Hanson Fiction- I can't believe I wrote all this in one day.
Underneath (titles don't get any more creative than that, do they?)
1.
Zac was the last to board the tour bus at San Diego. He was surprised to find himself stepping aside to let a young woman off the bus, however, who flashed him a wide red smile and smoothed her skirt over her thighs. She waved coyly over her shoulder, and he waved back dazedly.
"Who was the chick?" he asked generally as he entered the lounge area of the bus. Taylor nodded his head in Ike's direction, and Ike glanced up briefly at Zac with a cool look before returning to tuning an acoustic guitar over his knee. Zac rolled his eyes and sat down at the table with Ashley Greyson, the Hanson's long time friend, public relations director, and math tutor.
"Hey Zac," Ash said, scooping a handful of playing cards back into a deck. Zac smiled tiredly. "Tired?"
"Yeah, I'm all right," Zac said, stretching. "Hey, Tay, guess what some girls told me?"
"What did some girls tell you, Zac?" Taylor asked, picking up the cell phone from the cushion between he and Ike on the sofa.
"I'm the new Taylor." Zac grinned.
"That means you're the sexy one," Taylor laughed.
"That means you're the possibly-gay one," Ike retorted.
"Shut up," Zac and Taylor chorused. Taylor dialed on the telephone and disappeared to his bunk to talk to Natalie, who was on the other bus with Kate, Ezra, Jessica, and their father Walker. Zac glanced at Ash, who had leaned in the table bench against the window and had his chin rested on his chest, breathing deeply already. Zac turned to Ike. "So, what was her name?" he asked casually.
"Whose name?" Ike asked, not looking up from the scales he was playing rapidly.
"The girl who got off the tour bus just a little bit ago," Zac reminded him.
"Oh," Ike said. He stopped playing, holding his palm against the strings to silence their vibration. "Carrie? Carly? Something like that."
It was Zac's turn to "Oh." None of the brothers spoke of it, but it annoyed Taylor and saddened Zac to see their brother becoming, for lack of a better term, a player. It wasn't a new girl every night, but it was getting there fast. As Zac had mused, half in accusation and half in defense of Ike's behavior, his search for quality had produced a massive quantity. Taylor reappeared in the doorway of the lounge, extending the cell to Zac.
"Wanna say good night to Kate?" he asked. Zac nodded and smiled, happy to hear the sweet voice on the other end of the line when he went to his bunk to talk to her.
"Hey Katie," he said softly.
"It was a good show, Zac," Kate said brightly. Kate: the girl every fan wanted to be. Gorgeous, intelligent, and resting securely on the arm of, as the San Diego girls had chorused, the New Taylor. "Sleepy?"
"Exhausted," he admitted with a yawn. "You?"
"I've got another hour in me, probably. I'm going to do some reading. Have to brush up before the semester begins." At the end of the tour, Kate was departing for college, and would only see Zac on long weekends and holidays. They weren't worried; they'd been apart before, and still loved each other immensely.
"I'm glad you're here," Zac said tiredly. "This would be one long tour without you."
"I heard you're the new Taylor," she said, laughing.
"It's not that. That is funny. It's ludicrous, but it's funny." He sighed. "No, it's... I love touring. I love playing, I love everything about this. I'm confident, I'm in my element up there. ...It's Ike."
"Ike and his harem," Kate finished. Kate was perceptive, but Zac knew she wasn't the only other one who'd noticed. Even in his occasional perusal of the internet, he saw comments to the same effect springing up everywhere. Isaac Hanson was getting a reputation as a womanizer- Isaac Hanson, the professional die-hard romantic, the man who put a first date's importance at the same level as a marriage proposal. The man who wrote his first love song at age eight, who made his career, his living off of crooning about true love and faithfulness. Not that Isaac had anyone to whom he should be faithful, but it still seemed hypocritical to Zac.
"Yeah." Zac shrugged. "It's not that I want to judge him. He's 22, he can do whatever he wants. I just worry that it's unhealthy, and not just because he's breaking hearts left and right."
"You're worried that he's hurting himself," Kate observed. "I know. And Ike couldn't ask for a better brother for that concern, believe me."
"You're sweet."
"You're sweet, too."
"I know," Zac grinned. Kate knew how to repair his wounds with a few words and a tinkle of laughter. "I'll see you tomorrow, Katie."
"Good night, Zac."
"Sweet dreams."
"You, too," Kate said. They hung up, and Zac stared out the window of his bunk at the midnight highway passing at sixty-five miles an hour.
2.
Everybody got along with Ashley Greyson. Walker Hanson got along with Ash because Ash was responsible, a good businessman, and friendly. Ike Hanson got along with Ash because once upon a time Ash had treated him like an adult instead of a teenager, and Ike respected that. Taylor got along with Ash because of his enthusiasm and passion for their band. Zac got along with Ash because despite his professionalism, he wasn't afraid to get his butt kicked at Tomb Raider. Natalie got along with Ash because Ash was great with Ezra, and never even glanced at her judgmentally during the hasty pregnancy-and-marriage incident. And Kate and Ash got along because Ash had a habit of following through on a lot of her off-handed publicity-and-promotional ideas.
