Haley jolted awake as her bedroom door banged open. Groaning, she found her brother standing in the door frame, his broad shoulders filling the narrow space.

"Hales, I have to leave in ten, with or without you," he said.

She flopped back onto her bed as he spun around and walked back to his room. For a minute, Haley mentally urged herself to wake up but made no progress other than shifting slightly. The sharp sound of an incessant beeping burned away the last of her grogginess.

She tossed aside her comforter, causing the book - she had fallen asleep reading - to tumble to the floor. It joined the numerous stacks of books already laying there. 

Sitting up, she searched for the source of the annoying sound. Books, clothes, and blankets flew around the room as she tried to find the object that was letting loose the never-ending beeping. Eventually, her search led her to the balcony.

Across the way was a house identical to her own with a balcony to mirror hers. With the doors open, she spotted the beeping source, a phone on the nightstand. Asleep in the bed was Jace, his head is turned to the side, his hair draped over his forehead.

Turning away, Haley kicked aside a blanket and picked up the hacky sack she had spotted seconds before. Brushing aside her wild brown hair, she focused on her target. Biting her lower lip in concentration she hurled the hacky sack at her sleeping neighbor.

It hit Jace's chest and bounced onto the bed. He stirred, his face scrunching up in confusion as he pulled himself from sleep. Rubbing his eyes, he spotted her standing on her balcony.

"Did you just throw a ball at me?" he asked, his voice raspy with the last bits of sleep.

"No," Haley said, "a hacky sack. Turn your stupid alarm off."

Jace sat up. He was the perfect combination of a handsome Hispanic father and a beautiful blonde haired mother: tan skin, thick black hair, stunning midnight blue eyes and face that often received a second glance. This added with a body chiseled from sports made him the eye candy of high school. Luckily for Haley, she had never had a strong sweet tooth.

Climbing out of his bed, Jace shut off the alarm, then looked at her.

"You sure you didn't just do that to see my sunny personality?" he asked with a sleepy grin. 

Haley turned away.

"Good morning to you too," he yawned.

Haley stepped into her room and closed her balcony doors. At the sound of an engine, she cursed. She rushed across her chaotic room, heading for the closet, but tripped on a pile of books hidden beneath her comforter. She crashed to the floor, arms and legs flailing. Hurriedly untangling herself from the blanket, she got up and darted to her closet.

A few harassed minutes later, she emerged dressed and stuffed her notebooks and binders in her backpack. She ran to the window but saw the driveway was free of her brother's car. Letting out a string of curses, she slung her backpack on and walked out of her room. On the stairs, she stopped at the sound of harsh voices. She stopped breathing as she gripped the railing.

"Weston, we need to talk about this!" her mother said.

"Tess this is not the time and you know it!" her father replied.

Haley slowly edged her way down the stairs, not looking at the frames that dotted the wall. Frames holding smiles and the after effects of laughter. Trying to ignore the fire behind each word and the snap to every cutting remark, she slipped out of the front door. The empty driveway was still waiting for her. She trudged down the steps and moved to the sidewalk. The distance did nothing to lessen the volume of the argument, each back biting retort still clear to hear.

Before she realized what she was doing, she held her phone to her ear, hearing the ringing on the other line. her phone. With each ring, she felt her stomach twist but couldn't bring herself to hang up.

"Hi," a cheery voice said, "you've reached Lettie. I'm busy making sense of the world, leave me a message or a math equation, I'm likely to answer at least one of them."

Haley hung up without saying anything. She didn't know why she had called, force of habit most likely. Either way she berated herself for wishing the result had been different.

A door slammed closed, snatching her out of her thoughts. Jace jumped off his front porch, a helmet gripped in one hand. When he noticed her, he walked over. A few feet away, he tossed her the hacky sack.

"Here," he said.

She caught it and rolled it around in her hands.

"Can't you find some way of waking up to your alarm," she asked.

"You seemed to work pretty well."

"Why can't you get the girl that's in your bed to wake you up?"

A slight frown flickered across Jace's expression. "They don't sleep over."

"How classy of you," she said. "It explains how the girls are constantly making an appearance in your bedroom."

Jace laughed like what she said was the funniest joke he'd heard.

"They don't come because of my class. They come because of my-"

Haley held up a hand. "Please spare me from your crude poetry."

"I was going to say riveting conversations."

Haley made a face. "Sure you were."

In the silence that followed, her parents arguing slipped out through windows and under the door. Haley stared down at the ground, focusing on a tuft of grass sticking out from between the sidewalk.

"Where's your brother?" Jace asked.

Haley struggled to control her features but an annoyed frowned slipped in.

"He left without me," she said. "I'm just waiting for my parents to finish..." She swallowed. "Talking."

Trying to look unconcerned, she scuffed her black Converse shoe on the concrete, messing with the thin green blades. Her second option of her best friend, Lettie was out. That title had been relinquished two months after she had moved away.

"You want me to give you a lift?" Jace asked.

She looked up at him, her brown eyes meeting his.

"Seriously?"

He held out his helmet in response. Hesitating for a second, she took it and pulled it on, grateful it blocked out the voices in the house.

"Would you look at that," he said, cocking his head, "it looks just as terrible on you as it does on me."

She shook her head as they walked over to his bike. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she slipped onto the back. He revved the engine as she dropped her hands to her knees. Jace looked back. Reaching behind him, he took her hands, making her jump in surprise. He wrapped them around his waist.

"Safety first," he said, the smile hidden in his voice.

"Sure."

Jace titled his head back, the playful look gone.

"Family is tough, Haley," he said.

At his sympathetic voice, her fingers clenched.

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

Sup dudes! 🤙
(Oh my gosh 🤦🏽‍♀️ never let me say that ever again! I think I died a little inside from embarrassment)

So does this seem impractical and cliche?

Well, yeah didn't you just read that first chapter! 😄

Is it actually cliche?

That answer is no. In fact for this book I kind of took cliches and proceeded to punch them in the face! (Sorry that was the Carter side of me coming out)

Any who stick with me kid and you'll never go wrong! (Please hear that in an old New Jersey accent)

If you want to tell me what you thought of it feel free to do so, I promise I won't stop you.

Emoji or emojis that describes your current day?

I was going to tell you to vote, comment, follow...but that would be a sign of support and I'm not sure this amount of oddness should really be supported. It's up to you.

Oh my gosh its so cute!!