Chapter 21

Two weeks had passed since Haley left Tree Hill. Lucas and Brooke had been busy making last minute wedding preparations almost every day, and they group of three were sitting down to eat dinner as a group for the first time since Lucas and Haley's first night back in New York.

"So you guys have finally finished all your planning?"

"Yeah, it's a good thing too, with the wedding in three days," Brooke said.

Lucas shared an excited smile with his fiancée. "Are you girls excited to go back to Tree Hill again tomorrow morning?"

"No," Haley sighed and Brooke and Lucas directed their gaze to her. "I really don't wanna see him."

"We know, Hales, but sooner or later you're gonna have to face him," Lucas told her.

"Have you talked to him at all since you left?" Brooke asked.

"No. He tried calling once last week after news of our break up surfaced in the tabloids, but I didn't pick up," she shrugged.

The week before, the news of Nathan and Haley's break up had been released by the media. She was flabbergasted when she saw it flash across her TV screen. Haley had no idea how the media could have possibly found out when she had only told people she knew would never say anything. There were pictures of an upset looking Haley leaving the airport with Lucas, and that combined with all the speculation of cheating, Haley assumed the media put two and two together and concluded that the pair broke up.

"Did he leave a message or anything?"

"Nope, but I probably wouldn't have listened to it if he had."

"Well, when you do see him tomorrow you'll have us plus Jake and Peyton behind you, so there's nothing to worry about," Brooke reassured.

Haley nodded and stood up from the table. "I'm just gonna go pack," she spoke quietly before exiting the room quickly.

Brooke turned to Lucas with worry shining in her eyes. "She's gonna be okay, right?"

"Of course she's gonna be okay. Whether Nathan and Haley get back together or not, she'll get through it because she has all her friends and family to help her," he smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Brooke agreed with a backwards glance at the door Haley had exited it through a minute earlier.

The locked clicked and Haley pushed the front door of her Tree Hill beach house open with Brooke and Lucas following her. She dropped her bags in the foyer and walked further into the house, inspecting every inch along the way. Nathan's car wasn't parked in the driveway when they arrived, and apparently it wasn't in the garage either.

Haley didn't know whether or not Nathan had remained in her house while she was in New York, but judging by the dirty dishes piled up in the sink, she was willing to bet that he had. She scoffed at his ability to be such a slob and walked back to where Lucas and Brooke remained standing in the foyer.

"I guess he's been staying here still."

"Really?" Brooke asked surprised.

"Yeah, I mean, it's not like he had anywhere else to go, so it was either stay here or go back to LA, I guess," she assumed.

"Good p–" Brooke began but immediately dropped her sentence when the sound of the garage opening could be heard in the room.

The trio remained silent as the door from the garage opened and slammed shut. Haley shut her eyes briefly in preparation of the confrontation sure to occur in a matter of seconds. She turned around to face the entranceway that she knew Nathan would walk through in order to enter further into the home.

Haley watched as Nathan stopped dead in his tracks as he turned the corner to enter the foyer of the house. His eyes bulged at the sight of Haley, Lucas, and Brooke standing there. He stood in his place staring at the three of them for a few minutes, still in shock, until he finally managed to find words. "What are guys doing here?"

"In case you forgot, two of your best friends are getting married in two days, and their combined bachelor/bachelorette party is tomorrow night," Haley responded impatiently.

"Yeah, I remember," he said quietly. "What I meant was what you guys are doing here, at this house."

Haley stared at him in complete shock as Brooke and Lucas winced, knowing he had said the wrong thing. "This is my house, Nathan. You may have been staying here for the past two weeks, but I do in fact own it, not you."

Nathan remained silent and Haley shook her head in disbelief before walking out of the room. Nathan directed his gaze to Brooke and Lucas. "She still doesn't believe that I didn't cheat on her then?"

Brooke glared at the man before her and brushed by him quickly as she exited the room and walked in the direction that Haley had taken off to. Lucas shook his head when Nathan focussed solely on him. "I don't even know what to believe anymore. For a guy that didn't cheat, it's pretty suspicious that there's a bunch pictures of him with the same random girl all over the place."

"Lucas, I would never cheat on Haley. I love her too much."

"That's what you say, Nate, but then why couldn't you tell her who the girl was, considering you love her so much," Lucas speculated.

Nathan was on the verge of responding when the sound of angry footsteps could be heard approaching them quickly. Haley's slight figure appeared in the archway with Brooke's coming into view seconds later as well. She looked at Nathan furiously and marched up to him. She raised her right hand and slapped him hard across the face. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" she yelled while raising her left hand to show him the red makeup bag she was holding.

The room was deathly silent as all eyes were on Nathan as he thought of an appropriate response. "Haley, it's... it's not what it looks like."