The latest Kate Idea, in fact, was a companion book to the documentary, which posed only one problem. Kate was going to college and didn't consider herself much of a writer; after the tour Ash would be busy editing the documentary; the three band members would be busy mixing and producing their CD, and no one else was immediately qualified to write a book based on such a sensitive matter. Ash's final decision was that they would have to hire someone to write the book, and just induce that someone into their world for the next year, in the hopes that they could produce an accurate and honest supplement to the documentary. He had no idea, however where to find such a writer- until one of the Hanson.net HCLs emailed him with a question.
"Hey Ash," the email wrote, "We were just going through the discarded applications for HCL positions, and we found one that was really good, just totally not right for H.net. We were wondering if there was anything else we could ask her to do. She's kind of edgy, but not profane at all- very talented and creative. Is there anything we can give her? It's a shame to just send someone with that kind of talent away, but there's no place for her as an HCL."
The idea lightbulb went on in Ash's head, and he fired off a response quickly asking for the girl's contact information. When he got the response, he copied down the information, then called Taylor and Isaac back into the lounge (Zac was already there playing Vice City).
"Guys," Ash said triumphantly, "I found our writer."
"Who is he?" Taylor asked, crossing his leg over his knee after he sat down. "Well known or not?"
"Um, no. She's never been published as far as I know. In fact, she's a fan. An H.net member."
"A fan?" Ike asked skeptically. Zac paused his game and turned to the conversation.
"Let's weigh this rationally," he said in a terrible British accent. "On the one hand, fans can be scary."
"Very," Ike added.
"On the other," Zac added, "Who would know us and our history better?"
"Someone we know," Ike argued.
"We don't know anyone who can write, Ike," Taylor said. Ike looked down at the notebook he held in his hand.
"Ouch."
"I didn't mean you. Besides, we're going to be busy," Taylor pointed out. "It has to be someone else."
"Who is she?" Ike asked, ignoring Taylor.
"Her name is Meg Reese, she's 19 and she's very talented. She was turned down for an HCL position-" Ash began to explain. Zac cut him off.
"Turned down?" The three brothers wore matching skeptical expressions.
"Not because she's not good, just because her style was a little more raw and edgy than they were looking for." Ash sat back, looking quite pleased with himself. "I've got a feeling about this."
"Did you contact her yet?" Taylor asked.
"No," Ash said. "I wanted to run it by you first."
"I think it's a bad idea," Ike said.
"You would," Zac said. A bit of resentment at Isaac's constant pessimism and womanizing had soured Zac's opinion of anything Isaac. "I think we should give her a shot."
"Taylor, yours is the deciding vote," Ash said, leaning back and folding his arms.
"Well. I think it could be a disaster," he admitted. Ike grinned triumphantly. "However."
"Oh, God there's a 'however,'" Ike groaned.
"Yes. However, I think if she's good, she's worth a shot. Call her up and talk to her, and see what feeling you get then." Taylor paused, then added pointedly in Ike's direction, "You've never led us astray before, Ash. I don't think you'll start now." Ike shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the room, obviously annoyed at his overruling. Ash smiled.
"Don't worry. I think this will be an interesting and productive asset."
3.
Ike and Walker shared a beer at the table in the lounge, not surprisingly within ear shot of Ash, who was currently dialing the telephone number he'd been provided for Miss Meg Reese. "Hello, I'm looking for Meg Reese." It was the morning of September 9th, and they were nearly in Portland, Oregon.
"I just want you to know, Dad, I'm against this," Ike muttered. Ash shot him a death look, then smiled.
"Hi, is this Meg?" He paused. "Hi Meg, this is Ashley Greyson." He laughed. "Yeah, that Ashley Greyson." He covered the receiver and looked at Walker. "I'm famous," he mouthed. "Actually, no this isn't about backstage passes." He laughed again. "I'm calling to offer you a job."
"What kind of job?" Meg asked, suspicion setting in. "And how do I know for sure you're really Ashley Greyson?"
"A writing job, writing a companion book for the upcoming documentary. Are you going to be attending the Seattle show?" Meg Reese lived in eastern Washington state.
"Yeah, I'll be there. I'm just packing for it now, actually. We're camping out at the theater tonight," she said.
"Sounds like fun. Tell you what, tomorrow at about 3 p.m. I'll come out and have you come inside the theater for a talk, meet the guys, discuss this job. We'd need you to start touring with us, get to know the band and review some of the footage we have for the documentary. So, if you're working now, you'll need to put in your two week notice immediately."
"Um..." Meg couldn't think of what to say. "I- How did you know I was a writer?"
"Your HCL application."
"Oh." She sighed. "I didn't think that was any good. Oh well- I have to discuss this with my family, and I need to know how much you're offering me, and what other adjustments and arrangements I need to make. And I need to be done with everything by next August, because I'm going back to school."
"You're not in school now?" Ash thought to ask.
"No, I'm taking this year off."
