First of all, i want to apologize a million times for not updating sooner! I've been so busy and i am going to try as hard as possible to not take this long to update again! Thank you every one for the reviews and opinions, i use them all so thank you! So two oth's passed in these past two weeks, they were both cute but where is Naley? Ugh, hopefully we will get some good ones because the promo for the season finale had them, yay! and yay season 9! anyway, tomorrow (or today depending on your time zone - may 15th) is my birthdayy! so it would be a great birthday if you left me some great reviews! With that being said, here's chapter 7! It's not too exciting but there is a lot of info that is here to set up for the next chapter, hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I still don't own One Tree Hill or its characters or its lines. They all belong to Mark Schwahn and the awesome creators of oth!
Hope you Enjoy!
Chapter 7: An Attempt To Tip The Scales
Haley plopped down on her bed, sighing. Last night, the Tree Hill Ravens had won their first game of the season, with help from their new assistant coach. Nathan. She had been so excited to congratulate him after the game. He had experienced a painful past in basketball, something she still wasn't sure about, but the fact that he had gone out there and conquered his fears, she couldn't be more proud. And she wanted him to know that, he deserved it.
But then her parents showed up. What a joy.
Not that she didn't love her parents, she loved and respected them so much for the people they were, but they weren't exactly the most subtle people. They didn't hold anything back and often said what was on their mind whether or not it was awkward or inappropriate. And the fact that her boyfriend, who people weren't supposed to know she was seeing, met Lydia and Jimmy for the first time last night, didn't exactly make her feel better about them showing up. They had harassed her about 'scoring a hunk' their whole ride home.
She had seen the look her mother gave her when she introduced Nathan as the brother of one of her closest friends, the look that said 'I do not believe any of this bull you are telling me.' A typical mother look. She'd seen her mother give her siblings that look whenever they'd tried to pull something over on her. Mostly on Taylor, or Greg, or sometimes Quinn. She knew her mother could tell there was something going on between the two and she wouldn't let it go, but Haley would fight it until the end. Stubbornness ran in the family.
Looking to the clock on her nightstand, it now read 8:13am. She was an early riser from the day she was born. She'd been up for at least two hours now and was met with her mother in the kitchen, continuing to attack her with questions and suspicions, smirking the whole time. Her dad was doing yard work and neither Brooke nor Peyton had come home last night, so it looked as though she would be stuck with Lydia James the entire day. She could not do this all day, no way. She knew Nathan was free today, but she had to come up with something or somewhere to go that wouldn't cause controversy.
Today was Saturday, what was there to do? Then it hit her, she knew exactly what to do. Something she missed doing since she'd been away for the summer. Throwing on her jacket and shoes, she raced past her mother in the den before she could say anything smart and out the door to dial the number she'd memorized in these past few weeks. He picked up on the second ring.
"Hi beautiful," she smiled at that. He really did make her feel that, beautiful.
"Hey," she could get lost in him so easily. Quickly recovering from spacing out, she spoke up. "I was wondering if you want to do something with me today. In Raleigh?"
"Raleigh? Are you parents driving you that crazy?" he laughed.
"Oh my God, yes. But that's not why I want to go there."
"Why then?"
"It's a surprise." She smirked. "I'm getting you back for all the surprises you've pulled on me, considering you know I hate them."
"Very sneaky Bruce."
"I'll meet you at the river court, and I'll drive."
"Okay, bye Hales," and with that he hung up, leaving her in wondrous thoughts. She wasn't just getting away from a day of nagging, she was getting to spend the day doing something she loved with Nathan.
"Haley!" He called after her, but it was too late, she was gone. He could not believe what had just happened. He was the one who was jealous and angry watching Haley and Chris together no more than thirty seconds ago, until Carrie came along and kissed him right in front of his girlfriend. That was not how he wanted to get Haley away from Chris.
Turning back to a smirking Carrie, he was fucking pissed. Did she think kissing him would make him want her, because it didn't work? He didn't want her, he wanted Haley. Only Haley. Cooper was right, she was a fucking psycho. "What the hell did you just do Carrie?"
