Isaac woke up and looked around the room. His brothers weren’t in the room. The beds even looked like the had done the previous night. He scratched his head. "Dude, I don’t think they came back."
Then Taylor came in the room, a soda in his hand. "Sheesh, Ike, I figured you’d be the first one up. Me and Zac didn’t even come back in the house till four."
"What time is it now?"
"Seven."
"Did you get any sleep last night?" Ike asked, sitting up. Tay put a far away look on his face, thinking. He actually has to think about that?
"About an hour or so, not much less than we would if we were on tour or something."
"And you’re not tired?" Ike asked. He was tired himself after six hours of rest.
"Nope. Zac’s been up for an hour. He woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep so he went downstairs for a while. Everyone else is up, Hope never went to sleep."
"Really? Why?"
"I don’t know. When I tried talking to her she just blew me off. She seemed upset about something."
"She was upset last night when someone brought up the question of what she did from her last job till now. She said something about us not needing to know and just left."
"Whatever. Maybe something happened to her. But I did find out that it was about a year since her last job."
"She told us it wasn’t more than a few months," Ike said.
"Well a year is a few months, Ike. You don’t know how much a few is in a girl’s eyes."
"When did you get so much wisdom?"
"When I actually sit around and think. You should try it sometime, you need to get a little smarter."
"Shut up."
"Whatever." Taylor saw Hope out in the hall, reading through some papers. "Hey Hope." She slightly acknowledged him, giving a small wave as she stuck a lollipop in her mouth. "Well you’re nice."
"What do you want me to do, Taylor? Walk up to you and give a big kiss? I’m busy."
"Well it wouldn’t hurt." Hope looked at him, and he was smirking. She walked up to him and gave him a big kiss.
"Are you happy now? Can I leave?" Taylor blushed, not expecting her to actually do it. She turned and walked out of the room, back to her papers.
What the hell is with these people? Crowd control, personal control, overall protection? I never had to do any of this with…never mind, don’t think of him. He was a mistake, you shouldn’t of worked for him. Back to the papers. You are responsible for the well-being of these children… Children? Ike's a legal adult. What the hell are they talking about…not only the three in the business but the other four. What? They want me to baby-sit the other kids too?
Diana was downstairs. Good, I need to discuss this with her. Hope ran downstairs to catch Diana. Luckily Diana caught her. "Hope, how are you?"
"I’m good. I was just reading over my contract…"
"Is everything alright with that?"
"Well to tell you the truth I wasn’t told about any of the things on page two. I was hired to protect you three sons from people. That’s what I do. I don’t do crowd control, and it says that I’m supposed to take care of all seven of your kids."
"I’m sorry, maybe we could work on that," Diana said. She gave her a startled look. "What?"
"Well the last time I brought up a contract with someone I got fired." Diana laughed.
"I wouldn’t fire you unless you did something drastically wrong." Hope’s startled look grew. "Really. Is there anything else unsuitable?"
"And the matter of payment…"
"Not enough?"
"Too much! I’ve never seen this much money in my life! I got paid two hundred a week at my last job."
"Well Hope I think you were ripped off there."
"I worked there since I was seven, my dad did everything for me. I didn’t really care about the money. I had somewhere to live and it wasn’t like I was lacking anything. I had food and clothes and stuff. I lived with my client then so I didn’t mind. After I did that…I was out for another job by myself, and when they wanted to pay me a hundred a week with no where to live, I asked if I could have more. I got fired, even before I was there an hour."
"You don’t have to worry about that. We’ll work this out, but we have a plane to catch in an hour and I have seven kids who have no idea what they’re doing."
"I’ll help," Hope said, and ran back up the stairs. As she went into her room she looked at her unsigned contract, and stuffed it in her bag. That was the last thing she needed to think about if she was going to be on a plane.
Zac came into her room as she was pulling her bag off the bed. "Hello…need help?"
