AN: This is a bonus chapter focusing on Hilary and what she's going through. It's set during the day that Hilary wasn't at school after the fight/argument she had with Ray and Tyson. Next chapter will be back to the story, picking up with Mariah. I hope you enjoy this little side bit.

Hilary wasn't sure why she was parked in front of Tala's house. What she did know was that it was 10:00 a.m. on a school day and she wasn't at school.

On Saturday they met Mariah's friends, who turned out to be more extreme versions of Mariah. Who would've thought that the girl who was rumored to have set the sprinklers off before the big baseball game – therefore soaking the players and ruining the entire night because the fire department had to be called – was the tame one of her group?

But Hilary enjoyed their company as much as she could, while still being annoyed with Tyson. There was also the sinking feeling that Ray's crush on Mariah was actually being returned. While they seemed cute on the surface, Hilary secretly feared for Ray.

He'd never given anyone that type of attention before. Mariah could be his first heartbreak.

But things got messy after the fight. When she heard that Tala going to be there, it set Hilary on edge. She'd been thinking about him too often as of late.

Hilary knew why she was attracted. He was all rough edges and bite, but at least he showed up when he was needed. He fixed problems, not created them. He wouldn't lie for twenty years and then leave, blaming his wandering soul.

Tala was not the type of guy the old Hilary would be interested in. And truthfully, she wasn't the type of girl that would catch his eye.

Hilary was well aware of just how average she was.

All of that was proven when Tala did arrive, along with his fairly large crew. Hilary saw the moment he got out of the car when his attention went to Mariam and the violent boy she was fighting with, his annoyance obvious.

But seconds later his focus turned to their group, eyes landing on Julia and for a moment, as he looked her over, he was soft, relieved.

Hilary knew at that very moment where his heart stayed. She wasn't surprised in the least. Julia was the exact type of girl Hilary wasn't. Tall and graceful, full of fire. She wasn't as aggressive as Mariam and she wasn't as playful as Mariah.

Julia was the perfect balance between the two, all dressed up a gorgeous package. She could probably eat Tala's heart for breakfast and he'd thank her.

It was easy to tell that Tala had Julia's affection as well. Though her greeting was cold and aggravated, the way she turned towards him, relented, and asked for his help when no other option was available

They were the end game. It was clear.

It wasn't as painful as Hilary thought it would be. It was only a crush after all. But it did leave a chink in her heart, letting her despair slowly leak out. She'd been doing such a good job making everything seem normal, but now there was no hiding it.

Her boys saw it so quickly after that. The grilling from Tyson and Ray came as a shock. Hilary was so ready to do something completely normal. Then they blindsided her with reality. She couldn't take it.

Somehow, that led to her sitting in her car, outside Tala's house two days later. Hilary knew when he offered to look at her tire, he was only teasing Julia. She wasn't sure what the exact status of their relationship was but had a feeling that everything he did was somehow related back to her.

That didn't stop her from finding a nail and driving toward his house. When she got close, she pulled over and pushed it through. There was the fear that she'd do it wrong and her tire would pop, leaving her there stranded until the tow arrived. To Hilary's delight, her plan worked and she was able to drive the rest of the way, recalling the directions by memory.

When she got to the house, Hilary realized she'd need to then go up and actually ask for his help. In her plans, that part had never come up.

She sat there for an hour, air slowly leaking out of her tire, wondering how she was supposed to get Tala's help without having to go through the embarrassing job of asking for it. It was stupid just to show up. He probably had something else to do. And wasn't it a little obvious, just showing up on a Monday?

Hilary leaned her head back on the seat, hands gripping the wheel. She was so stupid!

There was a knock on her passenger window, startling Hilary. Looking over, it was that weird, quiet gray-haired boy who always hung back.

"You're here for Tala?" He said when she rolled down the window.

She swallowed. "I think I got another nail in my tire."

He titled his head in question.

"He said to stop by if it ever gave me any problems."

"Don't you have a mechanic?"

Hilary shook her head. Car maintenance wasn't her responsibility.

"Wait here." The boy meandered back into the house, under no apparent rush.

Tala emerged minutes later, shirtless with jeans hanging low off his hips. Hilary hadn't been prepared for that and had to steady her erratic heart.

"More tire problems?" Tala asked once she met him on that side of the car. The tire was already noticeably deflated.

"Yeah," Hilary answered, already feeling self-conscious. "There's a construction zone by my house."

"Hmm," he mused, bending to take a closer look. "This one can't be saved. I can use the one I fixed last time, but we should get you a spare-" his blue eyes flickered up to her "-just in case that one goes too and you have to come to see me again."