"I kissed you silly," she smiled while batting her eyes and biting her lip. God, she tried to hard.
"Yeah and why the fuck would you do that? I have a girlfriend, one who just saw you kiss me." He was infuriated.
"Oh c'mon Nathan, I know you liked it. Besides, she's not the girl for you."
"Who the hell do you think you are, you don't even fucking know me! Stay the hell away from me Carrie!" With that he cursorily turned and started in the direction Haley headed. He heard her chuckle and clenched his fists. Never in his life had he thought about hitting a girl, but damn he could have then and probably would've if he hadn't gotten out of there.
This was bad. Haley looked so hurt and broken after the regrettable kiss. He wanted nothing more than to hold her and tell her how much he wished it never happened, but he didn't know if he would ever be able to do that again. He just hoped that she could forgive him. He needed her to.
"What did you do?" he heard someone say from behind, he recognized that voice. The voice was of the person that scared him almost as much as loosing Haley did.
"Brooke, I can explain."
"You can explain? How do you explain lip locking someone who is not your girlfriend?" Peyton called, coming to stand right beside Brooke. Okay, the two of them definitely scared him more than anything.
"Please don't hit me," he said taking a step back.
"Too late, Boy Toy," Brooke started and balled her fist up leaning in to punch him until Peyton grabbed her elbow.
"Let's at least let him explain, the Carrie chick is crazy anyway," Peyton explained.
"You've got thirty seconds," Brooke proposed as they both crossed their arms.
He took a deep breath, and told them exactly what happened. How she pulled him down to the ground, how she continued to hit on him, and how she kissed him. Their intense gazes relaxed after he told them the story, and he thanked God that Brooke had lowered her fist. "I'm telling the truth."
"Okay we believe you, but that doesn't mean anything. It only matters if Haley forgives your jackass move." Peyton proclaimed.
"Yeah, she's been through a lot and if she doesn't take your sorry ass back I wouldn't blame her. She doesn't trust people easily so you shouldn't take advantage of that." Brooke agreed. But what did that mean? He knew of her continuous nightmares. He knew that she would get uncomfortable when other guys looked at her longingly. He just didn't know what it meant, and he prayed to God it was nothing too serious.
He needed to find her now, he needed to be assured that she was okay. And mostly, that she forgave him.
They were about ten minutes from their exit on the freeway. They'd been driving for about an hour and a half, with music blasting from the speakers and wind blowing through their hair. Haley tapped her fingers lightly to the beat on the steering wheel. Nathan couldn't get over how beautiful she looked, more so than usual. She looked so peaceful and carefree, like nothing could ever go wrong. He wanted to kiss her, she was so perfect. Everyday he spent with her, the more he wanted to shout from the rooftops that they were together. But because of their circumstance, it wasn't an option right now. He needed his job, but not as much as he needed her. He was coming to realize that with each passing day. Zoning back in on her presence in front of him, he smiled once more. This girl was something. His girl was something, something special. Reaching to the free hand that lay in her lap he interlocked their fingers and smoothed over her skin with his slightly calloused fingers.
Her smile widened at that, she knew he was staring. She had seen him focusing on her out of the corner of her eye. He was being so sweet today, but she knew it was just to butter her up so he could get the surprise out of her. "What are you doing Scott?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, why are you being extra sweet today? Are you trying to get the surprise out of me?"
"Did you do something with your hair?" he questioned with a mischievous look in his baby blues.
"You can't fool me you know," she laughed and turned her eyes back to the open road ahead of them. "But it's not going to work mister."
"Damn," he whispered. Pulling Haley's hand up to his mouth, he kissed it sweetly and looking longingly at her, "Can I persuade you into telling me?"
She merged the car into the far lane and pulled off at their exit. They would only be driving for a few more minutes. She laughed and rolled her eyes playfully, "Nathan we will be there in like five minutes, can you just wait?"
