Pedal to the floor
Thinkin' of the roar
Gotta get us to the show
California here we come
-"California" (Phantom Planet)
--
Sunday night
"He's sick. I think he drank too much. I think he has alcohol poisoning."
Zac looked worried.
"What?" Taylor asked, getting off the bed. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, just uh, come look, okay? Kate said he does. I think we need to call 911."
"Oh my God." Michelle said.
Taylor and Michelle rushed to get dressed as Zac waited in the doorway.
"He's passed out on the couch," Zac said as the three rushed into the living room. Kate was sitting next to him, trying to get him to drink a glass of water, but Isaac was totally passed out. There were two guys Taylor didn't recognize standing over him, clearly concerned. One shook his shoulder and asked repeatedly if he was okay. After a moment, they shrugged and walked away to rejoin the party, saying something about letting him "sleep it off."
Kate shook her head, disgusted at Isaac's friends lack of concern over his welfare.
"I know what to do," Kate told Taylor, sitting up. "I've seen this happen to friends."
Michelle rushed over to Isaac, sitting on the opposite side of him, and shook his shoulder gently.
"Ike?" she said gently. "Wake up."
"I've tried," Kate sighed, putting the untouched glass of water on the coffee table. "He's totally passed out."
Isaac stirred and mumbled something, slowly comprehending what was going on.
"Who is that? Michelle?" he slurred, obviously heavily intoxicated. He then passed back out.
"IKE!" Michelle said more loudly, "I need you to stay awake, buddy."
"How long has he been passed out like this?" Taylor demanded. Zac shrugged. Kate, obviously worried about Ike, glanced worriedly between Zac and Taylor.
"Not long, I don't think..." Zac said, "Kate and I were in the kitchen and I came out and he was passed out. Kate told me he may have alcohol poisoning."
"Shit." Taylor swore, trying to decide what they should do. He worried that they would get in trouble taking Isaac to the hospital because they were underage, and Zac was obviously drunk.
"Taylor, he has alcohol poisoning." Kate said, as if reading his mind. "Better safe than sorry. I think we should take him to the hospital.
Taylor could see Ike was shivering. It wasn't cold in the room.
"Should we just make him throw up?" Zac asked.
"No, that's not a good idea," Kate said, sure she knew what she was talking about. "I remember this from school. They made us take a class on Alcohol and Drugs. You're not supposed to make them throw up because they could choke in their own vomit."
Michelle looked at Kate, alarmed.
"Shit, shit," she muttered, throwing a blanket over Ike. She continued to sit next to him, still talking to him to keep him awake, but it was no use. He was passed out cold.
Kate continued. "We should just take him to the hospital. He may need his stomach pumped."
"Did he really drink that much?" Taylor asked, disgusted with his brother for putting his life in danger and partying so hard.
"Yeah, I saw him him doing shots of tequila earlier," she replied matter-of-factly.
Zac pulled away from Kate.
"Okay, who's gunna drive?" he slurred, swaying a bit.
"Obviously not you." Michelle said, getting up. She looked at Taylor, who she could tell was really scared by the look on his face. Michelle knew she had to take charge and deal with the situation as Isaac's life may depend on it.
"Tay, get Ike up. You and Zac can get him into the car. I'll go pull it up to the curb."
And with that, she was out the door, grabbing her keys on the way out from the side table.
"Where's Natalie?" Kate asked, looking around for her friend.
Zac shrugged. "I think I saw her in the kitchen earlier talking to Paul."
"Can you go get her?"
"Sure," Zac said, running back to find her. He returned not a minute later with Natalie in tow.
"What's wrong with Ike?" she asked, seeing him passed out on the couch.
"He's sick. We're taking him to the hospital." Taylor replied.
Taylor was scared for his brother, but didn't want to show it. He'd never seen his brother this drunk. Isaac was sprawled on the couch, half in and out of consciousness, so drunk Taylor could barely make out what he was saying. But he knew he couldn't freak out, they had to get Isaac to the hospital.
