Hailey woke Sunday morning with the sun streaming through her window and a smile on her face. She couldn't remember the last time she'd ever woken up at home with such a happy feeling. It was as if the load that had been weighing her down these last couple of weeks had vanished. Sure, since meeting Jay, there had been times she felt happy and giddy with excitement. But not this kind of feeling.

She didn't feel afraid. She didn't feel trapped. In fact, for the first time in her life, Hailey felt calm and at peace.

She kept her eyes closed and let her mind wander, knowing there was only one place it could go.

Jay.

They spent nearly two days together at the cabin, and she still couldn't get enough of him. Enough of his touch, his taste, his warmth. No kiss would ever be long enough or deep enough. It'd gotten to the point where every time they parted ways, she felt a deep, physical agony, an unquenchable need to be with him again. It sounded crazy and probably foolish, but without him, she felt incomplete, a shell.

She twisted, legs still caught in the sheets, and grabbed for her phone on the nightstand. Jay hadn't texted her yet. He was probably still sleeping, or maybe he'd gone running again. She quickly typed a good morning message and sank back against her pillow.

An hour later, she dragged herself from her bed and padded downstairs. The house was thankfully empty, quiet. Her mom had left to go to the diner and Nick was probably still asleep. She stopped keeping tabs on her dad, other than checking if he was in the house. Aside from that, she honestly didn't give a shit where he was or if she ever saw him again.

She went to the kitchen and made some coffee. She then poured herself a bowl of cereal and sat there eating and sipping her coffee before allowing herself to check her phone again.

Still no messages.

When she heard footsteps coming down the stairs, she stiffened for a fraction of a second before hearing her brother yawn.

"Nick?"

"Oh, hey. You're back," he said, stretching his arms above his head and arching his body to stretch his back.

"Got back last night. I made coffee."

"Oh, thank God," Nick yawned again, going for the carafe. He filled a cup, and set it back on the warmer.

"You look extra tired for a Sunday morning," Hailey noted.

"Jim quit so I had to stay and close yesterday."

Hailey sighed. "Not surprised. He'd been threatening to leave for a while now. But hey, I should be back soon enough," she added. "The bruises on my face are pretty much gone so I can return to my post at the register at least."

"That's good. But soon enough it'll just be Jenny and us manning that place."

"Has dad been at the diner at all?"

"Yeah. He is there." Nick ran a hand through his hair, took a deep breath, and let it out. "It's weird. Haven't seen him drinking and he is actually manning the back, while mom manages the front."

"You think he turned a page?"

Nick shrugged, turning to leave. "I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and see."

Hailey nodded, and called after him, "Hey Nick," and when he turned back to look at her, she continued, "I never really thanked you for that night. I know you took a big risk taking me to the hospital. I'm sure mom and especially dad fought you on it."

"It was the right call."

Hailey nodded. "I know, but I know it wasn't an easy one to make."

"It was easier than you think," Nick said and the barest twitch of a smile pulled at his lips. "How's the arm?"

She lifted her casted hand and said, "Good."

Nick took a few steps towards her and ruffled her hair. Hailey jerked her head back, rolling her eyes.

"I'll be in my room. Holler if you need anything," Nick said and left.

Hailey looked down at her phone on the counter and heaved a sigh. There were still no messages from Jay. She quickly typed a somewhat banal text and put her phone down. It was still early; she wasn't surprised she hadn't texted her back.

Throughout the morning, Hailey continued to torture herself, checking her phone every few minutes. But nothing. She was starting to worry. She texted him again, asking if everything was okay, but still no response. Forcing all the negative thoughts out of her head, Hailey decided to keep busy instead. She cleaned her room, finished her homework, and organized her closet. She also tidied up the kitchen and started lunch.

Two hours later, Hailey was pacing. Something had happened. Jay never took that long to text her back. When it started to get dark out, it was like the last loose screw that was holding her sanity together fell out and her mind began to spin out of control. She took deep breaths and exhaled until a false sense of calmness engulfed her.

Later at night, after everyone was asleep, she snuck out of her room and tracked to his house. She needed to make sure he was okay, and she missed him terribly.

She quietly climbed up to his room and when she went to pull the window open, Jay was already there. She couldn't keep her heart from jumping with glee at the sight of him, no more than she could keep herself from pitching forward into his arms, clinging to him.