"Fine," he puffed and turned back to face the road ahead. He noticed now that they were among the crowded downtown streets of Raleigh. People were moving left and right and the hustle and bustle was definitely there. It was comforting to be back in the city. He'd lived in the city of Charlotte since he was four years old. While Tree Hill was great, and more of a home, he missed the city life he'd been so used to. It was nice to be back here.
Haley pulled into an empty parking spot along the curb and got out, placing the correct change in the awaiting meter. He had noticed her leave the car and hurriedly followed after her, grabbing her hand and entwining their fingers as they started up the street. "So where are we going?"
"Here," Haley said, stopping directly in front of a colorful building. The Children's Center of Raleigh. He'd heard of children's centers like this in cities, they were for underprivileged kids. He just couldn't figure out why they were here.
"C'mon," she started up the steps excitedly and hastily pushed through the double doors. As they entered through the front hall, Nathan could hear the sound of little kids laughing and yelling. He was never a big fan of kids, but it was nice to know that the children who didn't have it all set for them had somewhere to go to forget their troubles and just be a kid. He wished he had had somewhere like this place when he was their age. He had to put up with a lot of crap because of him, his father, through the years. If they were going to help out these kids, then he would happily accept. He could relate in a way.
They reached a side room that looked to be occupied mostly by teenagers. Entering the room and looking around, he noticed the kids' faces lacking happiness and their appearance lacking neatness. He really felt for these kids, no child deserved to live life unhappy and sad. God, when did he become such a softy? But seeing the girl in front of him so happy and elated while greeting what must be another volunteer, he understood. She deserved the best of him, and that's what he was going to continue giving her.
"Nathan," she said pulling him from his thoughts and motioning for him to come forward. "This is Stella, she has volunteered here with me every Saturday since I can remember. Stella, this is Nathan."
"Nice to meet you," he politely shook her hand before putting his hand back around Haley's waist.
"You've got a great girl here Nathan. Hold on to her if you know what's good for you," she joked and Haley rolled her eyes. But he took it seriously, she was one-hundred percent right. He wouldn't let her go.
"Believe me I know and I don't plan on it." He smiled. Haley was smiling from ear to ear as Stella excused herself and they started making their way towards the tables.
"So you never did tell me why we are actually here," he stated.
"Since I was about fifteen years old, I have come down here every Saturday and volunteered to help kids that are underprivileged, or sick, or just sad. I just felt that kids deserve to have someone that can help them get through tough times, everyone deserves that. These kids have a tough and raw exterior but inside they are just scared. I know the feeling." She was smiling so wide now and he was glad she found something that made her that way. "When you talk to these kids and you do something to help them smile, it's the best feeling in the world. So, since I left for the summer for Malibu, I haven't been coming and I can't believe how much I missed this. Since I needed to desperately get away and you were home, I brought you here."
"Wow you really are a saint," She was amazing, and she was not only saving him but these kids as well.
She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Yeah okay."
"Believe me Haley, you are the most selfless, incredible person I have ever met. You should be proud of yourself for what you do."
"Thank you." She smiled and tried desperately to hide the tears she could feel building in her eyes. What he said to her meant so much more to her than he realized. Turning promptly, she pointed to a table where a boy, who was probably fifteen or sixteen, was lounging. "There's someone I want you to meet, I think you could really help him."
"What do you mean?"
"His name is Q, he was this amazing basketball player until he was shot in the arm in a drive-by. Since then he hasn't been able to play basketball because his parents can't afford to pay for the correct surgery. He's really bitter about loosing the game and he's not open about it. Now I don't exactly know your past with basketball but I know you're not bitter about it, and I was thinking he could learn from you? What do you think?" She was giving him that adorable puppy-dog face and he didn't know if he could resist her.
"Hales, I don't know."
"Please, please just try to help him. If he won't let you then at least you tried. Please?" She asked once more with the face and her talented hands gently messaging his biceps. Damn, she was good.
"Fine, but what will you be doing?"
