AN: This chapter is mainly focused on Haley's side. And yeah, I know, not many like her character and the show did her dirty. But I can fix her. š¤£š¤£š¤£ Hope you like it.
Words: 2.4k
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Morning at the Dunphy house arrived the way it always did. Loud, messy, and completely unconcerned with personal space.
Claire moved between kitchen counters with coffee in hand, mentally sorting the day before it had fully started. Phil hummed to himself while attempting something ambitious with a waffle iron. Luke sat at the counter, spinning on the stool and making engine noises with his mouth.
Upstairs, Haley stood in front of her mirror.
She tilted her head, studying herself with narrowed eyes, then reached for a top she rarely wore, like two times so far. She slipped it on, smoothed the fabric, then turned sideways.
Better.
She reached into her drawer and pulled out a small glass bottle.
Alex paused in the doorway. She came to take her notebook but decided to stop and watch her sister's morning rituals. 'Is that the new top and... Wait! No way! That perfume bottle...'
Haley had bought it months ago with her birthday money, then sealed and stored it like it was a museum artifact. Haley had once declared it was for a special occasion and then refused to define what special meant.
Alex leaned against the doorframe, arms crossing slowly.
Haley lifted the bottle, hesitated for exactly half a second, then sprayed it. She dabbed a little on her wrist, then behind her ear. She smiled at her reflection without realizing it.
Alex cleared her throat.
Haley jumped and nearly dropped it. She yelled, "Oh my god. Do you ever knock?"
"I did," Alex said calmly. "Yesterday. You told me to go away forever."
Haley waved her off and turned back to the mirror. "What do you want, Alex? I'm busy."
"Clearly."
Alex walked in and took her notebook, then stopped, looking at her sister with a knowing smirk.Ā
"What?" Haley asked.
"Nothing," she said. "I was just observing a rare behavioral shift."
"It's called effort. You should try it sometime."
Haley fixed her hair and double-checked her makeup touchups.
Alex tilted her head. "Who is he?"
Haley blinked. "Who is who?"
"The boy you're dressing up for."
Haley scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I am not dressing up for a boy."
Alex waited.
Haley met her reflection's eyes, then looked away.
Alex smiled faintly. "You are wearing new clothes before eight in the morning and you opened the fancy perfume. You never open the fancy perfume. Last time you touched it was to dust the shelf it was on."
"It was getting stale," Haley said weakly.
"Perfume does not get stale."
Haley turned around, hands on her hips. "Why do you care?"
"I don't," Alex said. "I'm just curious. And right."
Haley groaned and flopped backward onto the bed. "It's nothing. Literally nothing."
Alex sat on the edge of the desk chair. "Nothing usually doesn't require perfume, and you aren't yelling at me for meddling in your life, which tells me you are in a good mood. So... He cute?"
Haley stared at the ceiling. "You're annoying."
"And you're avoiding the question."
There was a pause.
"His name is Jack," Haley said finally.
Alex's eyes flicked toward her. "Jack who?"
Haley hesitated. That alone was answer enough.
Alex's mouth curved into a knowing smile. "Jack Preston."
Haley sat up. "How do you know that?"
"Because," Alex said, "you do not voluntarily acknowledge boys unless they surprise you. And the entire school is talking about him."
Haley hugged a pillow to her chest. "He's justā¦ different."
Alex leaned back slightly. "Different how? Hollywood different or suddenly learned how to read different?"
Haley frowned. "He was always able to read."
"Debatable."
Haley ignored her. "He showed up yesterday and aced all the tests and looked kinda different... In a good way."
"That's new," Alex admitted.
"And he smiled at me," Haley added, then quickly said, "Not that I was looking at him."
Alex nodded slowly. "So you are dressing up."
"I am not dressing up," Haley said. "I justā¦ want to look nice."
"For school."
"Yes."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "For Jack Preston."
Haley groaned again. "Why are you like this?"
Alex stood. "Because I am observant. And because this will end badly."
Haley peeked up at her. "You don't know that."
Alex shrugged. "Statistically speaking, I do."
Haley sat up and grabbed a hairbrush. "You're just jealous."
Alex paused at the door. "Of what?"
