Disclaimer: The characters of One Tree Hill do not belong to me...yada yada yada...
Hearts That Bleed
Chapter One: A Twist of Fate
Haley gets tired of the party, decides she wants to leave. She looks for Lucas but after a half an hour of searching, she realises that he must have already left. She checks outside to see if his truck is there, and to her surprise, it is.
She decides to keep looking for him some more. Not paying attention to where she's going, she bumps into someone's chest and he reflexively slips one hand on the small of her back and the other holds her hand to keep her from falling. The male asks her if she's okay and she pays him no attention and thanks him, while continuing to scan the room as she tells him she's fine.
Nathan:"A little high on yourself, aren't you? Going around telling people you're all fine"
The familiar, cocky sound of his voice snaps her out of her search for Lucas to face him only to see a huge grin plastered on his face. She resists the urge to roll her eyes and looks down to find his hands still firmly on her waist and looks back up at him. "You can unhand me now."
Nathan:"I have a better idea" he replies as he pulls her petite frame closer to him, close enough to feel her breath on his face.
Haley groans unimpressed as she tries to free herself from his grasp. "Are you always such a pig?"
He pushes her waist back a few inches and releases her. "Only around you, I guess you bring it out in me." he flirts.
She ignores his lame attempt at come-ons and continues to scan the room for Lucas.
Nathan:"Looking for someone?"
Haley:"Yeah, Lucas. Have you seen him?" she asks turning to him.
Nathan hides a grin as he remembers where he left him. "I'm pretty sure I saw him leave a while back. Yeah, I think he left with some chick."
Haley's eyes narrowed at that, a tinge of jealousy reflected in her eyes. "That doesn't sound like Lucas, he wouldn't leave without making sure I had a ride home."
Nathan:"What can I tell you? I don't this he was thinking with his head when he was leaving."
Haley:"But his car's still outside" she states confused.
Nathan starts to get panicked. Haley wasn't letting up.
Nathan:"What are you his keeper or something? Maybe they took hers. Wait a minute..." Nathans lip curls upwards, a thought occurring to him. "Am I sensing jealously here? A little 'Joey loves Dawson' scenario? "
Haley gives him an absurd look. She starts to get highly defensive. "What?? Noo, no, believe me, so not the case."
Nathan:"Yeah, you like him don't you? I think it's cute—" he teases her. He likes the way her cheeks become flushed and her eyes widen in panic.
Haley:"Of course not. If you must know, Lucas and I are strictly friends, nothing more, nothing less."
Nathan:"But you'd like it to be more?" he pushes.
Haley:"No. He's my best friend. We care about each other but not in that way. I guess it's not a wander that a womanizer such as the almighty Nathan Scott can't grasp that there can be such a thing as a platonic relationship between a guy and a girl. It doesn't always have to be sexual, you know.
Nathan:"But it's more fun that way"
He smirks, she crosses her arms.
Nathan puts his hands up surrenderingly. Hey, whatever rocks your boat" he starts to laugh as he walks away.
2323232323232323232323232323
...The Next Morning at Karen's Cafe...
Haley comes into the cafe and finds Karen serving coffee to a couple of customers.
Haley:"Morning, Karen".
Karen looks up and a smiles appears on her face. "Oh, Haley! Hi, must have been some party last night, huh?"
Haley gives her a confused look. "What do you mean?"
Karen:"I couldn't get Lucas to wake up this morning. He came home pretty late last night."
Haley feels it again, a knot in her stomach at the thought of Lucas having spent the night with another girl. She opens her mouth to speak but Lucas walks in, hoodie on his head.
Haley:"Rise and shine, Lucas." She puts a fake smile when all she wants to do is punch him for ditching her last night for what she can only assume was to have random sex with a random girl.
Karen:"Come eat your breakfast, you have a few minutes before you have to get to school" she motions for him to sit at the counter before going to serve another customer. He obeys and comes around to the stools but groans as he grabs at his side to soothe the pain he feels when he tries sit down.
Haley notices and grows concerned at his distressed state.
Haley:"Lucas, you all right?"
Karen comes back to the counter. "Honey, what's wrong?"
