Ginger's "just this once" affair with Taylor did not get anything out of anyone's system. It only fueled Taylor's drive at her and for the next five months until Christmas, whenever they were alone, Taylor sweet-talked his way into another rendezvous. She kept in control most of the times and she made sure that they never slept together. She allowed everything else to happen, but when it came to sex, she just wouldn't let him do it. Zac had no idea. Actually, since they started seeing each other, Taylor had completely laid off Ginger. Zac was so pleased that he didn't mind leaving them alone together, which was the worst decision he'd ever made.
Ginger, Zac, and Taylor flew into Tampa for Christmas to see Kris. They got in the 23rd and were leaving about a week after New Year's. They decided to rent a car, so they didn't have anybody pick them up from the airport and drove to Kris's house. Ginger ran up to the front door and unlocked it (knowing the door was always locked) and stepped inside.
"Merry Christmas!!" she said. Her parents were in the living room and she ran to greet them. She gave a hello kiss to both of them but then looked around for her sister. "Where is my loser sister?"
"Over here, loser," Kris said, walking out of her room. "Excuse me, I was still getting dressed." Kris ran over to Ginger and threw her arms around her. "Oh I missed you so much! You look so different! What did you do?" Kris took a step back. "You cut your hair."
"Just a little bit," Ginger said. "It was getting split ends and disgusting so I cut a couple of inches off. But look at you! You dyed your hair! What color is it now?"
"It's just a light brown. I needed a change," she said. "Where is my loser boyfriend and his loser brother?"
"They're outside with the luggage. I told them to come right in. I wonder what's taking so long." Ginger opened the door just as Zac reached for the doorknob.
"Thanks for leaving loser back there with the luggage," Zac said, pointing to Taylor who was behind him. "He was halfway up the driveway when he dropped his suitcase and half of his shit came pouring out. Hey, Kris." He gave Kris a kiss before walking to her room, dropping off the suitcases, and went back to the living room to greet Ginger's parents. Taylor walked in and kissed Kris immediately as Ginger walked into the living room and sat down next to Zac.
"How was your flight?" Alina asked.
"It was good," Ginger said. "Uneventful, but good. Being stuck in between this loser and that one over there wasn't exactly fun but, hey, I survived. I missed you so much, Mom!"
"I know, dear, you don't come out here as often as we'd like. How're you doing in Tulsa? Are you getting along with Diana yet?" Ginger made a face. "Uh-oh."
"We don't fight or anything," Ginger said. "It's just, well, she doesn't like me. I'm fine with it though. She's not like she used to be. Before she made it obvious that she didn't like me. She went out of her way to point out something wrong with me. Now it's�it's all right. She doesn't criticize me and we even talk occasionally, but I don't think we'll ever be all right with each other."
"Well, as long as you're not fighting with each other. I know how hard that can be."
"It's a good thing you like Zac, though, otherwise we'd have nowhere to go!"
"Whoever said I like Zac?" Alina asked, a large smile on her face. At the sound of his name, Zac looked over.
"What? What about me?"
"My mother just said she hates you, Zac, and she thinks you should leave right now." Zac looked over at Alina.
"I'm sorry you hate me," he said. "I should go now." He got up and went out the door. Ginger giggled. He was about to come back in when she ran over and locked him out. He tried the handle but couldn't get in. "Hey! Let me in!"
"No, Zac! You're not wanted! Just go home!" Ginger yelled.
"Ginger! Let me in! It's cold out here."
"What? It's what out there?"
"Ginger!! Let me in!"
"Oh, all right." She unlocked and opened the door. He gave her a look.
"I am no longer speaking to you." He turned away and went into the kitchen to sit down, looking out the window at the neighbor's house. Ginger smiled and walked over to him.
"Honey�" He turned away. "Honey, I love you." He didn't say anything. "Aw�are your feelings hurt? Are you upset that I locked you outside in the cold?" She sat on his lap, giving him a big smile. "I'm sorry."
