Hey guys, I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I've been waiting for over a week for my wireless internet to get installed in my new house. It took the company forever to set it up right. The only internet access I could get was on my phone. Anyway, thank you all for the reviews. This next chapter reveals a lot of very important pieces of information as far as the Naley history in concerned. So enjoy and please review!
Chapter 11
Nathan stared at Haley curiously. She wanted to talk. It was never a good thing when she said that. But he'd sort of been expecting it. He'd been pulling away from her this week. She was probably wondering what was going on. Either that or she'd had enough.
"What did you want to talk about?" he questioned in a casual voice.
"Why are you avoiding me?" Haley asked getting straight to the point.
He looked down at the ground before answering, "I've just been busy. That's all."
Haley shook her head. "You're going to have to do better than that, Nathan."
"It's the truth."
"Well, I don't believe you. You're the one who wanted to be friends so badly. To start over. And now, all of a sudden, you don't want to. Something's changed."
"Haley—"
"Nathan, I'm serious. Don't screw with me," she warned.
"Fine. You're right. Something has changed," Nathan stated giving in. "I've been rethinking our arrangement, and I've decided that it should end."
Haley looked at him with a bewildered expression on her face. "What? Why?"
"I told you that I wanted to start over. That I wanted you to be able to trust me again. So what did I do? I blackmailed you into being friends again."
"Nathan—" Haley tried to interrupt.
"And that was a lie, too, because I really wasn't going to leave. I had no intention of skipping out on you and everyone else. I only said it so that you'd agree to spend time with me."
"Nathan, I don't care about that," she stated.
Nathan scoffed. "Haley, don't try to humor me. I know that I screwed up. I always do, which is why we should just end this now."
"Well, maybe I don't want to."
"Haley, don't make this harder than it is."
"I'm not. You're the one making things complicated."
"Haley, I lied!" Nathan exclaimed. "Why the hell would you still want us to be friends? Why the hell would you even want to be around me?!"
"Because I know that it came from my best friend," Haley replied. She closed some of the distance between them. "You may be older and different in some ways, but I can still see glimpses of him at times. You used to always come to me when you were in trouble or just needed someone to confide in. And as far as I can tell, that's still true."
"Maybe so, but I don't deserve you. Not after what I did to you."
"What did you do?"
"What?" he asked her confused.
"How do you know that you don't deserve me? What exactly did you do to me?"
Nathan met her gaze for a moment before looking away. "I'd rather not talk about it."
"Is that what Lucas said to you the other day?" Haley inquired. "Was it about me?" Haley knew that she was right when Nathan visibly flinched. "What did he tell you, Nathan?"
"He told me exactly what I needed to hear. Ok? And I'm not going to make the same mistake again," Nathan proclaimed. "So it would better if we just stayed clear of one another."
"I want to hear it, Nathan," she pushed. Haley could see that Nathan had his guard up. He was holding back. If this was ever going to work, he would have to open up.
"Haley—"
"Nathan, please. Just tell me," Haley urged.
"Haley—"
"I want to know."
"He said that you were depressed and that I broke your heart! Are you happy now?!" Nathan finally exploded before turning his back to her. It was one thing to think about it in his head. But saying it out loud to her made it so much worse.
"I was heartbroken," Haley admitted after a few minutes of silence. "I was hurt, Nathan. More than you know."
"All the more reason for you to stay away from me," Nathan replied.
"But now I'm starting to wonder if it was all for nothing," she said quietly.
He turned back around to face her. "What?" he questioned perplexed.
"Nathan, you told me a few weeks ago about Dan and how awful it was for you in Oak Lake. There were a lot of things that I didn't know about."
"So?"
"So…and maybe I'm wrong about this…but it seems like there was more going on with you that time I visited than you let on," Haley stated carefully. Every time she thought about that day, it always made her insides twist and her heart ache. It had been one of the worst days of her life. Probably the second compared to the day her mother died. "I thought that…I thought that you didn't want me anymore."
Nathan shook his head. "Haley…"
"Nathan, I really need you to tell me the truth. It's all I've thought about for the last three years," Haley said honestly. "And I have to ask, because if I don't I'm always going to wonder about it. So please just be honest with me."
Nathan stared at her for a long moment before nodding his head for her to continue.
Haley bit her bottom lip as she worked up the courage to ask the question that had always plagued her. "When you said that you didn't…that you didn't love me, did you mean it?"
