Happy One Tree Hill Day, guys! In honour of such a special occasion, here's the next chapter! Enjoy.

Once again, feedback is greatly appreciated.

Chapter 7

A month had passed since Nathan and Haley's break up. The group of six friends had graduated from Tree Hill High the week before. Haley had kept her word and remained civil towards Nathan whenever she was around him. She had also been spending more and more time with Chris Keller, someone who made her forget all her problems. Although Haley and Chris had dated in high school, they both agreed that this time around their feelings were strictly platonic, and always would be. Currently, Haley was sitting atop a picnic table at the Rivercourt waiting for Chris to arrive.

Haley heard footsteps approaching a turned around expecting to see her friend. Instead, she was met by Dan Scott. Haley rolled her eyes and turned back around, hoping that if she ignored him he would leave. Unfortunately for Haley, her plan didn't quite work and Dan sat down next to her on the table.

"Hello, Ms. James," he spoke smoothly.

"Mr. Scott," Haley acknowledged.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Waiting for a friend."

"Are you sure you're not waiting for my son to show up? Maybe you've decided you want him back?"

"I'm not that desperate," Haley defended.

"Well that's good. You should know though, even if you did want Nathan back, it wouldn't happen."

"And why is that?" Haley questioned.

"Because I've finally managed to convince Nathan of how much better he is than you."

Haley scoffed. "I'll keep that in mind," she declared sardonically.

"You know," he continued. "Nathan never told me why you guys broke up, but let me express how happy I was when I found out. You were nothing more than a piece of ass that he claimed to love, that was also holding him back."

Haley nodded in mock agreement. "Lucky for you, I ended our relationship, allowing him to reach his full potential."

"I doubt you dumped him. Last I checked your family was dirt poor, you're a smart enough girl to know to latch on to money."

Haley shrugged. "Believe what you'd like to Mr. Scott."

Dan smirked. "Well, time for me to go. I don't want to be seen around trash like you for too long."

Haley turned around and watched him leave, noticing Chris approaching the Rivercourt, passing Dan on his way to her. Dan turned around and smirked once more. "He's quite a dive from Nathan, but definitely more at your level."

Haley glared at Dan and watched as he got into his black SUV and drove away.

"Who was that?" Chris inquired.

"Nathan's ass of a father," Haley grumbled.

"What did he want?"

"Oh, you know, just to make sure I was aware of how beneath Nathan I am, and how happy he was that we broke up."

"I wondered where Nathan got it."

"Got what?"

"His ability to be an arrogant asshole and not give a damn," Chris supplied.

Haley laughed. "As much as I hate Nathan, even he isn't as bad as Dan."

Chris shrugged. "To each his own," he remarked.

The two friends fell into a short silence, when Chris began to speak moments later. "Speak of the devil," he muttered.

"Huh?" Haley replied.

Chris nodded his head in the direction of an approaching Nathan, bracing himself for any fight that might ensue. "Oh," Haley said.

Nathan stepped onto the court and looked up at Haley and Chris. He glared at them and began walking over. "Can I have a word with you, Haley?" he asked upon arrival.

"Like hell you will," Chris interjected.

"Stay out of it, Keller," Nathan spat. He turned his gaze toward Haley and silently asked her again.

"Yeah, I guess," she muttered while running a hand through her long blond hair.

Chris turned to Haley. "I'm not leaving," he whispered.

"Chris, I love you, but its okay. You can go, I'll be fine," she reassured and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek. He silently conceded and began to walk away from the ex lovers.

Nathan watched as Haley tried to convince the loser to beat it. His ears perked up when he heard her saying she loved him. Then she had the audacity to kiss him! Anger was coursing through Nathan's veins. He couldn't believe her.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Haley inquired.

"You've got some nerve," Nathan seethed.

"What are you talking about?" Haley asked confused.

"We've been broken up for a month and you're already telling that douche you love him?" Nathan yelled.

"He's just my friend! Calm down."

"Bullshit! You're just some sort of whore."

Haley glared at him. "Go screw yourself, Nathan."

"Actually, I have a bunch of girls lined up waiting to. Speaking of screwing though, if you're acting like such a whore now, how do I know you weren't doing it when we were still dating?"

"What are you insinuating?" Haley asked angrily.

"I'm saying how do I even know that kid was mine?" Before Nathan could even close his mouth, Haley walked up to him and slapped him across the face. Tears were streaming down her face as she began to speak.

"That's really low, Nathan. You know that I would never cheat on you."

"Maybe so, but you may have also been trying to trap me."

"What?" she cried.

"Maybe you were afraid things would change once college started. You figured a baby would make me stay, so you went off birth control," he reasoned.

Haley gaped at him in shock. "I could never do that to you."

"Who knows? You did seem pretty happy about telling me you were pregnant."

"I was smiling because I loved you, and I knew that I had always eventually wanted to have children with you. Maybe it was an inopportune time, but that doesn't change that I was having your baby."

"There you go getting all emotional again. Pregnancy hormones maybe? Knocked up with Keller's baby this time."

Haley stared at him. "The only person I've ever been with is you, Nathan. You know that, so why are you being such an asshole?"