Hilary's head went on red alert. Could he know what she did?

"Let me get a shirt and we can get on with it,"

"I'm sorry if I'm taking you away from something else."

He shrugged. "Not a big deal."

Tala appeared again in the same jeans but with the addition of a zipped jacket. He waved her over and Hilary realized that they would be taking his car. Sliding into the front seat was a unique experience. She'd never known a Car Guy before but it was clear she was in the company of one now.

The interior was pristine. Everything was polished and conditioned. She felt bad just sitting in it like she was going to dirty it up.

The car was a manual and Hilary had to say, there was something about watching him shift through traffic, the way his hand wrapped around the gear stick and moved forcefully, decisively, between gears.

She was starting to get the attraction.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

Hilary glanced at him. His tone of voice was quizzical but jokey. "You gonna turn me in?"

"I'd be a hypocrite. I ditched so much school they almost didn't let me graduate."

"I just needed a day," Hilary surmised. She felt awkward enough forcing her presence on him. She didn't need to tell Tala her life story as well. "What were your reasons?"

"I hated being there. Thought it was useless. And look at me now; doing just fine on my own."

"Where are your parents."

He shrugged. "Not interested. Dad's gone; mom got a new man and a new baby to mess up. Same old, same old."

She nodded.

"Well, I guess not for your kind, huh?" At a stoplight, Tala's gaze slanted her way.

Strange that he'd nail it on the head. "You'd be surprised," she muttered, looking out her window.

"Would I be?"

Hilary didn't answer. She knew what he was doing.

He chuckled darkly. "No, I don't think I would be."

To her surprise, they arrived at a junkyard. Hilary stepped out on the gravel, eye squinting at the heaping messes all around.

"Is this safe?"

"Yeah, you can get a barely used tire for like eighty percent off the price for one from the dealership."

"And you're sure we'll find something that will fit."

Tala laughed. "You're not exactly driving a rare luxury vehicle. Just give me a minute."

Hilary trailed after him as he checked around. Finally, he found what he was looking for and deemed it good enough quality, calling the groundskeeper over. He bartered with the man, getting the price down and even including a few other items. Once Tala was done, he loaded the goods into his trunk and got back in the car.

"Just like that," he said. Hilary was surprised by civil and good-natured it all was. She'd always pictured negotiations like war, escalating until both sides felt they were being cheated.

"What else did you get?"

"Just a few things for another car I'm working on. It worked out perfectly too. 'Cause of the tire, I was able to get the price on the other things down."

On the drive back, Hilary realized her time with him was running out. Once they got back, he'd switch out her tire, and then she'd be left with no reason to stick around. She didn't even know why she wanted to be there in the first place but she just... didn't want to be anywhere else.

"We need to stop by the bank so I can get some money for you," she said suddenly.

"Where am I going?"

She told Tala the name of her bank and he looped around to the closest one. He didn't tell her how much to get out, so she got out her entire preset limit. Back in the car, she tried to hand it all to him.

Tala put out his hand, warding her off. "Woah. That's too much. Make me feel like I should be giving you more like I'm a prostitute or something."

Hilary drifted over his last comment. "But you've done so much and with gas and the tire..." She trailed off.

"It's fine," Tala said, pushing her offering away. "We'll come to a reasonable price when I'm done. Changing a tire isn't that big a deal and I had to go to the junkyard anyway. Just put that stuff away before someone sees."

Hilary put it in her purse, sitting back as he drove out of the parking lot.

"Thanks," she said softly. "You're really nice."

He snorted. "I'm not."

"Yes. You don't even know me but you're being nice and helpful and honest. Is it because of Mariah?"

"Do you know your eyes get oddly big?"

Hilary turned away, shielding her face by looking at her lap.

She heard him sigh. "In a way, yes it's because of Mariah. I've always looked out for her and her friends. Adding another one to the mix doesn't seem that big a deal to me."

"Well, I appreciate it even if it's not a big deal to you."

The car fell silent again, save for the rumble of the engine as Tala drove them back to his house. He pulled into the driveway and cursed as he pressed the button to raise the garage door.

"What?" Hilary asked.

"I forgot I got the jack on the car I'm working on. I'll have to let it down but I'm not done doing what I need."

Hilary silently cheered. "I can wait," she said, looking at him.

"It could be hours."

"I have nowhere to be."

/

Tala realized early on that the girl was playing at something. At first, he thought it was just attraction gone too far. It happened. He wasn't unaware of the effect he had.

