AN: New week, time to rank up. And yes, you'll get bonus chapters like last week if we reach the powerstone goal.
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Jack jogged the last few steps to Haley's side.
"Hey."
Haley tilted her head, smirking. "Hey, Mr. Popular."
Jack sighed dramatically, rubbing his hand behind his neck. "You saw that, huh?"
"Oh yeah," she said, pushing off the rack and stepping closer. "Whole fan club. It was very impressive. Should I start scheduling autograph sessions for you?"
"Please don't," he said, unlocking his electric bike. "I barely survived that one."
She raised an eyebrow. "You took their numbers."
"I took pieces of paper," he corrected, unlocking and pulling the bike free and wheeling it around. "There is a difference."
Haley folded her arms again, pretending to study him. "You smiled too."
"I smile at people," Jack said. "It is considered socially acceptable."
She stepped closer, lowering her voice just a little. "You smiled nicely."
He glanced at her, catching the playful jealousy tucked behind her tone. His lips curved slightly.
"I only run across entire football fields for one girl though."
Haley tried to stay composed.
Failed.
"That was smooth," she admitted.
"Thank you. I rehearsed it while getting tackled."
She laughed, shaking her head as he swung one leg over the bike and powered it on. The soft electric hum kicked to life.
He grabbed an extra helmet from the handle and handed it back to her. "Hop on."
Haley slipped the helmet on and climbed onto the back seat, settling comfortably behind him. Her hands rested lightly on his waist at first, then slid a little tighter as she leaned closer.
"You know," she said, voice near his ear, "I was going to be jealous for at least another five minutes. You kinda ruined my dramatic arc."
"I can pretend to text them if you want the full experience."
She snorted. "Try it and I will push you off this bike at a red light."
"Noted."
He eased the bike out of the parking lot, riding onto the street. The breeze picked up as they gained speed, warm air brushing past them. Haley rested her cheek lightly against his shoulder.
"You were really cool today," she said.
Jack kept his eyes on the road, but his smile returned. "I heard you yelling."
"I was not yelling."
"You screamed my name like you were summoning a superhero."
She paused.
"...Okay, maybe a little."
He laughed quietly.
They rode past a row of trees, sunlight flickering through the leaves in quick flashes across the pavement.
"So," Haley continued, "starting lineup?"
"Yeah," he said. "Coach confirmed it."
She squeezed him slightly, excitement bubbling right back up. "That is huge, Jack."
"It is," he admitted. "Next game is going to be rough though. Dolphins play aggressively."
"Good," she said instantly.
He glanced back slightly. "Good?"
"Yeah," she replied. "Because you like challenges. And also because aggressive teams make better highlight moments. I am thinking ahead here."
"Oh, are you?"
"Obviously. I need better material when I brag about my boyfriend."
Jack shook his head, amused.
They turned onto the road leading toward his neighborhood, traffic thinning out as the houses grew quieter and more spaced apart.
Haley hummed contentedly behind him.
"You know," she said after a moment, "this is kind of my favorite part."
"The bike ride?"
"Yeah. There is no crowd or family chaos. Just… this."
Jack nodded slightly. "Mine too."
...
[Jack's house]
Jack slowed the bike as the tall iron gate came into view.
Jack tapped a code on a small panel without even looking at it. The gate slid open.
Haley lifted her head from his shoulder. "Whoa."
Jack rode them inside.
The driveway curved gently, long and wide, lined with trimmed hedges and trees that looked professionally placed. The house was modern, huge, all glass and stone.
Jack brought the bike to a stop near the garage and powered it down.
Haley did not move right away.
She just stared.
"…Jack," she said slowly, "what the hell?"
He looked back. "What?"
She climbed down behind him, took her helmet off, and turned in a slow circle, taking everything in. The driveway alone was bigger than most backyards she had been in. Jack too got down.
"I knew you were rich," she said, pointing vaguely around her, "but I thought you were, like… rich-rich. Not movie-villain-with-a-secret-lair rich."
"This is not a lair," Jack said, amused. "I don't have underground tunnels. I think. Besides, my parents own everything. So, basically, they are rich-rich."
She walked a few steps closer to the house, craning her neck to look up at it. "You could lose an entire family in here. Possibly two."
Jack grabbed his duffel bag and helmet, still smiling at her reaction. "You get used to it."
