Zac stuck his head into the bathroom and rolled his eyes when he caught sight of Taylor checking himself over in the mirror. “Would you hurry up in here, princess? We’ve been downstairs waiting for ten years already.”

“Shit, Zac, I said I’m coming, all right? Just give me another second.” After messing with his hair for twenty minutes, debating on whether to leave it down or tie it back, he finally decided and wrapped a black rubber band around his hair at the nape of his neck. He gave his T-shirt one last tug and decided he was ready. He flipped the bathroom light off and jogged down the stairs of the house they were renting during their time in California. Walker, Isaac and Zac were all waiting in the living room, equally annoyed expressions on their faces.

“Why the hell are you so worried about how you look anyway?” Isaac asked in irritation as they trooped outside to the car.

“I’m not. Sorry if I don’t want to look like I just rolled out the bed every day like some people. Besides, we’re meeting our tutor today. I didn’t want to look like a complete slob.”

“Oooh yeah, the foreign guy,” Zac piped up. “I forgot about that.”

“Andrew,” Walker corrected from the front seat. “Quit calling him the foreign guy.”

They arrived at the studio in less than ten minutes, and filed slowly into the building, less than eager to deal with school-related things after two lax weeks of nothing but music. Andrew MacDermott had been hired to instruct the boys in Math and Science while in California, a task usually taken on by a tutor back home in Tulsa. Walker had given them a break from school for the last few weeks and let the boys get on a roll with recording, but wanted to focus them back on school. It was agreed upon that lessons would take place at the studio in the morning, and recording could be done from lunchtime until they decided to quit for the day.

Walker led them to the old conference room where their schooling would take place. Inside, they met Andrew, a tall man with a smiling face and thick Irish accent. “Good morning! Nice to meet you all,” he said warmly, shaking each boy’s hand as they introduced themselves to him. Andrew stepped to the side and gestured towards a small, round-faced girl with blond curls that hung to her waist. “This is my daughter…”

“Reese,” she interjected with an accent as thick and a smile as bright as her father’s. “I hope you don’t mind me using your tutor as well.”

“Okay, well I’ll leave you guys to the fun stuff and go talk to some people downstairs. Andrew, just come let me know when it’s my turn,” Walker said with a grin, backing out of the room and shutting the door.

The boys worked vigorously at their school work, eager to get it done as quickly as possible so that they could get back to music. Finally, at 11:30, all of their lessons were finished, and they relaxed in the conference room while they waited for lunch to arrive. It was only then that they had time to get to know Reese.

Taylor began setting up his laptop on the desk while asking Reese, “How old are you?”

“Fifteen,” she answered with another blinding smile. “I’ll be sixteen at the end of July. What about you guys?”

“I’m thirteen,” Zac threw in. “Taylor just turned sixteen not too long ago. Reese, I can’t get over how much your accent kicks ass.”

Taylor laughed at his brother’s simple amusements, spinning the chair from side to side while he waited for the computer to finish warming up. “Hey, how come your dad always calls you Catelin?”

“Catelin’s my first name, but I go by my middle name. I’m named after my mother, so it was always kind of confusing and so everyone started calling me Reese to make it easier. Only mine’s spelled C-A-T-E-L-I-N and my mom’s was C-A-I-T-L-I-N. When she named me, she figured that was enough difference, but I guess not,” she laughed. “Anyway, my dad’s always just called me Catelin, so he tends to get people confused anyway.”

“Oh, really? Me and Isaac go by our middle names too,” Taylor replied. “My first name’s Jordan.”

“Are we going to get to meet your mom?” Zac cut in again.

“No,” Reese answered quickly. “She left me and my dad six years ago, right after my grandmother died. Couldn’t handle it, I suppose…What is it you’re doing over there?” she asked Taylor suddenly, eager to change the topic.

“Just checking my email really fast before we start working.”

Zac laughed. “He’s looking to see if his girlfriend sent him anything.”

“You have a girlfriend?” Reese asked.

“No,” Taylor answered just as quickly as she had a moment before. “She’s just a really goof friend. Zac likes to confuse his terminology on purpose.”

Reese grinned and winked at Zac, knowing quickly that the two of them would be great friends by the time this album was recorded. His attitude appeared to be light and carefree, much like her own.

Taylor’s eyes quickly scanned through his inbox until he came to an email from Exhale. It had been nearly two weeks since he’d sent her the handwritten letter, and he hadn’t really had time to talk to her on the phone, nor had he received a response letter or email in that time, so he was anxious to see what she had to say.

