A/N: Happy Monday! I've had a rather slow day, so I figured I might ask well share today's chapter a little early. It's a fun one, based on a Friends episode, so I hope you enjoy some of the parallels!
If Hailey thought Kim was nervous the day of Adam's police academy graduation, that was nothing compared to the day before Kim's final interview for a local school. Everyone tried coming together to help her relax by having Chinese food while watching Top Gun in Adam and Kevin's apartment, but it just seemed to put her on edge.
She'd had probably four pieces of orange chicken before pushing her plate back and saying, "What am I thinking? I'm going to get puffy if I eat all this salt."
"There's no salt in Chinese food," Mouse had replied nonchalantly on his way to eat a mouthful of noodles.
Jay slapped him upside the head for that comment.
While watching the movie, Hailey was tucked into Jay's side on the couch. He dragged his fingers along the skin of her waist absentmindedly until Kim snapped and announced everyone needed to go to bed.
It was 9pm.
Adam tried getting her to settle down, but Kim insisted she needed to sleep. This was her third interview for a second grade job, and she wanted to be on her A game for it. She was going to be meeting with the district superintendent at 10am sharp. She had no time for staying up late messing around with her friends.
Kevin had feigned annoyance only for Vanessa to tell him off as well. It resulted in everyone besides Adam and Kim leaving the apartment.
"She's gonna get it, I don't know why she's so worried," Mouse said as they walked down the stairs together.
"It's not a guarantee that she'll get it," Hailey sighed, "She's worried and rightfully so. This is the first interview where she's truly loved the school and other teachers. She wants this badly. We can't minimize that."
"Just twenty-four more hours, if that," Kevin said.
When they reached the next landing, Jay announced, "You guys know what else is in twenty-four hours? The lottery."
"Isn't the lottery like a daily thing?" Vanessa asked.
"If you play scratch-offs," Jay answered, "But I'm talking about the Powerball. It's only three times a week, and tomorrow's a huge drawing."
"Hey, I saw that on the news," Mouse said.
"Shocking that you watch something other than soccer," Hailey mumbled.
Jay smirked at her then asked, "Anyone else want in? I'm gonna go out and buy a few tomorrow. We could pool our money together and buy a bunch."
"Do we have the money for that?" Kevin asked.
"Just put in twenty bucks, we'll figure it out," Jay said.
"I'm in," Vanessa said, "It sounds fun. Hailey and I can host."
Hailey nodded and added, "I'll throw some money in, too."
"Same here," Mouse said as he pulled his key out. Unlocking the apartment door, he asked, "Anyone else want to finish the movie?"
"As if we haven't already seen it a dozen times," Kevin chuckled, but still walked in the apartment with Vanessa by his side.
Jay smiled at Hailey and held the door open for her.
"Such a gentleman," she lightly teased, "Thank you."
"Mhmm," Jay hummed. Stepping in behind her, he lightly grabbed her waist before stopping at the fridge to pull out a few beers. "Want to stay at my place again tonight?"
"If you don't mind."
"Never. I like having you here."
Hailey smiled and followed him to the living room.
Ever since the disastrous brunch with her parents, there was something about staying in her own bedroom that bothered her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she felt uncomfortable. Everything seemed to remind her of her parents whether it was a Greece watercolor painting Kim had given her for Christmas two years before or even the sheets on her bed that her mom bought her. It all irked her and got under her skin. She wanted to stay in there, but sleep became impossible, so she started looking for new places to stay.
Vanessa noticed it when she fell asleep on the couch one night and assured her that she didn't need to go to bed, that she was comfortable where she was. It was a complete lie that Vanessa saw right through, but instead of fighting her, she offered her own bed for the night. Together, the two of them laid silently in her bed staring at the ceiling. It was quiet, but peaceful, and it actually brought tears to Hailey's eyes. She hated that she no longer felt safe within her own bedroom. Her parents had to take that from her too.
She felt even safer when she was with Jay, though, so she settled on staying with him all the other nights. At first, she managed to just go over at dinner or after a date and would then fall asleep in his bed or on his couch, but then she asked a couple times if she could just stay the night. Jay never argued and happily agreed even if she asked him several times if he was sure. He seemed to be able to tell that she was struggling with something, but instead of pushing her to share with him, he held her while in his full-sized bed and pressed kisses to her skin until she was able to fall asleep. It wasn't a bad way to spend her nights.
Settling onto Jay's lap on the recliner, Hailey took a deep breath and rested her head back on his shoulder. While she did love spending all the extra time with him, she did wish she could have her life back. The alone time in her room was never a bad thing, and she was sure Jay would like to have his bed back to himself no matter what he said.
Maybe just one more night in his arms, then she could try again.
Jay kissed the side of her head before kicking his feet up and tightening his hold on her.
Yes, one more night would be fine.
Jay did not think the same when there was a banging on his apartment door the next morning, though.
"Hailey! Hailey, get out here!" Kim yelled.
There was a thud against the wall then Mouse shouted, "Jay! Your girlfriend needs to answer the door."
Hailey groaned and rolled over to hide her face in Jay's chest. "What's happening?" she whispered.