"I'm going to be with Sam over there," she stated pointing to her. "If you need me I'm right there okay?" she joked.
"Yeah, Hales." He sighed and she smiled at him cutely, he couldn't help but smile. He would do this for her, he just hoped this Q kid wasn't too bad. She pulled his arms until they were standing in front of him.
"Miss Haley, how've you been?" he smirked. Nathan knew that smirk, he'd perfected it as a teen.
"Great Q thanks. And you?"
"Better now," Nathan didn't like this.
"I'd like you to meet someone," she stated and turned toward him. "Q, this is Nathan Scott. Nathan, this is Quentin Fields.
Making her way up the steep mound of a Malibu dune, she plopped in the sand sobbing franticly. She couldn't believe what she'd just seen. How could Nathan do that to her? It proved to her that she still couldn't trust people. She'd taken a chance with Nathan because she felt a connection with him. The look in his eye the day they met made her believe that he could be different, different than the rest of the untrustworthy men in the world. But maybe she just needed to stay away from people that could hurt her, chances are most would.
She took a few breaths as she heard someone approaching. If it was Nathan, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her crying. "Hales."
Looking back, she saw Chris and breathed a sigh of relief. If it wasn't Brooke or Peyton there to comfort her, she was glad it was Chris. She sniffled and wiped her nose.
"Hales, are you okay? I saw you leave, probably the fastest I've seen you run. Well, second fastest after the time you and Brooke were fighting to get to the cake but, hey we were six." She smiled slightly at that, leave it to Chris to joke when she was down. It was reassuring that there were good people out there. He walked over to her and dropped down next to her in the sand, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong?"
"I can't believe he did that," she whispered, trying to fight the tears threatening to spill over. She wasn't winning that battle though.
"Who?"
"Nathan. I- he wasn't supposed to hurt me, he was too perfect. But he did." She sobbed louder and turned her head into Chris's shirt to quiet her sobs.
"Hales you're loosing me. What did he do?" Chris questioned. He was still confused.
"He kissed that red-head Carrie." She was crying hysterically now. It hurt almost as much to say it as it did to see it.
"Oh, Hales I'm so sorry." He said comfortingly. He pulled her into his lap and rubbing his hand soothingly over her silky tresses. "You don't need him. You have me, okay? I'm never going to let anything bad happen to you, not again. I promise."
She smiled up at him. She knew he would always be there for her, and that reassurance helped her feel better. She didn't need Nathan if he didn't need her. "Thank you, Chris."
"No problem, darling." He said pulling her tighter to him. They didn't notice someone seeing their intimate encounter though. But Nathan had seen it.
He had felt abominable having Haley see Carrie kiss him, but seeing this, it was making him feel sick. Chris comforting his girl, but maybe she wasn't his girl. Maybe she never was. Running back down the dune, he made his way to the water and splashed cold water on his face. He needed to forget what he saw, but he wouldn't forget what he heard. Chris said something about not letting anything bad happen to her again, but what did that mean? He couldn't fathom thinking about something bad happening to her. No, he wouldn't let himself go there. He needed to clear his head so he could go back to Haley, and get her back. Taking off down the beach in a trot, he prayed that she could forgive him completely. He didn't want to loose her. He couldn't.
"Please tell me how you scored her fine ass-"
"Do not finish that sentence." Nathan remarked angrily. He'd been talking to Quentin no more than five minutes and he already was questioning why he agreed to this. This kid was cocky. He cursed when he wanted, and didn't hold back on what he said. He was tall and dark-skinned. He laughed things off, but Nathan could see that his humor didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Alright, alright. I'm just saying she is fine," he smirked while leaning back in his chair and putting his one arm behind his head.
"Well keep your eyes off her kid, what are you twelve?"
"I'm fifteen, what are you like thirty?" This kid was definitely rubbing him the wrong way, it reminded him of someone he used to know.
"I'm twenty-one."
"Cool, you can score us some beer!"
Ignoring his comment, he decided to just get to the point. "Listen man, I'm sorry about your arm."
