I like the way this chapter turned out! Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Chapter 8
Nathan wanted more than anything to pretend he didn't know the girl in front of him. He wanted to act as if he had no clue why she was standing on his doorstep. But he suspected his face flashed with a guilty look, and his body gave up on him, and stepped away from the open door, silently inviting her in and closing the door behind her.
He watched her walk around his living room, walk up to the still set up Christmas tree, and look over at him.
"When are you planning on taking this down?" She asked him curiously, raising her eyebrows.
He shrugged slightly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweats, kicking his foot at the ground, following her slowly.
"Uh huh." Brooke examined, noting the beer bottle stacked up near the wall, looking similar to a set of bowling pins, as well as a few more standing up on the coffee table. "These part of your decorations?"
"It's festive." He said lamely, clearing his throat and taking a seat in the chair next to his couch, letting out a deep breath.
"Hm." Brooke tapped her chin, stepping up to the wall of pictures. "Clay." She hummed, "Quinn." She pointed them out in the photos, before landing on the only picture with him in it. "Pre back injury, I'm assuming?"
Nathan stiffened, glaring at her and rolling his eyes. "None of your business." He said, his jaw clenched.
"I think you messed with the wrong girl, Mr. Scott. There's nothing funny about hurting a girl's feelings, and Haley is pretty tough." Brooke said, turning to look at him. "But, she's also nice, and doesn't want to bother you. So that's why I'm here. Because I'm not nice."
He looked up at her, the guilty feeling returning once again at the mention of Haley's name. He shifted slightly. Haley had mentioned something to him about Brooke pushing her to try new things. He could definitely tell the girl in front of him was pushy.
"You look pretty nice to me." He said quietly, clearing his throat, looking up at her.
"Do I?" She asked him, crossing her arms. "I can see the guilt in your eyes, okay? So I know that you feel it. Why do you have to be such a jerk?"
All he could offer her was a simple shoulder shrug. It was impossible to explain to someone that wouldn't understand. But that was like putting gasoline on a fire. He could almost see Brooke run into the kitchen to find a weapon to attack him with, but instead, she sat down.
Brooke pulled out her phone, holding it out to him.
It was a picture. Of him. He was wearing his Duke uniform, palming a basketball and holding it out in front of him, a serious look on his face.
"I've been doing some research on you, Nathan Scott." Brooke hummed, "You have a Wikipedia page. Did you know that?"
Nathan shifted slightly, shrugging again and staring down at the picture. "Didn't care." He said, clearing his throat.
"Nathan Scott. Six foot two, previous point guard for the Duke Blue Devils." Brooke recited, taking her phone out of his hands, scrolling to the next picture. It was a picture of him in high school, dunking a basketball, she then scrolled to the next one, a picture of him and Lucas. "Younger brother of Lucas Scott. What a hottie your brother is, let me tell you, if I wasn't here to beat your ass, I would definitely be here to get his phone number." She said, smirking at him. "Lucas is an author, and you're a washed up basketball player. Nice work, Nate."
He winced at her words. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. Everyone sugarcoated it. Called him injured. But he wasn't injured, not anymore. He was washed up.
"This is a picture of you after you scored the winning basket in the Final Four. I watched it on YouTube. Last second, buzzer beater. But you didn't break a sweat, you sank the shot easily." Brooke informed him, crossing her legs. "Next game, you were injured. Duke lost. You lost. It was your senior year, there was no going back. So tell me... What happened?"
No one had asked him that either. If they didn't already know the whole story, odds are they figured that they would never find out.
"You probably read it on your damn research spree." Nathan bit back at her, narrowing his eyes down on her.
"You got into a bar fight." Brooke said, nodding at him. "Thrown through a window, shattered your spine. Lost feeling of your legs. I read the statement released. But you were on top of your game. What were you doing at a bar the night before the championship? Surely someone who has played organized basketball as long as you would know not to play on a hangover."
"Bridget, was it?" Nathan asked, a small smirk on his face, standing up slowly, looking down at Brooke's annoyed expression. "You've got me pegged. I'm a dick. A real jerk."
Brooke stood up, crossing her arms and looking at him. "Then why does Haley seem to think otherwise, Nathan?" She asked him, shaking her head. "She still thinks that you're a good guy, after you haven't been talking to her for almost a month."
"I'm not." He said, shaking his head, pushing his hand through his hair.
"I know." Brooke said, poking his chest, letting out a deep breath. "But if you would pull your head out of your ass, maybe you could be."
"I can promise you one thing, I'm not worth it." He said, shaking his head and looking down at the feisty brunette, and for a moment... He saw the look in her eye. The look everyone gave him. The look that he hated. Sympathy.
"Haley is a good person. She sees the good in people before they see it in themselves." Brooke said simply, letting out a deep breath. "And, you cutting her off is pushing her back towards her ex-boyfriend. And I hate her ex-boyfriend."