"I don't know if I should accept your apology," he said. "What's in it for me?" She whispered her answer in his ear and he nodded. "That sounds good enough for me." She kissed him. Despite the fact that she was repeatedly cheating on him, their relationship had gotten better since Kris left and they were constantly alone together. Ginger felt so guilty after being with Taylor that her and Zac would make love for hours in a way they'd never done before. He never suspected anything from it, and he was quite happy the way their relationship was going. He had only a couple of months of school left and they'd already picked out the house they were going to buy. He was going to put the down payment on it a little bit after they returned to Tulsa so they could start looking for furniture and things so they could settle in as soon as he graduated. He was eighteen now and that made a lot of difference. Diana didn't bother them as much as she used to, and he had a new sense of freedom that he didn't have before.
"Can we go to the beach?" Ginger asked, getting up off of Zac as soon as she saw Kris enter the living room. Kris gave her a look.
"It's too cold to go to the beach," Kris said. "Are you crazy?"
"I don't want to go to like go in the water or to tan or anything, but I still want to go! Do you know how long it's been since I've been to the beach?" Ginger asked.
"Ginger, when you lived here you only went to the beach once a year, if that. Why do you want to go now, when it's forty degrees outside and the wind is blowing? When you're here during the summer we can go."
"I still want to go," Ginger said, hunching her shoulders. "I miss the beach. There are no beaches in Oklahoma. Hey, did you know that it's illegal to go whaling in Oklahoma?"
"Okay, random," Kris said, shaking her head. "Thanks for sharing, babe."
"No, think about it! How many whales are there in Oklahoma?" Kris thought about it.
"Yeah, that's pretty funny, sis." She turned, making a face, and sat down on the living room couch.
"You're no fun, Kris," Ginger said, then sat back down on Zac's lap in the kitchen.
Christmas was kind of boring for the family. Kris got a lot of stuff she didn't need (she really hadn't asked for anything for Christmas), Ginger got a couple of presents, and Taylor and Zac each got a few. New Year's Eve was the night that Ginger was looking forward to because an old friend of both Kris and Ginger's from grade school was throwing a massive party at her house.
"Do you think anybody will notice its us?" Zac asked in the car on the way to the party. The four of them were going in Kris's car there, knowing that at least one of them would stay sober, and that person would end up driving home. Kris's parents didn't have a problem with them being drunk, even though they were all still underage, as long as they had somebody sober behind the wheel on the way home.
"I doubt anybody will be sober long enough to notice we're even there, Zac," Ginger said. "This chick is notorious for having drunken buffoons at her parties. It's pretty funny when you're sober. Someone always takes their clothes off and ends up rolling in puke."
"That sounds pretty gross to me," Zac said, making a face. "Babe, don't let me be the one who gets naked and rolls around in puke."
"All right, honey," Ginger said, smiling. "I'll keep an eye on you. Do you plan on getting drunk?"
"I don't know. Are you going to?" She shook her head. "All right."
"You're driving home then, sis," Kris said. Ginger made a face. "Hey, I'm planning on knocking a few back and Taylor is already drunk so I guess you're stuck with the job."
"I'm not already drunk," Taylor said. Kris smiled.
"Okay, honey."
"I'm not!" Kris parked in front of her friend's house. There was already a lot of people there, loud music blaring from the inside, and Ginger was sure that the majority of the people in there were already drunk at eight o'clock at night. Ginger got out of the car and walked with Zac to the door, where she rang the doorbell. Upon getting no answer, she twisted the doorknob and let herself in. They went inside and there were people drinking, people dancing, and the hostess of the party was helping herself to some pizza in the kitchen.
"Laura! Hey!" Kris said, running to great her friend in the kitchen. Ginger went in as well and said hello.
"Hey you guys. I didn't hear the doorbell. Who let you in?"
"We let ourselves in. I figured nobody heard the doorbell," Ginger said. "Over there is Zac and Taylor. Zac's my boyfriend, Taylor belongs to Kris."
"Hey," Laura said, waving. "Well, there's wine coolers in the fridge, somebody's mixing drinks on the patio if you want something special, and the keg is right there. There are tons of cups all over the place, so pick your poison and help yourself. There's pizza right here and you can help yourself to whatever's in the pantry if you'd like." She turned to Ginger. "I've got bottled water, coke, tea and if you want it I could make you some coffee."