"Zac, come on." Taylor said, bending down and putting his arm under Isaac's right arm, motioning for Zac to do the same on the otherside. It took them two tries to get Isaac up. They struggled as they stumbled towards the door carrying Isaac, who was still completely passed out. Kate held the door open for them, following closely behind.
"We can't just leave all these people in our house," Taylor said, worried but not enough to feel comfortable leaving a bunch of their friends, some of which he didn't even know, partying in their house alone without supervision.
Kate nodded. "I agree. Do you want me to kick everyone out?"
Taylor nodded gratefully, stumbling on a rock in the sidewalk, almost causing them to all topple over. Zac grunted, clearly over-exerted by the effort of carrying his oldest brother.
Kate turned on her heel and marched back into the apartment and over to the stereo and switched it off. Natalie followed her, unsure how to be of help in this situation.
"HEY!" Kate yelled loudly, trying to get everyone's attention. "Everyone, get the hell out! Party's over!"
Everyone stopped talking and looked at her, confused.
"Party's over? What"? Some guy slurred, waving a beer in the air. "Chill girl, just have a beer."
Everyone started talking. One guy asked if there was any more beer. Another guy asked where Taylor was. Then they went back to what they were doing. Some guy reached over and turned the stereo back on.
Kate put her hands on her hips, gaze like steel, turned the stereo off again, and addressed the room once more, upset that she was not being taken seriously.
"GET OUT!" she yelled, "NOW! Or I am calling the POLICE!"
That did it. Since many of the people there were underage, the last thing they wanted was the cops showing up. She opened the door and watched as quite a few people slowly filed out, giving her dirty looks. But some people remained, and continued to party, ignoring her. She heard the horn honk outside.
Kate knew she had to leave. There wasn't enough time to kick everyone out. Zac needed her support.
She turned to Natalie.
"Nat, can you stay here and make sure things don't get too crazy?"
Natalie nodded, happy to help. "Of course."
Kate thanked Natalie and ran back outside and hopped into the car.
"Wait, where's Nat?" Taylor asked Kate.
"I left her to watch the apartment when we were gone. I couldn't get everyone to leave."
"Good idea," Taylor said. He noted that Kate was good in an emergency, and for that he was grateful.
The car sped away, headed towards the closest hospital.
Zac took his phone out and dialed Marit's number. In his drunk state, she was the first person he thought it call. He knew that even though Ike and her had broken up a while back, they remained close.
"Marit?" Zac asked when she picked up.
There was a pause. "Zac? Is that you?" Marit asked. She was surprised to hear from him. It had been a while.
"Yeah, it's me. Look, Ike is sick...he has alcohol, uh, poisoning. We're taking him to the hospital." he slurred.
Kate asked him who was on the line. He waved her away, covering his other ear with his hand so he could hear better. Michelle and Taylor were talking loudly in the front seat, and that mixed with the sounds of the car made it hard for him to hear Marit.
"What? Is he okay?" she asked, concerned.
"Are you in town? Can you meet us at the hospital? I think Ike would like to see you."
Zac knew that Marit and Marion had recently been in town promoting their second album which had been released in November of the previous year. Zac also knew that their hit single off the album, "Everything", Marion had written and had been inspired by his relationship with her. He didn't really want to see Marion, but knew this wasn't about him.
Kate continued to stare at him, curious who he was talking to.
Had he not been drunk, he may have not called Marit. But as the expression goes; it seemed like a good idea at the time.
After telling Marit where the hospital was, he hung up the phone and returned it to his pocket.
--
Kate has been right, Isaac had alcohol poisoning, and his stomach needed to be pumped. After arriving at the hospital, he'd been immediately taken in. They'd all been asked to wait in the waiting room, and told by the doctor that he would let them know when the procedure was over.
It had been about an hour since they'd taken Isaac back. It was around 3 a.m. Everyone was worried and on edge.
"He'll be okay, right?" Zac asked, fiddling with his sweatshirt. Kate had her hand on his leg and squeezed it gently.
"He's going to be fine. We got him here in time. He'll be hungover as hell tomorrow, but he'll be fine. Trust me. I have been through this with a friend before."
