"Oh my God, oh my God," Jess said, bouncing around with her guitar in one hand and her earplugs in the other before her first show as an opening act. She was fidgeting all night and Zac even heard she'd thrown up about an hour before. For tonight's show she actually decided to dress nicely, compared to the tank top and jeans with no shoes she wore to all of the other shows. "I can't do this, Zac!"
"Yes you can, sweetie," Zac said. "It's just like being out there with me, only I'm not there."
"That doesn't help, Zac!" She pulled at her top. Ginger had dressed her in a top that showed her midriff, which Zac didn't like at all.
"Are you going to be comfortable in that?" Zac asked. Jess's head snapped over.
"What does that mean?"
"Don't you think you'd be more comfortable in�I don't know�a turtleneck and long pants?" Jess gave him a look. "I'm just saying!"
"You're way too protective, Zac. I'm nearly eighteen. When are you going to see that?"
"I'm sorry. You're my little sister, Jess." Her look remained. "I'll work on it. Now you're going to go out there and you're going to wow them. I heard you in rehearsal and if they like me, they'll love you."
"What if they hate me?"
"Pfft�whatever. You've been the hit of every show so far. They love you. Don't even think they don't."
"Okay," she said, nodding. "Okay. Thank you." She put her earplugs in. The lights dimmed and Jess kissed Zac's cheek before she ran out on stage. Taylor ran out behind her, giving a thumbs-up to Zac. "Hello St. Louis!" The fear Jess had standing next to him a moment ago was completely gone now as she and Taylor chatted with the crowd about the opening act change before starting her first song.
Ginger came up behind Zac and put her arms around him. He looked back at her and she gave him a big smile. "Hey beautiful," he said.
"She's got such an amazing voice," Ginger said. "It's just like Taylor's."
"I know. She's going to be something." He put his hands on top of hers. "You know what I realized?"
"What?"
"For years now everything's been so messed up," Zac began. "Taylor was acting out, Ike was becoming reclusive, and I was getting into all this shit with my friends. Then I came out here and I thought nothing would ever be fixed again. But now everything's just�perfect."
"You're right. It is."
"Once this tour is over and Christopher is born, then I'm set. At least until I have to work on the next album."
"You're still going to come with me on my promotions, aren't you?"
"Of course, baby. It'll just be a relief to know that I'm not the one doing the promoting. This gets so annoying after a while."
"Yeah�it does." He smiled. "I hope Christopher looks like you."
"I hope so too. If he doesn't I'm really going to have to question whether or not I'm his father."
"Not like that, I mean," Ginger said. "Jenny looks so much like me. I hope Christopher looks just like you. Big brown eyes, blonde hair�"
"My hair isn't really blonde anymore," Zac said.
"Well it was when you were younger. He'll have blonde hair when he's young and when he gets older it'll darken up. I want him to have your nose and your lips�I love your lips, baby."
"So you've said." Zac glanced back out on stage as the song finished and Jess chatted with her audience again. "What if Christopher doesn't look like me? What if he comes out with red hair?"
"We'll just have to wait and see." Ginger looked out on stage. "Look at Taylor. Man, he hasn't looked that happy since�well I've never seen him that happy."
"You've never seen him out there before," Zac told her. "Taylor lives to be on stage. If it were up to him he'd never come off stage. I should have never taken that away from him."
"Zac, you did what you felt was right."
"But it wasn't right."
"Zac, baby," Ginger said, sliding from behind him. She stood in his direct vision. "Let it go. Everything's back to normal now. Not only that, it's even better than it was. You're so much more successful now that you've really given the band a jumpstart and you're getting more solo time out of it. You felt they were holding you back so you did what you had to do and then you came back! Don't regret doing what you did because, although it sucked at times, things happen for a reason. Don't ever forget that."
"You know you're beautiful when you're lecturing."
"And you're full of it." He put his arms around her and gave her a kiss. With his arms still around her, she turned to the stage and watched as Jess and Taylor rocked out to the songs she wrote and he composed. The audience absolutely loved it. She was a little sweetheart with songs that could touch people and he saw that in the faces of the audience. She loved being out there in front of a sold-out crowd just as much as he did and Taylor did. She'd neglected her stool since the second song (she was only doing six) and was standing, Taylor next to her on the stool, the acoustic in his lap. Her guitar strap held her guitar in place, and Zac couldn't help but smile when he noticed the strap had the Hanson logo and the word 'Hanson' on it. Although she was striving for individuality, and she was accomplishing that, she still supported her older brothers.
"This is my last song," Jess said into the microphone. The audience started to boo. "Oh come on! I can't stay up here all night. Zac does have to perform too, you know." She smiled as the booing lessened, but didn't go away. "You guys are the best. Zac's heart is breaking, but you're the best. Don't worry, I'll be out there during the show too." The audience began to cheer and Jess looked offstage, directly at Zac. She gave him a beaming 'can you believe this?' smile. Zac stuck out his lip and wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "Anyway, this is still my last song. I like it. It's kind of groovy; it's got a Dashboard Confessionals kind of feel to it. You'll love it. It's called 'Listen to Me.' " She nodded to Taylor who began to play.
"They love her more than they love you," Ginger said.
"They haven't even seen me yet."
"They love her more."
"Shut up!" Ginger smiled.
When Jess finished, she said a long goodbye and finally walked off the stage. She took off her guitar and fell into Zac's arms. "Oh Zac, they love me! They love me more than they love you! You suck!"
"Don't make me fire you."
"Thank you so much, Zac. That was the best. Can you believe it? I've never felt anything like that before."
"Welcome to the music biz, lil' sis. You are now a star."
