Zac was nervous. He was really nervous. Taylor and Isaac didn’t know what I looked like, and they were going to find out the way he didn’t want them to.
I was to go out first for the underwear collection.
They had front row seats, on the opposite side to the photographers. Diana had insisted that they couldn’t go by themselves, so Walker went with them.
So it was Walker and his three oldest sons going to see me in my underwear.
"Did you know…" Taylor started.
"No I didn’t know she was going to model underwear tonight," Zac said, and the subject dropped. The show started with low music, and Donatella Versace walked out. Everyone clapped.
"Thank you. Tonight we have a special treat. Our lovely little 14 year old Ginger Stevens is starting the show with our underwear collection. She’s been my helper since she started modeling seven years ago. She started with the little miss collection, worked her way up to juniors and now she has co-designed all of the lovely outfits we have for you today. She’s been a big help, so let’s have it for Ginger, starting off the show!"
She quickly walked backstage and everyone clapped. The music got louder, and out walked me, as the first model. I was wearing a deep violet bra that covered barely half of my breasts, and matching underwear. My shoes were four inch deep violet heels (which would make me 6’2"). I had subtle make-up, rouge blush and violet eye shadow and violet eye liner, and violet lips. To top it all off, my eyes are naturally violet, so they really stood out. My red hair didn’t match everything else, but it looked good all the same. It was put half-up, half-down in a medium claw clip thingy, that was also violet.
"That’s her," he told his brothers and his dad. He was totally embarrassed when he realized his father was staring. Then he realized both of his brothers were too.
As I walked back by him, I winked at him, sending the other three guys out of their trance. He shook his head, pointing at the three guys nearly drooling next to him. I had to keep myself from laughing.
It was nearly twenty minutes before I came back out again. The underwear collection was over with, and I started out the evening gown collection.
This time I was wearing a dark blue strapless dress, with four inch silver sandal heels. My eyes were light blue, my lips a subtle tan, and I still had on the rouge. This time my hair was completely down in a zigzag part, half of it in the front.
I walked out and back, and it was yet another twenty minutes before they saw me again.
I started out the wild stuff, wearing a black dangerously short skirt that made Zac almost drool himself. My shirt was cut in numerous different places, and I almost fell out of it. My make up was wild. I had body glitter on everywhere, red lips and glitter for eye shadow. As I walked I glittered, on my feet another pair of four inch zebra striped heels.
When I walked back I saw that Zac was coming close to drooling so I let out a small giggle as I passed him. He knew I was doing this to torture him.
Me and Donatella came out a half an hour later, leading the pack of models that come out at the end of every show. This time I kept the short black skirt on, but I also had a black tube top that covered almost nothing.
"Thank you all for coming to my premiere show," I said. "I hope to be doing this again because it was a lot of fun!" Everyone clapped, and I walked off the stage and over to Zac.
"Come on," I said to all four of them, taking Zac’s hand and leading them backstage. "Guys, this is Donatella."
"Hi," she said.
"Don, this is Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson, and their father, Walker," I told her.
"Hi," she said, shaking each of their hands. She looked over Taylor. "You know I could use you in a show, just chop off the hair."
"I think I’ll pass. I happen to like my hair very much," he said. I turned to her.
"Don’t butcher their hair, I happen to like it a lot too," I told her. She shrugged.
"I could still use you."
"Still looking in the music business, huh Don?" Kevin Richardson said, walking over. She started talking to him, and they lost interest in us altogether.
"If y’all would let me get changed into something that won’t get me arrested, we could do something," I said.
"Well, I know I wouldn’t want to disturb any of you kids," Walker said.
"Then how bout you guys go back to the hotel and me and her go do something," Zac said, putting an arm around my waist.
"Fine, just come home tonight," Walker said. I excused myself to go changed and Zac was left alone with his brothers and his father once again.
"So, what do you guys think?" he asked, nervously.
"She has a wonderful body," Taylor said, still watching me walk away.
"Tay!" Zac said. He backed off.
"She seems really nice, I think you picked the right time to get drunk," Ike said.
"Does someone have a good comment?"
"I did, I just added something bad," Ike said. Zac rolled his eyes, not understanding his brothers.
"Dad? Do you have something to say about her?"
"I have to agree with Taylor on that she has a wonderful body," he said.
"The girl is three months older than me, dad. Don’t think about it, you’re old enough to be her father. God!" He shuddered. They stood there for a few minutes until I came back in my infamous black boy cut shorts and a white tank top.