"No," Hope said, with a smile. She picked up the bag and effortlessly put it on her back. "I just can never get it off the bed. Are you all packed an ready to go?"
"Yup."
"How bout Ike and Tay?" A small smile appeared in the corner or her lips.
"Tay is, I don’t know about Ike. What’s with the smile? You seem to be beaming. What’d you do to them?" Zac asked
"Not them, just Tay. I think I embarrassed him." Zac looked like he wanted an explanation. "I just kissed him."
"Why’d you kiss him?"
"Because I knew he would get embarrassed and I knew he wasn’t expecting it. And don’t expect to get one yourself. I’ve done enough kissing to hold me for a few years."
"You only had one!"
"Exactly." Hope walked out of the room and into the boys’. Ike was just snapping his suitcase shut. "You ready?" she asked. He turned around.
"Yeah. Who put you in charge?"
"Some real important guy. What’s with the attitude? Can’t take orders from a shorter, younger, girl?" Hope asked, grinning. He rolled his eyes. "Your mother is waiting, you better hurry up and get your stuff downstairs. Where’s Tay?"
"He knew you would be coming in soon so he ran in the bathroom. You scared him, Hope."
"Good. I don’t have to worry about him annoying me anymore." She looked around the room, at the dressers and things that were in a typical guys’ room. Just this was the first time she’d seen so many beds. He only has one…shut up Hope!! Stop thinking about him, he’s out of your life now.
"Kids!!" Diana yelled from downstairs. "Hurry up or we’re leaving without you!" Hope gave a pointed look to Ike and proceeded to take her bag downstairs.
She went over to the car, and Walker offered to put it in. "It’s heavy," she said. He took it, surprised by the weight and stuck it in the car. "Told you."
"What are you carrying with you?"
"Stuff." He rolled his eyes and she went back into the house, making sure everyone was piling out. If the contract said to take care of all seven then she would, but she would regret it. Good thing they were changing it.
Everyone got into the cars they were going to, Hope stuck with the guys. Being a bodyguard had its disadvantages too. She sat in the back while Ike and Taylor were in the front and Zac was in the middle by himself. She could of sat next to him but she wanted the space.
Halfway through the trip Hope saw a note fly over to Zac. "Are you guys passing notes?"
"Yeah," Taylor said from the front.
"Why are you passing notes in a car?" Zac looked to her.
"We do it all the time. It beats talking and really I don’t think you should hear this conversation. You wouldn’t appreciate it." Hope rolled her eyes and reached for it. "No! You can’t read it!"
"If it’s about me I won’t care…"
"You’re not going to read it, Hope!" Zac said. She slapped his hand and the note fell out. "Fuck! Why did you have to slap me so hard?"
"Because I want to read it." She took the note. "Yoink," she said, and went back to her seat. She saw Zac turn beet red as she opened it up. She looked it over before reading it, not being able to distinguish the handwriting so anyone could be writing at any time.
So what do you think of Hope?
She’s got nice legs.
I saw her carrying that bag of hers, that thing is heavy and she lifts it like it was nothing!!
She doesn’t look strong.
Goes to show you what you know. You’re such a blonde, Tay.
Am not! She’s hot, I can tell you that. Too bad she’s the bodyguard. And how the hell is someone her size supposed to be a bodyguard? I’m like a foot taller than her!
The note stopped there. Obviously they didn’t get very far. Hope took a pen and started writing in it.
Tay I’m actually considered to be one of the best in the country, you should be honored to have me here. I could just continue to work for… nevermind. Forget it. So, I have nice legs? Takes running five miles a day to get them that way.
Hope threw the note up to Taylor, who proceeded to read it. He wrote in it and passed it back to her.
Who’d you used to work for. Come on, tell us. We don’t care! And don’t change the subject, please?
No.
Tell me!!!
Come back here and I’ll tell you.