"No," he eventually answered while meeting her gaze. There was no point in lying anymore. "I didn't mean it."
Haley felt her heart thud wildly in her chest as Nathan stepped even closer to her. Goose bumps soon formed on her sensitive skin when his hand gently cupped her cheek. "I've always loved you, Haley. If you believe only one thing that comes out of my mouth, believe that."
As soon as her eyes closed, Haley could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks. Those were the words she'd always been longing to hear. She'd been so confused and conflicted lately. All of her friends were against Nathan. And with Lucas and Taylor telling her to stay away from him, it just made this whole situation harder. She and Nathan had always shared a special bond in the past. What was so unsettling was the fact that it seemed just as strong now as it did then. Despite everyone's warnings, she kept finding herself drawn to him like a moth to the flame.
"Haley," Nathan prompted as he tried to wipe her tears away. He could see that she was deep in thought. No doubt conflicted. He'd led her to believe all this time that she meant nothing to him. To hear now that it was the exact opposite was probably shocking to say the least.
A moment later, he was surprised himself to feel her arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace. Her head was buried in his chest as more tears continued to fall. One of his hands soothingly rubbed her back as the other gently stroked her hair.
"I'm so sorry, Haley. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I didn't do it to hurt you. It was just…what I thought I had to do at the time to keep you safe."
"Keep me safe from what?" she questioned. Her voice muffled from his shirt.
"From me," he answered.
She pulled away a little to look him in the eyes. "What?"
"We were all headed in different directions. You and Luke still had each other. Everything seemed to be going good for the both of you. I, on the other hand, was falling apart. My life was headed downhill, and it just didn't seem right to impose that on the two of you."
Haley watched him curiously. She desperately wanted him to explain further. She needed to know everything that happened. Whatever it was, Haley could see that he was torn up about it. But at the same time, she didn't want to push him at the moment. Nathan had already told her a lot. It probably wouldn't be long before he closed up again. The key was not to push him too far too fast.
"Well, then I guess the thing to do is to make sure that it doesn't happen again," she declared.
"What do you mean?" She felt him wipe away the wetness on her cheeks and suppressed a shiver.
"Nathan, I want us to stay friends."
"Haley—" he started to object.
"No. Listen to me. I believe that everything happens for a reason. You're here in Tree Hill now, and all of this stuff is finally coming out. I think it would be stupid to ignore an opportunity like this," she explained.
"An opportunity for what?"
"For us to get past all of this. To salvage the friendship we all used to have."
"Haley, none of the others want me around. They'll never go for it."
"So what if they don't. I want to. I know that you've been trying, Nathan. I've seen you making an effort. You shouldn't be punished for that."
"Well, maybe I deserve to be punished," he declared.
"Is that what Dan used to tell you?" she retorted. "Because it sounds ridiculous."
Nathan pulled away from her and shook his head. "Don't bring him into this, Haley."
"Nathan, whether you like it or not Dan is a part of this. He may be gone, but he's still got a hold on you."
"Haley…"
"You know it's true. You're not happy, Nathan. You're miserable, and it's tearing you up inside. And it's not going to go away until you deal with it!"
"Well, what about you?" he countered.
"What about me?"
"Are you happy, Haley?" Nathan questioned. She was silent as his intense eyes beseeched hers. "Are you happy? Because I don't see you smiling all of the time like you mean it."
"I don't know," she replied honestly.
"How can you not—"
"I don't know," she repeated. "Things are so different…I've spent more time trying to keep myself together than focusing on whether I'm enjoying life or not."
"I'll take that as a no, then," Nathan declared.
"Take it as whatever you want. All I'm saying is that I don't want this to end between us," she said while closing the distance between them, once again. "Please don't shut me out, Nathan."
Nathan watched her carefully. He'd been ready to end this between them before. He'd thought that it was something that Haley would want. But now, everything had changed. She actually wanted to spend time with him. She wanted to try and resolve their past. Nathan knew that he shouldn't go along with this. The best thing for Haley would be to stay away from her like he'd originally planned. However, the prospect of being around her and actually having her back in his life was too damn tempting. And he didn't have the heart to walk away from her a second time.
"Ok," he finally answered.
"Really?" Haley asked making sure. She didn't want to force him into this if it wasn't what he really wanted.