"I don't know, but get it," Jay murmured, "Now…please."
Hailey sighed and pushed up on the mattress as she heard Kim yelling, "Vanessa Alayna Rojas, you get your ass out here right now!"
"Hailey!" Mouse shouted again.
Hailey shoved off the mattress, threw Jay's t-shirt on, and ran out of the room, throwing the apartment door open at the exact same time as Vanessa.
"What the hell is your issue?" Vanessa yelled.
Kim stepped up onto the step and said, "Look at me!"
Hailey rubbed the sleep from her face and blinked until she could register Kim in front of her. She gasped and breathed, "Oh my god."
Kim's bottom lip wavered as she pointed to her face and said, "I got a stye."
"Kim," Vanessa whispered.
"What do I do?" Kim cried, "It's my big interview!"
"We can fix it, I'm sure we can," Hailey said. She grabbed Kim's hand and dragged her into her apartment with Vanessa on her heels.
Yawning, Kevin stepped out of Vanessa's bedroom and waved at the three of them. "What's up?" he asked.
"Do you know how to get rid of styes?" Hailey asked.
"Styes?" Kevin repeated. He took one step closer to them then sucked in a breath. "Damn, Kim," he said with a wince, "How'd that happen?"
"I don't know," she whined.
Vanessa sat at the table, already on her phone. "We need baby soap," she announced, "That'll help clean it, but we also need a hot washcloth for now."
"Won't that make it stick out more?" Kim asked.
"I don't think so," Vanessa said slowly, "It'll help it hurt less."
"Then let's start there," Hailey said, rushing into the bathroom. She returned a moment later with a washcloth that she quickly doused in water and tossed in the microwave.
Kevin bent down to look at Kim's eyes closer then said, "It's not…that bad."
Vanessa tried smiling and nodding. "It's barely noticeable."
"Don't lie," Kim hissed, "I look like I have a third eye."
Hailey grabbed the washcloth from the microwave and waved it for a moment before handing it to her. "Try this," she said, "I can heat it up even more too."
"Internet says five to ten minutes," Vanessa explained.
Kim blinked past tears in her eyes before holding the washcloth to her face. She winced and said, "Do you think it'll disappear?"
Hailey exchanged a look with Kevin and Vanessa then said, "Maybe."
Kevin cleared his throat as he straightened up. "I'm, uh, I'm gonna go tell Adam where you're at," he said.
"Grab her an outfit too," Vanessa said.
"My interview outfit is back at my house, though," Kim said.
"I'm sure one of us has something you can wear," Hailey assured, "Don't worry. We'll figure it out." Turning back to Kevin, she added, "But you do need to go out and get some soap for her eye."
"Please," Kim added.
Kevin glanced between them all then, meeting intense gazes, said, "Yup, I'll be right back." He hurried from the apartment, holding the door open for Jay and Mouse on his way out.
"Oh god," Kim whined, slipping down in her chair.
Mouse smirked and said, "Pink eye?"
"Please don't give it to me," Jay said.
"I can't," Kim sighed, removing the washcloth from her eye, "It's a stye."
"Damn," Mouse said as he winced.
Jay scrunched his nose up and said, "That's…" He met Hailey's eyes then coughed softly. "Fixable," he finished, "Yeah, that's not gonna last forever."
"You suck," Kim mumbled before pressing the washcloth back to her eye.
"I'll go look for clothes for you," Hailey said on her way to her bedroom.
Jay followed her and closed the door behind him before asking, "Is she okay?"
Hailey scoffed and said, "What do you think?"
Frowning, Jay sat on her bed and looked around. He watched Hailey toss a few outfits on her bed then asked, "When was the last time you were in here?"
Hailey hummed and said, "Last night to grab some clothes, remember?"
"Yeah, but…why haven't you been sleeping in here?" Jay added.
"Full of questions today, aren't you?" Hailey said.
Jay chuckled and said, "Hailey."
She turned toward him and raised an eyebrow.
"Come on," he said softly, "Seriously." He patted the bed and said, "You haven't slept here in like a week. What's been going on?"
She shrugged and grabbed one last dress from the closet. "I don't know," she said, "Things have just felt off after that thing with my parents."
Jay nodded slightly and looked over at her untouched pillows. He let out a breath then sighed.
"Are you okay?" Hailey asked while gathering all the clothes in her arms.
Jay glanced up at her then smiled sadly. "I really do love spending all the extra time with you, I do, but I'm just wondering how I can help you," he admitted, "It can't be healthy for us to practically live together after barely two months of us dating."
Hailey hesitated then set everything down. "I'm sorry," she said softly, "I didn't-"
"No, hey, there's nothing to be sorry for," Jay interrupted quickly, "That's not at all what I'm saying. I just don't want us to burn out or anything, and you also don't seem one hundred percent. You're not completely you, and that bums me out."
Her heart sank with a sigh. Hailey stepped forward to stand between his legs and set her hands on either side of her neck. "I'm sorry," she repeated, "I know I've been off, I want to get back to me too, I just don't know what to do." She glanced around the room then shrugged. "There's just something about here that reminds me of them and…and it makes me feel small. I don't want to be some kid anymore. I want to be the grown woman I know I can be."