Nathan felt several different emotions at once. Jealousy was the most overpowering. He never got jealous, not really. He never had a reason to be jealous. And technically, he still didn't. All of Haley's hours would be occupied talking to him, and not some stupid asshole. Well- not some different stupid asshole.
He let out a deep sigh, brushing his fingers through his hair, looking at her. "I don't think there's anything I can do to help you." He said quietly, shrugging his shoulders.
Brooke shook her head, letting out a deep breath. "Well, then I guess she was wrong." She said simply, "And I guess this was a giant waste of my time."
"I guess so." Nathan said simply, pushing his fingers through his hair, looking towards the door. "Can I call a car for you?" He asked, letting out a deep breath.
Brooke studied him for a second, tilting her head too the side, before finally speaking. "No, that's okay. I rented a car." She said, shrugging slightly.
"Alright, well can I get you something for the road? I don't have much, but your can have anything you find." He said, crossing his arms, stepping over to the front door.
"Nope." Brooke said, following him, stopping in front of him. "That's it? You're really just going to act like this?" She asked him quietly.
He looked down at her, letting out a deep breath, grabbing the door handle. "I guess it's not an act." He said, pulling open the door. "Good luck with your life." He said simply, watching her step outside, turn around and look up at him once more.
Brooke let out a deep breath, "Yeah, whatever. I guess you're the douche bag everyone said that you were." She said, shaking her head, turning away and heading down the steps, beginning to walk across his lawn to where her car was parked in the street.
Nathan closed the door behind her, leaning against it and letting out a deep breath. He shook hi head, willing himself to remain against the door, begging himself to. But almost as if someone else was moving his body for him, he whipped open the front door, and ran outside, the snow burning against his bare feet as he ran up to her car, pulling open the passenger door and looking down at her.
"Wait." He said quickly, letting out a deep breath, feeling himself feel a little panicked. "Can you..." He tapped his fingers on the roof of the car, letting out a frustrated groan at himself. His brain had been shouting at him to stop this. He felt exhausted from the internal argument he'd been having the moment he walked out of Haley's apartment door. His chest constricted as he met Brooke's gaze, collapsing forward into her seat, almost letting out a breath if relief. He felt his tense muscles begin to relax. "Can you come back inside?" He asked her.
Brooke looked at him, starting her car, and shifting it into drive, looking around before beginning to drive.
Nathan frowned slightly, raising his eyebrows, until he realized what she was doing. She'd turned her car around and drove it into his driveway. He offered her a small smile, getting out and rushing inside, leaving the door open behind himself.
They sat there for nearly ten minutes, silently. Brooke could nearly see the gears turning in his head, trying to figure out what to say, and how to say it.
Nathan finally let out a deep breath, "I like her." He said quietly, kicking his foot at the ground.
"That's it? That's all you have to say?" Brooke asked, shaking her head. "Nathan, it's nearly six o'clock in the morning, and I haven't slept in twenty-four hours, and that's all you have to say. What, is it because she wanted to be friends?"
"No, no!" He protested, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "I didn't care. I don't care. As long as she wanted to be friends, that's what I wanted."
Brooke nodded her head slowly, looking over and noting the way his knee was bouncing, and his hands were shaking slightly.
"She thinks so rationally. And I... Don't." He said, letting out a deep breath. "Look around you, Brooke."
Brooke did as she was asked, before her eyes landed on him once again, raising her eyebrows expectantly.
"I sit here, and I drink. All day long, that's what I do. I have one night stands, only. I don't get attached. I don't care, I don't set up Christmas decorations." Nathan said, letting out a deep breath. "I don't even know the date, most times. Until now. It's January 10th, and I stopped talking to Haley on December 16th." He said, squeezing his eyes shut. "I'm nothing, and she's everything."
Brooke looked at him, slowly moving to sit next to him on the couch. "Haley wouldn't be so upset right now if she felt that way."
Nathan looked at her, "I hurt her. I was bound to hurt her. Everyone knew it, deep down I knew it, and deep down... She knew it too." He said simply, sighing softly. "I..." He cleared his throat, shaking his head. "She wouldn't forgive me anyways."
"You'd be surprised how forgiving Haley James can be." Brooke said, nodding at him. "She's one of a kind, and I really mean that. You're a jerk, and frankly, I don't think I like you very much. I think she deserves someone that isn't going to flake out at the first sign of vulnerability. But for some reason... I'm rooting for you." Brooke said, standing up slowly, shrugging. "The way I see it, you have two options. Pull your head out of your ass, and go apologize, or you can send her a text right now that says you're not interested, and leave it at that, and never talk to her again. Because if she hasn't heard from you in the next three days, I'm coming back here and typing out the message myself."
"She's not going to want me." He said quietly, pushing his hands through his hair repeatedly, tugging on the ends.
Brooke sighed softly, resting her hand on his shoulder for the briefest moment, "She doesn't just forget about people once they hurt her, Nathan. I promise you, that she's the type of person that will do anything, for anyone. Especially the boy she crushed out on when she was sixteen, and most likely never stopped having just a small little crush on."
