Rebuilding and Crumbling Chapter 28!
By: Matt91
Disclaimer: Lucas Scott, Nathan Scott, Brooke Davis, Peyton Sawyer, and Haley James don't belong to me, as do Karen Roe, Deb Scott, Dan Scott, Andy and other characters that appear on the show. Please e-mail me with any comments you may have.
Author's Note: Keeping this short, I am glad everyone is enjoying the story and please keep reading and reviewing!
Roe Home
It is currently 7:30 Monday morning and Karen is sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast and watching the news.
'All alone,' thinks Karen to herself.
She can't believe how badly she's ruined her life. One out of control night cost her the two people she loves most in this world.
Karen looks up at the clock and decides to head to the café. She needs to keep busy to keep her mind off of everything.
Tree Hill High-Courtyard-15 Minutes Later
Bryce & Haley and Jake & Liz are walking into school.
A jealous Peyton and Nathan watch as the seemingly happy couples enter school together.
"Are you jealous of them?" asks Peyton, referring to Haley and Bryce.
"No, of course not," says Nathan. "It's just hard for me to see my first love move on, especially when I haven't yet."
"Tell me about it," says Peyton, looking around for Jake and Liz.
"He still loves you, you know, Peyton," says Nathan, gently. "He just can't wait around for you forever. He needs to move on."
"What are you talking about?" asks Peyton, getting a bit angry. "He cheated on me, betrayed me, and broke my heart. I can't ever forgive him nor do I wanna be with him."
"Ok, whatever you say, Peyton," says Nathan, as he walks off.
Keith's Apartment
Keith is sitting on the couch in his living room, looking through his mail.
He stops at a letter addressed to him from to the local Tree Hill Church.
He opens it, curious as to what it's about.
He reads it aloud.
"Dear Mr. Scott,
We are terribly sorry your wedding didn't work out but there is still the issue of payment for all the services we provided for the wedding. We have tried to get in touch with Ms. Smith but have had no luck. The total for our services comes to $500. Please send the check as soon as possible.
Thank You,
Tree Hill Church."
'Oh god, I completely forgot about paying the church all those months I was gone,' thinks Keith, aloud. 'Shit, $500. That's a lotta money and I don't have that type of cash.'
He decides to go see Jules and ask her to pay the $500. After all, she was the one who left him at the altar.
Tree Hill High-Lunch
Haley is by her locker, grabbing her English book, so then so she can go meet Bryce in the cafeteria.
"How's the music going?" asks a distant voice that sounds like Chris Keller.
Haley, worried it's him, turns to her right and sees Chris walking towards her locker.
"What the hell are you doing here?" snaps Haley.
"Not exactly the warm welcome I expected," says Chris, smiling.
"What did you expect?" asks Haley, angrily. "Going on tour with you ruined my marriage with Nathan."
"Wait, you and Nathan aren't together?" asks Chris, confused. "Isn't that why you came home?"
"Yes, it was," says Haley, aggravated. "But, no, we're no together. The tour destroyed my marriage."
"Then, who's this guy?" asks Chris, pointing to a picture of Haley and Bryce in Haley's locker.
"That's me," says Bryce, as he confidently walks towards them.
"Who are you?" asks Chris, raising his eyebrow.
"I'm Bryce," says Bryce, as Haley wraps her arms around him. "Her boyfriend."
"Boyfriend," says Chris. "Hm, interesting."
"Who's this clown?" asks Bryce, not liking Chris already.
"This is Chris Keller, the one I was telling you about," says Haley, looking up at him.
"Oh," says Bryce, pulling Haley into his arms. "What are you doing here, Chris?"
"Yeah, Chris, what are you doing here anyway?" asks Haley, getting to the point.
"I came back to see how you and Nathan were doing and to work with you again," Chris tells Haley.
"What!" cries Haley, outraged. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Come on, Haley, we made great music together," says Chris. "Don't you remember?"
"What I remember is my life falling apart from the moment I met you," says Haley, not letting go of Bryce. "My life is finally good again. The last thing I need is more problems."
"Come on, Haley," pleads Chris. "Just think about it."
"No, there's nothing to think about," says Haley, firmly. "Now, if you'll excuse us, Bryce and I are going to lunch."
She shuts her locker and she and Bryce walk off.
Chris stands there, knowing he needs to talk to Nathan.
Jules' Apartment
There's a knocking at the door and a half-dressed Jules opens it to find Keith standing there.
"Keith," says Jules, trying to cover herself. "This is a surprise. What are you doing here?"
Before Keith can answer, a tall, tan and shirtless man with black hair and a toned body comes up behind Jules.
"Hey, did you make any coffee?" asks the man.
Jules eyes widen.
