"Anybody order Chinese?" the delivery boy asked as he approached the group of six shocked adults and one sleeping baby.
"Oh, yea. That would be us. How much do I owe you?" Haley said finally breaking the silence in the hallway.
"$75.68." the man with the food said.
"Geez. How much food can you three eat?"
"Don't ask, Nate. Sometime Haley ate more food than I did."
"How are you three so skinny then?"
"That's a great question, Hotshot. We all hate working out except for cheerleading." Brooke said while trying out a nickname for Nathan.
"Well actually, the three of us can only eat half of this food. I ordered twice the amount we eat in case you guys joined us." Peyton said while rocking Jenny and looking at Jake.
"That's really nice, Peyton. We would love to join you." Jake said as he admired how well Peyton connected with Jenny.
"We would?"
"Yes, Nathan. It will be fun. I can see what is up in Haley's life and get to know Brooke. And Jake can get to know Peyton because she is like the 'Miracle Worker'. And you can get to know Hales." Lucas said, but he whispered the last part in his brother's ear.
"Alright, let's eat."
"Right this way. Broody, P. Sawyer and Jake, I need a nickname for you, follow me. Hotshot, can you help Tutor girl with the food bags?" she said pointing to Haley who was trying to carry all seven bags of food by herself.
"Yeah. Sure, we'll see you guys inside." Nathan said as he walked over to Haley. 'Man, she looks cute when she's frustrated.'
"Here. Let me help." Nathan said as he took four bags out of her hands.
"Thank you so much! I thought I was going to fall over from trying to carry all of that food."
"Don't worry. If you were to fall, I'd catch you."
"Does a line like that actually work?"
"I don't know. You tell me."
"Well, it was cheesy, but sweet. So I guess it worked."
"Good. So you and my brother were best friends?"
"Yup. Until I moved to Orland Park."
"Why'd you move? Luke never said."
"That's because I never told him. See the black sheep of our family, my sister Taylor, got into some trouble at school and got expelled. So my parents moved us to Illinois, I have no idea why they moved us there. So Taylor did her senior year at Sandburg, after she graduated, she skipped town. She got married two years ago and is working her way through med school. Tay realized that she was a screw-up and changed her ways. Not long after Taylor left town, my parents followed. They bought an RV and are traveling the country, visiting my siblings."
"Well that sucks. You have to leave your hometown and your friends because of your sister, only to be ditched by her and your parents in the end. You said that your parents left so they could see their other kids, how many siblings do you have?"
"I don't hold them leaving against me. Taylor calls me once a week and my parents sometimes remember to call. But I'm okay with them leaving. Sure I miss them a lot, but I've got Peyton and Brooke and Papa Sawyer. He may be P. Sawyer's biological dad, but for the last 4 years he's been more of a real father then my own. And to answer your question, I'm one of seven, three sisters and three brothers. Kevin is the oldest, followed by Quinn, then Vivian, then the twins, Bryan and Matt, who are like super protective of me and I'm probably the closes to them. After them is Taylor and then finally me. I'm the youngest."
Nathan couldn't help but notice how Haley's face lit up when she talked about her family. But her eyes seemed to dim when she mentioned the fact that her parents and her siblings weren't around much. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
"Wow. You must have had a crazy household when you were younger."
"You have no idea. So what about you? Got any siblings besides Lucas?"
"Nope, there's just Luke. Jake's like a brother though. And then there's my mom and Karen and Uncle Keith. And Jenny's like a niece to me. My dad died when I was in 8th grade, so it's a pretty small family compared to yours."
"I'm sorry about your dad, but at least you have your mom."
"I'm not, I mean sure I miss my dad, but he was an ass. All he did when he was alive was yell at me about basketball. Made me train for hours a day. Once when I wanted to quit, he threatened to beat my mom unless I stayed on the team. I promised myself that when I have kids, I wouldn't force them to do anything they don't want to."
"So why did you still play? I assume that you still do by what you're wearing." she said while pointing to his Duke basketball t-shrit.
"I play because even for all the hell that my dad put me through about it, I love it. Basketball is my escape."
"I know what you mean. And you're right your dad does sound like an ass. But even though I just met you I have a feeling that you are nothing like Dan."
"Thanks, that means a lot. Do you want to -..."
"Hey! Are you guys coming in or not?" Lucas said from the doorway of the condo that Haley and her two friends reside in.
"Yea, Luke. We're coming. I was just getting to know Nathan better." Haley said as she walked passed him into her condo. And Nathan tried to follow her Lucas stopped him.
"Nate. Don't mess with her."
"What do you mean, Luke?"
"Haley. She is like a little sister to me and you're my brother. You don't do serious relationships and I know Haley isn't interested in a fling."
"We were just talking. Plus, she's different from all the other girls."
"Yea, she is. Haley is sweet and innocent, not dumb and slutty. What were you two even talking about anyways?"
"We talked about her family and why she left Tree Hill. And I told her about Dan and how he used to be hard on me."
"You must really like her. You never talk about Dan to anyone but me."
"She's just a friend, but I trust her. I feel like I can be really open with her and she won't judge me."
"That's because she won't. Haley is one of the most caring people I know. Don't hurt her."
"I won't. Stop worrying."
"Come on, they are probably wondering where we are."
A.N Hey guys! Here is a new update. Two new chapters! In the words of Karen, "WOOOT!" So please read, review and enjoy!