"I'll just get some water," Ginger said. "Thanks."
"Have fun! I have to check on the guy in the bathroom, he's been throwing up since he got here. Been drinking since this morning, apparently." Laura excused herself and Ginger went over to the fridge and got herself a bottle of water.
"So, I'm guessing you don't drink at a lot of parties," Zac said to Ginger when she walked back over to him.
"Yeah, everyone knows I'm the designated driver," she said. "Every once in a while someone will try to get me to drink but most of the time they just kind of ignore it." He nodded.
"I wish I had your willpower."
"I'm gonna get me a mudslide," Kris announced and went with Taylor out on the patio. Ginger gave Zac a knowing look and took a drink from her water.
An hour and a half later Kris was acting squirrelly, Taylor was plastered, and Zac was well on his way there. It seemed anybody who was coming to the party had gotten there. It wasn't too crowded, but it was definitely hard to make her way from one side of the house to the other. She kept an eye on Zac and he seemed just fine, despite the fact that he talked with a slur and he kept trying to get Ginger to have sex with him on the patio.
"You're pretty," Zac said, looking up at Ginger. She smiled.
"Yes, Zac, you've mentioned that."
"No�you're really pretty. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. That's why I'm so worried about you. I don't want Taylor taking advantage of your prettiness." Ginger took a drink from her water.
"I don't think we have a problem with that, Zac," Ginger said, pointing across the patio to where Kris and Taylor were heavily making out. "I think he's trying to take advantage of my sister."
"That bastard!" Zac said, sitting up. "I should go over there and stop it."
"No, no it's okay, Zac. They're dating. He's not really taking advantage of her." Zac nodded. "You are so drunk."
"I'm not drunk," Zac said, blowing it off with a wave of his hand. "You'd be able to tell if I was drunk."
"Would I?" she asked, smiling. "So what are you right now?"
"I'm�I'm�drunk."
"Ah, I see." She smiled.
"You know what," he said, turning sharply. The beer in his hand spilled and landed right on Ginger's pants.
"Zac!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, honey," he said, trying to wipe it off with the napkin around his cup. "I'm so sorry. Maybe you should take your pants off." She rolled her eyes. "No, I'll help you�" He set the cup down and started to unbutton her pants. She pushed him away.
"Zac, I'd rather leave them on."
"You sure? You know we can't have sex with them on."
"We can have sex later," she said, pushing him away. "Not when you're drunk."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm afraid you'll throw up on me."
"Damn, Ginger," he said, picking up his cup again. "If I would have known that, I wouldn't have gotten drunk!" He took a long drink from his beer. She rolled her eyes again. "I love you, you know that?"
"Yes, I know that, Zac."
"I think�I think we should get married right now."
"Right now?"
"Right now. I'm sure there's a priest around here somewhere�" He looked around and Ginger burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" he asked, turning back to her.
"Honey, you're not going to find a priest at a party. Not this kind of party, at least."
"Oh. Damn. That would have been really cool. We could have left here a married couple."
"A drunken married couple," Ginger retorted. Zac put his arm around her.
"You're the best, Ginger. I don't care if I don't know your name. That doesn't matter. You're always just gonna be�Ginger. Just Ginger to me." She smiled.
"That means a lot to me, Zac."
"Enough to have sex?"
"No, Zac."
"Damn!"
"Hey guys!" someone said, opening the sliding glass door. "Hey guys you're going to miss the ball drop!" Ginger looked at her watch.
"It's nine-thirty."
"Oh. Well I warned you!" He went back inside. Ginger shook her head. When it actually came time for the ball to drop, Ginger pulled a drunken Zac into the house to watch the ball drop. He was a bit wobbly so she sat him down and sat on his lap. She was the only sober person in the entire room and it was rather funny to watch everyone in the room try to count backwards from sixty. Some of them got lost, some of them skipped a number, and none of them were in sync with the television. Someone was still on twenty-seven when the new year sign lit up and started screaming, not realizing he was way off.
"Ginger�hey Ginger," Zac said. She turned to him.
"What, my drunken fianc�?" she asked.
"Happy New Year." She smiled.
"Happy New Year." She kissed him.