A/N:
Songs used in this chapter:
Ten Thousand Fists – Disturbed
With
These Eyes – Roch Voisine
23Always&Forever23
"JOHN! You have new messages!"
"Can you check them hun?!" He yelled from the bathroom. Haley walked over to the answering machine and pushed the playback button.
You have 1 new message. Sunday, December 4th. Hey Johnny. It's me, Kelly. I'm waiting for you, alone like you asked. Just wondering why you're blowing me off. We hardly see each other anymore. Let me know what's going on. End of messages.
Haley stared at the answering machine in shock. A small tear formed in her eye. She heard the flushing of a toilet and then John exited the bathroom.
"You ready to go?" He noticed Haley's facial expression. "What's wrong?"
"Who's Kelly?"
John's smile fell from his face. He looked guilty and then he became confused. Haley stood there, arms crossed glaring at John. Tears were forming in her eyes and they were threatening to fall. John looked at the answering machine and saw that the message was saved. He walked over to it and replayed the message.
Hey Johnny. It's me, Kelly. I'm waiting for you, alone like you asked. Just wondering why you're blowing me off. We hardly see each other anymore. Let me know what's going on. End of messages.
Haley was still waiting for her answer. John didn't speak. He looked at Haley. Tears were running down her face now. He walked back over to her. She walked backwards to get away from him.
"Haley it's not-"
"Not what!?"
"It's not what you think."
"I think it's exactly what I think."
"It's not."
"Do you take me for a fool? Do I look like an idiot to you?!"
"Haley please…"
"Leave me alone…we're done!"
Haley ran out of the dorm room. John just stood there and waited until she was out the door before running after her.
"HALEY!"
John made it to his doorframe and stood outside the door, she was nowhere to be seen. He had a look of anger in his eyes. He took a deep breath to keep him from punching something. At that precise moment, his cell phone had rung. He looked down at the caller ID. Kelly. He sighed and flipped open his phone.
"What?"
"Hey. Finally you answer your phone. What's up?"
"Uh, my girlfriend just broke up with me."
"Why?"
"She thinks I'm seeing you."
"EWW! That's incestuous. Why would she think that?"
"Cause she heard your message. Couldn't say that you were my sister could you?"
"Sorry big bro. I figured that your girlfriend of 2 months would know that you had a sister...or two."
23Always&Forever23
Nathan had driven all but 30 seconds to the next set of dorm rooms. He had to speak to Lucas. Why the hell would you tell her? You're an idiot. What were you expecting? That she'd leave John and come running to you? She deserves to be happy, even if it's not with you. Nathan walked right up to Lucas' dorm room and hung his head, believing that he was the world's largest idiot. He knocked on the door and waited for Lucas to open it.
Nothing.
He knocked again. No one answered the door. Nathan looked at his watch. It was almost 9:00. Lucas was on a date and Nathan knew. He sighed and slunk to the floor and decided to wait for Lucas. He reached into his pocket and extracted his iPod. He put an earphone into his ear and let the voice of Kanye West infiltrate his ears. Nathan leaned his head against the wall behind him. He closed his eyes and let the evenings events replay in his head.
Nathan had slowed the car down and came to a halt. He waited for Haley to exit the car. She took off her seatbelt and opened the car door. She was about to walk towards the dorms, but she turned to Nathan.
"Nate? The girl you have a crush on…is it me?"
Nathan's heart froze. His facial expression dropped and he stared hard at Haley. He started the car again and was about to pull out of the parking lot.
"Anyone with half a brain can see it Hales."
At that he was gone.
Nathan slung his head back forwards and looked down at his iPod. He let go of the breath he had been holding while thinking of his confession to Haley. He was an idiot. Telling her wouldn't have helped the situation. He brought his fingers to his eyes and rubbed the tired out of them. He stifled a yawn and then he heard the tiniest sniffle. He looked to his right and sure enough Haley was walking in his direction. He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. I thought she was gonna go out with John. Nathan stood and put his iPod back into his pocket. Haley stopped in front of Lucas' door and noticed Nathan. She stopped and looked to the floor so that he wouldn't see the way she looked.
