Okay I am so jazzed. Whitelily (Hi Shar), Avecia, and XWaltzforVenusX (Hi DJ) have replied to and added me to their story alerts and in Whitelily's case I have been added to her favorite stories list. :) I love their stories and I read them again and again. Anyway thanks for all the replies and Avecia QueenB totally works. Thanks.
"Hey Man," Seth said as he came into the house after school.
Ryan looked up from the counter where his homework was and nodded at the other boy, "Hey. I looked for you at lunch today."
"Taylor and I were in the band room practicing."
"For?"
"Didn't I tell you? She needed an escort for the annual Debutante ball and I'm it."
"There's another one?"
"Not here, in Tree Hill. It's Thanksgiving weekend, so we're just brushing up on our waltzing skills."
"By the way, where is she? I think this is the first time I've seen you without her since she got back."
"She's out shopping."
"By herself," Ryan asked.
"No with Anna," Seth poured himself some iced tea.
"You let your best friend take your potential girlfriend shopping?"
"There are two things Taylor and I don't do together. One of them is shopping."
"Yeah, but aren't you freaked out about what they're going to talk about?"
"I freaked out during study hall. I'm done."
"Really?"
"Yeah. What," he said off Ryan's stare.
"Nothing. I've just never seen you this calm before."
Seth laughed at Ryan's statement as he turned to go into the living room.
"Hey, what's the other thing?"
"What?"
"You said there are two things you and Taylor don't do together. Shopping and what else?"
"Have sex," Seth said.
"I had to ask," Ryan muttered.
OCOCOCOCOCOCOC
"So, is this some sort of outreach program? You know, be nice to the new kid," Anna Stern asked as she and Taylor walked along storefronts both holding a bag or two.
Taylor laughed a little. "No, this is a recon mission. You're into Seth, I'm his best friend."
"So, you're making sure I'm good enough for him?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
"You gonna do the same thing with Summer?"
"I live with Summer."
"What?"
"You don't know? I'm Summer's step-sister. My mom married her dad about two years ago right after Summer's mom took off."
"Oh. So, how am I doing?"
"Pretty good so far. I think the question is how am I doing?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't hang with girls too much. It's always just been me and Seth. The only girls I really hang out with are my cousin Brooke and her best friend Peyton and that's when I go to Tree Hill in the summer."
"Where's Tree Hill?"
"North Carolina. It's where my mom and Aunt Victoria grew up and where Brooke lives now. It's probably one of my favorite places in the world, if only for the fact that when I go there, no one thinks of my as Taylor Townsend, daughter of Veronica Townsend-Roberts, the she-wolf of Newport and Summer's step-monster. I'm just Taylor."
"Sounds nice," Anna nodded.
"It is. I'm actually dragging Seth back there this Thanksgiving. It's time for the annual Tree Hill Country Club Debutante Ball and my uncle Richard is presenting me and Brooke this year."
"Fun."
"I know," Taylor rolled her eyes. "Brooke's doing it because for the first time in recent history Victoria is actually interested in her and I'm doing it so she doesn't have to do it alone."
"Take pictures. I think I'd like to see you and Seth all dolled up," Anna said.
"You sound like Sandy. Kirsten threatened to hire a camera crew so she wouldn't miss a moment even though she couldn't be there."
"Seth's parents sound nice."
"They're great," Taylor smiled. "They're probably the best people in Newport and they're still crazy in love with each other after almost twenty years."
"You love them. You don't just like them, you love them."
"They pretty much raised me. They were always there when I needed a parent. Veronica's never been too interested, I haven't seen my dad since I was six, and Neil, that's Summer's dad, he's only been in the picture a couple of years."
"So, which one of them taught you to drive? 'Cause I'm thinking I don't wanna get in the car with that one."
"Neither of them. Peyton, my cousin's best friend? Her dad taught the two of us to drive one summer. Brooke got the driving school lessons that fall but I got Larry Sawyer."
"Right. Never go to Tree Hill. I can remember that."
Taylor laughed.
"How long have you and Seth been friends?"
"Since we were seven," Taylor nodded. "I think I've spent just about every day of my life with him minus the summer months and one year even then."
"You guys are close?"
"Us against the world," Taylor said. "Even now when there are other people in our world."
"Ryan."
"Yeah."
"He seems like a nice guy."
"He's okay."
Anna looked at her, "Do you like him?"
"What? Where did that come from?"
"Just the way your voice sounded with the 'He's okay'."
"Oh. No. Ryan's not my type and I am so not his. He likes to play the white knight, riding into save the girl. I'm good at saving myself."
"Good for you," Anna smiled.
"C'mon, I'm hungry. Let's go eat."
"Sounds good."
OCOCOCOCOCOCOC
"What are you doing," Taylor looked at Seth.
"What do you mean?"
"You keep looking up at me and then down at the pad of paper you have in your hand. What are you doing?"
"Nothing."
Taylor raised an eyebrow at him. The two were currently on the Cohen couch doing homework. Well Taylor was doing homework. Seth was doing something else and she was beginning to feel like she did whenever Peyton did a sketch- oh no.
"Give it," Taylor held her hand out.
"What?"