Zac nodded, still worried, but calmed by Kate's words and her touch. No one knew he had called Marit on the car ride to the hospital. As he waited for her to arrive, he worried about what his brother's reactions would be. Now that he was sobering up, he was starting to realize maybe calling her had been a bad idea, but it was too late now to call her back and ask her not to come - he knew if he tried, she'd still come anyway.
Taylor sighed and looked at his watch, taking another sip of his coffee Michelle had gotten for him out of the vending machine. He grimaced at the bitter taste.
"This is the worst coffee I have ever had. For real." Taylor said, as he put it down.
"Agreed," Michelle said, setting hers down as well.
"Does anyone want anything from the cafeteria?" she asked, getting up.
Everyone shook their heads.
"I'll be right back," she said, getting up and walking away.
Zac looked at Taylor. "Tay, I shouldn't have let him drink that much. I should have been watching."
"Zac, it's not your fault. Ike just drank too much. All he has to blame is himself."
Zac nodded, not convinced.
There was silence as they waited for Michelle to return, no one knew what to say.
Suddenly, a voice was heard down the hall.
"Zac?"
Taylor's head shot up, immediately recognizing the voice.
"Is that...Marit?" he asked, surprised, looking at Zac.
Zac looked at the ground.
"I called her. In the car."
Both Kate and Taylor's faces registered surprise.
Marit came running up, winded.
"Is he okay?" she asked immediately, not bothering with pleasantries.
Taylor got up and hugged her. "Marit! Yeah, he's going to be fine. They are pumping his stomach."
Marit frowned. "Wow, that sucks."
"Yeah, he's really dumb," Taylor laughed and rolled his eyes, but Marit could tell he was really worried.
"It's good to see you, Tay." she said.
He nodded and flashed her a genuine smile. "Likewise. I just wish it were on better terms."
Marit then turned and walked over at Zac.
"Hey, Zac. Long time no see."
He got up and hugged her as well.
"Thanks for coming."
Kate didn't get up, so Marit waved at her and smiled a genuine smile.
"Hello again."
Kate smiled and waved back.
"Hey, Marit."
Marit sat down next to Kate and Zac on the couch.
"So, what happened? How'd he drink so much?" she asked.
"I don't know," Zac sighed. "We were having a party at the apartment and he was fine...and then all the sudden he was really drunk. I told Tay, and Michelle drove him here."
"Michelle?" Marit asked, not knowing who he was referring to.
"Taylor's girlfriend." he said, glancing at his brother, who was staring into space.
As if on cue, Michelle returned with a armful of snacks.
"I know we all said we weren't hungry, but who knows how long we'll be here so I bought one of everything," she said as she dumped them all on the side table next to the bench her and Tay were sitting on. Kate took a bag of chips, opened it and and nibbled on one. She offered Zac one, but he shook his head. She raised her eyebrow, surprised. It wasn't like Zac to turn down his favorite snack food. She shrugged and ate another chip.
"I'm Michelle," Michelle said, seeing Marit and extending her hand.
"Hey, Michelle! I'm Marit." she replied, smiling and shaking Michelle's hand.
Michelle knew who Marit was. Isaac had told her about how she and him had dated on tour and after, and how they had broken up because the long-distance relationship was too hard. Michelle also knew who Marit was through her band, M2M, who were pretty well known at the time. Michelle wondered why Marit was there, but figured it wasn't her place to ask.
"Nice to meet you! Here, have some snacks if you're interested," she said, motioning to the snacks she had brought as she sat back down next to Taylor.
"So Marit, what are you in town for?" Taylor asked.
"We're promoting the new album." she replied, grabbing a cheese stick.
Zac and Kate were whispering to each-other, oblivious to what the others were talking about.
"We're?" Taylor asked, but before the words were out of his mouth, he realized what she meant; Marion was with her.
"Is Marion is in town, too?" he asked hopefully.
Zac and Kate both looked up at hearing Marion's name mentioned. Marit unwrapped the cheese stick and took a bite.