"Where's Lucas?"
Nathan could tell she was upset. Her voice cracked when she spoke. He tried to get a look at her face, but it was pointed downwards, not allowing anyone to view it.
"He's not here. He must still be on his date."
"Oh…okay. I'll just go, then."
Haley began to turn around, but Nathan stopped her from leaving. He lightly grabbed a hold of her wrist.
"Hey, are you okay? What happened?"
Haley turned to face Nathan. She showed him her face. It was tear-stained and he was taken aback by it. He looked at her in concern. She turned away from him and ran to where she had come from previously. She sprinted. Nathan watched her run and began to run after her.
"HALEY!"
Haley continued to run away from Nathan. She couldn't be near him, especially right now.
"HALEY!"
Nathan had caught up with her. He lightly tugged on the jacket she wore and made her face him. She was trying to catch her breath as he was.
"Wh-what happened?"
She sniffed, trying to stop the tears from falling. She felt like an idiot and she was always vulnerable around Nathan, that's why she ran from him. He had scared her earlier.
"Anyone with half a brain can see it Hales." She was scared. She shook her head and noticed that Nathan was now standing a mere 3 inches in front of her. He lifted her face by putting a soft hand under her chin and lifting it, forcing her to look at him.
"What did he do?"
Haley looked straight into his eyes. His large, captivating blue eyes that she knew she shouldn't look into, but she did anyways. Before she knew it, she had wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head into his chest. Her tears were falling freely now. Nathan wanted so badly to know what was wrong with her. He didn't push it. Instead he let her cry in his chest. He draped arms around her figure, protectively. He rested his chin on her head and grazed her hair with his fingers. He took in the scent of her hair and it made his stomach turn in vigorous ways. It was some sort of flower…lavender. His heart began to race. Haley pulled away from him and looked at him. She moved herself away from his touch and looked at him. Nathan gazed back at her confused.
"Come with me."
Haley began to walk in the direction of one of the dorms. He followed her, hands in his pockets. He walked a little bit behind Haley. He walked into the familiar building where Haley's dorm room was. Haley stopped in front of her dorm room and grabbed her key out of her jacket pocket. She noticed that there were no scrunchies on the door, which meant that her roommate was still out or having "fun" elsewhere. She unlocked the door and led the both of them inside. Haley threw her jacket onto the chair by her desk. Nathan closed the door behind them and walked over to Haley's bed, sitting beside her. She took a deep breath and grabbed onto his head and leaned her head on his shoulder. He looked at her and caught her eyes with his. Her tears were still falling and all he wanted to do was kiss away her pain. He shifted in his spot to be face-to-face with her. Nathan brought the pad of his thumbs to her cheeks, wiping them away.
"C'mon Hales. Don't cry. I hate it when you cry."
Haley looked up at him. His voice was so soft and gentle. It soothed her and almost made her forget why she was in this state. She didn't know why she was even crying to begin with. She and John hadn't even exchanged the I Love You's yet. But, here she was in tears because he cheated on her. She looked at Nathan and before she knew it, she was leaned towards him. She gently brushed her lips against his. The kiss was soft and tender. The butterflies in Haley's stomach began to fly energetically, as the familiarity of Nathan's lips on hers came rushing back to her. Nathan had been surprised by Haley's antics, not that he was complaining, but the voice in his head kept telling him that she was upset and the only reason that she was kissing him was to get back at John because John was the only reason that she could have been in this state. Not to mention, John's your friend.Nathan placed his hand on Haley's face, reluctantly prying her lips away from his. He hated to have broken the interaction. Her forehead was on his now, his hands still resting on her face.
"Hales, you shouldn't…we-I can't."
"Why not?"
"You're with John, and I can't do that to him…no matter how much I love you."