"I absolutely would not," Haley said. "I would trip over something expensive every day and cry."
He opened the garage and wheeled the bike inside.
Haley peeked in. "This garage alone could be a sitcom set."
Jack parked the bike, locked it, then took out his keys. "Come on."
They walked up to the front door. Jack unlocked it and pushed it open.
Haley stepped inside and froze again.
Clean furniture that looked new. Large windows let sunlight pour in, casting warm shapes across the floor. A large TV just above the fireplace. There were also a few showpieces around the living room. Like, everything looked so damn expensive.
"Oh my God," she whispered. "I am afraid to breathe."
He closed the door behind them.
She turned to him, eyes wide and a little stunned. "Do you live here alone?"
Jack tossed his keys into a small bowl near the door with a light clink. He bent down, slipping off his shoes and socks as he answered casually.
"Yep. Most of the time. My parents visit every now and then and there are caretakers and security guards."
Haley slipped out of her shoes too, placing them neatly near the door as she looked around again, still taking everything in.
"Doesn't it get lonely?"
Jack did not answer right away.
He walked over to the couch and dropped his duffel bag onto it with a soft thud. "You have no idea," he said finally. "You are lucky, you know? Your parents are always around and you got a brother and sister and like everyone in your family are close."
He sat down, leaning back and stretching his legs out in front of him.
Haley walked over and sat beside him, tucking one leg under herself as she studied his face. He was smiling slightly, but it felt thinner than usual.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "They're loud and annoying. And sometimes they track my location like I'm a missing pet."
Jack chuckled softly.
"But..." she continued, nudging his arm gently, "they're also kind of great."
"They are," Jack agreed. "Every time I go over there, it feels like walking into controlled chaos. But the good kind."
Haley smiled at that. "That's a very accurate description of my house."
He leaned his head back against the couch cushion, staring up at the ceiling for a second.
"It gets really quiet here," he admitted. "Like… weird quiet. You don't notice it at first. Then you start talking to the TV just to hear something respond."
Haley turned slightly toward him, her expression softening.
"You can come over anytime, you know," she said.
Jack nodded as he stood up. "I know." He stretched his arms. "Well, bathroom's that way." He pointed at the door on the left. "Freshen up. And I'll take a quick shower." He pointed upstairs. "Make yourself at home."
Haley gave him a small nod, watching as he grabbed a towel from a hallway closet and headed upstairs.
"Take your time," she called after him.
"Ten minutes," Jack replied from halfway up the stairs. "Make sure you don't break anything while I'm gone."
"No promises," she shot back.
He laughed and disappeared down the hallway.
The house fell quiet again.
Haleyt went to the bathroom and freshened up before walking back into the living room.
She stood there for a second, turning slowly as she took everything in. She walked toward the large window, peeking out at the backyard. There was a pool, but it looked untouched. The patio furniture was perfectly arranged, like it was waiting for a magazine photoshoot instead of actual people.
She walked over to a shelf near the TV and noticed framed photos. Most of them were of Jack as a kid on movie sets, at award shows, or standing beside actors she recognized from posters and red carpets. There were a few photos of him with his parents too, but those were older.
She picked one up carefully. Jack looked about ten years old in it, holding some kind of trophy that was clearly too big for him, grinning as if he had just won the lottery.
Her expression softened.
"Awww," she murmured, placing it back exactly where she found it. "You were adorable."
She wandered toward the kitchen next, opening the fridge out of curiosity. Bottled drinks lined one shelf, meal prep containers filled another, and fruit sat untouched in a glass bowl.
"Wow," she muttered. "This is either very healthy or very lonely."
She grabbed a bottle of water and leaned against the counter, glancing around again. The house was beautiful. But it felt like... lonely.
Upstairs, she heard the shower turn on.
She smiled slightly, then took a sip of water.
...
Meanwhile, at the Dunphy house.
Upstairs, shouting echoed through the hallway.
"You read it!" Alex snapped, standing in her bedroom doorway with her arms crossed so tightly her knuckles were pale.
"I did not read it," Luke shot back from the hallway, holding his hands up defensively. "I accidentally opened it."
"You accidentally opened a locked drawer?"
"It was not locked," Luke said.
"It was hidden under three textbooks and a fake algebra binder labeled 'Very Boring Notes,' Luke."
"Well yeah," Luke said. "That just made it more suspicious."
Alex stared at him, horrified. "You violated intellectual privacy."
