Okay here is another Haleb fic! This story takes place after the breakup. After watching last week's episode, I was so disappointed. I mean, no words exchanged by the two at all! C'mon! They better get back together this season or I don't know what I'll do! Ahhhhh! And if Hanna/Wren becomes a thing I will probs puke! Why can't the writers just give us Haleb shippers what we want! Anyway, here it goes... Enjoy :)
Hanna's alarm clock went off at 6 a.m., the exact time her mother had set it for when she snuck into her room the night before. Hanna turned it off and buried her face in her pillow. She didn't want to go to school today. Hanna Marin didn't want to do anything since Caleb Rivers broke up with her four days ago. She didn't want to take the chance of running in to him. Her mom had let her stay home from school the past three days, but last night she made it clear that enough was enough – she had used up all her mental health days for this school year. Still, Hanna resolved to stay in bed until her mom dragged her out of it.
The past few days, Hanna lounged around in her house in sweats and big t-shirts from her 'Hefty Hanna' days. She didn't put on makeup or put any effort into her hair. Come to think of it, she didn't know the last time she showered. She stayed in bed until noon and watched bad soaps during the day. Her mom had practically been shoving food down her throat, forcing her to eat. Hanna didn't feel like doing much of anything these days. Spencer, Aria, and Emily came over one time to cheer her up, but it didn't make her feel better. She appreciated that her friends were there for her, but it felt like nothing could make things better, nothing could ever be right again. At least they kind of understood what she was going through. Her friends and their relationships had also suffered one time or another under the hands of A.
The worst part about this whole thing was, as much as she tried, Hanna couldn't be mad at Caleb. It was her fault their relationship was over. She was too scared to tell him the truth, too weak. Well, actually it was A's fault. Caleb had done everything right, more than right. He was so sweet to her. Maybe that's why this was killing her so bad. He didn't deserve to go through this break up either. He had gone to cooking classes with her over the summer, even though she could tell he wasn't thrilled about the idea in the first place. He had started tutoring her in chemistry ever since school started. Spencer had convinced her to challenge herself this year with an honors class and she totally regretted it until Caleb started helping her with it. She never knew how smart he was before. Caleb listened to her complain about her dad and her stepsister Kate all the time, or even about her friends if they were getting on her nerves. She made him watch Gossip Girl with her on Monday nights and he was happy to do so, just so he could spend more time with her. He mostly just watched her the whole time anyway. He even went with her to see Mona last week. Even though he didn't like or understand why she wanted to see Mona, he went with her just to be supportive. Caleb was always honest with her and always on her side. Hanna hated herself for the break up. He didn't deserve this – he was such a good boyfriend. She hated pushing him away and lying to him, but what choice did she have? Could she really tell Caleb about the new A? Hanna already felt so guilty that Caleb's mom had been in an accident because of A… because of her…
"Hanna! Get out of bed right now! You are going to school!," Hanna's mom yelled from down the hall minutes later. She didn't need to go into her daughter's room to know she hadn't gotten out of bed yet. Ashley Marin certainly knew her daughter.
"Mom, just one more day, please," she yelled back.
"One more day was yesterday Hanna," Ashley said walking into her daughter's room. She pulled the covers off her bed and Hanna knew she wasn't getting away with staying home today.
"Fine," Hanna said, giving in. For the first time in her high school career, Hanna wasn't too worried about what she looked like at school. She put on some skinny jeans (she wouldn't be caught dead wearing sweats to school, she still had some pride left for godsakes) and a simple grey t-shirt. She pulled her hair into a messy bun and decided she didn't have the energy to put on makeup. Her mother insisted that she ate some breakfast and talk to her before she left.
"You know, breaking up isn't the end of the world Hanna. There are other great guys out there too," Ashley Marin told her daughter while filling up her coffee to-go-cup. Ashley really did feel bad for her daughter and was sad that Caleb was out of her life. When Hanna had broken up with Sean she was happy, quite frankly. She never really liked the kid. But Ashley did like Caleb. She trusted him and knew he treated Hanna right.
Hanna rolled her eyes and shook her head. "None of them are Caleb," she replied bitterly.
"You'll be okay, Hanna. Maybe you could try focusing on school for a bit," Ashley said, while giving her daughter one of those condescending looks that only meant that she had checked her grades online recently.
