Haley walked against the tide of students towards the gym. While most people meandered, savoring the time to finish up conversations with friends, others sprinted for the parking lot, wanting to beat the exiting traffic. The crowd thinned as Haley spotted the big stone building. Already she could see other project members gathering into their perspective groups. Rachel fell into step with Haley, barely realizing she was there, her mind elsewhere.

"Hey," Haley said, tugging the girl out of her thoughts.

Rachel blinked, focusing on Haley.

"Hey."

A breath of silence passed between them.

"How are you doing?" Haley asked, glancing at her sideways.

Abruptly, Rachel stopped and placed a hand on Haley's arm, halting her.

"Look," she said, "I really appreciate you helping me out yesterday. But I am going to be okay. Nick has to figure out what he wants and when he does..." Rachel straightened her shoulders and swept her hand in front of her like she was sweeping away the subject. "Well, then I will deal with that. But please stop asking me if I'm okay."

Haley nodded, understanding. If she was in the same position part of her would want to simply move on and having someone constantly fretting over her would make that difficult. It struck her then that Rachel and she might not be all that different.

"I get it. You're fine," Haley said.

Rachel released her shoulders, glad someone comprehended. Without another word, they continued to the gym. When they rounded it, they came to a dead stop. What lay before them was something that surprised Haley and completely stunned Rachel.

Along the wall, the collection of booths - that had been half painted before - were now complete. Each one had a bright color decorating them. The work that would have taken a lot of hours that week was done. Rachel opened her mouth but nothing came out.

"Woah!" Josie said, appearing around the corner followed by Jace and Ty.

"Seriously, Rachel," Jace said. "You're unbelievable sometimes. When did you even have time to do this?"

Rachel still couldn't find what to say and managed only to shake her head. Finally, she breathed out three words.

"It wasn't me."

From inside the gym, Nick walked out. His hair was damp and though he had worked hard there were still specks of paint on his arms and at the edges of his hair. He looked around, searching. Finding Rachel, he redirected his steps. The group's gaze attached to him. When he stopped before her, he still looked like he hadn't slept but there was determination in his eyes.

"How?" she asked.

"Coach, a few blackmailed football players and an entire night plus free period," he said.

Rachel shook her head like she couldn't believe it, her eyes glistening.

"I'm still your best friend," he whispered, dropping his gaze as if he felt again the weight of what he had done.

Rachel reached out and took his hand, lacing her fingers through his. Nick stared at their intertwined fingers, closing his tightly around hers.

"I'm still yours," she said.

Nick gave a hesitant smile like he couldn't truly believe it.

Ty whistled. "I got to say you work fast for an idiot."

Nick's smile widened, his eyes never leaving Rachel. "I had something I didn't plan on losing. I wasn't going to waste time."

When Rachel smiled, it looked as if all the pressures of the world had fallen off her shoulders. Nick tugged her hand.

"What are we waiting for," he said. "We have booths to make."

"We're waiting for our commander and chief to direct us," Josie said.

The title snapped Rachel out of her dazed bubble and she let go of Nick's hands, clapping twice for attention.

"Can I get everyone to stop for a second," she called out.

Groups stopped talking and pivoted toward her.

"Alright," she said. "As you can see half our work was done by Nick and some blackmailed football players."

Laughter rippled around the crowd, even in the back someone gave an excited cheer.

"This makes the week less stressful but we still have the last booths to be completed and painted by Friday since Saturday will be the day we set up. So I need everyone to stay focused and if you are finished come find me, I'll give you something more to do." People fidgeted, ready to get to it, but Rachel held up a hand, stalling them. "Final thing, bring paint clothes for Thursday and Friday. Alright, get to it!"

Everyone divided into the groups and Rachel turned to the collection around her.

"Josie, I need to offer help to Sam and Mikki's group, they get distracted. Jace, Haley and Ty, there is one last booth that needs to be put together." She twisted to Nick, expression softening. "You look tired. Maybe you should just take a break."

Even as she said it, Nick shook his head and crossed his arms. "I'm not stopping until you do."

Fighting a smile, Rachel nodded. "Okay, let's get to work."

