Tay grinned as Zac snatched his hand back. "You two are nosier than old ladies in church.." he grumbled. "I'm going to bed." Zac wasn't about to give his older brothers the satisfaction, but they were unwilling to relent. Ike grabbed Zac's wrist again and looked at the palm of his hand. "So you won't mind if I just.." Ike licked his fingertips, "get rid of this before MOM sees it..you know she doesn't like 'you kids writing on yourselves, you'll get ink poisoning' " he mimicked his mother's admonition and started to wipe the number from Zac's hand. "You ASS.." Zac grouched, and yanked his arm from his brother's grasp. After that it was a noisy wrestling match, Tay and Ike against Zac. Taylor and Ike had Zac pinned to the ground and were mercilessly telling him to spill the story or else, when their father opened the door. "You boys knock it off before you wake Mac and Zoe.." he rumbled from the doorway. "It's almost 2am..your mother and I would like to get some rest, too. GOODNIGHT, boys." "Sorry Dad.." "Nite Dad.." "Sorry.." they echoed each other as they disentangled themselves. Their father grinned and closed the door. "You guys are sooo lucky...I was kickin' your asses.." Zac grinned at his brothers. "Whatever, Zac.." "Yeah right.." they replied. "You BETTER tell us in the morning if you don't want more of the same.." Ike taunted as Taylor laughed. "BRING IT...DON'T SING IT.." Zac replied and got ready for bed.

The next morning, Zac woke early, despite the fact that he had not gone to bed until 2am. He went to the kitchen and dug around in the refrigerator for something to eat. That necessity taken care of he quickly wrote Emma's phone number on a slip of paper, then quickly showered and dressed. He shoved the paper with her number in his pocket and sat down in front of the TV, then went to work on the mass of tangles that was his hair. Mac and Zoe were up before his parents, so he had the pleasure of pouring bowls of cereal and finding Saturday morning cartoons for them. He wound up watching with them for a while, until his mother appeared, then he went back into the bedroom he shared with his brothers, laid on his bed with his hands clasped behind his head and crossed his feet. He stared at the ceiling, thinking about the time he had spent with Emma the night before and grinned. 'She should be a NASCAR driver' he thought to himself, but knew she did not have the 'redneck' personality that usually accompanied race car drivers. He chuckled at his own thoughts and the groaned softly when Ike's snoring and Tay's heavy breathing interrupted his thoughts. He looked at both of them and shook his head. Ike was flat on his back, his mouth wide open, snoring like a freight train. Tay was flopped on his belly, one arm and leg sticking out of the covers and hanging off the side of the bed. His face was pressed into his pillows, all smashed up, and his parents could probably hear him breathing, over Ike's snoring, all the way down the hall. Zac rolled over and looked at the clock. 'Only ten' he sighed, rolled over and pulled his pillow over his head, and went back to sleep, despite the racket going on in the room.

When Zac woke again, he looked at the clock and groaned. "Oh shit..it's almost two!" he exclaimed out loud. Ike tossed one of his pillows at Zac. "I'm still SLEEPING here...shut up.." he grouched. Zac threw the pillow on the floor, reached in his pocket and strode over to the phone. "Zac?" Ike leaned up, surprised that he was unable to get a rise out of his brother. Zac ignored him, lifted the cordless from it's cradle and took it into the bathroom with him. Tay leaned up and rubbed his eyes, then looked at Ike. "What the fuck? Why do you guys always have to.." Ike was grinning wickedly. Taylor asked, "What's so funny?" "EMMA..." Ike replied and they both leapt from their beds and pushed their ears to the bathroom door. They were both shocked and intrigued by a girl who could command Zac's short attention span and make him go behind a locked to door to make a phone call. Zac's stomach was in a knot as he dialed Emma's number. He hoped she wouldn't be so pissed that he was late with the phone call that she cancelled their date "Hello?" a woman's voice answered the telephone. "Umm, hi. Could I please speak to Emma?" Zac asked politely, as his brothers crouched next to the door unbeknownst to him. They covered their mouths, so he wouldn't hear them. "Who's calling please?" the voice asked, impatiently. "My name is Zac, ma'am." Tay bit his lip on the other side of the door, and Ike grinned so hard his face should have cracked. "Well Zac, Emma's not here. She's late as usual. Is there a message?" the impatient voice demanded. "No ma'am, I can try later.." Zac tried to be polite with the frustrated person on the other end. "Okay Zac. There usually isn't..goo.. MOM!! WAIT!!" Zac heard Emma's voice holler from a distance. "I'll take it.." he heard her say. "Thanks Mom. Zac? Is that you?" Emma's silky voice asked. "Hi Emma. How was class?" he asked her. "Oh. Class. Don't ask." she said, "How are you today? I hope you haven't been trying to reach me all afternoon. I'm sorry I'm late." "I'm fine Emma." Zac said and couldn't help but smile at the breathless quality of her silky smooth voice. He wondered if she could sing. "I was actually hoping you wouldn't be too pissed at me. I overslept." he said. "ZAC! You're just now getting up?" she asked, incredulous. "Hey now.." he defended himself, "I got up, took a shower, fed my little brother and sister AND watched the must see saturday morning TV, if you must know." he chuckled. "Oh well," she agreed, "you're excused." He heard her laugh on the other end and wished he could talk to her all day. "I fell back to sleep to the lovely tune of my brother's SNORING AND HEAVY BREATHING.." he said loudly and kicked the door, making his brothers jump and then try harder not to laugh on the other side. "Anyway, Em. I wanted to make sure we were still on for tonight." he said. "You betcha, Hanson." she giggled. "I'm not one to turn down a free dinner. Where are you taking me? I need to know how I should dress." she told him. "You'd look hot in a burlap sack Em." he told her. He laughed when she snorted derisively. "You WOULD." he said. "Why don't you pick?" he suggested. "Better yet. I'll pick the place..AND I'll pick you up." she giggled when he groaned. "I can come and get you Em. Just give me the.." She cut him off. "I'll drive. I know a great place, you'll LOVE it." she said. "If you insist," he sighed. "I insist." she said and he could hear her warm smile through the line. "Seven?" she asked. "Sounds good Em. I'll remember to bring the first aid kit and those lovely electric paddles that shock heart patients back to life." he teased. "Watch it, Hanson." she laughed. "I KNOW where you live." "I was counting on that Em." He found himself smiling brightly into the phone. She chuckled softly,"See you around seven, then, Zac. Bye now."  "Bye Em." Zac said, smiling.

Tay and Ike heard Zac say goodbye and quickly dived for their beds, yanking the covers up and trying to appear as if they'd never left them. Zac opened the door and looked knowingly at both of them. "Oh give it up...you morons...I KNOW you were listening at the door." he grouched. "What?" "What the hell are you talking about?" they asked simultaneously, feigning innocence. "Shut up dorks." Zac grinned, "I'm not mentally challenged like you. You better get up before mom starts lecturing about sleeping the day away.." "So, Zac?" Ike called to his brother, and Zac turned to look at him. "What?" "Be ready to tell us who Emma is is by the time we get dressed or be prepared.." Tay and Ike both grinned wickedly. "You're gonna have to anyway.." Tay added. "Live with your ignorance, buttheads. And get a life of your own, busybodies." Zac answered and left the room. Taylor and Isaac looked at each other, then burst out laughing. "He's got it baaaaaad.." Tay laughed and hopped out of bed to get dressed. "I GOTTA meet this chick." he said to Ike. "Yeah. Wonder where he met her?" Ike commented as he rose from his bed and began to dress also.

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