Jay nodded along then said, "I get it. You want to grow up."
"Yeah," Hailey sighed and turned her gaze to her bed. She shook her head then stepped away from him. "I don't know," she breathed, "I don't, and I'm sorry for that."
Without waiting for a response, she left the room to show off her clothes to Kim. As her friends, Mouse included, debated which outfit would be the best for a final interview, she couldn't help but only be half interested in the conversation.
She'd meant what she told Jay: there was something off about her room. It did remind her of being small again. She'd never exactly gotten over her teal bedspread phase, and the room reminded her a lot of the one she had in high school. It had just been a lot cheaper to bring the same comforter from home to the apartment even if it didn't fit quite right. She'd wanted to save money, but now it seemed like saving money irked her brain and dragged up her past.
She hated that her parents did that to her. All she ever wanted was to be happy and present. She refused to live in the past, and yet here she was – her younger years haunting every second she lived within that damned room. Staying away from it seemed easier.
Even if a part of her heart still ached each night Jay shut off the lights in his room because it reminded her that it wasn't hers.
She wanted her life back.
Once Kim was on her way to her interview with a clean face accented with a perfectly round stye on her eye, Hailey accompanied Jay to the store to buy all their Powerball tickets. Outside of the apartment building, she felt like she could properly breathe again. The air was hot and stiff, but it wasn't tainted with memories she hated to relive, so she accepted it.
While Jay drove them away from the gas station, Hailey counted out their Powerball tickets, smiling as she did so. "Forty-seven," she announced, "Holy crap. I feel like we could do it."
Jay laughed and shook his head. "I don't know, the odds are low," he said.
"This was your idea," Hailey said with a soft laugh, "Are you suddenly regretting your twenty bucks?"
"No," Jay chuckled, "Just saying, the odds are low. It's why we had to get so many tickets. I'd honestly be happy if we won a hundred dollars. That'd be cool in of itself."
"Of course," Hailey hummed as she placed all the tickets in the center console, "Winning anything would be cool, but the giant jackpot would be even better."
"Obviously," Jay said before taking an unexpected right at a stop sign.
Hailey glanced around then asked, "Where are you headed?"
"You'll see," Jay said softly. He shot her a wink then smirked at the road.
Hailey raised an eyebrow and said, "Jay."
"Hailey," he shot back, holding his hand out for her, "Trust me."
She took a deep breath then set her hand on his. "Okay," she murmured, "But can I get a hint?"
Jay laughed and shook his head. "Sorry, babe, this one's a secret," he said.
"You love secret stuff," Hailey said.
Jay laughed again and said, "Secrets make everything more fun."
"Only if they're good secrets," Hailey pointed out, "Cheating and money secrets are never fun."
"Course not," Jay said with a squeeze of her hand, "But believe me, this is a good secret. I think it'll help you."
"Do what?"
"Just wait."
Hailey rolled her eyes, but still had a smile on her face as she looked out the window. Humming along quietly with the music, she rubbed her thumb along Jay's knuckles and tried memorizing the feel of his hand in hers.
It was pretty big, especially compared to her own, but she loved it. She'd spent many nights holding it up against her own to compare the lengths of their fingers or the widths of their palms. It always made her smile, especially when Jay would break her thoughts by bringing her hand to his lips and gently kissing her anywhere he could reach. That made her laugh every time.
For the two days after he'd punched her dad, his right hand had been slightly bruised, and he admitted to it being sore. She knew that violence should never be the answer, but she sure was damn proud of him. Every time she thought of the soft thud that had sounded when Jay's fist connected with her dad's face, she couldn't help but smile. All her life, whenever her dad hit her or was beating on one of her brothers or even her mom, she wished that someone could stop him. Her brothers did try, but they were never as successful as a stranger would have been; they'd hesitate or simply shove their father instead of hitting back the way he deserved. Jay hadn't hesitated in that moment. Maybe he should have in order to prevent any sort of lawsuit being filed against him either by her parents or the brunch house staff, but it meant more to Hailey than she could ever properly say. He'd chosen her over formalities or pleasantries.
She was someone's first choice.
Her heart fluttered whenever she thought back to that moment. She really thought it showed that Jay loved her. He would truly do anything for her, and she couldn't stop thinking about what that meant. He had to have loved her - he had to have. She was just too nervous to ask him to confirm that fact.
She knew her own feelings and how she was practically certain that she did, in fact, love him. She'd never felt so connected to someone. In her gut, she knew what kind of man Jay was currently and who he was most likely to grow to be. It made her smile. He was pure and good and kind. Just like the man she always wanted to end up with.
Plus, he was very good looking as Kim and Vanessa liked to point out.
He was everything she'd dreamed of, which just made her smile even more given her father's thoughts on her dreams. She did have goals – becoming a forensic scientist, buying a house, owning a car, having a family – but Jay was more of a dream. It never seemed right to have marriage as a goal in her life because she always knew that marriage wouldn't make or break her. Having someone who loved her unconditionally, made her laugh more than she ever thought possible, and who gave the best hugs felt like a dream always just out of reach. And then she moved into an apartment building right out of college and realized it wasn't impossible.