Haley moved away from Nathan slightly. She took her hand away from his and sat with her hands in her lap. Nathan rested his elbows on his knees and looked at Haley, her beautiful face still tear-stained.
"What happened Haley?"
Haley sighed and wiped away the tears from her face. She took a deep breath.
"Okay…well you know when you dropped me off at John's I was gonna hang out with him tonight?"
"Yeah…"
"Well I got to his dorm room and he was just calling me. He said we would go out and that he was just gonna run to the bathroom. I noticed his answering machine blinking so I told him that he had a new message and he told me to check it. So I did…" Haley's tears began to fall again. Nathan placed his hand on the small of her back, leaving soothing patterns on her back. "Anyways…I listened to the message and there was a girl saying how she was wondering when he was coming and that she was alone like he asked her to be and…"
Nathan's anger rose. How dare he do this to her? Nathan turned to Haley and brought her into a soothing hug. He placed an innocent and lingering kiss on her temple. He then got up from his spot and went towards the door.
"Where are you going?"
"Don't worry. Just stay here okay?"
"Nathan!"
"Haley just stay here. I'll be right back."
Nathan was out the door. Haley sat on her bed, alone. She was alone. She cried and lay on her bed.
23Always&Forever23
Lucas sat across the table from a beautiful girl. He was on a date. He decided that it was time to get back into the dating game. Over his 2 months at Stanford, he had come to embrace the pleasure of knowing Brooke Davis and a couple of days ago he had asked her out. He found himself getting better and better at asking girls out. Tonight, he was out with Brooke and truth be told, he was enjoying himself.
"So you grew up in Tree Hill?"
"Yeah. My mother owns a café in town."
"I can't believe that you grew up in Tree Hill. I lived there until I was 15."
"What happened?"
"My father got offered a job here in Cali and he took it because we were broke."
"Oh. You guys good now?"
"Yeah. I was scared for a while there, but somehow he made it out."
"He?"
"Yeah well, my mother never worked. She was always spending money on clothes and her scotch. And me, well, I wasn't exactly innocent in all of it. I spent a lot on clothes so…he."
Lucas was surprised. On the exterior, Brooke could easily be mistaken for the typical girly girl, but underneath it all, she was a mature and good-hearted person, the type Lucas liked and could potentially love. He smiled every time she spoke, and was fascinated by anything that left her mouth.
"How about you broody?"
"B-broody?"
"Well you're always brooding so…"
"So does that make you Cheery because you're always cheerful?"
"Maybe…"
The two continued to laugh and have fun.
23Always&Forever23
Survivor
Survivor
Nathan had left Haley's dorm room running and in anger. He sprinted up the stairs of the building and came upon a familiar room.
One
more goddamn day
When I know what I want
And my want will be
considered tonight
Considered tonight
He pounded his fist on the white door, huffing, catching his breath. A look of determination settled into his face and when there was no answer, he pounded again on the door, only harder.
"JOHN I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! OPEN UP!"
Just
another day
When all that I want will
Mark me as a sinner
tonight
I'm a sinner tonight
Yeah
No one answered and Nathan pounded the door again. Soon, the door clicked signaling that someone was unlocking it. John appeared behind the door and looked at Nathan. He was angry and John looked at him confused. Nathan pushed his way into the room and slammed the door behind him. If looks could kill, John would be dead on the floor. John walked backwards with his hands up.
"What's up Nate?"
People
can no longer cover their eyes
If this disturbs you
Then walk
away
You will remember
The night you were struck by the sight
of
Ten thousand fists in the air
Nathan was angry and it was evident and his anger scared John a little bit.
"Don't gimme that. What makes you think that you'd get away with this?"
"With what?"
Power
un-restrained dead on the mark
Is what we will deliver
tonight
Deliver tonight
Nathan had lunged himself at John. His hand had gripped John's neck, pushing him against the door. Nathan grabbed a hold of John's hand and made him look at him.
