What's up, guys. Thank you all so much for the reviews last chapter. I'm glad that you liked the old-school Naley dialogue. I've been watching S1 lately and wanted to return to Naley's roots. And bringing up S1, did anyone ever notice that the beach whore who came onto Dan was named Carrie, too? I thought it was a funny coincidence.

Now, I have something really important to tell you guys. I've gotten a lot of requests to do a sequel for More Than Anyone. I've been thinking about it lately and kind of leaning towards doing one. I started a poll to see how many more people actually want it. So if you do or don't, please vote. If I do decide to write it, unfortunately, it will be a while before it comes out. I never really planned on doing sequels for any of my original stories, but I get requests and ideas start popping into my head that I can't get rid of. Then I'm hooked. So here's the line up, because I have to write the sequels that I promised first.

Right now, I'm working on Secrets of Life. I'm dying to post it, but I think I want to finish it before I do. Then the follow-ups to Funny Little Feeling will come next. They're already outlined. Once those are done, I'll write the sequel for MTA. I've actually already thought of a title. It's I'm You. It's based on the song by Leona Lewis. If you've never heard it, I highly recommend it. It's one of my absolute favorites. Also, once NTL is done, I'd like to work on another side story called Half-Life. So I've got a lot of fics lined up for you guys. But input would be great.

Anyway, getting back to this story, I hope that you enjoy this chapter. It's the one you've all been waiting for, and I hope that you're not disappointed. I actually found it quite exciting and easy to write...surprisingly. So please read and review. Thanks!

Chapter 26

"Where is everyone?" Haley questioned as she checked her watch. "They should've been here five minutes ago."

"I'm sure they're on their way."

"Maybe I should call Brooke and Taylor again. You can call Lucas."

"Hales, relax. They're going to be here any minute," Nathan soothed as he gave her hand a little squeeze. It was Monday night, and the pair was sitting on Haley's bed in her dorm room. They'd called their friends a little over an hour ago to meet them there.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little nervous," she sighed. "It's just… what if they don't agree? Or maybe they'll think it's a bad idea."

"It'll be fine," he assured her. He then turned her head towards him and kissed her on the lips. "I love you, but you worry too damn much." Haley smiled despite herself. She couldn't help it. Whenever he uttered those three little words, she was done for. In fact, she hadn't stopped smiling since Saturday night—something that both Brooke and Taylor had busted her up about. That is, after they begged her for the gory details. Nevertheless, Haley couldn't remember a happier or more romantic time in her life.

"How much do you love me?" she teased.

Nathan smirked. "You already know the answer to that."

"I'd still rather hear you say it."

"Actually, I'd rather show you," he mumbled huskily before claiming her lips in his. Haley sighed contently against his mouth while wrapping her arms around his neck. Like usual, she completely got lost in his kiss.

"Oh God, my eyes!" a male voice exclaimed.

"Ooh, Naley's getting frisky!"

"Nice tongue action, baby sis!" The pair abruptly broke apart to see their friends entering the room. Instantly, Haley could feel the deep blush forming on her face.

"We were just…uh…" Haley trailed off.

"About to have hot, wild monkey sex?" Taylor suggested.

"Please don't ever say that again," Lucas stated as he took a seat on Brooke's bed.

"Taylor!" Haley berated. Nathan just smirked in response.

"Oh, leave her alone," Brooke spoke up. She then turned to Haley curiously. "You weren't, were you?"

"NO!"

"But I wouldn't mind it," Nathan joked.

"Nathan!" Haley scolded before swatting him in the stomach.

"Watch it, Nate. Just because I may be ok with this relationship does not mean that I won't kick your ass for talking about my best friend like that," Lucas warned.

"I'd like to see you try, Pucas."

"Bring it on, Royal," he challenged. Nathan narrowed his eyes. He hated it when his brother used his middle name to taunt him.

"Careful, Eugene," Nathan retorted. He smirked when he saw Lucas visibly cringe.

