Jack looked up as the door opened.
For a split second, his expression shifted—polite anticipation flickering into mild confusion as Haley stepped out, followed by Claire, and she immediately closed the door behind her a little too fast.
"…Hey," Jack said, glancing at the door, then back at her and then at Claire. "Uh. Did I come at a bad time?"
Haley forced a smile so bright it almost hurt. "No. Not at all. Perfect timing. Great timing, actually."
"So, you must be Jack," Claire said, trying very hard to act normal. She wanted to snoop around them, listen to their conversation from outside the door as they pretend to study, and catch them red-handed if they try to do anything other than study... like kissing or making out. She just wanted her daughter not to make the mistake of doing something stupid and regret it later. But sadly, that'd have to wait.
For now, she has to make sure Jack stays out.
"Hi," Jack said politely, offering a small smile. "I am Jack. Jack Preston. It is really nice to meet you, Mrs. Dunphy."
'Okay. He's polite and good-looking. What does he see in Haley?' Claire blinked once, clearly not expecting that level of composure, then smiled back with just a hint of tension around the edges. "Claire. Just Claire is fine for now." She gestured vaguely behind her toward the closed door. "You must be the one Haley is studying with."
"Yes," Jack replied easily. "Math. I brought notes."
Haley laughed a little too loudly. "Yeah. Math. Lots of math."
Claire turned to Haley, eyes narrowing just a touch. "Sweetie, why don't you tell Jack what just happened inside?"
Haley froze.
"I… okay, so," she began, immediately tripping over her own words. "It is kind of stupid, actually. Not stupid. Just unexpected. You see, I was preparing my notes and then Dad was doing this thing and Luke was also there and then something happened and now it is loud and messy and very… un-study-like."
'Ah! Phil must have done something stupid again. God, she's so bad at lying... so, Haley like,' Jack nodded slowly, trying to follow. "I see."
Claire jumped in smoothly, placing a hand on Haley's shoulder. "The blender exploded."
Jack blinked. "Exploded."
Haley's head snapped toward her. "It did?"
"Yes," Claire continued, nodding as if this happened all the time. "It turns out that putting ice, frozen fruit, and something that was definitely not meant to be blended together is a terrible idea. There is smoothie everywhere." She made eye contact with Haley.
Haley nodded vigorously. "Everywhere. It is basically a crime scene."
Jack glanced at the door again, then back at them. "Is everyone okay?"
"Oh, we are fine," Claire said reassuringly. "So I was thinking, why don't you two go take a walk, maybe grab a latte or sit at a cafe nearby, and give me about an hour to clean things up properly. Then you can come back and have your study session without distractions."
Haley turned to her. "Mom, thank you."
Claire smiled sweetly.
Jack hesitated for only a moment. "Okay. We'll be back in an hour. Oh, by the way..." He took off his backpack. "Can I leave it here?"
"Of course," Claire took the backpack.
"I am really sorry," Haley apologized again.
"No problem," Jack said. "This can be our little date."
Claire opened the door just long enough to slip back inside, then paused and leaned out again. "One hour," she said pointedly, looking at Haley. "Math."
"Yes, Mom," Haley replied automatically.
The door closed again, leaving the two of them standing on the front step.
For a second, they just looked at each other.
Jack glanced at her, eyebrows raised. "So. Exploding blender?"
Haley groaned, covering her face. "I swear, my life is not usually like this."
He smiled, amused and surprisingly relaxed. "If it helps, that was one of the more creative excuses I have heard."
She peeked at him through her fingers. "You believe her, right?"
"I believe that something very strange is happening in that house," Jack said. "I do not think I need more details."
Haley laughed, tension finally melting away as they began to walk down the sidewalk. "Okay. Then let us go before something else explodes."
...
[15 minutes later] [Cafe]
The café looked new. Everything was clean and shiny. There were a few people inside, eating and chatting. The smell of coffee and sugar hung comfortably in the air. Jack and Haley sat across from each other at a table near the window, plates between them holding slices of cake that were already half gone.
Haley leaned back in her chair, twirling her fork as she talked. "I swear, the history project this year makes no sense. We are supposed to work in groups, but then they grade us individually. That completely defeats the purpose."
Jack nodded, taking a sip of his drink. "That sounds like the kind of logic teachers love. It keeps everyone stressed equally."
"Exactly," Haley said, pointing at him with her fork. "You get it."
He smiled. "I have had my fair share of confusing school systems."
They drifted from projects to teachers, then to the upcoming inter-school football championship that everyone at school seemed obsessed with.
"So," Haley said casually, though her eyes were watching him closely, "are you going to try out for the selection?"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "The football team?"
"Yeah. The football team," she repeated. "You would probably get in."
He shrugged slightly. "I honestly have not thought about it much. Between school and acting, my schedule is already a mess."
Haley nodded. "That makes sense."
She took another bite of cake, then added, almost as an afterthought, "I am on the cheerleader team, by the way."
Jack's eyes flicked up, interest lighting them immediately. "Oh?"
She smiled, clearly pleased that it caught his attention. "Yeah. We are not amazing or anything, but we do our best."
He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table. "So, if I do get in, are you going to cheer for me?"
Haley laughed softly. "That is kind of what cheerleaders do."
He tilted his head, smiling now. "What if I make it to the final?"
Her smile turned a little mischievous. "Then maybe I will cheer for you… exclusively."
Jack's eyebrows lifted. "Exclusively, huh?"
"Uh-huh," she nodded. "I'll even bring a board with your name on it."
He leaned in a bit more. "And what if the team wins and I score the most points?"
Haley leaned forward too, closing the distance between them. Her voice dropped just slightly. "Then I'm pretty sure I can think of something... special."
For a moment, the world narrowed to just the two of them. Their faces were close enough that Jack could smell her shampoo, something light and faintly floral. Haley's eyes flicked down to his lips, and her heart skipped when she realized she had stopped thinking altogether.
She wanted to kiss him.
She really wanted to kiss him.
Jack noticed the shift instantly. The way her posture changed, the way her breathing slowed, the way the space between them suddenly felt charged. He did not pull away, but he did not move closer either.
Instead, his gaze drifted upward.
"Did you do something different with your hair?" he asked gently.
Haley blinked, surprised.
She leaned back slightly, then touched her hair instinctively. "You noticed?"
He nodded. "Yeah. It looks different."
Her smile spread, softer now, more genuine. "I did it last night." She hesitated for just a second, then asked, "Do you like it?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah. I love it. The wavey thing you did... It makes you look even more beautiful."
"You think so?" Haley whispered as she leaned forward a bit, giving him the signal. 'He said I'm beautiful. Heeeee! I wanna jump around."
Jack took the hint and was about to kiss, when Haley's phone rang loudly, breaking the immersion. Both of them pulled back with a little chuckle.
'WHY???? Why do you have to spoil my day? First dad and Luke, and now, you... We were just going to kiss," She checked the phone, "It's my mom."
She took the call.
Haley answered the phone. She nodded quickly as she listened. After a moment, she ended the call and slipped the phone back into her pocket.
"My mom cleaned up the house," she said, turning toward Jack. "So we should be good to go back."
Jack smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we should go."
...[That's it for mass release. See you in 2 days or tomorrow depending on POWERSTONES]
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..[POWERSTONES AND REVIEWS]...
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