Their small gather broke apart, Josie heading to a pair that seemed to be doing nothing but cracking jokes. As Rachel strode off, Isaac jogged up to her. Before he spoke, he glanced at Haley, offering a quick smile. As Haley responded in kind, Ty rounded on her two teammates.

"I'll get the tools," Ty said. She pointed back and forth to Jace and Haley. "Get the pieces."

With a salute, Jace headed for the gym. Haley trailed alongside him, glancing once more at Isaac. As he asked Rachel something, the smile remained tucked away in the corner of his mouth, like it was it always at the ready. Inside the gym, Jace and Haley were blasted with icy air and Haley felt goosebumps race up her arms. In the storage room, there was one pile of boards left and smelled strongly of paint fumes.

"I'm surprised Nick turned the whole thing around so fast," she said.

"I'm annoyed he didn't blackmail me into helping him."

Haley spun on him, tilting her head.

"What would he have to blackmail you with. The more I get to know you the more it seems like you don't have any secrets."

Jace smirked. "Except for the one where I'm not really a player but a guy with a heart of gold."

Haley pointed to him. "And that doesn't count as blackmail material."

"Also no one would believe it, I mean look at me."

Jace gestured to himself. With his carelessly tousled hair, brown skin, handsome face and wearing a casual dark blue t-shirt and shorts he did look like someone designed to break hearts. Rolling her eyes, Haley turned away, reaching down to collect a stack of boards. The rough wood scamped against her palms.

"Yeah, and the heart of gold thing is so believable. You're too cocky for a heart of gold."

Grinning, Jace stretched and leaned back against the wall.

"Also I'm completely lazy. So," he clapped his hands. "Get to it slave, this booth won't build itself."

Haley straightened, staring at him. "Are you seriously not going to help?"

He lifted a taunting eyebrow. "What happened to the independent girl who announced she would make a booth on her own?"

Frowning, Haley crossed her arms. "What happened to the 'go team go' guy? Besides, how do you even remember something like that?"

Jace's laugh bounced off the walls of the secluded room. "You're joking? Haley Day, you were the only one who said you would rather have more work to do on your own than work with a team."

Looking away, she shrugged. "I'm better on my own."

"For some things, maybe. But everyone needs help every now and then."

Haley smirked, storing the words away for later. "Then that means you'll help, great!"

Shaking his head, Jace chuckled. "Well played." He crossed over to her and picked up the other half of the booth. "Don't think I'm not aware this is all a ploy for you to check out my arms."

As he carried the pieces, he casually flexed, highlighting every muscle in view.

"You're ridiculous," Haley said, following him back outside.

Music had been added to the chaos of hammering and conversations. The scene resembled kids making sandcastles, some well developed and structurally sound while others were just trying to get the groundwork done and others were simply playing around.

"Please, Haley Day," Jace said. "I have a reputation to uphold."

"What happened to the heart of gold?"

They cut between groups and Haley ducked out of the way as a guy swung a board around, oblivious to his surroundings.

"Who says I can't be an extremely attractive guy with a heart of gold?" Jace asked. "Isn't that what most heart of gold guys are, attractive?"

"You're just making that an excuse to show off."

The look he gave her was teasing and devilish. "Yeah, pretty much."

As they approached the spot Ty had claimed, she tossed her hands up in exasperation. The shade of the building didn't reach that far yet and the heat prickled Haley's neck.

"Took you long enough," Ty said. "I almost believed you had died in there."

"Nope," Haley said, setting her pile down. She dropped her backpack onto the grass and began to separate the sections. "We were merely going over Jace's player reputation and how in reality he has a heart of gold."

Ty planted her hands on her hips. "And you left me out of an interesting conversation too?"

"My reputation is interesting?" Jace asked, pulling out the manual and opening it.

The notion struck Haley as strange as well but she decided that knowing what Ty found interesting and not, was never going to happen. The more Haley was around her the more she came to understand that the girl was a bit of an enigma.

"Yes," Ty said, "It is interesting cause it reflects how TV, books, and movies have altered people's view of reality so that true reality is distorted to fit what they have watched."

Pausing in their work, Haley and Jace looked at each other then back at Ty.

"Yeah, that was not where we went with the conversation," Haley said.

