The music cut out, leaving students looking around curiously. Rachel climbed onto a chair and clapped a couple of times. In the late afternoon sunlight, her black hair shone, giving her the look of an angel.

"Can I get everyone's attention?" she called out.

Hammering stopped and conversations were set aside as students focused on her. Haley twisted, shifting from her knees to a sitting position. When the noise had subsided, Rachel smiled.

"Thanks," she said. "I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the hard work! We are done with our second week of this project and we are making great headway. I have no doubt we will be ready in a week for Senior Day!"

"Yeah, we will!" Jace shouted.

This got a splattering of laughter and the odd cheer from the group. Haley rolled her eyes and shook her head. Jace's ability to get excited about the simplest of things was still surprising to her. Weren't most players suppose to be silent and brooding? Clearly, Jace didn't care.

"Thank you, Jace," Rachel said, stifling a few fluttering words. "This Saturday, if you're available we will start painting the booths. I'll be here with Nick from twelve to four if anyone wants to join us. At the end, I will have pizza and ice cream for you."

"Sounds like a party to me!" Jace said.

"Three people hanging out with you is a party, Jace," Josie said.

He smirked at her. "Then, JoJo, this Saturday should be a rager."

The sentence was punctuated with a wink.

"Yes," Rachel said, louder than necessary, trying to rein in the distractions. "This Saturday will be fun if you show up." Her smile perked up. "Now in honor of finishing another week, we are going to head over to La Cocina for some food. So finish up and we'll see you there. If someone needs a ride I have a couple of open seats."

The crowd was infused with a new excited energy as they gathered up tools and put booths away. Haley assisted her current team members with adding their half-finished booth to the wall side collection. As the area began to empty, people called out for rides and laughed with each other. There was a sense of camaraderie about the place that hadn't been there a week before. By this time half of the original group had left, taken away by other pressing matters. Those that remained felt a sense of loyalty.

"You're coming, right?"

Haley spun around to see Isaac looking at her expectantly. There was a lift in his eyebrows that almost seemed like a challenge as well as a hopeful look.

"Umm...yeah." She nodded like she was trying to convince herself of this response. "I'm coming."

Isaac grinned and she felt her own lips echoing it. An arm dropped into her shoulders and she started in surprise.

"You ready to go, Haley Day?" Jace asked, beaming down at her as if daring her to refuse.

Haley elbowed his side but he didn't break away, instead laughed. Isaac glanced at Jace's arm draped so easily around Haley and unconsciously shifted back. The movement gained Jace's attention.

"You're coming too, right?" he asked.

Isaac nodded but to Haley's surprise, his smile was no longer there. Scratching the back of his neck, he looked away.

"Yeah," he said, backing away a few more steps. "I'll see you both there."

He left, leaving Haley puzzled over his sudden distance. Jace tugged Haley forward, directing her to the parking lot. Too caught up in her own thoughts about Isaac, she didn't notice that Jace still had his arm around her shoulders.

By the time he was handing her a helmet, she only vaguely realized they had walked the whole way like that. The engine came to life, filling the air as Haley climbed onto the motorcycle. Her arms automatically went around his waist and he turned his head back to her.

"So eager to hold onto me, Haley Day," he said. "Keep that up and I might actually think you like me."

A scowl was her only response. Jace laughed, the sound as unburdened as a bird in flight. They left the parking lot and Haley couldn't help the smile that slowly slipped across her lips as the current of air swooped around her. She let her hold loosen ever so slightly, feeling the rush of wind that raced to fill the gap between their bodies. As they flew along the back roads of the town, she felt weightless, like all her worries couldn't touch her.

Before she was ready for it, they were stopping outside the restaurant. Jace cut the engine and tugged off his helmet. As he slid off the bike, Haley paused. Already she could hear the noise emanating from the interior. From the windows, she could see the groups of friends claiming tables, joking and bumping each as they settled in.

As she pulled off her helmet, a trickle of doubt filled her, fearing the emptiness of chairs around her that no one wanted to fill. Halfway to the door, Jace turned back noticing she wasn't right beside him. He cocked his head at her, questioning. A teasing smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"What?" he asked. "Are you afraid that people will think we're dating if we walk inside together?"

Haley crossed her arms.

"No one would ever put you with me," she said.

"Why? Because you're a mysterious girl?"

"I'm not mysterious."

Jace pointed his helmet at her. "Says the girl who sits alone every lunchtime, but doesn't fall under the title of Loner."

The statement caught Haley by surprise. "How do you know I sit alone?"

A laugh lept from Jace's lips. "You sit under one of the only trees on that patch of lawn. A person would have to be blind not to see you."

The words hit Haley in a way she never expected. Unable to meet his eyes, she studied the helmet in her hands.

"Sometimes it feels like everyone is."

Walking back to her, Jace nudged her arm, forcing her to look at him.