Hey nerd!
     I loved your letter! But I’ve already told you that…I just thought I should tell you that I’m kind of glad you waited until the last minute to tell me you were leaving. Maybe it was easier that way? Having less time to dwell on it. Guess what?? I got my permit yesterday!! My parents are even talking about getting me a car! It won’t be anything too special, but how awesome is that anyway?! Okay, well I gotta get going over to Taston’s, but I miss you, and I’ll talk to you later!
          Luv Ya Lots,
          Haley

Taylor frowned and closed the computer without replying. His letter may have been short, but it had taken him nearly two hours to find the right words to say to her. Her reply seemed like it had taken no effort at all, and that bothered him. And he couldn’t help but wonder who in the world Taston was, since Exhale had never mentioned him before. Well, you can’t expect her to sit around and do nothing but wait on your calls just because you’re not there, Taylor reminded himself mentally.

“Everything okay?” Reese asked, noting the confused expression on his face.

Taylor looked up startled, having forgotten there were other people in the room. He forced a fake smile onto his face and replied, “Yeah. Everything’s great.”

_____________________

“Who’s this? Boyfriend?”

Exhale looked up from the textbook sprawled across her lap and saw Taston looking over the pictures thumb tacked up onto her bulletin board. “Oh, no, that’s just my friend Taylor. I told you I don’t have a boyfriend. If I did, he sure wouldn’t like that I’m spending all my time with you,” she teased, looking back down at her school work.

“How come I’ve never met him? I’ve met all your other friends.”

“That’s not saying much! It’s only Raine,” she replied with a laugh.

Taston smiled. “I’m just saying…I mean, he must be pretty important since he’s all over your room.” He gestured around to the framed pictures spread across nearly every surface.

“He went to Los Angeles for awhile. He left right before I met you, so that’s why you’ve never met him. And he is pretty important…Besides Raine, he’s my best friend.”

His next question made her look up again. “Do you think we’ll ever be like that? I’d really like that.”

Exhale shrugged and squinted her eyes in thought. “I don’t see why we couldn’t be.”

“Are you sure you and him never dated?” Taston asked, picking up the picture of them dancing at Taylor’s birthday party and looking at it skeptically.

“I think I’d know if we had,” she answered, getting slightly annoyed with all the interrogative questions about her and Taylor’s relationship.

“Okay, okay,” Taston replied with a laugh, holding up his hands. “Just asking.”

“Sorry,” she said with a sigh. “I just get a little worked up when I feel like I’m being questioned. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“I guess you have a lot of secrets…” Taston said softly.

“Not really. It’s more like I don’t reveal too much too soon. When I want someone to know something, they’ll know,” she said matter-of-factly.

“So I shouldn’t ask so many questions,” he said, more like he was telling himself than asking for her answer.

“When you get to know me better, you’ll know when I’m hiding something, and you’ll know whether or not to ask me about it. That’s the way it is with Taylor and Raine. But since Raine’s known me practically my whole life, she doesn’t even have to ask, she usually just knows.”

Taston grinned as he watched her talk. “God, you’re beautiful,” he said, shaking his head and laughing as he plopped down beside her on the bed.

Exhale was so shocked that she dropped her pen. “Excuse me?”

“I said that you’re-”

“No, I heard what you said,” she interrupted. “I’m just wondering if you’ve successfully covered up the fact that you’re legally blind for the last few weeks.” To illustrate her point, she spread his eye open with her fingers.

He caught her hand before she could lower it back down to her lap. “I lied before,” he said quietly.

“I knew there had to be a catch…” she said, trying to hide the fact that her heart was ready to pound itself right out of her chest with humor.

“No, not about being beautiful…I lied about wanting to be like you and Taylor are. I want to be a lot more than that.”

“Umm…what are you saying?”

“I want you to be my girlfriend, Exhale.” Taston smiled slowly at her, waiting for her response.

“You…you really mean that?” she asked, preparing herself for him to laugh and tell her he’d been joking. But that response didn’t come. Instead he only nodded.

Exhale smiled and nodded back. Her insides were screaming with excitement at the idea of finally having a boyfriend. And as much as she knew her chance with him had passed, she couldn’t stop everything within her from wishing it was Taylor instead.

INDEX | CHAPTER NINETEEN