"Good." He thought for a moment. "We're prepared to offer you twenty five thousand dollars as an advance on the book, and we will also set up a monthly stipend for your living expenses and such. You'll need to relocate to Tulsa for the year, but I think we can have everything wrapped up by the time you need to go to school." He smiled and Isaac rolled his eyes. "And we'll discuss your percentage of royalties at a later time."
"Wow," Meg breathed. She looked out the window at the little farming town she lived in with her parents and younger brother. Everything here was so little, and poor and sheltered. What they were offering her was huge, and lavish, and worldly. Twenty-five thousand dollars would certainly beat what she made at Wal-Mart every two weeks, though. "Let me talk to my parents. When do you need my final answer?"
"Well, it would be easiest for you to join up with the tour in Seattle. When the tour is over, you can go back home and prepare all of your affairs, move your things down to Tulsa- we'll pay for all of that, don't worry about moving costs or anything." Ash paused. "Are you up for writing a book in a year?"
"I've been up to that my whole life." Meg smiled. Her life was about to turn upside down.
4.
Meg was stiff and sore from sitting on the pavement overnight when the front door to the Showbox Showroom opened a crack to allow the slight manager of the theater out to the sidewalk. There were about fifty girls lined up already, but right near the front was Meg Reese.
"I'm looking for Meg Reese," the man said, skeptically eyeing the line of young women.
"I'm Meg Reese," she answered, and stepped forward. She had washed her hair and gotten ready for the day in the public restroom at Tully's Coffee a block and a half up from the theater; she felt grimy and inappropriate for what was about to happen. Meg followed the man back into the theater, where he locked the door behind them and led her down a side corridor behind an employee door, and then to a room with a man in his early thirties standing outside, looking expectant and excited. When he caught sight of Meg, he raised his eyebrows and smiled broadly.
"You must be Meg," he said, extending his hand. "Ashley Greyson." She shook it.
"Nice to meet you," she said nervously. He frowned.
"Don't be nervous, he-. Er." Ash sighed exasperatedly. "One of the guys is not quite so sure that this book, and hiring you, is a good idea. So we're going to sell him on the idea right now, all right?"
"Great," she said sarcastically. "Which one would that be?"
"...Ike is worried about you being a fan."
"He thinks I'm a teenybopper." She looked down at her black and grey pinstriped slacks and pressed white ruffle shirt. "Well. I'm most certainly not that, if anything. I'd make one terrible teenybopper."
"I don't doubt it," Ash said warmly. "Tay is hesitant but he's willing to give you a chance, and Zac is completely gung ho. And I've got a great feeling about you, so don't worry. You're not going to be fed to the wolves, proverbially."
"I'm not worried," Meg said brightly, half to convince herself. The manager left them alone, and Ash turned to her.
"Just stay calm, and answer whatever they ask honestly," he advised her.
She said, "Of course," and he opened the door and they went in. A comfortable lounge decorated with posters and flyers from various bands that had visited the Showbox- Sleater-Kinney, MxPx, and Marcy Playground stood out as some of the proud local acts who had their roots at the small venue. Black leather furniture was arranged around a television, which currently blasted a bit of punk rock and Tony Hawk's Pro Skate video game. When Ash cleared his throat, the television went off, and Zac retreated to a recliner next to where Kate stood. Tay and Ike occupied the sofa, and Ash sat next to them. Meg took a seat in another recliner.
"Zac, Kate, Taylor and Isaac, I'd like you to meet Miss Meg Reese," Ash said warmly. Meg gave a little wave, and Zac and Tay smiled and waved back. Kate nodded unemotionally and Ike only glanced at her.
"It's nice to meet you," she said in what she hoped didn't sound like too young or girlish a voice. She crossed her legs at the ankles and leaned forward, hands folded. "I'm really excited to work with you, but before we go anywhere or start anything, I think you deserve the chance to ask whatever questions you might have. A writer's relationship with her subject needs to be one of mutual trust and respect, and I'd like to begin establishing that right now. I'm open to whatever questions you have. Nothing is too personal, I assure you." Ash raised his eyebrows, impressed, and Taylor smiled, feeling more confident in Ash's intuition.
"I have a question," Ike asked, piercing her with his stare. Meg felt anger from him, but also something underneath that- a sort of pain, defensiveness. She didn't take the anger too personally, and nodded. "How long have you been writing?"
"Since I was about four years old," she recalled. "My mother wrote down the stories that I made up before I could write very much on my own, and since then I've written plays, stories, poems, songs, essays, biographies... You name it." She smiled what she intended to be a reassuring smile.
"And how long have you been a fan?" Ike spat the word 'fan' like it was dirty.
"Since I was thirteen," she stated clearly. She met his gaze steadily, and added, "That's six years."
"So you're only nineteen," Ike said. This seemed to be all he needed to write her off.
"Yes, I'm only nineteen. And you're only twenty-two, and Taylor is only twenty, and Zac is only seventeen. I'm afraid I can only guess at Kate's age, but I'd guess seventeen or eighteen, too." Meg smiled. She was unfazed by his chilliness.
"I have a question," Zac interrupted, trying to give her a break. "What direction do you see this book taking?"