"Yeah, she's back at the hotel. She...uh, wanted to come, but wasn't sure if she'd be welcome." she said, glancing at Zac and Kate. Zac, clearly uncomfortable at the mention of Marion, muttered something about needing some air and walked away. Kate followed him, whispering something in his ear, clearly distraught.
Taylor nodded, watching Zac and Kate walk away. The look on his face was unreadable.
"That's probably good. I'd love to see Marion, but the last thing we need is drama. We're here for Ike."
Marit nodded her head vigorously. "Totally agreed."
She paused then added. "But Marion would love to see you, Tay. I know she misses you. We're in town a few days. Maybe you two could get together?"
Taylor nodded. "I would love that. And she could meet Michelle." he smiled, glancing over at his girlfriend.
"Do you have her recent number?" Marit asked. "She changed it."
Taylor said he didn't, and Marit took his phone and entered Marion's new number into it for him.
Michelle listened to their conversation with interest. She also knew that Marion and Zac had a past, though she didn't know the specifics of how it had ended. Taylor had told her Zac dated her on the This Time Around tour, after Michelle had left it and M2M had replaced her as the opening act. Michelle hadn't asked why they had broken up, and Taylor hadn't told her. She was starting to suspect, though, the break-up hadn't been mutual, and perhaps Kate had something to do with it.
The more Michelle learned about Kate, the less she liked her, honestly.
---
Monday
Isaac had been so embarrassed by what had happened the night before that he hadn't left his bedroom all day. Taylor had called Stirling and told him they couldn't record because Isaac was sick. Marit had stayed the night and had slept on the couch. Michelle had a meeting with her manager, and Zac, Natalie and Kate were off to the airport, so Taylor and Marit were left to do whatever they wanted. Taylor decided to go with Marit to their hotel to see Marion.
Two two arrived at the hotel around 1PM, and walked up to the room Marit and Marion were sharing. Taylor knocked. Marion opened the door, beaming. Marit had told her Taylor was coming over, and she was excited to see him. She hadn't seen him since the tour ended. The two had become close friends on tour, and she had missed him.
She flung the door open, smiling widely.
"TAYLOR!' she screeched, giving him a big hug. "It's so good to see you!"
Taylor hugged her back, smiling widely as well.
"Let me look at you," he said, letting go of her and taking a step back.
"You look great, Mar." he said honestly. She still wore her brown hair long, but now had bangs. She looked older, fit and happy.
"Thanks, Tay! You too! I love the haircut! Here, come in!" she said, stepping back and letting them in.
"And who is this?" she asked, referring to Michelle.
"Oh! This is my girlfriend, Michelle." Taylor said.
Michelle extended her hand, and the two women shook hands.
"Nice to meet you! I've heard good things about you," Michelle said.
"Nice to meet you too!" Marion said.
The four sat down on the couch in the room and chatted for a while. Marion brought them up to date on what was going on with M2M. She explained how her and Marit were in town self-promoting their latest album, The Big Room, because their label had not given it the promotion they thought it deserved. Taylor discussed the struggle him and his brothers were having with Island def Jam. After a while, the conversation turned to Zac.
"So, uh how is Zac these days?' Marion asked casually, getting up and grabbing some sodas from the mini fridge. She passed them around and sat back down.
"He's okay." Taylor said honestly, "Out of the three of us, he's the most frustrated with the label. I think he's making things harder than the they need to be, to be honest. He's just being a real asshole. You know how he can be."
Marion nodded, cracking open her soda and taking a big gulp.
"Don't I know it."
All four were silent for a bit, feelings the awkwardness of talking about Zac.
"Is he, uh, still with Kate?"
Taylor nodded.
"Yeah, he is."
Marion shook her head. "Big fucking surprise." she paused then continued. "Well, they deserve eachother." she said crisply, downing the rest of her soda and throwing it in the trash can like a basketball.
"Trust me, Mar, you can do better," was all Taylor could think of to say.
"Oh, I know." Marion smiled. "I don't want him back or anything. I was just curious. So how's Ike doing?" she asked, changing the subject.