"That someone interesting exists in my life."
Alex smiled sweetly. "No. I'm curious to see how long it takes before you disappoint him."
Then she quickly ran out of the room before Haley could hit her with the pillow.
"Hurry up, girls," Claire yelled as she packed their lunchboxes. "Luke, stop playing with the cereal. And Phil, stop playing with the waffle iron. Don't you have a meeting with a client at 9 PM?"
//Phil Dunphy's confession//
Phil sat on the couch in the living room, holding a plate that had once been a waffle.Ā
"So," Phil said brightly, gesturing to the waffle iron on the coffee table. "This is my new passion. I am going to become a professional waffle maker using my new waffle maker. Get it. Waffle maker waffle maker."
He held up the plate. The waffle looked uneven and slightly burned.
"First time was a mess," Phil continued. "But Dunphys never give up. Maybe one day I will become a master waffle maker. Who knows? I could be on cook shows... and..." He smiled for a moment, letting his imagination run wild. "...sky is the limit."
//Phil Dunphy's confession End//
"OH MY GOD!" Phil looked at his wristwatch. "I'm late." He stumbled toward the door, quickly grabbed his boots and put them on. He then grabbed his bag, which he had kept near the door beforehand in case he was late. And he was right. Thanks to that waffle iron, he was late. "Claire, sweetheart, can you clean up the waffle maker. I've made a mess."
Claire sighed. It was nothing new. Phil always tries different things and at this point, she has gotten used to his shenanigans. She walked over to him, and they kissed. "Don't worry about that. You just focus on the deal."
"I love you," Phil said with a smile.
"I love you too," Claire said before they kissed again.
Alex noticed them kiss and made a disgusted expression. "Argg! Get a room, you two."
Claire sighed as she pulled back.
"Bye girls, and Luke... We are setting up the new trampoline today. You better be ready," Phil said, pointing his finger at Luke before leaving.
[A few minutes later]
Claire finished packing lunches and set them on the counter. "Five minutes," she called out. "If you are not downstairs in five minutes, you are walking."
"Stop yelling," Haley shouted back.
She grabbed her bag and slipped on her shoes, then walked down the stairs. She stopped, giving herself one last look in the mirror by the stairs. She adjusted her hair again, then forced her shoulders to relax.
"Stop being weird," she muttered to herself.
Alex joined her halfway down the stairs, already typing something into her phone.
Luke ran past them wearing one shoe and holding the other in his hand. "Mom said five minutes. That means we have at least ten."
"No," Claire said from the kitchen. "That means you have one."
...[30 minutes later]...
Palisades High was lively as usual, but Haley felt the energy more today. Conversations mixed together, and laughter filled the courtyard. She got out of the car and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. Alex too got out.Ā
Claire waved them goodbye before driving toward Luke's school.
Alex looked at Haley. "Try not to trip over your own feet."
Haley shot her a look. "I see what's going on here. You are jealous. Don't tell me you too have a crush on Jack? But what can you do? He's in my class, he's around my age and I'm gonna talk to him today. So, good luck with your little taunts."
"What?!" Alex looked stunned. She didn't expect Haley to counter her like that. "I... I don't have a crush on Jack."
Haley simply smirked before walking inside.
"Do I have a crush on Jack Preston? He's cute and probably three years older than me, we never talked before... but... What?!" Alex mumbled to herself while walking toward her class.
Meanwhile...
Haley was heading toward the main building with a few of her friends. She laughed when she was supposed to and nodded when someone complained about homework, but her eyes kept drifting. She did not want them to. They did anyway... searching for Jack.
And then she saw him.
Jack stood near the lockers, talking to a teacher with an ease that felt unnatural for someone with his reputation. He smiled politely, nodded, and thanked her before turning away.
That was when his eyes found Haley.
He smiled.
It was small and real and directed only at her.
Haley felt her stomach flip.
She lifted her hand and brushed her hair behind her ear with a shy smile. He gave a little nod before walking into the class.
Her friends immediately noticed.
"Okay," one of them said slowly. "Was that Jack smiling at you?"
Haley shrugged. "I think he likes me."
"Since when?"
"Since yesterday, apparently."
