"How are you feeling?" Coralee asked from the doorway. Taylor was well and truly sick, and for that fact, Coralee hadn't seen him for a whole day yesterday. But Isaac rang her up, informing her that Taylor was requesting her presence.
Taylor frowned, and screwed up his nose.
"Crap, of course."
Coralee had been warned of Taylor's touchy attitude and paid no attention to his snappiness.
He held out his arms indignantly for a hug, but Coralee didn't move.
"You know, I was going to hug you but I'd better not. You might be contagious."
Taylor's arms dropped, and his expression fell. The thing he wanted most now from Coralee was attention and affection and he was greatly let down without the welcoming hug he was so used to.
Coralee caught his pouting expression and smiled.
"Come on Tay. If I catch this thing then we wont be able go out or anything for even longer. And I think we both know that every second of these holidays is really precious and we can't afford to waste any more time."
Taylor sighed.
"But what if it's not contagious."
"I think it is."
"But what if it's not."
"Tay!!" Coralee groaned, and sat down in the middle of Hanson's room. "Don't be so difficult.
Taylor sighed, and closed his eyes. Coralee knew he was craving attention.
"So do you think you are going to be ok?" She asked.
"I don't know." He said softly, putting on the most innocent face he possibly could.
"Tay, I've really missed you, you know." Taylor smiled, and Coralee continued. "It's funny. You don't realise how much you like someone until they are taken away from you."
"You like me?" Taylor whined, fishing pathetically for compliments.
Coralee rolled her eyes, and moved to the side of his bed.
"No Tay, I just adore you more then anyone else on this earth."
Taylor giggled.
"Good."
Coralee smiled, and shook her head. He was so easily pleased sometimes.
"Oh Coree could you pleeeease give me just one kiss." Taylor whined plaintively.
"Oh for goodness sake Tay!! I'm not…"
"You never know, you might have to kiss me, cos I might lose consciousness right now and need resuscitation."
Coralee raised her eyebrows. He actually looked sincere.
"Oh come on Taylor. You are not that sick!!"
Taylor frowned.
"Yeah I am."
"No, you are not!!"
"And how would you know?"
"Oh Tay, don't be so self pitying!!"
"I'm not!!"
Coralee laughed.
"Oh really? Somehow I'm not convinced."
Taylor pouted.
"I'm not." He muttered again, and glared up at the bottom of Isaac's bunk feverishly.
Coralee beeped his nose affectionately.
"Hey, come on, I'm only teasing you. You're very sweet, and you still manage to look cute when you're sick."
"You think I'm cute?"
Coralee smiled, and played with his rats tail affectionately.
"Yeah, I sure do."
Taylor smiled contentedly.
"I think you're pretty." He offered.
Coralee grinned, and glanced away shyly.
"Thanks."
Coralee and Taylor continued to talk about anything and everything, as they usually did. Coralee was half way through a story when Taylor snored slightly. She looked up in surprise. He was asleep. Coralee smiled, it was time she went home anyway. After sorting through a pile of junk on Hanson's desk, she found a pen and paper.
Tay,
Hey, you fell asleep and I didn't want to wake you, so I just left. I'm going to visit my grandparents tomorrow, but I'm trying to convince my parents to stop by so I can visit you. But don't be disappointed if I can't. Keep smiling, Angel Tay.
Luv Coralee
She folded the paper, and placed it in Taylor's hand under the covers. Hopefully he would discover it before someone else did. Coralee stroked Taylor's unkept hair softly before leaving the room.
Lleyton picked up the unsealed envelope with the word 'Taylor' printed on the front. He glanced around for his sister before taking out the card, and reading it. It was a get well card for Taylor. She obviously planned to give it to him later.
"Pathetic." He muttered to himself as he scanned her words.
Suddenly, a disturbingly evil grin took over Lleyton's face. He grabbed the card, and ran to his room.
"Get well Taylor, eh? We'll see about that."
Silly Taylor Coralee thought. I actually convince my parents to let me come in and see you and you are asleep. Coralee gazed in the doorway, watching her boyfriend sleeping. Just like an angel. Coralee placed the 'get well' card next to his bed. She shook her head, disappointed that he wasn't awake to see her, and left his room.