Nathan raised his eyebrows, rubbing his neck slowly. He didn't know that Brooke knew about the two of them. He shouldn't be surprised, but he also felt very disappointed in himself. Not that he wanted to be sixteen again, but he wanted to feel the confidence that he felt instead of mentally talking himself into each thing he said. In some ways, he felt that it was easier with Haley, but it was also harder. Part of him wanted to open up to her. But his natural instinct was to push everyone away.
"So, I'll be back here. Maybe." Brooke hummed, "Regardless, we'll be seeing each other again. Let's just hope it's more friendly next time, yeah?"
Nathan offered her a small nod, stepping to the front door once again. "I won't chase down your car this time." He said slowly, shrugging, pulling open the door.
"Good." Brooke laughed, resting her hand on his arm. "Make the right decision, Nathan." She said to him, stepping outside, glancing over her shoulder and heading out to her car.
Nathan watched to make sure that her car started, and all was well before she drove away. He closed the door slowly, walking back into the living room and falling down on the couch, setting his phone on the coffee table, staring at it and letting out a deep breath.
xxxx
Haley sighed from her seat inside her classroom, looking over at her clock and shaking her head. It was nearly four o'clock, and she was listening to Quinn talk about "the cutest thing that Clay did for her this morning" and she honestly was not listening to a word as she marked up the paper she was grading in red pen.
"Haley. Haley, Haley!" Quinn said into the phone, springing her out of her zone.
"What? Sorry, I'm working." Haley laughed, letting out a deep breath.
"I asked you how your day was." Quinn said, chuckling quietly into the phone.
"It was okay. I kind of have a headache." Haley responded, pushing her hand through her hair, shifting her phone against her ear.
"Classes going well?" Quinn asked her curiously.
"As cooperative as they can be. All of them still just wish it was winter break." Haley hummed, setting her pen down, leaning back in her chair.
"What, and you don't?" Quinn laughed, shaking her head.
"I like my job, Quinny." Haley responded, rubbing her neck. "How's married life treating you?"
"Well, since I know you weren't listening before, I'll just let you know that it's amazing. Forget Chris Keller, find a guy similar to Clay. He's just so nice to me, Haley." Quinn said, smiling brightly.
Haley smiled for her sister. "I'm so glad, because you deserve it." She said softly, looking over at the time again, biting her lip and tapping her fingers on her desk.
"So, how about-" Quinn stopped talking, and she heard Clay's voice going in the background, sounding rather urgent and panicked, but Haley couldn't quite make out what he was saying.
"Well, did you try calling him?" Quinn asked Clay.
Haley heard Clay respond, frowning slightly, sitting up a bit.
"I'm sure he's not wandering the streets, drunk, Clay. You're over reacting. He's twenty-three." Quinn responded, sighing softly.
Haley swallowed, shaking her head. She had a pretty good idea of who they were talking about now.
"Maybe he went to someone else's house. Did you call Chase?" Quinn asked, letting out another sigh when Clay responded. "Well maybe he's at a girl's house."
Haley felt her heart drop a little bit, biting down on her bottom lip.
"Why the hell wouldn't he go to a girl's house?" Quinn asked her husband. "Okay, okay. That makes sense, I guess."
Haley heard Clay's voice become more urgent, and then Quinn react to it.
"Okay, baby. I'm sure he's fine but we better go start looking around to check." Quinn said in an attempt to reassure her frazzled husband.
"I have to go, Hales." Quinn said quickly.
"Is everything okay?" Haley asked softly, letting out a deep breath.
"I don't know. Nathan's missing. He's not at his house, not at Chase's house, not at the bar Chase manages. I'll let you know." Quinn said quietly, before hanging up the phone.
Haley bit her lip, brushing her fingers through her hair. She wasn't completely happy with him, right now, but she didn't want anything bad to happen to him.
She continued to work for another half-hour, but she found it increasingly difficult to focus on anyone but the man that had occupied her thoughts quite a bit over the last few weeks. She was honestly worried about him. Because anything could've happened to him in New York City. Anything. He could've run his mouth to someone and been killed for all she knew, and there was no word from Quinn, which scared her even more.
Haley let out a deep breath as she parked her car in her apartment complex, getting out slowly, checking her phone once more. She shook her head, pushing her hand through her hair, closing her eyes. She'd looked at her message less phone quite a bit since Nathan left her house, and she was usually disappointed when there was nothing from him. But right now, she felt sick to her stomach. She wanted information desperately.
She shook her head, beginning to walk up the stairs rather than taking the elevator in an attempt to ease her mind, letting the slightly chilled January air surround her.
Haley looked through her purse as she approached her apartment, digging around until she found her keys. When she looked up again, she stopped in her tracks, being met with the familiar blue eyes she'd spent so much time thinking about.
They both just stared at each other for a second, before speaking at the same time.
"Haley."
"Nathan."
