EPISODE ONE – Celebrate ("Celebrate", Kool & The Gang)

The first day of November was not surprisingly a chilly morning in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a bitter wind was biting the faces of Isaac, Taylor and Zachary Hanson as they climbed out of their family van – and made their way up the porch steps of the Hendee residence on Auchengray Drive. It was a peaceful morning, around ten, a light hearted Sunday.

Taylor made his way up the porch steps, and knocked three times on the door and waited.

"Why are we here again?" Zac asked in confusion, not completely understanding why Taylor wanted to visit someone he’d always seemed to hate. In fact, since four days ago, Taylor had changed his tune completely Zachary and Isaac had been thinking about this, alright, so Taylor’s eating habits and insomnia had not improved much, the boy was thin, wasting away to nothing, and his lack of sleep made him look like death itself. But Taylor had stopped being so broody and quiet, and once in a while even spoke to his brothers in conversation, not just when he had to, like these last two months had been. Now things were seemingly and slowly returning back to normal. Whatever semblance of normality they’d have liked to call it.

"We’re visiting Lauren," Taylor rolled his eyes, "Its her birthday," he added. And I owe it to her to at least say ‘Happy Birthday’, Taylor thought secretly. He had to admit, if not for Lauren, he could have possibly ended up worse than now. Alright, so now, he wasn’t exactly doing so good, he felt sick a lot, and his nervous were shot, he’d taken a break down four days ago and Lauren had been the only one to witness it. He had to hand it to her though, he’d expected her to tell his mother, or to tell her mother who would tell his mother. But no, Lauren had kept the secret all to herself, and Taylor hoped it would stay that way.

Isaac was silent at Zac and Taylor’s backs. Isaac didn’t speak much these days, he was rather withdrawn, pretending to be preoccupied in his music studies and his song writing to acknowledge anything going around him. Taylor reckoned that was because he was deciding to brood about Ashley rejecting him. Things did not look well lately for Isaac.

The door was finally answered, Lauren was on a cordless phone, talking to someone, the three brothers looked at her, she put up a hand and held up one finger as to gesture she’d only be a minute. Taylor leaned against the door frame.

"No way!" Lauren was laughing softly, "yeah, I’d have loved to see that."

Her voice was more sweet than it usually was, and Taylor could not help but wonder if she was talking to a guy on the other end of that line.

"Look, Jon, I gotta go, I got some friends here now…soo, um…call me?"

There was pause, then Lauren smiled wider.

"Talk to you later," she said in a sweet tone, and she hung up.

Taylor looked at her, "who’s Jon?" he asked.

"A friend," she said simply.

"Oh," Taylor decided to let it pass, "Happy birthday."

"Thanks, I didn’t think anyone knew!" she smiled, and invited them in and closed the door behind them, smiling. She looked exceptionally lovely in large baggy khaki’s, a tight fitting short sleeved shirt over a white long sleeved shirt, and of all things a dog-collar. Taylor normally would have been put off of anyone by a dog-collar, but somehow, not Lauren. He liked the way her blonde hair fell, framing her face, her green eyes glittered.

"Actually your mom mentioned it to our mom, and our mom mentioned it to us," Zac was honest, if not blunt and insensitive.

"Oh," Lauren seemed a little unhindered from that sentence, "well, its nice you at least visited on my birthday anyway," she confessed, then paused, "That’s why Jon was phoning, to wish me happy birthday."
Who is Jon, really? Taylor wondered. A guy she’s dating? A guy she wants to go out with? He realised it was none of his concern anyway and he left it drop simply, he turned just as the mail was coming through the letterbox in the door, a three letters fell to the mat on the floor, along with a clear plastic packet with a single pink carnation in it. Lauren grinned, "ooooh, mail," she quickly scooped it up and began to scan through it. "Not for me, not for me, for me, but I don’t want it," she disposed of junkmail to the table in the hall, and she looked at a red envelope, addressed to her, "for meeeee," she said in a sweet honey coated tone.

Isaac, Taylor and Zac watched as she opened the envelope and pulled out a ‘Forever Friends’ birthday card, Lauren opened it and smiled, "Its from Ash," she looked truly delighted, pulling out a letter from the envelope as well.

"From Ash?" Isaac asked, his spirits lifting a little, "Is there anything in the letter about me?" he questioned quickly.

"I dunno, I haven’t read it yet," Lauren pointed out, she reached into the envelope a final time, bringing out a tiny plastic packet, with a tiny silver pendent inside it. Lauren took it out of the packet and examined it, it was a half heart, the other piece missing, and on the half was a teddybear, with "friends" engraved above it.

"Cool, uhm, what is it?" Zac asked.

"It’s a mizpah…"
"What’s a mizpah?" Taylor asked.

"It’s a pendent that’s been halved and two people share it, get a half each and wear it around their necks as a symbol of their friendship," Lauren explained.

"Oh," Taylor nodded, understanding, "Its nice."

Lauren headed through to the living room, reading the letter.

"So what does it say?" Isaac asked, following Lauren as well as the others, knowing Ashley’s words were in that letter made him want to grab it and read it for himself, he needed to know how she was.

"It says stuff," Lauren shrugged, she curled up on the edge of the couch, and Isaac sat beside her, trying to look over at it, but she kept pulling it away. "Hey!" she laughed, "trust me, there’s nothing about you in here…"
"C’mon, read it out!" Isaac pleaded, acting like a five year old.

