"We’re home!" Isaac called as he helped Zac through the front door. Zac had a crutch, and his ankle and foot were wrapped in plaster.

Taylor appeared from the living room, "Hey, how did it go?" he looked at Zac’s ankle, "Not good, huh?"

"I twisted it," Zac said, "I gotta have this stupid plaster on for two months!" he whined.

"Geez, that sucks," Taylor mumbled, "how’d you do it anyway?"

"I slipped on the bike, it toppled over and my foot got caught," Zac explained, "It hurts so much…even the stupid painkillers aren’t making it feel better."

"That’s what you get for playing on your bike in the rain," Diana walked through the front door, she took off her rain hat and hug it on the hanger.

"Where’s dad?" Taylor asked.

"He took the van, Ike drove me and Zac, your dad is gonna get drive-thru McDonalds for us," Diana explained.

"Cool," Taylor shrugged and headed through to the living room where he’d left Lauren studying.

Zac hopped through to the living room with his crutch, "Hey," he said to Lauren casually.

Lauren smiled and said "hi," inside thinking how much nicer Isaac and Zac were than Taylor, she looked to the clock on the mantel, "darn it, I have to go to Ash’s," she said, she quickly put her books away into her rucksack along with her music tabs, she raised her eyes to Isaac who’d just walked in, god he looked so cute, that sweet heart-shaped smile, the chestnut eyes. Isaac had gentle features, she’d felt cold being in Taylor’s company since they’d met earlier, but when she saw Isaac, she felt warm.

"You’re gonna get soaked," Isaac said, he ran his fingers through his dark blonde hair which was hanging in sodden ringlets near his chin, "do you want a ride?" he asked.

"Geez, wouldn’t that kinda be putting you out of your way?" Lauren asked worriedly, the last thing she wanted to be was an inconvenience to this sweet guy.

"Nah, its better than letting you get soaked and hit with lightening or something," Isaac smirked, "C’mon…"

"Thanks, Isaac," she stood up and headed for the hall to get her denim jacket. Her jacket was soaked, Isaac noticed this.

"You’re not gonna wear this, are you?" he asked, he held up her soaking wet coat, it had not dried well from the previous soaking earlier.

"Its all I have…"

Isaac grabbed another coat from the hanger, and he held it out to her, "Here, you can borrow this, its leather, it won’t soak," he said.

"But—" she was going to mention how expensive the jacket looked, it was a brown leather reefer jacket, she’d seen the same kind in a popular store for almost four hundred dollars, she wasn’t about to borrow something she was afraid she’d ruin.

"Its okay," he said, he went to her back and helped her into the jacket, "you gotta have something to keep you dry," he smiled.

She turned to him briefly and smiled, he smiled back.

He’s so unbelievably nice and charming, she thought to herself as she closed the jacket, she let him lead her outside, they made a dash for Isaac’s battered old Honda which had belonged to his father at one point. He opened the door for her and helped her in, then got in himself. "Okay, soooo, where are we going?" he asked.

"Do you know Culzean drive?" she asked as she pulled her seatbelt on.

"Yep," Isaac pulled his seatbelt and started up the car.

"Isaac?" she asked softly.

"Yeah?"

"Does Taylor have something against me or something?"

"Um…what would make you think that?"

"He just…acts like he doesn’t want me around," she confessed softly.

"He’s just peeved off because our mom is making him tutor you…he was hoping for more time to himself this vacation," Isaac explained, he reached over and turned the radio on, he hoped she wouldn’t ask about Taylor again, despite the fact Isaac didn’t agree with his brothers behaviour he would make up excuses about it anyway. Right now, he’d run out of any other excuses. A soft distinct song began playing over the radio, the artist not recognisable.

Won’t you come kiss me and take this despair

Let the morning time dapple its light in your hair

Like warm running water in snow

(***Authors Note: The above song is by Ocean Colour Scene, its called "Here In My Heart" ***)

Isaac tapped his hands on the wheel to the soft beat, "I love songs like that," he said after a moment.

"What, the style or the theme?" Lauren inquired.

"Both I guess," Isaac confessed, "I like love songs, I’m always writing them…"

"Me too," she confessed, "me and my friend…we’re a duet – we’re gonna be a trio just as soon as we…y’know, get a drummer, my friend’s little cousin is gonna do the drumming, but right now we’re saving up for some basic drum lessons," Lauren leaned back comfortably, "Its gonna cost a bomb."