"He's good," Michelle replied. "We got back around 6A.M. last night, and put him to bed. He was still sleeping when we left this afternoon."
"I'd love to see him." Marion said
"Why don't you come over?" Taylor said, then added, "Zac and Kate aren't home."
Marion thought about it for a second.
"Are you sure they won't come back?"
"I doubt it. Zac is driving her back to the airport, and you know how long that can take. I'll tell him to text me before he gets home, so we can leave if we know he's coming back."
"Okay," Marion said. "Let's do it."
--
Kate, Natalie and Zac were sitting in traffic, bored. Zac was always surprised at how there seemed to always be bumper-to-bumper traffic in L.A. They were quiet. Last night's events had exhausted them, both physically and mentally. They had slept in, then immediately left for the airport. Kate's flight was at 3P.M. and Zac was worried he'd underestimated the traffic and they wouldn't make it in time.
There was something on Zac's mind, though, something he had been thinking about for some time and had been waiting for the right time to talk to Kate about it. He had planned to talk to her about it last night, but obviously that hadn't worked out. He figured this time was good as any. He glanced back and saw that Natalie had fallen asleep in the back seat.
Zac took his right hand off the stick shift and placed it on Kate's thigh.
"Babe?" he said, glancing over at her.
"Hmmm?" she replied absentmindedly, turning from looking out the window and looking at him.
"I want to talk about something with you."
"Sure. What is it?"
Zac paused before he continued. He was nervous. This was an important conversation and he wanted to make sure he approached it the right way.
"I want to talk about sex." he said, then instantly regretted how stupid it had sounded.
Kate laughed, amused.
"What?"
Zac took a deep breath. "I mean, I want to talk about sex, us having it...or not having it."
Kate raised her eyebrow.
"Do you want to have sex with me, Zachary?"
Zac blushed, worried it was a trick question. "Uh...No?"
Kate looked at him, obviously offended.
"No! I do. Yes, I do want to have sex with you, babe. Of course. What I mean is that, uh, I think we should...wait."
Kate studied Zac. That was the last thing she thought he'd say. They hadn't had sex yet, but they'd gotten close. He'd always been the one to stop, and Kate had started to wonder why he didn't seem to be in a hurry to have sex, like most of her friends were.
Zac waited for a response from her.
"Me too," she finally said. "I think we should wait, too. It will be more special then."
Zac breathed a sigh of relief.
"I love you," he said, looking at her so intensely and with such love it made her look away, embarrassed.
"I love you too, Zachary," she said, taking his hand and lifting it to her mouth to kiss his thumb.
He merged on to the freeway, letting go of her hand, and shifting into a higher gear as he sped up to catch up with traffic. He glanced down and saw a small lipstick mark on his hand and smiled.
--
Marit, Taylor, Michelle and Marion arrived back at the apartment to find Isaac awake and lounging in the living room in his pajamas with the lights off, the TV on, and the volume turned down. He was surprised to see Marit, but greeted her warmly. He had seen her last night, but hadn't remembered because he had been so drunk.
Isaac and Marit had kept in touch since they had broken up last June. They texted and called each other often, but hadn't seen each other since the break up. Isaac definitely still had feelings for her. There were no hard feelings between them, though. Isaac had been devastated when Marit broke up with him, but had understood why. Sometimes when he felt lonely, he secretly wished she'd move to Los Angeles and they could get back together. He'd been involved with other girls since, mostly fans, but had not had a serious girlfriend since Marit.
Marit and Isaac sat down on the couch together, Michelle, Marion and Taylor made an excuse to go into the kitchen, assuming the two would want some alone time to catch up.
"We were really worried about you last night," Marit chided. "You gave us a good scare."
Isaac sighed. "I am so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking."
Marit smiled, feeling bad for Isaac. He was obviously really embarrassed.
"We're just glad you're okay," she said.
"How did you know what happened?" Isaac asked.
"Tay called me."
Something else was on Isaac's mind.
"Why didn't you tell me you were going to be in L.A.?" he asked, curious.
