A/N: I'm really into Jayley right now… Hahaha. I love them together. They're adorable. This is my first Troop fic…so I hope it's good! Wow… you know what's really strange? That I prefer writing in a guy's POV than a girl's POV when I'm a girl myself... Oh well…Here goes nothing!

Chapter 1:

Jake Collins walked through the halls of Lakewood High, searching for the Troop's hidden door. Felix Garcia, his best friend, had called him down due to some suspicious activity around the area, so he was heading there now. It was at the end of the school day, and luckily for him he wouldn't miss any classes.

He walked around a corner only to stop himself and back up, out of sight of Hayley Steele's current boyfriend, Brian. He was an idiot, a cold hearted bastard, and on top of it all a total jerk; but when Jake voiced these thoughts to Hayley, she just rolled her eyes and called Jake a loser. Ever since, though, he has been keeping an eye on Brian when Hayley's not around, making sure he doesn't trash talk her behind her back. Sure he was smart and was on the football team…but it didn't mean that he was nice! He was often an ass when Hayley wasn't around, and he often hung with his asshole friends. But here he was now, eavesdropping on Brian's current conversation with one of his friends.

"She's so easy and predictable. She'll just come in and hug me and if I do something wrong she'll just get all bitchy. I seriously don't know why I agreed to go out with her. I don't know what I even saw in her! She's weird, she's a know-it-all, she's too busy for her own good, and to top it off, she's not hot!" Brian exclaimed.

Jake was shocked. He had the assumption that Brian was an ass, but here was his proof. The true Brian shining through, showing Jake that he was, indeed, right in his assumption. But this did not make him happy. No, it did just the opposite. It made him sad and angry…but mostly angry. How dare he talk about Hayley behind her back like she was trash? Hayley was much more than this guy and she deserved so much better. So what did Jake do? The most stupid thing in the world. He walked around the corner stiffly and walked up to Brian and punched his eye.

To say that Brian was surprised was a total understatement. Brian was not surprised, he was shocked. No one ever punched the Brian Malloy. No one. But then Brian became angry. He didn't like being punched. At all.

And so Brian clocked Jake in the jaw, knocking the dirty blonde backwards against the wall. He threw another punch at Jake's stomach, scowling at the feeling of his fist meeting hard muscle. In this hesitation, Jake pushed him back, kicking his stomach so he flew and landed with an "Umph!" Jake smirked before starting to walk towards Brian. But the brunette had gotten up at this time and threw his fist at Jake's right eye, giving the dirty blonde a dark shiner. Jake jabbed Brian in the ribs with his elbow and spun around the brunette, effectively knocking Brian's feet out from under him. He then felt a push against his chest and felt his back hit the wall again, but a bit softer this time. And there was Hayley, in all her glory, scowling at him as she helped Brian up.

"What the hell are you two doing?" she yelled at them.

"Your so called friend here randomly punched me." Brian sneered.

"And your so called boyfriend was talking shit about you." Jake smirked as he watched Brian's face pale before he scowled again when Hayley turned to him.

"What?"

Her voice was deadly calm, scaring Brian even more than she had ever before. "I was not," he countered back. "I was talking about my biology partner. I would never talk smack about you, Hayley. He's just jealous."

"Jealous of what?" Jake countered.

"That I'm with Hayley and you're not."

Jake couldn't take it. He practically pounced at the brunette and decked him again in the jaw.

"Jake! What's your freaking problem? Stop it! I can't believe you! Just because you don't like him doesn't mean you have to beat him up and eavesdrop on his conversations! What's wrong with you? What on earth would possess you to do such a thing? This is another problem of mine that you don't need to solve! Just…stop it, Jake! Leave me and him alone. Stop protecting me from nothing!" Hayley yelled at him, clearly angry.

Jake just stood there, stunned, shocked, hurt, angry… all the emotions were flooding in him and threatening to drown him. Hayley didn't want him there anymore? Hayley wanted him gone? Well, she'll get her wish. She'll get it good. That's when Jake's face hardened as he hid his emotions, put up his mental walls. He just nodded curtly and replied with a harsh "Fine," before walking away. As soon as he was out of sight, he started running, heaving his back pack over his shoulder and running with all his heart.