"I see you, Haley Day."

Haley shrugged. "Today, maybe but people stop seeing me. It's just what happens."

"Hey," Jace said, his voice serious. "I still see you."

Sighing, Haley just looked at him as if she couldn't fathom the truth in his words.

"But I don't know why."

A grin wiped away Jace's sober look. "It's hard not to see someone when they throw a hacky sack at you."

Despite herself, Haley chuckled. Jace nodded to the restaurant.

"Come on, I want free food."

"You seem to always want free food," she said, swinging her leg off the bike.

"I'm a teenage athlete and I'm in the wonderful position of always being able to get free food, so yes, I'm always in the mood for it!"

Haley gave him a hard look. "Do you realize that you're usually always happy? Don't you think that's strange?"

Jace reached for the door and pulled it open. A tidal wave of conversations washed over them.

"No, I don't. Life being hard is a fact, smiling is merely a way of fighting back." As Haley paused to stare at him, he shrugged. "Or that's what JoJo says about the matter." 

"Your life is hard?" she asked, unable to imagine how it could be with his family's money, his good looks and the popularity he held.

Jace poked Haley's nose.

"Everyone's life is hard, how is just difficult for others to see sometimes." Haley opened her mouth but Jace waved the hand holding his helmet forward, cutting her off. "Come on free food is waiting." 

Still filled with questions, Haley entered the restaurant. Half the tables were crammed with students not wanting to be left out. The table tops had a good dusting of chip fragments as kids talked and absently reached for the baskets. The groups were more meshed than Haley imagined they would be, cliques converging with other groups and diverting to new tables.

Jace walked to the counter and she followed, trying to figure out where she was supposed to be in this chaotic scene. With her order placed, she faced the crowded tables. Someone called to Jace. Faster than Haley thought possible, he was dragged into a seat and caught up in a conversation. Figuring she couldn't stand there forever, she took a seat at an empty table next to the chatting group. A basket of chips and a dish of salsa were placed in front of her shortly after.

Absentmindedly eating, she tried to devise whether she should try to join another table or not. The thought of being completely ignored kept her planted right where she was. The buzz of voices filled the air around her, seeming to make the vacated chairs around her more apparent by the minute. On the verge of simply leaving, she stopped when Isaac walked over to her.

"Hey," he said, sounding hesitant. "Can I sit?"

"Of course."

He took a seat, but there was something about his manner that still felt off. Unsure why he was acting differently all of a sudden, Haley was lost at what to say. For a few tense moments, they sat there eating chips. Then as if a dam had been broken they both spoke.

"Want to plan a prison riot?"

"Are you dating Jace?"

The shocking contrast of the questions made them both smile, though Isaac still seemed cautious. He fiddled with the chip in his hands.

"Umm, so are you dating...Jace?"

A half laugh escaped Haley.

"No, definitely not. He's just been giving me rides from school and home. We live right next to each other."

The words had an instant effect on Isaac, he relaxed and his smile returned in full force.

"Okay, cool." Before Haley could comprehend the full meaning of why he cared, he was talking again. "Well, then we can plan that prison riot. Or...you know..." He shrugged as if convincing himself that his thoughts weren't a big deal. "We could meet up and start painting our booth early tomorrow...so you know it's not crowded or anything."

A pink tint came to his cheeks but he tried to look unconcerned.

"Wouldn't we have to have keys or something?"

He brightened. "My mom works on the school board so she could get us in. You want to do it? You could meet me at my house."

There was something about the way he was looking at her like she was all he could see in that moment, that had Haley nodding before she even realized it.

"Yeah, when do you want to start?" she asked, trying to stop her smile from growing out of control.

"Want to meet up at...eleven. We'll have an hour to ourselves."

"Sure."

Isaac scooted his chair a bit closer, his face excited.

"We can even play better music than what we usually listen to, like Seven Ships."

Haley was about to respond when Josie and Ty appeared at their table.

"Did we just hear you say, Seven Ships?" Ty asked.

Isaac nodded, brushing aside his wild hair. "Yeah, you know them."

Both girls looked at each other and back. In that small glance, they seemed to convey a million and one thoughts.

"To say we're fans," Ty said, in a serious voice, "is a gross understatement of the work and research we have done on them. We have analyzed Tommy's lyrics and found some interesting connections between his struggles in life and how he portrays that pain in his music."

Isaac laughed. "Yeah, all I can say is I've watched a few interviews."

Josie grabbed a chair and plopped into it as Ty took the seat beside her.

"Here's the real question," Josie asked, resting her arms on the table. "Did you like them before the Overwhelmed era?"

Haley figured it was a question they asked everyone who claimed to be a fan. It was the way the two fan groups were distinguished. If someone said before, then they had liked the band before their song Overwhelmed ever got played on the radio. If they didn't know what the Overwhelmed era was then they simply liked the band because the whole world was listening to their song.

