Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter. I was finally able to work my way through a few piles of homework this week and get some time to myself. Thank you all for the reviews last chapter. I always enjoy reading your feedback. I also want to let you know that I will be updating "MA" very soon. I'm almost finished with the next chapter. Anyway, I hope you'll like this update and leave a review. Enjoy!
Chapter 28
"Is everything set?"
"Yes."
"You're sure?" Lucas questioned.
Nathan nodded. "Yeah. Dan's leaving tonight, so we should be good to go."
"We may have only one shot at this."
"I know," he replied.
Nathan ran a nervous hand through his hair. He could feel the pressure start to build within him as he thought about his and Lucas's big plan. They'd been going over it for a few weeks now. Dan would be going on a business trip to Charlotte this weekend. He'd be leaving tonight, Thursday, to get a head start.
Nathan would still go to work tomorrow like usual. He'd stay behind for as long as he could to make sure that everyone was out of the building. When the coast was finally clear, he'd drive to Lucas's house. They'd wait another hour or two before returning later that night. Afterward, they'd make their way into the empty dealership as inconspicuously as possible. Then, once in, they'd go into Dan's office and grab the bag of money along with the ledger.
This must be the hundredth time they were running through it. Everything had to be perfect if they were going to be successful. Then this whole nightmare that Nathan called his life would be over. He'd finally be free of Dan, and things could go back to normal.
"Are you positive that you have that lock thing down?"
"I've been practicing," Nathan answered. He'd recently discovered that his father had started to lock his office door whenever he left. Nathan couldn't really blame him. If he'd been hiding thousands of dollars of laundered money in a ceiling, he'd be cautious, too.
"But have you got it down?"
"I'm pretty sure."
"Nathan—" Lucas groaned.
"Lucas, relax. I'll open that damn door if it's the last thing I do," Nathan promised. He didn't have a key to his father's office. Nathan had to find a more creative way to get inside. That's when he'd remembered his girlfriend's special skill.
Haley had learned from her sister Taylor how to pick locks. It's how she had freed him and Lucas when that jerk Ryan and his friends trapped them in a shed in the middle of the woods. Nathan had discretely asked Haley about it a few weeks ago. Ever since then, he'd been practicing it as much as he could. He wasn't an expert lock picker, but he was improving. Sometimes it worked; sometimes it didn't. Nathan just hoped that when the time came, he'd be able to get the door open without a problem. He and Lucas needed to be as quick as possible.
"Okay," Lucas sighed and checked his watch. "I've got to. I'm driving Brooke and Haley home."
"Luke, wait," Nathan halted him just as he was about to leave.
"What?"
"I just wanted to say thanks again. You don't have to do this." Nathan didn't know how he'd have been able to figure out a plan to pull this off if he didn't have Lucas's help.
"Yeah, I do."
Nathan was slightly taken aback by his answer. "What do you mean?" he asked, curious.
"It may not seem like it, but I need to be rid of Dan, too. He's hurt a lot of people over the years," Lucas explained. "I'm doing this for my family."
Nathan nodded in understanding. "He put you and your mom through hell."
"And my little brother," Lucas added and patted him on the back. "I think it's time that we finally made things right—together."
"Definitely," Nathan agreed. After so many years of him and Lucas hating one another, it was time that they finally took down the man who started it all. Nathan gave his brother a small smile as they bumped fists.
"Are you going to the dealership now for your shift?" Lucas inquired.
"Um, no. Whitey wanted to see me. He's probably pissed that I haven't shown up yet. He told me to go to his office straight after practice," Nathan explained. "That was ten minutes ago."
"Good luck, then," Lucas joked. "I'll see you tomorrow, man."
"Yeah."
"And don't be late."
"I won't," Nathan promised. He watched Lucas walk down the deserted hallway before making his way back into the boy's locker room. It was completely empty now. Nathan was sure everyone was eager to leave after the grueling practice they'd just had. The semi-finals were fast approaching, and there was a lot resting on the team to make it to State this year. They were the only team in the last seventeen years that seemed capable of winning the championship. And with Whitey retiring after this season, nobody wanted to let him leave empty handed.
"You're late," Whitey remarked as soon as Nathan walked into his office.
"Sorry, Coach. I got caught up."
"I saw you outside chit chatting with that brother of yours. I should be mad that you made me wait. But then again, it's nice to see the two of you converse without any punches being thrown."
"We haven't hit each other in a while, Whitey," Nathan reminded him.
"Just because you knuckleheads finally came to your senses doesn't mean that I don't remember it."
Nathan smirked. "Gee, thanks. Is this why you needed to see me?"
