Haley woke up in Brandon's bed around 11:30 AM and noticed that the twins were still asleep. She opened up her phone and sent Nathan a text.
Hey baby, I know you don't want to be distracted since it's game day but everyone is asleep and I would love to see you before your game to wish you some good luck. If you don't want to, don't worry I completely understand :) xx H
Good morning beautiful. It wouldn't be able to be for long but I would love to see you this morning. Do you want me to come pick you up? xx N
No that's okay, I think I'm gonna walk. Be there in ten xx H
Okay, be safe. Text me when you're here xx N
Haley quietly got out of Brandon's bed and walked up to her room. She changed into a blue Tree Hill basketball t-shirt, but kept on her black spandex she wore to bed. Throwing her hair in a messy bun and slipping on her white Birkenstocks, she grabbed her phone and walked downstairs, sneakily slipping out the back door. She walked across town over to Nathan's house and texted him that she was there. He replied that he was coming down to get here and she waited patiently on the doorstep.
A couple minutes later, Nathan opened the door and greeted Haley with a kiss.
"Well good morning to you too." Haley smiled up at him.
"Good morning. Luke is here but my dad is at the dealership and mom is at the cafe." Nathan informed her. "Let's go up to my room." Nathan suggested causing Haley to nod. Nathan reached down and held Haley's hand leading her inside and up to his room. Once they reached Nathan's room, Nathan laid on his bed and pulled Haley onto her stomach laying on top of him.
"Hi." Haley smiled at him.
"Hi. Nathan replied smiling.
"I know you don't like distractions during game day. I don't have to stay long. I just really wanted to see you before the game and wish you luck." Haley explained.
"Don't worry about it baby. How do you plan on wishing me luck?" Nathan asked smirking.
"I was thinking something like this…" Haley trailed off before leaning down and kissing him. Nathan responded by putting his hands on her lower back and returning the kiss. He flipped them over so he was on top and she was on her back laying underneath her.
"You can wish me luck like this any game day." Nathan said pulling away. Haley brought her hand to his neck and pulled him back down to her so they could resume their makeout session. Nathan started trailing kisses down her neck to the sweet spot behind her ear causing her to moan quietly. "None of your brothers are here baby, you don't have to be quiet." He continued sucking, creating hickeys up and down Haley's neck. She began moaning louder.
"Hey bro, I just got a text from- HOLY SHIT!" Luke exclaimed walking into Nate's room. Nathan jumped off of Haley and sat next to her while Haley looked extremely flushed and embarrassed.
"Heyyy Luke…." Haley trailed off avoiding eye contact.
"What?" Luke asked in disbelief.
"Hey bro." Nate greeted nonchalant while putting his arm around Haley's shoulders.
"What?!" Luke asked getting louder.
"Did you need something?" Nate questioned continuing like nothing happened.
"WHAT?! When the hell did this happen?!" Luke screamed.
"Ummmm-" Haley trailed off again. "Since Brooke's party…"
"Two weeks?! How did I not know?" Luke asked bewildered.
"Because we were keeping it a secret dumbass." Nate stated.
"Does anyone else know?"
"Well I told Brooke a couple of days ago,-"
"Wait you told Brooke?" Nate asked.
"Oh shit I forgot to tell you. Yeah she kind of figured it out with a little help the day that I got ungrounded. But I told her to keep it a secret. And I am kind of surprised she managed to. I at least thought she would tell you Luke." Haley explained.
"Haley, you would lower your standards to date my asshat of a brother?" Luke joked.
"Funny, very funny." Nate rolled his eyes.
"I happen to be very happy with your brother Lucas." Haley smiled as she leaned up and pecked Nate's lips.
"Oh gross." Luke said in disgust.
"Like you're one to talk, you and Brooke are like a walking ad for PDA." Nate pointed out.
"Okay, anyways. Before I walked in and saw the biggest plot twist over the century, I was coming to tell you that Braxton and Brandon are on their way over to go on a run with us." Luke explained.
"Shit, they don't know. We're telling them after the game tonight. How far away are they?" Haley asked as her phone began to ring. "Fuck, Brandon is calling me."