"So, we off?" I asked. Zac nodded, putting his arm around my waist again. "Bye, I’ll most likely meet you again."
"Bye," Taylor, Ike, and Walker said in unison, still slightly drooling. We walked off.
"So, what do they think of me?"
"Ike said you’re really nice and that I picked a great time to get drunk, while Taylor and my dad agree on you having a great body. I can’t understand them."
"Figures, that what a lot of people say about me when they see me in underwear. And I do think I saw you drooling over that black skirt I was wearing."
"Was not!"
"Was to!" I told him. He gave me a look. "Don’t worry I appreciate you enjoy seeing me."
"You’re right about that. So, where are we going now?" Zac asked. I shrugged.
"You hungry?" He nodded. "Good, so am I. I could almost eat a whole entire bagel."
"Funny," he stated, rolling his eyes.
"I think it is. It gets a lot of laughs with Kate Moss and Tyra Banks. I guess you got to be a model to laugh at it."
"Yeah, good body and no brains." I gave him a appalled look.
"I’m smart! 64 and, uh, 2 is 940, right?" He laughed, harder than I expected him to.
"I remember saying that on a radio interview a while ago, but how did you find that out?"
"I downloaded it on this webpage. I found it incredibly funny considering I’ve heard you’re really good at math."
"I guess. I don’t really keep track. So we’re going to dinner. Where?"
"I don’t know."
"Well that helps me a lot! What’s good around here?" he asked. I gave him a look, knowing he’d been here a lot and he doesn’t know what’s good or bad. "I want to know what’s good to you."
We walked out of the theater and into an awaiting limo for us. We were both accustomed to this life, so we just got in without any question. "I don’t feel like anything fancy. McDonald’s O.K.?" I asked. He nodded.
"Where to?" the driver said.
"Nearest Micky D’s," I told him. He nodded and started driving. "Since you’re father’s probably expecting us to go out, we could go back to my place for a while," I said, twirling a piece of his hair in my fingers. He smiled, and kissed me.
When the driver pulled up to the Drive-Thru, he saw us making out in the back so he ordered a few burgers and fries, and whatever we didn’t eat he could.
"Excuse me," he finally said, about a half an hour later. We were at the hotel I was staying at, and he had been waiting for a while. I pulled away from Zac.
"What?"
"Well, I got you some food and we’re at your hotel now. I suggest you take it and get before I have to sick the hose on you," he said. He gave me the food, and we stepped out of the limo and quickly went upstairs into my room.
We had barely made it into the room when Zac started kissing me again. I dropped the food and we made our way over to the couch. It was going to be a while before Zac got home.
"Oh shit," was the first thing to escape Zac’s lips when he woke up the next morning. He was in my bed, still fully dressed so he figured we didn’t do anything, but it was morning and his dad had told him to come home before the next morning, and he didn’t.
"What?" I asked, just waking up. Then it hit me. "Oh damn. We didn’t do anything, did we?"
"Not that I remember, you?" I shook my head. "Good. I figure I won’t get killed, but I really hate getting yelled at." He looked at his watch. "And I have to be at the theater in an hour!"
"Goodbye," I told him. He gave me a smile and kissed me.
"Bye." He got up and started walking away.
"Zac?" He turned around. "Are we going out?" He thought, and then shrugged.
"I don’t remember making it official. O.K. Will you go out with me?"
"I’ll have to think about it," I said. He gave me look. "Fine." He smiled and left. When he opened the door the driver was about to knock.
"You’re here again?" he asked.
"I never left," Zac said. He nodded.
"Need a ride home?" Zac nodded. "O.K., the limo is downstairs." Zac followed him downstairs, and took a quick ride home. Of course, he knew his parents would be really mad when he got home. "Good luck."
"I’m gonna need it. Thanks for the ride."
"It’s my job." Zac went into the hotel, and up to his room where he found his father sitting on his bed playing a video game with Taylor. He glanced over.
"Nice of you to come home when I tell you to," Walker said.
"Sorry, nothing happened. Trust me, nothing happened," Zac told him. Walker shook his head.
"If you’ve been over to her house twice and haven’t come back until the next morning twice, I’m not sure I want you to see her still."
"Dad!" Zac yelped. This was worse than getting yelled at by his mother.
"I’m serious." Zac almost laughed, considering this was coming from a 45 year old man playing Mariokart with a 15 year old, and he was Toad. "And did you call Tina? I believe you were supposed to."
