The Way Things have Always Been

"Mom, you are going to embarrass me. It's just warm out here." Addison tried to lie but it fooled no one.

"What are you girls gossiping about?" Beth interjected.

Nothing!" Addy tried to stop the conversation in its tracks, but to no avail.

"My Addison may have the hots for your Jackson." Addison started to dread being here, as in on this planet at that moment. Beth looked at her son and back to Addison and smiled.

"Oh Addy pay no attention to your mother, she is just trying to goad you into admitting what we all know." Addy looked at her questioningly. Beth placed her hand on Addison's shoulder. "Honey, we know that you two kids used to be so close. And we also know that you have had a crush on Jackson for years."

"How?" Addy asked incredulously.

"Parents have a sixth sense about this." Evelyn interjected. Addy looked down at the ground, somewhat taken aback. She had thought she hid her feelings well in front of everyone. If their parents knew, did that mean Jackson knew how she felt too?

"Oh dear, don't get down." Beth continued. "We parents thought you would be a very cute couple. Then Jackson had his commitments come up sooner than anyone expected. It broke our hearts too, to not see you two get a chance to date during high school. But look at what we have now." Addy raised an eyebrow. "Addy we have time now, you are both out of school and here on a very special vacation. Who says romance can't find a way here?" Addison smiled a tad at the thought of rekindling a schoolgirl crush into something she had always wanted. But she shook off the thought quickly.

"But there's no way it could work. Jackson lives so far away and he's so..."

Addy paused, not wanting to say something too R rated in front of the two mothers. "So good looking. And I'm so.."

"Addison Marie Wright!" Her mother cut her off. "You are a beautiful young woman and any man, let alone Jackson would be lucky to have you by their side."

"She's not wrong Addy," Beth added. "I actually think it would be quite healthy for Jackson to have someone like you around. His grandfather says he spends too much time working and not enough time living." Addy beamed with hope, knowing her mother and Jackson's encouraged that they be a couple. Now the bigger question, did Jackson feel the same?

"Well Eve, if we are going to help our kids start a summer romance, where should we start?" Beth asked.

"Good question," Evelyn pondered for a moment. "Addison dear, what kind of bathing suit did you bring with you?"

"Umm, just a standard one we got from school." The two mothers cringed. All the schools in her area required that the students learn to swim and have swim class. And just so no student felt singled out or picked on, all the girls had been given a plain navy blue singlet swimsuit. It was truly the only one she owned and she didn't know Jackson was coming to Hawaii so she felt it was adequate for the trip. Now she was understanding where the line of questioning was coming from, and it showed on her face. "What am I going to do? I can't wear that in front of Jackson, he will think I'm a little kid who can't swim with that on." Evelyn thought for a second, and a lightbulb went off in her head. She whispered something to Beth and she nodded.

"Alright honey let's take a walk." Evelyn said, leading Addy to the closest clothing store. Beth in the meantime, stepped over to the three men and talked to them. She eventually caught up to them.

"What was that about? Where are we going?" Addy asked.

"Oh we just told them you forgot to bring something and that we needed to get it for you before we really got to vacationing. I told them to just meet us at the dinner spot, while we went shopping. We are gonna find you the perfect bathing suit, to catch Jackson's eye." Addy went along with it as she really did want a different bathing suit for their time on the beach. So off they went from store to store looking for the perfect suit. Addison had to try on a good 20 some bathing suits. They ranged from your standard suit, to exotic suits that barely covered anything. Addy finally compromised with her mother and Beth, who wanted her to get something skimpy to show off more skin. The one she picked out was a nice bikini bottom with a tropical floral pattern, with a more untraditional top. It was black with with a weave in the front that tied behind her back. The two mothers have their resounding approval, but brought up all of the attire Addy had brought with her on this trip. Addy had only brought the sundress she was wearing plus a few t-shirts and some jean shorts. Beth and Evelyn went through the whole store trying to convince Addy to pick out other outfits. Addison didn't want to spend the money or the time at the stores anymore. Truthfully she wanted to get back to the guys and just walk with Jackson. As a compromise Addison told the two mothers her sizes, and let them get what they wanted for her, because in the end she got to choose what she wore and when.