Lucas still hasn't looked up at them, trying hard to avoid what would be their inevitable questions once they notice the scars on his face.
Lucas:"I'm fine, just a little numb still from yesterday's practice. Plus, I slept on my side for too long."
Karen doesn't buy it and neither does Haley, the tone of his voice betraying him.
The doors to the cafe open once more and this time Peyton comes in and heads towards Lucas and the moment Lucas sees her, he sinks his head lower, knowing full well that his attempts at keeping the events of last night secret were now shot to hell.
She smiles at Haley. "Lucas – you all right? I wanted to see how you were doing after last night."
This grabs Karen's and Haley's attention and the curiosity they felt a moment ago triples. Haley couldn't help but feel resentful of Peyton, wondering if it was her who had spent the night with him.
Karen:"What happened last night?" she probs.
He finally lifts his head up to face her and she gasps when she notices his bruised eye and his cut lip.
Karen:"Lucas—"
Lucas:"Mom, it's worse than it looks, trust me." He tries to reassure her.
Haley:"Who did this to you, Luke?" her tone was upset and hoarse.
Lucas doesn't answer. Karen and Haley both look up at Peyton for answers.
Peyton looks at Lucas unsure if she should say anything but Karen demands to know the truth and tells Peyton and Lucas to not even think about lying to her so Peyton does as she is told.
Peyton:"It was Nathan and the guys' stupid idea of a prank. They drove him down an abandoned road. They roughed him up real bad then tied him to a pole and left him there. I heard some of the guys joking about it back at the party so I went to get him."
Karen and Haley were both horrified.
Peyton didn't have the heart to tell Karen about the rest.
Karen couldn't believe it. "How can kids be so cruel?" She cups Lucas' face with her hands. "We need to get you to a hospital. You should be checked out for internal bleeding."
Lucas gets up and grabs his backpack. "I'm fine, Ma. I don't need to go to a hospital. I'm going to be late for class." He says as he gives her a kiss on the cheek and walks out of the Cafe. Haley and Peyton both offer Karen a sympathetic look before following him. Karen tries to get him to come back but it was too late, he was already gone.
She heads for the phone and decides there is no way in hell she can let this continue, picks up the receiver and starts dialling. When the other person picks up, all she says is "It's me. We need to talk."
232323232323232323232323232323
...Later at School, in the Hallway...
Haley is at her locker taking the books she needs for her next class, all the while distracted by her guilt over what happened to Lucas. She couldn't believe how selfish she had been; jealous and making up scenarios in her head while that was the furthest thing from the truth. More than anything, now, all she feels is overwhelmed with anger. Anger towards Nathan. She recalls the stupid satisfied smirk on his face when she had asked him where Lucas was.
She's brought out of her thoughts by loud laughs down the hallway and sees Nathan and his friends high-fiving each other, no doubt basking in the glory of having humiliated Lucas and thinking they've achieved their goal of getting him to quit the team. Haley slams her locker shut and walks over to the crowd, ready to give Nathan her piece of mind, standing right in front of him.
Again, he grins at her, checking her up and down. "Well, well, well, Ms. Haley James—"
Haley:"Do you feel like a man?" she asks angrily.
Nathan's eyebrow furrows. "Excuse me?"
Haley:"Do you feel big and bad because you beat up Lucas while your friends held him down? What, can't fight your own battles by yourself? Afraid he would've kicked your ass otherwise? pause... Are you that threatened by Lucas' being on the team--?"
Nathan scoffs, getting in her face. "Listen, little girl, you have no idea what you're—"
Haley:"No, you listen!" she spits back, not intimidated by him. "You can go around acting all high and mighty like you own the school but you know what the sad thing is? People like you reach their peak in high school, you'll never be higher than you are now. Heck you'll most likely end up with a beer belly, 40 pounds overweight while your wife cheats on you every night with your so-called friends behind your back, while smart, kind hearted people like Lucas grow to be more successful than you could ever hope to be! So You can work your whole "I'm Nathan Scott, Mr. Big Shot, scoring my touchdowns" all you want because-"
Nathan was getting red. "I don't even play football" was the only lame comeback he could come up with.
