I checked into the hotel room Kris and I were staying at for the night and sat down, sighing. I hadn't seen her since she stormed out and I was slightly afraid I wasn't going to see her again for the rest of the day. She could be of help at the book signing this afternoon and for all I know she could have gone.
After sitting for a moment I got back up again. I've been sitting down all day. I went to the balcony and stepped outside. Kris would have loved this view. This was better than the one in room. For one thing, we were higher in this hotel and we had a view of the river.
The door opened behind me and I looked over my shoulder. Kris walked in. I looked back to the view. She's probably just here to change before she leaves. However, to my great surprise, I felt her arms slide around me and her cheek press up against my back. "I'm sorry," she said.
"You had every right to be angry." I turned and put my arm around her, so she was by my side. "I don't know anything about you and I should have asked earlier."
"I never said anything anyway," she said. "It's just I already knew everything about you." I sighed. That was always annoying. When people begin to date, they usually spend their time getting to know each other. However, everybody already knows my basic facts so I kind of neglect to ask. It's been that way with everyone I've ever spent time with. It wasn't at all unlikely to never even hear the name of the person I was with, just because she already knew me and I just didn't need to address her at any point.
"So?" I asked.
"So what?"
"How old are you?" she smiled.
"I'm eighteen." I nodded.
"That's what I thought." She looked out at the view. "So are you going to the book signing?" I asked.
"No. Why would I? I thought we were going to the museum."
"Well, I figured since you stormed out on me that you'd rather go to the signing." She shook her head. "Good."
"Aren't you going to ask anything else?" she asked.
"Um�" I thought about it. I don't know anything about her but now that I know how old she is, I know pretty much everything that I need to know at this point. "No?"
"How about where I was born? What I was like as a child? Important stuff like that."
"Where were you born, dear?"
"You don't sound so enthusiastic about this."
"I'm sorry. I know it's important stuff but it just doesn't feel important right now, you know?" She sighed but agreed. It just didn't feel important at this moment, standing on the balcony looking over Florence holding one another.
"Why do you go by Taylor?" she asked.
"Because I hate Jordan."
"I like Jordan." I shook my head.
"It just doesn't have the same ring to it. It's not Taylor."
"No, it's definitely not Taylor."
"I mean it's not like it's an uncommon thing. I know a lot of people who don't go by their first name. I mean, take Ginger for instance." She let go of me and took a step back. "What?"
"How do you know Ginger isn't her first name?" she asked.
"She told me. It's Rosemary." Kris put her hands over her mouth. "What, am I not supposed to say it aloud or something? Is there a curse on my head now?"
"No," she said, dropping her hands. "Nothing ridiculous like that, it's just she doesn't tell anyone about that! She didn't even tell Zac her real name! I'm not allowed to say anything to anybody and if I hadn't known her all my life she would have never even told me!"
"Then why the hell did she tell me?"
"I don't know!"
"Shit�" I breathed. I didn't want to be anybody important. I knew she hadn't told Zac her real name and I was sure a lot of people didn't know, but for God's sake why the hell did she have to tell me? "Where'd she come up with Ginger anyway?" I asked.
"Oh, it's her middle name," Kris said. "But don't let her know I told you." I nodded. It was just one more secret I had to add to my long list. "Anyway, let's go to the museum. I want to see as much as I can." She grabbed my hand and pulled me away.
"Do you know how to get there?"
"No, but I did learn how to ask the cab driver to get us there and pretty much all we need to get by." I shrugged. That was good enough for me. She grabbed the room key and put it in her purse. She was so excited she kept yelling at me to hurry, but I wasn't in the mood to run to get to a museum. It all seemed a bit dorky to me, but I know even dorkier situations in which I was just as excited.
We managed to get to the museum in once piece, and since it was the afternoon most of the tour groups had already been through. It was still crowded, as I'm sure it always is, and I wasn't the least bit surprised to find that Kris had already ordered tickets so we could avoid the line to get into the museum itself. "Oh I'm so happy that I'm here," Kris said, jumping up and down as we entered the first room. "In high school I took, like, four art classes and all I ever wanted to do was actually come here and visit but I never thought I would. But now I'm here! Yay!"
"Kris, calm down. You're disturbing everyone else." She didn't say anything for a while and I held her hand as we walked through the art rooms, stopping at something either one of us enjoyed, or something one of us was familiar with. I'd studied art a little bit back in high school and although I liked it, I didn't love it to the point where she did.
"Oh look," Kris said as we walked into another room. "Botticelli! Don't you just love the continuous narration? I like how this one goes from right to left, not left to right."
"Yeah�" I had no idea what she was talking about. Although I'd heard the phrase before, it had been a while since I'd picked up an art book. I still remembered most of the artists and most of the artworks (although not which artist painted what) but any kind of art terms have been gone for a long time.
"Excuse me," I heard, heavily accented, from behind me. Both Kris and I turned but the woman was looking directly at me. I'd seen her in a few of the other rooms. I have no doubt she was following us, trying to figure out if she knew me or not. "Are you Taylor Hanson?"
"Yes I am," I said, giving her a smile. "What's your name?"
"Olympia," she said, smiling back at me. She looked very nervous. "Could I possibly�get an autograph?" I nodded.
"Sure." She got a small notepad and a pen from her purse and handed it to me. "So, Olympia, are you from around here?"
"I'm from Milan," she said. "Me and a few friends come down here often to visit the museums." I could barely understand her from her accent. "How is the band going?" I paused.
"Um�we're doing just fine."
"Working on the new album?" she asked. I nodded.
"Uh, yeah." I handed her back the pen and notepad. "Nice to meet you, dear."