"Whatever mom. I'm leaving. Wouldn't want to be late for school," Hanna said sarcastically.
Caleb got to school early that morning to catch up on some homework in the library. He couldn't focus at all the past few days after his breakup with Hanna, which also happened to be the same day he found out the news of his mom being in an accident. He'd called his mom a few times every day to check in on her and see how she was doing. Caleb wanted to go see her, but she insisted that she was fine and that there was no urgent need for him to come see her – he should focus on school for now. But how could Caleb focus on school when all he could think about was Hanna?
After finishing his last math assignment Caleb scrolled through the contacts on his phone for the third time this morning and stopped at Hanna. A part of him kept waiting for Hanna to reach out to him, to tell him it was all a big mistake. It had to be, right? He checked his phone obsessively, hoping to hear from Hanna. He didn't want it to be over. How could it really be over just like that? There was no sense of closure.
There had been times over the past few days that Caleb thought about calling Hanna. He thought about begging her to take him back. But he had to remember why they broke up in the first place – because of a secret, something she had been keeping from him. The ball was in her playing field. He had basically given her an ultimatum: Tell me the truth or we're done. Never in a million years did Caleb think Hanna would choose the latter. Caleb just didn't get it? Why couldn't she just tell him the truth? Was it really that bad? All Caleb could do was think the worst at this point. He wondered if she had cheated on him – that was the worst he could think of at the moment. How could their relationship self-destruct with just one secret? He thought their relationship was stronger than that, that nothing would ever keep them apart. He wondered if she had ever thought that too…
Caleb also wondered if Hanna was coming to school today. Of course he noticed that Hanna hadn't been in school since the night they broke up. She was in his second period government class and it was hard to ignore the empty seat beside him. It made him sad to think of her at home crying, probably wearing old sweats and watching bad TV. He hated the thought that he had caused her so much pain. He hated the thought of her hurting at all. But wait, he had to remind himself that it was her fault they broke up, she had given him no choice. How could he stay in a relationship with secrets? A relationship with no trust? All of a sudden he was angry at her once again. She had caused this, why did he feel sorry for again? Caleb Rivers was such a mess right now because of Hanna Marin – that was for sure.
Caleb went to his first period math class and then off to second period for government. He stared at the door as his classmates filed in, waiting to see if Hanna was at school today. Right while the final bell rang, Hanna walked in, the last one in the classroom, forced to take the only seat left – next to Caleb.
Hanna told herself that she wasn't going to look at Caleb. She was going to focus on the lecture and maybe even take some notes for once. Although she wasn't able to focus throughout the whole class, she was stubborn enough to keep her eyes locked straight ahead. Looking at Caleb would only make things worse. She would probably lose it right in the middle of class and that would be embarrassing. Even though Hanna made sure she never stole a glance at him, she could feel his eyes burning on her, stealing glances at her every chance he could…
Before Hanna walked in, Caleb vowed to have a blank look on his face if he saw her. She didn't deserve to see any emotion she had caused in him the past few days. He didn't want her to know he cared so much or how upset he'd been. It would be better if he could look indifferent, like he didn't care whether she was here or not. That plan went out the window as soon as Hanna walked in. It wasn't like Hanna to dress so down for school or to leave the house without makeup. Just by looking at her Caleb knew that Hanna had been upset, really upset. He felt so guilty for causing her so much pain. No wait, she had caused. She had done this, he had to keep reminding himself. Still, a part of him was kind of glad she was hurting as much as he was. At least that meant she cared about him, cared about their relationship, right? He couldn't help but steal glances at her throughout class. What he wouldn't give to read her mind right now! What was she thinking, was there a chance they could make things right again… make things go back to the way they used to be. Honestly, Caleb was losing hope. Was he really going to lose the first girl he had ever loved like this, over a secret?
The clocked ticked along, slow as ever, but the class finally ended and Hanna and Caleb went their separate ways…
At the end of the school day Hanna stayed late to collect the assignments she had to make up from her mental health days. She walked down the hallway after visiting the last teacher on her list, and spotted Caleb, walking straight toward her. There was no way to avoid him. Should she say something? Was now even the time?