"Guys, can we all please focus here?" Haley interrupted.

Brooke sighed as she took a seat next to Lucas. "Ok. So what is this big meeting about?"

"You're not knocked up, are you?" Taylor asked.

"Taylor, stop. I mean it," Haley said while giving her a stern look.

"Alright, I'm sorry. So what's up?" Nathan took Haley's hand in his, once again. They shared a look before glancing at their friends.

"To get straight to the point, Haley and I have decided that it's time to tell Matt the truth," Nathan declared. "We don't want to hide our relationship anymore." He and Haley had talked about it for almost two hours the other day. They couldn't stand lying or the secrecy anymore. They loved one another, and it was time that everyone knew it. Whether the outcome was good or bad, they were ready to face it together.

"Wow," Brooke commented. "Are you guys sure? Do you really think that it's the right time?"

Haley nodded. "Yes. We owe it to Matt and ourselves to tell him the truth. And the longer we wait, the worse he's going to take it. It's better if we're open about it now. Plus, we don't want him to find out like Lucas did. That wouldn't be fair."

"He'd probably kill you," Lucas stated.

"He's going to kill him anyway," Taylor added.

"Thanks, guys," Nathan muttered. "That helps."

Lucas shrugged. "It's the truth, man."

"Well, whatever happens, we have your backs," Brooke promised. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah," Haley replied. "And I just want to thank you guys for all you've done for us. I know it's not easy being put in the middle. I initially didn't want you guys to have to get involved in this. But, nevertheless, we both really do appreciate it."

"Yeah, thank you," Nathan said.

"Anything for young love," Taylor teased. Brooke and Lucas smiled while nodding in agreement.

"So, how are you going to do this?" Lucas questioned. "Are we all going to be there or—"

"No, Haley and I are going to tell him alone," Nathan answered. They thought about telling him with the group there but decided that that might not be the best idea. They didn't want Matt to feel like he was being ganged up on. The less people who were there, the better.

"When are you going to do it?" Taylor inquired.

"Matt and I are supposed to hang out tomorrow night in my room," Nathan explained. "Haley's going to come by later on, and then we'll tell him."

"Are you scared?" Brooke asked.

"That would be an understatement," Haley replied. She'd been dreading this even before she got together with Nathan. Haley had always feared what would happen if Matt discovered her true feelings towards his best friend. Would he be angry? Disappointed? Maybe accept them? The possible outcome was always unknown—hanging precariously above her head. And now that she was with Nathan for real, the whole concept of telling him terrified her even more.

"You're positive that you don't want us there with you?" Taylor questioned.

Haley gave her sister a small, thankful smile at the offer. "You can't."

"Well, let us know how it goes," Brooke said.

"And it was nice knowing you," Lucas quipped—which earned him a sharp whack from Brooke. "Ow, Cheery! That really hurt!"

"I think that's my cue to go," Taylor said standing up. She then walked over to Haley and gave her a hug. "Whatever happens, it will all work out in the end. I'm sure of it."

"He's going to be pissed at you, too, Tay," Haley whispered.

"Let him. He's not the only one who has to protect his baby sister."

Haley smiled. "Thank you. And tell Chase 'hi' for me the next time you talk to him."

"I'll try to remember. Once the phone sex starts we tend to get a little preoccupied—"

"Do not even finish that sentence," Haley laughed while pulling away.

"Just kidding…sort of," Taylor teased before heading to the door. "Bye, guys."

"We have to go, too," Brooke spoke up. "Broody and I have a chick flick to see."

"But if you guys need me here for moral support, I'd be happy to stay," Lucas declared. "Ow! Would you stop hitting me?"

Brooke gave him a cheeky grin. "I will as soon as you stop being a smartass." She then turned back to Haley and Nathan. "We'll see you guys later." A second later, a reluctant Lucas was dragged out the door by a very determined Brooke.

"My brother is so whipped," Nathan commented with a smirk.

"And how do you know that you aren't?" Haley teased.