He caught her and held her there, for how long, she didn't know. It didn't matter.

She pulled back only to crash her lips with his. She kissed him with everything she had, giving it all to him. In turn, his fingers tightened in her hair, and on and on, the kiss clung and deepened. When his tongue dipped into her mouth, she couldn't tell if the groan that reached her ears was his or her own.

Her feet dropped to the floor and her hands had a mind of their own, trailing down his chest and slipping under his T-shirt to caress his abdomen. He shuddered, his muscles contracting beneath her fingers.

"Your hands are cold," he said against her mouth, laughing and arching away from her touch. He pulled back and cupped her hands in his, blowing air into them until they were warm. "There. That's better."

He released her hand and she immediately slid them under his shirt again, feeling every inch of his skin, all the way up to his shoulders.

"Are you okay? I got worried when I didn't hear from you today."

Hailey gazed into his eyes, and Jay didn't try to hide his emotions; he let her see every one of them as they washed over his face. Something heavy pressed down on her chest, making her breath stutter in her throat.

"You're grounded aren't you? Your parents found out about the cabin."

Jay slowly tugged her towards the bed, and when they snuggled close, he let out a heavy sigh and said, "The guy who looks after the cabin called to make sure everything had gone okay this weekend. When my dad said he hadn't been in a while, he mentioned I'd been there."

"How bad?"

"No phone, no video games, no TV. I'm to go to school and come home."

"I'm sorry, Jay. This—"

He silenced her with a kiss. Her body relaxed into his embrace, and her emotional defenses came tumbling down, as if that was Jay's intention for this kiss all along. When he released her lips after an endless moment, he murmured, "Don't apologize. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

A sad smile pulled at the corners of her lips. "Your mom probably hates me now."

"She doesn't. She's more upset that I lied to her than the fact that I had a sleepover with a girl." Jay bent over, his hand slipping into the hair at the back of her head, fingers massaging, warm breath on her cheek. "Don't worry, the dust will settle soon enough and everything will be back to normal."

Hailey craned her neck to look up at him and he kissed her gently, her lips, her eyes.

"Everything okay back home?" he asked.

"Everything is…." Hailey stopped to think about it. Since the incident, her house had felt haunted. There was an eerie silence now, which she welcomed. Things weren't good, but then they weren't bad either. "Mom and Nick are working crazy hours at the diner, so they are rarely home. I barely see my dad. He's been avoiding me, and I don't hate it. This has been the longest stretch of time without an incident."

"Do you think this will be the new normal?"

"I don't know, but maybe? Perhaps putting me in the hospital did something to him… But I'm not sure. Do people change? Don't think so, but I'd be gladly proven wrong here," Hailey replied. "Anyways, I will probably start back at the diner this week. And from the looks of it, pretty much whenever I'm not in school I will be picking up shifts."

"I guess that is okay because I'll be spending the remainder of my teenage years in this room."

Hailey released a soft, sad chuckle. "Well, I'll make the conjugal visits every now and then."

Jay laughed. "The thought of you coming here will be the only thing keeping me from losing my goddamn mind."

"It will be my pleasure."

"You mean, our pleasure."

x

It was all worth it.

The lecture, the grounding, the disappointed looks... it was all worth it. Hailey was well worth it, and Jay would do it a thousand times over if it meant seeing Hailey look as peaceful and relaxed as she did. Even if he had known his parents would find out about their trip, he would still have taken Hailey to the cabin.

Monday morning rolled on and he woke up to an empty bed. Hailey had already snuck out, but her scent lingered on his sheets, tempting him to remain right where he was. He stretched his arm over the empty space and got up. He proceeded to get dressed and padded down the stairs with the smell of waffles welcoming him into the kitchen.

"Morning," he said.

"Morning," his mother replied dryly. Jay could tell she was still pissed at him, and with good reason. "There are waffles," she added, without giving him any eye contact.

"Thank you," Jay said and picked up a piece, but instead of taking it to go, he lingered by the kitchen island. "Hey, uh…." He began, unsure what to say. Apologizing for something he wasn't sorry for seemed unfair and dishonest. "I just…I-I—"

His mother paused what she was doing, but still did not meet his gaze.

There was one thing he was sorry about. "I'm sorry I lied to you, okay?"

