Chapter 1: Forever Lonely

"Together, Forever, Always but never, Forever lonely-------" Zac finished the last line to the song. The song meant a lot to him, but heartache had made his heart grow cold and bitter. He knew what was wrong and so did his brothers. Alanis was what was wrong. Months before, the letters had stopped coming. Each day he checked the mail but everyday there was nothing. And every night he thought the worst had happened to her, that maybe she had died or was hurt or in a coma and her mother didn't want 'Mr. Superstar' in the same hospital, let alone the same state, as her.

Everything had lost its meaning. Taylor thought Zac's depression was all his fault because he hadn't brought Alanis home.

Zac had seen Clover the other day. She had waved and smiled a little bit. He felt so lonely, just like the song he had written and sang from the heart.

Zac flopped onto his bed and sighed deeply. There was a knock at the door.
"Come in" Zac said quietly. Taylor walked in; his short hair barely touched his ears now. "Zac, you can't live like this for the rest of your life, you're sixteen for Pete's sake!" he said. Zac sighed again.
"I wish we could just go to one, just one, concert in Cleveland and I could see her smiling face and her bright blue eyes and we could be friends all over again" Zac said. Taylor nodded. He knew how Zac felt at the moment. He had felt the same way when he was out searching for Alanis three years ago.

Zac felt so crushed inside he felt like he was losing part of himself as he was losing touch with Alanis. Zac reached up and touched his necklace, a golden chain with an angel charm. He had gotten matching necklaces so he could at least be with Alanis forever that way.


We'll always have forever… Z.H.

Alanis read the inscription on the ring for about the millionth time. She stared at the golden letters for a moment in complete longing for Zachary Walker Hanson. Then she slipped the ring back on her finger, looked in the mirror one last time then headed out the door of the bathroom to school.
Three years before, she would've met Zac at his house had breakfast then went to her psychic school with Clover and Jasmine. But she didn't now. The Hanson's house was no longer a few houses down the street. It was across almost four states now. Alanis stood at the edge of her mother's driveway, waiting for the big yellow bus to roll down the street and pick her up. She was a sophomore in high school now. She stopped dealing with her psychic energy soon after Zac was gone. After Zac left, Sam left, leaving her alone with her problems. The golden necklace chain with an angel charm was still dangling from her neck. She never took it off, ever.
Alanis had kept track of Zac and his brothers as they produced album after album and went on tour after tour. Alanis bought the albums just to hear the sound of Zac's voice. Everyday in her diary she told of how much she loved Zac. Now everything was a memory. She still had her "long lasting couple" frame hanging above her bed with her and Zac locked behind a wall of glass, arms wrapped around each other, both of them smiling.
The yellow bus slowly came to a stop in front of Alanis, the door opened and she stepped inside. Alanis sat in a seat by herself. She didn't want anything to do with the people on the bus, not a thing.
She twisted the ring around her finger. The diamond sparkled like when she first received it from Zac.
Alanis knew she could never get on with her life. Zac was all around her, especially when Angel was around. Angel mentioned Zac every other sentence. Alanis finally stopped talking to her after she had threatened to tell the whole school that Alanis was sleeping with Zac unless she would stop telling "lies" about Alanis's and Zac's friendship.
Alanis sighed as she looked outside the frosty window of the bus as it rolls toward school.