"Jake I love you." Hayley said, her body shaking as those words floated from her mouth. Hayley and Jake were standing in an empty hallway after all the students had gone home After what had seemed like hours Hayley finally said "Jake… Say something. Please.

"Um…Well…" Stammered a surprised Jake.

"Oh I blew it didn't I?" Hayley said. "I shouldn't have just laid that on you Jake." She looked toward the ground. "I'm sorry. She whispered, her voice barely auditable.

"N-no, no Hayley, don't be sorry." Jake managed to choke out. "It's not that… It's just… Um…"

"Just forget it Jake." Hayley said. With that she turned on her heal and made her way to the closet where the secret passage to the Lakewood Troop Headquarters was hidden. Jake watched her sadly as she left.

Hayley was happy to see that the Headquarters were empty. Slumping against a wall she slid to the ground. And then she sobbed her heart out. Why had she just assumed that Jake would understand? Why had she assumed that he would like her back? Why hadn't she foreseen her heart being broken?

"Hayley?" Hayley jumped at the sound of Felix's voice. Suddenly the lights flickered on revealing Felix, who was wearing a pair of oversized red goggles.

"Oh. Hey Felix." Hayley sniffled. "What are you doing down here alone in the dark?"

"Well I could ask you the same thing." Felix retorted. "But since you asked first, I'm testing out the new night vision goggles that arrived in the mail this morning. I just wanted to make sure that…" Then he paused. "Hayley are you crying?" He asked.

"No." Hayley snapped rubbing her teary eyes.

"Come on Hayley." Felix said sitting himself beside her. "We've been friends for a long time. You can tell me anything. You know that right?"

"Yea I guess." Hayley whimpered.

"So tell me what's wrong." Felix said. Hayley burst into a fresh batch of tears. Felix patiently waited for her calm down enough to talk. After a few minutes Hayley finally spoke.

"Felix, I-I told Jake that I loved him." She sobbed.

"What are you crazy?" Felix exclaimed. "Are you sick? Do you need to lie down?" Hayley cried harder.

"No Hayley, don't cry! Please don't cry! I-I'm sorry, I was just joking…really I was!"

"No Felix," Hayley sniffled. "You have a right to right to think that." Felix got up and snatched a box of tissues from his desk and handed them to her.

"Thanks." Hayley said after blowing her nose.

"So tell me why you think I have a right to think that." Felix said after he sat back down.

"Because it's obviously what Jake thought."

"Is that what he said?"

"No, but…" Then Hayley went into every detail of what had happened with Jake. When she finished the two sat there in silence.

"Hayley are you down here?" Jakes voice rang through the Headquarters. He froze when he saw Hayley and Felix on the ground.

"Well this is um awkward." Felix said scrambling to his feet. "I'll leave you to talk." Hayley shot him a look of disbelief as he made his way to the door. Had he not been listening to what she had told him? After everything that had happened upstairs, Jake was the last person she wanted to talk to. She just looked at her feet as Jake sat down beside her.

"Listen Hayley," Jake started, "What happened upstairs…"

"Was a mistake Jake. Please forget it Jake." Hayley sighed.

"I-I can't forget Hayley. I just can't."

"Well try." With that Hayley grabbed her bag, smoothed her hair, and headed toward the door. Quickly Jake got up and followed her.

"Wait!" Jake said, grabbing Hayley's arm.

"What Jake?" Hayley snapped. She was starting to get annoyed. Why couldn't Jake just leave her alone to cry about how he broke her heart in peace?

"I love you Hayley Steele. I have always loved you, and I've been wanting to tell you for a while now. When you told me you loved me, I was so shocked, so excited, and so happy…"

"Really?" Hayley whispered.

"Really." Jake said taking her hand. "And when I saw you on the ground with Felix crying, it broke my heart.

"Aw." Hayley gushed.

"How about we go to my house and talk. About us." Jake smiled, giving Hayley's hand a little squeeze.

"Okay." Hayley smiled. Hand in hand the two walked towards the exit, ready to start their new relationship together.