SO..... I'm walking the borderline of getting kicked out of school... I try to tell them that I am mentally unstable, lol, yeah, so I have to kinda devote myself to my school work for awhile, I will still try to update everyweek, but they may be shorter. READ AND REVIEW!
Chapter 12: "I'm over this"
"Haley, … I…" Nathan stuttered unsure of what to say.
"Look Nate, I don't want to argue, I just want to talk, Please." Haley said.
Nathan couldn't read the expression on her face, nor could he any longer tell what she was feeling by looking in her eyes. Haley James was now a mystery to him.
"Um sure." Nathan said stepping back from the door allowing Haley and Caleb to come in.
Caleb stood close to his mothers skirt, shorter than a Haley James skirt should be. Nathan had convinced her to buy it during their senior year when Haley was trying something new.
"Do you mind if I use the bathroom?" Haley asked
"No, go on ahead."
It was almost ghostly walking through the apartment… Haley had spent the best two years of her life there, with Nathan, … in love. Where had things gone so wrong?
----- Peyton wandered around her house. It seemed untouched since she had left. Probably because her dad was always gone. The house was relatively unlived in for the past four years. Peytons door opened with a creek. The noise that the rusty hinges made rubbing against one another brought back memories.
The room was exactly the same… the clothes still strewn in plies on the floor, unfinished artwork on her desk… and her web cam still sitting atop her computer. Memories continued to flood her, she, Jake, and Jenny in this room so long ago, hanging out and listening to music… and the last vision, She and Jake sitting on the bed…
Flashback
Peyton sat on her bed, with little Jenny resting in her arms. She was watching her for Jake while he went out to run a mysterious errand. Soft music played behind them.
Peyton smiled as the door opened to reveal Jake, but her smile slowly faded as she saw the look on his face…
"What's wrong?" She asked, the words barely escaping her lips.
Jake placed a soft kiss upon her forehead but said nothing.
"Jake, you're scaring me." Peyton asked placing Jenny, who was now asleep between the two of them on the bed. "Where were you?"
"I had a doctors appointment." Jake said meeting Peyton's eyes.
She knew that he had not been feeling well lately. He had gotten so sick that he stopped playing basketball, and he slept a lot more than usual, so Peyton helped with Jenny a lot more. On top of that he had been having dizzy spells and head aches."Last week I went and had some tests done." Jake began.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Peyton asked, her voice coming back a bit
"I didn't want to worry you!" Jake said collecting her hands in his own.
"So what'd they say? Everything's okay right?" Peyton asked in a reassuring tone.
Right then Jake started sobbing. Peyton knew that she was never going to forget that moment…A grown man, now reduced to a boy, sobbing with his head in his hands… completely vulnerable. She pulled him against her and allowed him to cry on her shoulder.
"What did they say Jake?" She asked holding his head gently on each side.
Jake wiped his eyes and looked helplessly at his girlfriend.
"I have a brain tumor." Jake said
Peyton was shocked. She didn't think that it would be anything that serious.
"Well can't they do surgery or -"
"It's too late." Jake cut her off. "If I got surgery I probably wouldn't make it out of the room, and if I did I would be sick in a hospital bed until I died, which would only be a matter of weeks. I'm not going to do that Peyton, I'm going to spend my last days with the people I love, you and Jenny." Jake said regaining his composure, now it was Peyton who broke down in tears.
"I love you so much Jake."
"I love you too." Jake held her for a long time before he spoke again. "Will you marry me?"
"Are you serious?" Peyton asked, a small smile creeping across her face.
"If you want me to be." Jake said smiling.
"Of course." Peyton said
That night they had sunk out and made their vows, nothing was every the same.
End of Flashback
The room was the same, haunting, … Jennys crib was still at the foot of her bed. After Jakes death Jenny had never really slept in the crib. She would sleep in the bed beside Peyton, the two of them clinging to one another.
"Hey." A male voice came from behind her, she turned around only to be face to face with Lucas. "How are you doing?"
"I didn't know you were there." Peyton said stepping away from him.
"I just wanted to stop in and make sure that you and Jenny are settled." Lucas said. He could tell that there was something wrong with her. Her face was pale, and her eyes sullen. "Are you sure that you're okay?" He asked
"Yeah, I'm alright." She lied, her gaze occasionally falling to the picture of she, Jake, and Jenny that sat on her bedside table.
"So, how does Jenny like it here?" Lucas asked attempting to make small talk before he asked her what he came here to.
"She hasn't complained so far. She and my dad are out in the back shooting hoops actually." Peyton said smiling. She had picked up her fathers basketball skills.
Lucas just nodded.
"Yeah, the twins are with my mom." He said looking around her room. "I think that Haley went to talk to Nathan."
Peyton took a deep breath. He was just rubbing salt in the wounds although he didn't know it. That was another part of her life that she had screwed up on so miserably.