"Give me the sketch pad you're hiding behind your biology book," Taylor said.
"I am not," Seth protested as Taylor put her books aside and leaned forward. He made a last ditch effort to keep what he was working on from her but she grabbed the sketch pad Peyton had given him and settled back on her side of the couch.
"Wings," she rose an eyebrow at him.
"T-Bird," Seth explained.
Taylor smiled and flipped a page to find a self-portrait of her friend with his mouth open and words spilling out. She giggled a little and reached down to her bag. Grabbing a pen she wrote something down under the picture and handed the sketchbook back to Seth. He read what she'd written and smiled.
"Hey guys," Kirsten said as she walked into the kitchen.
"Hi Kirsten."
"Hey Mom," Seth still had a grin on his face.
"Something funny?"
"Taylor's just teasing me."
"What else is new?" Kirsten came over and looked down at the sketch pad her son was holding and smiled as she read the words aloud, "Motor Mouth: Driving his enemies crazy in a single breath. Not bad Taylor."
"Thanks Kirsten. Now Seth just has to figure out my super powers."
"X-ray vision," he suggested with a grin.
"Yeah and I bet I know who you'd like me to use it on," Taylor said as she pulled her books back onto her lap.
"Stop," Kirsten cautioned. While she was willing to admit Seth was no longer a child she was not ready to know that he imagined girls naked. She looked out towards the pool house. "Where's Ryan?"
"Over at Marissa's probably making Julie nervous," Seth said.
"Be nice. I like Julie," Taylor pointed a pen at the boy without looking up.
"You do," Kirsten asked, a little surprised considering how Taylor and Marissa felt about each other.
"You two are the only two moms in Newport who aren't afraid of Veronica."
Kirsten smiled a little, "I don't think there's anyone Julie's scared of." She looked over at the wall and then back at the two teenagers. "Now, since I have the two of you together without any visible means of escape, I think it's time for that little tradition you two have successfully managed to avoid for the past week."
"Aw man," Seth groaned even as he shoved his books aside.
"We couldn't avoid it forever Seth," Taylor said as she put her books to the side as well. "Where do you want us Kirsten?"
"Taylor, why don't you sit on the counter and Seth get in front of her," Kirsten said as she got her camera from the cabinet.
"Hello?"
"Kitchen," Seth called to Ryan.
Ryan came in just as Seth moved to stand in front of Taylor with his back to her and she was looping her arms loosely around his neck from behind and resting her chin on his shoulder. Seth tilted his head so his temple rested against Taylor's and one of his hands rested on Taylor's forearm.
"Hi Ryan," Taylor smiled at him before her gaze shifted to Kirsten who was focusing the camera on his fellow teenagers.
Click!
"One more for posterity," Kirsten smiled at the results before she looked at Ryan. "Hold on. One more and this time Ryan, you get in there, too."
"Oh, I don't know," Ryan started to say. It was obvious to him that this was some sort of tradition and he didn't think he had the right to intrude.
"There's no use arguing with her Ryan," Taylor said as Seth shifted so he was standing to the left of Taylor.
"Come on Man," Seth encouraged.
Ryan nodded and put his stuff down before he went to stand to the right of Taylor. He and Seth stood shoulder to shoulder while Taylor ducked down and rested her chin where their shoulders joined an around each of them.
Click!
Kirsten looked at the picture and smiled before looking at the teenagers, "Okay, you're free."
"Yay," Taylor slid down from the counter and went back into the living room followed by Seth.
Kirsten put the camera down and went for the take out drawer, "Pizza okay with everyone? Taylor, you're staying right?"
"If it's okay." Even after almost ten years, she still felt the need to make sure she wasn't intruding on their family.
"Of course it is. Ryan, do you like pepperoni and extra cheese?"
"Yeah," he said as he sat down at the table while Kirsten looked for the pizza menu. He reached out and took the camera turning it over to look at the picture Kirsten had just taken of them. He smiled looking at the faces of himself, Seth, and Taylor.
He looked into the living room when he heard giggling and saw Taylor shaking her head at Seth.
"Dinner's not for a while, why don't you go join them?"
He looked up at Kirsten, "They look pretty comfortable with it just being the two of them."
"It's always been the two of them. Them against the world," Kirsten smiled, recalling Seth's words when they were nine and Taylor's heart condition had been discovered. He'd told his parents he wasn't leaving his best friend alone in a hospital and had given them that reason. "But I don't think you'd be intruding."
"I don't think Taylor really likes me all that much."
"Why would you say that?"
"Marissa and I are kind of dating and she doesn't really like Marissa."
"Taylor isn't like that. Spend some time with her and you'll see that. Yes, she's got definite ideas about what and who she does and does not like but she makes up her mind based on her own experiences with a person not who they hang out with. Besides she'd be crazy not to like you," Kirsten smiled.
Ryan gave her a shy smile as he got up from the table. "Kirsten?"
"Yes?"
"Can I have a copy of that picture of me, Seth, and Taylor?"
"I'll print you out one tonight."
"Thanks." Ryan turned and went into the living room where Seth and Taylor made room for him on the couch.
Kirsten turned to get some plates out and smiled when she heard the laughter of all three teenagers from living room.