"Pre-Overwhelmed era," Isaac and Haley said.

The two girls seemed to become more animated with that declaration.

"Have you seen their new music video? Or at least heard the new song" Josie asked, eager.

Ty waved her hand. "It is by far Tommy's most impressive song, lyrically. Did you notice how in the video how he was in a valley." Her whole manner became more intent. "I believe this comes back to his religious roots." One finger tapped the table as if she were driving home a point. "There is part of the Bible that talks about a valley and something about death."

"Psalm 23, right?" Isaac said. "'Even though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil'. That one?"

Ty's smile was energetic. "Yes, it's that one. So if you look at how the new album is called Valley and how in Tommy's past he's struggled with anxiety, fear, pain, and even suicide you can see how with this new album he's going back to what really matters to him."

Josie leaned in further, caught up in the breakdown. "Exactly, if you look at the progression of his music, he started out broken then transitioned from..."

Half of Haley's brain listened while the other half was realizing how completely wrong she had been. The more the two girls talked the more idiotic she felt for calling them stupid fangirls. Though their tones were ones most people would associate with over-excited teens, the words they were saying were anything but. They seemed to look at the world as if it were one big puzzle and if they searched hard enough for missing pieces they could solve it. 

Haley was yanked from her thoughts when she realized they had asked her a question.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked.

"You think that the first video," Josie asked, "is both the beginning and the end of the album's progression, right?"

Forcing herself from the surprise of them asking her opinion so casually, she nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "Based on his hair being short like the previous music video and then how the last scene it's grown out it seems that way."

Ty and Josie nodded to each other in agreement.

"That was one of the clues that tipped us off as well," Ty said.

"What tipped you off?" Jace asked, walking over.

Taking the chair on Josie's other side, he spun it around and sat on it backward, arms resting on the top.

"Some clues about the recent Seven Ships music video and it's meaning," Josie said.

"I know them," he said, popping a chip into his mouth. "I like their song Overwhelmed."

Ty rubbed her eyes like she couldn't believe what she was hearing, while Josie just shook her head in exasperation.

"You are such a heathen," she said.

Jace tossed his hands up. "What? It's a good song, isn't?"

She waved a hand frantically as if trying to erase his words. "Oh my gosh, that's not even the point. You're ignoring the artistry that is this band because you only listened to what the world had deemed good enough."

Haley looked at Isaac and found him holding back a smile. When he met her eyes the two of them quickly looked away, knowing they would fail to contain their amusement.

"Jace, you are catering to a world whose view on music is limited to meaningless beats and worthless words."

Jace held up his hand. "Wait, but they played Overwhelmed. Does that mean that song is meaningless beats and worthless words?"

Frustrated, Josie tossed her head back and Jace grinned with success and sent a wink Haley's way as if clueing her into a secret. She swallowed her laugh and reached for more chips.

"You're being blatantly obtuse," Josie said.

He leaned closer to her, locking eyes with her. "Oh, am I?"

Ty looked to Isaac, shaking her head. "Clearly, Jace believes that teasing and irritating a girl is equivalent to affection."

Isaac shrugged. "A guy has to do what he can to get a girl's attention."

Taking on a contemplative expression, Ty laced her fingers together and studied Isaac. "Do you believe the only way you can receive a girl's attention involves some form of provoking?"

"What?" he asked, shocked, pushing his glasses up. "No!"

Haley sat back smiling as Ty badgered Isaac on his view of flirting and Josie berated Jace on his lack of depth and Jace calmly countered her arguments. As Haley sat there, absorbed in the conversations before her, she was struck with a thought, she wasn't sitting alone.

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

Hallo, Olaf!
(Dutch)

What is this! Not only is Haley not alone but Isaac is making a move! Oh my gosh I'm in a flutter this is just too much! You just have to tell me all you think! 👉🕳👈

Predictions on how the dynamic between Jace and Isaac is going to play out?

Personally, I'm hoping for an all out brawl with fists or swords and shields. Maybe even a jousting competition to give it a festive medieval feel!

This question was put to me by MusicalBookworm03: which of your books do you think you'll publish first? Also, do you have any current publishing plans already in motion?

Answer: A Secret Service. It's currently the strongest book and has a following that I can market to publishers.

(That's you by the way, cause you've blown me away with how much you love that book! ❤️☺️😘)

And yes, I currently have query letters out to agents cause the publishing houses I would want my book published with don't take unsolicited manuscripts. So I'm hoping to get an agent and from there we will get A Secret Service connected to the right publisher. It takes time but hey that's life. 🌝

Funny question for you: would you actually buy A Secret Service? Cause I mean you've already read, so would there be a point to buying it? I'm curious. 🧐

If you feel so inclined to do then vote, comment, follow!

Glasses again what is this madness! Or do I mean cuteness? 😏

Yup! Totally cuteness!