130: Redoing my Life, Disneyland

Here is the beginning of the next chapter. I will post it along with chapter 131 soon.

It's been a frustrating week for me, and I need to get back in the zone for writing. I'll make up for fewer chapters this week by posting more next week.

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[Haley Commentary]

"So, the last year has been a real rollercoaster for me," Haley said, a small smile on her face, though a hint of exhaustion was visible in her eyes. "First, I broke up with Daniel. I mean, we kind of hit a slump, you know? We were going in different directions in life. It was fine... I was fine." She shrugged it off casually.

[Cut to Haley crying, sitting on a friend’s couch while two of her friends try to console her.]

"I can't believe he broke up with me!" she sobbed, tears streaming down her face as her friends patted her back and offered tissues.

[Commentary resumes]

"One of my friends set me up with a guy—she said a rebound would help," Haley continued, rolling her eyes. "He was like the worst ever." She paused, her brow furrowing as she remembered. "He was so dumb... I kept comparing him to Daniel."

“So i stopped dating for a while”

She took a deep breath, her face softening a bit as she smiled. "But one silver lining that came out of that whole mess was that I actually got a really good SAT score."

[Cut to the Dunphy living room with Phil, Claire, and Alex surrounding Haley as they check her SAT score online.]

"1406?!" Phil read out loud, his eyes widening in surprise. He looked from the screen to Haley, then to Claire, who was equally stunned.

"Our baby did it!" Claire beamed, tears of pride already welling in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Phil, and they both reached out to pull a still-shocked Haley into a group hug.

Alex, standing off to the side, crossed her arms, an incredulous expression on her face. "No way," she muttered, grabbing the laptop and peering at the score. She frowned, then her eyes went wide. "It's actually true?" she said, genuinely baffled.

[Commentary resumes]

"Ha! Sure showed her," Haley said with a triumphant smile. "Turns out, not dating and focusing on myself—maybe with a little misplaced anger at Daniel—was actually good for me." She shrugged, her smile growing wider.

"So now, I'm applying to a college that'll help me get into the fashion industry." She nodded confidently, leaning back in her chair. "Things are looking up for me. I mean, finally, right?"

[Commentary Ends]

Haley sat at the dining table, her fingers dancing over the keys of her phone as she typed out a message. Alex wandered into the room, noticing Haley’s look of frustration.

"Who are you texting?" Alex asked as she leaned against the table.

Haley sighed, not looking up from her phone. "James."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Why haven't you broken up with him yet?" she asked, exasperation evident in her voice.

Haley shot her a defensive look. "I’m trying to."

Alex smiled. "Good. I hoped that after dating Daniel, your standards would've risen a bit."

Haley frowned, her attention pulled away from her phone. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Come on, Haley," Alex replied, folding her arms. "You know why you’re struggling to find dates. Most of the guys in your friend circle are complete idiots. Sure, they look good, but I know you can't stand them now. You’ve outgrown that."

Haley scoffed, shaking her head. "That’s not true."

Alex leaned in, her eyes narrowing. "Are you saying you never compare them to Daniel? Not even once in a while?"

Haley paused, her mouth opening slightly, but she quickly closed it, her expression remaining defiant. "No," she said, though her voice lacked conviction. "No, I don’t."

"Really?" Alex questioned, her tone dripping with disbelief.

"I’ve had plenty of dates, Alex," Haley insisted, her chin lifting slightly.

Alex smiled knowingly, a challenge in her eyes. "And aside from this one idiot, you ended all of them after the first date. Face it, Haley—your standards are way up now. Maybe it’s time to start looking for guys somewhere else."

Haley clenched her jaw. "You know what, Alex?" she said, standing up and slipping her phone into her back pocket. "I’m not breaking up with James. He might be... a bit of a... umm... he’s very sweet. As good as Daniel or any other guy." She spun around, her eyes narrowed with determination. "And you know what else? I’m going to invite him to come with us to Disneyland."

Alex watched, amused, as Haley stormed off. With a sigh, she turned and made her way toward the kitchen, where Claire was busy brewing coffee.

Claire stood at the counter, her hands carefully working the coffee machine. Phil was nearby, measuring Luke against a wall. He was positively beaming.

"Look at that, buddy!" Phil said triumphantly, pointing to the pencil mark. "You’re officially tall enough to ride all the rides at Disneyland now!"

Luke grinned, excitement clear on his face. "Yes! Finally!"

Haley walked into the kitchen just in time to hear her dad’s proclamation. "James is coming with us," she declared, her voice loud enough to interrupt the moment.

Claire’s head snapped up, her eyes widening. "What? No, Haley. This is a family trip," she said firmly.

Phil looked over at Claire, scratching his head. "What about Ethan? He’s coming too."

Alex furrowed her brow. "Who's Ethan?"

Haley echoed, "Yeah, who's Ethan?"

Claire shot Phil a pointed look, her irritation growing by the second. She sighed, the kind of exasperated sigh only a mom could manage. "Ethan is a nice boy. He’s my friend’s nephew, and he’s going to come with us," she explained.

Haley’s eyes narrowed. "So it’s okay for this... Ethan to come, but James can't? That’s not fair."

"Well, you’ll just have to deal with it," Claire said, her tone leaving no room for argument. She turned her attention back to her coffee, clearly done with the conversation.

Haley huffed, rolling her eyes as she turned on her heel and walked away, frustration radiating off her.

[Claire and Phil Commentary]

"Haley has a thing for bad boys," Claire began, a slightly amused but exasperated expression crossing her face. "That’s... so me," she added with a small smile, shrugging.

"Clearly!" Phil chimed in, his face lighting up with a grin, clearly proud of his role as a so-called ‘bad boy’ in Claire's life.

Claire shot him a sidelong glance, then continued more seriously. "The thing is, Haley can get into good colleges now, and I really don’t want her dating choices to mess that up. Daniel was perfect," she admitted, her expression softening a bit. "I would have preferred that relationship to continue, but... well, that ship has sailed, sadly."

"Daniel was great," Phil agreed, nodding with a warm smile. "We still text sometimes," he added casually.

Claire sighed. "I just want Haley to dump her new boyfriend, James or whatever his name is, and maybe, I don’t know, she and Ethan could get together."

"It’s perfect."

[Commentary Ends]