"Because I just do."

"Really?"

"Uh huh."

"So yesterday you painted my toenails for me just because you felt like it?" Haley challenged with a mischievous grin. When she initially asked Nathan, Haley didn't think he'd go for it. He'd presently surprised her, however, by doing it without complaint. And to her even greater surprise, Nathan was actually pretty good at it. He had the steadiest hand she'd ever seen.

"I was doing you a favor," he defended.

"Not many men would do a favor like that. Face it, Scott. You're whipped," she declared jokingly.

"Fine. I'll never do it again."

"Yes, you will."

"No, I won't," he retorted. Nathan knew he would if she asked, but he had to deny it for argument's sake.

"You will, because you love me," Haley said with a confident smile.

Nathan brought his hand up to her cheek and caressed it. "I do love you." He then leaned down to meet her lips in a sweet, sensual kiss. He could feel every nerve ending in his body fizzle from the contact. It was amazing how one kiss from her could have such a strong affect on him.

"I wish we could just fast forward through tomorrow," Haley muttered once they'd broken apart.

Nathan wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. "Me, too, baby. Me, too."

"Aw man, did you see that pass?!" Matt exclaimed. "That was amazing."

"Yeah, it was," Nathan agreed. He and Matt were in his room watching a game between the Lakers and Celtics on ESPN. It was really good, but Nathan just couldn't get into it like he wanted to. All he could think about was the conversation to come. How this might possibly be the last time that they hung out for awhile—or ever. Haley was going to be there in about ten minutes. And then, there was no turning back.

"What's up with you?" Matt asked—interrupting Nathan's muddled thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You're kind of quiet tonight," he pointed out.

"I've just got a lot on my mind," Nathan replied.

"Like what? Is it about the team?"

"No, it's not that."

"School?"

"No."

Matt stared at him curiously for a minute before realization dawned on him. "It's a woman, isn't it?"

Nathan looked down at his hands before answering, "Uh, yeah. It is."

"I was wondering when you were going to hook up with someone else. You and Peyton have been done for ages," Matt stated. "So who is this new girl?"

"She's…um…she's actually someone from my past," Nathan replied carefully. He didn't want to give too much away. He just wanted to get the ball rolling, so to speak.

"Who?"

"That's not important right now. I just want you to know that you're my best friend, Matt. We've been through a lot together over the years, and I've always appreciated how you've had my back. And you know that I'll always have yours."

"Of course, man," Matt responded with a curious look. "What's going on, though? You're kind of freaking me out."

"As for the girl I'm seeing now, I also want you to know that I care about her a lot. I wouldn't be with her if I didn't. I know that I've had a past with women, but it's different with her. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I'm not going to take that for granted."

Matt stared at him perplexed. "Nate, who is this girl?" A second later, there was a soft knock on the door.

"I'll get that," Nathan announced. He could feel his hand slightly shaking as he turned the handle of the door. As soon as it opened, he and Haley locked eyes. He could tell that she was extremely nervous. Her bottom lip was tucked between her teeth and her face was a little pale. Nathan stepped aside to let her in.

"Haley? What are you doing here?" Matt asked.

"I need to talk to you," she answered while entering the room. Nathan quickly shut the door behind her.

"Well, can it wait a minute? Nate and I were kind of in the middle of something."

"I know. That's why I'm here," she declared. Keep it together, Haley. You can do this, she coached herself. She felt like she was going to be sick. This was by far the most difficult thing she ever had to do.

Matt frowned. "I don't understand."

"You know that girl that I was just telling you about?" Nathan spoke up.

"Yeah," Matt replied. Nathan and Haley exchanged looks. This was it. This was the moment they'd been dreading.

"It's Haley," Nathan finally revealed. He then took her hand in his. She gave it a supportive squeeze as they waited with baited breath for Matt's response. It never came. He was completely silent for a couple of minutes—just staring between the two of them with a vacant expression on his face. Haley was just about to ask Matt if he understood when he, all of a sudden, busted out laughing. She looked to Nathan afterward and saw that he was just as stunned by the reaction as she was.