Addy walked out of the store, thankful to get away from the shopping. She wandered around trying to find Jackson and the fathers, but couldn't figure out where they had gone. It was about 40 minutes until they were to meet at the restaurant, so she knew they wouldn't have gone there yet. She decided to sit at a bench and think for a moment. Her attention was pulled away for a moment as the sun was halfway set, and Addy got to see the beautiful glory of the sunset bouncing off the sparkling waters of the ocean.

"Beautiful isn't it?" A voice came from behind her, making her almost jump. Addy turned to see Jackson standing over her. He was smiling his usual half smile, looking down at her and not the sunset. "I thought you went shopping with our mothers?" He spoke as he took the seat next to her.

"I was, but then they kind of went off the deep end." She replied.

"Sounds like them. My mom always tried to get me a wardrobe for every day of the month. Kind of nice now that I get to choose my own attire now."

"So I take it you like living in Seattle then?" Addy asked, hoping that a tiny bit of him hated it there and he wanted to move back to LA.

"It's kinda gloomy there, but overall it's a nicer city than back home." There went that hope. "Be nicer if you were closer," Jackson said very quietly, probably hoping Addy wouldn't hear it. Nonetheless she did, and it sent butterflies loose in her stomach. She tried to suppress them by changing the conversation.

"So is it time for our talk?" Jackson's mood shifted a bit, but he still scooted closer to her.

"How about we wait until we have some more privacy?" Addy looked around the pier, and only saw a couple people, none of them were here with them. Jackson sensed her questioning looks. "We have a lot of personal stuff to cover, and it may upset you. I just want to take you somewhere it can just be us. We will spend the whole day off on our own, but first we give the parents a beach day they deserve tomorrow. After that you have me as long as you want to talk." Addison was somewhat troubled by the mention of being made upset by what he had to say, but she ignored it and thought of the fact of just spending a whole day with him, with no one else around.

"Promise?" Without replying, Jackson held out his pinky. Addy smiled and wrapped her pinky around his. They sat there as the sun dipped past the horizon. Jackson checked his watch.

"We better get to the restaurant, before the parents get any funny ideas." Addy giggled, and the two made the journey down the pier to the plaza that housed the restaurant where all 6 of them were meeting for dinner.

The two walked up to the restaurant, where they seemed to be the first to arrive. The host took them to their table, as Jackson held out the chair for Addy to take her seat. Jackson took the seat next to her, as they waited for both sets of parents to arrive. They both kept glancing at one another, apparently neither knew what to say. The awkwardness of the moment was taken away when an old woman sauntered past their table. She smiled at the two as she passed, and as if she was talking to herself she lightly said, "what a beautiful couple. He is so handsome, and she is so pretty." Jackson looked over at Addy who was turning a little pink. He lightly chuckled to himself. Before he could say anything, Jackson's phone was ringing. He looked at who was calling and rolled his eyes. He should have known that they would be checking in on everything. Jackson excused himself and found a quiet place to answer the call.

"Hello." Jackson answered, annoyed.

"Hello Mr. Hart." The deep familiar voice replied.

"Grandfather, I told you not to call me that."

"Sorry sorry, just old habits. We were just checking to see how things were progressing, with you know..."

"Well the flight was fine, tad bumpy..." He was cut off.

"Boy you damn well know that's not what we were asking about." His voice came back.

"We?" Jackson asked.

"Why hello young Jackson," a different voice came through the phone.

"Hello sir." Jackson replied,annoyed at the sound of the voice.

"Now now, please excuse your grandfather, old Dean here is just over-anxious to see how his grandson's commitment is coming along. Actually we are all anxious to hear how things are coming along." Jackson tried not to but knowing the whole counsel was listening made Jackson gulp.

"Everything is going how it was set out. Time is the key, and with that I need to get back, and not to be rude but I need the counsel off my back. In the end she gets to choose, and either way everyone and I mean everyone will have to live with that choice."