"Oh, yeah?" Peyton asked flatly.
"Yeah… So, I was um, I was wondering if you wanted to come out to the café with me tonight, just you and I you know?" Lucas asked smiling
"Um, are you sure, it's our first night back, won't your mom want to have dinner with you?" Peyton asked trying to find a way out.
"Nope, she said it was fine. She actually has me working there tonight anyway."
Peyton sighed… She wasn't sure where the thing was going with she and Luke. Especially being back in Tree Hill and all… but she didn't want to turn him down either.
"Sure… I'll see you there." Peyton said plastering a fake smile on… It was scary how much this situation reminded her of high school again.
"Yeah see you there around eight thirty." Lucas said smiling and shoving his hands in his back pockets as he walked out.
"See ya." Peyton said in a small voice as she watched him leave.
---- Haley wandered out of the bathroom, she could hear Caleb laughing in the living room with Nathan, so she decided to give them a little bit of time. The bedroom that she and Nathan had shared was still the same. Her own little touch in the decoration. Haley smiled to herself as she went and peeked into the guest bedroom that she once long ago turned into a sitting room, that had overtime been turned into a junk room.
She pushed the door open, careful not to make any noise. She stood then dumbfounded at what she saw. Nathan hadn't kept the room the same at all. He had changed it… The walls were a pale blue and there was a basketball border going around the room. The bed sat in the corner with a matching basketball blanket. There was a matching area rug right beside the bed. There was a bookshelf full of books and toys, and a dresser. This room was perfect, complete with a little basketball nightlight.
Tears came to her eyes as her heart melted. She took a deep breath and opened the closet. There were clothes just Caleb's size filling the closet. Haley smiled when not much to her surprise there was a wide array of jerseys. Then suddenly something caught his eye. There was a crib folded up in the closet., and boxes beside it. There were baby clothes inside… That meant that Nathan had to have had this room since Caleb was a baby…
Haley jumped when she heard footsteps in the hallway. She turned to see Nathan standing in the hall with Caleb holding his hand.
"Wow!" Caleb said looking around the room.
"I don't understand Nathan." Haley said wiping a tear from her eye.
"I've always wanted my son." Was all that he could say
"But then why! You left!" Haley almost screamed. "Look." She said taking a step towards him. " I know about what happened with you and Peyton." Haley said in a hushed tone. She could see the pain in Nathans eyes.
"She was right, I'm never going to be a good father." Nathan said sinking into a chair.
"She didn't mean that stuff Nathan, she was 16, and she was scared. So were you, but you've got to get over that because now you have a son that needs you, and I need to to help raise him!" Haley almost pleaded
"I want to be a father to him." Nathan said watching his son across the room. "I want him to know me, I want him to be a Scott."
"Then give him that chance. He deserves it." Haley said
"Yeah he does." Nathan said shaking his head. "How long are you going to be in Tree Hill?"
Haley shrugged.
"I'm not sure, as long as I need to be I guess." Haley said smiling a little.
"Where are you staying?"
"Well I was going to ask my parents but I don't know how they're going to be. It's been four years and they don't know about Caleb or anything." Haley explained
"You guy can stay here with me." Nathan offered.
"I would Nathan, but that may be a little awkward." Haley said thinking it over
"The couch is a pull out." He said smiling
"Aw, you don't have to sleep on the couch!" Haley said smiling
"I wasn't going to." Nathan said winking.
Haley laughed and playfully shoved him.
------ Peyton searched through her drawers for something to wear. It was amazing how many clothes she had to leave behind. She picked a black t-shirt with one design on it or another, and then tossed on a pair of jeans. She wanted to go casual, there was no use in sending Luke mixed messages.
She could hear laughter in the kitchen. She walked in to find her dad and Jenny making ice cream sundaes. Larry's head was covered in whipped cream.
"What'd you do to grandpa?" Peyton asked lifting her daughter from the counter.
"He did it first!" Jenny said pointing to where she had chocolate syrup smothered on her cheek.
"Alright you guys, be good." Peyton said grabbing her keys.
"Where are'ya going mama?" Jenny asked
"Remember I told you, to see Uncle Luke."
"Will you be back to tuck me in?" Jenny asked
"I'll try baby." She said kissing the top of Jenny's head, and then she headed out to the café.
---- She could see Lucas wiping down the counters through the window.
"Hey." He said taking a seat across from her at the booth.
"Hey." Peyton replied.
"So I've been thinking lately." Lucas began
"Well that's nice to hear." Peyton said jokingly
"About us."
"There is an us?" Peyton asked in mock surprise. "I thought it was just about sex." She said turning her head to make sure that nobody heard.
"We both know it's about more than that." Lucas said slightly offended
Peyton looked down.
"Lucas, I like you, I really do, I just can't do this right now okay?" She said standing up from the table. "I'm really sorry." She said as she quickly made her way out of the café leaving Lucas confused.