When the doorbell rang, tearing Peyton's concentration from the sketch before her, the blonde cursed softly to her empty room and carefully finished blacking in the background of her drawing. Solid knocks made her scowl as she got up and headed through the house for the door. Didn't anyone understand the concept of patience anymore? And who would be at her door and ten on a Sunday night anyway?

"I have a baseball bat and I know how to use it," she growled as she approached the door, ready to chew out her visitor.

But when she opened the door, all the annoyance faded. "I'm not sure who I was expecting, but it wasn't you," she said honestly.

"Yeah. I found your address in the phone book," Haley explained with a shrug. "Can I come in?"

"Sure." Anything to stop her from standing so timidly on the porch. She stepped aside to let Haley enter the house, then lead her into the living room. Both of them sat down, facing each other, and for a moment there was only silence.

Finally Peyton couldn't take it anymore. If Haley had taken the time to look her up and come over, something had to be wrong. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing." Haley sighed, seeing the falsehood of that statement. "Everything."

Not wanting to rush Haley into a painful topic of conversation, Peyton decided to sidestep the Lucas issue for a moment. She knew that the friends weren't getting along because of Haley's association with Nathan. "How's tutoring with Nate going?"

The look on Haley's face was pinched and instantly Peyton knew she'd hit a sore spot. "It's not. That's over."

Peyton couldn't hide her surprise. "What? Why?"

Haley sighed again and told Peyton everything that she'd heard between Tim and Nathan, then everything she and Nathan had said outside of the café. This was her chance, her opportunity to spill out everything she was feeling, and she grasped it with both hands. All along, Peyton had been the only one who listened about Haley's confusion towards Nathan—the only one she'd told about her stupid plan to help her friend—and she was now the friend she needed most.

When Haley was done telling Peyton about the whole ordeal, she leaned back against the couch with a deep sigh.

"I can't believe him," Peyton fumed. "In the time I've known him, Nate's done some pretty stupid things, but this… this is the worst. I'm sorry, Haley. I should have convinced you not to do it."

"It's not your fault."

"But I know him."

"So do I, now," Haley admitted quietly. "I've been thinking about this—his plan, how he acted these few weeks, what he said to me today—for hours at work and I… I believe him, Peyton. I think he did intend to hurt me when it started but… it all changed. For both of us."

Peyton took a long look at Haley's face and was surprised with what she saw. "You forgive him."

"I do," Haley replied honestly. "I calmed down and looked at it rationally and saw that I was using him, too. Not maliciously, and he knew that I was using him, but I was doing it all the same."

"You like him?"

Haley looked at her helplessly. "I got used to him. You know how he is."

Peyton shook her head. "No I don't. Not with you. Don't compare what I had with him and what you have with him. Nathan and I weren't supposed to happen. I can tell by the way he looks at you that things aren't the same."

Somehow Haley wasn't comforted at that. It was a kind thought, but in her current situation, it changed nothing.

"So what does this mean?"

Haley shrugged. "Maybe nothing. Luke's still mad at me and I can't lose him."

"But you don't want to lose Nathan either," Peyton observed.

"No, I don't," Haley agreed. "I feel like I'm fighting a war with no strategy. I go to Lucas, I lose Nathan. I go to Nathan, I lose Lucas. So what can you do besides cut your losses? At least with Lucas I know I can count on him. I have for years." She smiled weakly. "Besides, there's always a chance that they'll decide to ignore Dan the Bastard and be friends so we can all be a happy, right? And don't ruin my delusions."

Peyton chuckled. "Right. A chance." Slim to none was technically a chance, right? Maybe not a good one, but a chance nonetheless.

Playing with a string on her jacket, Haley shook her head. "I babbled. That's not even what I came to talk about. I wanted to ask you something about Lucas. Do you think… no, if you were in his position would have been as angry as he is?"

"I don't know," Peyton said after a moment's thought. "You're his best friend, Haley. You would know better than me."

Haley froze as she considered those words. Suddenly everything seemed clearer to her and she knew what she had to do. Maybe it wouldn't win Lucas back, but it was a first step. "Thank you, Peyton. I think you just solved my problem." She got up and headed for the door.

Peyton stared after her in confusion. What had just happened? She'd admitted that she was confused and had no answer for Haley's questions and that had been the key to the problem? How was that possible? "What did I say?"

"Everything you needed to. Thanks, Peyton!" Haley was already getting into her car, waving a hand over her head.

As Peyton watched Haley pull away from her house, she shook her head. "Whatever it was, good luck."

It had been less than a full month that Nathan had been starting his day off with Haley and still a Monday morning without her seemed odd to him. In that relatively short amount of time, she'd become part of his routine. He hated that he wouldn't have that part of his life anymore—hated Lucas, hated Haley.

Hated himself.

By the time fifth period came around, he'd replayed their tutoring sessions in his head day-by-day, like episodes of a TV show. And when she avoided him at all costs, it hurt like hell. He laughed with his friends at their stupid jokes and paid the appropriate amount of attention to Tina, the blonde who sat next to him, but he still found himself taking quick glances towards Haley's seat. Was she paying attention? Did she see that he could live fine without her? Or could she see through his act?

As soon as class was over, Haley gathered her things and left the room. She couldn't stand seeing Nathan revert back to his old form. Just because she wasn't tutoring him anymore didn't mean that he had to stop paying attention and start failing again. He could do it by himself; for the most part she had only forced him to do his work anyway. Passing would be simple if he dedicated the time to it.

It hurt to think that he was wasting that potential. Sure, he played the dumb jock part commendably but she knew that he'd taken pride in doing well on those tests.

But right now it wasn't her business what Nathan did. Only time would tell whether or not it would be in the future. Somehow she doubted it.

Haley walked to Lucas's locker, taking a carefully folded piece of paper from the pocket of her jacket. She slid it through the vents on the front and nodded to herself, then turned and walked away.

The piece of paper was plain white, folded into four, and on the outside was a simple "Please read me" written in Haley's neat script.

Lucas had half a mind to toss it into the back of his locker and forget he'd seen it, but in the end curiosity—as well as years of friendship—got the best of him and he opened it. He missed Haley, there was no denying that. She'd been his best friend for too long for this sort of a gap between them to be anything resembling normal, and he wanted things to be back to the way they were—but pride stopped him from going to talk to her.

The fact was, he didn't want to share her with Nathan. Nathan and his father had taken enough away from him without touching Haley.

Lucas was surprised to see that the note didn't consist of a letter, but what appeared to be a poem or a song.

Heaven bent to take my hand
And lead me through the fire
Be the long awaited answer
To a long and painful fight
Truth be told I've tried my best
But somewhere along the way
I got caught up in all there was to offer
And the cost was so much more than I could bear

We all begin with good intent
Love was raw and young
We believed that we could change ourselves
The past could be undone
But we carry on our backs the burden
Time always reveals
The lonely light of morning
The wound that would not heal
It's the bitter taste of losing everything
That I have held so dear.

Heaven bent to take my hand
Nowhere left to turn
I'm lost to those I thought were friends
To everyone I know
Oh, they turned their heads embarrassed
Pretend that they don't see
But it's one missed step
You'll slip before you know it
And there doesn't seem a way to be redeemed

Though I've tried, I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
I have messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell me I told you so...

Lucas, I'm sorry that I hurt you. At the time I didn't see the damage that my actions could invoke and now I'm worried that my mistake has caused me the person I value most. Please, can we just sit down and talk about this reasonably? I miss you. Haley

I do not own this song. It's called Fallen by the talented Sarah McLachlan and was played on the last episode of OTH, and I just thought that it fit in.