"Yes Jackson you are quite correct with that statement, but don't forget to urge her family's standing with the counsel as well." Jackson twinged, hating this conversation more and more.

"Understood, goodnight." Jackson hung up the phone without receiving a reply. Jackson sat there, flustered by the call. He knew that his intentions were what was for the best, but he was unsure about the counsel. They had always been about maintaining the status quo.

Unknown to Jackson, the counsel sat in their chambers looking at one another, some unpleased and some not sure of anything. But their high leader sat with a smile.

"See Dean, your grandbaby has all the heart and fight that we were looking for."

"I apologize Mr. Danielson, Jackson seems to still have some of the wild horse he was as a young boy still in him. But in the end I guarantee he will do what's best for us, and bring them all back into the fold." Dean Forester, Jackson's grandfather, stated.

"Oh I have no doubt that young Jackson will take care of business, but like you said, he may have some wild in him left that needs to be tamed."

Addy was now sitting with her parents and Jackson's, as they were now waiting for Jackson to return. When he did, Addy could sense that something in his call had upset him. His smile and softness was now replaced with an unsure face full of thought. Jackson took his seat next to her again and put on a fake smile which she saw right through.

"Are you okay?" She asked him. He looked at her, as if she had unraveled a huge mystery.

"Everything is fine...just..."Jackson stuttered, not sure what to say.

"So Jackson, how's work in Seattle going?" Addison's father asked, unaware he was giving Jackson an out.

"It's going well, that's actually who I was on the phone with," he said, turning towards Addy. " They called to make sure we made it okay, and to remind me of a client that we may lose soon." Addy looked at him, thankful nothing big had happened. But something just felt a little off about his reply. She soon shook it off, and the families enjoyed their time at the restaurant. When the bill came around each father tried to claim it, but to no avail as Jackson had already taken care of everything. Addison thought to herself how nice it would be to dine like this with Jackson a lot, but then she knew that it didn't matter how much Jackson had now, she was still enamored with the boy she grew up with. Things about Jackson had changed, but she knew deep down that her best friend and first kiss was still there, and maybe she just had to remind him of who he was again.

The two families said their good nights, and each made their way to their hotel rooms for the night. When Addy made it to her room, five big bags of clothes sat at the end of her bed. She rolled her eyes. She had told them not to go crazy but she knew they would anyways, so Addy questioned herself why she was surprised. She started to rifle through the bags, seeing what the two mothers had picked out for her. She was surprised that all of it was in good taste and tame for a family trip.

Addy laid on the bed looking at the ceiling, thinking to herself. She was nervous and excited all wrapped in one. She had finally reconnected with the guy she had fawned over all her middle and high school days. But she still had worrisome thoughts. She still liked Jackson and she still would give anything to be with him, and it seemed as though their parents were almost plotting to try and set them up. But on the other Jackson was his own man, working at a huge company, making a living all the way up in Seattle. She lived in Los Angeles and was planning on going to school in a little bit of a year. As much as she wanted to be with Jackson, reality was getting in the way of this dream. Addy sighed softly, thinking that she should just enjoy the week and not worry what would happen after the trip. She got up and got herself ready for bed.

-

Jackson leaned up against the rail of the balcony in his hotel room. He was awash in thought about how things had played out on the first day. Nothing he hadn't planned had occurred aside from the meddling call during dinner. But he pushed his anger away and thought about life and his future. He wanted to be hopeful, but he knew what he was going to ask would be alot out of someone so unfamiliar with his world. He just prayed that it wouldn't scar her for life.

A knock on his door, pulled Jackson from his thoughts. He slowly made his way to the door, and peeked through the hole. On the other side was his father. Jackson pulled the door open with a smile, which his father reciprocated. Jackson and his father returned to the balcony, but sat instead of gazing off the balcony.

"How ya holding up son?" Mr. Hart asked, genuinely concerned for his son.

"I'm doing as well as I think possible in a situation like this. Got a call from Grandfather and the Counsel during dinner." Jackson confessed.