"Answer it Hales." Nate responded. Haley accepted the call and put the phone up to her ear.
"Hey Brandon, what's up?"
"Hey Hales. Brax and I noticed you weren't there when we woke up." Brandon pointed out.
"Oh yeah, I took a walk."
"Gotcha, well we hope that you feel better after last night. Brax and I are going on a run with Nathan and Lucas down by the rivercourt. Then we are going to stay at Nathan's house until it's time to go to the game. So we probably won't see you until after the game." Brandon explained.
"Oh okay, how far are you from Nathan's house?"
"About five minutes."
"Okay well I am going to get back to my walk now." Haley tried to end the conversation so she could get out of Nate's house before her brothers got there.
"Okay, Well just remember that we could never hate you. We love you!"
"Love you too!" Haley replied and ended the call, turning towards Nathan. "They're going to be here in five minutes. I should sneak out the back so they don't have a chance of seeing me."
"I'll walk you out babe." Nate got off of the bed and grabbed Haley's hand helping her get up off the bed.
"See ya later Luke. Remember, not a word to Braxton or Brandon." Haley reminded him.
"Got it, bye Hales." Nathan led Haley downstairs hand in hand towards the back door. Haley opened the back door and leaned her back against the doorframe with Nate pressed against her holding both of her hands.
"Thank you for the luck." Nate smiled down at her.
"Anything for my favorite player." Haley replied with a grin. "I have to go."
"I'll see you after the game beautiful. It will all work out, I promise." Haley nodded. Nate leaned down and gave her a sensual kiss. After a couple of seconds, they pulled away from each other. Haley left Nate's house and walked back to her house. She got back to her house around 1:00 and decided to go straight up to her room and take a shower.
After Haley got out of the shower she put on a clean sports bra and Duke tank top along with a pair of jean shorts. She brushed her hair and decided to let it air dry. After that, Haley grabbed her phone and noticed she had a couple of text messages.
Hey gorgeous, Brax and Brandon told me you had a rough night last night. Everything okay? xx N
Yep. Fine. Nothing you need to worry about :) xx H
Alright if you're sure. I'm gonna turn my phone off soon. You need anything before I do? xx N
Nope. Good luck on your game tonight. You're gonna do great! See you after xx H
Thank you baby see you after xx N
Haley then exited out of her conversation with Nate and opened her text from Brooke.
Hey Tutor Girl, I'm coming over around 4:00 so we have enough time to help each other get ready before the game at 6:00. I'm gonna need you to paint the R on my face for me if that's okay. Love ya! -B. Davis
Okay see you then. And yeah, that's fine. Love ya too! -H. James
Haley walked downstairs, made a bowl of cinnamon toast crunch, sat down at the counter and began to eat. Alex walked downstairs and joined Haley in the kitchen.
"Hey Hales, what's up?" Alex asked.
"Nothing much. Just gonna chill around here until Brooke gets here at 4:00. Anyone else in the house?"
"Nope. Just us. Braxton and Brandon are at Nate's and Luke's house. Logan is out with some friends, and Landon has a shift at the hospital that ends at 5:00."
"Oh cool." Haley replied.
"So what happened last night?"
"I sorta had a panic attack last night." Haley admitted.
"You didn't tell me those were back again. What was it about?" Alex questioned.
"I got scared that Braxton and Brandon were going to hate me after they found out who I was dating tonight."
"They may not like it, but what makes you think that they would hate you?" Haley didn't say anything, she just looked down. "Hales?"
"I'm dating Nathan!" Haley blurted out. Alex was frozen.
"You're… you're what?" Alex asked.
"Nathan. Nathan is my boyfriend." Haley repeated.
"Umm, wow. I don't know how to react to that."
"Before you react, just let me say something. He treats me really well. He's sweet and respectful. He actually wanted me to tell you guys. It was my idea to keep it a secret. I really like him a lot. When I told him I was going to tell you guys by myself, he insisted to be here with me. He's a good guy."
"Okay calm down Hales, I'm not gonna object. Part of me is worried knowing about Nathan and his colorful past. But that's not a reason to not allow this relationship. I trust your judgement. He is a good guy and if you trust him then I do too. You're happy with him?" Alex asked.