"Then what is it, Nathan? Because it looks to me like as soon as I left, you thought it'd be okay to bring the whore you cheated on me with into my house to stay with you!" she screamed. "You know what, on second thought, I don't want to hear your bullshit excuse. Just get the hell out of my house and take the damn bag too," she continued and threw the makeup bag at his chest.

"Please, Haley, I can explain."

"I don't wanna hear it, Nathan. Now get out."

"Where the hell am I supposed to go?"

"I could care less where you go, as long as it's far away from my house," she said forcefully.

Nathan stared at her longingly before turning and walking passed his brother, out the front door of the home.

Haley watched as the door slammed shut and turned quickly before stalking off in the direction of the backyard. She vaguely registered the sound of her friends following her as she slammed the back door behind her and walked onto the patio. She walked over to the edge of the pool and plopped down on the hard cement around it. She dipped her feet in the pool and bent so that her head was in her lap briefly while blowing out a long breath.

Haley didn't bother turning around when she heard the sound of the patio door open and close. Brooke walked over to her hesitantly and nudged Haley in the shoulder as she sat down next to her, dipping her feet in the warm pool water as well. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Haley gritted out stubbornly.

"Oh, come on, Haley. For once can you not bottle up your emotions and really talk to me about what's going through your head?"

Haley looked down at her lap before looking back up and kicking her foot forcefully, causing water to splash forward. She laughed humourlessly while shaking her head. "God, I'm such an idiot!" she exclaimed angrily. "I mean, he broke my heart once and I thought 'hey, it'll work out this time,' because you know, Nathan has obviously changed so much."

"You're not an idiot, Haley. You loved Nathan enough to give him a second chance after he made a huge mistake. Being a forgiving person does not classify you as stupid."

"Well, if being a forgiving person means I get hurt all the time, then I don't wanna be that type of person, because it clearly hasn't gotten me that far."

"You're kidding, right?" Brooke asked but received no indication that Haley was in fact joking. "Haley, being forgiving is part of who you are. It's part of what makes you such an amazing person to be around. Everyone screws up, and you're amazing enough to be able to understand that and forgive people. Don't you dare try to wish that you weren't that way, because so many people love you for it."

Haley answered with a long, drawn out sigh before the two friends fell into silence. "He brought her into my house, Brooke," she pointed out brokenly minutes later. "He brought the girl he cheated on me with into my house."

"I know, honey. But you know what?"

"What?"

"Nathan's always been an asshole, even when we were kids," Brooke stated simply.

Haley laughed softly. "I still didn't see this one coming."

"No one could have, Hales. You know what I think you should do though?"

Haley sighed and slumped her shoulders. "What should I do?"

"Let him see that you're unaffected by everything. No matter how angry or hurt you are, don't show it to him. That way, he'll think you're done with his ass for good."

"Easier said than done, Brooke," she muttered hopelessly.

Brooke nodded in agreement and wrapped her arm around her friend, allowing the girl to rest her head on Brooke's shoulder. "You can do it though. You're the strongest person I know, Haley."

Haley raised her head and looked at Brooke with confusion written on her face. "What makes you say that?"

"Haley, are you serious? How can you not see how strong you are? With all the crap that you went through with Nathan back then, becoming a superstar when you were what, like 20? Dealing with the fame and spotlight that young, plus some of the horrible things published about you, not to mention losing your dad, and being able to make it through that. Do I need to keep going? Because I can go on," Brooke smiled.

Haley smiled at her friend and spoke quietly. "Thanks, Brooke."

Brooke squeezed her Haley's shoulder gently and the two girls both turned their heads to stare across the pool at the large patio. They sat in a still silence until the sound of the back door opening and closing had them turning to see Lucas approaching them tentatively. When he finally made it to the girls he sat on Haley's other side, dipping his feet in the pool like the two of them had. "You okay now, buddy?" he asked.

"I've been better. I'll definitely be able to start feeling better once I see your asshole brother again and cut his balls off," she shrugged.

"Okay then," he smiled slightly uncomfortable and the three friends fell into a calm silence.

The silence was broken minutes later when the sound of Haley's grumbling stomach was heard. She blushed softly and rubbed it as Brooke and Lucas laughed. "What do you two say about going over to the cafe for a late lunch?" Lucas suggested.

"Oh my God, that sounds heavenly," Haley practically moaned and her two friends once again laughed at her antics. She shrugged unabashedly and attempted to make them get up faster in order for her to get some food.

"Hey, Mom," Lucas said as he, Brooke, and Haley walked into Karen's Cafe for an early dinner.

"Oh, hi, kids," she said as she rung up her the only table she had left occupied. "Have a seat anywhere; I'll be with you in a second."

Lily was perched on one of the stools at the counter and she smiled and waved excitedly at them before jumping down and running into Haley's arms. "You came back!"

Haley laughed. "I told you I'd see you before you knew it, silly girl."