Kathy turned and looked him up and down, hands on her hips. "I don't think you really are."

"I am sorry I lied." Jay paused and took a seat on the island. "Look, Hailey is going through some things and she just needed to clear her head. You always say that being out in nature is very healing," he reasoned.

Kathy dropped a dishtowel on the table, her face blank. At last, the veneer of anger dissipated, and a look bordering on disappointment settled in its place. "What you did was irresponsible and dangerous, Jay. What if something had happened while you two were out there, alone?"

"But nothing happened, mom. We are fine. And just so it's clear, it was all my idea, Hailey had nothing to do with it."

"Do her parents know? Cause I'm sure they won't be thrilled to know their daughter traveled out-of-state to a cabin in the woods with a boy."

Jay knew better than to answer the question. Instead, he said, "Her parents don't really keep tabs on her."

Kathy appraised her son once again, and at that moment, Jay felt like she could read him and was just toying with him now.

"Jay, I know you think you're all grown up and I get that you don't want to be treated like a kid, but you're still my child. And everything your father and I do is to keep you and your brother safe. What you did was selfish and reckless."

Her words came out gruff and he winced. A defeated look covered his face, and he hung his head. After a beat, Jay heard his mother sigh before she asked, "Is Hailey okay?"

He looked up, surprised to find her eyes were softer now. "What?"

"You said she is going through some things. Is she okay?"

"Oh, yeah… she's, uh, doing better."

Kathy nodded her head slowly, silent for a moment. Finally, she crossed the room toward him and stopped at his side. "Also, I have to ask," she plopped into the chair next to him and heaved out another sigh. "Are you being safe with Hailey? And don't even think about saying she is just a friend."

Jay rolled his eyes feeling slightly embarrassed. He supposed he owed her the truth, given that he was on very thin ice.

"Hailey is my girlfriend, mom," he admitted. It always felt good to say those words.

Kathy's set face broke, suddenly, and the corner of his lips curled up, as if attempting to hold back a smile.

"Girlfriend, huh? So it's official?"

Jay nodded. "Yeah."

She nodded her head slowly, with an expression that made Jay want to roll his eyes. "Hailey seems like a really nice girl, and I don't mean to lecture you repeatedly on this topic," she began. "But I just want you to be safe. You have your whole future ahead of you, and I'm too young to become a grand—"

"Mom! Geez, we're being safe," he cut in. "You don't need to worry about that…or talk about it. Ever again."

He watched his mother's concern change to something resembling relief, but not quite. "You need to have adult conversations if you want to be treated like an adult."

Jay rolled his eyes, his cheeks tingeing slightly red as he gave a little shake of his head. "We can talk about anything else, how capitalism is killing the planet, the polarization in American politics, how the stock market is rigged, just… not that."

"The polarization in politics?"

"It's an ideological problem that is damaging our government institutions," Jay replied flatly.

Kathy chuckled softly, shaking her head. "You're too smart for your own good, you know that?"

Jay shrugged, smugly.

"Anyways," Kathy continued. "Be respectful of Hailey's boundaries, okay? If she says no—"

"Mom!" Jay huffed a sigh and rubbed his temple. "We respect each other, okay? I would never push her to do anything she's not comfortable doing. Now can we drop this conversation? Please?"

Kathy smiled. "Alright. You and your brother might want to take your breakfast to go before you're late for school."

Jay looked at the microwave over his shoulder for the time. It was almost a quarter past seven. He stood up, took a waffle, and filled this thermos to the brim with black coffee. Hailey would certainly highjack his cup and the look on her face when she took a sip and realized it was black was worth the bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

"As soon as the bell rings, you come straight home."

"I have Library club today," Jay said. "Mrs. Lewis checks my attendance. I can't miss it."

Kathy studied him up and down again. "As soon as it ends, I want your butt back home. You're still very much grounded."

"Until when?"

"Until I say so."

Jay groaned and pulled his bag over his shoulder. "Will!" He yelled up the stairs. "Get your ass down here. We're going to be late!"

Moments later, Will raced down the stairs with a stupid grin on his face. He grabbed an apple that was sitting on the counter and buffed it on his shirt. "Want me to keep tabs on our prisoner today?" he tossed the question over his shoulder to their mother. He bit into the apple and a mocking smile played on his lips. It took Jay all of his self-control not to sock him in the face.