"Matt?" Nathan questioned.

"That's a good one, guys. You really had me going there for a second," Matt laughed.

Haley frowned. "What?"

"Come on. The two of you together? That's the most hilarious and ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Good acting, though. I really believed you for a second." Nathan could feel his temper rise a bit at that. Nothing about his relationship with Haley was ridiculous. In fact, he was really insulted that Matt would assume that. But Nathan kept calm.

"It's not a joke," Nathan said firmly. "Haley and I are dating."

It was then that Matt's laugher started to die down. "Come on, guys. Give it up."

"It's true, Matt," Haley confirmed. "We're together."

"No," Matt stated as his expression started to lose its mirth.

"Yes," Nathan reinforced as he wrapped his arm around Haley's shoulders and pulled her into him.

Matt's eyes narrowed slightly. "No. This is a joke. This has to be some kind of sick joke, because there is no way in hell that my best friend would actually go behind my back and start dating my little sister."

"Matt, before you make any snap judgments, can you please let us explain first?" Haley requested. She could already see where this was going. And the outcome did not look pretty.

"Haley, stay out of this. This is between me and my back-stabbing best friend," he gritted out.

"Matt…" Nathan began.

"You've got some fucking nerve. You know that?"

"Matt," Haley said.

"Stay out of it, Haley," he snapped. "How long has this been going on?"

"We—" she tried again before being cut off.

"I'm asking Nathan, Haley."

Nathan sighed and ran a hand roughly through his hair. As predicted, this was turning into a disaster. "Officially, we've been dating for over a month."

"A month?" Matt questioned incredulously. "How is that even possible? Haley was with…" Haley inwardly cringed as she watched her brother work it out in his head. "Oh my God, you were with her when she was with Chase. Are you the reason they broke up?"

"Sort of, but—"

"You deceitful son of a bitch," Matt growled. "How could you cross the line like that? How could you prey on my little sister when you knew she was with someone else? Just because Chase wasn't in the state didn't give you the right to move in on her."

"I didn't prey on anyone," Nathan defended.

"Like hell you did. She was missing Chase, and you saw an opportunity to swoop right in and 'comfort' her."

"Damn it, Matt, would you just listen to me for a second?! It wasn't like that!" Nathan exclaimed.

"As you mentioned before, you've got a history with women, Nathan. I know how you operate. We were best friends. I heard the stories. So don't you dare look me in the fucking eyes right now and try to deny it!" Matt yelled.

"I'm not denying anything! I told you that Haley was different, and she is!" Nathan shouted. He knew that Matt had a right to be upset, but he couldn't help the anger that was building within him, too. "There's a lot more to the story and if you would just listen—"

"I don't want to hear you try to justify taking advantage of my sister, because there is no way in hell that you could possibly—"

"I didn't take advantage of her!" Nathan exploded. "I'm in love with her!"

Matt shook his head vigorously before ordering, "Take it back."

"No."

Matt took a few steps forward. "Take it back."

"No."

A second later, he was in his face. "TAKE IT BACK, NATHAN!"

"NO!"

"That's enough!" Haley finally intervened as she stepped between them. The whole situation was quickly escalating to the point where she was afraid that there was going to be a major fist fight between the two.

"Step aside, Haley," Matt demanded without taking his eyes off of Nathan.

"No. This has gotten totally out of hand."

"This isn't your fight."

"It's not yours either. You're blaming Nathan for everything, and it's not fair. He didn't take advantage of me. It was my choice to be with him," she declared. "In fact, if you're going to be angry with anyone, then it should be me."

"What?" he asked in disbelief.

Haley sighed before turning around to face Nathan. "Can I have some time alone with my brother?"

"Haley, I don't think—" he began to protest.

"Please?" she implored with a pleading look.

Nathan hesitated for another moment before finally nodding. "I'll be right outside if you need me."