Jay was her dream come true.
If only her past self could hear the thoughts running through her head, she'd have a heart attack right there at the sickingly sweet romantic words she believed in. She just couldn't help but let herself live those tropes Jay had embedded in her life.
She still wasn't quite sure when she needed to tell Jay her thoughts and feelings, but she felt like she'd just know. When Garrett had said he'd loved her, she just replied out of instinct and then convinced herself it was true. She wanted it to be different this time around. She didn't want to tell Jay she loved him because of social convention, she wanted to tell Jay she loved him because, in that moment, she couldn't bare going any longer without him knowing.
She just hadn't been hit with that feeling just yet, but she knew in her gut – her heart – that it was coming. It had to have been.
Without her realizing where Jay had been driving, he finally pulled up in front of a small interior design boutique that she'd never been to before. She blinked and glanced at him as she asked, "What's going on?"
"I had an idea today," Jay attempted to explain. He smiled at her then said, "Come on." He didn't wait for her to say anything and instead jumped out of the car just to hurry around and open her door.
"What's the idea?" Hailey asked.
Jay just smiled and waved his hand around for her to grab.
Hailey sighed, but still laughed softly as she grabbed his hand and jumped out of the truck. Shutting the door, she looked up at the boutique and tried thinking of some reason as to why Jay would take her here. They'd just said that morning that they shouldn't be living together so soon within their relationship, so it made no sense to imagine he'd brought her here to pick out china patterns or shared kitchen utensils.
Together, they walked into the store that instantly brought a smile to Hailey's face. She wasn't huge on clothing or interior design, but she still thought it was fun to shop around and dream, and she didn't see anything wrong with binge watching home makeover shows.
"Jay, Hailey!"
Hailey turned from a shelf filled with throw pillows to see Jay's childhood friend, Allie, hurrying through the store toward them.
"Hey, you two," she said once she reached them, "So glad you decided to finally come see me at work."
Hailey's eyes widened and she turned to Jay as she repeated, "Work?"
"Hey," Jay chuckled and accepted a hug from Allie, "Thanks for volunteering to help Hailey out."
Hailey blinked in confusion then set a hand on Jay's back. Waiting until he faced her, she raised an eyebrow and said, "Sorry?"
Jay nervously smiled then said, "Allie's got an interior design degree and has taken a bunch of classes-"
"I even went to Texas for a big event," Allie interrupted, "I've been trying to learn from all the professionals, but I've also been trying to figure my own style out. I want to open my own company some day – just like Jay and his office."
"We ended up both wanting to be our own bosses," Jay chuckled then grabbed Hailey's hand. Taking a deep breath, he said, "You said your room reminds you of your parents, so I thought maybe Allie could help you out."
"It'll be so fun," Allie said quickly.
"I…thank you," Hailey said to her before stepping back with Jay. "I don't have the money to redo my room," she whispered, "And I can't accept you to just give me handouts."
"I won't," Jay said, "I promise. I mean, maybe I'll buy you like a new pillow or something, but not the whole thing. Allie said you could use her discount."
Hailey glanced over at Allie staring at her expectantly then lowered her voice even further and said, "Are you sure? Is this weird?"
"She's my friend," Jay said, "There's nothing weird about it."
"Did you tell her anything?" Hailey asked.
Jay shook his head and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Just that you were looking for a change. I promise you," he said.
Hailey chewed her lip then slowly nodded.
"Money can't buy everything, but maybe it can buy a peace of mind," Jay added, "Your bedroom should be your safe place."
Hailey smiled slightly then breathed, "Thanks."
The truth of the matter was that Jay was her safe place. It didn't matter if they were in her bed or his; he kept her safe better than any wall décor could.
Though the thought of being able to have a big, empty bed to herself again was rather nice. And the stuff here in the boutique was rather cute.
So she breathed in and turned back to Allie. "Okay," she said, "You can help me out, but if we could stay cheap, that'd be awesome."
Allie smiled wide and said, "Of course."
Jay stayed for close to ten minutes before heading out to grab them all coffee. At first, Hailey wasn't sure it was the best idea, but then Allie made a joke about him taking up all their space on the couch for the stuff they were grabbing and she started to relax.
Allie was actually just as nice as she'd been at her wedding, and Hailey didn't hate any of her ideas. She listened to what Hailey liked and always double-checked the price of something before adding it to their pile. She also kept track of all their ideas on an iPad and kept showing her different rooms she liked in hopes something would spark her interest. It was a lot more fun than Hailey ever would have anticipated, at least whenever they were talking about what her future room was going to look like.
They were sitting on the floor looking at more affordable sheets online when Allie asked softly, "How's he really doing with his mom?"
Hailey's heart sank and she looked up from the iPad screen.
"I went over there last week when Will was there," Allie explained with a sigh as she turned the iPad off, "They both said Jay had a bit of a rough patch a couple weeks ago and that he seemed to figure it all out, but might have hurt you too. I'm sorry he's such a dude and can't handle emotions."