"That's not necessary," his mother said. "You guys have a good day now."

"Bye, mom," they said in unison.

On the drive to school, Jay could tell Will was itching to say something, but he didn't want to hear it. So, Jay kept his eyes out the window, and never once did he meet his brother's gaze. But as soon as they pulled into the school's parking lot, it was as if Will couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Did you at least get some action? Hopefully not in this car," Will asked and it was difficult to miss the mocking note in his voice.

"It's none of your business," Jay said, hopping out of the car.

"Oh c'mon, little brother," Will said, making his way around the car to catch up with him. "You finally have something I want to talk about with you."

"And what's that?"

"Bro, you just took your high school girlfriend on an overnight trip. Just the two of you to at a cabin in Wisconsin with a newly installed hot tub on the back porch. Honestly, I didn't know you had it in you."

Heat crept up Jay's neck, and a smile spread automatically across his face as memories from the cabin flooded his mind. Briefly, he wished that general time travel was a real possibility.

"Look at the stupid smile on your face," Will pointed out. "You did use the hot tub, didn't you? I want details."

"Well, you're not getting any."

"Oh, c'mon. This is huge. Did you sleep in the big bedroom with the walk-in shower? Did you use the walk-in shower? Did you take her on that hiking trail with the cave? Did you do it in the cave?"

Jay rolled his eyes and quickened his pace.

"Did you go skinny dipping?"

Jay shook his head and sighed dramatically. His brother was a lost cause.

Will trailed Jay all the way to Hailey's locker, bombarding him with questions. Though Jay looked annoyed, the fact that his brother was suddenly interested in his life made him crack up a bit. Will seemed to envy him, which had never been the case. Not once.

"Hey, Hailey," Will said, with a ridiculous grin on his face when she showed up at her locker.

Hailey frowned, sensing something was slightly off. "Hey, Will," she answered warily, then looked to Jay with a furrowed brow.

"He wants to know every little detail about our trip to the cabin," Jay clued her in. "He's been nagging me like gossiping porch lady."

"Ah—"

"How did you like the cabin?" Will asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Jay watched Hailey's eyes dart down briefly before a pink blush crawled up her cheeks.

"You're being gross," Jay said. "Don't you have somewhere else you need to be? Like, your girlfriend's locker?"

"I was just—" Will began, but was interrupted by Natalie.

"There you are," Natalie said. "Hey Jay, hey, Hailey," she greeted them. "What are you guys up to?"

"Jay and Hailey went to my grandfather's cabin this past weekend." Will paused for effect, then added, "Alone."

"Really? Just the two of you? How'd pull that off?" Natalie asked.

"Well, he technically didn't," Will answered before Jay could change the subject. "Jay is grounded for the rest of his life."

Jay looked to Hailey and saw her turn her face, but not before he saw guilt flash across her face – saw her hold her emotions in check.

"It was worth it and I would do it again," Jay stated and waited until Hailey lifted her eyes and met his own. "No regrets here," he added, earning him a wide smile from her, complete with dimples.

"That is so sweet," Natalie said and turned to Will. "How come you've taken me there?" She punched Will's arm and turned back to Jay and Hailey. "That's so romantic, you guys. I knew you would make a great couple from the very first time we saw you at the library." Natalie smiled sweetly. "Jay, maybe you could teach your brother a thing or two about romance."

When Will's mouth fell open, Jay had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Hailey laughed next to him and the musical sound of her laughter hit him like a warmth-infused dart square in the center of his chest.

It was so worth it.

"Hey, your arm okay?" Natalie asked, pointing to Hailey's casted arm.

"Oh, yeah. I, uh, fell. It's just a hairline fracture."

Natalie nodded. "I fractured my wrist once doing a round-off- back handspring. It was the worse."

"It hasn't been that bad. Got me out of work for a few days," Hailey answered dismissively. "The cast is coming off soon enough."

The first bell rang, and Jay saw Hailey release a breath, probably happy to not be talking about her injured hand, or the fact they'd gone to the cabin together. He felt slightly bad that she'd been ambushed this early in the morning.

Once Will and Natalie left, they walked hand-in-hand to their first-period class.

"I'm sorry about that. Will suddenly became a tad invested in my life."