"Ok." He then looked back at Matt with a glare—which her brother had no problem returning.

"What a bastard," Matt muttered once he left.

"Don't say that about him," Haley scolded. "Whether you believe it or not right now, Nathan is still your best friend."

"Not anymore. We're done."

"Matt, sit down," Haley sighed. "I'm going to clear this all up right now."

"I'm not—"

Haley went to stand in front of him and looked him in the eyes. "Sit down and listen to me," she said in a calm, yet authoritative tone. Her brother stared at her for a moment before finally taking a seat. "I'm in love with Nathan."

Matt shook his head. "Haley—"

"I have to get this all out, so please just don't say anything until I'm done," she stated firmly. "Ok?" When her brother nodded begrudgingly in agreement, she continued. "I'm in love with Nathan, Matt. And it's not something that just happened recently. I've had feelings for him for a long time—since my freshman year of high school to be more specific. Anyway, nobody knew except for Brooke. I didn't want anyone to know, because I was afraid of the outcome it would have on our group. Plus, I knew that Nathan didn't even see me like that. He saw me as you guys saw me. I was Baby James—your little sister.

"But by the end of my senior year, I was tired of being Baby James. I tried to suppress my feelings for Nathan, but it just wasn't working. They only got stronger. So I decided to do something about it. I decided to see if there was any chance that Nathan could see me as more than some childhood friend or your sister. That's when this all started." Haley then told her brother everything. She told him about the kiss in May, the summer, who Chase really was to her, tutoring Nathan, dating Nathan and lying about it, and the charade with Chase during Thanksgiving. Haley got it all out and not once held back. She was done keeping secrets. It was time for the truth.

When she finally finished, Haley watched her brother carefully. She felt like her stomach was in her throat. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she waited for him to give her some type of response.

"So, basically, you lied to me?" he questioned softly. "You've been lying to me. All this time."

"Yes," Haley stated regretfully. "And I'm so sorry, Matt. I really am. I have felt so horrible about all of this. I just didn't know what to do. Everything got so out of hand."

Matt scoffed. "Not 'everything,' Haley. You did."

"What?"

"All of those times you told me to trust your judgment. All of those times you said that you were more mature than I gave you credit for. All of those times that I went against my gut feeling, because I was trying to respect your wishes. It was all bullshit."

"Matt—"

"And then to find out that my other sister and so-called friends were in on it, too…it's un-fucking-believable. And the clincher is that they're not even here. They don't even have the damn courage to fess up themselves."

"Matt, they're not here because Nathan and I wanted to tell you ourselves. We're all sorry and know that it was wrong to lie to you, but—"

"I don't want to hear it, Haley," he cut her off sharply. "Why should I believe you anyway? Everything out of your mouth has been a lie. I can't trust you."

Haley felt her eyes start to water but blinked the tears back. "Matt, please—"

"And I'm not going to make the same mistake again."

"What do you mean?"

"You and I are done, too."

"W-what?"

"All of this time I thought that you were my little, innocent baby sister. I thought that if there was one person I could depend on to be honest with me, it would be you. But I was wrong."

"Matt…" Haley tried again.

He shook his head before looking her directly in the eyes. "I never thought you'd turn out to be such a snake." This time, Haley couldn't hold back the tears. They were falling freely down her face now as the stabbing pain ripped through her heart. She tried to open her mouth to say something but nothing would come out. Matt then stood up, walked to the door, shoved past Nathan, and left.

"Tutor Girl, maybe you should go back to the room. You don't have to be here today," Brooke suggested. It was the following afternoon, and the pair was in the gym waiting for cheer practice to start. Haley's entire body felt like it was dragging, but she didn't want to return to her dorm room. She couldn't. When she was alone, everything that happened between her and Matt the previous night would replay over in her head. It took Nathan almost an hour to calm her down after her brother left. He'd even called Brooke and Taylor to come over to help.

