When I woke up the next morning I wandered into the hallway to find Nathan staring at me. I looked down at myself, I was wearing one of Jake's really big t-shirts along with some very short shorts. "What are you doing here?"
"Jake and I are staying here for a little bit, we need to get out of that house and take some time to think...I just I can't even begin to think about it. Why are you here?"
"Oh, I'm here for Luke and I's NBA Live Sunday Tournaments" I laughed at this, of course.
"Where is Brooke?
"She slept over Peyton's last night, I was originally going to go but...I couldn't" Jake then wandered out.
"Of course, you are wearing my only clean shirt."
"Of course you only packed one clean shirt. This is why I always pack your stuff for trips." I said mockingly.
I saw him looking at me up and down "Are you wearing pants?" he questioned.
"Of course I am wearing pants, you idiot, why wouldn't I be wearing pants, but because you are so tall and your shirt is big, you can't see them" I said as Nathan laughed, then I began to take the shirt off as I saw Jake cover his eyes "Hales"
"What, don't you want your shirt?"
"Yeah but are you seriously going to take it off in the middle of the hallway"
"Yeah because I have a tank top on underneath, did you think I was naked under it?" I exclaimed, then I took it off "Jeez and you claim you are smart, go get some coffee or something. So you can pretend to have a brain like you usually do"
Brooke then walked in the house and yelled "Haley, Jake" I went to find her as she pulled me into a hug, "Lucas filled us in" Peyton shut the door, walking in.
I began to pace as I ranted "I just can't be around him right now, and she goes around saying she wants to get to know me and her niece and crap and I told her she wasn't her aunt, that she had three aunts and didn't need another. I can't believe she had the guts to say that I mean, like seriously, she isn't not going anywhere near Sophia. Not if I have anything to say about it. I never want to see her again. Sophia has you and Peyton and Vivian that's enough"
"Hales we have to go home eventually" Jake said concerned.
"I know, but I just can't be there right now I figure we can go back after the weekend is over because he is going to try to get me to bond with her."
"Has anyone told Vivian?" Lucas asked.
"No...I should go call her."
I walked down the hall to my locker alone. I could hear people's whispers and felt their stairs. I quickly opened it and started digging around. I grabbed my binder and opened it to see a photo of Sophia I had printed. Inside my locker I had a two magnets with two pictures, one was Brooke, Jake, and I at the beach, and the other was of Nathan and I. I took that one down and replaced it with the one of Sophia, throwing the other in the bottom of my bag sighing.
I looked towards the end of the hallway at his locker. I watched as he emptied his book bag into it. I sighed wanting to just walk over and talk to him...knowing I couldn't I tried to pull my eyes away from him, before I could he looked over at me. He noticed that I saw and quickly redirected his glance to a group of cheerleaders as one winked at him. I took a deep breath and closed my locker. "Hey tutor girl ready to go to class?" Brooke asked walking over
"Yeah" I linked my arm through hers and walked in the other direction.
I had Sophia on my hip as I balanced a huge bag on my other shoulder. As I found a nice spot I placed her down. "Sophie stay here sweetie" Keeping an eye on her I put the bag down and pulled out the blanket. As I went to place it on the ground the wind kicked up and pulled it from my hands. I saw Sophia starting to wander in the other direction. I picked her up and threw the bag on my shoulder once more, starting my trek down the beach in order to catch the blanket. I saw a man running on the beach reach out and grab it, I had thought Sophia and I were the only ones here.
He saw me and started walking over. As he got closer I realized who it was. "Hi...um thanks" I said to Nathan as he coldly offered me the blanket.
"No problem"
"So how you been?" I asked.
"Listen, I can't do this...whatever this is, small talk, you trying to apologize...I can't"
"It was me trying to be friendly and nice."
"Well don't. Don't even bother cause it's not going to work." He sighed and walked off.
"Does anyone know whether this particle is negative or positive...Miss James"
"It is negative since it gains the electron."
"Good job, now why does..." The bell rang and everyone quickly packed up their books to leave. "Okay we will pick this up tomorrow, can you guys please read the chapter, the only person who actually did was Miss James" I slowly packed up my books not in a rush to leave since I didn't have a bus to catch and I didn't have to meet up with Nathan since he sped out of class. The only two people left in the room were me and Felix, the star quarterback.
