There was still a faint smile on Haley's lips as she walked into the house. But upon the silence that she was greeted with, the look slipped from her hold. For a long while, she stood in the entryway, feeling the complete lack of sound. As she remained there it seemed to grow until the weight of it was crushing.

Trying to rid herself of thoughts and emotions she could feel crawling in, she climbed the stairs, making at much noise as she could, wanting the walls to ring once more, even if it was the sound of her solitude. She kicked her door shut and tossed her backpack onto her bed. It gave a muted bounce on the comforter. Digging out her headphones, she put them in, letting the pounding bass drown her.

With a sigh, she sank into the chair at her desk. She curled one leg under her and pulled her other in, resting her chin on top, arms wrapped around it as if she were hugging it, or holding herself together. A thought for homework passed through her mind, but she didn't want to leave the sanctuary of music just yet.

From where she sat she could see through her balcony doors and into Jace's room. He was sitting on his bed, playing videos games. Haley shifted and could see his tv screen. On it, an animated character was racing around an underground tunnel. Something flickered in the corner of Haley's mouth as the familiar game bought a rush of memories to her.

Fighting them, Haley watched as Jace's character got trapped in a single room and couldn't seem to get out. The longer it went on the more annoyed Jace got. The music was too loud for Haley to hear his frustration, but she could see it in the way he tensed, ran his hands through his hair and gripped the controller.

The sight of him agitated renewed the thoughts of the day and the curiosity over his fight. Knowing some thoughts were the lesser of two evils, she focused on him, instead of an empty house and all that it meant. Even as she puzzled over what had happened she wondered why she should care. So he got into a fight, big deal? But somehow it was.

And somehow Jace never looking at her poked something in Haley that made her want to know even more. Was he ashamed about what had happened and that's why he didn't look at her? Why should she care? She didn't, it was just natural curiosity, nothing more.

Annoyed with herself and her want to know, Haley snatched her backpack and pulled out her homework. The task was a complete failure. Still able to see Jace, Haley's eyes wandered to him, speculations stirring until she wanted to scream at him for distracting her.

Jace's own frustrations seemed to be climbing along with her own. His character was stuck in the same room and now frantically climbing and jumping over things. Fueled to her feet, by pure annoyance, Haley pulled out her headphones and found her stray hacky sack. When she pulled the door open the smell of freshly mowed grass and paint filled her room. She threw the hacky sack and it hit Jace's window with a soft thump.

Frowning, he looked over. The expression didn't fade when he saw her, but he still paused the game and walked to the doors.

"What?" he asked, in a tone that clearly said he didn't want to talk.

In the shadow of his room, it was hard to make out the bruise on his cheek. Haley gestured to the screen.

"You have to twist the stones until they mirror the drawing on your map," she said.

The statement made Jace momentarily forget why he was pissed. He glanced back at the tv then at Haley.

"Thanks."

Without another word, he went back to sitting on his bed, but he didn't close his doors and Haley didn't leave. After a second, he spoke.

"I twist these stones?" he asked.

"Yeah, do the left one first."

Haley settled onto the ground, wrapping her arms around her legs. Jace's character did as she instructed and a secret door was open. In silence, they watched the figure walk through.

"Left or right?" he asked.

"Right, then duck as you're coming out of the tunnel, there are mummies with spears waiting on the other end."

Jace nodded. As they continued on, Haley found her annoyance ebbing away. The same could be said for Jace, his shoulders relaxing.

"How do you know how to play this?" he asked, after a long stretch where neither of them had said anything.

"Matt and I used to play before he got his job. I would watch him and help him find his way out. This one took us about half an hour to figure out."

"You don't play much now?"

"I don't see him much now."

At that, Jace paused the game and looked at her. There was something in his eyes that Haley didn't want to acknowledge so she spat out the first thing that came to her head.

"What does flirting look like?"

He raised his eyebrows.

"Are you trying to flirt with me, Haley Day?"

Without knowing why Haley felt something in her lighten at the nickname. It was Lettie's nickname her. Or was.

She frowned at him.

"No."

Completely forgetting about the game, Jace pivoted on his bed, facing her.

"Why do you ask then?"

"Because if anyone was to know it would be you. And I probably would have asked Lettie about this but she's well...not here."

"Lettie Rodriguez? You two were friends, right? Where did she go?"

Haley smothered a surge of emotions.

"Advanced mathematics program in Seattle. Now are you going to tell me or do I have to Google it?"