He was surprised to hear that a girl was waiting outside for him. When he asked Kai what girl, he shrugged and said something about a tire. When he went outside, he recognized the car, realizing it was Mariah's friend from before.

Hilary.

When he first met her to change her tire, her big brown eyes stared at him like he was a whole different species, cautious but still curious. He thought she was attractive in the same way all girls from that side of town were; the way they polished themselves just to come to his side to get dirty. But it was clear from how uncomfortable she was during that first encounter that she wasn't like that. She was a good girl, through and through.

Finding her sitting in her car on a Monday morning, apologizing for her sudden appearance, left Tala thinking he had been entirely wrong in his first assessment.

The way Hilary spoke in the car on the way to get her tire, his opinion shifted. So, she was just another one trying to get daddy's attention by associating with a low-life, going-nowhere guy like himself. Tala didn't care. He didn't mind being used as long as people were being honest about it.

Besides, he knew it wasn't going to go anywhere with Hilary. She was Mariah's friend and therefore, if he ever did do anything with her, he'd never hear the end of it. Mariah had already warned him of that, annoyingly enough.

But there was something in the way she behaved that caused Tala to doubt this theory too. He found her difficult to pin down. Hilary wasn't flirty or giggly, but she wasn't snobbish or condescending either.

She seemed just not want to be alone.

He decided to invite her in while he worked on the car in his garage. There was a small folding couch that he took breaks on or sometimes Kai used just to hang out when the house got too loud.

He told her to sit there and grabbed a bottle of water from the minifridge for her. Hilary curled up, bringing her knees close while she watched what he was doing with a strange intensity.

"Do you miss your dad?" She asked after a while.

Tala arched a brow at the question. He was wrestling with a bolt and a wrench, trying to find the right angle to get it to move. "Not really. He wasn't much a dad anyway."

"When'd he leave?"

"He'd disappear for a few nights and then return, drunk or hungover. Stay for a day or two and then do the same thing all over again."

"But then one day he never came back?"

Tala stopped what he was doing so that he could see her face. "He wrapped his car around a tree. People found him the next morning."

Her mouth fell open in shock. He saw the myriad of emotions run across her face before she looked away without saying anything.

"Why are you curious?"

Hilary shrugged. "I'm sorry if I'm prying. It was just a question."

He stood up, wiping the grease off his hands on a rag. "If there's one thing I hate, it's liars. Or at least, people who aren't honest." There was no room for people who liked to play games in Tala's life and he wouldn't tolerate it. "If you want my help with your tire, you'll answer my questions with the same respect that I answer yours. Or you can take your business elsewhere."

Hilary stared at him. She spent a few moments picking at her jeans. Tala watch as she dropped her guard and her emotions became evident. It was amazing, in a way, that she could be so open. The way he grew up, you didn't reveal anything to anybody you couldn't trust. Emotions got you in trouble. The only useful one was anger because it could be used to attack and defend.

Hilary was angry. He could see that now. Her big brown eyes clouded over with a fiery outrage, tinged with sadness.

"I asked about your dad leaving because my dad left at the beginning of summer."

He nodded. "So, that's what you meant earlier." Now that it was out in the open and he was satisfied with her answer, he could get back to work.

Hilary continued, the wrath building as she unloaded all of her repressed thoughts.

"Want to know what he blamed the failure of our family on? My mom." She laughed, straight from the gut, but Tala could see full of resentment. "My mom did everything for that man for twenty years. She cooked and cleaned and kept our family grounded in reality when all he wanted was to chase inconceivable dreams. She did absolutely everything for him. He never had to lift a finger other than to go to work and come home."

"He sounds useless," Tala responded, being able to relate, though he realized that probably wasn't the best thing to say to her.

"He was! He was absolutely useless. Do you know what's changed since he left?"

"What?"

"We spend less money on groceries."

Tala waited for more but all she did was nod.

"That's it?"

"That's it. He loved junk food so there were always chips and cookies and ice cream. My mom and I don't eat a lot of it. But that's all that changed. He contributed nothing to our home, other than to buy it."

"Then good riddance, right?"

She was holding back tears now, the anger giving way. "You'd think. But he was the fun parent. The secret snacks at midnight parent. The don't-let-your-mom-know parent. I thought he at least brought balance to our family."

Tala wasn't sure what the girl wanted. He was too blunt most of the time and the way she was describing her father, he was the kind of guy Tala hated. She was better off without him as far as Tala was concerned.

"It's not him leaving that hurts the most,"

"No?"

