Hayley!

"Wake up!"

I gasped as the deep, rasping voice of the Ripper turned into the screeching voice of my mother. I barely had time to rub the sleep from my eyes before her hand was fisted in my hair. I cried out as she dragged me from my bed to let me fall on the floor. With a groan I turned over to look up at her.

"Get your lazy ass to school!" she spat, aiming a swift kick at my thigh. I winced as she turned and stomped away, her red hair swinging across her shoulders. I waited until I heard her bedroom door slam before picking myself up off the floor. I limped slightly as I could feel the muscle in my thigh starting to bruise.

It had always been like this. My mother, Helen Snow, hadn't wanted to have me but there's not much hope for remaining childless when you engage in unprotected sex. I was the burden she couldn't get rid of and she reminded me of that every day. I had no idea who my father was but then again neither did she. We were stuck with each other until I went off to college. If I went off to college that is.

As I shuffled over to my closet to grab some jeans, I thought about my last fifteen years of life. Helen never really felt like taking care of me so I was very independent. I knew how to cook my own meals at eleven and how to iron my own clothes at twelve. I was always doing for myself and for a while that was how I like it. That was until I met the Riverton Seven of course. We'd somehow all ended up at the same junior high and that's where I'd met Alex, Bug and Jerome. They were the only ones that were nice to me and we made fast friends.

Alex had been my best friend however. It was as if before I'd even told him, he knew exactly what my life was like. His was pretty much the same of course so I guess it really does take one to know one. We'd started going out in his eighth grade year -my seventh- and that was the first year I was invited to go to the Ripper slaying. He'd told me he loved me for the first time just this past summer. It was easily the best day of my life.

And now here we were, the day of his sixteenth birthday and nothing had changed. He and I took care of each other now and only Bug knew about what when on inside our house. I trusted them both with my life and just wanted them to be safe today. Harnessing everything Penelope had ever blathered to me about God, I sent up a quick prayer asking for their safety along with the other Seven. You never could tell on days like these.

As I pulled a clean red tank top on over my head something hit my closed window with a light 'clink'. I walked over to it, kicking aside my wet clothes from last night before lifting the glass. Sticking my head out I saw Alex and Bug waiting for me with a large duffle bag set between. I nodded at it, leaning my elbows on top of the sill.

"What's that?" I inquired, shooting Bug a short wave which he returned shyly.

"Sock puppet," Alex answered, smirking at me devilishly. I raised an eyebrow incredulously.

"On steroids?" For some reason this struck my boyfriend as extremely funny as he had to grab Bug's shoulder to support himself while laughing.

Shaking my head, I pulled back into my room, leaving my window wide open. Padding down the hallway on the top floor of my house, I hurried into the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair. When that was done I skidded back to my room, throwing on Alex's hoodie and grabbing some converse which I tossed out the window. Chewing on my pinky I searched my floor for socks when I noticed a dark figure standing in the corner.

"Jesus!" I hissed, jumping and placing a hand over my heart. Alex smirked and tossed me a rolled up pair of black ankle socks. "Don't do that," I warned, sitting at the edge of my bed to put the socks on. He joined me, lying back on my comforter.

"Eh, I like to see you jump," he teased, poking me in the back. I shifted uncomfortably. He'd poked an old bruise. He rested his hand -open palmed- over the spot and I heard him let out a breath through his teeth. It frustrated him that he couldn't do anything to help me. But really what was there to do anyway, it wasn't as if staying at his house would be any better.

"Happy birthday," I said, trying to distract him. He sat up quickly, making the bed rock as he leaned over to kiss my cheek. I giggled pushing him back slightly.

"Thank you, where's my present?" he demanded jokingly patting me down lightly as if searching for it. I scoffed, hopping off the bed so that I could reach into my open desk drawer a few feet away.

"Well if that's all I'm good for, here," I said feigning anger as I threw the small box into his lap. He picked it up smirking at me as he reached out and snagged my hand in his. I let him pull me between his legs and brought my forehead down to touch his when he had.

"You're good for way more than that," he said softly, locking eyes with me as my hair spilled down to cover our faces. "Today wouldn't mean anything to me without you." I smiled, a warm feeling filling me, starting at my toes and making its way all through my body. Kissing his nose lightly, I pulled away and bounced down on my bed.