Jace laughed, the sound seeming to revert him back to his carefree self.

"Don't do that, I'm not sure it will turn out well."

"So..." Haley leaned forward, her expression expectant.

Suddenly needing to explain something so simple, Jace couldn't find words. He ran a hand through his hair, this time it was in search of thoughts instead of a display of annoyance.

"I don't know," he said. "Flirting is something you do naturally."

"No, it's what you do naturally. The rest of the world is not like you."

A smirk slipped onto his face. "Well, that's true, but that can't be helped."

"Jace!"

"Fine, I don't know, it's not about what you say exactly...it's more...I don't know...intentions or what you want to say but aren't."

Haley gave him a flat look. "Wow, way to be so clear in your definition."

"Give me a break, Haley Day I've never tried to explain flirting to someone. I've never had to." The smirk returned. "As you said it's natural with me."

"I'm going to throw something at you," she said.

"Now you're the one flirting with me."

"Seriously! Just tell me."

"I did!"

"No, you didn't! How am I suppose to go up to a guy and say what I don't want to say while thinking about intentions?!"

"You approached him, that's a step to flirting. Which leads me back to my first thought, are you flirting with me?"

"I already told you I don't know how. So how would I even be flirting with you if I didn't know how?!"

"You make a good point." Jace leaned over to his nightstand and grabbed a baseball sitting there. He threw it up and caught it. "So what you're saying is you want lessons on how to flirt so you can flirt with me?"

Haley stood up and spun towards her door.

"Haley Day, stop," he laughed.

It wasn't his words that made her stop but the prospect of an empty room in a silent house. Slowly, she turned around. Jace had moved and was sitting on his railing, the baseball jumping between his hands. His bruise was on full display, the purple color half blending into his dark skin.

"Why do you want to know what flirting looks like?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter."

He tossed the ball up and leaning back, caught it.

"Alright, if that's the story."

They both knew it wasn't, but Haley didn't feel like telling him about Isaac. She didn't even want to admit to herself that there was an Isaac to not talk about. Instead, she walked over to the railing and sat down in front of it. Crossing her arms, she rested them on top and propped up her chin. Jace eyed her then focused back on the baseball that was making graceful arches in the air.

"What's on your mind, Haley Day?"

The words were being stubborn, or it was just Haley that was being stubborn. Eventually, they did break past her lips.

"I've never seen you mad before," she said.

Jace didn't look at her, his mood remaining the same, though Haley thought she saw something flash in his eyes.

"Are you disappointed you don't have a hot, brooding neighbor?" He stretched out his arms, displaying his bare torso. "I'm hot what more do you want from me?"

She covered her smile with a scowl.

"You're intolerable," she said.

Jace smiled. The gesture was such an easy thing for him Haley almost wished to have a piece of that contentment that he must always have around him.

"You say that," Jace said, resuming his earlier occupation, "but you were the one that threw the hacky sack at my door."

"Because I was annoyed with how long it was taking you to get out at that stupid room."

He gave her a half smile. Something about the look drew Haley's eyes to his cheek.

"Sure, that's the reason," he said.

Needing to get away from the topic, Haley asked the question she was sure would make him retreat into his room.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, looking at his cheek.

Against Haley's prediction, he stayed and shot her a playing grin.

"Why? Because I fell from heaven?"

Haley buried her face in her hands, shaking her head.

"That is what flirting looks like," he said, chuckling. After a moments pause, he spoke again. "No, it's not too bad. I've had worse."

When Haley removed her hands, Jace was solely focused on the baseball that flew through the air. There was something hard in his face though he worked to seem unconcerned.

"I didn't think you were one to get into fights. I always figured everyone loves you."

Jace shrugged like it didn't matter.

"Did you get in trouble?"

"My mom took my phone away."

"You don't seem that upset about it."

"I'm just glad it wasn't my bike."

Along with Jace, Haley found her gaze fixed on the ball, mesmerized by the sight of it rising and falling. She rested her head in her hand, toying with her shoelace. From a distance came the faint murmur of voices as families collected to discuss dinner plans or parents returned home.

"What about with the school?" she asked.

"I'm not kicked off the team, so that's all that matters. Instead, I have to use my free period to help with some jobs for this week. It could be worse."