Hilary had a faraway look, seeing something that wasn't there. "It's the fear that in twenty-five years, I'll be my mom. We're so alike and I used to love that. But now I hate it. I hate her for marrying a guy that offered her nothing and then left for something he thinks is better. And I hate myself for being the kind of girl who'd allow that to happen."

Self-hatred wasn't something Tala was unfamiliar with but he wasn't a therapist. The advice he told himself and everyone else was to take a shot of whatever was closest and get over it. It's what worked for him.

"Look, if you don't want that kind of guy just don't settle for that kind of guy."

"It's not that easy," she told him.

Tala scoffed. He wanted to go back to working on the car but instead, he ended up leaning against the hood, arms crossed, arguing with the strange girl on his sofa. "It's exactly that easy. If you want something, go get it. If you don't want something in your life, keep it out. You control everything."

"I like the idea of control," Hilary smiled. "And that's why I'm exactly the type of girl to attract a guy like that. You know what I mean."

Tala shook his head, returning to his work. "I don't."

"What attracts you to Julia?"

He almost hit his head on the hood. "What?"

"Julia," she repeated. "You say you don't know what I mean, but let's not pretend. Between me and Julia, who would you pick."

"It's not a fair choice – I have a lot of history with Julia. That doesn't just go away."

"Fine, you see both of us on the street. Who do you pick?"

Tala refused to break eye contact, but he didn't want to voice the words that they both knew were sitting on the tip of his tongue.

She smirked. "Where's your honesty now?"

He couldn't help but be humored by Hilary. She wasn't what he thought she was. "Just because I have a personal preference doesn't mean – why are you asking about me anyway? You can't be thinking that I'm what you're looking for."

Her smirk disappeared quicker than Bryan when there was cleaning to do, eyes darting away and cheeks flushing red.

"Oh no," Tala chuckled. "That's not good."

"Don't get too flattered. I know what the deal is."

Her bitterness left him feeling unsettled. "And what is the deal?"

"Just what I said," Hilary responded. "Guys like you don't go for the uppity, controlling, prudish girls. And that's exactly what I am."

"The world isn't black and white like that,"

"Please. I can see my future clearly as a summer's day. I'll graduate high school and go to a respectable, but not far from home, college. I'll meet a respectable boy who will not scare my mom. The most exciting thing about him will be that he likes to go to midnight premiers for superhero movies. He will be my first kiss and my first sexual experience, and it will probably be mediocre but I won't know any different. We'll date all through college and then get married. And when we turn forty, he'll tell me that he never got to live his dream and leave me for a woman who looks slightly like me, but not exactly."

Tala stared at Hilary as she finished, fairly horrified by her prediction. She looked away.

"It's what happened to my parents."

"I'm sorry," Tala said, still trying to process, "but I still don't see why you can't...just not do any of that."

"It would be nice," Hilary agreed. "I don't know how."

Tala went back to working on the car. It was unclear to him how he ended up playing therapist to a girl he'd only met twice before. Mariah always used to complain about the people at her school, how they made such a big deal about the smallest of problems. He could see it. The things Hilary spoke about, while horrible to experience, were not unsolvable. It seemed to him that she just didn't have the guts to go through with making the changes she said wanted to make.

Couldn't be him. He didn't know how not to be what he wanted to be. He went where he wanted and did what he wanted.

Eventually, Kai came outside, sitting silently on the opposite end of the couch from Hilary. He offered her a cigarette which she refused. Kai put them away without lighting one for himself.

"Sorry if we scared you and your friends on Saturday," Kai muttered.

"It's fine," Hilary promised. "I wasn't scared of you."

Tala looked over puzzled at Kai's words. He never said sorry. He also never shared his personal items. Kai must be able to sense something's wrong with her, Tala thought, still slightly flabbergasted by his actions.

Seeing Hilary next to Kai was reminded Tala of the world Hilary came from, the stark difference in their body language and mannerisms. Maybe she was right and she will never be able to shake the mold she'd been formed into. What didn't sit well with Tala was that she wouldn't be the first kid to come to their neighborhood to try. Those kids usually ended up in worse places than they imagined, or even dead.

Although he didn't really know her, Tala didn't want to see that happen to Hilary. She was a good girl going through a rough patch. Give her some time to get past whatever phase she was in and she'd be alright.

After he finished what he needed to, Tala lowered the car he was working on and took the jack out to hers. It took him minutes to have the flat tire off and pop the new one on.

Hilary was waiting for him when he finished, wiping his hands on the cloth. She opened up her purse again, taking out the bundle. "Just take it," she said. "Think of it as an emergency fee, if you have to."

