We randomly walked down the hallway, peering into doorway, finding nothing but some storage rooms.

"They're probably gone,"I said, disappointed.

"They can't be,"Marissa insisted."The tour buses couldn't possible get out right now, with people exiting the theatre."

"They probably went out a back door and the buses are just a decoy to keep the fans from trying the other exits."

"You're so optimistic."

Just then we came across a door with noise coming from behind it. Marissa gave me an "I told you so" look and knocked.

And we waited.

Nothing. Everyone inside was making so much noise that nobody even heard Marissa's knock. She opened the door and we found ourselves face to face with a group of Hansons.

@ @ @ @ @

I was so thankful that Taylor wasn't in the room I almost kissed Diane. Before I continue, let me give you a quick overview of the room. Jessica Grace (Aka Jessi) and Avery Laurel (Avie) were Monopoly in the middle of the floor. Zoe was currently making the horse game piece ride all over Joshua Mackenzie (Mackie), who was intently playing some sort of video game. Walker was sitting on beat up couch reading something that looked very boring and Diane was seated next to him, doing what appeared to be correcting schoolwork.

I smiled widely."Mackie!"I exclaimed.

Libby looked a little embarrassed. I tend to have that effect on her."Hi, Mrs. Hanson,"she said politely.

I left her to make introductions and plopped myself down next to Mackie."Can I play?"I asked.

He looked me up and down."Who are you?"he asked bluntly.

"Marissa Weber."

"I guess."He handed me the controller."Have you ever played this before?"he asked me.

I shook my head.

He began giving me instructions like I was Zoe's age, who by the way had now sat herself in my lap. I'm a kid magnet.

"Well first you push this and then..."

"I'm not stupid,"I told him."Who do you think I am, Taylor?"

He gave me a strange look."I thought you like Hanson,"he said, pointing towards my shirt.

"I do."

Jessi rolled her eyes at me."Girls are weird."

"Not me,"I told her.

"Sure."She wasn't convinced."I'll bet that you kiss a poster of my brothers every night before you go to sleep."

"No, I'd kiss Isaac and Zac, but not Taylor."

"Are you telling me that you don't want to kiss Taylor?"

"Ewww!"I shuddered at the thought."God, no!"

"O-kay."She turned away, most likely thinking that there was something wrong with me. Libby always says that there is, but I think it's that everyone else is messed up and I'm the only normal one.

I was sitting uncomfortably on the floor by myself when Jessi came over.

"Is she always that weird?"she wanted to know.

"Who?"I asked.

"Her."She pointed to Marissa.

"Ohhh,"I replied knowingly."Yup, she's always like that. Let me guess, she told you that she hates Taylor."

Jessi nodded."Does she really?"

I shrugged."She's been saying that she didn't for about three years now, but it's my theory that she really does, she just doesn't want anyone to know."

Jessi thought about that for a minute."Since she acts like she hates him I'll bet Tay'll fall for her bad."

"She's probably the only girl in the world that wouldn't jump in his arms if she had the chance."Jessi and I smiled at each other, thinking about Taylor trying desperately to impress Marissa.

"Wanna play?"she asked, motioning to the monopoly game."It's more fun to play with more than two people."

"Sure."I settled myself over by the board and she dealt out my money. I glanced over at Marissa who had Zoe in her lap and was trying really hard to beat Mackie at his video game with no success in sight.

@ @ @ @ @

"Ha! You landed on Park Place,"Avie said happily."With a hotel that will be..."

Wordlessly I handed her every dollar I had left.

She counted it up."Hey! You're still a dollar short."

I handed her a real dollar out of my pocket."Here, Miss Greed."

"You don't have to give her that,"Diane told me.

"That's okay."I shrugged my shoulders."Now maybe she'll let me stay in the game for another roll."

"Maybe for five bucks."

"Avery,"Walker warned, not even glancing up.

She sighed heavily."Yeah, you can stay in."

"I can't believe you did that!"I heard a deep and very familiar voice exclaim."Dad, wait until you hear what Zac did."

I looked up to find myself looking directly into the eyes of Clarke Isaac Hanson. Taylor stood beside him and the bald bodyguard held Zac by the arm.

"What did he do?"Walker asked.

"He walked out into the crowd,"Taylor told him.

"Walked out in the crowd as in?"

"As in I had to grab him before the fans tore him apart,"the bald bodyguard told him.