"Y’know, if you’re really, really nice to Zac, he’d probably teach her…I mean…he’ll have a lot of free time on his hands now that his ankle is out of sorts because he can’t go on his dirt bike and he can’t rollerblade. Heheh, poor kid," Isaac chuckled. "Serves him right though," he added.

"Well…maybe you could ask Zac for me? I mean…I’d be too shy to ask myself," Lauren admitted.

"Well, I’ll convince him into it," Isaac promised, he stopped on Culzean Drive, "okay, here you go," he said.

"Thanks, Ike," Lauren smiled, she climbed out, "I’ll see you…I dunno, whenever I have to study with Tay, which will probably be tomorrow…" she added.

"Yeah…I’ll see you then," Isaac smiled.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"This is gonna be the suckiest vacation ever," Zac whined as he leaned back on his bed, his foot propped up on a few pillows, "I can’t believe I have to keep this on for two months…" he pointed to the cast.

"Serves you right for riding in the rain," Taylor stated, raising his eyes from the song he was writing, "Just be glad it wasn’t your other foot because that’s the one you use for your bass drum," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I know," Zac reached to his side and picked a book out off of the pile of Taylor’s homework. "What is this stuff anyway?"

"That’s the stuff I’m doing with Lauren, I have to take a quick glance so I can get her through it, I still think it sucks that I’m being forced to tutor her."
"Hey, why wouldn’t you want to tutor her, I mean, she’s kinda cute…"

"You think?" Taylor asked, blinking.

Actually, to be truthful, Taylor had noticed Lauren was kind-of cute, though her attitude was far from that. She was quiet most of the time, but she had a tendency to drift – usually when she was bored or didn’t understand what he was talking about. This irritated Taylor, nothing bothered him more when people were ignoring him.

"Yeah, I think. I mean, face it, Tay. You probably couldn’t do much better than Lauen…"

"Huh? You think I can’t do any better than that smart mouthed bag of air in a bra?!" he fumed.

"Well, when you’re gonna take that attitude…I mean, who’d want to go out with a guy like you?"

"A lot of girls, you’ve seen the letters they’ve written," Taylor said, "All the fan mail…"

"Fans aren’t classed as actual girlfriend possibilities," Zac turned over on his side. "I mean real girls, real girls who like you for you and stuff…for all the right reasons. I mean, at this point of your life it’s a little weird that you haven’t had a relationship with someone, even temporarily…"
"Zac, you don’t even know what liking a girl is like…how would you know if I’m weird for not having a girlfriend?" Taylor demanded.

"Because Ike had girlfriends when he was your age…and you’re at an age you should be dating," Zac answered.

"Look, if I wanted a date, I’d find one, in the meantime—" Taylor was interrupted when Isaac entered the room.

"Hi, guys," Isaac smiled, he was holding a cold Big Mac, which was half eaten – from the meal which his father had brought in, which Isaac had mostly missed due to driving Lauren.

"God, you’re so cheesy, you make brie look bad," Taylor mumbled.

"Huh?" Isaac asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Offering Lauren a ride home, god, have you any idea how desperate you sounded?"

"Tay, I asked the girl if she needed a ride, she did. End of story," Isaac rolled his eyes.

"Tay has something against Lauren," Zac explained.

"So I noticed," Isaac mumbled, "and y’know, you better be a lot nicer to her in future or I’ll make your life hell," Isaac said, "she’s a nice girl, she doesn’t deserve to be snapped at the way you do at her."

"Look, she doesn’t even listen to me! She daydreams, she gets everything wrong—I’m just wasting my time on her!"

"God, you’re such an arrogant little gas bag," Isaac rolled his eyes.

"Look, just shut up and leave me alone," Taylor sighed, he slammed his hand on the desk, "I’m trying to write!"

"Fine, be like that," Isaac mumbled, "I don’t know why I even bother talking to you, ever since we got back home for vacation you’ve been a nasty little shit to everyone," he hissed, "from now on, I’m gonna act like you don’t exist, capeesh?" he asked. Isaac looked down to Zac, "Oh, by the way, Zac…" Isaac walked over, "Lauren asked me if I could ask you if you’d help her friends little cousin learn drumming…"
Zac made a face, "Gee, I dunno…"
"Look, it would give you something to do in the meantime while your ankle prohibits you from doing anything active. Lauren is in a band you see – or rather they’re trying to get their band together," Isaac explained.

"Well…okay. Is her friend’s cousin my age?"

"I’m not sure, Lauren said her friends ‘little cousin’, so I’m assuming maybe around your age…"

"Okay. Just I’m sick of hanging around whiney teenagers like you guys," Zac smirked.