Well I was moving at the speed of sound

Head spinning, couldn't find my way around, and

Didn't know that I was going down

Yeah, yeah

Where's I've been, well it's all a blur

What I was looking for, I'm not sure

Too late and didn't see it coming

Yeah, yeah

And then I crashed into you

Justin looked around the backyard and smiled when he saw Hailey laughing with Trace and Gina. It was nice to see her fitting in so well with his friends. She had been living in the apartment building for almost two months and he never saw her with anyone. He had never seen anyone with such sadness in their eyes and even though he didn't know her but he knew he didn't like it. So it pleased him to see her laughing and having such a good time.

"Hey." Ella stepped close to him, beer in hand. "Brought you one."

"Thanks." He reached and taking the bottle for her hand. Her fingers grazed his. He had known she had always had a little crush on him, part of him thinks it's because it pissed her parents off. Her family was pretty well off and she never dated anyone they deemed acceptable. And maybe he did encourage it, taking her out to dinner that one time. But he quickly realized there was nothing there. Ella was a great girl, beautiful and funny but not what he was looking for. There was no spark.

"My parents are having this party in a few weeks," She tilted her head to the side a little. "And I was hoping you'd maybe go with me?"

He looked at her and could see a hint of fear in her eyes. Secretly he was pleased to know that she was worried he would say no to her. He bet no one had ever said no to her in her life. Ella was that girl in high school that everyone wanted to be. Homecoming queen, class president, prom queen, valedictorian, friends with everyone. She never paid him any mind until their junior year when he started having scouts coming to games to look at him play.

He licked his lips and glanced over at Hailey. "I'll have to see what's going on but I'll let you know, ok?"

Her eyes flickered in annoyance but she plastered a smile on her face. "No problem."

"Hey, I'm gonna go check in with Hailey." He moved pasted her, squeezing her shoulder on the way. "Make sure that Trace isn't corrupting her."

Ella forced the smile but gritted her teeth. She didn't understand what everyone's fascination with this girl was. Even more annoyed when Justin seemed to take her under his wing, inviting her places with them and making sure she wasn't left out of the conversation.

"Come find me when you're done." She flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Yeah." He waved over his shoulder and walked across the yard.

Hailey looked up and smiled at Justin when he playfully shoved Trace. She was really finding herself drawn to his seemingly always playful nature. The few times she had spoke with him and spent time with them it always seemed like he was just wanting to have fun and laugh.

Trace looked over at Ella, now talking to a girl whose name Hailey couldn't remember. "How's it going with Ella?"

Hailey turned to look at Justin not really sure what Trace meant by that question but hoping Justin's answer would fill in the blanks.

He shrugged. "It was a onetime thing. I just don't think she gets it."

"You know that girl wants you." Gina smiled at him. "Give it another try."

"Maybe." He glanced over at Hailey, who was looking around the backyard. "How goes the job hunt?"

The other two heads turned to Hailey and she blinked. "Me?"

They chuckled. "Yes, you."

"Oh." She blushed before shrugging. "It's going."

"You know, I've got an aunt who might need some office help." Gina offered.  "She's a realtor and stays crazy busy. I can talk to her if you want."

"That'd be great. Thanks." While it wasn't a job offer the thought of a prospect was a huge relief to her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She stood outside the building, staring at the words ‘Jacobs Reality' painted in bright blue on the glass of the door. Gina had come through and got her aunt to meet with Hailey about a job. Gina had told her it wasn't guaranteed but at least she got her foot in the door.

After shaking off the butterflies she pushed the door open and walked into a bare room. There were some pictures on the wall and two folding chairs. In the middle of the room was a desk with a multi-phone line phone sitting in the center of it. The room gave off an uninviting feel and the butterflies had come back.

"I'll be with you in a moment." A female voice called out from the open door.

She nodded to no one and contemplated sitting in one of the chairs but thought better of it. She could hear the woman on the phone talking to someone, a client probably. The phone started to ring at the desk but goes unanswered as the woman is already on another call. 

It starts to ring again but the person doesn't hang up. It rings three times. Four time. Five times.

"Good Morning. Jacobs Reality." Hailey answered the phone without thinking. "How can I help you?"

The man on the line wanted to make an appointment with someone to go see a house. After faking her way through the phone call she hung up the phone to see a pretty brunette woman standing in the doorway, a slight look of shock and what she thinks is appreciation.