"Alright," I huffed, rolling my eyes good-humoredly. "Hurry up and open your gift, Romeo." He reached over to squeeze my hand one more time. Again our eyes locked and I could see he meant everything he said. Leaning forward I kissed him sweetly before pulling back slightly. "No day would mean anything to me without you," I assured him. "Now open the fucking gift."

He laughed at my use of his favorite words before looking down to crack open the small box. His face blanked for a moment before his eyes went wide. I bit my lip hoping he liked it. He plucked the ring from its velvet casing and stared at it. He blinked once before turning to look at me, his eyes almost disappearing into his hair line.

"It's uh – black plated titanium," I said nervously, fidgeting with my sleeve. "I figured it's not too girly or anything so…you don't have to wear it if you don't want-"

"Hayley, would you shut the fuck up," he all but growled, reaching out and pulling me into a fierce hug. I blinked in surprise before hugging him back. "Of course I'll wear it." He pulled away and immediately slipped the ring onto the third finger on his left hand. I blushed at this but just nodded encouragingly.

"I'm glad it fits," I mumbled as we both stood up from my bed. He smiled at me then pulling me forward into a kiss. I reached my arms up to rap around his neck and brush my fingers through his hair.

"I love you," he mumbled against my lips. I laughed into the kiss, pulling away to smile at him.

"I love you too," I said truthfully, reaching down to finger the bottom of his shirt. He chuckled at this and ruffled my hair. I winced as he brushed over the tender area where my mom had yanked on it. He pulled his hand back and we looked at each other blankly. There was nothing to be said on the matter.

"Ready to go?" he questioned, stepping around me to grab my bag off my computer chair. I nodded at him and he waved an arm towards the window. "Well then after you, m'lady."

I stepped over to the window, sticking one leg through as I felt Alex rest a hand on my back to steady me. Pulling my other leg through, I smiled at him before letting myself drop off the edge. Just like every other day, Bug was there to catch me at the bottom. I fell into his waiting arms and laughed as he struggled to support me.

"Happy birthday, Bug," I greeted lightly as he set me on my own feet. Bending over I snatched up my shoes and began hopping around trying to yank them on.

"Thanks, Hayley," I heard him mumble as I turned around to catch my backpack that Alex had tossed down. Swinging it onto my back gently, I waited with Bug until Alex slipped down the side of my house and picked up his own bag.

"Let's go," he said brightly, picking up one end of the giant duffle bag as Bug picked up the other. I walked ahead of them slightly, leading the way to our high school.

"Where'd you get that ring?" I heard Bug ask quietly. Glancing over my shoulder I shot Alex a grin as he told our friend not to worry about it. We carried on in silence after that, each of us lost in our own thoughts about the coming Ripper Day ahead.

"So seriously you guys," I said finally when we had just cleared the trees across from the school. "What's in the bag?"

Alex just laughed again as I turned to walk backwards in front of them. "You'll have to wait and see like everybody else."

As we reached the parking lot, Jerome showed up and joined our group. Just like with Alex and Bug, I wished him a happy birthday and asked if he'd heard Jay around. He hadn't. Suddenly there was a ringing from Bug's pocket and I raised a curious eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you finally got a cellphone," I teased as he fished around in his pocket while trying to support the 'sock puppet'. Reaching over I stuck my own hand into his pocket and pulled out the little orange phone. I showed it to Alex as he leaned over my shoulder curiously before handing it to Bug, already flipped open and turned to speaker.

I smiled at the short conversation Bug had with his mother. She was a kind woman and always willing to put me or Alex up for the night. And since she was a nurse she came in handy for the two of us. When the call was over, Alex took Bug's phone to turn it off for him. He made a comment about the size but I wasn't listening because I'd spotted Jerome's sister stomping towards us.

"Jerome," she barked, pushing Bug and Alex aside. She glared at me and I returned the favor as I stepped around her to follow the others.

"Catch you later, Jerome," Alex called, picking up my hand as we continued towards the main entrance. I felt bad for my friend. His sister was in league with Fang and so she was always trying to control what he did. I guess it was good because she kept him from getting pain dealt to him by Fang's lap dogs, but she never let him hang around us for too long either.

Speaking of the devil, I noticed her perched on a stone bench up the front stairs not far from us. She was of course surrounded by her lackeys and glaring daggers in our direction. I noticed Jerome's sister had joined them now and they all stood as we were stopped by the security guard, Jose.