He spoke casually and Haley nodded and said nothing. Curiosity gnawed at her, but sitting in front of Jace she no longer felt the desire to pry. Part of her knew that knowing would make her more connected and already she had thrown a hacky sack at his window. So she kept the rest of her questions to herself. But somehow it didn't matter because Jace spoke.

"I never actually hit him," he said, his voice quiet. "I should have. He deserved more than me shoving him. I should have beaten the crap out of him for what he said."

Even with this new piece of information, Haley held her tongue. Jace caught the ball and gripped it, his gaze locking with hers. There was something in his eyes that spoke of simmering anger, but when he talked his voice was still controlled.

"You know what pisses me off?" Haley didn't reply, sensing he wasn't looking for one. "The fact that people take one look at my mom and think they know everything. They see how she married into this family and judge her. They don't know anything! They don't even know the half of it."

It was like the coals of anger had been blown onto a white-hot flame.

"They think because she married my dad that she was in it for my family's money. She doesn't need it! She started a computer coding company when she was in college, but that doesn't matter, everyone sees her and just thinks she's a gold-digging blonde! She's not!"

Jace's knuckles had turned white from clenching the ball and his muscles were taut with indignation. All Haley wanted to do was bring back the carefree Jace, hating how much hurt she could see.

It struck her how much he cared for his mother. She had seen it, in the office, there was an unspoken bond between them. She wondered if this was why he was always needing to defend her and what people said about her.

A thought for her own mother came to her. If felt as if the bond they had once had was slipping away. She didn't know if it could ever come back. In that moment she envied Jace, even envied the bruise that proved he cared.

"Did Cody actually call your mother a gold digger?"

As if realizing she was actually still there and listening, Jace loosened his hold on the ball.

"Yeah, that and something in Spanish that I'm not repeating."

She nodded. "Well then, you're right." Some of his anger slipped away as he frowned. "You should have beaten the crap out of him. I'm actually a little ashamed that he's the one who got the punch in."

The edge of Jace's lip turned up.

"Really," Haley continued, "did you let him get a swing in so you would have a battle wound, since all girls swoon over such things?" She made a face and waved her hand. "Well, other girls. I don't. I think it just looks painful and don't understand why anyone would ever get into fights."

"I actually had a secret plot to get him thrown off the team, that's why I shoved him."

"Wow, not only are you a player, you're an evil mastermind."

The anger was forgotten as Jace smirked. "How evil can I really be with these good looks though?"

She pointed an accusatory finger at him. "It's all part of your plan. Fool us with your good looks then create terrible plans to overthrow the world."

"That is pretty genius of me. Brilliant and good looking." He winked at her. "I am unstoppable."

Hating herself for it, Haley smiled. The look was quickly replaced with a puzzled frown.

"Wait, were we just flirting?" she asked.

Jace's laugh that said everything was alright again filled the air.

"If we were then my original theory has been proven correct. You're just trying to flirt with me."

"Then we weren't flirting," Haley deadpanned.

"Perspective, Haley Day."

Before Haley could reply someone called out to Jace, telling him it was dinner time. The sound of a feminine voice breaking into their world made everything around them seem to come rushing in. The sky was darkening in and lights were burning in neighboring windows. Jace looked back to his room.

"¡Ya voy!" he yelled.

He climbed back over the railing and picked up the hacky sack that was on the floor.

"Thanks, Haley Day."

Rising, Haley gave him a questioning look. "For what?"

He tossed the hacky sack back to her.

"Helping get out of that stupid room."

**********************************************************************

Ciao, Bloom!
(Italian)

Careful! Your thoughts are showing!
👉🕳👈

Okay this question is from AngelicaS0818: I feel like you already answered this but what is your ethnicity and if you could be another one what would you be and why?

Answer: I'm Irish (with bits of other things mixed in) so basically this means I'm white, THE MOST BORING COLOR EVER! 🙄

If I could be anything else what would I be...LITERALLY ANYTHING ELSE! 🙈 I'm not even joking, anything else, though I'm not going to lie since I was little I always wanted to be black.

I don't know it would also be cool to be Hispanic, Greek, Italian, Oh! or even Indian! That would be epic! Haha I guess it's just like a said, I would love to be anything else. I don't know, I just find people with any shade of color so much more attractive.

What about you? Current ethnicity and one that you would choose?
(You can use emojis if you want to be vague)

(And if you would still be your own ethnicity then that's awesome! #SelfLove)

Vote, comment, follow be the beautifulness that is you!

I mean come on! He's beautiful!

And so are they!