"Well, that's difficult to say right now," Meg admitted. "I've only see the bits of documentary that you've released on the internet or in the member CD, and I think I'm guessing correctly when I say that those clips are certainly not the meat of the documentary. I'll have a clearer picture after I see the footage that Ash wants to show me." Zac nodded, and Taylor furrowed his brow in concentration. "I will say that whatever is in that film, I want to discuss it intelligently, and I want to present your insight with maturity and grace. I understand that there are some very sensitive issues covered in the film, and I want to make sure that they are handled appropriately, without shying away from them."
"Awesome," Taylor said, completely satisfied.
"And who exactly would you say is your favorite member of the band?" Ike asked, dripping with sarcasm. Meg returned his cold glare.
"I think that a band is a single unit, and trying to divide it up and place one before another is idiotic and juvenile. You're not the Backstreet Boys. It is both inappropriate and insulting to you for anyone to pick a 'favorite member.'" Meg crossed her arms. "Isaac, forgive me if I'm wrong, but what you really want to know is if I'm some sort of crazy fanatic, a teenybopper, someone who's going to waste your time and ruin the product you're trying to create." Isaac didn't remove his gaze or affirm or deny the accusation. Zac fidgeted uncomfortably, and Kate looked on in concern. Ash covered his eyes with his hand. Taylor kicked Isaac in the shin.
"Yeah, pretty much, that's what I'm worried about," Ike said icily.
"Okay." Meg took a breath. "I'm a fan. I think I have good taste in music, and that includes yours. I have fun with it, too. I hang up flyers for your street team, I talk to other fans, and I have an effin' ball at your shows. Am I obsessed with you? Do I even give a damn about what color underwear you have on, or how you look without your shirt, or what food you eat when you rummage in the refrigerator at midnight when you can't sleep? No more than I care about those details in any other person. I'm a writer. I'm naturally curious, and I collect stupid details like that about the people I spend a lot of time with. But I am not here to collect autographs, Mr. Hanson. I'm here to do a job, and do it well." Meg sat back in the recliner, her back rigid. "Do you have any other questions?" she asked in a lighter tone, directing it to the room as a whole.
"No, I think we're pretty satisfied," Taylor answered before Ike could open his mouth. Ike looked like he was not at all satisfied, but also not nearly as suspicious as he had been. This girl didn't throw any curves. He stood and extended his hand, and Meg stood and shook it. "It was really nice meeting you. Will you be joining us after the show for the rest of the tour?"
"I believe that's the plan," Meg said, glancing at Ash. He nodded affirmatively. "Yes, I suppose I'll just meet with you after the concert is over."
"Great," Zac said enthusiastically. "Well, I think it's going to be great working with you." He shook her hand, and Kate smiled brightly at her.
"I'll show you out," Ash said, glancing at Isaac who still sat on the sofa, now paging through a book that lay on the coffee table. After they left the room, Meg let out a sigh. "I'm really, really sorry about that," Ash apologized.
"Don't be," she said graciously. "I understand where he's coming from. I would probably be even worse than that if I were in his position. I don't expect him to trust me right away; Zac and Taylor's warmness is more than I could have hoped for."
"I'm glad you feel that way," Ash said. He let her out the front door, and laughed at the energy of the fans that had already gathered. It would be a good show that night.
5.
Meg slung her army sack over her shoulder, tugged on her corduroy jacket to straighten it out, and wriggled in her jeans until they fit more loosely on her hips. She had changed after the meeting with the band, feeling too formal for the concert and not wanting to be uncomfortable for whatever lay ahead. The blue jeans and black tank top seemed more appropriate, and she settled against the backstage door frame, confident that she'd made the right decision. Even in light of the fact that not all of her hosts were happy to have her.
The door suddenly opened and she had to jump to get out of the way. Large cases of equipment were wheeled to the awaiting busses, and Meg sighed. She'd been waiting at the door since the show ended at 11:00 p.m; an hour ago. Finally, the door opened again. A girl about her own age with a fussy baby came outside and took a deep breath before noticing Meg standing there. "Oh, God, you scared me," Natalie spoke.
"I'm Meg Reese," Meg introduced herself.
"Natalie Hanson," she returned. "You're the book girl."
"Right." Meg smiled uncomfortably, but Natalie returned it warmly. "And this must be Ezra, then?"
"Yep, he's my son," Natalie said proudly. She stepped closer to Meg, and Meg cooed at the baby.
"Hi Bug," she said sweetly. "What a gorgeous child."
"Thank you," Natalie said humbly. "So you're joining the tour, then? Taylor said he wasn't sure- after today, I mean..." Natalie trailed off.
"I would be stupid not to come," Meg said, glossing over the obvious allusion to Ike's misbehavior. "It's the opportunity of a lifetime. And Ash has been so nice, and Zac seems so enthusiastic. Taylor was really very nice, too."
"Yes, most of the family is very warm and kind," Natalie said. She caught herself and realized what she'd implied, and quickly added, "Really, the whole family is once you get to know them."
"I don't doubt it," Meg said. She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sure, once he gets to know me, once he trusts me..."