Tala grabbed the money, feeling coerced but knowing he'd lose that argument. Holding on to her hand, the money between them, he said, "Anytime you need work on the car, bring it here. I'll make sure you're taken care of."

She smiled, shaking his hand once. "Good deal."

Tala let go, putting the money in his pocket and leaning against the rear of her car. "All that stuff you were saying in there?"

"Yeah?"

"Seems to me you don't have to do anything too drastic. Just small steps outside the lines every now and then. Change the narrative, so to speak."

"Like how?"

"I don't know. Dress a little sexier, push your boundaries a little more. Stop saying you can't have something just because of some arbitrary rule you've made for yourself."

"Sexier?" She looked down at her jeans and sweater combo.

"I don't mean -"

Hilary laughed, ducking her head. "Yeah. I get it. Don't worry, I'm not going to think you're interested or whatever."

Tala rolled his eyes. "Cut the crap, I don't just flirt with everybody. But I promise you, I'm not what you're looking for in a guy."

"You've been flirting with me?"

The way she responded drove Tala to the edge of frustration. She was so clearly unaware of herself and what she could do if she wanted to. He felt his conscience tear, knowing what he wanted to do to help her, but also knowing it wasn't in the realm of what people typically considered friendship.

Also, Mariah would be pissed if she ever found out, and she was always annoying to deal with.

Alternatively, Mariah would be pissed and that was always funny.

"Okay, here's what you're going to do. You're going to rewrite this story you've convinced yourself is inescapable and I'm going to give you a start."

Hilary laughed, amused but unconvinced by his declaration. "Sure. What's your recommendation."

"To start, this mystery college guy crap. He doesn't have to be your first kiss if you do something about that now."

She blinked, clearly taken back.

"Not right now," Tala cleared his throat. "Just now. In the present. Before you leave for college or wherever."

"Okay. I'll find some random guy on the street to kiss. That will definitely change the trajectory of my life."

"I did not say some random guy."

"You kind of did,"

"I did not."

"I don't see another option."

"Is there no one at your school who interests you?"

"You've clearly never seen the boys at my school,"

"No, but I've certainly seen the girls,"

"Gross."

"Not from where I'm standing,"

Hilary laughed again. When she looked back up, he could see that she was happier than when he met her that morning. She really did have a bright face. He liked that she didn't appear to be vapid or snobbish, only coming around to waste time before returning to her "real life." She treated him like he was real and worth her time.

"Hey," he said, refocusing her attention on him. "I could be your first,"

"What?" She choked, breathless.

Tala looked away, squinting into the sun. "This way it not Boring College Nobody and it's not Random Street Guy,"

"That's nice, but you don't have to."

"It seems like it's an important step to you," Tala returned to her. "You shouldn't have to regret it."

Hilary hesitated.

"Besides," Tala razzed, arching a brow in superiority, "I know that's what you came here for."

"It absolutely is not,"

"What'd I say about honesty?"

Hilary glared for a moment before relenting, unable to keep it up under his arrogant smirk. "Maybe someday, if the timing's right."

Tala nodded. "Let me know,"

Hilary strolled around her car. Tala removed himself from the frame, watching from the sidewalk as she opened the driver's door.

"I mean," she called, "wouldn't want you to feel like a prostitute, selling your body and services to me like that."

Tala laughed from his chest, thrilled with the polished girl who was turning out to be more spirited than he thought. He stood there for a while longer, until her car disappeared around the corner.

Back in the house, he bypassed everyone and went up to his room, where he took a moment to lounge on his bed. He was surprised by the girl and even more surprised by his offer – it wasn't like him to care so much. The other girls, he'd know forever. Mariah was his friend's little sister and Julia was...

Well, she was his first and only love.

And Mariam was included by default.

He'd always look out for them.

But Hilary fell into a different category; one he'd never needed before and he wasn't sure what to call it.

But she was Mariah's friend first. Tala knew from firsthand experience when faced with major shifts in life, people didn't make the best decisions. She'd need someone to look out for her, and it couldn't be him.

Taking his phone from his pocket, along with the money she'd given him – too much for the amount of work he'd done – he pulled up a number.

She answered on the first ring, just like he would always answer for her.

"What?"

"Jules, you know Mariah's friend – the girl?"

There was a pause where he heard her take a deep breath. "Yeah, what about her."

"She stopped by today for some work on her car. There's something you should know,"

Thank you to every one who took the time to read. I hope this sheds some light on what's happening outside the sphere of Ray and Mariah. If there's any questions or comments, I'd be happy to hear them. Have a great week guys - konix