Nathan nodded. "Yeah, we can still do this."
"Good."
"And I'm sorry I was kind of avoiding you before," he added sheepishly.
"It's ok. I get it. But next time, could you just talk to me about it, instead? It'd be a lot easier," she told him with a smile.
Nathan smirked. "Sure."
"Great," she replied while checking her watch. She didn't know how much time had passed, but it felt like they'd been standing out there forever. "Well, it's getting late. I better get back home."
"Me, too. Keith's probably waiting up to make sure I didn't skip town or something," he joked.
Haley laughed. "Well, did you want a ride?"
"Uh…sure. If you don't mind."
"No, it's fine." The pair then made their way to the car. The drive to Keith's house was surprisingly comfortable. The two talked and laughed about ordinary things. It was a nice change from all of the tension they usually experienced when around one another.
"Thanks again for the ride," Nathan said as she pulled into Keith's driveway.
"No problem," she replied.
Nathan gave her a small smile before starting to get out of the car. "I'll see you tomorrow, Haley."
"Bye," she responded. She bit her bottom lip as she watched him walk away. Despite what her friends wouid say, Haley knew she'd made the right decision tonight. Now it was just a matter of eventually convincing them of that, too.
"Oh crap. I do not want to do this. Are they crazy?" Skills muttered.
"You don't have to go up there," Lucas stated.
"Damn straight I don't. My black ass is staying securely on the ground."
"What are they complaining about now?" Brooke asked as she approached the group with some water bottles in hand. They were all at the constructions site waiting for the work to begin.
"They're supposed to start sheathing the roof today," Haley answered.
"I'm looking forward to it. It seems like it would be a rush up there," Trent declared.
"Yeah, a rush before you fall to your death," Skills interjected.
"Heights don't bother me," Jake spoke up.
"Well, aren't you the lucky one?"
"They don't bother me either," Taylor added. "Dad already said I could help out up there."
"I think I'll pass," Haley stated.
"Me, too," Brooke agreed.
"Aw, come on, baby. It'll be fun," Trent said while wrapping an arm around Haley's shoulders.
"I'm on ground duty."
"What about him?" Chase asked as he nodded in Nathan's direction several feet away.
"He's on ground duty, too," Haley answered.
"Well, isn't that a nice coincidence," Lucas muttered.
"My dad, Andy, and Karen assigned the jobs for today," Haley explained. "Don't start jumping to conclusions." It took every bit of patience in her to keep calm. She was really starting to get frustrated with Lucas and his constant suspicions.
"Well, would you trust him with building the roof?" Trent chuckled.
"I wouldn't trust him with any of it," Skills said. "And yet here we are." Haley rolled her eyes discreetly. She was not in the mood to hear them all bashing Nathan again today. Haley had to bite her tongue to keep from snapping at them, too. After her talk with Nathan last night, she felt an even fiercer need to defend him. But then that would've made them probably keep an even closer eye on her than they already were.
"Come on, Brooke," Haley said. "We should get started."
"Ok. I'm coming," Brooke replied. She then gave Lucas a quick peck on the lips. "Be careful, Broody. I don't want you falling and breaking that sexy neck of yours."
"I'll be fine," he promised. Afterward, the two girls joined the group they were working with. Haley made sure to stay near Brooke and only go near Nathan when absolutely necessary.
"Brooke, focus," Haley laughed when she caught the brunette staring at Lucas again.
"Huh? Oh, sorry," she said.
"No you're not," Haley pointed out when she saw the wide smile on her friend's face.
"You're right. I'm not," she admitted. "I can't help it if the whole construction worker look is sexy on my boyfriend. I honestly could never get tired of it."
"Do I have to get the hose and spray you down?" Haley teased. She followed Brooke's gaze again and noticed that Lucas had finally taken his shirt off.
Brooke smiled. "I don't think even that will help."
Haley shook her head laughing. "You are too much, Tigger."
"I think I'm going to go get another bottled water. I'll be right back," Brooke announced before taking off. Haley laughed again as she tried to pick up another piece of wood that the guys had to sheathe the roof with. Damn. This stupid thing is heavy, she thought.
"Need some help?"
Haley looked up to see Nathan standing across from her. "Actually, I do."
"Ok, lift on three," Nathan said while grabbing the other end. They counted off before lifting it up off of the ground and adding it to the pile.
