Fast-forward a couple of years to Isaac’s eighteenth birthday. That made Taylor fifteen and Zac and I thirteen years old. The boys had gone through a considerable amount of puberty. I had, but not as much as them. They were taller, more muscular, and with deeper voices. It was very funny to watch them go through it, but once I hit it and started bleeding every month, it wasn’t so funny anymore.

The boys were now also a worldwide phenomenon. They were a band called Hanson and had sold millions of records around the world. I was left many months without the companionship of Isaac, Taylor, and Zac, and it broke my heart. When they would come back from promotion and touring, I would be so happy that I wanted to cry. They were the closest things I had to brothers.

As usual, Isaac was having a party for his eighteenth. But this one was extra special because he was now a legal adult. He invited all of his buds over for a get together, sans parents. They trusted their son, but were close by – they stayed at my house during the party with the younger crowd. Taylor, Zac and I were almost not invited, but Zac’s whining got Mrs. Hanson to change Isaac’s mind. “Okay you guys, you can come, but you three go do your own thing okay?” he asked, giving us the evil eye. “Don’t bother me and my friends.”

“Why, are you guys going to drink?” Taylor asked half-jokingly. When Isaac didn’t answer, Taylor’s face filled with glee. “You are!” he screamed excitedly. “I’m so going to tell Mom and Dad on you!”

“Tay, if you do that, you, Trish and Zac will not be allowed to come to this party, or any of my parties hereafter,” Isaac practically growled. “I mean it. And you’re going to have to sleep with one eye open.”

Taylor turned whiter than he already was. “Sorry,” he squeaked. When Isaac got mean, he got mean.

“That goes for you two,” Isaac said, glaring at Zac and I. Zac rolled his eyes and I just nodded, my eyes wide.

“I won’t say anything,” I swore. At that point, I would’ve rather had to shave my hair for the rest of my life than not be invited to Isaac’s birthday parties.

“Me either,” Zac said, sounding rather bored and not trusting. But Isaac ignored him.

“So you guys will behave?” Isaac asked. I nodded, Taylor nodded, and Zac sort-of nodded. “Okay. Don’t bother us, okay?” We all did our nods again, and Isaac went to make some calls.

“Ike’s such a pooper,” Zac said, plopping down on the couch. “Why can’t we have some drinks with him and his friends? He’s not allowed to drink until he’s twenty-one, so we should be able to drink too.”

Taylor nodded. “Yeah, we should,” he said. He looked over at me. “Would you drink if we did, Trish?”

“What makes you think Ike’s going to give you alcohol?” I asked.

“If he’s wasted enough, he won’t remember who’s who,” Taylor grinned, indicating that he had done this before.

“No, that’s okay,” I replied, as if I were turning down an extra piece of pizza.

“Why not?” Taylor asked.

“Um, because I’m thirteen and alcohol’s gross.”

“Why?” Taylor pressed. I wanted to sock him sometimes and this was one of those times.

“Because it’s alcohol and it makes you stupid.”

“Fine, suit yourself. But if Zac and I get alcohol, we’re going to be drinking,” Taylor shrugged. I shrugged back.

“You guys can drink then, I’ll just go home,” I replied. It didn’t matter to me at the moment. I didn’t want to hang around them if they were going to drink.

“Oh Trish, don’t be such a priss,” Taylor said, rolling his eyes. “Just have a little.”

“Taylor, shut up, if she doesn’t want any don’t make her drink it,” Zac told him. I loved Zac, I really did.

Taylor looked at Zac. “Are you going to be drinking if I can get some alcohol?” he queried.

Zac shrugged. “If I feel like it,” he grinned. “Maybe, maybe not.”

Taylor rolled his eyes again. “Fine,” was his reply, like a worn out woman after a fight with her significant other. I grinned and looked at Zac, who smiled at me, a sparkle in his eyes.

"Hey Trish, yur lookin’ rilly cute too-nite,” Isaac slurred, several hours into the party. He slung his arm around me and I pushed it off as gently as I could. “I mean, geez, how could I not have noticed how cute y’are?”

“Maybe it’s because you’ve been drinking a lot, sweetheart,” I grinned bitter sweetly. I was tired of watching a bunch of legal adults who weren’t old enough to drink get drunk off their asses. I was keeping a watch on Taylor and Zac, who were so baffled by Isaac’s disposition that they had backed away.