Hailey hung the phone up slowly. "Um...sorry about that." She swallowed hard. "It's just the phone was ringing and you were on the other line....yeah, I'm sorry."

The woman leaned against the door jamb. "You must be Hailey."

"Yes, ma'am." She reached out and shook hands. "Again, I'm really sorry."

"No worries." The woman turned and walked back into the office, motioning for her to follow. "Gina said you're looking for a job?"

"Yes, I just moved here about two months ago and while I had some money saved up for the move, it's quickly depleting." She gave her a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

"Oh!" The woman laughed. "Marla. Marla Jacobs. You'll have to forgive me. My mind is running a million miles a minute and I'm out of control. I think I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached."

She smiled at the older woman. "I understand that."

"So what type of skills do you have?" Marla sat back in the chair. "Apart from phone skills and thinking on your feet."

"Um, I'm really organized and I've got better than good computer skills." She tried to relax a little. Marla seemed to be relaxed and easy going.

"Better than good?" She grinned at her and Hailey shifted in her seat, worried that she botched this already. "That's better than me." A sigh of relief passed through her lips and Marla sat forward in the chair, elbows on the desk. "When can you start?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 "So you got the job?" Justin jumped up on the washer machine.

"I got the job." Hailey snapped out a shirt before folding it. "I'm going to have to call Gina tomorrow and thank her for that."

"So what's next on the list of things still needing to be done?"

She pondered that question for a minute. Now that she had a job and a place to live, the next thing on her list, in her mind at least, was to go back to school. Even if it was just a community college. She thought that sharpening up her computer skills would always be beneficial in the future.

"School maybe." She finally told him with a shrug.

"Really? I think that's a great idea."

She turned to him. "Yeah? It doesn't seem weird that I'd be going back so late?"

"Nah." He brought a leg up and rested his chin on his knee. "Besides, it never hurts to get smarter."

She laughed. "Speaking from experience?"

He gave her a mock look of hurt. "I just never did the whole college thing. Went right from high school to the minors."

"Which is working out well. So no need to feel like you missed out on anything."

"I guess so." He voice was filled with something. Concern maybe?

She turned to face him fully, resting against the folding table. "Everything ok?"

He looked at her. He could tell her. It wouldn't be the first time he'd told someone he hardly knew things about his life.

 But he felt like he knew her.

He rolled his neck before heaving a sigh. "It's just there are all these rumors going around now that the season's over." He confessed. "Trade talks."

"As in you?"

He nodded. "Yep. Tampa Bay's farm club and the Sox."

Her interest was perked. "Which Sox?"

He smiled at the look on her face. "The red kind."

"Well that's not so bad is it?" She laughed at him. "They're a winning team."

He shrugged again. "They are. It's a great club. Great players. I really respect Francona."

She could hear the struggle in his vice. "But it's not what you want."

He looked up at her. "I've been here my whole life." He rubbed his forehead. "Leaving everything I know. Everyone I know. Kinda scary."

She nodded, fully understanding that fear. It was one that she had to conquer not too long ago. It's one that still lingers with her on some days.

"Well," She turned back to the basket of clothes waiting to be folded. "Whatever happens, you're family and friends will still be here and still supporting you."

He smirked at her backside. "What about you?"

"What about me?" She could feel the blush on her face but refused to look at him.

"Would you still support me?"

"If you're a Red Sox, the answer is duh."

He laughed. "Good to know."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night as he lay in his bed, Justin couldn't help but think of the conversation he had with Hailey earlier that night. He felt a little weird having told her about the trade talk. He hadn't told anyone about that yet. Not his parents. Not Trace.

He couldn't place it but being around her made him comfortable. Like he had known her forever. The banter between them was easy going and fun. He found himself opening up to her unlike he had with anyone else and it was surprisingly nice.

It had taken him off guard how quickly he found himself connecting and opening up with her. He knew he had the tendency to be an open book with most people but the connection he felt when he was around her and the way he found himself unable to stop talking around her was one that he hadn't felt before. And a little part of him was scared of that. But a good kind of scared.  One that he was welcoming with open arms.

He just wished she opened up to him. She'd tell him about her day and the things she did. But any time he asked questions about her family or her past, she'd clam up and stumble over her words until he felt forced to change the subject.

He rolled over and closed his eyes. He was ok with not knowing her past. It was something she obviously didn't want to talk about for one reason or another. And while he was curious as to what happened to make her pack up and move across the county, he wasn't going to push her. He was just glad to a friend like her in his life.