"Yeah," he sadly dipped his head and focused on his hands.
"I know how hard it is to loose basketball-"
"Do you? Cause as far as I can tell you're fine." He bit back angrily. This was good. It was never good to just keep everything bottled up inside, he knew.
"As a matter of fact I do."
"Really? Do you know what it's like to get shot in the damn arm by drunken jackasses that live in your neighborhood? Do you know how it feels to wake up in a hospital and have a doctor tell you you won't be able to play basketball because your parents can't afford to pay for your surgery? Do you have any idea what it's like to not be able to lift your arm past your ribs and completely loose your dream?" He was angry now and Nathan could see the tears glistening in his eyes. He felt bad for the kid. He'd suffered a lot for only being fifteen.
"Look man, I'm sorry. I know that must have been tough but I do know a fraction of what you're feeling. Last year, I got into a fight after I was drunk in a bar. The guy pushed me and I was thrown through a plate-glass window. When I woke up they told me a piece of glass went into my spin and I couldn't feel my legs. They weren't sure if I was ever going to play again, or walk again. But thankfully I worked through it and now I'm fine. I still have a sore back sometimes but you just need to know that things get better. I promise." He exclaimed. It felt good to get that off his chest. Only a select few people knew the entire story, not even his old basketball team knew the full story. Not even Haley knew.
"You're fine?" Quentin asked after pondering the information.
"Yeah, they told me I'm as healed as I can be which is more than they thought I'd be." He was proud of himself for that, but it still hurt to think about all that he lost.
"Then why don't you fight for the game again? That's what I would do. If I had a chance to even come close to trying to play ball again, I'd take it in a freaking heartbeat."
He'd never thought of that, but he just didn't know if he could go back to it and not be haunted by all the painful memories. It had been a while but he still remembered them like they were yesterday. And he hated thinking about it all.
1:17 Am. It's what his cell phone read the last time he'd checked. He'd been running for about an hour. He didn't know why, time just got away from him. He wanted to just keep running, to forget this awful day and hope things would be fixed by the time he was done. But this was the real world and things didn't work that way, damn. Making his way up the beach in front of Haley's house, he wrung his hands repeatedly together. If he made it through this with Haley, he promised to never mess up again because the damn pressure was enough to kill a guy. But he had to do this, for her.
Making his way up the stairs, he felt his heart beat increase wildly at the sudden realization that she was standing outside on the deck. God, she was beautiful and the moonlight just extenuated her perfections. But her face was puffy and her cheeks were tear stained, that sight alone made him want to crawl in a hole. Why was he acting like such a tool? He needed to man up and do this, she needed to forgive him and he was going to make her if it killed him.
"Hey," he quietly bolted out. He was still apprehensive though.
"Nathan-" she started but he cut her off. He needed to explain before she said anything. She deserved his explanation.
"Please, Hales, just listen to me okay. I'm going to explain exactly what happened, please, and you will see what happened was not my doing." He begged.
After a few seconds of pondering, she nodded her head for him to continue.
"I swear to God Haley, Carrie kissed me. I did not kiss her. She's always flirting with me and no matter how stalkerish it got, I let it go because I knew you would want me to the better person because you are the better person and you're just trying to make me a better person and I adore that about you and-"
"I don't think stalkerish is a word." She quietly corrected and Nathan smiled.
"See there you go, and I'm smarter because of it. And I'm happier, and more appreciative, and more open to life and how great it is and it's all because of you. And Carrie kissed me and I regret it because she's not you and I don't want anyone but you. You're perfect how you are. You are what I want." He took a breath, rambling was tough. He learned that from her too.
Her eyes were glistening with tears now. Nobody have ever since something so thoughtful and kind to her before. She really couldn't be mad at him if he had nothing to do with it. Cooper had told her what a flirt Carrie was and she believed that he hadn't wanted her to kiss him. She could read it in his eyes. But she just needed time, time to ponder everything and stop being afraid of people and her past. She needed him to prove it, that she was worth enough.
