Author's Thoughts: I'd like to dedicate this to bendiamelancia, transoceanic, Lovely1723 and agirlinlovewithpizza! Thank you all so so much for your support. This chapter is focused on Hayden because the boy needs some closure and loving too. Laughing at myself for writing the most cutest chapter for Elie and then this for Haylia...

Please vote and leave comments <3

Playing Honestly

"Sweetheart." Due to her runny nose, which is most likely a direct result from all of the sobbing she's been doing in the bathroom since this morning, Mrs Knight can't help but sniffle. Instinctively, she wipes her nose with the sleeve of her sweater and tries her best to compose herself. Hayden doesn't bother to say anything and sits idly on the couch, waiting for her to continue. He already knows what's coming.

Looks like today will be the day his parents finally make their big announcement. Although he's known for months now, he would just like to hear them tell him with their own mouths about the separation. It's the least they could do in exchange for making the house feel like a battle zone with the yelling and the shouting and the breakage of nearly all of the fine china in the place. His mother is seated next to him while his father stands by the furnace, a blank and expressionless countenance settled over his face.

"Your dad and I—we've decided to spend some time apart," she says, trying to soften the blow as much as possible. She doesn't want to emotionally scar her only child. She loves him too much.

"We're getting divorced," Mr Knight announces bluntly, in contrast to his wife's approach.

"Stuart!" the woman exclaims indignantly as she turns to glare at him.

"He's not a child, Heidi," Mr Knight replies. "He doesn't need to be babied. He is old enough to understand." He shifts his gaze towards the boy and looks at him expectantly. "Isn't that right, son?"

Hayden stands up and claps. "It's about time," he announces.

Gasping out loud, Heidi shoots to her feet as well while Stuart furrows his brows. "You mean you knew?"

"I'd have to be the world's most naïve teenager not to have seen this coming," Hayden remarks. "Mom, you've been crying your heart out every day. And dad, you're hardly ever home anymore. It's not hard to put two and two together." He might sound as cool as a cucumber, but on the inside, it pains him to have to say all of this. Because now he has nowhere to run. But, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe, it's time for him to accept the reality waiting for him instead of hiding from it. After everything he's been through, after all of the people he has unintentionally hurt, after suffering all alone by bottling everything up inside of him, Hayden has finally realized he can't avoid his problems forever.

"We didn't want to burden you, especially with your junior year being so important and everything," his mother reasons, her hands shaking.

Noticing her slight tremor, Hayden takes up her hands into his own and smiles warmly at her. "I appreciate what you've been trying to do for me, I really do. But if this marriage is a dead end, I don't want you trying to put on a show for my sake. It's time for you to put your needs ahead of mine, mom. I don't like seeing you miserable."

"Thank you, Hayden." Heidi places a palm against his cheek before pulling him into an embrace. "For being the best son a mother could have ever asked for." If only he could have been half as decent at being somebody's friend.

Once the air's been cleared, Mr Knight packs some of his belongings into a suitcase and leaves. They've realized that it's probably the smartest idea if they stayed away from each other until the papers have been finalized in order to put an end to the arguments they've been having. It's been decided that Mr Knight will be staying at a hotel while Mrs Knight and Hayden will continue living in the house since the mortgage is under the her name. It might be difficult adjusting to this, but Hayden's willing to give it his best so long as his parents are able to find their happiness.

All he wants is for things to be okay again and he's hoping that, with time, they will be.

The sun begins to sink into the horizon, slowly disappearing from sight. With the car turned off, Hayden sits inside the parked vehicle, contemplating, debating with himself on what he should do next. Fetching his phone out from his pocket, he swipes down and finds the unread messages he has left untouched staring at him in the face, which are all, to his surprise, from Cecilia. She's been trying to get in contact with him but Hayden's been ignoring her.

Tonight, however, he's determined to set things straight between the two of them. Is he making a mistake? Should he leave? No, he has to do this. If he doesn't talk to her, he'll most likely live regretting the choice for the rest of his life and he doesn't want to do that to his conscience or hers. It's the only way they'll both get the proper closure they so desperately need. The proper closure they deserve. Inhaling a deep breath, Hayden presses the call button and places the phone next to his ear. It rings three times before she answers. "Hey, are you home right now?" He glances to the house across the street and sighs. "I'm parked outside. We should talk."

Cecilia could hardly contain herself as she hangs up and tosses her phone onto the bed. Slipping a thick cardigan over her body, she runs by the mirror and examines herself. Once she deems her appearance acceptable, she bolts downstairs. Her father, who is reading an encyclopedia in the living room, peers over the hefty book, his reading glasses sliding down to the tip of his nose.

"Where are you going, Cecilia?" His voice causes the girl to freeze in her tracks as she holds tightly onto the doorknob. Deathly silence fills the space in between them. Her unresponsiveness does not sit well with him and Mr Isles closes the encyclopedia, places it down onto the coffee table and rises to his feet. "Did you hear me, Cecilia?" His voice is much louder and, unconsciously, the girl flinches.

Hesitantly, she turns to him. "I need to talk to my friend," she states at last. "It'll only take a moment."