Hailey weakly laughed and pulled her knees up to her chest. "No, don't apologize for him," she said softly, "Yeah, it was rough, but I might have had something to do with that too. I was hurt he wasn't talking to me at all and was scared that it meant..."
She trailed off and looked down to pick at her nails. She knew she'd walked away because she'd thought it all just proved her point that love wasn't real. The words were right there at the tip of her tongue, but this was Allie. While she might have been nice, the two of them weren't close friends. She wasn't Kim or Vanessa, but maybe that was a good thing and allowed her to share her thoughts without fear of being judged. It was why Jay said he didn't mind going to therapy once a week – he liked having a stranger to talk to.
"I thought it meant he didn't love me," she softly admitted, "Or at least that love wasn't real, so I told him we needed a break. I didn't think he could love me like he loved her, and I didn't want him to choose between us, so I made the choice for him." She shrugged and glanced up at Allie expecting to see her staring at her like she was crazy.
But she wasn't. Allie was looking at her in understanding as if she cared about what Hailey was saying.
"Didn't last long then, huh?" she said softly, a hint of a smile on her face.
Hailey laughed slightly and nodded. "Not at all, but it was definitely the longest three days of my life," she said.
Allie nodded and gently squeezed her knee. "I don't blame you for needing a break. It has to be hard," she said.
Hailey nodded as well and murmured, "Thanks."
Allie shot her a smile then studied her for a moment before saying, "Love is real. It's hard and can be gut wrenching sometimes, but it's real. When I first found it with Josh, it was like opening my eyes for the first time and seeing color. Everything becomes brighter when I'm with him, and he makes me feel alive. I trust him, and he makes me feel safe. All of that adds up to love. There's way more stuff that I don't know if I could properly put into words, but the gist is that I found love, and I know you can too. Maybe you even have."
A smile ghosted at Hailey's lips as she looked back down at her fingers. "Maybe," she said softly.
Jay made her feel all of that to the point where she'd had most of those exact same thoughts. She did feel safe and alive and free with him in ways she'd never felt before. She knew she loved him just like she really believed he loved her. It just felt extra nice to hear someone else confirm that.
The door jingled open, so they both turned to see Jay step inside with a tray of coffee in one hand and a bag in the other.
"Hey," he said, "How'd it go?"
"You were gone a while," Allie said as she stood up.
"I got hungry," Jay said with a shrug. He set everything down then helped Hailey up. "Get some good stuff?" he asked.
"Yeah," Hailey said, looking over at the pile of decorations she was going to buy.
Jay nodded and kissed the top of her head. "Glad to hear," he said softly.
Allie smiled at the two of them then asked Jay the same question she'd asked Hailey earlier: "How're you really doing?"
Jay raised an eyebrow and wrapped an arm around Hailey's shoulder. "What're you talking about?" he countered.
"You," Allie said with a soft poke to his chest, "Come on; talk to me. I'm your third favorite girl."
Jay snorted and said, "You're crazy.
"I'm stating facts," Allie replied, "Now, come on, talk to me."
"I wanna know who you think is above you," Jay said.
Hailey raised an eyebrow and interjected to say, "If it's not me and your mom, we're going to have issues."
Jay laughed and shook his head. Kissing his forehead, he said, "Of course it's you two." Turning back toward Allie, he said, "And you, Ms. Number Three, I'm fine. Really."
She pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "Jay Matthew Halstead," she said.
"Allison Harper Corson," he shot back. She simply tilted her head to the side causing him to sigh. "I'm figuring it out," he said quietly, "I'm better than I was, but I'm still not great. Hailey's helping, I visit often, and I'm seeing a therapist. I'm trying, and that's saying something."
Hailey rubbed her hand over his back and leaned into him.
Allie let out a breath and nodded. "Thanks for saying it," she said softly, "If you need anything, you know where to find me."
Jay smiled and nodded. Glancing around, he said, "I'll just come find you in a pile of blankets and wallpaper."
Allie laughed and reached forward to shove his arm. "It's fun. Maybe you should come here for yourself sometime."
"Eh, we'll see," Jay replied. He picked up the bag and pulled out three cookies. "Who wants one?" he asked, "I got chocolate chunk from that bakery down the street. The line was crazy long."
"It looks delicious, thank you," Hailey said while grabbing the cookie.
"Mhmm," Jay hummed through a bite of his own snack. Looking toward all the stuff she'd picked out, he asked, "So what's the theme or the vibe?"
"Modern boho," Allie answered.
"I'm nervous about the white bedspread and the sheets I'm going to order, so don't bring food in my room, okay?" Hailey said.
Jay laughed and said, "I can do that. It all looks great. Very refreshing."
Hailey nodded and looked over the pile of decorations. "I agree," she said softly. Glancing up at Allie, she said, "I'm really glad we came. Thank you both."
Allie stepped over to hug her tightly. "You're so welcome," she said, "Send me all the pictures. I can even come over to help you set it all up if you want."
