Authors Note- Hey there. First I want to thank everyone who has been sticking with me even though I havn't been updating as quickly. But, the good news is, I'm ending Drivers Ed so I'll have more time to post updates! Yay! SLUVER15, thanks for the encouraging reveiws! I'm sorry this has taken so long. The next few chapters are going to be hard to write. But, after that I feel that it will pick up pace and really get going. So, stay tuned! Enjoy!

Chapter 10 :: Somethings Missing

I'm not alone
I wish I was
Cause then I'd know I was down because
I couldn't find a friend around
To love me like they do right now
They do right now
To: BigMouth01

From: RedHott

Subject: HALEY'S MISSING

Mouth! I need you to reply to me as soon as you possibly can. Your phone is busy and this is extremely important. Haley is missing. She stormed out of dance class after having a melt down. When I got back to the cabin she wasn't here. Something is going on with her and I need you to help me figure out what. Is anything going on back home that you know of? Please just call me ASAP. I'm really worried about her. I've never seen her like this.

-Rachel

The clock ticked away a mere ten minutes after Rachel had e-mailed Mouth. She knew it was a stretch but, she didn't know what else to do. The camp director was already livid with Haley for starting a fight and disrespecting an instructor. Add running away and walking out of rehearsal... Haley was toast. Normally Rachel would say 'It's her own problem'. But, Haley was different. Haley had slapped her upside the head for calling herself a slut. She told Rachel that she was smart. Smart? Since when did anyone say that to her? All in all, Haley was the truest friend Rachel had ever encountered. Maybe she was knew to the whole 'helping a friend' thing but, she did know that Haley needed her now. And, she sure as hell wasn't going to let her down.

"Screw this." She muttered. With out a moments hesitation she grabbed her cell phone, thank god the camp aloud them, and headed out. It was a well known fact that the basketball players got out about half an hour after the dancers. The timing was perfect as Rachel spotted Nathan coming up the path towards the cabin. He looked fresh and clean after his shower, completely oblivious to what was going on. Figures.

"Nathan!" She called to him. He looked up, slightly surprised to see that the fiery red head was the one that shouted for his attention. Nathan and Rachel had never had a problem with each other but, they also never really talked.

"What's up?" He questioned curiously. The other players passed by them un aware, as the dancers watched closely to see how Nathan would react. The gossip was juicy and the girls were ready for more. After Haley had walked out of the class, the girls had been dismissed back to their cabins. Code for, go gossip and start some ridiculous rumors. Brooke had been escorted to the nurses station by Rene as she bled somewhat comically from the nose.

"Have you heard about what happened yet?" She asked, almost positive that the answer was no. The basketball players enjoyed flirting and hooking up with the dancers. But, when it came to gossip they usually stayed out of it.

"No, what?" He asked quickly. He had noticed the worried look on Rachel's face from the moment she started talking to him. He also noticed that Haley wasn't with her. Added up, this all lead him to fear that something was going on with his blonde crush.

"Today during rehearsal, Haley like, went off on our instructor." She explained, easing him into the story. She knew that Nathan would panic when he found out Haley was gone and, she was trying to put that off for as long as possible.

"Went off how? What exactly happened?" He asked. Everyone knew that Haley was a relatively calm person. The idea that she had been even slightly rude to someone, other than Brooke, was surprising. But, thinking back to the past few days Nathan realized that she had been acting differently. She had also said she wanted to talk later. These conclusions only worried him more as he waited for Rachel to finish explaining.

"She just flipped out about how dancing didn't mean anything. She kept saying 'you're nothing' and 'what you do is nothing' to Rene. Then your slut face of a sister had to stick her nose in it of course." Rachel spit out bitterly. It was obvious that Haley had been the one to physically attack Brooke but, the brunette did cross a line. Scratch that, she demolished the line.

"What did Brooke do now?" Nathan asked sighing. He was getting sick of hearing all of the mistakes Brooke made. Worst, he was sick of playing the victim of her many mistakes. Her stupid decisions always seamed to fall back on him. Always.

"She made a really mean comment about Haley's dad. James just snapped. She tackled the ho bag to the ground." The red head smirked, looking slightly proud of her friends actions. Though she was upset that Haley would get in trouble, she did enjoy watching Brooke get the stuffing beat out of her.

"What!" Nathan exclaimed. The arguing thing he could see, it was a stretch but, he could see it. Fighting was a whole different story though. This REALLY didn't sound like the Haley James he knew and ... liked a lot. Right.

"Mmhhmm. I saw it with my own two contacts. I'm pretty sure Lu Anne even got some footage of it on her phone. My girl owned mini-Scott. She's in the infirmary right now actually." She finished.

"Haley is?" Nathan asked in confusion as Rachel's phone began to vibrate. She checked the caller ID and was relieved to see that it was Mouth.

"No Brooke. Hold on I have to take this. Hello?" She answered. More confused than ever, Nathan listened to the phone call in hopes of finding out more information.