"Very."
"Okay. That's enough for me."
"But now you see why I am so scared for Brandon and Braxton's reactions. Especially Braxton. They both promised me that they won't get mad right away and listen to me before reacting but I'm not sure. " Haley pointed out.
"Haley, have Brandon or Braxton ever broken a promise to you?" Haley shook her head no. "Okay, so don't freak out just yet." Alex reassured her.
"Can you just not tell any of the others? I want to tell them all myself after the game. And if Brandon and Braxton find out before the game, then it is going to be a shit show." Alex nodded.
"I'm glad we had this talk Haley Bob."
"Me too."
"Alright. I am going over to Madison's house. You gonna be okay alone until Brooke gets here?" Alex asked causing Haley to nod. "Alright bye Hales."
"Bye." Haley replied as Alex walked out the door. Haley went over to the couch and started watching John Tucker Must Die until Brooke got there. Right when the movie was finishing, Brooke walked in the door of the James household.
"Tutor girl, I just found out that Vegas' party is a pool party. And I didn't bring a bathing suit to leave here. Since we're leaving for the game from here, coming back after the game and leaving for the party from here, I have no time to go back to my house and grab a bathing suit. Can I please borrow one of yours?"
"Of course Brookie. Soooo, Luke knows about Nathan." Haley told Brooke.
"Wait, what?"
"Yeah, he walked in on me and Nate this morning in Nate's room. To be honest, I was surprised you hadn't told him already."
"It was the hardest secret I ever had to keep." Brooke exclaimed.
"That's not all. Alex knows too."
"You told him already?" Brooke asked in amazement.
"We were talking this morning and I kind of just blurted it out. He accepted it though. He said he was happy for me."
"Damn. If only Brandon and Braxton would react that well." Brooke scoffed.
"Here's the thing though. Last night, Brandon and Braxton made me a promise that once I told them, they wouldn't get mad right away. They would let me explain, and listen to reason before overreacting."
"Okay well problem solved. They never break a promise they make to you." Brooke pointed out.
"Yeah, but this just might be bad enough to make it happen."
"You can't think about that. Just trust that they will keep their promise."
"You're right. Okay so, I'm ready to hear 'The Brooke Davis Schedule' for us getting ready for the game." Haley teased.
"Don't mock the schedule Tutor Girl. But since you asked, I'm going to straighten my hair while you pick out an outfit. Then we're both going to get dressed, and I'll do both of our makeup, after that you paint the 'R' on my cheek and we leave the house at 5:30 so we can get to the school by 5:40 which gives me enough time to get in the gym in time to warm up and you to find Mouth and your brothers in the bleachers by 5:45 in plenty of time before the game starts at 6:00." Brooke explained.
"Damn Brookie you planned every detail."
"Damn right I did. Now get that cute ass up and into action." After two hours, both girls were ready and at the gym, Brooke warming up with the squad on the court, and Haley sitting in the middle of the bleachers with her three oldest brothers and Mouth. The starters were Tim, Luke, Brandon, Braxton, and Nathan.
The boys ended up winning the game players went back into the locker room to change and the fans spilled out onto the court. Haley, Mouth, Alex, Landon, and Logan all went over to talk to Brooke while they were waiting for the boys to come back out. Haley decided to text Nathan.
Congrats on winning the game. You were the best one out there. Really proud of you. xx H
Thanks babe. It helped that I had my girl in the bleachers cheering for me xx N
Haley put her phone away before anyone could notice and rejoined the conversation. Soon after, Brandon, Braxton, Lucas, and Nathan walked over to the group.
"Congrats guys, you all were awesome!" Haley exclaimed.
"Yeah, you guys did amazing." Alex added.
"Especially my broody over here." Brooke said earning her a kiss from Lucas. The gang was interrupted by Dan Scott walking over to them.
"Nathan, that was pathetic." Dan spat.
"What the hell are you talking about dad? We beat River Ridge by over twenty points." Nathan rebuttaled.
"Not the game. You. 9 assists Nate? Those should have been your points."
"I act in the best interest for my team."
"Dad, chill out." Luke jumped in. Dan just huffed and walked away.
"Nate, you alright man?" Braxton asked.
