In Jay's senior year of high school, the world as he (and every other American) knew it, stopped. 2001 brought the worse terrorist attack ever on American soil. Thousands had died, including hundreds of first responders who tried to help. His parents were devastated as it affected them personally, losing one of their childhood friends who had worked in one of the Towers. His dad became even more unbearable to be around. It was a lot to deal with at seventeen years old. The shitty home life that Jay had already known only got worse. Jay couldn't just stand around, he felt he owed it to his country to help in any way he could. The urge in him to protect others only got stronger. So at nineteen years old he finally worked up enough courage to leave his poor mother and enlist. Thousands of others his age had done the exact same thing the past couple years. He intended to leave Chicago and never look back.
It had been a typical day in basic training, he was getting used to the strict regimen and vigorous workouts. But most importantly, he had started to form bonds with some guys that he just didn't have back at home. He connected more with the people who joined. He had just grabbed his lunch and was sitting in the Chow Hall with two of his new pals, Mouse and John, when he noticed a very pretty blonde sitting with a brunette. He'd been here a few months now, but had never noticed her before. They were probably a couple years younger than him, which seemed to be a pattern since he didn't join straight from school. He didn't know why, but he felt the need to go introduce himself to the blonde. He poked Mouse's side to get his attention.
"Hey man, I think I'm gonna go ask to sit with them." He nods his head in the girl's direction.
Mouse and John instantly laugh at him. "Yeah right! Talk about out of your league! Let me know how that works out for you." Mouse scoffs.
Jay's never backed down from a challenge. "I will."
He grabs his lunch tray and stands up, making his way over to their table. As he gets closer, he feels his nerves tick up a notch, but tries to ignore it. When he arrives, both girls look up at him curiously. He suddenly freezes and looks at her specifically like a deer caught in headlights. She looks amused.
"Would you like to sit? Or are you gonna stand and eat your food hovering over us?" she asks.
Her words bring him back to reality and make him feel more at ease instantly.
"Yes, thanks." He says as he finally sits across from them. "Halstead, Jay." He reaches his hand out to shake as he introduces himself. She grabs hold and smirks.
"Upton, Hailey. Are you always this serious, Jay Halstead?"
Is she teasing him? So much for him winning this challenge... He smiles back.
"Not always, no. Guess the army's making it more of a habit."
"Well Jay, this is my friend Olivia. What brings you over to our table?"
Olivia shakes his hand and they both give him full attention. He can sense Mouse and John's eyes staring at the back of his head.
"I haven't seen you around, so I thought I'd come introduce myself. My friends over there can get a bit repetitive day in and day out."
"So you came here because you were bored?" Hailey tilts her head and lifts her brow at him. She's definitely still teasing and Jay knows he's in trouble.
"No, no of course not. It's just, not every day we see girls as pretty as you in the barracks."
"Aww, look Olivia, a guy after our own heart!" both girls crack up and Jay blushes.
He can't believe he's going to have to return to Mouse 'striking out.' He's enjoying her sass, but he's not sure if he made the right move coming over.
"Look, I'm sorry if I bothered you guys, I'll go back to my friends now."
He's about to stand from the bench when Hailey grabs his wrist. "Jay, Jay, look, if you want to hang out with me, you're gonna have to keep up, alright?"
He's shocked at her words and even more so when she waves and signals for John and Mouse to come over. Jay nods an okay at her as both guys make their way over and introduce themselves. Jay slides down, making sure to make room for them, but still be able to sit directly across from Hailey. With the whole group around the ice is broken more and everyone starts to socialize. Jay is fascinated by Hailey; she's unlike any girl he's ever met. She's funny, but also looks like she won't put up with any shit. It's refreshing from all the stuck-up, self-absorbed girls he went to high school with. Not to mention, even with no makeup on Hailey could run rings around all the ones he knew that caked it on. He's glad for Mouse being a goof and amusing Olivia and John, and takes it as his opportunity to get to know her better since they don't have a lot of time.
"So Upton, where are you from?"
"Where do you think I'm from?"
"You really enjoying messing with me, don't you?" I grin at her.
"I do."
"Alright, I'll bite. You seem low-key enough that I doubt you're from one of the coasts. But you also seem worldly and a little more fast-paced, so I doubtful you're from a small town. Definitely a city. You don't have an accent, so you're not from the south. But you have a hint of a tan, so maybe somewhere like Arizona? How am I doing?"
She gives him a big smile and he feels like he won the lottery. "Not bad. You definitely hit on some key points. The tan is natural actually. I'm from Greektown in Chicago."
His eyes almost bug out of his head. "Shutup! I'm from Chicago too, Canaryville. Mouse is also from Illinois."
For the first time in their whole exchange, Hailey looks speechless, but she recovers quickly. "Now that you mention it, you do look like an Irish momma's boy."
They crack up. "So do you guys really say, 'Opa,' all the time and put Windex on everything?" He jokes back.
"No, but that is now my mom's favorite movie."
"And what's yours?"
She hesitates. "American Pie."
"Hailey, I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship."
"Woah there, Halstead. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here… but I think you're right."
They start grinning at each other again when they hear the drill sergeant yell.
"TEN-HUT…"
They all stand at attention and get ready to leave. Hailey gives him one last smirk. For the second time in just a couple of years, Jay's life infinitely changed. And for once he couldn't be happier…
[A/N: Thank you all so much for the kind response and words. It makes me happy that I can help with distractions in this time of need. Apologies for any army inaccuracies (now or in the future), it's not my forte. I must say, I'm shocked there aren't a lot more fics since this whole world mini-quarantine started. It's a depressing time, I get it, but you'd be surprised at how much writing/reading can help. It's a great outlet to focus on while your other faves are on hold. If you've never written before now- maybe give it a try? It can be therapeutic. I know I'm probably a nobody to you, but this fandom has connected us all, and with everything going on it's the perfect opportunity for the world to connect too. Focus on the positives as much as you can and take care of yourself and others!]