"I'm so glad you called. We can't find her anywhere. After she walked out of rehearsal I expected her to be back at the cabin but, she wasn't." Rachel informed Mouth over the phone.

"Wait! She's missing. Haley's missing?" Nathan exclaimed frantically. Rachel rolled her eyes and nodded her head at him briefly as she listened to what Mouth was saying on the other line.

"Look, I get that it's personal and all that junk. But, she could be in trouble. I swear if you tell me I'll make sure she's okay. I promise Mouth. But, I need to know what's going on with her. What happened." She coaxed when the boy became hesitant of revealing Haley's pain.

"You didn't think the small fact that she's missing was important enough to tell me at the beginning of this little chat? Seriously!" Nathan butted in yet again.

"Shhh!" Rachel hushed him with and annoyed look on her face. Making a frustrated noise, Nathan threw his hands in the air and waited for the phone call to end.

"Oh my gosh, no wonder. Wow, poor Haley." She responded as Mouth finished explaining. After exchanging a few more details the conversation began to wind down.

"Alright, well, we're going to go try and find her now. Nathan's about to jump out of his skin. Thank you so much for helping. Sure, I'll call you when we know what going on. Bye Mouth." She said before hanging up. As she tucked her phone in her pocket, Nathan looked at her expectantly.

"Well..." He prodded. Rachel looked around at all of the people outside before she grabbed Nathan's arm and dragged him to a secluded area.

"Great now it'll look like we're screwing back here." He bit out. Okay, so all of the excitement had put him on edge. That still didn't mean Rachel was going to take his BS.

"I see the bitch gene runs in the family. Though the clever one must have skipped a generation." She quipped. Before he could reply she shut him up and started talking. "Look, I don't need to tell you that this stays between us. But, just in case, if you breath a word of this information I will rip off your penis and shove it down your throat. You WILL choke on it despite it's small size and you'll never be able to talk again. Or have sex." She quickly warned.

"Gotcha." Nathan gulped, slightly afraid. Okay, terrified.

"Good. So, I talked to Haley's friend Mouth. I guess tomorrow, is the uh, the anniversary of Haley's fathers death." She admitted as the conversation took a serious turn. Nathan opened his mouth to say something but, no word came out. Suddenly everything was clear. Then again it had just gotten more complicated. This wasn't some PMSing, whiny girl problem. It went deep.

"Yeah, shocked, I know. I guess It's only like the second year he's been gone or something. She's probably even more messed up because she isn't with her family." Rachel continued. Nathan nodded numbly. Not knowing what to say he decided to take action instead.

"We need to find her." He said.

"Let's get to it." Rachel concurred. With that the two unlikely allies headed off in search of the girl they couldn't stand to see suffer.

I'm dizzy from the shopping mall
I searched for the joy but i bought it all
It doesn't help the hunger pain
And a thirst I'd have to drown first to ever satiate

Less than 30 minutes after her dramatic exit, Haley James was yet to be found. The fact that she was a mere 20 feet from the cabins was almost laughable. Almost. As Rachel and Nathan circled the camp desperate to find her, she was right under their noses. While sitting under a large oak tree, the young blonde thought deeply and softly sang the lyrics to John Mayer's 'Something's Missing'. The confusion that filled her head was so immense that she could barley see straight. A part of her felt relieved to have disposed of some of her tension when she attacked Brooke. Another part of her felt even more overwhelmed, knowing that she had created even more turmoil for herself. The varying emotions swirling through her head left her questioning everything. How could she even tell what was real and what was just her imagination? She thought her family was real but, that disappeared. Was it ever even there to begin with. What if her new family wasn't real either? What would she do then? Well, the wind was real, but she couldn't see the wind. Though she could see the leaves rustling in the trees. Her pain was real, that was for sure but, she couldn't see that either. Yes, she could see the mascara that was left behind from her tears. Yes, if she was looking in a mirror she would see the redness of her cheeks. But, the actually pain... it was invisible. She wore it like a mask day in and day out. And, nobody knew it was there, no one except for her. Her thoughts wavered when she saw a figure immerge into the trees and carry themselves towards her.

Something's missing
And I dont know how to fix it
Something's missing
And I dont know what it is
At all

"Haley!" Nathan shouted, feeling relieved. He quickly texted Rachel as he approached the vulnerable girl, letting the red head know that Haley was okay. Maybe 'okay' wasn't the best term to use. Haley continued to hum the song that provided comfort to her as Nathan gre closer.

"We've been looking everywhere for you. What happened?" He asked crouching down and sitting in front of her carefully. Her eyes looked empty and her face remained passive. Soon her expression became one of confusion and she looked at him questioningly. Was he really there? Was he real?

"No..." She whimpered, covering her ears and closing her eyes. There was too much inside of her head. She couldn't deal with things outside too. She just didn't have it in her anymore.