"What is that?" he asked, gesturing to the large bag that Bug had moved to his back.

"Project for science class," Bug answered, moving the sack to the ground where he knew he would leave it. It was against the rules for students to carry contained objects over a certain size and weight onto school grounds. It'd be checked by security and then delivered to the classroom for them.

Jose took down the classroom and period and then sent us on our way. He was a pretty nice guy, though he was completely oblivious to Fang and her reign of terror. I was barely listening to Bug as he asked if Quint had given Alex anything for his birthday when I spotted Brittany Cunningham walking passed. I stopped short, squinting at her as Alex began to pester Bug.

"You should go over there and talk to her," he coached as the blonde haired girl stopped in front of Jose. I turned my head back towards them and sneered.

"I wouldn't if I were you, Bug, she's bad news, and totally under your sister's thumb." Bug looked crestfallen and I felt bad but I was only trying to protect him. Deep down I knew Brittany had a thing for him, but she would never stand up to Leigh Hellermen.

"Excuse me, Officer Ramirez," she was currently greeting Jose. "But Maria told me you know all about baseball?"

I raised a confused eyebrow. What could Brittany Cunningham possibly want to know about baseball? Suddenly I heard Alex mutter a quick 'uh oh' before I felt him grab my shoulder and push me towards the stairs. "Run, Hayley!"

Without question I took off towards the stairs as I heard him warn Bug that it was a distraction maneuver and urge him to head the opposite direction. By the time I reached the top step I heard Bug yelp in pain as no doubt Brandon delivered his orders for the day. I'd just spotted the person I was looking for when I heard Alex groan. Spinning around, I saw him fall to the ground at Brandon's feet.

"Alex!" I called without thinking. Brandon's head whipped around to look at me and I clamped my mouth shut. He smiled disgustingly before dropping a few warnings to his latest victims. I watched him step over Alex and start heading up the stairs towards me. Turning on my heel, I did like Alex had told me and ran. I could barely hear Alex now, thanking Brandon for the abuse as I reached my reason for coming up here.

"Penelope!" I huffed, grabbing her shoulder from where she was sitting on a stone bench near the school's entrance. She jumped, eyes flying open since I'd apparently startled her out of prayer. "Come quick, it's Bug!"

It wasn't a complete lie, but I knew the mention of Bug would make her move the fastest. I wasn't wrong. She immediately stood and stomped off to where I'd just come from, me hurrying along beside her. When we reached the top of the stairs I gasped as I saw Brandon reaching the bottom of the stairs more than likely going to hurt Alex more.

"Brandon O'Neil!" Penelope snapped, pointing an accusing finger at him as he turned in surprise. "Do not bring the wrath of Jehovah down upon you!" As she descended like one of God's own angels upon him, I rushed down the stairs and over to Alex, dropping to my knees beside him.

"Are you ok?" I asked in concern, helping him to sit up. He had his arm wrapped protectively over his stomach, and his face was screwed up in pain.

"I tell you to run and you come back with Penelope Bryte?" he huffed, trying to make a joke as I pulled his arm away from his body.

"I figured we needed an even better distraction maneuver than Brittany Cunningham," I mumbled, completely ignoring Penelope's tirade on Brandon as I rolled up my boyfriend's shirt. I gasped as I saw the deep purple bruise already beginning to spread over his gut. "Jesus, what'd he give you?"

"He said an it was an eight, but it felt more like a ten," he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as I placed my hand over it.

"Well it looks more like a twenty," I growled as I noticed the edge of another bruise. Pulling up his shirt more I saw the ugly, yellowing, fist sized bruise on the right side of his rib cage. I glanced up at him.

"Birthday gift from Quint," he huffed, leaning forward to rest his elbow on his knees. Releasing his shirt from my hands, I curled into his side, laying my head on his shoulder lightly. Penelope had just finished her rant.

"When you least expect it, Dunkelmen," Brandon warned as he began to retreat from the area. My boyfriend simply flipped him off, eyes closing as he tried to breathe normally. Brandon's eyes fell on me and I tensed as he walked away with a smirk. He'd taken to staring at me the last few months, which was why Alex always had me run whenever he came to do Fang's work instead of staying nearby. Brandon could be…forceful

When he was gone, Penelope nodded at me before moving over to talk to Bug. I smiled at the back of her head. She was really sweet, and I would give almost anything for Bug to get his head out of the Brittany clouds and realize Penelope was perfect for him. As they began to chat quietly, I turned back to Alex to find him staring after Brandon.