Instead she opted for a lame "Hey." She wanted to say more, but couldn't think of anything to say. She desperately wanted to make things right, but how could she tell him about A? Could she tell him? Would it really be worse if she did? Was she willing to take that chance? Hanna's internal debate raged on inside her head. She really did want him back.
"Hi...," Caleb said awkwardly. He waited for her to say something or keep walking, but she didn't. She looked up at him and he could see tears starting to form in her eyes. It took him off guard, but he wasn't going to let himself feel sorry for her. He couldn't. I mean it was her fault they broke up, right? "What do you want Hanna? Are you just gonna waste my time some more or are you actually going to tell me this secret," Caleb said in an angry voice. Hanna flinched when she heard how angry he was.
So this was it, tell him the secret or it was all over. "I can't," she said with a pleading look in her eyes. He could see how much pain this was causing her, but he was done being patient with her. He couldn't take the secrets or the lies anymore. Enough was enough.
Caleb shook his head and rolled his eyes. This was unbelievable. He couldn't fathom what could be so bad, what could be something so important that Hanna felt the need to keep it from him. It seemed like this secret was eating him up inside too. He had to know what it was. "Did you cheat on me?," he asked, bracing himself for the answer. He didn't know if he could take it if the answer was yes, but he had to know. Not knowing was the worst part right now.
"What? No! I can't believe you think I would do that to you!," Hanna replied without hesitation. It disgusted her that he would even think she might be capable of doing that to him. She was so angry that moment and couldn't help the first tear from falling.
He believed her though. He could almost always tell when Hanna was lying and he just knew in his heart right then and there that she hadn't cheated on him. "Well I don't know what to think anymore Hanna. In case I didn't make it clear to you the other night it's me or, or this secret you've been keeping from me! Dammit Hanna what is so big that you can't tell me!," Caleb replied, growing angrier. "What secret is worth losing us?," he said, his voice breaking on the last word. So much for staying tough, she was finally able to see how much pain this was causing him too.
"God Caleb I wish I could tell you, but I just can't okay?," she said reaching for his hand.
As soon as her hand touched his, Caleb moved his away. It was killing him inside. He wanted to take her hand and hold her. And look into her eyes and tell her that it was all going to be okay. But he couldn't, not without knowing the truth. "Don't, just don't. You know, I thought we could tell each other anything but I guess I was wrong. Have a nice life," he said starting to walk away.
This was it, Hanna thought. Now or never. She had to tell him everything now or she would lose him forever. In that moment she thought there could be no worse pain than the pain she was experiencing right now. But how could she tell him about A? She knew that A was probably capable of creating pain even greater than this, but she didn't care. She was going to tell him – now or never, right?
Caleb had already taken a few steps away from her when she yelled, "Wait…wait I'll tell you everything Caleb! Please don't go, please don't leave me," she said while crying. He turned around, walking back over to her. She reached out for his hand once again, but this time he didn't pull it away. He looked at her intensely waiting for her to say more, waiting for her to finally confess this secret. He could see how much this was hurting her. Suddenly all of the anger he had built up toward her the past few days went away. Now, he only felt the urge to comfort her, but he still needed to hear the truth.
"What is it Hanna?," he asked, seeing as that she still didn't say anything. He was starting to get annoyed, hadn't she dragged this out long enough? But he tried to be as soothing and reassuring as he could. Whatever it was, he knew that it wasn't easy for her to say. "You can tell me anything," he said. He also knew he wasn't going to get it out of her if he yelled at her again. He waited for an answer…
She took a deep breath and looked around for a second. She couldn't do this here, not right now. Not at school, it didn't feel right. Kids kept passing them in the hallway and some were staring, trying to figure out what was going on with Rosewood High's It Girl and Resident Bad Boy. "Look, I promise I will tell you. Just not here okay? It doesn't feel right. I feel like everyone's watching us." Caleb nodded, but Hanna could tell he was annoyed with her. She had been torturing him with this secret long enough. "Will you walk home with me? I swear I'll tell you there. Please?," she said, a couple more tears escaping her eyes, her voice a little scratchy. This time, Caleb couldn't help wiping away some of her tears with his hand. He hated to see her cry. She looked to vulnerable right now. In that moment, Caleb really believed she would tell him, so he agreed to walk home with her.
If I get more than 10 reviews, I'll update in less than a week! I know I'm not as threatening as A but Review People!