Chapter Two

Haley opened her eyes and looked over at Nathan, who was still sleeping soundly next to her. For a moment, she couldn't remember why he was there. Then it all came back to her. He came to her rescue and stood up to Daunte. Who allowed her to quit her job. Who allowed her to be free from their agreement. No more doing favors for him. No more waitressing at the diner. And it was all because of the man sleeping next to her.

Like Nathan promised, he took her home. They stayed up talking and laughing. It was such a joy for Haley to be able to talk to Nathan without Daunte looking over her shoulder. Or have a half-hour time limit before Nathan had to leave for work again.

Once Haley was ready for bed, she gave Nathan some blankets to make his bed on the couch. That all changed when Haley had her first nightmare of the night. She woke up screaming and Nathan was right there to comfort her. After that, she wanted him to stay with her until she was able to fall asleep. Nathan had no objections and just put his arms around her to comfort her.

As Haley snapped back into reality, she realized she needed to make a phone call. She didn't want Millie to find out when she arrived at the diner for her morning shift. As she grabbed her phone, Nathan was stirring. "What's going on?" he mumbled.

"I just wanted to call Millie and tell her that she doesn't have to worry about Daunte anymore," Haley told him as she put her phone to her ear and listened to the ringing on the other end. She pushed back the covers and walked across the room to the door. She shut the door so she didn't disturb Nathan and he could get back to sleep. She wandered into the kitchen as she kept waiting for Millie to answer her phone.

"Hey, what's up? Is everything okay?" Millie asked as soon as she answered the phone.

It was just like Millie to be worried. "That depends if you're okay with not working for Daunte anymore." She didn't let Millie ask any questions. "I should have taken Mouth's offer. Daunte didn't come to the diner to check up on us. He wanted me to do him another favor. I didn't know that until he stopped by after my shift was over. When I tried to refuse, Nathan stepped in to help. In the end, Daunte has fired both of us."

"Really?" Millie asked, trying not to sound too excited. "You know I've been wanting to quit for a while, but I didn't want to leave you alone with him."

"I know. And I appreciate that," Haley replied. "But you deserve to be happy." There was a short pause. "To be honest, I almost feel like it's too good to be true." She realized she would start worrying her friend all over again. "You know what? Forget it. I should let you go. We'll talk later." They said their goodbyes before she hung up the phone.

Haley made herself a cup of coffee as she heard footsteps. She turned around to see Nathan. They exchanged smiles as he arrived in the kitchen. Haley wanted to make him some coffee. But he stopped her. "You're done serving people. It's my turn to serve you." He gently pushed her away from the coffee maker. "What can I make my lovely hostess this morning? Eggs? Bacon?"

"Eggs would be fine," Haley replied. Nathan nodded in agreement before he began searching for a pan. Haley helped direct him to the location where she kept the pots and pans. "I can't thank you enough for keeping me company last night."

Nathan smiled as he went to the fridge and grabbed the egg carton. "No problem. It certainly beats going to an empty apartment. By the way, you have a really nice apartment. It's much better than mine. So much cleaner too." Haley laughed. "Don't tell me you like to clean."

"When I get upset, I go around and reorganize my kitchen drawers," Haley told him. Nathan raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Yeah, that's just the beginning of my cleaning obsession. Thanks to you, I don't have to worry about that today."

"You don't have to worry about anything today," Nathan said. "I'll take care of everything."

"Nathan, you're sweet, but you don't have to do that," Haley replied. "Having your arms wrap around me was just what I needed last night."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Nathan asked. At first, he didn't push her. Last night, he could see she wasn't ready to tell her story and he respected her privacy. However, he wanted to know what Daunte held over her and see if he could help her any further. Haley was quiet. She didn't know where to begin. "Hales, I know you're scared, but I'm your friend. You can trust me."

"Yes, but I know more about you than you know about me," Haley said. Nathan looked at her, interested to hear more about his friend. Haley let out a deep breath. "Fine. You want to hear my sad tale. Here we go. Once upon a time, I had a happy childhood. I lived with my parents and two older sisters Taylor and Quinn in Wilmington, North Carolina." Nathan knew she didn't live too far away from his hometown of Tree Hill. That's what made them connect when they first met each other. "That came all crashing down when my mom died in a car accident." Nathan gave her a sympathetic look. "We were devastated, but we were able to hold it together. Then my dad met my evil stepmother."

Nathan tried not to smile. Haley was prepared for that reaction. "Yeah, you might think it's a joke. But I'm serious. She was awful." Haley didn't know how many details she wanted to tell Nathan, but she was prepared to tell him some of her story. "We didn't know this at first, but she had a drinking problem and she soon started to take her problems out on me and my sisters."

"Like hitting you?" Nathan frowned. Haley's story just took an unexpected turn. "How could your dad not notice that?"

"Because she never did it in front of him," Haley replied as Nathan continued to make her breakfast. "And we were too scared to tell anyone. We hid the bruises as much as we could until one of my teachers noticed and called social services. That's when my dad found out and he immediately kicked her out of the house." Nathan couldn't blame him. He would have done the same thing if he found out his new wife was abusing his kids. "I thought my dad would file for divorce and I wouldn't have to see her again."