"I think I can be the one to help her make the bed and hang some pictures," Jay said.
"But I'm the professional," Allie argued.
Jay quietly mocked her before finishing his cookie in one bite.
Hailey laughed and took a bite of her own cookie. She smiled at Allie as she showed Jay everything they'd picked out and explained how exactly he should help her hang it all up. He followed along and while she could sense some of his sarcasm, she knew he was telling the truth. This had been his idea in the first place, so there was no doubt that he'd help her redo her room exactly how she wanted it.
Even when they were packing everything into the back of his truck an hour later after spending time talking with Allie, she was still in disbelief that he was her boyfriend and that she had real, genuine feelings for him. He'd noticed a speed bump in her life and thought of a unique way to fix it. He wasn't trying to make her avoid her problems or even talk them to death; he was interested in taking action and attempting to truly fix what was holding her back. She appreciated it more than she could tell him.
Though she certainly showed him once they brought everything up to her room before they began trying to put it all together.
Kim showed up soon after with Adam on her heels and her phone practically glued to her hand.
"I'm scared," she announced while plopping down on the couch, "He said he'll be calling me before the end of the work day with the final decision. It could be good or it could be terribly bad."
"Well, at least we have the lottery to look forward to," Hailey said while setting the bowl of Powerball tickets on the coffee table, "And Kev and Vanessa are grabbing Thai for dinner. You love Thai."
"I love money more and having a job," Kim mumbled.
"Oh, come on, Kim, you've got this," Adam said as he sat next to her. He kissed the side of her head and said, "We all believe in you."
"I don't," Kim whined, "It went horribly. It started with the stye and then I spilt my water during the interview. It was cursed."
"Okay, but what about the content?" Hailey asked, "The talking part. How'd that go?"
"Fine, I guess," Kim sighed. Crossing her arms, she sank further down on the couch and kicked her foot at the carpet. "I did think I did pretty well," she mumbled, "We got along, and he really liked my stance on parent communication."
"There you go!" Adam said, "That's my girl!"
Kim smiled slightly and shrugged.
"It'll be okay," Hailey said softly, perching on the edge of the coffee table, "And even if you don't get the job, there will be more offers. This is not the end of you; I promise."
"Thank you," Kim whispered.
Hailey nodded and smiled back.
Glancing toward the balcony, she watched Jay end his FaceTime and rub a hand over his face. She sucked in a breath and looked down at her feet. He'd gotten a text about ten minutes before from his dad that his mom had gotten pretty sick suddenly. He'd wanted to run over there instantly, but she encouraged him to call first, saying he didn't want to get in the way of anything. She was really hoping that hadn't been a mistake.
If he did need to leave right now, though, she knew she was going to go with him. Their friends could catch them up on the Powerball, that wasn't a big deal at all. Jay's mom and her health was a big deal. Hailey was fully ready to drive him across the city if she needed to. There wouldn't be any hesitation.
The window slid open and Jay stepped inside. He quickly met her eyes then tried sending her a smile.
Hailey felt a wave of relief wash over her.
"Hey," Adam said while looking up, "What's up?"
"Nothing," Jay said, "And I mean that. My mom probably just got food poisoning. Apparently they got some sketchy chicken wings last night, even my dad was feeling weird. He's gonna keep an eye on her, but it's okay. I'm not…well, I'm worried, but…you know."
Hailey nodded and quickly crossed the room to pull him into a tight hug. "I'm glad to hear that," she whispered, "Thanks for being honest."
Jay nodded back and squeezed his eyes shut while burying his face in her hair.
"I've got you," Hailey murmured before pressing a kiss to the side of his head.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Hailey hummed softly and rubbed her hands over his back.
The front door opened and Mouse announced his presence by saying: "Let's go, people! We've got money to win!"
Hailey stepped back and sent Jay a smile before grabbing his hand and pulling him to the kitchen where Mouse was setting down one case of beer and one of cider.
"Hailey, Jay," Mouse greeted while passing them cans, "Are you ready? Think you picked the winning numbers?"
"Aren't you chipper tonight?" Hailey asked.
"Just looking forward to being rich," Mouse replied. When Kim and Adam walked over, he tossed them drinks as well and said, "Kimberly, I see your little friend is still here. How'd he do in the interview? Help you out?"
She punched his arm and said, "I will kill you."
"I don't doubt it," Mouse said with a smirk.
Adam chuckled and said, "Don't push it, man."
Mouse winked and cracked open his drink. "To winning millions," he said as he held it up.
"Here, here," Jay said, tapping his can to everyone's.
They passed the time until the numbers were announced by eating their dinner, playing games, and drinking probably too much alcohol for a Wednesday night with Kim and Jay being the worst out of any of them.
"He hasn't called yet," Kim said quietly while staring at her phone, "I think that's it. I'm done. I'm jobless. I'm-I'm dumb."
"Darlin, you are not dumb," Adam reassured while swapping out her beer can for a water bottle, "He probably just got busy and forgot."
"Or he died," Jay mumbled, "My mom's going to die."
"Hey, Jay," Hailey said as she pushed off the ground to join him in the big chair, "Honey-"
"My mom's called me honey before," Jay said.