"I believe you Nathan," she said.
"Thank God," he said and stalked forward, cupping her face in his hands.
"But, I need to know that you don't just think this is some fun fling, and I need to know that I'm worth it Nathan. I need that." Before he could scream from the rooftops that she was worth it, she pulled away and made her way inside, leaving him evaluating what she'd just said.
If she wanted to know how much she was worth it, how amazing she really was, he was going to show her. He was going to make sure she felt damn worthy.
"Coop?" he asked speaking into his cell phone. "I need your help."
It was now just after eight o'clock. Her and Nathan had left the Children's Center around four and went to lunch. After lunch, they decided to make a day out of their trip and went to the park to enjoy each other's company without anyone spotting them together. But it wasn't what she'd thought it would be. Nathan seemed to be spaced out, he would be intently staring into space or not hearing anything she said. She was worried. Every since they'd gone to the center and he'd talked to Quentin, he seemed to be having an internal battle with himself. It made her wonder what Q had said to him, but she knew that when Nathan kept to himself, than you wouldn't get anything out of him until he was ready to discuss it. She just hoped that this fun night out with their friends would do the trick.
During their stroll in the park, Brooke and called here and asked if they wanted to do something tonight. Having discovered they were in Raleigh, Brooke excitedly freaked out and said she was going to round up the group and meet them there. So now they were here, in Club Fourteen in a booth with Brooke, Lucas, Peyton, Jake, and Chris.
She and the girls had gone clubbing numerous times over the summer, but she didn't know if she felt up to it now. Nathan was really worrying her and every time she would ask if he was okay, he would shrug nonchalantly and say he was fine.
Just then Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night" blasted through the speakers and set the club into a bouncing vibe. Brooke shrieked and pushed Lucas out of the way so she could stand up. "Oh my God, I love this song. It's like my anthem! C'mon girls we need to dance!" She exclaimed, pulling Haley and Peyton onto the dance floor, leaving the guys chuckling.
Last Friday night
Yeah we danced on tabletops
And we took too many shots
Think we kissed but I forgot
Last Friday night
Yeah we maxed our credit cards
And got kicked out of the bar
So we hit the boulevard
They were swaying back and forth, singing at the top of their lungs. It was times like this that Haley could live over and over again and never grow tired of. It cleared her mind so all she could think of was the words to the song. Dancing with her best friends to a fun song, it was like therapy. It made her forget about her parents coming home for a while, it made her forget about being worried about Nathan, it made her forget about the fact that she couldn't just be with her boyfriend whenever she wanted, and more importantly it made her forget about her painful past.
Last Friday night
We went streaking in the park
Skinny dipping in the dark
Then had a ménage à trois
Last Friday night
Yeah I think we broke the law
Always say we're gonna stop
Whoa-oh-oah
She felt two larger hands grip the smooth of her hips, and tensed for a second until she realized who it was. She turned her head slightly and breathed in Nathan's comforting scent. The other guys joined him and the girls as well. Haley gripped Nathan's wrists and began grinding into him. They were moving perfectly to the beat and she would've been content on staying there for the rest of her life.
This Friday night
Do it all again
This Friday night
Do it all again
As the song ended, she turned in his muscular arms to see him taking deep breaths and laughed. She loved how much he wanted her. It was nice to know she was wanted.
Noticing a pair of eyes on them for behind Nathan, she looked over her shoulder and felt her breathing stop. "Oh my God."
"Rachel," she heard Brooke whisper.
So much for this being a secret.
So, there's chapter 7! I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think though, like it, love it or hate it...tell me please! Song used was Last Friday Night by Katy Perry (which i've had on my iPod for months and they played it on oth. yay!) So the next chapter is going to be good...i hope you agree. I'm sure you're wondering, How is Nathan going to show Haley that she's worthy? and what about What is that bitch Rachel doing now? Well you're just going to have to keep reading to find out! Thanks for being loyal and thanks for reviewing! Means so much!
-Taylor