Haley: "Whatever. The point is at the end of the day all your bluster and BS don't mean anything in real life cause it doesn't care and neither do I. Back off Lucas, and for God sakes, grow the hell up." She throws him a look of disgust before walking away.
Haley's outburst had drawn in a crowd, who was impressed by the girl's feistiness. They cheer her on and people start to whisper, looking at Nathan as he stands there, embaressed. He looks around him, pissed as hell. Even his own friends were laughing.
Tim snickers. "Dude, you just got told off by a girl"
Nathan's temper flared. "What are you looking at?!" he yells, and the stares divert as he storms off.
232323232323232323232323232323
...Later in English Class...
Mr. Smith: "Early in his career, Hemingway was frustrated. He was a good writer who wanted to be great. And eventually, he discovered that less is more. That in mind, let's try an activity. Peyton" he starts addressing her. "Describe Lucas using just one word."
Everyone turns to look at Peyton to see what she's going to say.
Nathan looks at her, giving her a warning with his eyes. Peyton thinks back to the basketball game Lucas sucked at. "Choke."
Everyone laughs at her comment. She mentally berates herself for letting Nathan control her.
Mr. Smith: "Okay, be quiet please. Thank you." The teacher turns to Lucas. "Care to respond and describe Peyton?" he asks him.
Lucas looks at Peyton.
Lucas:"Lonely."
The class "Oohs."
Mr. Smith again tries to settle down his class to continue the activity. "Okay, be quiet please."
Nathan raises his hand. After Haley humiliated him, he needed to do something for damage control.
Mr. Smith: "Yes? Nathan?"
Nathan:"I can describe Lucas in one word" he says all too willingly.
Lucas glares at him.
"Bastard."Nathan lets the word escape his lips slowly to assault Luke's ears.
The class Oohs again, but this time, louder than before, knowing the history between the Scott brothers, anticipating a fight.
Mr.Smith:"Alright, alright, alright, alright."
Peyton looks shocked, not believing Nathan just said that. Lucas tightens his fist as Nathan's comment sends him off the edge, especially after what happened last night. Not caring where he is or who's around, he jumps out of his chair and attacks Nathan. The two proceed to fight.
Mr. Smith: "Knock it off" he tries to get between the two of them but it's a full-out-war. Pause "Knock it off!"he shouts again, grabbing Lucas who was on top of Nathan, having the upper hand.
Both boys were roughed up pretty badly.
Mr.Smith:"Scotts! Go to the principal's office!"
232323232323232323232323232323
... That same night...
Lucas:"Mom, you're acting kind of strange, what's going on?"
Karen stops doing inventory. "I got a call from your principal today" she lets him know, disappointed.
He bows his head, knowing where this was going.
Karen: "So, are you going to tell me about the fight or you want to just assume I know about it while I yell at you?"
Lucas looks at Haley, asking for help with his eyes.
Haley:"Is that the phone? I'll get it." The phone's clearly not ringing but Haley gets up anyway.
Karen: "Still here."
Lucas:"Mom, he had it coming. You know he said-"
Karen: "No. When they called me today, I was certain they had the wrong Scott. And then they told me they had two Scotts and I could take my pick. Honestly, Lucas, fighting in class? Fighting at all?"
Lucas: "The guy was being a jerk."
Karen: "And this is suddenly a surprise to you? He hasn't been a jerk before?"
Lucas: "No. He's always a jerk--"
Karen:"Listen Lucas, I don't care who started it, I brought you up to know better. Violence doesn't solve anything. This feud between you and Nathan has got to stop. In fact, things are going to change—"
Before Karen has time to finish her sentence, the door to her Cafe opens and in walk Deb and Nathan. Lucas stands up from his seat, frowning and ready for battle. Karen puts her hand on Lucas' shoulder as if to tame him.
Nathan looks around pissed and confused, seeing Lucas, Karen and Haley. "What the hell are we doing here? Why the hell would you drag me here of all places?"
Nathan didn't come to the Cafe very often, in fact he could probably count the times in one hand. He hadn't made an effort to come here, not even when his mom became co-owner of the joint.