“No, I’ve always thought you’er rilly cute, but’chur only thirteen and I’m only seventeen – no wait, eighteen now, hehehe…”

I listened to him drone on and watched the rest of his friends talk to each other and do stupid things, like pee on each other (I’m not joking. Isn’t that disgusting?). I was going to tell him about this in the morning, after his hangover had subsided.

“Yur so precious, Trsh,” Isaac grinned stupidly. “I’d marry you and fuck you in a second and we’d have behbehs and we could name ‘em Clarke Isaac Hanson Jr. and Trish Jr. and we’cn ‘ave Tay and Zac baby-sit for us and I’d make you the happiest woman on earth -- ”

I pushed Isaac off of me and ran upstairs, totally disgusted by his behavior. I heard someone coming up after me – Taylor. Followed by Zac. I ran into Isaac’s room and threw myself on the bed. Someone shut the door behind him, and someone else sat next to me as I buried my face in Isaac’s cleanly made bed. His sheets smelled like his cologne.

“I hate Ike when he’s drunk,” I said, my voice muffled by the blankets. “He’s such an asshole.”

A comforting hand was placed on my back. “Yeah, he’s usually not like this when he’s drunk,” Taylor said, scratching my back lightly. “He usually only gets a little buzzed.”

“Yeah. Don’t worry Trish, Ike hits on us when he’s buzzed and tells us the same things he told you,” Zac said. I chuckled, even though it creeped me out to hear Isaac say he’d marry me and fuck me “in a second”.

I turned over and Taylor took his hand off my back and put it in his lap. “What happened to you wanting to get drunk tonight?” I asked him, laying my hands across my stomach.

Taylor shrugged. “I saw how stupid Ike was acting and decided against it. Plus I don’t want to be hung over,” he said. I smiled at him. I love Taylor.

“Why don’t we go watch a movie or something? Trish, we know you love watching The Pest, and you know we’ve got it,” Zac said, in his oh-so-manly voice.

“Sure, that’d be fun,” I said. Zac got up to get it and I sat up, facing Taylor. “So no getting wasted for you tonight, huh?” I asked, grinning.

He shook his head. “Nah. I might say things to you that will drive you away,” he smiled. “Why, did you want to drink?”

I shook my head. “Not tonight. Maybe next time.”

Taylor nodded. “Next time as in tomorrow?” he grinned. I rolled my eyes. Zac came back in and put in the tape, and I got comfortable again on Isaac’s bed. I crawled under his covers and Taylor, Zac and I watched The Pest in peace, with no drunkard teenagers coming ‘round.

I didn’t realize it, but I had fallen asleep during the middle of the movie. Taylor had crawled under the covers with me, but he and Zac stayed awake. It was the yelling that woke me up and made me realize that I hadn’t been paying attention.

“CLARKE ISAAC HANSON!” a voice bellowed throughout the house. “WHERE ARE YOU YOUNG MAN?!”

I woke up, startled, to find Taylor’s back in front of me. “Oh shit, Dad’s home!” Taylor whispered in a panicked voice.

I shrunk under the covers. I had never heard Mr. Hanson so angry in his life, and he had just yelled a few words.

Zac jumped up and dove onto Isaac’s bed with us. He slipped under the covers behind me, and all three of us lay there, as still as possible.

“You know, this is kind of kinky,” Zac whispered. “A three-some with Trish and – ew, never mind.”

I laughed quietly, and we heard footsteps coming towards Isaac’s room. “IKE! ARE YOU IN HERE?!” Mr. Hanson bellowed, pushing the door open. When he saw Taylor, Zac and I in the bed, he looked surprised. “Where’s your brother?” he asked, a dangerous edge in his voice.

“I don’t know,” Taylor said, his voice breaking. “I really don’t know, Dad.”

Mr. Hanson looked at me. “I think it’s best that you get yourself home, Trish,” he said in a softer tone. I nodded, and as soon as Mr. Hanson left I jumped out of the bed.

“Well, I’ll talk to you guys later,” I said, as Taylor and Zac got up too. “I better get home. I don’t want to be around to see what your Dad does.”

Taylor and Zac nodded and bounded down the steps with me to the door. “Can we come home with you?” Taylor asked, in all seriousness. I shrugged; I didn’t care. Taylor smiled and was about to follow me home, but Mr. Hanson’s voice stopped him dead in his tracks: “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Uh, bye Trish,” Zac said, his eyes wide as I turned around. I waved at them, sprinting across the street to the comforts of my own home.