Chapter Six

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"Mom?" Hale rubs his eyes, yawning as he pads barefoot into the kitchen. The raven haired woman lifts her head up to look at him. She's still in her flight attendant uniform, her usually pinned back hair falling in soft waves at her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She whispers, setting a piece of pizza down on a plate. She dumps a pool of ranch to the side of that and sits at the small island in the middle of the kitchen.

"You didn't, I uh..." He rubs the back of his neck, reluctant to tell his mom that he just got home not too long ago.

"Another gig?" She fills in for him, motioning for him to sit down next to her. He sighs, much like his grandma, his mom never misses a beat.

He takes a seat next to her, "Yeah."

"You have school tomorrow." She reminds, disapproval in her voice.

"I know." He sighs. A moment passes between them, silence threatening to fill the space.

"Did you have fun?" She questions, dunking her cold pizza in ranch.

"Yeah."

"Any girls fling their bra at you like in the movies?" She teases, nudging him. He smiles, taking in the grin on her face. He doesn't see her often, her job is very demanding. But every time he does she's aged a few more years.

"The guys wish." He mumbles, knowing that's their goal. At least it's Dom and Omar's goal. Jinx doesn't spare the screaming girls any mind, ignoring them despite being the object of their obsession most of the time.

His mother quirks a sculpted brow, "You don't?"

"No." Hale shakes his head, his face scrunching up. Most of those girls smell like cigarettes and daddy issues. He has no respect for the girls that throw themselves at him every night, begging him to give them even an ounce of attention.

"Who's the girl?" His mother asks, turning to look at him. He sighs, running a hair through his hair.

"Why does everyone think there's a girl?" He recalls when he was at Omar's house, playing the song over for the guys. Omar's younger sister came into the home studio and asked who was in love. Immediately all the guys pointed fingers at him.

"Is there?"

"Yes." He doesn't bother lying, everyone knows. He just hopes it not that obvious to Bella.

He replays the events of yesterday, when she accused him of playing games. How vulnerable she looked when he pinned her against that locker. How could she think he's playing games? Did he look like that type of guy to her? She smelled like lemons, sweet lemons. Even when she had opened herself up to being vulnerable she still had that fire inside. And it was attractive.

His mom hums, smiling slightly. "I'm glad you're finally getting out there."

He scoffs, glaring at her playfully, "You and Gran make me out to be such a shut in."

"You were when we first got here, Hale." She reminds. He winces, thinking back to that part of himself.

He used to be so shy and very quiet. He didn't have any confidence. He kept his head down because he wasn't strong enough mentally to keep it held high. Looking back on it, he doesn't even recognize that small boy with nothing more than a jacket and unspoken lyrics. So beat up and beat down that he was afraid of his own voice. He often remembers that part of his life as the lowest. When the bruises were still healing and the memory fresh.

"I know you don't like to talk about it." His mom's voice is soft and sorry. Hale shakes his head sharply.

"You're right. I don't want to talk about it."

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