Hailey sighed and brushed a hand over his hair. "I know it's scary, but drinking until you can't stand is never the right way to deal with emotions, right? It's not smart."
Jay shrugged and leaned his head on her shoulder.
Mouse blew out a long breath and said, "Well, there goes all our fun."
"No, we can still have fun," Vanessa said, "Let's just get their minds off of the negative stuff. Let's talk about the money we're going to win."
"I think we will win," Kevin said, "Even if we don't win the full prize, I think there are pretty good chances we'll win something small. Maybe a thousand bucks."
"What're the chances of that?" Adam asked.
"I don't know the math, but I have a gut feeling," Kevin answered.
Adam smirked as he took a long sip of beer. "All right," he said, sitting up on the couch with Kim tucked into his side, "Say we win the big money and decide to split it. What're you all buying? And I mean buying buying. Obviously we're gonna pay off bills; I want to hear something fun."
"A school so I can hire myself," Kim mumbled.
Jay pointed at her and nodded.
"Think happier thoughts, babe, happier thoughts," Adam said.
"The negativity is killing me," Mouse sighed. Taking a sip of beer, he said, "I'm going to buy the Cubs solely to piss off Jay, and then maybe I'll buy NASA just for kicks."
Hailey laughed and said, "I don't know if you'll have enough money for both of those – might have to stick to just the Cubs."
"I like the way you think," Mouse said.
"All right, let's see," Kevin said, humming under his breath, "I'm going to buy…a car. A legit one. Maybe even electric. I want something good. Doesn't even have to be practical, just something that makes me look way cooler than any of you. So two door for sure."
Vanessa laughed and said, "Respectable."
"And you?" Kevin asked, lightly poking her side.
"Actually, it's similar to Mouse," Vanessa said, "I want to buy a concert venue."
"That's not at all what I said," Mouse chuckled.
"Well, buying a stadium would be like buying a sports team," Vanessa argued.
"I…don't know about that," Hailey laughed, "But I like that you're buying an income property."
"She's being smart with the money," Adam said as he tried getting Kim to drink more water, "I'm gonna blow it and buy a jet. I like the idea of being able to fly anywhere I want whenever I want."
"Who's gonna fly it?" Mouse asked.
"I could probably go all Top Gun and learn myself," Adam said.
"Smart man," Mouse said, "Or just buy a pilot."
"Even smarter," Adam laughed.
"What're you gonna buy?" Hailey asked Jay.
He shrugged and played with the top of his beer can.
"No, come on," Hailey said softly, "What do you want to buy?"
Jay finished his beer then said, "A house."
Adam raised an eyebrow and repeated, "A house?"
Jay nodded and looked between all of them. "We practically live together anyways, might as well buy a house to make it official."
Vanessa broke into a smile and said, "I actually love that. We could be roomies."
"I feel like we'd probably kill each other for real, but it'd be a lot of fun until it all went down," Kevin chuckled.
"Where at?" Hailey asked.
Jay let out a long breath then set his empty can down. "Wisconsin," he answered.
"Don't you have a place in Wisconsin?" Adam asked.
"My parents do," Jay replied, "It's pretty nice up there."
"I agree with that," Mouse said, "I'd love to live up there. They've got a nice cabin near the water. It's probably the most peaceful place I've ever been to."
Hailey glanced between the two of them then asked, "Tell me more. What's the area like?"
"Quiet," Jay said, "Lots of trees, birds, a lake like he said. Just pure nature, and it's the best thing ever. There's not many people who have places up there. We got four-wheelers a couple years ago and spent the whole summer riding around the property."
Hailey smiled and nodded. She kissed his cheek quickly and whispered, "Sounds really nice."
"We should go up there sometime," Vanessa said, "Would that be okay?"
Jay finally smiled himself and nodded. "Yeah, that'd be really okay. I could use a trip up there. Maybe Labor Day weekend?"
"Sounds like the perfect end to summer to me," Adam said. Turning back to Kim, he asked, "And you? What're you actually gonna buy with your winnings?"
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, "He never called."
"No, no, hey," Adam assured, "You don't know if that means you didn't get the job. Nothing's guaranteed until that phone-"
It rang.
Kim's eyes shot open, and she dropped it to the floor.
"Answer it!" Vanessa yelled.
Kim shook her head quickly and said, "I can't. I can't do it. I just know I didn't get it. I can't do another rejection call, I can't."
"It might not be a rejection," Kevin said while passing her phone to her.
"You can do it," Hailey said with a smile, "Come on."
"Answer it, answer it!" Mouse chanted.
Kim swallowed hard and shook her head as the phone continued ringing in her hand.
"Come on, Kim," Adam whispered, "We're right here. We believe in you."
Looking between everyone, including Jay, smiling at her, Kim took a deep breath before tapping her thumb to her screen. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her phone up to her ear.
The room fell dead silence as they tried giving her the space she needed for the phone call. No one could hear what was happening on the other side of the call. All they could focus on was her face as she went pale and began nodding to herself.