Deb comes in and she and Karen greet each other, nodding their heads as if to signal something while Nathan doesn't budge from the entrance.
Nathan:"I'm leaving. Whatever it is you have to tell me, mom, you can tell me at home. I'm outta here."
Deb:"Hold it. Nathan, if you walk out that door, you can kiss basketball goodbye."
Nathan scoffs. "Please, you know dad would never allow that." He turns to leave.
Deb: "Nathan! Please, honey, just give me five minutes... This is important to me." She pleads with him.
Nathan sighs. He hates it when his mother gets like this. He doesn't want to hurt her so he agrees, turns back around and approaches the group and looks down at his watch. "Five minutes."
Haley didn't once take her eyes off the mother-son interaction. She thought for sure he'd leave. 'Guess he's not completely self-possessed' she thinks, noting his concern for his mother's feelings.
"What's this about, Mom?" Nathan and Lucas both ask simultaneously. Annoyed, they both give each other dirty looks.
Karen:"Hello, Nathan." She tries to sound as civil as possible despite wanting to rip into him for what he did to her son. "Nice eye" she tells him.
Nathan looks at Lucas with a satisfied grin. "You should see the other guy."
Lucas twitches.
Karen brushes it off. "Deb and I have something to tell you, boys. You might want to sit down for this" she says, motioning to a nearby table. Neither budge though.
Haley feels uneasy about the whole situation, knowing this is a family affair.
Haley:"Uh, I should go. I have to –"
Lucas:"No, stay." He tells her. She looks at Karen and Karen nods, so she sits back down.
Karen:"All right, then. There's no easy way to say this, but make no mistake, this is a done deal. Nothing you could say or do will change our minds."
Deb:"Karen and I have been talking and – well first, let me just say that we're very disappointed by the way you two have been acting towards each other."
Nathan looks at his mom:"What? Are you sending me to boarding school or something? Cause you can't do that, my life is here—"Nathan starts a mini-tantrum.
Deb:"Relax, Nathan. I'm not sending you anywhere."
Karen turns to Lucas. "You on the other hand—"
Lucas starts to get riled up. "Me? Wha- what are you talking about mom? And, I still don't understand what any of this has to do with them? " he questions as he lifts his arm to point to them.
Deb:"Lucas, honey just –"
Lucas:"You're not my mother" he seethes, stopping her.
Karen:"Lucas!" she scolds him.
Nathan wasn't liking where this was going. Most of all, he hated having this talk in front of Lucas. 'What the hell is going on?' he thinks to himself.
Karen:"Ok. Here's the deal. You both have this—this huge animosity towards each other and that's very unfortunate. We realise that it's not entirely your fault, you've been brought up to hate each other."
Deb:"Your father has pitted you against each other since the junior leagues and that's not fair to you—You've been robbed of the chance to grow up as brothers because Dan was too much of a coward to be a man and take responsibility for you, Lucas." She says as she turns to him. "And Nathan, I know that things have gotten worse since your father has been putting pressure on you to get Lucas off the team by any means necessary."
Lucas raised his eyebrow, this tidbit of information being knew to him. He hadn'd realised what Dan's involvement was.
Nathan wasn't liking being put on the spot. "Whatever, Mom. Can we have this Dr.Phil session somewhere else—"
Deb ignores Nathan's comment.
Karen:"We just want this to stop. We don't want you to end up with so much hate in your heart that you two end up killing each other.
Nathan:"Would you spit it out already?" he raises his voice, growing impatient.
Deb takes a breath, preparing herself. "Lucas and Karen are going to be moving in with us."
Lucas' head shoots up. "What?!" He turns to look at Karen. "Is this some kind of sick joke?! Mom, have you lost your mind?!"
Haley's mouth gapes open.
Nathan:"No way in hell! I won't allow it!"
23232323232323232323232323232323232323232323232323232323232323232323232323232323232323232
Author's note: Whew! All right, there it is, the major twist that changes it all. Love it, hate it? Please let me know what you think! Thanks so much again to the people that reviewed, it means a lot to me, keep 'em coming! :D
What happens next?