"I was going to when I knew how long I'd be here. I just got here yesterday."
Isaac nodded.
"I've missed you," he said. "I'm really glad you're here."
"Me, too." Marit said, taking his hand and squeezing it.
The two stared at each other, feeling the familiar spark between them.
"So, what brings you to L.A. - Isaac began to ask, clearing his throat, but he was interrupted by the front door opening.
Marit quickly took her hand out of Isaac's and looked up. Zac stood in the doorway. He closed the door behind him and took off his jacket, laying it down on the big arm chair.
"Hey guys. What's wrong?" he asked, seeing the look on Marit's face.
Right then, Marion and Taylor walked into the living room.
Her and Zac looked at each-other, shocked.
"I thought you said he wouldn't be here!" Marion said, looking at Taylor, clearly upset.
Taylor gulped and looked at Zac. Zac looked at Marion, then at Taylor, then back at Marit.
"Shit," Marit muttered, getting up and walking over to Marion.
"I am so sorry, Mar. I was told he wouldn't be here." Marit said, giving Taylor a dirty look, who just shrugged apologetically.
Zac, knowing he wasn't welcome, had no desire to stay and get into it with Marion. Through it had been over a year since they broke up, the wounds were still fresh for her. He suspected a conversation with her wouldn't end well.
There was a long moment of awkward silence as they all stared at him.
"Not an issue, I'll just leave," he said quickly, putting his jacket back on, and turning back around and heading towards the door.
"Wait." Marion said, surprising everyone. "I'd like to talk to Zac, actually."
Zac turned around, taking his hand off the door knob and raising his eyebrows.
"Can we?" Marion asked.
"Uh, sure." he said carefully putting his jacket back on the chair.
"Let's go outside," she said, passing him and opening the front door, motioning for him to follow her. Zac did so.
Marion closed the door. She sat down on a patio chair on the porch. Zac shoved his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to talk.
He studied her. She looked different than she had when he had dated her. Her hair was still long, but it had been lightened a bit, and was wavy now. And she had bangs. She was dressed in dark blue jeans and western-type leather shirt, with a brown jacket over it. He had to admit she looked good.
"So, how have you been?" she asked, looking up at him and meeting his gaze.
"Okay." he said tentatively, wondering where the conversation was going and what her agenda was.
Zac was on edge, but as he studied Marion he realized she wasn't angry. Maybe she wasn't going to rip him a new one, as he thought, maybe she did really just want to talk.
"I've always regretted how it went down with us," she began.
He raised his eyebrow, surprised.
She saw his expression and knew she had to clarify.
"I mean, Zac, that we didn't have any closure. Like, I just left and we never saw each other or spoke again. It was really hard for me. I guess what I want to say is that I'm not mad anymore. You hurt me a lot, but I get it."
She continued.
"I just wish you hadn't lied to me. I wish you had been honest with me about Kate."
Zac sighed, he knew she was right.
"I'm so sorry, Marion. I acted like such a dick. But I know you don't believe this now, but you meant a lot to me back then."
Marion smiled up at him and said sadly, "You meant a lot to me, too Zac. Still, to this day, you are the most beautiful boy I have ever seen."
Zac wasn't sure how to or if he should respond to that remark. He wanted to tell her that she too was one of the more beautiful girls he'd ever met - which was true, but wondered if that would be an appropriate thing to say.
She reached into her bag and took out a CD and handed it to him.
"Here. This is for you. A copy of our new album. Seems like you should get a copy as a lot of it is inspired by you." she winked.
Zac took the copy, and turned it over, looking at the back.
"Thanks, Marion. I'm sure it's really great."
He wasn't being sarcastic; he was actually excited to listen to it. Despite what Marion and him had been through, he had always liked M2M's music.
"You're welcome."
--
Hello loves!
We hope you are enjoying the story! If you are, tell us what you think! Are you rooting for Tay and Michelle? Who is your favorite character/couple? What do you think will happen?
Stay tuned for Part 2 of this chapter later this week!
-xo Becky and Natali