As Diane and Walker began giving Zac a joint lecture on safety, Isaac noticed me."Ummm, hi,"he said.

"Hey,"I told him, rolling the dice. I landed on Chance and took a deep breath before reading my card."Fifty bucks,"I happily told Jessi, who had been our banker.

"Let me see that."Avie insisted on inspecting the card before she'd let Jessi give me the cash.

I happily took the money. Then, glancing up at Isaac who was still looking at me funny, I said,"What?"

"Who are you?"

"That's kinda rude,"Jessi remarked."But if you must know, this is Libby and that's,"she pointed,"is Marissa."

"Hi,"I said, holding out my hand for him to shake. He shook it gingerly, still trying to figure me out.

I turned back to the game and wondered how Marissa was going to react.

I resisted the urge to gag at the sight of Taylor and tried to just ignore him, which was hard considering he had sat himself directly next to me.

"Hi,"he said, all too obviously trying to get my attention.

"Whatever,"I said, still staring straight at the game.

He tried again."I'm Taylor."

"Duh."I was not in the mood.

He continued staring at me which was starting to make me nervous so when my turn ended I looked him directly in the face."What do you want?"I asked bluntly.

"Aren't you going to scream or something?"He appeared confused that I wasn't falling at his feet or giggling that he looked nice today or something.

"Scream?"I asked."Over you? What in the world for?"

I couldn't figure out what was going on with this girl. I knew she was obviously a fan by the Hanson T-shirt she was wearing, but she didn't even seem to care that I was standing directly in front of her. Usually they screamed, stared, giggled, stuttered, some sort of a reaction, none of which I was getting from this girl. In fact, I was beginning to think that she didn't like me or something.

"So, you're Marissa, huh?"Maybe she was shy and she covered it up with that uncaring attitude.

"Ooh, you're just the brightest crayon in the box aren't you? Has your mommy had your IQ checked yet?"Maybe not. This girl wasn't only the furthest from shy I'd ever seen, but she was outright hostile.

"Marissa,"I heard her friend, the one Jessi had said was named Libby, warn her. The look on her face showed that she was expecting that reaction from her.

I looked at Ike who was not-so-subtly trying to check out Libby. I knew that expression on his face all too well. He liked her. Not that my brother didn't have good taste and all, the girl was pretty, with long blond hair that looked well cared for and to tell you the truth every second I spent with Sister Slight-Anger-Management-Problem over here made Libby look just that much more appealing, but honestly, couldn't he do it a little less obviously?

Libby rolled her eyes."Be nice,"she told her.

Marissa rolled her eyes. She didn't look like she cared. Okay, I could understand that she didn't like me, not every girl in the world is in love with me (although from my experience at least a large chunk of them are), but why in the world was my little sister Zoe, who usually attacks me after I come off-stage, still sitting so calmly in her lap?

My life was not making sense anymore.

"Marissa's a lot nicer than most of your fans,"Mackie informed me.

Oh no! I was losing him, too. Who next, Jessi? Maybe Avie? Of course they were so attached to the Libby girl that maybe they just hadn't had a chance to notice her yet.

Libby was now sitting next to me."Marissa doesn't like you very much,"she said, then, dropping her voice, whispered,"Or at least she says she doesn't."

"Actually I hate you with a passion,"Marissa commented, standing up.

I stood up and looked her directly in the eyes."Good, because I don't particularly like you either."

"I could kick your butt from here to Albertane..."

"Marissa!"I exclaimed, jumping in between them."Leave him alone!"

Um, yeah,"Diane added from the couch."I know I have six others, but I'm kinda fond of this one."

I giggled. The whole situation was pretty funny. I mean, Marissa always said that this was the way she'd react to meeting Taylor but I always thought that she'd be too star-struck if she actually met him to remember that she was supposed to hate him. Apparently I was wrong.

"Is she always like this?"Isaac asked.

"Scary enough,"I told him,"she is."

He laughed. I couldn't believe that I was actually talking to him and I was this calm. Never in my mind did it go this smoothly. The only unnerving thing was that I was all to aware of how attracted I was to him. I couldn't help fantasizing that maybe he felt the same, knowing never in a million years would that be true.

"You guys were really good tonight,"I told him, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Thanks."

We stood there, staring at each other uncomfortably until I spied a guitar behind him."Cool, a Taylor. Can I look at it?"

"Sure. You play guitar?"

I thought about that for a second."No,"I lied,"but I've always wanted to learn..."