"No," Whitey answered, chuckling. "Take a seat."
"Am I in trouble?"
"Why? What'd you do?" the old man asked with a suddenly suspicious expression.
"Nothing," Nathan laughed. "I was just wondering."
Whitey stared at him for a few more seconds. "No, you're not in trouble. I got a call from one of the schools you were interested in."
Nathan's ears perked up at that. "Which one?"
"Stanford."
"What'd they say?" he asked eagerly.
Whitey smiled. "Well, how much time do you got?"
~***~
"Wow. So that's your final decision?" Haley questioned as she switched her cell phone to her other ear. She'd been talking to Peyton for the last hour as she cleaned her room and then got ready for bed. Haley made her way out of the bathroom and down the hall into her bedroom. She collapsed onto her bed as she listened to her friend talk about her plans for college.
"Yeah," Peyton replied. "I'm going to the Savannah College of Art and Design."
"That's awesome, Peyton. I heard it's a really great school."
"It is. When my dad and I went to visit it a couple of weeks ago, I just fell in love with it."
"What about Jake? Where's he going?" Haley questioned curiously. The last time she'd checked, Jake hadn't made any final decisions. But now that Peyton was officially going to school in Georgia, she had a feeling that Jake wouldn't be far behind.
"Georgia State University."
"Are they close to each other?"
"Sort of. They're like three or four hours away from each other, which is nothing compared if you compared it to one of us going to school in another state."
"That worked out well. I'm really happy for you guys."
"Thanks."
Haley played with a strand of her hair. "I'm a little sad, though."
"Why?" She could hear the frown in Peyton's voice.
"Because we're all going to be separated. I mean, Brooke's going to FIT. Lucas is going to UNC. And you and Jake are going to Georgia."
"Don't forget Tim is going to Tree Hill Community College and Kat will be at UCLA."
"See. Separated," Haley emphasized.
"What about you and Nathan?"
Haley sighed. "I don't know. We both got into Duke. Now we're just waiting on Stanford."
"You guys aren't thinking of going anywhere else?"
"No," Haley answered. "Those are our dreams schools. I mean, we both have the option of going to our first choice picks. It'd be pointless to consider anywhere else."
"I see what you mean."
"I just don't know what to do," she stated.
A second later, she heard a tap on her window. There was only one person who used her window like a front door. Haley looked over and smiled when she saw Nathan waiting for her on the other side.
"I'm sure you guys will figure it out. You just have to have that talk," Peyton advised.
"Yeah, you're right," Haley replied as she went over to open the window. "Uh, Peyton, can we continue this tomorrow? I've got to go."
"Okay, sure. I'll see you in the morning before class."
"All right, bye."
"Bye."
"Who was on the phone?" Nathan questioned as he climbed into her room.
"Uh, Peyton."
"Oh. What'd she say?"
"We were just talking. The real question is what are you doing here?" The times that Nathan actually snuck to her house to see her at night were few and far between recently.
"My dad left for his business trip to Charlotte a half hour ago. And seeing as though he won't be physically around to keep track of me, I figured I'd pay a visit to my gorgeous girlfriend."
Haley smiled as her cheeks turned pink. "Gorgeous, huh?"
"That's right," he stated in a low voice before kissing her affectionately.
"In that case, stay as long as you like," she joked.
"Good. Because I was planning on spending the night," Nathan declared, smirking.
Haley caressed his cheek and stood on her tiptoes to brush her lips against his once more. "Only if you promise to be good. As much as my parents love you, I highly doubt they'd like it if they knew you were sleeping over."
"I guess we should be quiet then, huh?"
"Definitely."
Nathan kissed her forehead before taking off his jacket. It was followed by his shirt, jeans, and shoes. Afterward, he walked over to Haley's dresser and pulled out the undershirt and pair of basketball shorts he kept there for nights like these.
"So you must be relieved that Dan's gone for a few days," Haley commented from her spot on the bed.
Nathan took a seat across from her. "Yes. I've been counting down to it all week."
Haley smiled and ran her hand through his hair. "Good. It'll be a nice break."
"Plus, I'll get to see more of you," he said while interlacing their hands.
"That's always important," she joked.
Nathan chuckled softly. "You bet your fine ass it is."
Haley sighed in contentment as Nathan leaned in to capture her lips in a deep kiss. It still amazed her how he had the ability to turn her insides to goo with just a simple touch.
"I have some news." He placed one more peck on her mouth before pulling away.
"Please tell me it's good."
He smirked. "I'm sure you'll love it."
"Okay, now I'm scared," Haley teased.
"No, this is nothing to be scared of. I'd be more worried about what comes after, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come it."