"He didn't like me at first either, if it makes you feel any better," Natalie confided. Meg smiled faintly. "No, I guess it wouldn't. But honestly, he's very sweet on the inside. He's just going through a rough time right now; he's unsure of who to trust or I think of who he's supposed to be now."
"Who's that?" a voice startled both girls from behind. They turned and saw Taylor smiling broadly. "Came to find my baby- both of them." He took Ezra from Natalie and cuddled him in his arms.
"I was just trying to make her feel better about ...earlier," Natalie said.
"Ah." Taylor smiled grimly at Meg. "Yeah. You might find that Sir Isaac the Asswipe will be around from time to time, but he's a good guy. It's just a-"
"Rough time, I know," Meg filled in. "I'm not hurt, really. It's fine."
"No, it's not," Taylor said shortly. All three were quiet and Ezra let loose with a short screech. "Well, I think we're getting ready to leave. Ash will be on bus one with Zac, Kate and Dad and I think he wanted you to ride with him for tonight."
"Bus One would be the... front bus, right?" Meg asked. Taylor nodded. Kate came outside and smiled when she saw Meg.
"We weren't sure you would stick around," she said, laughing. "You're riding with us, so why don't you follow me and I'll get you set up in a bunk and show you around the bus."
"Later," Taylor called. Natalie smiled kindly and waved. Meg and Kate boarded Bus One and stepped behind the curtain that separated the driver from the rest of the bus. Kate explained that while they had two professional drivers, some of the guys also took shifts with the drivers so that no one would have to drive for more than 8 hours at a time. Most often, it was Walker, Taylor, and Isaac who did shift driving. Walker insisted that Zac was still too young (although Kate insisted he was a better driver than either Ike or Tay) and neither Natalie nor Kate even wanted to take a chance with driving a huge bus.
"Here is the kitchen," Kate said, gesturing to the first area they encountered. There was an open range stove, a refrigerator, a couple of cupboards and a table with benches. "We don't really keep real food on the bus, just crackers, snack food, and a lot of water and diet soda."
"Sounds fine," Meg said.
"And here are the bunks," Kate said, stepping down into a hallway-like area. There were three bunks on either side of the hall, one on top of another. "You probably don't want to climb up to the top bunk," she guessed. "Zac and I will have these two over here-" she pointed to the top and middle bunks on the right side, "Walker will take the other middle bunk because of his back, and Ash will take one of the bottom bunks. So choose which side you want to be on, and go for it."
Meg tossed her bag and jacket into the left-hand bottom bunk and followed Kate past the bunks to the lounge. "This is, obviously, the lounge. Sofa, stereo, television and vcr and video games, you know, whatever you want. We carry cell phones, there are two on each bus, four lines total on tour. One's in the kitchen, one's back here. Generally, if we have to talk business we do it in the lounge but there's no true sacred area around here. If you want privacy, you go to your bunk. You'll probably switch back and forth on different busses all the time, just because it gets boring to stay on one all the time..." Kate trailed off. "Sorry, am I going too fast? Do you have any questions?"
"No, not at all," Meg said. "I'm a little overwhelmed and tired though."
"I don't blame you. Being with them," Kate sighed, "Is both wonderful and exhausting at once. I admire Natalie for making a lifetime commitment to this family, because it's not an easy one to make."
"But you-" Meg began. She stopped, and blushed.
"No, I'm just Zac's girlfriend. There's no ring on my finger, nor will there be any time soon." Kate shrugged. "I love him, but I don't want to marry him. At least, not yet."
"I see," Meg said quietly.
"So, is Meg short for something?" Kate asked, dropping to the sofa. Meg nodded.
"Margaret, actually," she said. "Everyone thinks it's Megan- more common, you know. I prefer Meg, though."
"Gotcha," Kate said. "Well, I'd say feel free to crash whenever you want, but I think Ash wanted to talk to you for a while. There will be a lot of crash time though. If you're not in the band, there's a lot of free time, period," Kate admitted. "I mean, there are ways to make yourself useful, and you'll be working of course. But you won't be running yourself ragged here."
"Good to hear," Meg admitted. She sat on the other end of the sofa, and finally relaxed enough to take off her shoes and tuck one leg up under herself. "So, do you think he's going to warm up to me any time soon?" she finally asked.
At the same time, Kate began, "Listen, Isaac isn't really as big of a jerk as he came off today." They looked at each other and laughed. "To answer your question, I don't know. He's unreadable sometimes. I don't know him as well as most of the others do- he's their brother, or brother-in-law. Natalie's been around a lot longer than I have. But I do know that he's not a mean person, and if you're a trustworthy person, he'll recognize that."
"What happened to him?" Meg asked softly. "He seems so hurt, so suspicious."
Kate eyed Meg for a moment, weighing what she wanted to say. "I tell you this in confidence. And I don't know you really, so maybe it's a bad idea. But it seems you're going to be around for a while, and I don't get weird vibes from you, so I'll be honest."
"Shoot," Meg said.