"Thanks."
"Where's your friend Brooke?"
"She went to get some more water."
"But isn't that her water bottle right there? It's pretty full," Nathan pointed out.
Haley smiled. "She'd been staring at Lucas before as he worked. God only knows what she's doing now."
"Never mind, then. I don't want to know," he smirked.
"Me either," she agreed.
"Well, I'll help you until she gets back. The guy I was working with went on break."
"Ok. Just for a couple of minutes," she said while sneaking a peek at the guys on the roof. They were all distracted at the moment. Nathan followed her gaze and nodded in understanding.
"So, um, I was wondering if you had any plans for Saturday night," Nathan muttered quietly.
"I don't think so. Why?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. Keith's letting me out on good behavior," he answered jokingly.
Haley laughed. "So, it's like parole for you."
"Something like that," he smirked.
"Well, what did you have in mind? Did you want me to stop by the house again?"
"Actually, I was thinking that maybe we could go out."
Haley paused for a second and looked at him surprised. "Oh."
"Not anywhere in Tree Hill, since people will most definitely recognize us and talk," he added. "But maybe in one of the next towns over."
"Um…yeah. Sure. I'd like that."
"Good."
"Alright, everyone, that's enough!" Andy shouted. "It's time for lunch!"
"I better go," Nathan stated. It wouldn't be long before the guys looked over and saw them together.
"Nathan," Haley halted him.
"Yeah?"
Haley nodded over to the area where the food and drinks were set up. "The blue cooler to the left has a brown paper bag stashed at the bottom of it. In case you're interested." She then gave him a secretive wink before walking away.
Afterward, Nathan quickly walked over to the cooler she mentioned and started digging through it. Sure enough, he found the lunch she'd made him. He opened it up and saw his usual turkey sandwich with a few other goodies inside. Nathan felt is stomach rumble in response. His eyes then searched out Haley's. When they finally landed on her, she was wrapped up in Trent's arms as he kissed her. It was then that he felt his stomach grumble for a whole other reason.
Nathan couldn't make it to the Tutoring Center fast enough. He had to see Haley and tell her the good news. It had been almost a week since basketball tryouts had taken place. Everyday he and Lucas had checked to see if the new roster was up yet. In fact, the whole school seemed to be waiting in anxious anticipation. It wasn't until a few minutes prior when Nathan checked for what felt like the hundredth time that he actually saw the list posted.
He'd made Varsity. After all of the rigorous training sessions with his dad and the hell that Whitey had put them through in tryouts, Nathan had actually made it. He was also pleased to notice that Lucas did, too. They were only freshman, but somehow they were good enough to be chosen. Nathan could already picture the ecstatic expression on Haley's face when he told her.
Almost there. He rounded another corner before finally reaching the entrance to the Tutoring Center. He made his way to the open doorway. Just as he was about to call out for Haley, he took in the sight before him and stopped short. The only two people in the room were Haley and Chris Keller. The pair was sitting next to each other at one of the tables. Chris appeared to be working on something as Haley supervised.
"How's that?" Chris asked.
"Let me see," Haley said as she grabbed the paper and looked it over. "This is great, Chris. They're all right."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"I told you Chris Keller would get it eventually," he beamed. Nathan rolled his eyes and scoffed quietly. What an idiot.
"This is awesome. You should be really proud."
"I am if you are."
Haley nodded her head. "I am."
"Good. We should celebrate, then."
"Well, what did you have in mind?" she questioned.
"Chris Keller was thinking that maybe we could go out to dinner. My treat," he added. Nathan felt his breath hitch in his throat as he waited for her answer. Say no, Hales. Say no!
"Um, sure. It sounds like fun." Nathan felt his fists clench at his sides. Damn it! He couldn't believe she was actually giving in to this clown.
"Great. So, how about Friday…"
Nathan turned around and made his way back down the hall. He couldn't listen to anymore of this. The joy and excitement he'd experienced about making the Varsity team slowly evaporated. It was soon replaced by anger and disappointment. He'd thought that Haley was smarter than that. Chris Keller was a player. He flirted with anything in a skirt that passed him by. Haley was so much better than that. She deserved so much better than that. Nathan shook his head. He couldn't believe that Lucas was right. And even more shocking, he couldn't believe that Haley, his Haley, would actually be the one to cause such an ache in his heart.