The young girl smiled and rested her head on Haley's shoulder. Ever since she had been born, Haley and Lily were extremely close. Although Haley had not visited Tree Hill for a long time before her father's funeral, she managed to see Karen, Keith, and Lily whenever they flew out to New York to visit Lucas.

Lily had grown up seeing her mother treat Haley as one of her own children, and immediately began forming a sister like bond with the woman. Lily adored her and Haley had always absolutely loved the young girl.

"Hey, aren't you excited to see your big brother?" Lucas asked, feigning hurt.

Lily raised her head and signalled for Lucas to take her from Haley's arms. She happily passed the child over to her best friend and smiled when she wrapped her small arms around Lucas' neck. After a moment, Lucas set her down and she hugged Brooke before returning to her seat at the countertop and began to finish eating her dinner.

The trio then walked to a booth at the side of the restaurant and waited in a calm silence for Karen to come take their orders.

"Let me guess: mac n' cheese, chicken Caesar salad, and a cheeseburger with extra onions and bacon with a side of fries, all with cokes."

"Can you make mine a diet coke, please, Karen?" Brooke asked as Lucas and Haley smiled at her superb guessing abilities.

"Brooke, you're perfect exactly the way you are, there's no need to be drinking diet anything," Lucas said in bewilderment.

Brooke shrugged. "Better safe than sorry. I can't gain any weight between now and the wedding, because if I don't fit into my dress I would have to kill someone."

Lucas and Haley laughed and the group fell into a quick silence until Karen reappeared with their beverages. "So, how are the three of you doing?" she asked, focusing her gaze on Haley.

"Me? Oh, I'm just super," Haley exclaimed sarcastically.

Karen smiled sympathetically at the girl and squeezed her shoulder gently. "It'll get better eventually, kiddo."

Haley scoffed and spoke bitterly. "Can't wait for that day to come."

Karen frowned and looked at the other woman worriedly. She walked away after conveying that worry to her son and future daughter-in-law, who nodded discretely in acknowledgement.

"You know Hales, sooner or later you're gonna have to let it go," Lucas said lightly.

"Let what go?" she replied sharply.

"The fact that Nathan may or may not have cheated."

"May or may not have? Lucas, he cheated. Or did you not see the God damn make up bag that I found in my house?"

"Well maybe if you actually gave him a chance to explain, you would see that there's actually a reasonable explanation for the whole situation."

"So you're saying that there's an acceptable explanation for cheating on someone you love?" she questioned. "Wow, Luke, good to know you care about me."

Lucas groaned in annoyance. "Will you stop being such a bitch to me? I'm not the one that hurt you, so there's no reason for you to get so defensive with me!"

Brooke's eyes bulged and she immediately jumped into the conversation. "You did not just call her a bitch."

"It's the truth! Every time I even slightly defend my brother she bites my head off!"

"For good reason! The scum bag cheated on your best friend Lucas! I personally don't understand why you keep defending Nathan either, regardless of whether or not he's your brother, the proof is there that Nathan cheated."

"What do you mean proof? All the proof there is to say that Nathan cheated is a bunch of pictures from unreliable, trashy entertainment sources and a fricken purse that could be anyone's!"

"Thanks for showing your support, Luke," Haley said unbelievably.

"I would support you more if you would actually listen to me when I try to talk about it instead of biting my head off."

"Whatever," she said and slid out of the side of the booth she was sitting on and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Lucas asked incredulously.

Haley stopped walking and turned around to face him and Brooke. She noticed that Karen had also stopped carrying their food to the table and was almost halfway between the two parties, looking on in bewilderment. "Suddenly I'm not hungry anymore and I'm not about to sit here and let you defend your asshole brother while calling me a bitch. Thanks, but no thanks," she finished sarcastically and stormed out of the small cafe.

Haley walked along the Riverfront in an angry silence. Why is it that Lucas felt the need to continue to pester her to forgive Nathan? It's like he was going all team Nathan on her, always defending him to her. She was completely fed up with it; the last thing she wanted was to be fighting with her best friend over something that no longer mattered, every time it was brought up. Not to mention it was affecting Lucas' relationship with Brooke too. Hence why she just walked away from her friend in the middle of their argument; she never meant to have it affect anyone else's life other than her and Nathan's.

As Haley continued to walk she looked farther into the distance of the boardwalk. She stopped dead in her tracks upon noticing a tall, raven haired man sitting on a bench. The man wasn't alone though, he was resting his head against a blond woman's while the arms she had wrapped around him rubbed his arm.

Tears began welling in Haley's eyes at the sight of the man she knew she still loved with another woman so close to their 'spot.' She continued to stare for a couple minutes before shaking her head in defeat and turned on the spot. Maybe Nathan Scott had moved on to a younger, better looking girl. Haley continued to walk aimlessly around Tree Hill in devastation, completely broken at the image of Nathan with that woman frozen in her mind.