I took a long drink of my coffee and placed the near empty mug on the counter, picking up my phone. I unlocked the screen—not caring that Hayley could see my passcode—and navigated to my messages again. The icon over Madison's message still showed it as un-read and I hesitated for only a moment before tapping the screen. A long message appeared, and I took a deep breath before reading, noticing Hayley avert her eyes. I didn't care if she read the message, but I was grateful for her respecting my privacy.

'Hey Jason. I know you probably don't want to talk to me, and I completely understand if you...