"You do realize that you're making me even more anxious at the moment, right?" She hated when he got all cryptic on her.
Nathan kissed her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Whitey asked to see me after practice today."
"What did he want?"
"He got a call from the head basketball coach at Stanford."
Haley felt her heart speed up at that. "Really?"
Nathan nodded.
"Well, what did he say?"
"They want me," he announced.
Haley couldn't hold back the smile that formed on her face. "Oh my God, really?!"
"Yes. They've offered me a scholarship and everything."
"Oh my God, that is so great!" Haley beamed in excitement. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "I'm so proud of you. I told you you'd get in."
"I probably should've listened to you. You're always right."
"You better believe it, mister," she laughed before guiding his face to hers.
Nathan pulled her onto his lap as their lips continued to ravage the other's in celebration.
"Now comes the hard part," he declared, out of breath, once they broke apart.
"Which is?" Haley questioned, already knowing the answer.
"Which school do we pick?"
Haley quietly groaned and buried her head in his chest. "That just killed my buzz."
"I'm sorry," Nathan mumbled while running a comforting hand through her hair.
"It's not your fault. I was actually just talking to Peyton about college a few minutes ago. I've been dreading this."
"Me, too."
"So how do we decide?"
Nathan shrugged. "A coin toss."
"Yeah, that's a great strategy. Let's base our entire futures on heads or tails," she replied with a roll of her eyes.
"It was just a suggestion," he replied, laughing.
"Maybe we should decide one thing first."
"What?"
"Whether we definitely want to go to the same place or not."
"I thought that was a given," Nathan stated, frowning.
"It is. I just wanted to make sure."
"I can barely stand being apart from you now, Hales. Being across the country from you will probably kill me."
Haley nodded in agreement. "I don't want us to be separated either. I miss you enough already."
"So we're absolutely sure that we want to go to the same school?" Nathan clarified.
"Yes."
"And it all comes down between Duke and Stanford?"
"Uh-huh."
"Great," he sighed. "This should be easy."
"So, what do you think?" Haley asked after a moment of silence.
"What do you think?"
"I asked you first."
"Honestly, I don't know," Nathan admitted. "They're both schools we've been set on for a long time. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages for the both of us."
"I know."
Nathan rested his forehead against hers. "This sucks."
"Totally."
"Well, I just found out that I got into Stanford. Now that we know our options, I think the best thing to do right now is take time to think it over," he suggested. "I mean, we have another month or two before we need to decide."
"I was actually hoping that we'd make a decision within the next few weeks. I don't want to wait too long, Nathan."
"Okay. Well, why don't we take a few days to think it over? Then we can talk about this again and try to make a decision."
"That sounds good," Haley agreed. There was so much for them to consider about both schools.
"Good. So let's forget about it for now before you worry too much and chew off your bottom lip," he said with a knowing smile.
Haley immediately released her lip, flushed. "Sorry," she muttered.
Nathan smiled as his mouth hovered dangerously close to hers. "It's okay. It's actually kind of sexy."
A quiet moan escaped her when he closed the distance between them and nipped at her bottom lip himself. Haley pressed herself tighter against him and practically shivered when his tongue slid across the rim of her mouth. She was still worried about their college plans, but welcomed this kind of distraction. It was so easy to forget things and get lost in him.
"It's getting late. We should probably get to sleep," Nathan muttered when he noticed the time on her alarm clock.
"I guess." Haley climbed out of his lap.
Nathan instantly felt the loss of contact and regretted saying anything.
"But I'm actually not that tired," Haley added. She moved back on the bed and yanked on his shirt, guiding him to follow.
"That's funny," he said with a coy smile. "I'm not tired either."
"Go figure," she said in mock disbelief.
Nathan eased himself on top of her. One arm wrapped around her waist as his other hand rested on her cheek. He brushed his thumb across her mouth and down her jaw, savoring the feeling of her silky smooth skin. Haley's lips were slightly swollen and pink from their earlier activities, which made Nathan want to kiss her all over again.
"We're going to make the right decision, right?" Her voice was so soft that Nathan almost didn't hear her. But it was enough to break him out of his trance.
He looked into Haley's eyes and saw the uncertainty and trepidation in them. "We will," Nathan assured her in the most confident voice he could muster.
"Dan will never let you go anywhere else but Duke," she reminded him in a soft voice.
Nathan met and held her gaze. "Baby, I am serious about considering Stanford. Dan won't control me forever. It's my life."
She frowned. "But how—"
"Just trust me," Nathan requested. He placed a long, loving kiss on her lips. "I'm working on it."