"I don't like the way he looks at you," he muttered, letting his head fall to his chest. Reaching over I cupped his chin for a moment before wrapping my arms around his.

"Me either," I confided, resting my chin on his elbow. I saw him nod slightly and sighed. He didn't deserve this. I knew some people thought Alex was just some asshole but it was all just an act. A defense mechanism if you will. He was stronger than he looked and I was proud of him for that. Sometimes I wished Bug could be the same. "Maybe you should go to the nurse?"

"No," Alex snapped immediately, glaring at me from the corner of his eye. I nodded, shifting slightly so that I was seated similarly to him. He never wanted to go to the nurse for any of his bruises or cuts, but then again neither did I. He sighed as he saw my downcast expression, reaching over to pat my hand lightly. Looking back at him, I just shrugged, leaning forward slightly to kiss his ear. He hummed in content and I pulled away.

Looking up, I was just in time to see Penelope give Bug a short kiss. From the angle we were at though I couldn't tell if it was on the lips or not. When she pulled away she murmured something to him before looking down on me and Alex. "Rise up and gird your loins, Alex," she said with authority, causing him to squint up at her. "The end is near."

"Happy birthday, Penelope," I called to her retreating back as I stood and began to help Alex up. She turned to me, her fiery red hair catching the sunlight in a way my mother's never could. She really was like some sort of angel.

"Thank you, Hayley," she said sincerely, nodding at me. "You've always been a good friend." She turned and left then and I watched after her with concern. I couldn't help but feel like I'd never see her again.

With Bug's help, I was able to get Alex back on his feet and walking -with my help- towards the school. The bell had rung and we were some of the last people making it in. As we walked, Bug wondered aloud about Penelope's strange warning. He had relayed the whole thing to us and the feeling I'd had when she was walking away grew stronger.

"Why does Penelope always say stuff like that?" Bug aimed this question at me, looking down at me from where I walked perched under Alex's right arm. I just shrugged, not knowing what exactly he wanted to hear about the strange girl.

"Parallel universe maybe," Alex suggested, Brandon's attack obviously not having bruised his sarcasm.

"I don't understand her sometimes," Bug continued his lament as we passed through the doors. "I mean the way she said that-" Reaching out, he grabbed Alex's collar and yanked him back unexpectedly. I gasped as I toppled into his side. "Pray for our souls, Bug, he's coming..." I shrank away from him slightly as his face seemed to go completely blank and his voice raised quite a few pitches. I could tell Alex was creeped out too as Bug pulled away.

"What if she meant the Ripper?" he asked, voice back to normal and his eyes regaining their childish features. "I'm scared."

Alex looked down at me and I shrugged. I didn't know what to say to make Bug feel better. And even if I did, I definitely wasn't the person to say it. I was afraid of the Ripper too after all. We all were. Turning back to Bug, Alex moved his arm from around me and stood tall. "We're sixteen, Bug, like it or not, we're men now."

As he turned to start climbing the stairs Bug turned to me. He tilted his head as if asking if what Alex had said was true and I gave a complaint shrug. He would have to grow up at some point. I was still fifteen, a freshman, and a girl to boot. It was okay for me to be frightened, or at least that's what I told myself. Together we both started climbing the stairs as well.

"I don't feel like a man," he said worriedly to Alex's back.

"No man does," Alex assured him. "That's why you gotta fake it." I rolled my eyes at this. I knew exactly what he was getting at and it was not the kind of advice he should be giving Bug of all people.

"Fake being a man to be a man?" Bug asked, again looking at me to confirm my beau's words. This time I shook my head however.

"That's the way it works," Alex nodded as we came to the first landing. He stopped and turned to Bug then as I continued passed, brushing my hand over his shoulder as I went. "So you can't run, you gotta face your fear like a man."

"Even though I'm not a man?" I heard Bug ask as I continued to ascend the stairs slowly.

"Because you're not a man," Alex corrected just as I reached the second floor. "Listen, the better you fake it, the better man you are."

"Don't listen to him, Bug," I warned, leaning over the guard rail to look down at them much like this morning. Alex looked up and waved me off as Bug simply blinked and turned back.