"Um…okay," Taylor said, getting up from the front and moving to the middle. Zac, seeing the front open, took it. Occasionally he would look back and see Taylor and Hope whispering. He couldn’t hear them. Hope, who normally had a smile and a beaming look on her face was now upset and saddened, tears in her eyes.
She was telling him something that Zac knew he, even with his close relationship with Tay, would never hear. Focusing at them cautiously through the rearview mirror that Ike had positioned just so he could spy, he saw Taylor reach out and run his hand through her hair. He always did that when he was concerned, but only to a girl.
He couldn’t make out what they were saying, he wasn’t an expert lip reader and he couldn’t even see Tay’s face. Figuring they’d do something weird back there, he turned his attention out the window.
"Tay!" Hope’s voice said. Zac looked through the mirror and Tay had turned around, flipping through something in his hand. Hope eventually gave up because she wasn’t going to slap him and she couldn’t get it back.
"Ha," Taylor said, louder than he should, and continued. He lowered his voice as he continued looking through Hope’s wallet. He had managed to get it out of her pocket.
He lowered his voice and turned back around. "So you two were really close, huh?" he murmured. Hope nodded.
"I wasn’t allowed to leave his side after someone tried to kill him. I don’t know why they did but I had to stay by him from the time he got up to the time he fell asleep, and I had to sleep in his room. He was my best friend," she whispered back.
"Was?"
"Not anymore. I got fired about a year ago, but I still hung around. Finally he couldn’t have me around anymore, the new bodyguard thought I was a threat, so I had to leave. I haven’t talked to him in a long time."
Taylor noticed a picture that caught his eye. "He seemed like a lot more than a best friend, Hope."
"He was."
"Why’d you stop talking to him?"
"I can’t tell you."
"You told me everything else, Hope. How come you can’t tell me this? Do you not trust me or something?"
"I trust you, Tay. It’s just that I’m not allowed to tell."
"Well is there anyone in this car who’s going to find out and tell?" Taylor asked. She sighed, and noticed Isaac’s eyes in the rearview mirror.
"Ike stop spying on us!" Hope said. Ike's eyes went back to the main road, but he glanced back just in time to see Hope whisper something into Taylor’s ear.
Ike saw Taylor’s eyes grow wide and he turned around, facing her. He whispered something and Hope nodded, seeming totally regretful about it. Hope’s eyes met his for a split second and he returned to the road.
What the hell is going on back there? She’s trusting him, one of the biggest blabbermouths in the whole U.S. of A. and not me. Dork…the girls always go to Taylor. It’s always ‘You can trust Taylor and love him to death’ and all that shit. Dammit why can’t once I be the one they go to. It’s always Taylor, or Zac. What does Zac have that I don’t? He’s too weird. It must be my hair…
"Ike! Don’t pass by the airport!" Zac remarked, pointing to the exit to the airport that Ike was just about to miss. Quickly Ike switched lanes and made it to the exit, managing to knock over everyone in the car.
"You dork!" Tay said, getting back on his seat.
"Well maybe if someone was wearing his seat belt he wouldn’t of fallen out."
"Since when do people wear seat belts?"
"Since it became the law. Sheesh, and you call me the dork. And stop doing whatever you’re doing with Hope, I don’t need to see you two making out."
"To tell you the truth Ike, I wouldn’t make out with him for the world," Hope said. "I have other people for that."
"Like who?" Ike asked, glancing at her through the mirror. He seemed to use that more for looking at people than out the back window.
"Like no one you should know about, thankyouverymuch."
"You told Tay."
"I trust him. I don’t trust you." Ike went back to the road, ignoring her comments. He knew that she went back to whispering to Taylor. Probably talking about him, but he didn’t care. She’s just being a witch. Don’t matter, we’ll get rid of her soon. She’s only fifteen, she can’t do very much for three guys, especially in the way we are. But after Tay fired Jason we probably won’t be able to get rid of her by ourselves. He pulled into the airport. With the way Taylor and Hope were being so close, it was going to be a long flight.