AN: C'mon, guys. Lacking powerstones.
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[December]
//Haley's Confession//
Haley sat on the couch, legs tucked under her, a bright energy practically buzzing through her as she looked forward.
"Okay, so… a lot has happened," she started, already smiling like she could not hold it in.
"First of all, my parents went to Miami. You know, the trip that I won? Yeah, that one." She nodded, clearly pleased with herself. "Beach, drinks, matching outfits… I think my dad wore a hat unironically."
She paused, then laughed softly.
"And they came back… weirdly happy."
Her eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Like, suspiciously happy. My mom hasn't yelled at anyone in three days, which is honestly a little concerning. And my dad?" She leaned in slightly. "He closed a huge deal the same day they got back."
She snapped her fingers.
"Boom. Miami magic."
Haley leaned back again, her smile softening just a little.
"And then… this is the part I did not see coming…" she said, lowering her voice like it was still a secret.
"They said yes."
A beat.
"To Disneyland."
She grinned now, wider.
"Not a family trip. Not a 'we'll all go together and your dad will wear a Goofy hat again' situation."
She pointed at herself.
"Me and Jack."
Another pause, then she laughed, shaking her head.
"And the funniest part? We didn't even know we could go alone. Like… apparently, if you're over fourteen, you can just… go."
She blinked, then made a face.
"How did we not know that?"
A small shrug.
"We literally spent days trying to figure out how to convince them, and all along it was like… legal."
She let out a breath, still smiling.
"So yeah. Everything's been going really, really good."
Her voice softened just a little.
"Jack finished his movie. I won the competition. My parents are acting like they actually trust me now…"
A small pause.
"And today… we're going to Disneyland."
She nodded, excitement slipping through again.
"I'm really excited."
A beat, then she added with a playful smirk,
"And I'm definitely making him go on every ride. I don't care if he's tired or famous or whatever. He's getting on the roller coasters."
She leaned forward.
"And if he screams… I'm recording it."
A quick grin.
"Memories."
//Haley's Confession End//
..
The Dunphy house was quieter than usual that morning, but not for lack of activity.
Upstairs, Haley's room looked like a controlled disaster.
Clothes were spread across the bed in careful chaos, different outfit options laid out as if this were a fashion shoot instead of a theme park trip. Shoes sat lined up near the door, rejected one by one. Accessories had been tried, removed, and abandoned in small piles.
Haley stood in front of her mirror, adjusting the strap of her top before stepping back to examine the full look.
"No, this is too much," she muttered, turning slightly to the side. "It's Disneyland, not a runway."
She grabbed a jacket from the bed, tried it on, then shook her head and tossed it back.
"Okay, cute but effortless. Effortless but like… obviously I tried a little."
She paused, narrowing her eyes at her reflection.
"Why is this harder than the competition?"
...
Downstairs, Phil stood in the kitchen holding a set of car keys, looking both proud and slightly emotional.
"She's going to Disneyland," he said to no one in particular, nodding slowly. "Without us." He swallowed, then added quickly, "Which is great. This is growth. This is… independence." He really wanted to go with them, and everyone could tell from his look.
Claire walked past him, grabbing her coffee.
"It's one day, Phil. Besides, we've already enjoyed our vacation."
"I know," he said, following her a step. "I'm just saying… last time we went, she cried because Goofy didn't wave back."
Claire took a sip of her coffee, then gave him a look.
"She was six."
Phil nodded.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Time flies."
Luke sat on the couch, scrolling on his phone.
"So… she gets Disneyland," he said, not looking up. "What do I get?"
Claire didn't miss a beat.
"School."
Luke looked up, offended.
"That's not equal."
....
A few minutes later, upstairs, Haley was still in front of the mirror, now trying a slightly different angle.
"Okay… this is the one," she said, nodding at herself. She turned to the side, then back again. "Blue, effortless and casual. But like… hot casual."
The door opened.
Haley didn't turn immediately. "If you're here to tell me I'm taking too long, I'm not. This is important."
Alex stepped inside, arms crossed, taking in the scene in one sweep. Clothes everywhere. Shoes lined up like rejected contestants. Haley posing like she was about to walk a red carpet. Oh, Alex had black marks under her eyes. She's been reading a bit too much for her upcoming exams and, as usual, overworked herself. Now, she's kinda cranky.
"I wasn't going to say that," Alex replied calmly. She paused, then added, "But now that you mention it, you are."
Haley turned, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Wow. Good morning to you too."
Alex walked further into the room, picking up a random top from the bed and examining it as if it were evidence in a case.
"So this is what winning looks like?" she asked. "A full-scale wardrobe crisis?"
Haley scoffed, grabbing the top out of her hands. "It's called putting effort into your appearance. You should try it sometime."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "I do. I just don't need an audience or a fashion montage to get dressed."
Haley turned back to the mirror, adjusting her hair with a little more force than necessary. "Yeah, well, some of us have dates. At Disneyland..." She glanced at Alex. "With our very attractive boyfriends." Then, she turned back to the mirror again.
Alex leaned lightly against the desk, completely unfazed. "Right. The same boyfriend who's currently more famous than you, more successful than you, and somehow still has time to ride roller coasters."
Haley froze for half a second, then slowly turned back around.
"Okay, first of all, rude," she said. "Second of all, he likes me, so clearly I'm doing something right."
Alex gave a small shrug. "Statistically speaking, even broken systems produce outliers."
Haley blinked. "Did you just call my relationship a broken system?"
"I'm just saying," Alex continued, her tone still calm, which somehow made it worse, "your usual decision-making pattern doesn't exactly suggest long-term stability. It's a miracle you two lasted this long."