Ty held up her finger. "No, but it could have been if I had been part of it."

Distracted, Jace grabbed a section and looked back at the directions.

"Next time we'll make sure to include you," he said, snatching a hammer and nail. "So we can stand around feeling inferior while you lecture us."

"That's all I ask for," Ty said.

Haley couldn't help the baffled smile that appeared. As they fell into work, the surrounding conversations became clear. They were the typical mixture of school topics, video games, movies, relationships, and Prom. The group that had been divided, to begin with, was now a hodgepodge of students all connecting over common issues.

"Haley, hold this, will you?" Ty asked, handing her two pieces.

Accommodating her, Haley stood as still as possible, not wanting to be hit with the hammer. But Ty was skilled and drove the nails into the wood without a single misstep. When she was done, she brought another section to Haley, needing the same assistance.

"Do you have your dress for prom yet?" Haley said.

"No, but I'll probably just get a sundress. Something I can wear over again."

The board beneath Haley's hand trembled as Ty hit in the nail, the vibrations skittering up Haley's arms.

"Will you go with Josie to get it?"

Focused on aligning another nail, Ty shrugged. "Probably. What about you? Want to join?"

The question was so causal, Ty could have been asking whether Haley enjoyed music or not.

"I don't know if I'm going," Haley said, raising her voice to be heard of the banging of the hammer. "And besides my mom offered to take me."

"Then you're lucky," Ty said. "My mom is up in LA teaching a seminar."

Before Haley could react to that response, Jace raised his head from the L shaped part he was working with.

"I don't have my dress either," he said. "And I'm not sure what I should go with."

"Definitely something blue to match your eyes," Ty said. She made quick work of finishing joining the two boards and faced Jace. "Also you might try something off the shoulders."

He shook his head. "No, I'm self-conscious about my shoulders, I can't do it."

"A V neck dress then?" Ty asked. "Though it can't be too low," she waved the hammer in a circle in the direction of his chest. "No one wants to see all of that."

"What? This?"

Jace raised his shirt showing off his muscular torso.

Nearby conversations were choked off mid-sentence and a couple hammers thudded to the grass making Haley burst out laughing. She realized she was completely immune Jace's appearance, though it seemed others weren't. Ty crossed her arms, her lips quirked to the side.

"Jace, what does it say about you that you quickly seize opportunities to display your body?"

Dropping his shirt, Jace leaned against the L shaped structure.

"It says that I am egotistical and as well aware - in some small way - that this is my peak, physically speaking. I know in the back of my mind that later on looking like this won't be realistic. If I go into baseball I could maintain it until my late thirties, possibly early forties, but it wouldn't come with the ease that it does now. And so to counteract that I use what opportunities I can now to enjoy it."

Haley's eyebrows shot up, her laughter drifting away. At the obvious shock in both girls, Jace grinned.

"Or that's what Josie has told me on multiple occasions," he finished.

"And she's correct," Ty said, as Haley found herself in another round of laughter.

Before he got back to work, Jace sent Haley a wink.

"See, guy with a heart of gold," he said.

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

Olá Ariel! (Portugese)

Nick surprising us, Jace being Jace and everything in between, let's hear dem thoughts! 👉🕳👈

Not going to lie, this is one of my favorite chapters. Why? Simply for the conversation between Ty and Jace about dresses. I don't even know where it came from and it totally took me by surprise. I think it's safe to say that Jace has some of my favorite moments of all my guy characters.

Did it make you laugh? I hope it did!

Now, story time! As you all may know, I own an adorable toy poodle named Chesney (like the country singer though I don't really listen to his music). I can say with absolutely certainty that she's adorable because of this. Most of the times when she sees me for the first time in the morning or when I come home she finds the closest object, picks it up and brings it to me as a present.

Yes, it's as incredibly adorable as you can imagine. She also knows when I'm sick and sticks by me. Gets excited about going out to my writing studio with me and looks cute doing pretty much anything. Just thought I would share that with you.

Okay, question of the chapter: if you were going to be an inanimate object, what would you be?

My answer: a plane cause then I could fly.

Vote, comment, follow. You're the best and don't you forget it!

Shhhh... she's studying for a really important exam