It was in the summer of 99", and I was with my two friends, Taylor and Andrea, at my house. I hadn't seen Taylor in five months because his garage band finally made it somewhere and he'd been doing promotional shows all over the country. This was the first day he was with his family. "So how did your little tour go?" I asked him. "Well, it was okay. On our last show there were a little over 200 hundred people there, that was really cool!" Taylor and me were friends since we were born, and our parents were friends before we were born. We were both 17 and getting prepared to leave for college. Andrea was 17 also, and me and her were accepted to the same college in Boston. "Anyways, lets do something. We've been sitting here for a long time, and it's getting boring!" "Mike has a party tonight!" "No, I don't feel like going, Mike's parties are always dumb." I told them. "Well, I'm leaving. I'll call you later!" Andrea said, then got up and left. "Taylor, what do you want to do?" "I don't know-...." "Taylor I bought you something for your birthday and I forgot to give it to you!" I got up and grabbed a package out of my drawer. "Here, it's a bar bell for you tongue. I know you just got it pierced but in a few months you can wear it. So happy birthday!"
Chapter 2
"Thanks Sarah, I like it." "Good, those stupid things cost more than your worth!" "Shut up!" I laughed, and pushed him off the bed. "Ow, why do you have to push me like that?" "Because you always fall!" He rubbed his arm, and nudged me back, I looked at him, "That didn't hurt."
Chapter 3
"So what if you're stronger than me. Does it really matter? I mean, older people are stronger than younger people!" "Taylor, we're the same age!" I said to him. "You're older by 13 seconds. I'm sure you haven't forgotten, you do remind me practically everyday." "Seriously Taylor, I'm surprised you remembered!" "Well why not, I'm going to have to live with it the rest of my life." I nodded, and pinned him down. "You're the biggest weakling I've ever known." I let him up and smacked him back in the arm!
Chapter 4
"Ow. Man you suck." "13 seconds, and don't you forget it!" "Don't worry, with you around, how could I." I smiled at him, "Good!" "Do you want to go out to lunch or something?" Taylor asked, rubbing his tummy and looking stupid, "Yummy yummy yummy I got nubs in my tummy." "That isn't how it goes Taylor!" He put his hands on his hips, "Oh, and I suppose you know how it goes?!" "Yeah," I said, "It's yummy yummy yummy I got love in my tummy!" "No, that's not how it goes-..." "Taylor shut up about it!" "What? You were the one that brought it up." "Well, now I'm dropping it!" "Where do you want to go to lunch?" He dug into his pocket and pulled his keys out. "Let's go over to Denny's, Andrea might be there with Isaac or somebody!" "No, Isaac's sick, he wouldn't be there!" "Well, let's go anyways." We drove to Denny's a half hour later. Andrea and Jason were there.
Chapter 5
"Hey Jason. I haven't seen you in awhile. What happened?" I sat down next to him, and Taylor sat next to Andrea. "Nothing really, I've been out in California visiting my dad." We ate and went back to Taylor's house. Andrea and Jason had been going out since 8th grade, but they fought almost everyday. They both seemed happy though. "Sarah, I got tickets for you to go to Everclear, 2nd row. And believe me it was hard! The tickets sold out in like ten minutes." I hugged him, "Thanks, why don't you come with me?" "No, thanks anyways!" "Well, why not?" "For one thing, I can't stand Everclear. And can you imagine me going anywhere with you, uh, I have a reputation!" "Oh shut up, I'm serious. Come with!" "Okay, but I don't have to enjoy myself?!" "Deal!" I nodded. Andrea and Jason came back over that night, and we ended up going to Mike's party! The next morning Andrea came over for breakfast. "How do you think Isaac's doing?" she asked me. "Why does it matter?" "Well, he's sick!" "So...?" "Sarah!!!" "What? Do you like him or something?" I picked up our dishes off the table. "Well....." "You do?" "No!" "Yeah you do. My god. How long? Don't tell me it's been since 8th grade!" "Sarah, I said I didn't." "You totally do!" "Well so what?" "So what? So what? This is monumental! You've been with the same guy for four years, and you're just now telling someone you like someone else! Oh boy, this is unbelievable-......." "Don't tell Jason!" "I won't, I can keep a secret." "Good!" She said. I turned to her real quick, "But I've got to tell Taylor, this is too good to keep!" "No way, him and Isaac are brothers, he's going to tell Isaac!" "Come on, Taylor is my best friend!" "Fine, but if he says anything, I'm gonna kill you!" "Me? But Taylor would' ve told?" "I know, but you're the dumb one who told him!" "Yeah, but you're the even dumber one that said I could tell him!" "Sarah, you better go tell him now before I change my mind."
