It Always Happens to the Best of Us

Haley had been depressed for about three weeks and she wouldn't let anyone help her. She didn't want anyone to know what had happened to her, or what was still happening to her for that matter. She turned everyone away, even her best friends Lucas and Brooke. Haley knew eventually she had to go out since she was running out of things in her house and Nathan was away at some basketball thing in Raleigh. She knew it was important to him, so she couldn't just ask him to come home. She thought about leaving to go out, but she came to the decision she needed sleep instead. She hadn't been getting a lot of it lately since all the nightmares of what happened to her were keeping her up.

Peyton Sawyer was on her way to see Haley because she knew something was up. Haley was never this depressed, being depressed was Peyton's thing after all. "Hales, Open Up!" she yelled as she constantly pounded on Haley's door. Peyton knew after about five minutes that she wasn't going to answer and she would have to use the spare key. "I'm coming in!" she yelled again as she opened the door and walked in. The smell of a closed up house and dirty laundry hit her like a bomb and then she rounded the corner, totally not expecting what she saw.

Haley was sitting on her bed on Nathan's side, hair half covering her face since the knocking had woken her from her afternoon nap. Her hair was covering the side of her face with the black eye, but nothing was covering her arm with all the bruises on it that Peyton was staring at in complete shock and disbelief. Her mouth was wide open and Haley knew instantly that she would have never expected this. Haley was the good one who didn't let these types of things happen to her after all. "WHAT THE HELL!" Peyton asked as soon as soon as she picked her jaw up off the floor. "Why haven't you told anyone Hales?" She asked as Haley stood up heading for the bathroom. "I haven't told anyone because there is nothing anyone can do to help me." There was nothing Haley could tell Peyton without putting her in danger as well.

"Peyton, please don't do this. Just forget about what you've seen I can handle this" Haley pleaded with her hoping that she would be on her side. Haley couldn't just come out and tell her what was going on, Nathan didn't even know. Peyton just stood at the bathroom door waiting for Haley to come out so she could try to help her. Nobody knew this, but Peyton had gone through the same thing at the beginning of one of her ex relationships. "Haley, I know what you're going through. I can help you!" Haley came out of the bathroom and just looked at her in disbelief. "No, you can't help me, this is my problem I'll fix it" Haley told her in a sharp tone, then headed back into her room and slammed the door. Haley managed to yell out "Peyton, get the hell out of my house!" before she broke down in tears thinking of her situation.

Peyton had just left Haley's house and she was in desperate need of some coffee, so she headed to Karen's hoping she could see Luke as well. She knew Luke would talk some sense into Haley and maybe he could find out who was hurting her. Peyton knew that Luke wouldn't let anything happen to Haley, so chances were he didn't even know what was going on. Peyton walked into Karen's smiling when she saw Lucas sitting at her favorite table. "Luke, can we talk?" she asked as she walked up to him. She didn't want to have this conversation out in the open. "Sure, let's go in the back." Lucas led her to the back and the comfy couch that was there. "What's going on?" he asked her, knowing that if she was coming to him it had to be something bad. "Haley's in trouble", she started slowly "and I know it's something you can help her with." Lucas looked at her like she just said Haley was dead, "What are you talking about? How is she in trouble?" "She's got bruises and a black eye and I know Nathan didn't do it, but she won't open up to me about who it was." Lucas was in shock, he knew Haley hadn't been herself but he didn't know it was something like this making her upset. "I'll go talk to her and I promise Peyton, I will find out who is hurting her."

Lucas arrived at Haley's house and the first thing he noticed was her car was there, but didn't look like it had been moved in quite some time. He also noticed that her front door was unlocked, that was so not Haley's style. "Hales" he yelled as he opened the door to find her bundled in a ball on the couch crying. "Haley, please talk to me." He pleaded as he walked over to her slowly and immediately didn't believe his eyes. She was covered in bruises from her head down to the visible skin on her legs; Lucas wanted to know what was going on and he wanted to know now. "Haley James Scott, please tell me it's not Nathan." Haley finally looked up at him, "No" was her only response. "It's Chris" she coughed out and then ran to her room. He could tell something was broken from the way she talked, ran, and was sitting. "Haley will you please explain what's going on I really need to know." Lucas was desperate and he was ready to go kill Chris Keller. "Haley, I'm not leaving" he said as he waited for her to open the door and let him in on the story.

Haley knew Lucas wasn't leaving, but she also knew it would kill him if he knew what really happened so she made up a quick lie. "I'm fine; I just fell down the stairs last night. Chris didn't do anything but push me." Haley hoped he believed her, but she knew Lucas wasn't the guy who would let this just slip. "Haley James Scott, do you honestly expect me to believe that?" He asked with a stern face. "Yeah, I do actually." She just frowned at him knowing she might have to give him the real story. "Okay, just sit down and I'll tell you what's been going on, but you have to promise not to tell Nathan." Haley took a seat on her couch and began to tell Lucas everything.

START FLASHBACK:

It was a dark night, and Haley was still at the studio working on Mia's newest album. Haley didn't hear Chris behind her, so when she felt his hand touch her, she jumped. Haley didn't want to leave the studio yet, since it was pouring rain outside. She knew there was a chance Nathan would be home, but she doubted it. Chris offered to take her home and she refused. This made Chris mad and he hit her. It was the first time she had ever been hit by a guy, and it frightened her, it frightened her to the point where she was too scared to try and defend herself. She knew Chris had always liked her, so when he dragged her over to the small couch, she knew what was going to happen. He has been doing this to her a lot lately and Haley did not know how to stop it.

END FLASHBACK

Lucas looked at her and the look in his eyes said it all. He was going to find Chris Keller, and he was going to make him pay. Lucas didn't know all of the exact details and he didn't want to. He had heard enough and Keller was a dead man walking. "Haley, when does Nathan get home, we need to take care of something." Now Haley knew what Lucas was talking about and frankly at this point, if it would get things to stop, she was going to let them hurt Chris. "He gets home around three today. It's already one so it won't be long. Do you want to wait here?" Haley asked him knowing the answer would most likely be yes.