Haley wished the drama with her stepmother ended there, but there was more. "It turns out that he didn't file for divorce. After he kicked her out of the house, he was willing to help her try to get through rehab. I thought he was crazy. I didn't believe rehab would help her. Or even change her. I can't tell you how many times I argued with my dad about the situation. Our relationship was never the same. She did finally complete rehab and she wanted to make amends with our family. I didn't want anything to do with her. She didn't just abuse me physically, but emotionally."

Nathan was at a loss for words. "I'm so sorry, Hales."

"After that, I was done. I didn't want to be there anymore. So I ran away from home and I haven't been back since," Haley replied. She wasn't usually this open about her past, but she felt safe in telling him this part of her story. "I was on my own for two years. Then I ran into Daunte and that's how far I'm telling you about my past. You don't need to hear the rest."

"Well, I'm here whenever you are ready to tell that story," Nathan told her. The story about her life with her stepmother was enough for him. "So you never found out if your dad and stepmom stayed together? You're not even in contact with your sisters?"

Before Haley could answer, they heard a knock at the door. Haley felt embarrassed for answering in her pajamas. She quickly grabbed her robe and covered herself before she answered the door. It wasn't a surprise to her that Daunte was standing in the hall. "Good morning Haley. I'm sorry to be here so early, but I came to deliver you a message personally." He chuckled as Nathan appeared behind Haley and he stood protectively next to her. "Why am I not surprised to find him here with you?"

Haley knew what he was thinking. Before Nathan could respond, she spoke up. "What message?" she asked, not wanting to discuss her personal life with Daunte. It was none of his business to know whether they slept together or not.

Daunte got the hint. "Well, you know our agreement. As long as you worked for me, I would provide an apartment for you. Since you're no longer working for me, I'm afraid I will have to ask you to vacate the premises. I'll give you two weeks to pack up and find a new place. Have a great day."

Haley just glared at him as she shut the door. Nathan just looked at her in amazement. He began to hate this guy more and more. "Can he do that? Can he just kick you out like that? How the hell did you end up working for him?"

Haley didn't answer as she sat down on the sofa. This was really happening. Daunte was honoring his word in letting her out of their agreement. "That was our agreement. If I worked for him at his diner, he would pay for my apartment."

Nathan looked at her incredulously. "You're really okay with this? Firing you from the diner is one thing. Kicking you out of your apartment is another thing. I think you go back there and confront him. Demand that he gives you more time."

Haley shook her head. "No, I am not going to do that." Nathan couldn't believe she was being so calm about this. "You don't understand. I've been tied to that jerk for three years. If I have to give up my job and apartment to get away from him, then so be it. I am done with him." She has been wanting to say those words for a long time and it felt so good to say it. "I'm done with Los Angeles."

Nathan froze for a moment. "What?"

Haley got up from the sofa as she began to get excited. "You heard me. I'm done with Los Angeles. I'm done living the city life. I can do whatever I want now. I can travel again. I can go back and finish high school. Go to college. Do so many things I have wanted to do, but I couldn't because I was stuck working." Nathan had never seen Haley so happy before. He was happy for her. "And it's all because of you." She embraced him in a tight hug and he put his arms around her. "Thank you so much."

Nathan smiled in return. "You're welcome." He was glad Haley shared some of her tragic past, but he was really curious about her agreement with Daunte. And why she felt like she couldn't just pick up and leave. Like last time. He still couldn't believe she ran away from home. She didn't seem like the type to do that. Hearing her story made him realize he still had a lot to learn about his friend. "So what are you going to do first?"

Haley pulled away from him and looked around at her apartment. "I don't know. I don't even know where I want to go. I just know I want to get out of Los Angeles. Out of California. Somewhere far away where I can start over again."

Nathan nodded understandingly. There was a short pause. The words were out even before he could think about it. "Do you need a traveling companion?" he offered. Haley looked at him. Was he serious? Was he truly thinking about coming with her? "I don't want you to travel by yourself. It's too dangerous. What if a hitchhiker would come along?"

"I couldn't ask you to give up your life and move with me," Haley said. "Especially since I don't know where I'm going."

Nathan gave her a look. "What life? I don't like my job either. I don't have a girlfriend. My family is on the other side of the country. And my best friend is planning to go on a road trip without me. I have no reason to stay here." He took his hands into hers. "Maybe it's time for both of us to end this chapter and start a new one. Together."

Haley reflected on his words and came to a realization. There was a reason why he had become so protective of her against Daunte. There was a reason why he was willing to stay with her and just be there for her last night. To hold her and comfort her. There was a reason why he was willing to come with her. To give up everything for her.

Before she could respond, Nathan's phone interrupted the conversation. He groaned in annoyance. This was killing the moment. He frowned. "It's Brooke, my brother's girlfriend." He wondered why she was calling him. He picked up the phone and put it to his ear. Haley went to give him some privacy and she went to eat her eggs. She didn't even get back into the kitchen when she heard Nathan's words. "Oh my god! I'll be there as soon as I can. Thanks for telling me." He hung up the phone and turned to Haley with a worried look on his face. "Lucas was in a car accident. I got to get back to Tree Hill right away."

Haley gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked.

"Would you come with me?" Nathan asked. "I know you don't want to go back to North Carolina, but I don't know if I can go back home by myself. I need you." His eyes were pleading with her. As much as Haley didn't want go back to Wilmington, she couldn't abandon Nathan now. Not after everything he had done for her.

"I'll book us the first flight out of Tree Hill," she replied.