Lauren rolled her eyes and began reading from the letter, there was a lot of info on the weather in Scotland sucking a lot, and a few things about family business being needed to be taken care of. Ashley missed Tulsa a lot, but dreaded having to go back since she’d have to leave her Grandmother, and the rest of her family in Scotland. However, there was info that Nicole might be coming back with her for good.

Lauren had just finished reading out the parts of the letter she wanted to read out loud, when the phone rang and she jumped, she grabbed it, "Hello?" she asked.

Her smile grew wide, "Ash!" she chirped in response.

Isaac’s eyes widened, "Is that Ashley?"

Lauren motioned her hand for him to hush, "thanks for the gift, by the way," she said in a sweet tone, "I love it…"

"C’mon, lemme speak!" Isaac pleaded.

Taylor had to laugh at Isaac’s ability to just go right on despite he’d been turned down by Ashley.

Lauren rolled her eyes, "Ash, Ike wants to speak to you, he’s right here, hold on…" Lauren handed the phone to Isaac. "Here…don’t stay on too long, she’s calling long distance you know."

"Thanks," Isaac smiled, he put the phone to his ear, "Hello?"

"Hi," came Ashley’s voice, made him feel butterflies in his stomach.

"Hi…" Isaac kept his voice bright and as happy as he felt right now to be talking to her again, "how are you?"

"I’m fine," she answered.

"So…um…" Isaac thought her answer was too quick, somehow hinted she wasn’t really in the mood to speak with him, but he couldn’t give up. "How are things down in Scotland?"

"They’re fine," Ashley answered, "it was snowing earlier, its that cold," she added.

"It hasn’t snowed here yet, but we’re hoping it snows in time for Christmas, but that’s another two months away almost…will you be back by then?"

"I don’t know," Ashley answered.

"Oh…I was kind of hoping you’d be here…I’m having a party…I’m gonna be eighteen," he explained. "I…wanted you to…y’know, be there."

"I don’t think I’ll be able to make it," Ashley’s voice was tender, "chances are I’ll still be here," she added.

"Oh," Isaac tried to steer the conversation a different way. "Do you miss Tulsa?"

"Yeah, a lot," she answered.

Isaac felt a smile pulling on his lips, "Tulsa misses you too…"
Ashley gave a pause, as if she expected something else.

"I…miss you too."

"Ike, I have to go in a minute, put me back on to Lauren," Ashley’s voice was sharp and urgent.

"Okay…" Isaac sighed, he handed the phone to Lauren.

Lauren took the phone and began talking with Ashley, Isaac paid no attention, he just sat and pouted.

"Was Nicky there?" Zac asked in a voice, that was trying to be not too hopeful.

"I don’t know, I didn’t have time to ask," Isaac muttered.

"Did she blow you off again?" Taylor asked.

"Big time, I told her I missed her, and she totally made the excuse she had to go soon and had to talk urgently to Lauren," Isaac sighed, "I don’t get it, Tay, why doesn’t she like me?" he questioned.

"Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be," Taylor shrugged.

"Well, I believe it was," Isaac muttered, and these were his final words on the subject.

Lauren got off the phone at last, Isaac was surprised, despite the fact Ashley had said she had to go, she’d stayed on the phone with Lauren another five minutes.

Face it, Ike, she’s avoiding you, big time, Isaac thought to himself in misery.

Taylor looked at Lauren, "You forgot to check that out…" he pointed to the plastic packet with the pink carnation in it which had come through the mail.

"Oh, yeah," Lauren smiled, "I was kinda distracted," she added in excuse, she opened the packet which had her name and address on it, and she took the carnation out and sniffed it delicately, smiling to herself, "Its beautiful…but I don’t get it, there’s no card…nothing, no note to say where it came from," she raised an eyebrow looking at it.

"That’s weird," Zac admitted, he walked over to her TV and switched it on without even asking, Lauren didn’t mind though, the Hanson brothers could make themselves at home while her parents weren’t at home.

"I’ll be right back, I wanna put this in water," Lauren admitted, she headed for the kitchen to put it in water so it wouldn’t die. Taylor followed her, "so…um…how old are you today?" he asked.

"Fifteen," she answered, getting a small vase out from a cabinet and rinsing it out at the sink, she leaned down, her hair falling over her cheek, she tucked it behind her ear, and filled the vase slowly with water.

"So, there’s no card…?" Taylor asked.

"Nope, weird, huh?" Lauren asked.

Taylor chewed his lip, "sorry."

"Sorry for what?" she turned to him, looking for an explanation, what was he sorry for?
"I…um…kinda forgot to write it out…before I took it to the post office for express delivery last night," he admitted.

"It’s from you?" she asked, holding the long-stemmed carnation, she brushed it against her cheek.

"Yeah," He blushed crimson, and hid his face in his hair by lowering his head.

"I…why?" Lauren put the flower in to the case, and put it on the kitchen table.

"It’s not actually a birthday present, I didn’t know it was your birthday ‘til last night, after I’d already sent it…" he explained, he put both hands against the table, keeping his eyes to the flower. "It’s…a sorry."

"Sorry?" she asked in some kind of absurd fascination.

"For what I did, for being the way I was…the way I treated you. You didn’t deserve that, no one does," Taylor sighed.

"But it wasn’t your fault," she reminded him, "It isn’t…I mean…you’re…under a lot of pressure…"

"That’s no excuse for blowing my top and throwing a book at you," Taylor stated in a firm voice, "I realise I was going through a bad time, and I’m sorry it was you who took the brunt of my actions," he stated calmly.

She looked at him, "I forgive you," she smiled, and for the first time, she saw his smile, his real smile, the smile that made his eyes gleam. That was the real Taylor Hanson.