! He drove off down the road and I was in the back screaming at him. He let me out five minutes later and I had to walk back to work!" Ashley fumed, then smirked, "but I’m getting back at him," she pointed out. (***A.N. That incident actually happened to someone I know.***)

Isaac had to laugh, this did sound kind of funny. Pauline began untying Robert – the van driver – reluctantly, and Isaac watched as Robert was given his right to speak again and broke out in to "Bitch you die, outside after work, you’re dead."

Ashley gave an innocent bored glance as if she wasn’t paying attention.

Isaac looked at her, "sooo…is life over here always so…interesting?"
"Only when we make it," Ashley sat up on the counter, swinging her legs over the side, "I heard Tay and Lauren had another fight…"

"Yep, not talking, hasn’t seen her for two weeks."

"She was pretty pissed off at him," Ashley admitted.

"Let them duke it out all they want, it’ll wear off when they get bored of it…" Isaac shrugged.

Ashley looked at him, why was he hanging around? Not that she minded, she’d always been crazy about Isaac, but…did he have a reason to be there right now? He’d paid for his jacket, and he had no other reason to stay as far as she knew.

"So…um…" He paused, "I was wondering, do you have the guitar tabs for ‘You Make Me Wanna’ by Usher," Isaac paused, it was the only thing he could come up with.

"Yeah, actually…I do…"

"Think I could borrow it? If you don’t need it I mean…" Isaac had no idea why he was asking about this, he’d always hated that song, but then again, he realised he wanted to hear her playing it for him.

"Sure," She shrugged.

"Thanks," He smiled.

"If you come over to my house around seven, I’ll give you them," She shrugged.

"Okay, um…where you live?" he asked.

"Fifty-Five Auchengray Drive," she answered.

"Okay, great," Isaac nodded, "I’ll see you then," He added, and left the place, wishing he’d tried to sound more friendly than professional and asked to borrow guitar tabs instead of asking her, say, out on a date? I’m an idiot.