"Hey there Haley"
"Hi Felix"
"How has your day been?"
"Okay I guess"
"Can I do anything to make it better." I slung my book bag over my shoulder.
"No, thanks though."
"You know, I never noticed how hot you actually were, you were always with Scott so I didn't even bother looking since he is a stuck up prick."
"Yeah" I muttered heading towards the door before he cornered me against the wall.
"Now that you two are over, you should give us a try."
"Listen I have to be going..."
"We should meet up sometime, party together. I mean obviously you like to party, we should try it...clothes optional."
"Felix...please stop and let me go."
He only stepped closer to me. "Give into me Haley, I know you wanted to" I started breathing heavily.
"Felix...please" My voice cracked.
"You know you want me."
"Hey! Get away from her" Nathan said walking into the room, as Felix backed off slightly. I slid down the wall slowly to sit down.
"What do you want Scott, think I'm too good for your leftovers?"
"Step away from her Felix and leave her alone! She is too good for both of us, she doesn't want to be with you obviously, she is terrified. You scare girls off rather than make them want to hookup with you."
"Obviously she likes to hook up she has..."
"Don't finish that sentence" Nathan said grabbing Felix's shirt. "now leave her alone." Nathan pushed Felix slightly and he then walked out of the room.
"Hey" Nathan said squatting next to me. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, he just really scared me. He acted like Damien used to."
"He didn't touch you right?"
"No, he was about to though, if you didn't come in...thank you Nathan."
"Yeah" Nathan said getting up. I placed my hands on the floor and pushed myself up.
"Why did you come back anyway?" Nathan walked over to his desk and lifted up the notebook that sat there.
"I left it."
"Oh okay, so..."
"Hey I just met you and this is crazy but here's my number so call me maybe" Started playing as my phone began to vibrate, I opened it "What B?"
I pulled the phone away from my ear as her voice boomed through loudly "Tutor girl where are you? Practice is about to start miss punctual"
"I will be right there, calm down"
"Just get here!"
"I guess that's my cue" I said shutting my phone. "Thanks again Nate" He nodded putting his hands in his pockets and walking out the door.
"Hey Luke" I said walking up to the rivercourt.
"Hey Hales, what are you doing out?"
"Soph couldn't sleep so I decided to take her on a walk" I said pulling the blanket up on her more in the stroller "Her teeth have been hurting her, I can tell because I stick my finger into her mouth and all she does is chew on it. I feel so bad. Thankfully this put her to sleep."
"If you ever need any help, you can call me anytime."
"Thanks Luke. Can I see the ball?" I put the brakes on the stroller and stepped onto the court. He threw it and I took a shot "Nothing but net"
"Nice Hales"
"Thanks, I still got it."
"If it were anyone else I would be ashamed to say a girl is better at basketball than me, but you don't really count sooo..."
"Are you implying that I'm not a girl."
He shrugged his shoulders with a smile. I ran over and jumped on his back. "Take it back Lucas Eugene Scott!"
"Aghh" He groaned, running around trying to shake me off "Damn Hales, you aren't as light as you used to be"
"What? Shut up fatty, You're SO lazy" I hit the back of his head. "And this is why you spend your nights alone at the rivercourt because no one wants to be around you."
"Yeah right, everyone including you, loves me. And besides I wasn't going to be." As he said that Nathan stepped onto the court. I hopped off Lucas's back and straightened out my shirt.
"Well uh...I should get going, I have that calculus test tomorrow that I need to study for...I couldn't do that while Soph was screaming but now she's not...obviously...so, uh see you later."
"Alright bye Hales" He gave me a side hug. "And call me if you need anything, no matter what time. I can run over and help"
"I'll remember that at three in the morning when she is screaming her head off."
"I'm serious." He said earnestly, with a genuine smile. "And don't worry about the test you could pass it in your sleep."
"Thanks Lukie, but as long as Brooke and Jake actually sleep tonight I think I will be fine, and if not when Sophia wakes up screaming 'cause her teeth I will throw her in with them."