"Ok, yeah, he's still sleeping, so I guess we can go." She announced to her mother.
After Walker and Marissa finished their conversation, Coralee and Marissa headed for the front door.
Suddenly, Taylor's head rounded the corner at the end of the corridor.
"Coralee!! Coral!! Stop!!" Taylor exclaimed, his voice changing octaves as he went.
Coralee turned in surprise to see a very tired and sick looking Taylor running up the hallway.
"Oh Tay, you're up!!" She exclaimed, and ran back down the hallway and into his arms. "You so shouldn't be up."
"I almost died when I heard your voice, I couldn't let you go." Taylor said softly in her ear.
Walker and Marissa started talking about Taylor's sickness, and how he still didn't seem to be getting better yet. Coralee turned to listen. Taylor felt a dizzy spell wash through his body, and he wondered when he could lie down again. He could hear his pulse pounding painfully in his head, and now his vision was beginning to blur into surrealism.
Coralee glanced over in shock as Taylor began to sway. All the colour drained from his face, and his naturally pink cheeks went pale.
"Taylor?" She questioned, holding his arms.
He gazed at her blankly, trying to work out if she was really there or not. Taylor blinked hard, and was just beginning to believe that he truly was in a dream, when his vision faded into nothing.
Coralee grabbed at Taylor's waist as his eyes rolled under his eyelids, and his legs collapsed beneath him.
"Oh my gosh!!" Coralee exclaimed in horror, and fell to her knees with Taylor's weight. In an instant, Walker and Marissa were on the floor beside her.
"Taylor?" Walker called, rubbing his back. "Hello Tay?" Taylor stirred, and his face screwed up. "Come on Tay." Walker encouraged. Taylor groaned, and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.
Walker glanced up at Coralee. Her mouth was dropped open in shock, her eyes were wide, and tears crawled down her cheeks as she stared at Taylor's pained and confused expression. Just the thought of something happening to him was scaring her out of her mind.
Walker smiled and touched Coralee's arm.
"Hey, it's ok. He just blacked out. Little too excited to see you."
Coralee managed a small smile through her tears.
"He just gave you a shock, huh?" Marissa smiled sympathetically, placing her arm around her daughter's shoulders.
Coralee nodded, holding Taylor's hand. At that moment, he opened his eyes to see his father.
"Dad?" He groaned.
"Hey how are you feeling."
Taylor didn't respond, and just looked confused. His eyes shifted to another familiar face.
"Coree?" He questioned softly, blinking.
Coralee fell to the floor and hugged him. Marissa and Walker smiled at each other.
Taylor slowly began to regain full consciousness and wrapped his arms around Coralee.
"Tay don't do that again." She cried, looking into his blue eyes, and still pale face. Taylor reached up and touched a tear on her face.
"You ok?" He asked softly.
"Are you ok?" Coralee asked back, burying her head in his chest.
"You fainted Tay. How are you feeling?" Walker said, ruffling his hair.
"Um, ok." He answered. "My head hurts."
"Alright, do you think you can make it back to bed!?" Walker grinned.
"Uh huh." Taylor responded softly, and sat up slowly.
He got a proper look at Coralee.
"Oh Coree." He said gently, and hugged her again.
"Mum, I'm not going to that place today, I'm staying here with Tay."
Coralee said to her mother over Taylor's shoulder.
"Oh Coral, you don't have to stay." Taylor said. "I'm only going to sleep, you'll be bored."
"You can come back later honey, I promise." Marissa said. "But your grandparents are expecting us."
"But I hate Grandpa Arthur. You know I hate him!! Why can't I just stay here?" Coralee exclaimed, slapping the ground.
"Coralee!! No, we have to go now!!"
"Fine." Coralee said coldly, and turned back to Taylor, hugging him again and softening her voice. "I'll see you later Tayles, look after yourself, ok? Goodbye Walker."
With that, Coralee stormed out of the Hanson household, wiping her face on her sleeve. Marissa rolled her eyes.
"I'm sorry." She said apologetically to Walker. "Her grandfather has a bit drinking problem, and she doesn't take it too well."