"Hey," says the man, noticing Keith. "I'm Josh Ryans."
"Keith Scott," says Keith, as they shake hands. "Nice to meet you."
"You too," says Josh.
"I made fresh coffee," says Jules, as Josh walks away.
Keith just stares at her and then walks away.
She calls after him and follows him.
"Why'd you come by?" asks Jules, trying to change the subject.
"I got a letter from the church saying we owe them $500 for our wedding," says Keith, a bit annoyed. "You know, the wedding you left me at. But, it's clear you forgot about that since you've been sleeping with other men."
"Keith, I can't believe you're upset," says Jules. "You made it clear you didn't wanna be with me."
"I guess I was just waiting to see that you only wanted to be with me," says Keith, hurt. "But, I guess I was wrong."
"Keith, Josh is an old boyfriend He came into town last night and we were talking and were both lonely and upset and one thing led to another and we slept together," explains Jules.
Keith stands there, look of pain in his eyes.
"I'm sorry Keith but you made it perfectly clear many times that you didn't wanna be with me anymore," says Jules.
"Yeah, you made it clear that you weren't giving up either," says Keith.
"I know I did. And I tried everything I could but it all fell upon deaf ears. I'm tired of wasting my breath," says Jules, looking at him. "Maybe we're just not meant to be."
"Maybe," says Keith, shaking his head. "I guess Dan was right. You're nothing but a whore."
"How Dare You!" cries Jules, instinctively slapping him. "I've done nothing but try to show you how much I love you. I tried my hardest to get you to forgive me. But, each time you pushed me away. Sleeping with Josh was a mistake but waiting around for you was an even bigger one. From this moment on, I want nothing to do with you. Stay away from me and stay out of my life! I'll mail the check to the church and that'll be all. I never wanna see you or talk to you again!"
Jules angrily storms back to her apartment and slams the door.
Keith holds his cheek where Jules slapped him. Is this really the end?
Tree Hill Hugh-Gymnasium-1:30
Nathan and Lucas are there, both doing push-ups. They're wearing tanktops and basketball shorts.
"And 50," says Nathan, as they sit up.
They're both hot and sweaty. They're obviously sticking to their agreement to work out together everyday.
"What time does practice start?" asks Lucas, catching his breath.
"Whitey said around 2," Nathan tells him.
Lucas nods as he gets up and grabs two towels. He throws one to Nathan and they both drink from their water bottles
"How are the Ravens looking this year?" asks Chris, entering the gymnasium.
Lucas and Nathan stare at him, in shock.
"I take it you're surprised to see me," says Chris, noticing their expressions.
"What the hell are you doing here Keller?" asks Nathan, angrily looking at him.
"I came back to work with Haley again and to see how the happy Mr. And Mrs. Scott are," Chris tells Nathan. "But, I hear you and Haley aren't together anymore."
Nathan scowls at him. "Get outta here Keller."
"Or what?" asks Chris, not scared.
"We'll throw water on you so you'll melt," says Lucas, grinning.
"Oh wait, Lucas, the devil doesn't melt, does he?" says Nathan, as they laugh.
"See, now, I thought you'd consider that Bryce guy the devil," says Chris, looking at Nathan.
"You're walking a thin line Keller," says Nathan, obviously enraged. "A very thin line."
"I'm walked thinner lines than this before," retorts Chris.
"Don't be a smart ass Keller," says Nathan, pissed off.
"Can't help it, it's in my nature," says Chris, smiling.
"You ruined my life once already. Leave us all alone. Or else," threatens Nathan. "Let's go, Lucas."
Nathan walks towards the locker room.
"I'll meet you there," Lucas calls to Nathan.
Nathan nods and heads off.
"Listen, and listen good Chris," says Lucas, angrily. "You already ruined Nathan and Haley's lives as well as their marriage."
"And I feel bad about that," says Chris.
"Bullshit. We all know you only care about yourself," says Lucas, enraged. "You couldn't wait to ruin Nathan and Haley's marriage."
"That's so not true," says Chris, defensively.
"Just stay away from me, Nathan, Haley, Bryce, Brooke and everyone else or you'll be sorry," says Lucas, threateningly.
"Now, Lucas, are you threatening me?" asks Chris, mockingly.
"You bet your ass I am," says Lucas, full of rage. "Stay away from all of us or you'll regret it."
Lucas walks off to the locker room, leaving Chris standing there.
Despite Lucas and Nathan's threats, Chris is not only determined to work with Haley again but is also determined to get Nathan and Haley back together.
Author's Note: Ok, well, here's chapter 28. I hope you enjoyed it! So much going on and lots more to come! What's going to happen next? Chapter 29, coming soon! Stay tuned! In the meantime, please REVIEW!