Chapter 6
I knocked on his door until someone came. Isaac opened the door in his bath robe and slippers, "Whoa Isaac, nice outfit." I pointed at him, "You've got a secret admirer." I pushed him aside with the back of my hand and ran upstairs to Taylor's room. He was laying in his bed still sleeping. "Taylor!!! Get up." I knocked him off his bed, and all the sheets went with him. "Okay Sarah, you woke me up and threw me off my bed, now you are going to get it!" He started wrestling me, "Taylor I ain't got time for this!" "Well, anyway, this better be good." "Andrea's got a crush on Isaac" He stopped wrestling me and got up. "What? Are you serious?" "Never been so serious in my whole entire life!"
Chapter 7
"This is crazy. Andrea, and Isaac. I can't imagine that!" "Well start because I feel the need for match making coming on." "Oh......no, no no no no no. Whenever you match make something always goes wrong. Don't hook my brother up with a girl he barely knows. And plus Andrea has someone, don't mess that up!" Taylor practically begged. "I'm not messing anything up, just making things better!" I smiled. "Saaaarrrrrraaaahhhhh." He whined. "Oh shut up Taylor! Look, I gotta go, I left Andrea at my house. So we'll talk later." I opened his door and started to leave, "Wait." "What?" He grabbed my arm then let go. "Taylor you freak me out sometimes." "Well, that's just one of my specialties!" He smiled at me. "Oh yeah, a great quality! See ya'" "Bye Sarah!" I went back to my house and Andrea was still there. "I told him. Andrea, I'm going to do some match making if you don't mind?!" "Yes I do! Isaac is older than me, and not interested!"
Chapter 8
"You don't know that..-" "Sarah..how much older than me is Isaac?" "Two years I think!" "Okay, my signs predict.................uh,...................not interested!" "Oh shut up Andrea. I'm telling Isaac, so you better tell Jason soon." "Oh crap, I forgot about Jason. I don't want to break up with him." "Well," I began, "Jason or Isaac, Jason or Isaac , Jason or Isaac, Jason or Isaac, Ja-........" "Okay, Okay, I get it." "Personally, I think Jason looks better, but it's not my choice!" "I don't know Sarah, what should I do?" "Take your time, but don't take too long, I got to tell Isaac!" "Oh Sarah do I have to?" "No, but you could be stuck with Jason, and never know the fascinating experience of being with Isaac, the all mighty man that walks around in a bath robe and slippers. Hmmm, big decision...!" "It's not like that though. It's harder for me, I think they're both interesting!" "Oh gag me, they're both boring, although Jason does seem to have a bigger handle on him! That's a plus." "Okay, let's not forget, he's still my boyfriend." "Sorry, I'll drain my chances right now!" "Yeah you better, I'm thinking they're pretty low!" "Thanks!" "I'm just kidding."