"I'm fine. Just give me a minute." Nate replied and walked out into the hallway. Haley was worried and felt bad for Nate. Alex could tell.
"I'll stall them. Go check on Nathan." Alex whispered in Haley's ear.
"Thank you." She whispered back. "I'm gonna go to the restroom before we go home." Haley announced to everyone else and made her way into the hallway to find Nate.
"Are you okay?' Haley asked him worried.
"I'm fine, I just need to cool off." He answered.
"If you want me to go back in there so you can have a minute to yourself, I will." Haley offered. Nathan pulled her into a hug.
"No, it's okay. I feel better having you around me. Speaking of, how'd you get a chance to sneak away to come find me without them noticing?"
"About that. Alex kind of knows. He's stalling them so they don't come looking for either one of us." Haley informed him.
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah. I was talking to him earlier and I kind of just blurted it out. But the good news is he accepts it." Haley explained.
"Wow. Wasn't expecting that one. Well, one down, four to go. We should probably go back into the gym now." Nathan pointed out causing Haley to nod. They walked back to the gym and over to their friends.
"Alright so now that Nathan is cooled off and Haley is back from the bathroom, it's time for us to go home." Alex suggested.
"I'm riding with Brooke." Haley said.
"Brax and I are riding with Nate." Brandon added.
"I'm driving myself home before the party. Meet you there babe?" Luke asked Brooke. She nodded.
"Landon and Logan are riding with me. See everyone at home in ten minutes." Alex concluded. Everyone went off to their cars and started the drive towards the James household, with the exception of Luke. Haley could not stop shaking in her seat. After a few minutes Brooke decided to say something.
"Tutor Girl relax. Maybe it won't be as bad as you think." Brooke offered to try to calm Haley down.
"I don't know if I can do this Brooke." Haley said. "I'm not ready."
"Well you kind of have to be, because we're here." Brooke pointed out. "And it looks like everyone else is already here too." Haley's stomach was tied knots and she couldn't stop shaking. The girls got out of Brooke's car and walked inside where everyone was already waiting for them in the living room.
"Alright. Let's get this over with. Who is he Haley?" Braxton asked.
"Brax. Remember our promise." Brandon warned him.
"Guys, just shut up so Haley can tell us." Landon argued.
"Go ahead Haley, whenever you're ready." Logan said.
"Well…" Haley started.
"Wait, Brooke and Nate, I'm sorry this is kind of a family meeting. If you guys want to wait upstairs, it will be over soon." Brandon suggested.
"No. I am staying right here to support Haley." Brooke stated.
"Nate?" Braxton asked.
"Nathan stays." Alex spoke up for the first time in this conversation.
"Why does Nathan need to stay?" Brandon questioned.
"Umm…" Haley started again. Nathan walked over to Haley and grasped her hand in his.
"Haley and I are dating." Nathan stated, squeezing Haley's hand. Braxton started laughing.
"That's hilarious Nate. You really got me there." Braxton laughed.
"Braxton, he's not joking. Nathan is my boyfriend." Haley repeated.
"No. I know he's joking. Because I know… for a fact… that my best friend would not betray me and date my little sister!" Braxton shouted getting louder and louder with each word.
"Braxton, you need to calm down." Alex attempted.
"Are you fucking kidding me Hales?!" Braxton yelled.
"Brax. We fucking promised her. Calm the fuck down." Brandon tried to calm his twin.
"Braxton, maybe you need to walk away." Logan suggested.
"Listen to them Brax, don't do this." Landon agreed.
"Braxton, just listen to Haley." Nathan pleaded.
"This whole fucking time! I trusted you! You told me you'd protect her! You've been giving her rides home doing God knows what! You let me sit there and fucking talk to you about Haley and her boyfriend pretending to be clueless!" Braxton was screaming now.
"Braxton! Please! You promised!" Haley was crying now.
"You need to stop now before saying something you regret." Brandon informed his twin.
"Fuck this. You're both dead to me. I'm going to Vegas'."
"Braxton! Please!" Haley wailed. Braxton walked out of the house and slammed the door. Haley dropped to the floor sobbing.
