"How did you evening go?" my mother asked. I gave her a look, put my purse on the table and quickly changed. I took off my boots, folded my clothes and grabbed the receipts for them, putting it all in a bag. "Not well, I gather."
"No, not at all. Zac spent six hundred dollars on me, mom."
"Sheesh, I would kill to have someone spend that much on me for one night."
"I wouldn�t. I�m mad at him. He makes me feel poor," I said, and walked out of the room. I went across the hall to Zac�s room. He was staying with Mackie, because Diana insisted he wasn�t going to stay with Ike or Tay.
I knocked on the door. When Zac opened up I noticed his father in there. I threw "Here�s the boots and the clothes, the receipts are in there somewhere. Thanks for dinner."
I turned around and walked back to my room, slamming the door behind me. My mother shook her head. "You�re mad at him because he spent money on you."
"Yes."
"I don�t understand you, Tini. It wasn�t that long ago when you wished guys would spend money on you, and now when they do, you get mad at them?"
"It�s not really all that he spent money on me, and that he spent so much, but the waiter there was really cute�"
"I knew there was more to this."
"�I admit I flirted with him a little, and Zac got really mad at me. I understand that but he didn�t even talk to me until the bill came and he tipped the waiter fifty bucks."
"I�ll wait on you the next time you go out! If it gets me fifty bucks."
"He only tipped ten percent of the bill. Really you�re supposed to tip fifteen percent. So apparently he deserved seventy-five dollars." My mother shook her head again.
"Tini, it�s seven thirty, why are you in your pajamas?"
"It�s only seven thirty? I didn�t wear a watch, I thought it was later. Well that means I can go for a walk," I said, and changed into my own clothes, and no shoes.
I walked out of the room and walked over to the stairs that led to the roof. I went up the few stairs to the roof. This was what I needed. It was November, in London.
Of course it was freezing out, but I didn�t care. It felt nice to me. I walked over to the railing and glanced over the night from forty-seven stories up.
Everything was so beautiful out, the buildings were lit up and there were cars along the roads with their headlights the only thing able to be seen. I loved nights so much more than I loved days.
I looked up and the moon was only half full, with a star right next to it. I saw that star every night when I was at home, and it�s here in London. I wished on that star every time I saw it.
I wish my disease would go away.
My wishes never came true. Every single wish since I was diagnosed years ago was for it to go away. They never came true, cause I�m still sick, and I�m still upset about it.
Did I wish wrong or something? Did I not do everything I could to have it go away? Or was I just burdened to live with it?
That got me thinking�Zac said he had cancer. I had forgotten that he had it. He never complained about it, he never asked why he had it, he just said it to us that one time in the car and that was it. I wondered how he was dealing with it.
A breeze came through, letting my hair gently blow behind me. It was a cold breeze, and I shivered. It was cold out now.
I felt a coat being put on my shoulders. I turned around and there stood Zac, a sad look on his face. "You seemed cold."
"Thanks," I said, putting my arms through it. "Zac I�m sorry."
"So am I," he said. I gave him a hug.
"How�d you know I was up here?"
"I didn�t, it was the first place I looked. Of course I would have been here sooner if your mother didn�t decide she�d like to chat with me." My face dropped, and he smiled. "She gave me some very useful information."
"Really? Like what?"
"Like your real name." I let out my breath, and turned around, leaning against the railing. "I don�t know why you hate it so much, it�s a beautiful name."
"I think it�s stupid. It�s a really cool word and everything, but it�s stupid for a name."
"I don�t think so," Zac said, putting his arm around me. "I like it."
"Well you�re not saying it, Zac. I don�t care if you like it. I don�t like it and that�s the whole thing. What else did she tell you?" I asked.
"That you failed your driver�s test three times." I groaned. "Not like it�s a big deal, Ike failed his four times."
"Dork."
"Ever since what Taylor said last night, Ike's been against him. He doesn�t even want to share a room with him anymore�oh shit!" Zac said, putting his hand over his mouth.
"What?"
"My dad left the room before I left. That means I left Mac asleep in the room by himself! He�s going to get really scared if he wakes up and I�m going to get in a lot of trouble." Zac took my hand and we went back to his room.
Luckily Mackenzie was still asleep, so Zac took me to the corner of the spacious room and we talked quietly. But the little boy didn�t stay asleep for very long.
"Zac?" he asked, sitting up in his bed. Zac turned his head.
"I�m over here, bub. Go back to sleep."
"I�m thirsty," Mac said. Zac got up and went over to the small refrigerator, got out a cup and a bottle of water. He poured some for his little brother and gave it to him.
Zac came back over to me. I watched as Mackenzie took a few gulps, put the glass on the table next to his bed and went back to sleep. "He�s so adorable," I told Zac.
"He gets it from me."
"Your brother gets his cuteness from you?" I asked.
"Well then he got it from the same place I got it!" I laughed, enjoying pointing out that Zac had made a mistake. "You enjoy my mistakes, don�t you?"
"I was just thinking that. Yes, I do. It�s because, well, I�m a proper and you�re a slob."
"You shut up about that judging thing. The way you�ve been lately, I would consider me proper and you a slob," Zac said. I shook my head.
"It�s my judging thing, and if I want to be the highest then I can be!"
"Fine, I�m starting my own judging thing and you�re a slob." I gave him a mock appaled look. He laughed.
"Zac! Shut up!" Mackenzie said. Zac rolled his eyes.
"Sorry Mac."
"I think I should go before he kicks me out," I said, with a smile. "Thank you for tonight. I had a nice time, except for when the attendant gave me his number."
"He gave you his number?" Zac asked, a new level of jealousy reveling up inside of him.
"It�s not like I�m going to call him, Zac. Calm down. I say he�s cute, in the same way you were thinking about that cashier in the Doc Marten place."
"I was not!" Zac said, loudly.
"Zac!" Mackenzie whined.
"Bye," I said, getting up. Zac pulled me back down.
"Don�t leave me here with that kid! He�ll drive me nuts," he whispered. I shook my head. "Stay."
"I can�t. My mom�ll kill me if I don�t go back."
"Please?" His eyes pleaded with me. I sighed.
"Fine. Just don�t ever use those eyes with me again." Zac smiled. "So what are we going to do? It�s eight o�clock, we have to stay in here and Mackenzie�s asleep, so we have to be quiet."
"Well I don�t know about you, but I�m pretty tired."
"Zac, if you�re tired, why am I here?"
"Cause I want you to sleep with me." I jumped back, slightly. "Not in that way, Tini. Sheesh, I don�t move that fast!"
"Oh. Okay."
I woke up from Mackenzie. Apparently he had woken up and found me and Zac in bed together. "Why are you in there, Tini?" he asked.
"I didn�t feel like going back over to my room so I slept in here," I told him. He smiled.
"O.K. Is Zac still asleep?" he asked. I glanced over my shoulder at Zac.
"Yeah, why don�t you wake him up," I told him. Mackie�s smile grew as he ran over to the other side of the bed and started poking Zac. Zac groaned and turned over. "Hit him a couple of times."
"Zac!" Mackie yelled, and smacked his brother in the arm.
"Hey!" Zac said, opening his eyes. "What is it, squirt?"
"Tini told me to wake you up." Zac sat up.
"Oh really, Tini did?" he asked, looking at me. I smiled and waved. "Well Tini�s going to get it!" I jumped out of the bed as Zac chased me around the room. Mackenzie watched and laughed when Zac caught me and took me to the ground, tickling me. "Tini�s ticklish! I found your weak spot."
"Stop Zac!"