Chapter 9
"Yeah okay, I don't care!" That day we went to Jason and things didn't go as smoothly as we would' ve hoped for. "Well, see," Andrea stuttered, "I don't like you anymore, I like Isaac. In fact, I can't stand you. We always fight, and you act like I'm a posession. Okay? You can't always win Jason, to tell you the truth your a sorry pathetic loser." "Okay Andrea, I think he knows that you don't like him." I whispered to her. "And another thing." She stuck her finger right in his face, "Your dick was not more important than me, and it was not that big!!!!!" Jason and I stood there shocked. We couldn't believe that Andrea, the shighest girl we knew, had just said everything she had just said. "Well listen here Andrea, if you're going to go out with my best friend, I'm going to go out with yours! Sarah, you're my new girlfriend no buts about it, period." "But, Well, Well, I, So, I." "Now get out of my house. Bye Sarah!" Andrea was so mad when she left, and I left with a new boyfriend. "How could you say yes to him?" "I didn't, he said yes for me!" "You're crazy, be prepared for fights everyday." Those next 2 months I was with Jason we didn't fight at all. And I didn't see Taylor as much as I use to. So one night when Jason's parents were out of town, he had a party. Taylor was there, so were Andrea and Isaac, as a couple! "Sarah I've got to talk to you!" Taylor said pulling me into a room. Jason pushed him aside, "Well Sarah, I plan you're coming to my parents room with me?" "Okay." "I'm going to go see if anyone's in there." He ran upstairs. "What Taylor?" "You're going to go have sex with him?" Taylor yelled. "Sarah, he's a big jock with no brain!" "Do you want to say it so everyone can hear you? What did you come to tell me?" "Oh yeah, I.....I'm in.....well see I'm in....I-..." Jason came down the stairs, and took my hands, "Move it loser!" He said to Taylor. "I'll talk to you when I get home, wait for me in front of my house in a half hour." I waved to him, and I was off to the parents bedroom. I went home about 3 hours later, forgetting about Taylor. When I got to my home he was sitting on the swing bench, asleep. I didn't wake him up, I went inside, got a blanket, and slowly put it on him. "Goodnight Taylor." I bent down and gave him a kiss on his cheek. I went out in my yard early that morning to go talk to him. "Taylor, wake up." I shook him a little. He opened his eyes and looked at me. "What time did you come in last night?" "3:00am." "I told you I had to talk to you." "I know, and I'm sorry. I forgot!" "Well, it's okay, we can talk now." "Actually Jason is on his way to pick me up, we're going to his house, and just hang out." "Oh." "But when I come back." "Yeah, okay!" Jason and I were at his house doing nothing for hours straight, when Taylor came. "Get out of my house you loser, go play checkers or something." "Jason stop being so mean to him." "I said get out of my house." "No, I got to talk to Sarah." "Taylor," I walked over to him, "I told you we'd talk when I got home." "I know, but I couldn't wait. Sarah, I'm in love with you. And I've been in love with you for 8 years." "Are you serious?" He nodded. "Taylor, I don't love you." "Okay Taylor, first you walk into my house, and now you're telling my girlfriend you love her. You are seriously in for it." Jason hit Taylor right in his stomach. "You are really truly dumped for good." I said to Jason. I grabbed Taylor arms and pulled him out of the house. I got in Taylor's car and drove us home. "You know what Taylor? This is all your fault. If you would' ve stayed home, and waited, you wouldn't have been hit, and I wouldn't have had to dump him." "You didn't have to dump anyone. It was your choice."
Chapter 10
I didn't say anything after that, he was right, I didn't have to. And I'd never though of Taylor as anything else besides my best friend. "Taylor, what I do?" "I don't know." Taylor and I went to the Everclear concert, it was winter, and freezing cold. Afterwards we sat outside and talked for awhile. "Sarah, I didn't want to change anything between us. But eight years was too long, and you with Jason didn't make it any easier." I shivered, "You aren't making anything different." He took his coat off, and wrapped it around me. I looked at him, his eyes were blank, and the only thing I realized that were behind those eyes, was something I over looked. And it was him. All these years we'd known each other, I never saw him. I laid my hand on his chest, "I love you." We looked at each other, and I kissed him.
Chapter 11
I wasn't sure if I wanted to be with Taylor or if I wanted to be friends with him. I never had to think about it before, and now that I did, it was like things maybe couldn't be the same. Maybe for awhile, or maybe for forever. So I decided either decision I made would change us. "I want to be with you." I told him. He smiled, "Good, but there will be adjustments?" I nodded. "Like what?" "I don't know, I really don't know!" Those next few weeks it was constant sneaking in and out of Taylor's house, and windows.