Pleasure
fused with pain
This triumph of the soul
Will make you shiver
tonight
Will Make you shiver tonight
Yeah
"Let me get one thing straight J.A…you mess with Haley, you mess with me and believe me, I'm not someone you wanna mess with. You really hurt her…and to think I thought that you were a good guy. Haley's the best of the best…why…how could you cheat on her?"
"I didn't cheat on her Scott."
"Wh-"
People
can no longer cover their eyes
If this disturbs you
Then walk
away
You will remember
The night you were struck by the sight
of
Ten thousand fists in the air
Nathan punched John right across the face, his fist coming into contact with John's jaw. John fell to the floor and Nathan moved away from him, disgusted. John got up and wiped the blood from his face. He turned to face Nathan. Nathan still had anger in his eyes and hatred in his looks. John glared at Nathan.
"I didn't cheat on her. The message she heard was my sister, Kelly. She's in town to see me about personal matters. I was supposed to meet her tonight, that's why I cancelled on Haley. But, I was at the library studying all day, that's why I didn't get that message until later tonight. Think about it Scott, if I were cheating on Haley why the hell would I let her check my messages? It doesn't make sense."
We
are the ones that will open your mind
Leave the weak and haunted
behind
We are the ones that will open your mind
Leave the weak
and haunted behind
We are the ones that will open your mind
Leave
the weak and haunted behind
We are the ones that will open your
mind
Leave the weak and haunted behind
"It makes perfect sense. You knew that this girl would call you on your cell phone, so your alibi would be safe. I'm not an idiot Averna."
"Either that or you've been there Scott."
Nathan looked at John, glaring into John's soul.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You sound like you're speaking from experience. Is that why you and Haley broke up? She wasn't enough for you?"
People
can no longer cover their eyes
If this disturbs you
Then walk
away
You will remember
The night you were struck by the sight
of
Ten thousand fists in the air
Ten thousand fists in the
air
Ten thousand fists in the air
Nathan had lunged himself at John again. The two of them rolled around the floor of the dorm. Nathan was on top of John, pounding his fist into John's face. The anger in Nathan was too much to bear. John had covered his face a few times, blocking Nathan's fist from coming into contact with his face. John had then got out of Nathan's grip and ran to get some space between them, even though it was limited. Nathan walked towards John, closing the space between them. John had flung his arm forwards and hit Nathan in the gut. Nathan was taking blows to the stomach and could feel the food he had previously eaten begin to rise into his esophagus. He had to stop John.
Nathan got a hold of John around the waist and drove him backwards, hitting John's back into the wall. Nathan punched John again, this time hitting his eye. He could see the red mark forming on his eye. That'll leave a mark. The door to the dorm room had opened, without either guy knowing.
"What the hell?"
Nathan had spun his had around. He came face-to-face with a delicate faced girl with golden blonde waves, flowing freely. Her features were soft, but serious. Nathan scrunched his eyebrows and questioned the young lady.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Shouldn't I ask you that?"
"I asked you first."
John had gotten up from the floor after being punched in the eye. He pressed his fingers to his eye and it stung. That'll bruise by tomorrow morning…perfectly. His breathing was heavy and he struggled to get up. His face hurt a lot and he wiped his hand across his lip. He walked over to Nathan and the girl.
"I'm Kelly, who the hell are you and what makes you think you can hit my brother?"
"Y-you're Kelly?"
"Yeah…you wanna explain the beating?"
"I-I'm sorry, I, he…"
"Waiting here dude."
Nathan turned around to face John who was looking at Nathan and breathing hard. Nathan's face fell at his realization. John was looking at Nathan in disbelief.
"I thought you and John were…"
"OH! EWW! That's just nasty."
"So, you're really his sister?" Nathan was in shock and disbelief.
"John? Have you told none of your friends that you have sisters?"
"Sisters?"
"Yeah. I can show you a driver's license if you'd like."
"Not necessary…I'll uh, let myself out."
"OH! No you won't!"