A second passes before the man nods and takes a seat. "Don't take too long. You've got to study for your French exam."

"Of course." As she shuts the door behind her, Cecilia lets out a breath of alleviation, her back leaning up against the wooden barrier. That was a close-call. Then she recalls Hayden and lifts her head up, her eyes scanning the street. From where she stands, she can see his car parked under the oak tree on the other side of the road and, with sweaty palms and a racing heart, which is beating loudly in her ears, she approaches him.

"Hi," she says as she climbs inside and shuts the door.

"Hey," he answers stiffly.

Biting on the inside of her cheek, Cecilia continues, "You haven't answered any of my texts."

Hayden looks out the window, not daring to meet her gaze. He's afraid that if he does, he'll want to wrap his arms around her and give in to his wants instead of thinking about his needs. "I know."

"Why are you here?" Cecilia questions. She can't help but get her hopes up. As the famous saying goes: you don't know what you have until it's gone. And on the inside, she's praying—yearning—the boy is here to mend their relationship. She misses him. She misses him a lot, actually.

"I wanted to apologize," Hayden explains, "for the way I ended things the last time we were together and for not staying in touch after what happened."

"You don't have to apologize," she mutters, shaking her head. "We all make mistakes." Next, she slips her hand into his and squeezes it reassuringly. "We can work through it."

Her warmth causes a lump to form in his throat. Oh how he's dreamed of feeling her touch again. Slowly, his eyes find her beautiful face and Hayden senses himself faltering. No, this is not it. This is not what he came here for. Snapping out of his trance, Hayden gently pries her hand off and returns it to her lap.

"It wasn't a mistake, Cecilia," he declares, the words coming out crystal clear, just as he had practiced in the mirror. "We have nothing to work through. You and I, we were only using each other as distractions. We were only using each other to escape and forget about our ugly realities."

"That's not true," she protests, albeit, too weakly. This is not what she wants. This is not the outcome she has been hoping for. Shocked and speechless, Cecilia can no longer formulate a coherent response as she shifts away, shielding her glossy eyes from his view.

"It is," Hayden rebuts. "You know, the whole time we were dating, I tried so hard to be the perfect boyfriend to you. I didn't want to tell you any of my problems because I wanted to seem strong. I wanted you to see me as a reliable and dependent figure. Someone you could always run to when you're feeling troubled. But, then, I realized you would never share your issues with me and I wasn't willing to do the same either. We didn't communicate with each other and look where we are." He reaches over, popping open the glove compartment, before he retrieves a bottle and shows it to her.

Cecilia's eyes round as she snatches the bottle from his grasp, clutching it to her chest. "My pills. How did you..."

"It must've fallen out of your bag when you weren't paying attention," he replies softly. "I found them in the summer while I was cleaning."

Uncertain of what to do, Cecilia asks, "Why didn't you say anything to me?"

"Because you never said anything to me," Hayden exhales.

"I was afraid," she confesses. "I didn't want you to see me in a different light. I was scared you'd leave me if you found out."

"I wouldn't have," he proclaims adamantly. "I lo—" He catches himself in the nick of time and bites his tongue. "This is what I'm talking about, Cecilia. As a couple, we were supposed to be straightforward with each other no matter what. But, we haven't been."

"I can change," Cecilia assures.

"I don't want you to and I don't want you to misunderstand either. I'm not trying to push all of the blame on you because I'm at fault too." He pauses to gather his thoughts. "I guess I just wanted to say that us ending—it's the right way to go. It's the only way to go."

Upon registering how serious he is about all of this, Cecilia realizes there's no use in trying to convince him otherwise. She can't blame him either because, as he said, they are both in the wrong. "I understand," the girl whispers before she moves in and presses her lips against his cheek, a lone teardrop tumbling down the side of her face.

"Thank you for spending the last six months with me. I know it wasn't easy on you. But everything you said... You're right. If we had just been honest with each other right from the start, maybe, things would have turned out differently."

"Maybe," Hayden agrees. "But I don't regret it," he says truthfully.

A bitter and strained smile graces Cecilia's lips as she exits the car. Her knees are wobbly and she does her best to stand upright, despite her body's desire to collapse onto the ground. She can't keep holding onto someone who has already let go. She shouldn't make this harder than it should be.

"Goodnight, Hayden."

As he watches her cross the street, safely reaching the sidewalk, he starts the car and rolls the window down. "Cecilia?" he calls out.

She halts and spins around. "Yes?"

"It's your life," he says with a faint smile. "Don't forget that."

- - -

Author's Thoughts: More insight, Cecilia was never going to change for Hayden. She was going to keep doing things which would only appease her parents. Notice when her father asked her where she was going, she STILL couldn't be honest and open with him.

Haylia would have been the ideal couple but their lack of communication drove them apart. It's what makes them so different from Elie, who are always upfront with each other. And yes, we know Hayden loves Cecilia but does she love him? If she does, apparently it's not enough for her to go against her parents. But to be honest, I love them both to bits and pieces. What do you guys think about Hayden and Cecilia?