Chapter 3

Clay's POV

This had been the first time a girl had asked for Clay's number.

The situation made him both excited and nervous. All he could do now was wait for Faith to text him, but he didn't know what to expect of her. What was he supposed to do? She was so carefree and flirtatious... and pretty. His heart was with Hannah, but he couldn't help but admire the flower girl's golden locks. Clay wondered what Jeff would think about all of this. He'll probably tell me to stop being uptight.

After Clay was done having lunch with his grandparents, he headed to his room to use the computer. He opened Facebook to search for Faith's profile out of curiosity, only to find that she had already sent him a friend request. He hesitated for a few minutes until he finally accepted it.

It was clear from the number of friends that she had on her page that she was a very popular girl, which made him wonder why she didn't have a boyfriend.

The word 'boyfriend' reminded him of Hannah again, as he thought of the promise he'd made to her before leaving. Letters. I promised her I'd write her letters. But what am I supposed to write about? This girl I just met? She'd get the wrong idea.

His mental debate was cut off when somebody knocked on his door. "Hey, Clay." It was his grandpa. "You forgot your phone on the table. It's been buzzing for a while."

Damn it. Clay stood up, opening the door. "Sorry." He grabbed the phone, grateful that his grandpa wasn't the type to spy on somebody's messages.

Henry shook his head. "It's okay. I'm just happy to know you have friends."

Clay nodded, closing the door once again. He wasn't actually sure if he wanted to know who was texting him. He knew Hannah was waiting for the letters, and Tony and Jeff were probably too wrapped up in their own business to check up on him right now. I can't believe I'm actually hoping it's mom.

Wrong. It was Faith.

Clay! I swear I'm not trying to annoy you to death. I'm just bored out of my mind making a corsage. What are you doing right now?

Um, reading your text? But he couldn't exactly respond in such a sarcastic way. She was just being friendly, and he didn't want to upset her. Instead, he just typed:

Just going through Facebook. I accepted your request.

She replied almost immediately.

Yeah, I just saw it! Thanks! Do you want to meet up later and do something?

Do what exactly? Clay didn't know what to think. Was she asking him out on a date or just a friendly encounter? Was there a difference? If he said yes, he would be entering unknown territory. If he said no, he'd be hurting her feelings. Or maybe not. Maybe I'm giving myself way too much credit. His phone buzzed again, and he tried not to panic.

It's okay if you can't! Sorry if I sounded pushy.

Clay sighed, deciding it was best to say yes. He was probably overthinking the whole thing. It wouldn't hurt to hang out with someone his age. He didn't want to spend the whole summer talking to just his grandparents. He texted Faith and they agreed to meet up at the park after she was done with her shift at work.

When Clay got there, she was already waiting for him. The girl was sitting by the fountain, fiddling with the sleeves on her dress. She smiled when she noticed his presence.

"Hey, again." She waved.

He cleared his throat, sitting next to her. "Hi."

"How was lunch?"

"It was fine." Clay replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So, how did you end up here?" Vada wondered. "Your grandma told me you haven't been in Vellindale since you were a kid."

"It was my mom's idea." Clay explained. "She thought it would be good for me to get away from a while, and spend some time with my grandparents. She didn't want me to be locked in my room for two months."

"Which is exactly what you've been doing since you got here, right?" Faith grinned, raising an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "You could say that."

The blonde nodded. "It's not a bad thing, though. Sometimes you just need time for yourself."

"I guess."

Neither of them said anything after that. They just sat together in silence, taking in the view of the park. There weren't enough people around to disturb them; the sky was clear, and the summer breeze felt soft against Clay's skin. He couldn't remember a time where he had felt so relaxed. There were no overprotective parents nor people from Liberty High around. It sure feels good to be away. I just miss H-

"You okay?" Faith's voice interrupted his thoughts. "You look kinda lost."

"I'm okay, thanks." Clay said quickly. "I was just thinking about some stuff." Thinking about Hannah. Will I ever stop thinking about Hannah?

The blonde giggled. "It's a girl, right? You have the 'there's a girl waiting for me at home' look."

Shit. "There's a look for that?"

"There's a look for everything. But I won't ask you about her, because I've already pushed too many boundaries. I promise you I'm not a crazy person... I'm just bored, I guess."

"Don't you have your sister to spend time with?" He inquired.

"My sister has her own grown-up stuff to deal with. I know she looks young, but she's actually 28, and completely over high school stuff. She just loves to boss me around and tease me about every little thing." Faith rolled her eyes. "I bet it's a paradise being an only child, huh?"

"I wouldn't say I live in a paradise. Sometimes I kind of wish I had a sibling, to get my parents off my back a bit. They are always around to monitor me."

Clay immediately regretted complaining about his parents, remembering what his grandpa had told him about Faith's deceased mother and absent father. Way to go, Jensen.

If his words had caused a negative effect on her, she was sure pretty good at hiding it. Faith's smile was undefeatable. How can someone with so many problems smile so much? I don't get it.

"Well, who knows?" She blurted out. "Perhaps your parents will make another baby while you're here."

Clay arched his back and hissed. "Ugh, that's so gross!" I can't believe you just said that."

Faith smirked apologetically, and Clay couldn't help but let out a tiny laugh. This girl is something else...