"When everything went down with IDJ, Ike had already been pretty involved in the production aspect of the album they were working on," Kate began. "He was working really closely with one of the people who eventually ended up not only making Zac feel like shit, but also stabbing the whole band in the back in the end. And Ike considered him a friend- so, he has a hard time trusting people they hire to work with them unless they've already got a good history with them." Meg nodded, understanding. "There is other stuff going on with him, and I don't doubt that part of his attitude toward you isn't really more aimed at Zac and Taylor. They've got a bit of a disagreement between them right now-"
"Between Ike, and Zac and Taylor? Or between Zac and Taylor?" Meg clarified.
"Ike and the other two," Kate affirmed. "Isaac is a good guy, with a good heart, but he's ...He's looking for something. Taylor and Natalie have it, Zac and I have it... Ike doesn't. He hasn't had the greatest girlfriends- he was always such a great boyfriend to people, and the girls would just walk all over him. So he keeps looking, but he's not finding it in anyone, and it's just become a new girl in every town." She lowered her voice. "I think that's probably the main reason they had you ride on this bus instead of the other, with him. You'll have to learn to get along eventually if you're going to work together, but the girl thing... I don't know how much Ash wanted you to know about it."
"Probably not at all," Zac said from the doorway. Meg jumped, and Kate shrugged. "But whatever, it's not like you wouldn't have found out eventually. And it'll help you understand why both Taylor and I think he's such a rat bastard right now. We're close, we've always been close brothers, but right now he's out of line." There was both annoyance and tiredness behind Zac's statement. "Ash said he'd be up in five minutes. We're almost ready to leave."
"Ready for the trip of a lifetime?" Kate asked Meg with a large grin. Meg smiled and sat back. She wasn't sure if she was ready, but she was going to meet it head on anyway.
6.
Ash joined Meg in the lounge after another fifteen minutes- Meg was soon to learn that Hanson Time takes a little longer than it is actually expressed. He looked tired, but pleased, and peeled off the sweater he wore with great relish. "All right. I'm really glad you're coming with us, Meg. I gotta be honest- the look on your face, earlier, I wasn't sure you'd come."
"I've been getting that a lot lately," Meg said. Ash smiled genuinely and Meg smiled back. "So, you wanted to talk."
"Yeah, I wanted to brief you really quick. We're going to Boise next. I encourage you to spend a lot of time with Natalie and Kate while the boys are busy doing their thing- they know the ropes, and you'll probably get the chance to meet a lot of fans." Meg's face fell, and Ash raised his eyebrows. "Really, they're not that bad."
"Well, not to you," Meg admitted. "But I'm a girl."
"Ah." Ash shrugged. "We'll start leaking your existence on H.net, I'll tell some of the HCLs about the book, explain that's why you're on tour with us. It's no big deal." Meg still felt skeptical, but kept it to herself. "Anyway, after our first stop tomorrow, you and Zac and I are going to switch over to the other bus, Natalie and Jessica will come over here, and we're going to have another meeting with the band- and just the band."
"Okay."
"I just wanted to let you know, you did the right thing, standing up for yourself to Isaac. He takes being unwilling to stand up for oneself as a sign of guilt, and you did, if I may say so, a fine job of holding your own."
"Thanks, I think," Meg said. "I wasn't trying to fight with him."
"I know. But you also should never let him walk all over you." Ash glanced away. "He does that to enough women as is."
"So I heard," Meg admitted.
"Oh?"
"Kate and Zac," Meg said. "They felt it would make me understand everything a little better. Don't worry. My lips are sealed." Ash nodded.
"I trust you."
On the other bus, Isaac paced furiously along the bunk corridor.
"Ike, knock it off," Taylor pleaded from a middle bunk.
"Shut up," Ike snapped. Taylor threw open the curtain and jumped out of his bunk, stepping in Ike's way.
"Lounge, now," he growled, pointing behind Isaac. Ike rolled his eyes and went into the lounge with Taylor. Taylor shut the door behind himself. "Look, I don't know what your problem is. But it's going to stop now."
"Oh, shut up, Taylor," Ike said. "Stop playing all high-and-mighty with me."
"I don't think you understand exactly how you're affecting everyone around you right now," Taylor responded. "First, all the various girls. That's unlike you, and we've all kept our mouths shut but to be honest, you're becoming one of those assholes we always said we'd never be. Second, Meg- the writer. She is dropping everything in her life to do us a goddamn favor, and you treated her like she was your everyday criminal. Finally, your attitude towards the rest of us, and the pacing, and the grumbling and rolling your eyes and acting like a prick all day long just because you're not getting your way or whatever it is that you think is wrong... If nothing else, knock off the pacing and grumbling. I've got a wife and kid in there who are trying to sleep, and I don't need you fucking with it." Taylor's blue eyes blazed, and Ike gave him an annoyed look.
"First of all, Mr. Family Man, what I do and who I do it with is none of your business. Second, I have every right not to trust that writer girl, and until she proves herself to be trustworthy, I don't feel that I'm under any obligation to pretend to be her best friend."
"Civility would pass," Taylor said wryly.
"However, if it's that important to your royal highness, I will take my so-called pacing and mumbling away from your sleeping quarters." Isaac left the lounge before Taylor could say another word, and Taylor watched him go with a gnawing feeling in his stomach. He finally went back into the bunks, and crawled into the bunk above where Natalie had set up a gate and crib-like sleeping space for Ezra.