"I kind of thought that was where you went." Jackson gave a questioning look. "Your grandfather called us after dinner as well. You know he's just worried if this all goes out the window this week."

"You don't think I know that," Jackson said sternly. "Plus he really has nothing on the line. I could lose Addy altogether this week." Jackson had jumped out of his seat, slightly furious.

"Son, calm down. We all want what's best for both of you kids."

" Dad, no disrespect, but I know what you're really worried about, and it's not Addy or me." Parker Hart was taken aback by Jackson's words and tone. He tried to reply but Jackson cut him off. "The only reason I asked for both families to come this week is to not look suspicious. I know you and Mr. Wright are best of friends, but this has zero to do with that. This trip is about Addy and that is it." Parker Hart stood, with his head hung low.

"I see you have had quite a confusing day. I'll leave you to get some rest, and we can have a real conversation when you've calmed down." With that he left, leaving Jackson even more furious than before. He went back to the balcony to try and calm himself down. Everyone was acting as if this was a normal everyday occurrence. They also acted as though that this trip would make or break the most important relationship he had ever had in his life. Jackson stared out at the ocean, watching how the moonlight danced off the waves. The sliding door in the room next to his opened and to no surprise to Jackson, Addy stepped out, looking at the ocean as well. She seemingly didn't notice him standing there until he spoke up.

"Come here often?" Jackson called out, in a fake macho voice. Addy glanced over, unsure, until she realized who she was next to.

"Oh...I didn't realize we were neighbors, again." She replied with a smile creeping onto her face.

"Yup, just like old times." Jackson replied. They looked at each other then out at the view. "You still singing?" Jackson asked, trying to rebreak the ice. This sent Addy back to the night Jackson left after her choir solo. To the rose, and journal he left her.

"Yes...I use that journal you left me as sort of a lyric holder. For songs I wrote." She explained. Jackson smiled at her. Seemingly touched that she held onto that journal, instead of setting it ablaze for abandoning her that night. That's what he had imagined she had done, after how he left things.

"May I hear a song?" Jackson asked softly. Addy's heart jumped into her throat. Unsure if she had the courage to sing in front of him. But some sort of courage enveloped her.

"Yes, but on one condition." Jackson looked at her with some slight shock. He knew that timid little Addy would never sing in front of him or out in public so suddenly. "You must answer one of my questions." Addy knew if he was going to get something from her that the road was going both ways. Jackson looked at her and thought for a moment.

"Depends on what your question is." He replied. Addy knew that she would be on thin ice so she asked one that she had pondered many times but didn't seem too deep.

"What happened that night of the choir show?" Jackson took a moment to ponder.

"Well, I had broken up with Amy, who seemingly took it quite well, as she was banging half the locker room. So after I had packed my things, I was going downstairs to put them in my car, when mom and dad mentioned they were going to see you perform. They asked me if I wanted to go, but I declined...at first. I went back and forth in my mind if I should go, until I told myself that I wanted to be there for when you broke out and started your climb to stardom." Jackson smiled over to Addy who was hoping the moonlight was not revealing her pink cheeks. "When I got there, a few people looked at me funny, but I waved it off and took a seat towards the back. I watched you sing and I was unable to speak. I was so proud of you, and I had brought those items to give to you but inside I knew that I couldn't. I left as fast as I could and stopped by the house one more time as I placed the items in your mailbox. I hit the road and never looked back." Jackson seemed to brush a tear from his eye, but Addison was unsure that was what he was doing.

"Why couldn't you just give them to me after the show." Addy asked in a more somber tone.

"Because I knew if I came face to face with you, I would have never left. And that's something I couldn't do." Jackson sighed, as if he was replaying something else in his mind. " Well we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, better get some shut eye." Jackson said as he headed for the door.

"I thought you wanted to hear a song?" Addy called out, trying to squeeze more time with him. He looked over and gave her that famous half smile.

"Don't worry I'll hold you to that, but for now, get some sleep. Sweet dreams Addy." And with that Jackson was gone and into his room for the night.

"Sweet dreams," Addy whispered, before she entered her own room.