Whatever It Takes

The next day, for Hayley, was probably one of her best school days ever. Josh was waiting for her at the front of the school. He hugged her, and then walked her to class. They only had a few classes together, but it was history that they sat beside each other and their friends, the class they were looking forward to. When they came onto the class, they noticed Frankie and Jeremy sitting very close. They didn't realise until they sat down and saw them both holding hands and smiling, that they were an item. Hayley and Frankie both looked down at each others hands, where they were in-twined with the guys they loved and grinned at one another.
"Hey, what the hell happened to you two? Like, guys at the same time? Weird or what? You won't see me with anyone", Chloe said as she leaned over to talk to Hayley and Frankie.
"What about me?", Taylor asked. Hayley and Frankie stared at him. They has never heard him speak before.
"What about you?", Chloe asked, honestly not knowing what he meant, and really not caring.
They all laughed. Hayley bent over and whispered in Chloe's ear. As Hayley spoke, Chloe's eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and glanced in the direction of Taylor. Everyone laughed also, except Taylor, who just smiled at her.

The next day after school, Hayley and Josh hung out in the secret garden, where they shared their first kiss together the day before. They say in the same spot, between the two trees. They only difference this time, was that Hayley was lying against his chest. There was no awkwardness between them like before. Hayley closed her eyes, taking in the air around her and relaxing.
"Hey, I've been thinking. If we are going out now, which I hope we are, then maybe we should start to get to know each other better", Josh asked. Hayley smiled, still with her eyes closed.
"I already told you about me being attacked in an ally way, what more can I tell you". Josh didn't smile at that. He hated just thinking about her getting hurt.
"Well, maybe apart from that. Like, pasts and stuff".
Hayley sat up for this, with a worried look on her face.
"What kind of stuff do you want to know?", she asked.
"Well, have you ever smoked anything? Been in a cell before? Stuff like that", Josh answered her.
"Oh, so only the illegal stuff then", she laughed.
"Pretty much", he smiled.
"Well, I smoked before. Not very much. But I still did. Me and Fran went a bit crazy for a while. Got arrested once, but I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Em...not very much else. I'm pretty boring. What about you", Hayley smiled.
"Well, I also smoked. Me and Jeremy. Still sometimes do, but very rarely. Got arrested too, but that was Jeremy's fault. I think that's it. So, what about family life?", he asked her.
"Em, not much. My mum remarried, like I told you, so we moved here", she said with a displeasing look on her face. Josh noticed it.
"Everytime you talk about that, you always have that same expression. I already know that it's not New York you don't like. So what is it? You don't like the guy or something", Josh asked.
"Yeah, something like that", she said.
"You know, you can tell me", Josh comforted her.
"Yeah I know", she smiled. "And I think I should tell you".
She closed the little gap between them, and cuddled into his chest.
"He doesn't like me very much. When he first started going out with my mum, I was sorta wild, and he didn't like it. So he thought he's put some manners on me. So when I came home one night late, and very drunk, he hit me. Odviously, it didn't work. So it became a regular thing. But he doesn't do it very much now. Because he knows I won't change", she told him.
Josh was silent for a moment, before he held her tighter and kissed her forhead.

"Wow, you drink a lot of coffee", Jeremt pointed out to Frankie. They were in a café in a quiet part of New York. Frankie had 4 cups of coffee, while Jeremy was on his second.
"I drink alot when I'm nervous", she blurted out.
"Nervous? Why?", he asked.
"Because, maybe it's not to you, I don't know. But to me, this is like our first date", she smiled.
"Yeah, it is", he smiled back.
"So, this is quiet cool. I mean, you and me. Hayley and Jeremy. Chloe and Taylor. Sort of. The saying "love is in the air" is true", Frankie said as she sipped her coffee.
"Yeah. Pretty weird. But cool", he smiled at her.
They held hands across the table, still smiling like total idiots.

"Hey. Why don't we all do something really fun. Like, you, me, Fran, Jeremy, Chloe and Taylor", Hayley suggested.
"Yeah. That would be cool. What do you want to do?", Josh asked.
"Em...what about Starbucks?", Hayley asked.
"Yeah. We could all go back to my place after if you want too. My mum is gone a month on holidays with my aunt, so I have the house to myself", Josh smiled.
"Okay. Sounds fun", she smiled back.