Haley let out a short laugh, but it had an edge to it now. "Wow. You're really coming in strong for someone who's never even had a relationship."
Alex's expression didn't change, but there was a tiny pause.
"That's because I prioritize things that matter," she said.
"Oh, right," Haley shot back immediately. "Like studying. And… more studying. And… judging people who actually have lives."
"I have a life," Alex replied.
"Name one fun thing you've done this week."
Alex opened her mouth, then paused.
"…I reorganized my research notes," she said.
Haley stared at her.
"That's not fun, Alex. That's… a cry for help."
Alex rolled her eyes. "At least my accomplishments don't involve dressing up my family and calling it a career breakthrough."
Haley's posture straightened slightly.
"It wasn't just dressing them up," she said, more serious now. "I planned that entire shoot. I organized everything and I won."
Alex nodded once. "Yes. A small-scale internship competition."
Haley took a step closer. "It's still a win."
"I didn't say it wasn't," Alex replied. "I'm just saying the sample size is limited."
Haley threw her hands up. "Oh my God, why do you have to turn everything into a math problem?"
"Because numbers don't lie."
"People do," Haley snapped back. "Like when they pretend they're better than everyone else because they get good grades."
Alex's jaw tightened just a little. "I don't pretend."
"Yeah, you do," Haley said. "You act like you're the only one who has it together."
"At least I actually have something figured out," Alex shot back. "You're just… winging it."
Haley stared at her, the frustration finally breaking through.
"And what if I am?" she said. "At least I'm doing my best here."
"And I'm not?" Alex replied, her voice sharper now.
"You're trying to be perfect," Haley said. "There's a difference."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Alex said, her tone rising slightly. "Would you prefer I lower my standards so you feel better?"
"Maybe try not acting like I'm beneath you all the time!"
"I don't act like that," Alex snapped.
"Yes, you do!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
Their voices overlapped now, both talking at once.
"At least I don't need a boyfriend to validate me..."
"At least I have someone who actually wants to be around me..."
"...that's not what I said..."
"...that's exactly what you meant..."
"GIRLS!"
Claire's voice cut through the hallway like a siren.
Both of them froze.
Claire appeared at the doorway a second later, coffee still in hand, but her expression said she was about one second away from losing her three-day streak of calm.
"What is going on?" she asked, looking between them.
Haley pointed at Alex. "She started it."
Alex pointed right back. "She escalated it."
Claire closed her eyes for a brief second, inhaling slowly like she was gathering every ounce of patience she had left.
"It has been three days," she said, opening her eyes again. "Three. Days. Of peace."
Neither of them spoke.
"And somehow," Claire continued, her voice tight but controlled, "we cannot get through one more morning without you two turning into… whatever this is."
Haley crossed her arms, looking away.
Alex adjusted her stance, equally defensive.
Claire looked between them again, then shook her head slightly.
"You know what? No. Not today," she said. "Haley, you have a big date. Try not to ruin it by fighting with your sister before you leave."
Haley's expression softened just a little, though she still didn't look at Alex.
"And you," Claire added, turning to Alex, "maybe try being supportive for once. It won't kill you and you need to get some sleep." She noticed the dark circles under Alex's eyes.
Alex exhaled quietly, her shoulders dropping just a fraction.
"Fine," she said.
Claire nodded once, satisfied enough. "Good."
She turned and walked out, muttering under her breath as she went, "Three days… we almost made it…"
Silence settled in the room again.
Haley glanced at Alex.
Alex glanced back.
A beat passed.
"…Your outfit's actually fine," Alex said, a little awkwardly.
Haley blinked, caught off guard.
"…thanks," she replied after a second. Then, with a small smirk, she added, "Exam stress?"
"Yeah. I don't remember the last time I slept," Alex replied as she slumped down on the bed. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
"It's okay. I shouldn't have teased you about not having a boyfriend," Haley replied as she walked over to Alex and gave her a little hug. "Now, lie down..." She pushed Alex onto the bed. Then she cleaned her clothes and pulled the blanket over her. "And sleep."
Alex was already snorning...
Haley looked at her for a moment before smiling...
...
[Meanwhile] [Jack's house]
Jack stood before the mirror, wearing a t-shirt and jeans. "Hair looks perfect... Haa... Haaa..." He breath tested twice. "...minty breath. Alright, time to go."
Just then, his phone rang twice. It was text. He picked up the phone and unlocked it. "Huh. Dad?"
Dad:
We just dropped the trailer for 17 Again.
Big day, huh?
Don't screw up your date. Enjoy it.
The message was simple and on point.
His phone buzzed again.
Another text.
He glanced down, unlocking it quickly this time.
Willa:
Hey! I've been meaning to tell you that I'm really excited about our music video shoot next week!
Also, I just finished The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and I LOVED the plot.
Call me when you're free?
He smiled faintly, thumb hovering for a moment before typing back.
Jack:
Hey, that's awesome. Glad you liked it.
I'm really busy today though… maybe we can talk tomorrow evening?
A few seconds passed.
Then...
Willa:
Yeah, that works 😊
---[Upcoming chs names SPOILER ALERT!> Click to read]---[1]
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[I have > 13 advance chapters] > All chapters available for all tiers
[1] Ch: 55 [Disneyland Date] Ch: 56 [Movie script & Music video shoot] [Vol: 1 END] Ch: 57 [Family vacation to Miami] [Vol: 2 Start] [Time skip] Ch: 58 [Interlude- 19th Birthday plans] Ch: 59 [Two years sneak peek] Ch: 60 [Miami- Reunion]