"Haley, sweetie, try to calm down." Brooke ran to her friend trying to comfort her.
"I knew this would happen. I told you this would happen. He hates me." Haley cried.
"Hales, baby, come here." Nathan leaned down and picked up Haley, moving her from the floor to the couch and wrapping her in his arms.
"Logan, Landon. Do you mind giving us some privacy." Alex asked.
"Of course. We love you Hales." Logan said.
"And we're happy for you guys." Landon added. Landon and Logan walked upstairs leaving a crying Haley on the couch, surrounded by Nathan, Brooke, Alex, and Brandon.
"Tutor Girl, try to calm down. Breathe." Brooke instructed her. Slowly, Haley began to stop crying and just stared straight into space. It was like she just turned her emotions off.
"Braxton completely overreacted. Sure this isn't the most thrilling situation but he was completely out of line the way he reacted." Brandon stated.
"Baby, please say something." Nathan pleaded.
"He broke his promise." Haley mumbled. All of a sudden the door slammed open and Braxton stormed back in. He walked to the living room in front of everyone and began pacing.
"Braxton I swear to god you better sit down and not say a word. You almost caused her a panic attack. You're going to stick to our promise, stop being a dick, and pray to God that Haley forgives you." Brandon yelled. Braxton huffs and sits in a seat across from Haley.
"The only reason I am back in here is because of that stupid promise I made. Do you understand how fucking pissed I am about this? I am almost as angry as when I found out about Chris." Braxton gritted out.
"Braxton Michael James! Don't you dare!" Brooke exclaimed.
"You fucking jackass, don't do it." Brandon threatened.
"I'm confused, who is Chris?" Alex asked.
"Tell them Haley. Tell them who Chris is." Braxton spat maliciously.
"If you do this I will hurt myself." Haley cried.
"Baby calm down. Braxton you better not hurt her even more than you already have." Nathan warned.
"Haley, I think you are underestimating how furious I actually am. Chris fucking Keller. Do you understand that Haley? I almost as pissed about this as I was when I found out that the guy you were secretly dating was abusing you. That is how fucking angry I am." Braxton hissed. Haley stared at him in disbelief.
"How fucking dare you bring that up." Brooke jumped up.
"Braxton what the fuck do you think you are doing?" Brandon yelled.
"Hales, what is he talking about?" Alex asked carefully.
"Baby?" Nathan asked with tears in his eyes shocked by the news. Haley stood up and walked over to Braxton. The smack could be heard from all the way upstairs, because the second Haley slapped him, Logan and Landon came running down the stairs.
"You are disgusting and I hate you." Haley spat at him. "Let's get one thing straight. This is for all of you. I am 16 years old. Who I choose to date is my business. I'm over this protective bullshit. There is such a double standard in this damn family. I am grown enough to make my own decision to date a great guy that treats me right. I am old enough to not need to formulate an entire plan just to ask to go to a high school party. I am sorry that he is your best friend and it isn't ideal. But the way that you handled this Braxton, I don't give a shit what you have to say. For you to fucking bring up Chris, you are a sorry excuse for a brother." Haley ranted.
"You're right." Alex mumbled.
"Braxton, I am going to set your balls on fire." Brooke threatened.
"Hales, baby, come sit down with me." Nathan spoke softly grabbing her hand.
"No Nathan! Let go of me!" Haley screamed yanking her hand out of his. "He had no business sharing that."
"Will someone please explain to us what's going on?" Logan asked.
"Unfortunately I can't because I am leaving but Braxton can. He has no problem sharing the worst experience of my life."
"Haley what do you mean you're leaving?" Alex asked.
"I can't be in this house right now. I'm not going to relive what happened to me. I don't want your sympathy. I don't want to be near this douchebag. And I need to clear my head." HAley explained.
"Hales, why don't we just go up to your room. I don't think you should be alone right now." Nathan suggested.
"Nate, I- I- I can't. I just want to be alone. I want to leave." Haley proclaimed.
"Haley please. I would feel a lot better if you just cooled off in your room. Preferably with someone." Alex begged.