"It's okay." She waved away his apology and grabbed for his thermos cup. She took a sip and a smile spread across her face, causing her cheeks to dimple. "How was everything this morning?"

"Fine. Talked to my mom, but I'm grounded." Jay shrugged. "It's not like I had a very prolific social life, so it's no biggie. As long as I get to see you, I'll be okay."

"Will you be able to stay for the library club, or are your parents making you go straight home after school?"

"I can go to the library club; I just have to meet Mrs. Lewis before. Hopefully, she'll be taking me off probation today."

Hailey's eyes lit up with excitement as a smile spread across her face. Happy was such a good look for her.

"That's awesome, Jay. I'm really proud of you."

"Couldn't have done it without you," he said and winked. "Ready for Math?"

"Never."

x

After school, instead of going straight to the library, Hailey decided to wait for Jay outside Mrs. Lewis's office. She wanted to be the first one to congratulate him on finally being off probation. Jay didn't really have a sweet tooth, but she knew he liked these pretzel crips drizzled in dark chocolate. So, she went out and bought them a bag as a celebratory token to secretly snack on while they were putting books away at the library.

When the door to Mrs. Lewis's office finally opened, and Jay walked out with a big smile on his face, she couldn't help but jump up and hug him. After a moment she pulled back and asked, "I'm assuming the smile on your face means you are officially off of probation, right? Or am I way off the mark here?"

"Not off the mark," he said, his smile widening. "I'm a free man, Hailey."

Hailey chuckled and reached out to him, pulling his face to hers and kissing his lips until someone cleared their throat behind them. Hailey's embrace around Jay slackened and she felt a flush creep up her neck and flood her face.

Jay turned and said, his voice sounding a little off-key. "Oh hey, Mrs. Lewis."

Hailey peaked over Jay's shoulder to see the guidance counselor looking at them with a tight-lipped smile on her lips.

"You forgot the copy of your agreement," she said, extending a paper to him. "Keep it somewhere safe."

"Oh, okay." He quickly took the document from her and turned back to Hailey. He suddenly looked slightly nervous, shifting from his toes to his heels as he looked around as if to see if anyone else was watching them. "We should probably go."

Hailey nodded.

"Is this your girlfriend?" Mrs. Lewis asked.

Hailey noticed Jay's smile stiffen, barely noticeable to the untrained eye.

"Oh, yeah. This is Hailey. Hailey, this is Mrs. Lewis."

"Hi." Hailey waved shyly, keeping her face half-hidden behind Jay's shoulder. "We've met before."

"Of course. I did your transfer papers a few months ago." Mrs. Lewis took a step closer to them. "How're you liking the school?"

"Oh, uh, good," Hailey answered. "Everyone has been really nice."

"That's great to hear," Mrs. Lewis said, and then a slight frown creased her forehead. "Did you get hurt?" she asked pointing at the cast on her arm.

"Oh, it's nothing. I fell," Hailey answered, putting an extra dose of nonchalance on her voice. She let her hair fall over her face, hiding the healing scar on her brow and the lingering bruises on her cheek.

"We have to go," Jay interjected, then turned to Mrs. Lewis with an apologetic smile. "We have library club now, and we are already running late."

"Oh, I don't want to keep you." She smiled. "Remember, even though you're not required to meet with me, my door is always open, Jay."

"Yeah, thank you."

With a hand on her back, Jay guided Hailey down the hallways toward the library. She felt his nervous energy leaching into her. Before they entered the library, she stopped him, tugging at his elbow. She stared at him, his expression was taut, but a faint smile flickered over his lips.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?"

Was it her imagination or had he paused for a few seconds to reinstate his smile?

"I don't know. You seem a little weird. Was it because Mrs. Lewis caught us kissing? I didn't see her coming and—"

"No, of course not." He shook his head. "I'm fine. Just… I didn't want to be late for the library club and have to stay late. I'm already on thin ice at home."

His answer didn't make her feel at ease, especially the way he said it like he was repeating a fact.

"You sure?"

Instead of speaking, he smiled at her – a smile that was far more reassuring than his words, a smile that in a single second conveyed a warmth she was very familiar with. He placed a kiss on her lips and said, "I'm good. All is good."

Hailey nodded. "Okay."

But something gnawed at her in the back of her mind, but too weak for her to know it was there.