It was another regular day at Rosemeadow High School. Today is Wednesday, meaning the students and teachers are in the middle of the school week, and are powering through it. Only two more days to go, and the weekend will make its arrival.
Hailey Austin was at her locker, sorting out her books for the next class that was upcoming. She stored some books away, and took a few with her. Once that was all done, Hailey closed her locker, sighing.
Today was a pretty chilly day. The temperatures were pretty low outside. Everybody in the school were wrapped up in their jackets or hoodies in order to avoid the cold weather. Well, almost everybody. Unfortunately, it wasn't the case for Hailey.
Hailey had forgotten to bring her pink cardigan that she usually wears to school today. All of her friends knew that she always wears it, no matter what. However, since Hailey was in quite a rush this morning, she had completely forgotten to slip it on. Now, it was just sitting in her bedroom at home. Hailey wished she had it with her. It was absolutely freezing.
Hailey shivered. The cold atmosphere was really getting to her. She hated it. She despised being cold. It was an unpleasurable feeling on her body. She could feel all the goosebumps form on her skin. It made her shudder even more. Hailey really wished the school could crank up the heaters a bit more. Obviously, this wasn't doing enough for her. She had no idea on how she is supposed to walk home in this weather once school is over without her cardigan.
"I am literally going to freeze to death after school.." Hailey mumbled under her breath. She groaned, her body shivering once again. "Of course, the one day I forget my cardigan, it's like minus a million degrees out there.."
Unbeknownst to the teal-haired girl, someone was coming up behind her. He noticed how she was standing all alone by her locker, clearly looking stressed. Curious and concerned for his friend, he decided to check up on her, and make sure she is doing okay.
"Hey, Hailey!" He greeted her with a cheerful smile displayed proudly on his face. This got Hailey's attention, making her turn herself away from her locker.
"Oh, hey Jake!" Hailey replied back, attempting to form a smile, although she wasn't in the best mood. Nonetheless, she tried anyway for her friend and bandmate.
"What's up? Are you doing alright?" Jake dug his hands into his pockets, leaning against the locker.
"Yeah, I guess.." Hailey muttered, diverting her eyes towards the floor. She kicked the ground in a huff, avoiding Jake's light brown irises.
"You don't seem alright. What's wrong?" Jake folded his arms, slightly approaching the girl in front of him. Hailey bit her lip, figuring she may as well tell him the truth and answer his question properly.
"Let's just say...I'm freezing to death.." Hailey groaned, rubbing her arms. "You've heard about the temperatures. They are low. I've told you this before but, I get cold very easily. And to make things even worse, I forgot my pink cardigan today! I was in quite a rush this morning, thanks to Zander. I hate it so much..I just want some bloody warmth!" Hailey spilled out all her emotions, the rubbing on her arms becoming even faster. It was clear that she was desperate for some heat.
Jake's lips curved into the shape of a frown. He hated seeing his friend in this state. Hailey didn't deserve to feel this way. She needed warmth, and she needed it now. Jake was aware of the fact that Hailey walks home from school everyday. How was she going to manage this?
Jake pondered to himself. He had to do something. Even if it wasn't something major, he wanted to help Hailey in any way possible. After a minute or so of silence, Jake couldn't help but look down at his jacket. His navy-blue jacket. The jacket that he always wore. Nearly everyone in their year knew about this particular jacket, as Jake wore it everyday. Taking notice of his coat, an idea entered Jake's mind. He didn't know if Hailey would agree, but it was worth a try.
Jake proceeded to pull the jacket off his arms, dragging them out of the sleeves. Hailey took notice, and watched him in perplexity. Soon, the entire jacket was off him, as Jake held it in his hands.
"Here, Hailey..Take my jacket." He held it out towards her, grinning warmly. Hailey's eyes went wide as her cheeks blushed a faint shade of pink.
"Wh-What..? Your jacket..? Oh no, Jake. I can't take it. Keep it with you. Don't worry, I'll manage.." Hailey chuckled shyly, her cheeks becoming all the more red.
"Hailey, you're shivering. You need the jacket way more than I do. It's really warm, trust me. Take it, I insist. I can handle the cold weather today. It doesn't really bother me. Go ahead, take it please. Matter of fact, you can take my jacket home with you this evening, and give it back to me tomorrow since you'll be walking home from school."
Hailey awed at Jake's kind offer, seeing a line of blush creep along his countenance. He grinned bashfully, looking off to the side.
"Jake, are you sure..?" Hailey asked him, getting a nod immediately in reply.
"Absolutely. I am very sure. Please princess, do take it.." Hailey scratched her neck nervously, biting her bottom lip.
"Jake, it's a kind offer and all, but what will the other students think if they see me wearing your jacket? I mean, everyone knows this is yours.." Jake sighed, chuckling.