John had got a grab of the back of Nathan's shirt and threw his against the wall, pinning him with his hands on the collar of Nathan's shirt. Nathan hit the back of his head on the wall. "You listen to me Scott. Haley and I are meant to be together and you're gonna help me. You owe me. For all I know, I'll probably get benched the rest of the season for getting into a fight. You're gonna get Haley to talk to me and she's gonna meet my sister. I didn't cheat on her. Maybe next time you'll think twice before making assumptions." Nathan hung his head in defeat. "Also Scott, stay away from her. I mean I'd hate to see what happens to you…you know how powerful my parents are. I can have you accidentally run over for all you know, maybe even your little sister. After Haley's back with me, you are gonna leave her alone." To prove he was serious, John hit the wall, skimming Nathan's ear and gave Nathan one more punch to the gut. Nathan bent over to tolerate the pain that shot into his midsection. John then grabbed Nathan by his neck and pushed him out the door. Before Nathan could walk away, John called out to him.
"Scott? She better be here soon."
23Always&Forever23
Haley lay in her bed, waiting for something to happen. She was breathing loudly. Nathan had been gone for a while and she wondered where he could be. There was a soft knock at her door. She sprung from her bed and went to open the door. On the other side of the door, stood Nathan. He looked at Haley and all of the pain he felt went away. She went and hugged him. He pushed her away a few seconds later. She looked up into his eyes, fear holding onto him and confusion written in her face.
"Where did you go?"
Nathan walked into the room and sat on her bed. The pain in his stomach had yet to reside. Haley closed the door and locked it. She went over to her bed and sat beside Nathan. He was crunched forward and his elbows rested on his knees. He rubbed the back of his head where the wall had hit it.
"I uh…went to confront John. The girl was there, but it is his sister. She introduced herself. I didn't believe it at first, but then she offered to whip out her driver's license…He…he didn't cheat on you Hales. Y-you should go and work things out."
Haley ran a hand through Nathan's hair. He looked at her. He looked and felt scared to be this close to her. Nathan looked at Haley and wanted to tell her everything that had happened between him and John, but he knew that he couldn't. He couldn't risk anything bad happening and decided against it. He kept his mouth shut. He stood and went to the door.
"This must mean a lot to you Haley. I mean…you were crying, so as much as it pains me to say it, you should go work things out."
Haley got up from her spot on the bed and walked over to Nathan. She wrapped her arms around his muscular body and silently thanked him. Haley broke their bond. She was out the door and so was he. They moved in opposite directions, but Nathan watched her move towards John's dorm. He wished her nothing but happiness and safety. Goodbye, Haley. Nathan walked to his car and drove away towards his dorm room, tears streamed down his face. Tonight could have been the end of sadness and the beginning of happiness for him, but instead it was the end of his bond to Haley.
With
these eyes
I've held you in my arms
Your love was all I had
But
you had to end it all
With
these eyes
I've stood out in the rain
I've listened for your
call
That never came at all
Haley knocked on the white door, where John would be. He opened the door and smiled back at her. She noticed the cuts on his lip and the purple mark forming on his eye. She gazed at his face and scrunched her eyebrows in confusion.
"Shit." She whispered and he shook his head, letting her know that she shouldn't worry. He let her in and she saw a blonde sitting on his bed.
"Haley, the one you heard on the machine, was Kelly, my little sister…one of them."
With
these eyes
You're everything to me
Without your love
I'll
wind up down upon my knees
With these eyes
I've learned from my
mistake
That a sad song doesn't care
Whose heart it breaks
Nathan drove, not knowing where to go. How can I just cut Haley out of my life? She's everything to me. She was my first love and I was hers. How can either of us just let that go? Nathan wiped the tears from his eyes, trying to focus on the road.
With
these eyes
I'm feeling out of touch
I've waited patiently
For
you whose love I need so much
With
these eyes
I've watched you turn away
With nothing left to
give
And nothing more to say
Kelly rose from her spot with a tiny smile on her face and held out her hand for Haley to shake.