They'd promptly brought her back to her dorm where she'd cried for the rest of the night. Her sister and best friend, however, never left her side. Nathan and Lucas had stopped by the room again this morning to check on her, too. As horrible and guilty as she felt about all of this, it helped to know that she had the love and support of her friends.

"Tigger, I need the distraction," Haley replied. There was no doubt in her mind that she looked like absolute crap right now. Hence, why Brooke had been fussing over her so much. She also noticed Nathan and Lucas watching her from across the gym. Frankly, Haley could've cared less what she looked like. It was the least of her troubles.

"Does Haley look ok to you?" Nathan questioned Lucas. He was supposed to be watching the guys warming up, but his eyes kept drifting over to Haley. He was worried about her. Last night, it had taken everything inside of him not to hunt down Matt and beat the crap out of him. Haley had been crying so hard after he left that she could barely talk. When she finally told him what Matt said to her, Nathan was livid. Matt could be angry but calling Haley names and putting her down like that wasn't necessary.

"She looks like she did this morning," Lucas replied. "Hurt."

"Speaking of hurt, did you see Matt at all today?" Nathan questioned.

"I stopped by his room earlier to see him. He wouldn't talk to me. You and Haley aren't the only ones he's pissed at."

"I'm sorry, Luke," Nathan apologized. "This is all my fault."

"Nathan, don't start. I told you that I have your back, and I meant it. Matt's just trying to process all of this right now. I'm sure he'll come around eventually."

Nathan shook his head. "I wouldn't count on it. You didn't see his face last night. I've never seen him that angry. He said that we were done."

"Just give him some space. He'll deal with it," Lucas advised.

"I hope you're right."

Haley and Brooke finished up the last of their stretches before Solaris called the squad together.

Initially, Haley had been worried that Solaris would be angry with her, too. She was Matt's girlfriend, after all. But it seemed as if he hadn't told her anything yet. She'd been acting completely normal towards them. "Ok, girls, get into formation."

"This should be fun," Brooke muttered sarcastically.

"Wait a minute, someone is missing. Has anyone seen Peyton today?" Solaris questioned. "Brooke? Haley?"

"We don't know," Brooke answered with a shrug.

"Ok then, let's…oh, wait. Here she is," Solaris announced as Peyton made her way into the gym. "Peyton, you're late." The curly blonde didn't respond. Haley frowned as she saw her walk with determination towards them. It almost looked like there was fire in her eyes.

"Is she ok?" Brooke whispered to Haley.

"I don't know," Haley replied. For some reason, she didn't have a good feeling about this. It wasn't long before her suspicions were confirmed, because a second later, Peyton marched right up to her. Before Haley even knew what was happening, the blonde had raised her hand and brought it down sharply on Haley's face. The whole gym immediately fell silent as the loud slap echoed off of the walls. A moment later, an acute, burning pain started to radiate from Haley's cheek. She clutched the side of her face and flinched.

"Peyton, what the hell?!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Miss Sawyer!" Whitey boomed from the other side of the gym.

Nathan was by Haley's side instantly examining the mark. He'd never hit a girl in his life, but he'd be lying if he didn't say he was tempted to pop Peyton one right now. She had no right to lay a hand on Haley. "Peyton, what the hell has gotten into you?"

Peyton, however, ignored them and focused on Haley. "The next time you want to steal my boyfriend, have the fucking guts to tell me to my face."

"W-what?" Haley stuttered as the shock started to wear off. "Peyton, what are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about," Peyton retorted. Oh shit, Haley thought. Peyton knew about her and Nathan. They were planning to tell her soon, too, but now it obviously wasn't necessary. Haley didn't know how she found out, but somehow she did.

"Peyton, it's not what you think," Haley said carefully.

"Oh, I'm positive that it's exactly what I think. So how long were fucking him behind my back? Huh, Haley? Just give me some kind of time frame."

"Peyton, I don't know what you've heard, but it wasn't like that," Haley explained. "We never slept together. In fact, nothing ever happened until after you two broke up."