"Hailey, don't mind them. Let them think whatever. Who cares? I'm doing this for you..because you're..my friend..and..I care about you.." Now, it was Jake's turn to blush more then he did, as his face was entirely pink.
"Aww, Jake.." Hailey placed a hand over her chest. She knew she couldn't refuse Jake's act of kindness. He was being too sweet for his own good. "If you are very sure about this, then okay. I'll take it.."
Hailey took Jake's jacket from his grasp, taking it into hers. Giggling sheepishly, Hailey slipped the jacket onto her body, sighing in relief almost instantly from the intense and incredibly satisfying warmth that was produced. It soothed all her goosebumps. Jake was right. His jacket was really warm.
"Oh my God, Jake...Your jacket..feels so warm..I love it.." Hailey hugged herself, picking up the scent of the coat. She could smell Jake's cologne coming off it, which smelt amazing.
Jake's cheeks flushed a deep pink upon taking a look at Hailey wearing his jacket. He didn't think she would look this good in it. It suited her. A lot. "I-I'm glad you like it...It's all yours for the evening..It looks good on you!" Jake said, stuttering helplessly.
"Th-Thank you...I feel so much better.." Hailey smiled, her eyes sparkling.
"Anytime, princess..Don't worry about me. I'll be fine.." Jake patted her shoulder, making Hailey's entire body heat up. She didn't know whether it was because of the jacket that warmed her up, or because of Jake touching her.
-----
School had soon ended for all the students. The day flew on by pretty quickly for them, which is a good thing. Hailey reached home, and Jake's jacket really did help in protecting her from the cold. She didn't know how she would have survived out there without it.
Hailey entered her bedroom, breathing in the sweet and comforting scent that emitted from it. She was glad to be home. Her house was heated up, and she was grateful for that. Hailey still had Jake's jacket on, and did not take it off since Jake gave it to her. Zander did question it, but Hailey managed to avoid him.
Hailey closed the bedroom door behind her shut. She then set her backpack down against the wall, walking over to her bed. Once over, she sat down, snuggling into the jacket.
"It was really nice of Jake to hand me his jacket for the night. It smells so nice, and feels so warm..It's just what I needed.." Hailey told herself, giggling. "Though, I thought I felt something in one of the pockets.."
Out of curiosity, Hailey dug her hand into the right pocket, feeling something inside, thus confirming her suspicions. She then took it out, revealing it to be an iPod. It was the colour of a bright blue. Hailey stared at it in puzzlement.
"Oh, this must be Jake's iPod! I'm guessing he accidentally left it in the pocket, and forgot it was in there.." Hailey said, glancing to the both of her sides. "Maybe I can take..a quick peek at it.."
She stopped upon hearing herself, shaking her head in disagreement. "No, Hailey! You shouldn't snoop! But then again, it's only music Jake listens to..It's nothing..too personal, I guess? That's just what this iPod is for. Listening to music.."
Hailey contemplated for a moment, soon coming to a decision. "Okay, just one look at it, and then I'll put it down. Besides, it's just music. Let's see if I approve of his music taste.." Hailey smirked to herself, turning the iPod on. After a minute, she was able to see all of Jake's playlists, scrolling through them pretty quickly. There was a few to choose from.
"I'll just click on...this one." Hailey pressed her finger onto a random playlist, showing her a list of songs on the screen. "Alright, Jake. Let's see your taste when it comes to music!" Hailey laughed cheekily, beginning to scroll.
"Ooh! He has Taylor Swift songs in here? Taylor Swift is my favourite singer!" Hailey exclaimed, taking notice of the many songs that came from Taylor. "Okay, Jake..Not bad. I didn't know he liked Taylor Swift like me? He must really like her, 'cause there is a lot of songs from her in this playlist.."
Hailey continued to scroll, the songs from Taylor Swift slowly beginning to not show as other songs from different artists began to show up.
"September Song by JP Cooper? I love that song..!" Hailey said, surprised at how Jake liked a lot of songs that she did. "La Da Dee by Cody Simpson, Into Your Arms by Witt Lowry and Ava Max, 2002 by Anne-Marie, She's Crazy But She's Mine by Alex Sparrow..? Jake has a lot of love songs in this playlist, along with Taylor. Hell, he even has Alex Sparrow in here.."
Hailey told herself, growing confused. She scratched her head, the playlist soon coming to a halt as she scrolled to the bottom. "Wait, what even is this playlist called?"
As she was caught up in the moment, Hailey didn't even bother to see the name of the playlist. However, when she read it, she could feel her whole countenance burn, as it glowed a cherry red. Her body became hot and she froze on the spot. Her eyes reread it over and over again, and sure enough, it was exactly what she thought she read in her mind.
The playlist was called...
...
"Songs that make me think of Hailey 💕"
-End-