"How did he take it?" Natalie asked. "He walked through and didn't say a word, but he wasn't stomping anymore."
"I don't know, he wasn't listening," Taylor said tiredly. "He won't listen to anybody."
7.
At around five in the morning, the group stopped in the Tri-Cities, Washington to put gas in the busses and switch whoever wanted to switch busses. Isaac weighed his options. Stay on Bus Two with Taylor, who was being a royal bitch, or move to Bus One, with Satan the Writer. Ike decided he could ignore Meg a lot easier than he could his own brother. In fact, when everyone got off the bus to stretch, he could simply go inside, claim a bunk, and sleep without even having to talk to anyone.
Isaac Hanson was upset, and not because he hadn't scored the night before (he had, actually). It was because he didn't like being confronted with the truth of his actions, and Taylor had an annoying habit of throwing them in his face. So what if he hooked up with a lot of girls? Just because Taylor and Zac had steady relationships, it didn't make his actions wrong.
No, his heart told him. That wasn't what made them wrong at all. They just were wrong.
So, when they stopped for gas, Isaac walked straight over to the other bus, intent on getting a bunk and sleeping until he had to pretend to be nice again.
He came up short when he pulled back the separator curtain and found Meg sitting awake, drinking a cup of coffee at the kitchen table. She looked up, wide-eyed and obviously startled that anyone- much less him- was there. "Hi," she said softly.
"Hi," he said cautiously. When they'd met before, she'd proven herself to be at least his equal, if not greater than he in argument. Isaac could have a vicious tongue on him when he felt he had to, but Meg carried herself and delivered an argument with grace and dignity, not petty squabbling. In fact, even when she raised her voice, she seemed to do it quietly, as though she were only trying to make a point and not even try to force anyone to accept it. Ike had to give her credit for that.
"I couldn't sleep. The bus- I'm not used to it yet," Meg explained.
"You'll get used to it soon," Ike said. Neither had moved- Meg still held her coffee cup between her lap and her mouth, and Ike still held the curtain back to step through.
"I guess I will," she said. They were both silent, and finally Ike stepped into the kitchen.
"You didn't want to stretch your legs or anything while we're stopped? Get some fresh air?"
"I don't think gas stations have very fresh air," Meg said wryly. She chanced a smile, but he didn't return it. "I'm fine. I take it you weren't a big fan of leg stretching or fresh air getting either, then?"
"Just wanted to get away from Taylor for a while," he said, not realizing entirely that he'd said it aloud. "I mean, I just wanted to give him and Natalie some alone time."
"Ah," Meg said, as though she didn't believe him at all. There was another uncomfortable silence, and they both spoke at once. "Listen, I just wanted to say-"
"Well, I should probably go-"
"Oh," Meg said.
"What did you want to say?" Isaac asked. Taylor was right- he could at least be civil.
"I wanted to say, I'm sorry. For yesterday. I was confrontational and rude, and I apologize. That was neither professional nor polite of me to second guess you and respond to you the way I did."
"Oh," Ike said. He felt deflated; he didn't want to apologize, but he'd look like an even bigger jerk if he didn't now. She hadn't even had anything to apologize for, and yet she still did. "Well, uh, don't worry about it."
"Okay," she said. She wasn't used to how she felt- timid, and unsure of what he was thinking. In a way, she was intimidated. He was her boss, if you wanted to be factual, and he didn't like her.
"Um," Ike began. He couldn't do it. He couldn't apologize yet. "Well, I hope you can get some sleep soon."
"Thanks," she said. She felt a little hurt. Wasn't he supposed to apologize somewhere in there, too? Don't adults do that?
"Yeah." Ike walked into the bunk area out of her sight, and she sipped her coffee. It was, without a doubt, the most melancholy cup of coffee she'd ever had. "Who's reading Camus?" Ike's voice called from the bunk hall.
"I am," she called back faintly. He reappeared in the kitchen holding her book. "Notebooks. It's really just a bunch of random thoughts of his, but... I like it."
"Yeah, I've read it," he said. He glanced at the book, then back at Meg. "I wasn't snooping, I was just checking to see which bunks were taken, and..."
"It's okay," Meg said tiredly. Walking on eggshells around Isaac Hanson was getting old.
"Um, listen," Ike said. He took a deep breath, and then spoke rapidly. "I'm sorry for being so rude yesterday, it wasn't cool, I didn't mean to make you feel unwelcome, so, uh, sorry." Meg smiled.
"Forgiven. Don't even think about it." Ike nodded awkwardly, then found himself wanting a cup of coffee. He poured some, put in creamer from the fridge, and looked around. The only place to sit in the kitchen was across from Meg. He finally resolved that he could have a cup of coffee with her, and moved to the table.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked. Meg didn't even try to hide her surprise.
"Sure," she said. Ike slid across from her. "So, switching busses?"
"Yeah," he confirmed. "Just, ah, change of scenery or something."