"Just fake it," he said like he was beginning to catch on.

"Fake it good," Alex confirmed, before shifting his weight. "Like if you're scared, act like you don't give a shit."

"Alex," I said warningly. He was beginning to cross the line that I felt comfortable with.

"Or if somebody hurts you," he went on ignoring me. "Say 'Thank you very much, that felt wonderful.'."

"Alex!" I snapped now, gripping the railing as they both turned to look at me. Alex caught my expression and had the decency to look slightly ashamed but didn't Bug see it. Our friend looked at me in confusion moving as if to walk up towards me.

"What's the matter, Hayley?" he asked innocently. "I want to be a man."

I sighed, letting my head fall down to my chest. "You will be, Bug, on your own time though okay?" He cocked his head in confusion as I turned to face Alex who had begun to walk up the stairs. When he was right by me he stopped, facing the opposite direction as I hissed into his ear. "Bug is not like us, don't fill his head with that bullshit."

"He needs to learn to be a man," he grumbled back, not looking at me.

"Let him learn it from someone else," I argued, rubbing the back of my head distractedly as Bug joined us on the second floor landing. "I have to get to class," was my grumbled statement as I turned on my heel and stalked off down the empty hallway.

"Hayley?" I turned back to look at Bug. "Did I do something wrong?" Besides Alex there was almost nobody that could make me feel protective or territorial in any way. The protectiveness I felt over Jerome was brought on by his blindness and so it hardly counted. But with Bug it was different. He was so innocent that I just wanted to keep him from the horrible things that surrounded him, including mine and Alex's own influence. Today was no exception.

"No, Bug," I said firmly, glancing sideways at Alex. He stood straighter as I looked at him and I turned back to Bug. "It was us."

"Are you two fighting?" he asked, sounding more terrified than he had even when he'd thought the Ripper was still alive. I think he saw Alex and I as the perfect parent-esque he had never known. His eyes darted between us as I shook my head.

"Course not, buddy, don't be ridiculous," Alex boasted, coming over to slide his arm around my hip, faking that he was sure. "But you know, Hayley's right, you don't need to fake it."

"I don't?" Bug asked, sounding confused.

"No, Bug, you're doing just fine," I tried to pacify him.

"But how will I ever become a man?" he asked, eyes trained on Alex who in turn trained his eyes on me. I raised an eyebrow at him slightly and he turned back to Bug.

"You are a man," he said confidently, bringing us both forward to slap Bug on the shoulder.

"I am?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely, look at you," Alex went on, gesturing to Bug's at best lanky body. Reaching over, he slapped Bug lightly on the face. "You now have permission to shave." With that, Alex and I turned to walk down the hallway, leaving Bug standing near the stairs. "See you at lunch," Alex called over my head just before we rounded a corner. Once we were out of Bug's view, his arm slipped from my hips and he stared blankly at me.

I sighed, rubbing my temple as I felt a head ache start to form. "We're not fighting, Alex."

"Aren't we?" he challenged, shrugging as if it didn't matter either way. This was his defense coming up. Anyone watching this would've thought he was an awful boyfriend, but I knew the truth. He was scared.

"No," I confirmed, turning to continue walking towards my first period.

"What was that back there?" he continued the conversation, walking slightly behind me now. I sighed, shaking my head as we stopped again.

"Look, Bug isn't like you and me, he hasn't had to put up with what we have," I whispered, hoping none of Fang's gang were lurking around.

"So what that means he's better than me?" Alex demanded, moving closer to me with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Of course not!" I said immediately, hurt that he would even suggest that that was what I was implying. "But you can't just tell him to 'fake it'. He's too sensitive, he'll get hurt."

"Yeah well maybe he needs to get hurt," he grumbled, stepping around me looking grave.

"You don't mean that," I called to his retreating form. He stopped short and turned back to me. He looked more frustrated than usual and I immediately felt bad. He didn't need this, especially not today.

"Yeah and how would you know?" he challenged, rolling his eyes which were suspiciously glassy. Shaking my head, I approached him slowly, only stopping when I was practically standing on his toes.

Looking up at him, I took in his straight nose and deep eyes. I glanced at his hair, the black curls being moved by my very breath. "Because I love you," I clarified before leaning in to kiss the pulse in his neck. He shivered and I pulled away to find him looking far calmer. "And you're the only man I need."