"You wrote about a guy named Jack who has 'emotionally devastating eyes,'" Luke said. "Isn't his name the same as Haley's boyfriend's?"
Alex turned bright red. "You were not supposed to read that!"
"I only read like two pages," Luke said quickly. "Also, why does this new Jack speak in metaphors about thunderstorms and destiny?"
"That is none of your business!"
"You also described his jawline for three paragraphs," Luke added.
Alex made a strangled noise that sounded like her soul trying to leave her body.
"Get out of my room!"
"I am already not in your room," Luke pointed out.
"Then get out of my hallway!"
Luke retreated backward, still grinning. "For the record, don't worry. I won't tell Haley that your boyfriend has the same name as her's."
Alex slammed her door so hard that a picture frame rattled on the wall.
…
[Kitchen]
Downstairs, the kitchen smelled like butter and toasted bread.
Phil stood at the counter, carefully arranging slices of toast on a plate like he was preparing a gourmet presentation. He sprinkled cinnamon sugar over one slice and nodded to himself proudly.
Claire walked in, drying her hands with a towel.
"I just got off the phone with Haley," she said casually. "She said she is at Jack's house."
Phil froze for half a second. Then he resumed spreading butter like nothing happened.
"Yep," he said. "I know."
Claire blinked.
"You… know?"
"Uh-huh," Phil replied, taking a bite of toast.
Claire slowly lowered the towel. "Don't tell me?"
Phil chewed calmly, swallowed, then said, "C'mon, honey. It's not a big deal."
"Not a big deal?" Claire repeated, her voice climbing. "You gave permission to Jack to take Haley into his house."
"Correction," Phil raised a finger. "Not only Jack but also Haley."
"That is worse, Phil."
"No, it is equal opportunity permission," he said, nodding confidently.
Claire stared at him like she was deciding whether to scream or faint.
"Phil," she said slowly, "that is two teenagers. Madly in love. In a room. Far away from our eyes."
Phil leaned against the counter, staying surprisingly calm. "First of all, they are not in a room. They are in a house. A very large, very well secured, extremely fancy house." He took out his phone and showed her the picture of Preston's house.
"That is not helping."
"Second," Phil continued, grabbing another piece of toast, "Jack is a good kid. You already know that."
Claire sighed sharply. "Yes, I know that, Phil. I like Jack. He is polite and respectful, and he literally helped Haley study algebra without crying. That alone makes him a national treasure."
"Exactly," Phil said, pointing at her with the toast.
"But," Claire continued, pacing now, "liking him does not change basic teenage biology."
Phil winced slightly. "That phrase made this toast taste weird."
Claire ignored him. "You cannot just casually approve this like they are going to a library."
"They might be studying," Phil said.
Claire stopped and gave him a look.
"…Okay," Phil admitted. "Probably not studying. Maybe they are watching a movie or playing games."
"Phil!"
He raised both hands. "I am just saying, Haley is growing up. And Jack clearly cares about her. He is not some random guy with a motorcycle and a suspicious amount of hair gel."
Claire folded her arms. "That is a very specific example."
"You know the type," Phil said.
She sighed, rubbing her temples. "I just… I do not want her rushing into things she is not ready for."
Phil softened a little, stepping closer to her.
"I get that," he said gently. "But keeping her locked in the house is not going to stop her from having feelings. It just means she hides them from us."
Claire hesitated.
Phil continued, quieter now. "Jack respects her. You can see it. He listens to her, she listens to him. He supports her. Honestly, if she is going to explore her first serious relationship… I am glad it is with someone like him."
Claire looked at the floor for a moment.
"I hate that you are making sense," she muttered.
Phil smiled carefully. "I make sense sometimes. It is rare. We should document it."
She glanced up at him. "If she gets pregnant, I am blaming you."
Phil choked on his toast. "Okay, wow, we jumped like ten steps."
"I am just saying."
"She is sixteen, Claire, not starring in a reality show called Teen Disaster," Phil said.
Claire exhaled slowly.
"I trust her," she admitted. "And… I trust him." In reality, she doesn't trust Haley.
Phil nodded.
"But I still hate it," she added quickly. "Still, you should've talked to me."
"I'm so sorry, honey," Phil said.
She glared at him.
He handed her a slice of toast like a peace offering.
"…Cinnamon sugar?" he asked.
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