Walker shook it off, knowing how teenagers could be, although he didn't see it that often from Isaac Taylor and Zac.
Taylor just looked on from the floor, wide eyed.
Marissa said goodbye to Walker and Taylor, and went after her daughter.
Walker turned back to his son.
"You ok?"
Taylor gave a smile.
"Yeah, I think so."
"She cares a lot about you." Walker said, gesturing towards where Coralee had just left. "You're very lucky."
Taylor smiled shyly.
"Ok, let's get you back to bed, where you should be!!"
The colour coming back into his cheeks, Taylor agreed, and accepted his father's help back to his bedroom.
As Taylor lay in bed, recovering, he glanced over at his bedside table and saw a card with his name on the envelope. He recognised Coralee's handwriting, and smiled. He took out the card carefully, and snuggled deeper in his bed to read it.
"Taylor,
I don't know how to say this, so I thought I'd write it. Basically, I want to break up with you RIGHT NOW. The only reason I went out with you is because I felt sorry for you. But I can't stand your shit any more. Sorry for any inconvenience and I hope you have a short career because I can't stand your music.
Coralee"
Taylor dropped the card, feeling nauseous. Shocked tears raced into his eyes. He felt as if his heart had been ripped out of his body and smashed on the ground, bleeding out its last gasps of life. Heartbroken stunned tears escaped down his cheeks. Taylor curled up into a defensive ball and faced the wall, hiding his face. Every new magical and precious emotion that had touched his mind and soul in the last few weeks came crashing down around him in sharp daggers. He felt cheated and vulnerable and stupid that he so completely gave himself to a girl whom he had only known for a few weeks.
"It's not true. It can't be true." He whispered to himself. It was so not like Coralee to write something like that. There had to be a mistake. But the undeniable evidence was still lying in the card beside him, and Taylor began to sink into a state of complete and utter depression.
"Could I please speak to Taylor?" Coralee asked.
"Uh, I don't think he wants to speak right now." Zac said. "Sorry."
The phone cut out, and Coralee slammed in down in exasperation. It had been two days since she had visited or spoke to Taylor, and the entire Hanson family seemed to be keeping him away from her. Coralee couldn't understand why, but it was hurting her deeply. Not being with Taylor was agony.
"Oh my gosh." Isaac murmured, dropping the card. Its harsh words were still ringing cruelly in his mind. He looked up at Taylor with sudden understanding. Taylor hadn't been eating much, had hardly spoken, and his sickness was getting worse. No one could work out what was wrong with him.
"Ike, what did I do wrong?" Taylor said, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. Taylor felt like he wanted to cry and sob until he was sick, anything to release some of the pain writhing deep inside him.
Isaac didn't know what to say.
"I...I don't know Tay. I mean, sometimes things go wrong in relationships and…"
"No, no, Ike you don't understand. I love her. I can't stand being without her for one day, let alone forever."
Isaac shook his head.
"I don't know what to do Tay." He said.
Taylor stared at him desperately, wanting his older brother to think of something, anything, to help him. Isaac couldn't take Taylor's despairing looks any more.
"I'm sorry." He said softly, and walked out of the room.
A single tear rolled down Taylor's cheek.
"I just want my Coree back." He whispered.
Lleyton's door was open, and Coralee went in to retrieve her Matchbox 20 CD which he had borrowed. A familiar patterned card caught her attention. She picked it up, and her mouth fell open when she recognised her 'get well' message to Taylor. What was this doing in Lleyton's room? And if this card was here, then what on earth had she given Taylor? Coralee suddenly felt sick, and went in search of her brother.
"Lleyton."
"Hmm." He said, not looking up from his video game.
"Where did you get my card to Taylor?"
"What card?" He said innocently.
Coralee thrust the card in his face.
"This card." She growled.
Lleyton's expression changed.
"Oh...that card." He said, his evilly inclined mind scanning for an excuse..
Coralee grabbed his hair and pulled his head back hard. Lleyton let out a cry of pain.
"What did you do?"
"Ow...nothing!! I'm innocent...OW!!"
Coralee pulled his hair harder.