"Yeah, I called her."
"You know, Ginger seems to be moving too fast for someone who’s still 14."
"Dad, please. It’s not her. I really started it both times," Zac said. Walker put the game on pause.
"You started it?" Walker asked. Zac nodded. "Taylor go across the hall and check on your sisters."
"I just checked on them," Taylor said.
"That’s a polite way to say get lost, Taylor," Walker said. Taylor got up and walked out of the room, closing the door but kept his ear against the door.
"I think I should start getting ready to leave…" Zac said, starting to walk to the adjoined bathroom.
"Zac stop right there." Zac stopped and turned around, an upset look on his face. "What do you mean you started it?"
"Well, I was the one who kinda started making out with her and one thing led to another, but we didn’t have sex! I can tell you that. I’m smart, when I’m sober…"
"Why would you start something like that? You’re too young. And if you continue you won’t be able to see her again…" Walker’s words faded from Zac’s hearing as he slipped to the floor, putting his head in his hands.
Not being able to see her again…Zac thought, not realizing it but he started breathing heavy. That would be a fate worse than death. Tears came to his eyes, he let out a huge sigh then closed his eyes.
"ZAC!" Walker yelled. Zac’s head shot up, his face red and his eyes brimming with tears.
"What?"
"I’ve made a conclusion…"
"And what’s that?" Zac asked.
"I don’t want you seeing her anymore." The tears in his eyes fell over, his face went white with shock.
Reality hit Zac like a slap in the face and he jumped up. "You can’t do this to me!" he screamed. He didn’t yell, he screamed. He turned away from his father in shame of crying in front of him. He regained his composure, and turned around again.
"I’m just doing what a respectful parent would do."
"No! A respectful parent would ground me for a few weeks, hit me or something so the pain only lasts so long. I can’t just give her up because you told me to." Zac put his hand through his hair, not even for a second being able to picture life by himself, and no Ginger.
"If you were a parent you would understand…"
"If I was a parent I would have the brains to realize when my son was desperately in love with someone."
"Excuse me?" Walker asked, now getting really pissed. He took his son and threw him down on the bed. He got in his face. "Zac, I am the parent, you are the child. You always seem to forget that. I normally let it slide but from now on you are to respect me, and your mother."
Zac had been diverting his eyes, looking to the wall the entire time, not even paying attention to his father. "Look at me, Zac." Zac ignored him. "LOOK AT ME!" he yelled. Zac looked right at his father. "You are to respect me and your mother. You got that?"
"Yeah, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to do it." Walker slapped him as hard as he could.
"You are to stay here until I get back." Walker left, to go get Diana. When they got back, Zac was gone and the window was open. Walker ran to the window and saw Zac jump off the fire escape ladder and run to the street.
He slapped his hands on the window sill. "Fuck!" he yelled.
"Zac! Oh my god what happened to you?" I asked, seeing the large bruise developing on his right cheek when I opened the door. He didn’t say anything, and without warning, he hugged me tightly.
"I love you," he said. Of course that was the last thing I had expected him to say.
"What?" I asked, shocked.
"I said I love you." I was silent for a few minutes, pondering if I loved him too before I responded.
"I love you too." He released me, looking right at me, searching my eyes for the truth, for reality.
"You have no idea what I went through for you," he said.
"No, I don’t. Come in and tell me, Zac," I told him. He came in, shut the door and kissed me before sitting down. I sat down next to him.
"I just gave up my family for you."
That hit me like a ton of bricks. This guy gave up his total existence for me, gave up his fame, his happiness, everything just for me. That was more than I could handle. I got up. "Zac! How could you? How could you do something like that? This is your family, it may seem like they hate you but they do it out of…"
That hit me like another ton of bricks. My parents. "…love." I fell on the couch, ignoring his subject and focusing on mine. "It may seem that they don’t try but they don’t know you and they don’t know you want more than materialistic things."
"I lost you there," Zac said. I shook my head, and turned back him. "But it was really a choice I got, and it was either them and a life I was totally tired of, or you. I chose you. I think you’re more important than that."
"Do you know what commitment you just made?"
"Yes."
"And you still chose me over them?"
"Yes."
"I’m touched! I love you!" I said, kissing him. This was strange. The boy gave up his family, his whole life until that point for me, and I was actually happy about it.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked, putting my forehead against his.
"Yeah." I guess he really did want to give it all up. He was almost 14 and so rich he had no idea what to do. So he gave it all up, and decided to stay with me.