"You too. Thank you." She shook my hand and left. I turned back around, realization hitting me. Zac had left the band and that was hard to get used to in and of itself, but we hadn't said anything to anybody. We were broken up for good. There was no doubt in that.
"Taylor?" Kris asked. I looked at her. "What's wrong?"
"I just realized something. I need to hold a press conference."
"Right now?" she asked. I shook my head.
"No�come on, let's go beautiful." We walked on, my hand placed back in hers.
"Taylor I'm kind of in the middle of something here," Isaac said to me on the phone later that evening. Kris and I had a wonderful time at the museum and we stayed there until the place closed. Afterward we had a little trouble with the taxi driver; the previous one was a little bit more tolerant to the fact that neither Kris nor I could speak Italian. This guy made it very clear he didn't like Americans. The only reason he didn't kick us out of the car was that he recognized me and apologized.
"No, Ike, this'll only take a minute. We need to take care of something."
"Take care of what?"
"Well I was in a museum with Kris today and�"
"Whoa, whoa, who's Kris?" I paused. I know it'd been a long time since I talked to my brother but I'm sure I've mentioned Kris before. I glanced at her. She was across the room with her computer.
"My girlfriend," I said. She glanced over but I ignored it. "Anyway, we were at a museum and a fan asked me for an autograph, you know, typical stuff, but then she asked me how the band was. People don't know Zac left the band! We have to do a press conference or something."
"I'm not going to do a press conference to announce the band is over, Taylor. I mean I'll release a statement, but no conference."
"Well I want to do a conference. Will I have to do it myself?"
"Looks like it."
"Fine," I said. "Then I'll do it myself. This way I don't have to fly back to Tulsa to take care of it. I can do it here. Thanks for all your help, big brother."
"Whatever," Isaac said. He hung up the phone. Ugh! What a bastard. I threw the phone into my bag across the room. I looked over at Kris.
"Problems, babe?" she asked.
"Well he doesn't want to do a press conference so it looks like I'm going to have to do it myself. I don't want to do it myself but people have got to know, don't they? I'm not going to let people think we just faded away and we're not popular anymore. My fans have a right to know the truth."
"Yes they do." I sighed and lay back on the bed. "Don't worry about it, sweetie."
"I just wish I didn't have to do it alone. But maybe this way it won't place the whole blame on Zac," I said. "I don't want all the blame on him."
"Well, Taylor, it was his idea to leave the band. It was his fault."
"Not everybody has to know that, though." I had no idea what I was going to say and when I was going to say it. Kris was right; the blame should be based completely on Zac. The only problem is that I still want to be on speaking terms with my brother in the future; so alienating Zac like that would definitely sever all possible ties with him.
I took to setting up the press conference immediately. After Florence we were going to Paris and I have a lot of contacts there. I don't think anybody, except for my immediate family (minus Zac) knew I was out of the country, and I'd probably get a few questions about it. I knew that there would be a chance Zac would watch, so I didn't want to mention that I was out here with Ginger. However, I had a hard time thinking of a good lie.
When we got to Paris, Ginger and Kris had a lot of work to do so I had to do the press conference alone. I wanted Kris to be there and she said she'd try to be there if they finished working in time. If not, I'd have to see her back in our room. I was incredibly nervous. I've done maybe one or two interviews by myself during our entire six-year career, but nothing major as this. Kris told me to get used to it but I don't think I'll be able to do this again. I don't want to be in the spotlight without my brothers again.
Taking a deep breath, I walked into the room we were using in the hotel Kris and I was staying. I used this place just for convenience; I didn't feel like traveling anywhere by myself. The cameras from the various press organizations began to snap immediately as I walked to the table with the set of microphones and sat down. "Good afternoon everyone," I said. I got a round of greetings back. I got myself comfortable.
"Mr. Hanson will make his statement and then we'll allow a few questions," said my soon-to-be ex-publicist. I wasn't planning to be in the public eye anymore so I didn't exactly need a publicist. Pretty soon I wouldn't have enough money to pay him anyway. He sat down and I cleared my throat, the cameras still clicking every time I looked up.
"Because of recent irreconcilable professional hindrances between myself and my brothers, I am very unhappy to announce that the band Hanson has officially broken up," I said, and glanced up, nearly blinded by flashes. My hands began to shake. I hated to do this alone. "My brothers and I are still on good terms, we are still family, however our interests in the future of our band and the direction of our music have conflicted and we have decided to amicably cease our efforts together." I looked at my publicist and he nodded to someone in the front row.
"Did your brother Zac move out of the house?" he asked. I nodded.
"Yes. Zac was offered a producing job in New York, so he lives there now. Isaac is still in Tulsa." Another person spoke up, in turn of course.
"What about you? Why are you here?"
"I've decided to enjoy my newfound freedom by spending some time traveling through Europe."
"Will the new album be released?"
"We haven't decided," I said. "It's pretty much done but if we do release it, we'll release it as is without touching it up and we won't promote it or tour for it. I know the fans have been patiently waiting for it to be released and it's unfortunate that we've broken up with the album nearly finished. We'll just have to wait and see."
"Is there a possibility that you could reunite in the future?"
"To tell you the truth, anything's a possibility," I answered. "You never know what'll happen in the future. We might end up, a few years from now, wanting to get back together and do music again."
"What are your plans for the future, Taylor?"
"Personally I haven't made any plans. I'm just happy where I am right now. After I finish my vacation I'll decide." I looked off to the side and saw Kris standing by the door, a smile on her face. "It could be anything�maybe I'll move to Florida and retire." She laughed and I turned my attention back to my audience of strangers with cameras.