Nathan shrugged in response. "Can you please tell me what you had to talk to me about so I can leave?" Haley asked.

"Oh, right. I just thought I'd tell you before everyone else finds out."

"Tell me what?"

"I have a new girlfriend," he revealed.

Haley's jaw dropped. "Who?"

"Rachel Gatina."

Haley stumbled back, as though his words had physically hit her. "How could you? You know how badly she's always treated me!"

"The truth is, Haley, I really don't care about you anymore. You're nothing to me anymore, so you don't dictate who I date," he replied unattached.

Tears were streaming down Haley's face at an alarming rate. "If that's how it is, then I think it's better off we just don't see or talk to each other again," she said defeated.

"Fine with me," he responded with a tone of finality.

Haley began backing away from Nathan even more. Finally, she turned and ran the whole way home. Watching her run, Nathan turned back to the basketball court and began practicing his free throws, feeling a small hint of guilt at hurting Haley again. The truth is, he still did love her, but he just knew he'd never be good enough for her again after how he treated her.

When Haley finally reached her house she opened the door and immediately ran up to her room and locked the door. Lydia heard her daughter sobbing as she entered the house and went to go check on her. She knocked on the door but received no response. "Haley? Open up, sweetie," she said while knocking again. Still getting no response, she decided to try again later.

Lydia tried to get Haley to open her door three more times that day. Each time, she heard her daughter crying, but received no answer. Lydia was extremely worried about her daughter. She had not come out of her room to use the washroom or eat in almost 24 hours. She needed to call one of Haley's friends. Peyton and Jake were out of town; Lucas was a guy and wouldn't do well with crying, so Lydia called Brooke Davis.

"Hello," Brooke greeted.

"Hi, Brooke, it's Lydia."

"Oh hey, Lydia, what's up?"

"I was wondering, have you talked to Haley since yesterday afternoon?"

"Um, no. Why?"

"Well, she came running into the house, hysterical. She ran into her room and locked the door and hasn't come out since."

Brooke's face fell. "I'm on my way," she informed and hung up the phone while rushing out her front door.

Five minutes later, Brooke walked into the James household. She greeted Lydia and proceeded up to her best friend's bedroom. Knowing it was locked, Brooke knocked on the door. "Haley, its Brooke, open up."

Brooke heard a shuffling from inside the room and the lock click. The door slowly opened and Brooke was met by the very blood shot eyes of her best friend. Brooke immediately engulfed the shorter girl in a warm hug and backed them into the bedroom towards the bed. Once the two girls had sat down, Brooke turned to Haley.

"You wanna tell me what happened?"

Haley sighed. "Where should I even start?"

"The beginning would be nice."

Haley looked down at her hands that were playing with her comforter. She began recounting everything that had happened between her and Nathan, beginning with her taking the three pregnancy tests all the way to their conversation the day before. Brooke's eyes began to water as Haley finished.

"You were pregnant?" she whispered.

Haley nodded in response, tears welling in her own eyes for the millionth time. "Oh my God, Hales. I wish you would have told me sooner."

Haley looked to her friend apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"Its okay, I understand. When are you going to tell everyone else though?"

"Brooke, I can't. It's too hard."

Brooke was about to protest but upon seeing her friends pleading look, conceded. "You have to swear to not tell anyone either. Not even Lucas, Peyton, or Jake."

Brooke sighed. "I promise. You're gonna have to tell them eventually though, Hales."

"I know. It's just painful to relive." Brooke nodded sympathetically and once again wrapped her arms around her friend comfortingly. The two girls spent the rest of that day and night talking and laughing, attempting to rid Haley's mind of memories of Nathan Scott.

"After that, you guys know everything that happened," twenty five year old Haley James finished recounting her memories from seven years earlier. She looked around the room at her friends and saw that Peyton's eyes were watering, Lucas and Jake were silent, and Brooke, despite already hearing the story, was struggling to keep herself together.

Peyton lifted herself from the floor and walked over to Haley and hugged her tightly. Jake and Lucas soon followed and Haley was at the centre of a five person group hug. They pulled away when they heard the front door open and close. Haley then realized that it had actually taken her about two hours to retell the events of seven years prior. She looked to the entrance of the room and saw a solemn Nathan staring at her.

Lucas was incredibly angry with his half brother for treating his best friend like dirt. When he saw him, Lucas jumped to his feet prepared to beat his brother to a pulp. As if she knew exactly what he was going to do, Haley called out to Lucas.

"Lucas, don't you dare touch him!"

Lucas turned to face her. "Haley, do you not remember everything you just told us? He deserves to get his ass kicked for how he treated you!"

"So you told them?" Nathan cut in.

Haley glanced at him quickly, acknowledging his question and turned back to Lucas. "I know exactly what he did to me, Lucas. That doesn't mean you just get to attack him because you're pissed off about it."

Lucas shook his head in disagreement but sat back down anyway. "Could you guys could give us some privacy? I think Nathan and I need to have a talk," Haley declared.

Lucas, Brooke, Peyton, and Jake grudgingly got up and left the room, leaving Nathan and Haley alone to talk at last.