"Brooke. I need to talk to Brooke." Haley mumbled. Brooke nodded and they silently went upstairs. This left Alex, Nathan, Logan, Landon, Braxton, and Brandon in the living room. Brandon walked over to Braxton and punched him hard enough to knock him out and send him to the floor.
"What the hell happened while we were upstairs?!" Landon exclaimed.
"Braxton betrayed Haley and revealed something about her past." Nathan explained.
"While we're on the topic of it, what the hell happened to her Brandon? I am assuming you know?" Alex questioned.
"God, I can't believe I am about to relive this. So the only ones who knew about this were Brax, Brooke, and I. Brooke knew first, Haley told her. Brax and I figured it out. It was the night of her 16th birthday that we found out so almost exactly a year ago. Remember how she absolutely refused the idea of a pool party? It's because she was covered in bruises. After her dinner, she told us all that she was going to Brooke's. She was actually meeting up with her secret boyfriend. Chris Keller. He was 18 at the time, a year above me and Brax. When she got home she went straight up to her room but I could hear her crying. So I woke up Brax and we went to check on her.
"We walked in and saw her in a sports bra and running shorts, completely bruised and bloody. She had a cuts all over her back and this one burn on the back of her shoulder from a cigarette lighter. She had was crying her eyes out. I will never get that image out of my head. We made her tell us everything. She told us how they started dating, when he started hurting her, and how he threatened her to not tell anyone. We cleaned her up and brought her back to my room. She woke up all night with nightmares.
"The next morning Brax and I talked to Brooke, found the guy, beat the living crap out of him, and by that night he had moved to Honey Grove, Texas. He's the reason that Haley started to have her panic attacks, not because of the D she got in gym last year. Haley slept in either mine or Braxton's rooms for a month. She begged us not to tell you guys. Brax and I argued about it a lot. We thought you all deserved to know but we also saw how painful it was for her to talk about it. So we finally agreed we wouldn't bring it up again. Until tonight…" Brandon finished the story tearfully.
"I am going to kill that jackass." Nathan gritted through his teeth. Everyone in the room had tears in their eyes.
"If I ever find him, he's going to pray for death." Alex spat.
"Braxton went way too far." Logan stated.
"Guys, Haley was right. We need to change how we treat her. No more of this double standard bullshit. We all want to protect her but she deserves to live her life." Landon adds.
"Agreed. All of that stops now." Alex states.
"For what it's worth Nate, I'm glad you and Haley are happy." Brandon said.
"I appreciate that man."
"You're a good guy. Braxton overreacted." Logan added.
"Just make sure you treat Hales right." Landon finished.
"I would never hurt her. In any way. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me." Nate confessed. Brooke came running down the stairs and into the living room.
"She left. She was having a panic attack and when I calmed her down, she asked me to get her tylenol from her bathroom. And when I came back she was gone and her window was open. She climbed down three stories from her window and left." Brooke exclaimed. Braxton started to stir and wake up after being knocked out.
"Did you fucking punch me Brandon?" Braxton asked.
"Yeah and you deserved much more. Because of you everyone knows what happened to Haley, she had a panic attack, and escaped out her window and no one knows where she is. So nice going jackass." Brandon retorted.
"And this is my fault?" Braxton asked.
"Brax, man, I know you aren't thrilled about me and Haley dating but you have hurt her so much tonight. If you will excuse me I am going out to find my girlfriend." Nathan said before storming out.
"You were a terrible brother tonight. I'm going to help Nate." Brooke followed. Logan, Landon, and Alex all walked out as well without saying a single word to Braxton.
"I don't really have anything else to say to you man." Brandon shook his head and left.
Meanwhile, Haley sat on the dock in the private beach Nathan showed her, clutching a bottle of vodka and crying. Her phone was blowing up with texts from Nathan and Brooke, and her brothers, well except for Braxton. She shut her phone off, took a swig of vodka from the bottle, and prayed it would all stop hurting soon.
So guys, love it? Hate it? Please review! Did you guys like the reactions? I get Braxton was a little over the top but we gotta have some drama in there ;) Plus I needed to find a way to introduce the Chris Keller subject. Please Review with comments, suggestions, anything really. Good or bad. Once I get a good number of reviews for this chapter I will post the next one. Until next time… xx Brielle :)