the only exception

One month.

    That's how long Phoebe was grounded for and it felt like the longest month of her life. All she did was go to school and come back home. It helped being able to see her friends at school, but wasn't easy in the slightest. She missed Hayley and missed Taylor and Alf and even Zac.

    Hayley had told her they'd be trying to foster her, but now she wasn't sure where they stood on the situation. All she seemed to do was cause problems and she was sure Hayley was realizing that by now, and maybe a month of no contact would just solidify how much she didn't want the teen in her life.

    So, when Phoebe got her phone back, she couldn't bring herself to look at the messages, instead just answering her friends from her old school. It definitely didn't help to make her feel any better seeing as they just seemed mostly upset that she hadn't been talking to them much just to cut them off for an entire month. She tried to explain the situation as best she could, but still felt as if they were angry with her.

    Not being able to hang out with her friends did nothing for her mental health, and she could feel herself slipping into a dark hole, as if it was something that was physically happening to her and not just an idea.

    She felt like a burden, and those feelings were especially strong when it came to Hayley.

    So, when she got her phone back she didn't even bother to open the messages. Then a day turned to two and suddenly a week had gone by until she finally decided to answer back. Mainly because of what Hayley had sent in her latest message, Phoebe knew she couldn't ignore it.

    hayley
    5:27pm
    Talked to Lydia today and she said you got your phone back a week ago?

    She felt bad that now Hayley would know what she was doing, purposefully avoiding her texts.

    phoebe
    5:28pm
    yeah
    hi

    hayley
    5:28pm
    Hi!! I missed you!

    phoebe
    5:28pm
    sorry

    hayley
    5:28pm
    You have nothing to apologize for.
    Pick you up at 6? Ask Lydia
    (I actually already talked to Lydia and make sure to pack a bag. You're spending the night:)!!)

    phoebe
    5:29pm
    sure

    Phoebe knew hanging out with Hayley was the last thing she should do if she was planning on pushing the older woman away, but couldn't help it. She missed her.

    Life in the group home wasn't bad or anything, and of course she still had her friends at school, but she was still so lonely. She missed seeing Hayley and Hayley hugging her and Hayley telling her everything was going to be okay. Even if the problem this time wasn't anything outside, just manifested in her brain.

    When Hayley and Taylor pulled up to the house a few minutes till six, Phoebe was quick to run down the steps. Hayley was quick to exit the car and gave her the biggest smile, opening her arms as Phoebe hurried over.

    "Please, never get grounded again! That was awful," Hayley joked  with her arms wrapped tightly around the teen,

    Phoebe, on the other hand, was sobbing. She hadn't realized just how much she missed Hayley the past month until they hugged and it all came crashing down again. "I've missed you so much."
    Without pulling away from the hug, Hayley turned slightly to Taylor who was walking up to them. Phoebe glanced at him before pulling away and giving him a hug as well, finding that she missed Taylor a lot too.

    "Teenagers and your emotions." Taylor joked as they pulled back, earning a faux punch on the arm from Phoebe.

    Phoebe wiped away her tears, a smile gracing her face, "I'm just happy, okay?"

    "Why are you so sunburned?" Hayley asked after a moment, frowning at the teens red shoulders.

    "Walking to and from school has its perks, you know!" Phoebe shrugged.

    "You need to wear sunscreen if your outside. I don't want you burning yourself." Hayley scolded as Phoebe rolled her eyes, but she secretly loved that Hayley was being overprotective. She didn't think anyone else in the entire world cared if she got sunburned, but Hayley did.

    "Yes, ma'am." Phoebe grinned, giving an over dramatic salut.

    Taylor reached out and poked the red spot, making Phoebe hiss and jump away. He gave her an amused smile, "Did that hurt?"

    "Did that hurt?" Phoebe mocked back, holding a sadly non threatening fist up. "I'll show you what hurts."

    "Okay, that's enough!" Hayley laughed, pulling the teen into another hug from behind. "I'm serious, never get grounded again."

    "Not planning on it," Phoebe laughed, all the tension in her shoulders floating away. "Now, can we go? I missed you guys and all that but I really just missed Alf the most."

    "Ouch," Hayley mocked, holding her hand up to her heart as they began walking towards the car.

    Taylor grinned, "Now you see how it feels to not be the favorite?"

    "I'm still the favorite." Hayley insisted, shaking her head and shutting the door behind her.

    "Ha! You wish. She just said she missed Alf more than you." Taylor teased.

    "Okay, but out of us I'm the favorite." The blonde stuck her tongue out at him as Phoebe watched from the backseat in amusement.

    "Kid, who's your favorite?" Taylor asked, pulling the car away from the curb and beginning to drive.

    "Oh," Phoebe smiled nervously, "I don't have favorites."

    "Come on now, don't lie." Taylor raised his eyebrows, even if they all knew Hayley really was her favorite.

    "Okay, hm..." Phoebe twisted her face in concentration, "You know, maybe Zac is my favorite."

    Hayley gasped, once again grabbing her heart for dramatic affect, "Ouch, my heart."

    Taylor, on the other hand, broke out laughing, "Oh, I'm definitely telling Zac about this."

    Hayley and Taylor did some more harmless banter before they arrived home and the moment they were in park in the garage, Phoebe was making her way into the house to find Alf. When Hayley and Taylor walked in they found her lying on the ground hugging the dog who wagged his tail happily.

    "Well, how can I be mad Alf's her favorite when they're that cute," Hayley grinned, pulling out her phone to snap a picture. Phoebe turned her head to stick her tongue out at the camera before turning back to bury her face in the dogs fur.

    She heard Hayley and Taylor moving around and getting settled before asking her to come to the living room so they could pick what to order for dinner and watch a movie. Phoebe agreed happily and sat beside Hayley on the couch, resting her head on the singer's shoulder.