As the tour continued, Jess's set grew longer and better. She was a natural on stage, just like Taylor, and the combination of the two of them as an opening act was brilliant. Jess usually won the crowd over to the point where they didn't want her to leave, but when Zac came on stage they just seemed to enjoy themselves even more. It was a perfect combination. Jess got the crowd excited and Zac finished them off.
Ginger and Kris's mood swings were getting out of control and although the two of them never fault, it seemed that at any given moment either Taylor or Zac was in deep trouble. Zac didn't know how to handle it, this being his first time around a pregnant Ginger, and usually ended up digging himself into a deep hole and finding he didn't know how to get out of it. Zac was in trouble more often than Taylor was, although Taylor and Kris had some pretty harsh sparring matches in the hotel room when everyone else was trying to sleep. Although it was getting to be a real pain in the ass, Zac still enjoyed every moment that his wife and his sister-in-law was with him.
Zac sat with his family in the hotel dining room in Louisville playing cards after lunch. They would have to leave the hotel in about an hour or so to go to the arena for sound check and preparation for that night's show. Until then they were enjoying some free time. The tension in the room was rough�Kris and Taylor weren't speaking to each other (actually, Kris wasn't speaking to Taylor). The five of them were playing Canasta as Jenny played with her own deck on cards on the floor.
"Okay�" Taylor said. He laid all of his cards out on the table. "I'm out."
"You sure are," Kris muttered. Taylor ignored it. Zac threw a full hand of cards on the table. There was no point playing this game when Taylor was involved. He knew exactly when to finish the hand in a way to make everyone else suffer.
"So," Taylor said, shooting a wayward glance at Kris, "that's a thousand points for two natural canastas, three hundred points for three red threes, a hundred points for going out with a closed hand, and 775 points in my hand. That gives me 2175 for this round�so I'm winning."
"Ugh," Jess said. "I don't think I want to play anymore."
"Yeah," Ginger agreed.
"What?" Taylor asked. "Zac is only three thousand points behind."
"Oh my God," Kris said. "That's it. I'm done." She stood up, slowly, and walked out of the room, a hand on her stomach. Taylor put his head in his hands. He took a deep breath before getting up and going after her. It wasn't long before the door was closed and Kris could be heard yelling.
"So what's this one about?" Jess asked, collecting the cards. "I missed it."
"I don't know," Zac said. "This is really starting to get out of control. There are too many hormones flying around here. Hopefully they'll be able to get through it quickly before Taylor says something inappropriate and she really gets mad." Zac looked at Ginger. "What's up, baby?" he asked her.
"Do you think maybe Kris and I should go home for the rest of the tour?" she asked. "It's not like we're needed or anything."
"No, honey," Zac said. "It's just been a hard week. Taylor and I love having the two of you here. It's a little hard to get through at times, but I still want you here." Ginger sighed. "I know what you mean, baby, but I still want you here. Taylor and I are doing whatever we can to not piss anybody off but it happens."
"It just seems like somebody's always fighting with somebody."
"It happens. Kris and Taylor will be fine in a minute and then it'll be our turn." She cracked a smile. "You know, we could always spruce it up a bit. Instead of yelling at me you could yell at Jess for nothing."
"How about no?" Jess asked. "I like getting along with everybody."
"Did you and Taylor finish working on that song?" Zac asked. "I know you were having trouble with it earlier."
"Yeah, yeah it's better now. It's now perfect, but it's better."
"Are you going to do it tonight?" Jess shrugged.
"I don't think so. It needs a little more work before we do it in front of people." Jess stood up. "Well�I'm going to find something to do." She left the room.
"And then there was us," Ginger said. "Well, I might as well try to get Jenny to take a nap before we have to leave." Ginger looked down at Jenny. She had already fallen asleep on top of a pile of scattered cards. Ginger smiled. "Well, I guess I don't have to try very hard. Baby, can you take her into the other room?"
"Sure." Zac carefully scooped Jenny off the floor and brought her into the bedroom, where he set her in the middle of the bed and she slept comfortably. When he walked back into the dining room Ginger was getting up. He took her hand and helped her up.
"Ugh," Ginger said. "I am sick of being pregnant."
"Really? You never complain about it�" Ginger gave him a look. "I'm sorry. I didn't say that." He walked with her into the living room. "You know what I'm sick of?"
"What, dear?" Ginger seemed vaguely interested.
"This tour. I love performing and all, and it's fun, but being on tour sucks. I'm never in a city long enough to enjoy it and that bus is no place for two pregnant women. We should get a jet."
"No, Zac."
"Why?"
"Because Kris and I can't fly. The air pressure will send us into labor."
"Oh�I forgot about that."
"The bus is just fine. Kris and I are just fine. It's only for another month and a half�"
"Ugh," Zac said, sitting down. "Another month and a half! That's a long time."
"But it'll go by faster than you think." She sat down next to him and put her head against his shoulder. "Before you know it, it'll be the last show and you'll want to do it all over again."
"Oh yeah, he said. "I so see that happening."
"There's no need for sarcasm, baby."
"Sorry."
"But I mean it! Before you know it we'll be back at home twiddling our thumbs and waiting for Christopher and Anthony to be born." He put his hand on her stomach, a smile crossing his face. His anticipation for Christopher's birth was starting to get the best of him. It was the only reason he wanted to get home. Going home meant Christopher would arrive at any moment. Until then, he had to trudge through twenty more cities.
"Baby?" Ginger asked.
"Yeah?"
"Am I still pretty?"
He could tell already he was going to get into trouble as Taylor and Kris walked out of the bedroom, having made peace.