Chapter 12
"Taylor do you think I'll ever be able to go through your front door with your parents seeing me?" "Probably not." He laughed. "Well, I don't think it's very funny, and I'm not laughing." I stood there with my arms folded. "Oh yeah?" "Yeah!!" He started tickling me until I fell. "Ow, get off." He started getting up, "Or you could stay on!" I raised my head and kissed him, "Ooooh, one more." He said. I kissed him again. The phone rang, and Taylor answered it. "Hello?.........You're kidding..........Thanks Steve!" He hung up the phone. "What, what is it?" I asked him. "I got a record deal. I mean, Isaac, Zac and I got a record deal. Isn't that great?" "Well, yeah! Congratulations. Does this mean you'll be gone a lot now?" "Probably, they want me to come down and start recording some songs. Do you want to come with?" "Yeah sure." We went down and the three of them recorded eighteen songs, and started a record of 14. "I think the songs sound great Taylor, especially 'Cried'. You sing good leads on that!"
Chapter 13
"Thanks! Let's go get some lunch." He took my hand and we started walking. "Hey, Tay, where are you going?" "I was going to take Sarah out to lunch. Oh, and my name is Taylor!" "You can't, you're in the middle of doing a record!" "Sarah I can't go." He let go of my hands. "It's okay, I wasn't that hungry!" The next few months Taylor changed a lot. Girls chased him everywhere, and he had more money than his own parents! He was never around anymore, and I'd never been in such a need of a best friend. So when he came home, I was really happy to see him. I wrapped my arms around him, and smiled at him, "Taylor, I missed you so much." He pulled my arms off him, "Uh, it's Tay, and I don't have time for this! I've got plans, and plus people to see, and girls to please!" "What?" "Oh, come on, you heard me." "Yeah I heard you, I just don't believe you!" "Well start because you're going to be seeing a lot less of me." He started walking away, "Oh yeah, and get use to me with other girls!" "You know what, those girls that say they love you, don't! And you better realize it, because as soon as you fall they aren't going to take you back. Oh, and another thing, you just lost your best friend and your girlfriend!" I walked away from him and ran back to my house.
Chapter 14
I hated Taylor so much, I never wanted to see him again. We didn't talk for awhile, and Andrea and Isaac broke up almost everyday. But their favorite thing to do was make up. It was always a sight to see. I was at the mall and I saw Taylor, he saw me, came up to me, and put his hands on my hips. "Hey baby, you haven't been through my window lately." I pulled his hands off me, "Ya' know what? I don't have time for this. I've got people to see, and boys to please." "What?" He asked. "Oh, and get use to me being with other boys." "But I love you." "Taylor you're drunk." I clenched my teeth. "You're just jealous of my fame! Your jealous because I'm so coooool!" "You were cool, when we talked, and you listened, and there was more to you then your fame, but now, you aren't cool. You...are...not...cool." I walked away from him. That night I was getting ready for bed, when little pebbles started hitting my window. I opened the window and saw Taylor in my grass with one arm behind him. "What do you want?" "You!" "Oh shut up!" I picked up my shoe from my floor and threw it at him, he ducked, and the shoe missed him. "Hey, what are you trying to do to me." "I was trying to hit you." He pulled his arm out from his back. A bouquet of 10 red roses were in his hand. "You're ..my..10,000 roses..and I let you go! I'm sorry, I let this whole fame thing go to my head. Ya' know, when the whole time the only girl that really loved me,.....was you!" I smiled at him, "Gosh Taylor, it was just a line from one of your songs." "I wrote it for you!"
Chapter 15
"Did you really?" "Every song was for you, and about you. Sarah I love you. Please, forgive me?" "Well, I suppose." "Come down Sarah." "What?" "Come down!" "How?" "Climb down the side, or jump." So I climbed, and he gave me the roses. "Taylor, I still love you!" "I love you too! You'll always be my best girl." We snuck into his house, and I stayed the night with him. Steve called the next morning telling him to come into the studio to make another album. I had a strange feeling that he would start the ego thing all over again. "Sarah let's get some lunch." He took my hand. "Hey Tay, you can't leave, you're in the middle of recording a record." "You'll have to do it without me, I'm taking my girl out!" Taylor paused, "And my name is Taylor!" He looked at me, smiled, and we left.