"Hales." He whispered in concern. The distress that she was in worried him. He had never been one to 'be there' for a friend. He had never needed to. Few people got close enough to 'the great Nathan Scott' to even consider going to him in their time of need. But, he wanted to help Haley. It wasn't just a feeling of obligation because he was the only one with her. He genuinely wanted to make her feel better. He loved when she smiled and he loved it even more when she smiled because of him.

"I can't do it anymore Nathan." She admitted quietly. Until this point, Nathan hadn't been sure that she even registered his presence. But, as they looked at each other he knew that she was with him. Really with him. Some how the sound of his voice had lured her back to reality and out of her own head.

"Do what?" He asked gently, grabbing her hand and rubbing it soothingly. To be honest, she felt a little like a child. But, she figured that it made him feel better so she allowed him to continue.

"Everything! It's just... I'm so tired." She blurted. There weren't words in the English language that described the way she felt. For the first time ever she wished she was bilingual. Maybe someone, somewhere had invented a way to express what was going on inside of her. Maybe.

"It's okay." He comforted lamely. As mentioned above, he had little experience in the comforting department. Telling Tim to shake it off after he'd been rejected by yet another blonde bimbo didn't count. Well... nah, it didn't.

"That's exactly what I'm tired of!" She exclaimed, shocking him a bit. The conversation had been quiet and soft. The sudden burst of emotion caught Nathan off guard and left him even more at a loss of what to do than before.

"I'm so sick of pretending that everything is okay. It isn't. It's not okay that my dad was in jail most of my life. It's not okay that my mom picked the crappiest boyfriends on the planet. It certainly isn't okay that she took off because she couldn't handle being a mother. My dad is dead and that isn't okay. And, it is not okay that I broke Brooke's nose! Though it did feel pretty good." She finished breathing heavily. The weight on her shoulders lifted just slightly as she continued to collect herself. Never had she admitted those things to someone. Never had she admitted those things to herself.

"You broke Brooke's nose?" Nathan asked. It may have been the least important detail of her rant but, Nathan knew that it was probably the best route to go. Haley had opened up to him. Big time. He didn't want to push things over board. If she wanted to tell him more he would be there to listen. If not, he'd still be there.

"Probably. I heard a crack." She chuckled looking down. Nathan also began to laugh. Soon the two were noisily giggling at Brooke's expense. Rachel peeked around the corner when she heard the noise. After receiving Nathan's text she had booked it to the cabins. But, seeing them together made her think twice. She could always talk to Haley later. For now Nathan had it under control.

"Nice. I hear Lu Anne taped it. I'm thinking instant replay. Over and over." He said in a dreamy voice, causing Haley to laugh even harder.

"Yeah. I guess I sort of snapped. Rene is going to work me to death next class. If they even let me stay." She replied looking uncomfortable. A big part of her wanted to leave camp. To go home and be with her friends and family. But, the larger part of her wanted to stay. It was in Haley's nature to accept challenges and finish things she started. She had been trying to get into the camp for years. Why leave now?

"I'm sure you could explain things to them. They'd understand." He reassured her.

"I won't use my father's death as an excuse. And, yes, I already know that you and Rachel found out about that. Mouth left me a message. There are like eighteen thousand missed calls on my phone. Jeeze." She joked, rolling her eyes.

"That just shows how many people love you." He said, heating up at the mention of love in the vicinity of Haley. She looked away but, quickly turned back to him smiling.

"You're just trying to get me not to be upset." She countered, flirting like her old self. Being around Nathan helped to clear her head. Well, if you didn't count the fogginess she felt when his skin touched hers.

"No, no I'm trying to get you to kiss me." He replied, smirking. Naturally. She shook her head laughing and leaned in to kiss him. He closed his eyes in anticipation and... she kissed him square on the nose.

"Hey, I'll take what I can get." He said while lacing his fingers through her own and smiling. She giggled at how adorable he was and leaned forward again. This time she couldn't help but kiss him on his perfect lips. If only he knew what she was thinking. Yeah, like his ego needed any more inflation. The kiss was sweet and understanding. He knew that she was still in pain. She might have been laughing and smiling again but, it wasn't over.

"You know..." He started seriously after the kiss ended. "You don't have to pretend with me." He continued, causing her to look at him in surprise.

"If you ever get tired of acting like you're okay with everyone else, if you ever need to just scream or cry, I'm here. I don't always say the right things at the right time but..." He trailed off, scratching his head. Haley felt her eyes well up at his words. They were so honest and raw, she couldn't do anything other than believe him gully.

"No. You do, I mean... you... I'm really glad your here. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't." She admitted shyly. With out another word, Nathan scooted next to Haley and placed an arm around her and letting it be known that he was there. She let her head fall to his shoulder before closing her eyes in contentment. Everything was dark with her eyes shut. She couldn't see anything other than darkness. But, despite this, she knew that Nathan was there. And, she knew that what they had was real.

00000000

Authors Note- How was that? I wasn't sure how the final result turned out. I read it over so many times, I don't know... haha just let me know what you think! Thanks! The next chapter will have some more Naley, Rachel and Haley friendship, the return of DANNN, and Brooke being...gasp nice:)