Jay turned his head to kiss Hailey's shoulder then looked up at her with wide eyes.
She smiled at him and kissed his forehead in turn before holding a finger to his lips and whispering, "Wait."
He nodded as a smile split across his face.
"Okay, yes, thank you. I will. Thank you," Kim whispered. She hung up the call then set her phone on the coffee table. She shakily reached for Adam's hard cider and took a long sip while staring straight forward.
"Kim?" Adam breathed, setting his hand on her back.
Hailey bit her lip and asked, "How'd it go?"
Kim closed her eyes and shook her head before setting her drink down and pressing her palms to her eyes.
Vanessa crawled over to her and squeezed her knee. "I'm so sorry, Kim," she whispered.
"Yeah, you'll get the next one," Kevin said quietly.
"No need," Kim whispered. She took a deep breath then said, "I got it."
Hailey's eyes widened, and she could feel the shock ripple around the room. "You got it?" she asked.
Kim smiled wide as she nodded quickly. "I got it!" she squealed, "I got the job! I'm going to have my own second grade class!"
The room erupted into cheers as everyone started congratulating her and hugging her as tightly as they could. Vanessa hurried into the kitchen to grab a bottle of white wine that they could all pretend was champagne while Adam started spinning Kim around the middle of the living room.
"My girlfriend's gonna be a teacher!" he shouted.
Kim laughed loudly and said, "I don't know how I did it."
"The stye was good luck!" Mouse yelled, "Here's to your third eye!"
Tears fell down Kim's face as she sniffled and shook her head. "I can't believe it," she said, "I did it."
"You did," Adam said as he kissed her head, "You really, really did."
"We're so proud of you," Hailey said.
Jay nodded quickly and said, "Ditto."
Kim laughed softly and said, "Thank you. I couldn't have done it without any of you. You're all the best friends I could have asked for."
"Well, we happen to like you a lot," Vanessa said with a smile, "You're a good friend yourself. You deserve all the happiness and good things to happen to you."
Kim wiped her face and nodded as she breathed, "Thank you."
"Come on, let's drink up," Mouse said. He passed out glasses of wine and said, "To Kim."
"Kim!" everyone repeated as they tapped all their glasses together.
Hailey couldn't stop smiling at one of her absolute best friends as she happily cried into her wine glass. Glancing at Vanessa as well, she realized they were all right where they belonged. They had their guys, they had their friendship, and now they were all starting their careers. It was all she wanted when they first graduated.
Even when Jay and Kim sobered up in time for the numbers to be announced and their loss was declared. It still wasn't a bad way to end their night.
It carried over to the next morning when Hailey was sitting next to Jay in the bathroom after he'd effectively emptied his stomach of all the alcohol he'd drowned in the night before, she didn't want to be anywhere else.
"I'm really sorry," he mumbled while shakily taking a sip of water.
Hailey shook her head and said, "You were stressed. You deserved a wild night."
"Yeah, real wild while watching the Powerball in my girlfriend's apartment with our friends," Jay sighed.
"It's okay," Hailey said softly. She wiped his forehead and sent him a slight smile.
Jay closed his eyes and mumbled, "Thank you."
"Mhmm," Hailey hummed. She watched him almost fall back asleep for a moment before he sat up quickly and shoved his hand in his sweatpants pockets. "What're you doing?" she asked.
"I bought us an extra ticket," he said quietly as he searched his pockets. Finally, he found a small piece of paper and set it on the floor. He reached over Hailey for her phone and asked her to unlock it for him.
As she handed it to him, she asked, "Why'd you buy an extra ticket?"
"Thought it'd be fun," Jay said while looking up the winning numbers from the night before. He squinted through the haze still clouding his mind as he compared his Powerball ticket to the phone screen.
Hailey laughed softly and said, "Yeah, but was it really right to-"
"We won."
Hailey's eyes widened, and her gaze snapped down to her phone and the ticket in Jay's hands. "What?"
"We won! We got four of the numbers!" Jay yelled, "That's two-hundred dollars!"
"You're joking."
"I am not."
Hailey ripped the ticket and phone from his hand to check for herself. As she mouthed all the numbers out, she felt her stomach drop. He was right. They'd won. It wasn't the full prize, but it was still something, and her mind was blown.
Jay kissed her cheek as she squealed in happiness. Laughing, she pushed him away and said, "Get out, puke mouth."
"I bought us the winning ticket," Jay argued, "I deserve a kiss."
Hailey pointed to the sink and said, "After you brush your teeth, then we can maybe kiss."
Jay smirked and shot up just to grip the counter and groan quietly. "Moved too fast," he mumbled with a hand on his stomach.
"Okay, okay," Hailey said softly, setting everything down before standing up to help him sit on the closed toilet, their excitement also sobering up.
She quickly got him another bottle of water and stayed by his side for the rest of the morning, all while keeping her eyes on the winning ticket on the floor.
Never in a million years did she imagine winning the lottery, but then again, never in a million years did she think she would fall in love…and here she was - head over heels for a guy who could barely keep toast down.
She guessed that crazier things had happened.
A/N: Thoughts? :)