"OK!!" He yelled. "I put in a card saying you want to break up cos he sucks, satisfied!!?"
Coralee pulled his hair so hard that she came out with a handful.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT." She screamed in his face.
Lleyton just held his head, tears welling up in his eyes from pain.
"Hello, Hanson residence."
"Oh Ike, Ike is that you?"
"Coralee?"
"Ike I need to speak to Tay."
"Um, I don't think..."
"No, you don't understand, I have to speak to him."
Isaac paused.
"He can't come to the phone cos he's sick but…he's, um, pretty upset...Coralee didn't you break up with him?"
"No!! That's my problem."
"Well what?...how?...why?..."
"In a work 'Lleyton'. Just tell Taylor that and he'll understand."
"Um, ok. Well, it's kind of hard to get him on the phone, he's still pretty sick…hey can you just come around now?"
"Um, yeah."
"Ok cool, come round. I'll tell Tay you're coming."
"Thanks Ike."
"That's ok. See you soon."
"Yeah, see ya."
Coralee put down the phone, her heart racing. She felt an irresistible need to see Taylor again. Just thinking about the way his eyes sparkled when he smiled was sending chills down her spine. She realised then just how much she had missed him.
After briefly greeting the entire Hanson family, apart from Jessica and Avery who were at a friend's house, Coralee trooped through the house to Taylor, Isaac and Zac's bedroom. Isaac and Zac had moved temporarily to the living room to escape Taylor's illness, and his depressed attitude.
Coralee poked her head around the half open door, and Taylor's eyes flickered open as he heard the door creak. Seeing her standing there was almost too much for him to handle.
"Oh my God, Coralee!!" He exclaimed, and held out his arms.
"Hi Taylor." She smiled, running into his arms. All memories of Taylor's contagious illness were thrown out the window. Taylor hugged her tightly, filling his senses with the girl who had the power to break his heart.
"I thought I was never going to see you again." He whispered.
"I've missed you so much." Coralee answered. "I can't believe Lleyton did that. I don't even want to think what could have happened if I hadn't found out what happened."
"Don't say that." He said softly. "Nothing else matters now."
After hugging each other and calming each other down, Taylor shifted his position, and Coralee lay beside him on his bed.
"How are you feeling?" She asked.
Taylor sighed.
"My head hurts and I can't even sit up without feeling like I'm going to pass out."
"Oh, poor Angel." Coralee said softly, stroking and playing with his blond hair. Taylor closed his eyes, utterly contented.
"So, what have you been doing?" He asked.
Coralee proceeded to tell the story of the last two days of her life. She skipped the parts about how she sat by the phone for what seemed like hours, just waiting for some answers from Taylor. Coralee found her own story boring, but Taylor didn't care. Just hearing her soft voice was enough, it didn't matter what words came out.
"...so that's that." Coralee finished.
"You know, I had a dream about you." Taylor stated, smiling slightly.
"What kind of dream?" Coralee asked suspiciously. She was quite sure she didn't wanted to know every thought that went through Taylor's head.
"Well, we were at some concert in Japan or something. And you were there. And that meant that you came on tour with us. I thought it was pretty cool. But it was bad at the time, because it was the day after I thought you broke up with me, and I thought I had lost you."
Coralee gazed into his dreamy blue eyes, and hugged him closer.
"What exactly did Lleyton say?"
Taylor sighed, looking away.
"The card's over there. You can read it if you like."
Coralee reached over for the card, and read the harsh, cruel words scribbled inside. She felt shocked and horrified that Taylor had thought that these words came from her. She reached over and hugged him tight.
"Oh God Tay, I would never ever say that to you, do you understand? I would never ever say that to you, ever."
Taylor sighed, breathing in the scent of her hair.
"I know, it's just that...I...I mean, what was I supposed to believe? I didn't even think that your brother would have done it. I didn't think anyone would do something like that."
"Let it be known that there is no crueller creation then my brother."
"Yeah, I know that now."
"I just want you to know that I would never say anything like that to you Tay, because I respect you, and if I did want to break up with you, which I don't, I would not do it like that."
Taylor hugged her, and stroked the soft ends of her hair affectionately.
"Thanks." He whispered.
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