"You must be Haley. Kelly Averna…nice to meet you. Sorry about the message I figured that my dumbass brother would have told you that he has a sister and my name for that matter."
"It's okay."
"Okay then. I'm gonna go. Bro, I'll see you after your exam tomorrow. Haley I hope to see you again."
Kelly let herself out of the room. Haley walked over to John and placed her hands on his wounds.
"I'm sorry that I mad you cry baby. You have to know that I'd never cheat on you." John grabbed a hold of Haley's hands.
"What happened?"
"Nathan attacked me."
With
these eyes
You're everything to me
Without your love
I'll
wind up down upon my knees
With these eyes
I've learned from my
mistake
That a sad song doesn't care
Whose heart it breaks
Nathan got to his dorm and unlocked his door. He tossed his keys onto his desk and threw his jacket on the floor. He stripped himself, leaving him in absolutely nothing but his boxers. He fell onto his bed with a pain in his head. He refused to touch his stomach because it still hurt. He turned out his lights and fell into a deep slumber, hoping that when he woke up, this would all just be a horrid dream.
And
though my love for
You runs so deep
It doesn't mean that you
and I
Are sharing the same dream
If
only I could
Listen to your words
And not my heart
You're
tryin' to spare my feelings
But you're tearing me apart
"C'mon Hales. Don't cry. I hate it when you cry."
She gently brushed her lips against his. The kiss was soft and tender. Nathan had been surprised by Haley's antics, not that he was complaining, but the voice in his head kept telling him that she was upset and the only reason that she was kissing him was to get back at John because John was the only reason that she could have been in this state. Not to mention, John's your friend. Nathan placed his hand on Haley's face, reluctantly prying her lips away from his. He hated to have broken the interaction. Her forehead was on his now, his hands still resting on her face.
There was a loud knock and Nathan woke abruptly from his dream. He looked at his alarm clock, 7:49. Nathan got up out of his bed and quickly threw his pants on from the previous night. He walked, barefoot and shirtless to the door to open it, to stop the other person from knocking so loudly. He opened the door and saw Haley on the other side of it, angry.
"Did you attack him?"
"What?"
"I went to see John last night and he's all bruised and cut. Did you hit him?"
Nathan just looked at Haley, knowing that this could not end well. Haley entered Nathan's room and he closed the door behind him and walked in front of Haley. He looked at her.
"Well? Did you?"
"Yes."
"Oh my God. NATHAN! Why would you do that?"
"I saw that you were hurt and I snapped okay? Would you rather have me be someone who just sits by and watches while the world hurts you?"
"That's not your job Nathan."
"What isn't?"
"To protect me."
Nathan looked at Haley, hurt evident in his eyes.
"I will always protect you, even if it's not my job. And I got hit too."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Where're your bruises?"
Nathan looked down at his abdomen. It was clear. He had absolutely no proof that he had gotten hit.
With
these eyes
You're everything to me
Without your love
I'll
wind up down upon my knees
With these eyes
I've learn from my
mistakes
That a sad song doesn't care
Whose heart it breaks
"So now, you're lying to me. My best friend wouldn't lie to me."
"And my best friend would believe me! And my best friend wouldn't wrip out my heart for a game of hackey sack."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that I didn't lead you on at all last night. Or did you forget that you kissed me?"
Haley stood there silently. She thinned her eyes and glared at him. He spoke again.
"You wanna talk about lying and hurting people? Take a look in the mirror."
"Next time you see me, DON'T TALK TO ME!"
Haley turned on her heel and walked out of Nathan's dorm room and his life.
That a sad song doesn't care whose heart it breaks…
23Always&Forever23
A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! Okay so how many people hate me right now? Don't worry…LOTS of Naley still to come :D Chapter dedicated to Kelly, Steph, Hayley and Molly…u four ALWAYS help me non-stop so thank you so much. AND to RedRoom323 and OhItIsLoved for their inspiring words!