"I see," she said. Ike still hadn't changed out of his clothes from the concert, and had only loosened the tie he wore. Meg, however, wore a big grey College sweater and a rattier pair of jeans than the ones she'd worn to the show with holes in the knees and frayed edges. Ike studied her over the rim of his coffee cup. Her pixie cut brown hair wasn't very stylish, but it flattered her oval face and pink cheeks. She wore dark framed glasses that looked straight out of the 60s, but he could tell they were prescription and not just a desperate attempt at emo style. From what he'd gathered from her figure earlier, she was a little overweight, but evenly distributed, and she wore it well. She had great posture, he thought. A weird thought, except that if you saw Meg, it would be one of the first things you noticed. She held herself like a dancer, even if she weren't built like one. Her face wasn't exotic, ugly, freakish, or exceptionally pretty- just very classic, with features that seemed to belong together- blue-grey eyes under heavy lids, a medium-sized nose with a slight upturn at the end and a slight bump in the middle, nice full lips but not pouty or sexy in the least bit. She was pleasant to look at, but not the type of girl who'd catch your eye.
Not the type of girl Isaac usually ended up with, he thought. He immediately banished the thought- he didn't even know why the thought of hooking up had crossed paths with his thoughts of Meg, but he didn't want them anywhere near each other. You don't like her, remember? he scolded himself.
"So... Do I have a big zit on my face, or what?" Her voice interrupted his thoughts. He snapped out of it.
"Sorry, what?"
"You were staring," Meg said plaintively. "I wanted to know what at."
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to stare." He shrugged. "Just spacing off, I guess. I'm pretty tired."
"You should sleep," she said. He wanted to snap, Yeah, duh genius, but thought that with his previous track record with her, he had better keep his criticisms to hiimself. Zac and Kate reentered the bus, full of renewed energy from their sojourn into the Texaco station, returning with slurpees and corn nuts. They chattered animatedly together, and Meg thought that they reminded her more of best friends than a romantic couple. "He reminds me of my brother," she spoke aloud.
"Who, Zac?" Ike asked. She nodded quietly, swirling the coffee around in the bottom of her cup. "How old is yours?"
"Zac's age, about a week apart I think," she said. "He's a senior in high school this year."
"Do you miss your family?" If there's anything I can relate to, Isaac thought, it's missing someone.
"Not really," she answered. "I mean, I do in that vague sort of it-would-be-rude-not-to way, but I'm not home sick. I'm just worried."
"About?"
"Travis- my brother. He's having a hard time deciding what to do with his life- military or college? And if college, history or theology? Will he be a professional minister? Or a marine?" She sighed. "I want to see him happy, and with the world like it is, the military is dangerous. And the ministry... Ugh. It's so convoluted, I just... I planned on being there this year, and now I'm not, and I'm just worried. I shouldn't worry," she berated herself. She went on almost as though Isaac weren't even there. "I know I can trust God, I should leave it up to Him, but I'm the oldest. I'm used to being in some level of control, some position of advice-giving, mentoring. I was gone last year and things went to crap at home... Don't get me wrong. I want to do this, I made the decision to come. But I worry."
"What about your parents?" Isaac asked. She looked up, half surprised that he was there. The look on his face wasn't concern, but it wasn't disinterest either. Kate was right; Ike could be entirely unreadable sometimes.
"They've got issues of their own," she answered shortly. "They're a great family. They love each other and me very much. But things are hard, the real world is catching up with them... With all of us... A girl just has to worry, that's all." Meg forced herself to smile brightly. "Well, I don't know about you, but I can't wait to get to Boise, if only for the showers." She rose and rinsed her coffee cup in the sink, and left it there to disappear into the bunk hall. Ike watched her go, and couldn't quite sort out how he felt about her at the moment.
Also, some notes on the story and little disclaimer:
I don't know Hanson, and I hardly know anything about Hanson. This story is bullshit, AKA: Fiction. I made it up. I don't even pretend to be affiliated with hanson other than being a street team and h.net member. So. bugger off with the "you lie" complaints. No shit I lie. I'm a writer.
IRL: I have no idea at Isaac's status of sexual conduct or misconduct. It's none of my damn business. It makes for a great plot mover though. Everyone likes sex. Everyone likes to be angry about sex. It works. I am only guessing at personalities, and no, I don't think Ike is a big fat asshat. I happen to think he's the most personable and down-to-earth member of the band. Zac=The New Taylor, Ike's supposed promiscuity, and a few other mentions are all kudos to the lovely gossip in hanson.
WARNING: I swear in this story. We all swear in this story. We have all heard Hanson swear before, and so I'm not about to censor it and pretend they don't in this. Especially not in THIS situation.
Oh, also, as far as I know they don't have plans for a companion book, and since I said it first, I should get royalties if they DO come out with one. :D Kidding. I wouldn't mind writing it for them, though, and even for less than $25000. :) I'd settle for $20000. Ha!
Anyway. I think that's all I have to say. I don't care how realistic this is. I'm having fun dammit. Comment if you feel the need, but if you're unnecessarily critical, or take this too seriously, I will probably let loose the hounds of hell and some of Pandora's magically delicious goodness on your ass.