"Good plan"
I chuckled "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow."
"What's on your mind Hales?" Lucas asked rocking Sophia back and forth as we set up at Tric for the open mic night that would happen the next day.
"So we have been talking about me an gymnastics a lot lately. I love it and everything but I am never going to reach anything in it. I can never get back into the shape I was in before I got pregnant but...I can easily become a teacher and don't get me wrong I still want to go to college and become a literature teacher. I have been thinking a lot and...I want to make an album. I know it sounds completely crazy but I can get all the songs together and figure it all out then confront labels about it...It's just completely unreasonable but..."
"No its not" Brooke injected "It's your dream and you're damn good at it, go for it."
"Really?"
"I agree with her" Jake said.
"What songs do you have so far?" Peyton asked.
"Well I would put Never Grow Up there and Blue Sky, along with other songs I have in my notebook, and I have been working on this new song for a while but it's not done."
"Can we hear it?" Brooke asked.
I sighed "...I guess." I walked slowly to the keyboard and started the rift.
Drop everything now
Meet me in the pouring rain
Kiss me on the sidewalk
Take away the pain
Cause I see, sparks fly whenever you smile
Hit me with those blue eyes, baby
As the lights go down
Something that'll haunt me when you're not around
Cause I see, sparks fly whenever you smile
"And that's all I got" I whispered after.
"It's really good"
"I like it"
"Thanks" I said getting up "Are you guys ready for next weekend?"
"I got my money saved up" Brooke said smiling at Jake.
"Me too, it's gonna be so fun seeing you guys up there." Peyton said looking around at the guys.
"The Boytoy auction of 2012, it will be a great night" I said.
"And I was thinking, we should head up to my parents cabin after, it's only an hour drive and all six of us could probably use the weekend away to wind down."
"That sounds like fun, Nate and I are in" Lucas said before Nathan could disagree.
"So are Haley and I" Jake said. And with that I knew what my friends were up to, and it wouldn't help.
"What about Sophia?" I asked "I shouldn't just leave her."
"Bring her with us" Brooke said.
"Alright...I guess it would be good to get away...especially because Quinn has been driving me crazy lately."
"How is that going by the way?" Peyton asked.
"I avoid her and my father like the plague"
Nathan's phone began ringing as he went off to the corner to answer it. When he walked back Lucas quickly grabbed it, Nathan couldn't try to fight him on it since he was holding Sophia. "What are you doing talking to Rachel?"
I felt my heart clench as he looked at the floor and shrugged, before anyone could say anything Sophia led out a high pitch scream.
I reached into the bag next to me and handed her her teething ring. "Damn teeth, I wish they would just come in already. I sat and rocked her for two hours last night at two am because of them. Nothing else soothes her than me singing and rocking with her. And I can't just let her cry it out, she is in pain."
"Is that why your voice was so coarse this morning?" Jake asked.
"Yeah, I had to sing for two hours straight, I could barely talk after."
"Next time call me in, I could take her for a little."
"I don't think it would work she just wanted me to hold her."
"What about me?" Brooke said "I mean we have the same parts."
"She might start crying more than B. Davis, your singing voice isn't good...at all." Peyton said being blunt.
"Face it, Hales is her favorite person and the only who can soothe her no matter how much we all love her." Lucas said
I smiled slightly.
"So are we definitely going this weekend, the seven of us? Brooke asked
"Wait we're forgetting what about Natey's new girlfriend? I mean if they're always talking..because I mean I always see them flirting...she should be invited."
"The only reason I am talking to her is to ask her to stay away from me."
"Oh..why?"
"Because she wasn't you"
"Oh" I muttered I saw Sophia let out a yawn "I should probably get her to bed. I'm gonna go."
"She stays in her room most of the time" Brooke sighed sitting down on the couch.
"She doesn't come out unless it's for Sophie...but at least I have heard her playing her guitar, meaning she has been writing and letting out her emotions." Jake said.
Peyton ran her hand through her hair. "I'm starting to get worried."
"I already am" Lucas sighed.
"I guess we just have to wait and see what happens at Tric"