Peyton scoffed. "And you expect me to believe that?"

"It's the truth," Nathan spoke up. He was seething but trying to keep his temper under control. "Nothing happened, Peyton."

"Oh look, the cheating ex-boyfriend speaks," she spat sarcastically. "It figures that you'd stand up for your whore now."

"Don't call her that," Nathan ordered. "She didn't do anything wrong. If you want to be pissed at someone, be pissed at me."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm already pissed at you!" Peyton replied loudly.

"Look, how about the three of us go somewhere else and talk," Nathan suggested as he noticed everyone in the gym watching the scene. "Haley and I will explain everything."

"I don't need you to explain anything. Matt filled in all of the missing pieces. Apparently, he's the only person who's willing to be honest with me around here."

"What?" Haley asked shocked. Matt told her all of this?

"You are one amazing son of a bitch, Nathan. You were hung up on her all this time and yet you still went out with me. I really liked you. I trusted you, and you used me!" she shouted angrily

"Peyton—"

She then turned to Haley. "And you're the worst of all. You pretended to be my friend the whole time. You knew how much I cared for him. When Nathan and I were having trouble, you were the one I talked to and turned to for advice. But now that I think about it, it was probably you who caused it all. And you sat there, looked me in the eyes, and had the nerve to counsel me about my boyfriend when you were fucking in love with him! Is that why you encouraged me to go with Jake?! So you could get me out of the way?!"

"Of course not! Peyton, I was your friend! I am your friend! I wasn't planning on getting together with Nathan. I didn't have some kind of hidden agenda. When the two of you were happy, I was happy for you. I had decided to let him go and was trying to move on," Haley explained. "I would never do that to you."

"Well, seeing as though you're dating him now, it looks like you did!" she shouted. "So stop trying to act all innocent, because now I see you for what you really are. You're nothing more than a lying, two-faced bitch, Haley!"

"Peyton," Haley implored as the tears formed in her eyes.

"This friendship is over. And if I never see or talk to you again, then that'll be fine," she stated. She then looked over to Nathan. "And the same goes for you. We're done."

"Peyton," Haley cried as she walked away from them. She was about to run after her when Nathan halted her.

"Let her go for now."

"Nathan," Haley whispered in a strangled sob. He brought her into his arms, and she buried her face in his chest. Nathan held her tightly and tried to shield her from the entire gym of people that were staring and whispering. Nathan locked eyes with Jake and Skills for a moment, but they looked away. Tim, on the other hand, looked at them knowingly.

"Why don't you take her to the doctor's station in the locker room for some ice?" Whitey suggested quietly to him. Nathan didn't even notice him approach them, but he didn't need to be told twice. He quickly ushered Haley toward the locker room with Lucas and Brooke following close behind. When they were behind closed doors, Nathan scooped her in his arms and carried her the rest of the way. He then gently set her down on the examining table.

"I'll get the ice," Lucas declared.

"Tutor Girl, it's going to be ok," Brooke said as she soothingly rubbed her back. Meanwhile, Haley's head was still buried in Nathan's chest as she clung to him tightly. "Peyton was totally out of line."

"Was she?" Haley whimpered. A second later, Lucas handed her an ice pack to put on her red and slightly swollen cheek. "Because right now, I feel like the worst human being on the planet."

"You're not," Lucas said. "And even though Peyton was mad, she still shouldn't have hit you."

"Yeah, well, the next time I see her she's dead," Brooke seethed. "And your brother, too. He had no right to go and tell Peyton any of that. Just who the hell does he think he is?"

"Brooke, not now," Nathan whispered as he softly caressed Haley's hair.

"What are we going to do you guys? This is such a mess. I knew that this wasn't going to turn out well, but I never expected the situation to be this severe," Haley said as a few more tears escaped her.

"I don't think there's anything you can do," Lucas stated. They all remained silent as Lucas' words sunk in. The shit had finally hit the fan. They'd hit rock bottom. And it was only the beginning.