I hate mornings. I always feel like crap no matter what I do. If I don't have coffee I have a headache. If I do have coffee im exhausted. If I eat breakfast I feel nauseous, if I don't I pass out. I just can't win.

Now, magnify all this by about a hundred after you've spent the entire night trying to forget about all the things that are going on in your life and don't get a wink of sleep.

I knew the Hanson's would only cause trouble in this world. What's next, bank robberies?

Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating just a teeny bit. It's Isaac's fault.

Not totally his fault. I was the one who got pregnant and ran off to New York to leave my baby with complete strangers. But what teenager doesn't these days?

I knew things still were not worked out between me and Isaac. We would have to talk eventually. I just had no intention of that conversation taking place anytime soon.

****

Crying gets you anything you want from a guy. Seriously. I couldn't have planned it better myself. Isaac was so nice to me for the next few days. He left me alone and didn't pressure me at all.

Now if only Zac could learn to take a hint.

All I was supposed to do was go downstairs and help out Diana by watching Zoe for a few hours while she took Jessi and Avie shopping for new bathing suits.

Nobody told me I'd be responsible for Zac too.

****

Have you ever played Candyland with a four year old who was on a higher intellectual level than her sixteen year old brother who also insisted on playing?

Didn't think so.

"So you're trying to tell me that your sweet little sister Jessi actually put a singles ad out for Isaac in a high school newspaper? And she did this when she was nine?"

He nodded solemnly.

Oh, yeah. Like I was gonna believe that one."Yeah well my little sister once convinced my entire school that I had cancer and I got a thousand get well cards."

"Yeah right."I never had been good at lying."What do I look stupid?"

I raised my eyebrows.

"Don't answer that."

Four hours, twenty-five games of Candyland, and Zac's entire life story as told in the format of a musical (meaning he sung annoying little ditties as he forced me to listen to all of it) later, Diana came home.

I considered kissing her feet.

Zac offered to walk me upstairs. I said no, but there was no stopping him.

"Um, listen, you're a girl, right?"he asked, following me up the stairs.

"Last time I checked."

"Can I ask you something?" I sighed."Can I stop you?"

"How can you tell if your ex-girlfriend still likes you?"

I stopped."Same way you could tell she liked you in the first place."

He sat down."I'm screwed."

"Is this about that girl from M2M? That's who you were going out with, right?"

He shook his head."Nah. We never went out. My ex kinda looked like her though so we had Tay take a few pics of us holding hands and we posted them on-line so everyone would think we dated. It kinda took the pressure off Mandy."

"Mandy?"

"My ex."

"Ah. Well, what makes you think she might still like you?"

Now that launched a long story. Most guys are completely daft and don't get the most obvious signals but Zac had picked up on the most subtle ones, ones Mandy herself might not realize she was giving out.

He was annoying but he was also a sweetheart. The boy was a complete goner over this girl."Just ask her,"I finally told him after listening to everything."Be completely honest. Bare you soul. She'll respect that and be more likely to reveal hers."

He thanked me and went upstairs.

Man, was I glad I'd read a Dear Abby on that once.