He made it to his house and stormed inside, ignoring his mom's questioning glance. He made it up the stairs and went into his room, shutting the door and locking it. And it was there were he broke. He kicked his bed and yelled a sigh of frustration before collapsing on his bed, feeling a few traitor tears leak from his deep brown eyes. He quickly wiped them away, throwing his head back against the pillow. He couldn't believe it. Hayley had chosen Brian…Brian…over him. She had yelled at him, told him to stop protecting her from nothing, and to leave her alone. The love of his life at the age of sixteen, was telling him to get lost. He wasn't solving her problems for her; he was just trying to punish Brian for thinking and saying such shit about Hayley. He honestly didn't see what Hayley saw in that asshole. He was crude and cold. Evil.

Jake shook his head and got up again. Hayley didn't want him around anymore, so he wasn't going to be around anymore. He knew that doing this was kind of dramatic and uncalled for, but he did need the break. A break from school, people, problems…life… And most of all, he needed a break from Hayley. While he was away, though, he could search for the monster that was lurking around the town, maybe find some more. He could monster hunt. It did help him clear his mind…

He grabbed his back pack and dumped all its contents on his bed. He then put all his schoolwork on his desk and searched his room for things he would really need. He put in a first aid kit, a box of granola bars, a big bag of crackers, sun glasses, an extra jacket, a blanket, his cell phone, two water bottles, a Swiss army knife, his wallet with 50 dollars, and an extra pair of clothes. He looked around his room, searching to see if he missed anything. Then he saw it.

A picture of him and Hayley and Felix. Hayley's arm was around his waist and his arm was draped over her shoulder while Felix was off on the side grinning goofily while holding a blaster. But in this picture, Jake was smiling at Hayley, perfectly content in the position they were in, and Hayley was looking at Jake with a smile and…these eyes. Like, the type of eyes you get when you look at someone you love or really, really like. It was Jake's favorite picture of all time. He slipped the picture into the front pocket of his back pack and proceeded to write a note on his desk. He did it now and hid it, knowing that it would save him a great deal of time tomorrow.

Dear whoever may be reading this,

I'm sorry to cause you concern from my absence, but I just need a break. My life is getting too overwhelming and I can't fully handle it anymore. I just need time to clear my head and thoughts. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but it won't be for just a day. It will be longer.

I love you all dearly, and I hope to be back soon. I will be alright, I'm prepared. I wish you all happy lives. Please don't fret over me, though…I don't hold such importance. And please forgive me, but I just need time away from everything.

Hope the weather is nice today!

Love, Jake

He reviewed it before folding it and placing it on his desk again. He then got another paper out and wrote another letter.

Dear Felix,

I won't be around for a little while, so don't worry. I won't be home either, if you were asking. I'm taking a break from it all. Hayley said that she didn't want me around anymore, so I'm taking her wish and making it come true. I'll be off, hunting the local monsters and whatnot. I'll bring them here and put them in their cages during the night, too late for you to even be up. I just need a break from it all. From Hayley, from school, from the pressure, from life…

I do wish you well, Felix. I'll try to keep in touch while I'm away. I might crash here a few times…but don't let Hayley know that. I'm in no mood to ever talk to her again. And that's saying a lot, considering the circumstances and my feelings toward her.

Well, that's all. I hope this letter finds you well, Felix.

Sincerely, Jake

Jake shoved the letter into his back pack pocket, getting up and heading down stairs for dinner. He would leave tomorrow morning at 4:30. Before anyone would be at the school. He needed to be sneaky and deceiving in this, and he couldn't let anyone know his plans until he was already forgoing them. And so there he was, acting and lying all evening until he went to bed, closing his eyes and succumbing to darkness. But that's when the truth settled in…

He was running away.

A/N: Tada! I hope it's alright…I kinda like it. It's melodramatic romance-y angst. Just my style of writing. I hope it's ok… REVIEW please?