...
Classes went as usual.
That was the problem.
Haley sat through lectures, group work, and notes she pretended to write, all while her attention kept slipping sideways. Jack sat two rows ahead in English, one row over in math. Close enough to notice things she probably should not have been noticing.
He listened to the teachers. He did not slouch or fake interest. He raised his hand when he had something to say and stayed quiet when he did not. Teachers treated him differently now, cautiously respectful, like they were still testing whether yesterday had been a fluke.
Haley caught herself watching the way he smiled when someone made a joke. Or the way he leaned back in his chair when he finished early, relaxed but not bored.
It was irritating.
Normally, this was the part where boys tried to get her attention. Notes passed. Smiles held too long. Awkward compliments about her hair or shoes. She was good at that dynamic. It was familiar and easy.
This was not that.
Jack did not try to talk to her. He did not look over constantly or find excuses to sit closer. He was just himself.
That was new.
Haley found herself wondering things she usually did not bother with. 'Is he single? Does he like me? Was that smile just a friendly smile or... am I reading into something more that I should?'
By the time the lunch bell rang, she had made a decision.
She grabbed her bag and headed outside with her friends, but her steps slowed near the courtyard. She spotted Jack almost immediately.
He sat near the small fountain bench, lunch tray balanced on his knees. The sound of water splashing softly filled the space around him. He looked comfortable there and she was surprised to see that none of his old friends were swarming around him like they used to in the past.Ā
'Did something happen?'Ā
Haley stopped walking.
Her friends kept going.
"Are you coming?" one of them asked.
"In a second," Haley said. "I forgot something."
They barely questioned it. Haley did that sometimes.
She took a breath.
Then another.
'Stop being weird.'
She adjusted her bag strap and walked toward him.
Jack noticed her when she was a few steps away. He looked up.
"Hey," he said.
Her heart did something stupid.
"Hey," Haley replied. She gestured at the bench. "Um. Do you mind if I sit?"
Jack blinked once, then smiled. "Not at all."
He shifted his tray slightly to make space. Haley sat down, careful not to rush it, legs crossing naturally. The fountain sprayed behind them, creating a bubble of white noise that made the rest of the courtyard feel farther away.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Haley cleared her throat. "So. You're, like, really into school now."
Jack let out a soft laugh. "I guess I am."
"That's new."
"For me too."
She studied him openly now. He did not seem uncomfortable with it. If anything, he looked amused.
"Everyone thinks you hit your head," she said.
"I am choosing to take that as a compliment."
She smiled. "You should. It's better than the other theories."
He raised an eyebrow. "There are other theories?"
"Some people think you're an alien," Haley said. "Or that your parents threatened to cut you off."
Jack shook his head. "Neither. I just decided to stop being an idiot and get my life together."
That earned a quiet laugh from her. "Bold choice."
They ate for a few minutes. Haley picked at her salad, then glanced at him again.
"So," she said casually, "are you single?"
The words hung there.
Jack paused mid bite, then looked at her. He did not laugh or dodge it. He considered the question, like it deserved that much respect.
"Yes," he said. "I am."
Haley nodded, satisfied. "Good."
He smiled. "Can I ask why?"
She shrugged, pretending it was no big deal. "Just curious."
Jack watched her for a second longer, then nodded. "Fair."
She leaned back slightly, more relaxed now. "You know, you never really talked to me before."
"I know," Jack said. "That was my mistake."
Her eyebrows lifted. "Really?"
"Yeah," he said simply. "I was bad at noticing the right things."
Haley felt warmth creep up her neck and she hated how much she liked that answer.
"Well," she said, "you're doing better."
The bell rang too soon.
Haley sighed and stood, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I guess this is where we pretend we didn't enjoy lunch."
Jack stood as well. "I enjoyed it."
She paused, then smiled. "Me too."
She took a step away, then turned back. "Hey, Jack?"
"Yeah?"
"I noticed how good you are with maths, maybe you could help me out sometimes? I'm kinda struggling and I don't want to fail."
He nodded as he closed his lunch box. "Yeah. Sure. I'm free on Sunday."
...
---[I won't say no to some early reviews. š«”š¬]