Thanks so much everyone for your reviews. I told you there'd be drama lol. Unfortunately, I can't really answer your questions about Naley because they will be revealed in the next coming chapters. But please keep the reviews coming because I enjoy reading them and knowing your reactions.


Chapter 28

Secret No. 28: There's a difference between what you want and what you need. Sometimes, you have to choose the latter.

It was 3:30 in the morning and Brooke still couldn't sleep. She was worried sick about her sister. When she had returned to the group from the bathroom, she had kept a close eye on Haley and Nathan. Brooke had looked for any inclination that Nathan might be playing her sister. But no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find it. Nathan was always kissing Haley and whispering things in her ear to make her laugh. Even when they danced she could see how hung up on her he was. It just didn't make any sense. The whole night all she saw were two teens in love. It warmed her heart to see her sister so happy. But then that conversation would play over in her head and the compassion she had originally felt towards Nathan would quickly change to rage. He had made them all believe that he was different. That he was a better person who deserved to be with their sister. In the end, he had fooled them all. And now, Haley would be crushed. How do I tell her that everything she has with him and everything that she's feeling is a lie? For once, Brooke found herself in over her head. This was one situation that she couldn't charm her way out of. She thought about telling Peyton but decided against it. And Lucas was absolutely out of the question. He'd probably hunt Nathan down and kill him before they could get some type of explanation out of him. Brooke didn't want to ambush Haley with the news. The less people who know right now the better. Brooke shifted in bed so that she was now laying on her right side. She stared at the clock again. It's only been ten minutes. Ugh, this is impossible. I'm never going to fall asleep. After about another fifteen minutes of tossing and turning, Brooke decided to get up and go downstairs. When she reached the kitchen, she was surprised to see the light already on.

"Mom?" Brooke asked.

"Hi, Sweetie," Lydia greeted. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep. What about you?"

"I was just thinking about things. The usual mom issues," she lightly laughed. "And all that loud music tonight gave me a pounding headache." Lydia then patted the stool next to her. Brooke took a seat.

"So why don't you tell me the real reason why you're up?" Lydia asked knowingly a minute later.

"It's nothing," Brooke tried to deny.

"Brookie, you're a terrible liar. Talk to me," Lydia sighed as she put her hand on hers.

"Um," Brooke stalled. She was trying to think of the right words to use. "Can I ask you a kind of personal question?"

"Go ahead," she urged.

"When Dad…when Dad cheated on you, how did you find out?" Brooke asked carefully. They never really talked about it before. She and her sisters knew something had happened but their mother hadn't given them the details.

"Well, um, it was the little things that I noticed."

"Like what?"

"Your father had started to pull away from me. As soon as he came home, he would come find me. No matter where I was, he would hunt me down and make sure that I got a proper kiss. He stopped doing that after a while. And then I could smell the perfume on his clothes. I kept telling myself that as a businessman he came in contact with a lot of people. It was only natural that he would maybe smell like that. However, the scent stayed the same and I began to get worried," Lydia explained with a far off look in her eyes.

"But how did you initially find out?" Brooke didn't want to bring up bad memories for her mother. But she needed to know this.

"Karen," Lydia answered. "She came down with Lucas to visit Keith one weekend. They went out to dinner at this new restaurant. The next day, Karen told me that she saw your father there with another woman—Olivia. He told me that he had a business dinner to go to with some clients. I asked her if it appeared professional and she told me that it was far from it."

"So then what happened?" Brooke asked.

"After Karen confirmed my suspicions, I kind of went into denial. I even stopped talking to her for a little while. I was so angry and hurt and confused," Lydia stated as her eyes began to water.

"Mom…"

"No, let me finish. Eventually, I had to accept it. I had to let in the pain and realize that Jimmy was no longer the man that I had fallen in love with and married. I couldn't live a lie so I confronted your father about it. That's when he asked for a divorce."

"Mom, I'm so sorry," Brooke apologized as a few tears fell from her eyes.

"Brooke, listen to me. It's not your fault. It was none of our faults. Your father was a grown man and he made his choice."

"It's just that you didn't deserve that. And Ha…I mean, my friend doesn't deserve that either," Brooke cried.

"What friend?" Lydia asked as she rubbed her daughter's back.

"Someone I know. I heard a conversation between her boyfriend and this horrible girl. I'm pretty sure that something is going on between them. Now I don't know whether to tell her or to just mind my own business."

"You're positive that the boyfriend is cheating on her?" Lydia questioned. Brooke nodded.

"What should I do, Mom?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Brookie. It's a tough situation to be in. But I think that the best thing you can do is tell your friend the truth."

"And what happens if she gets mad and never wants to speak to me again?"

"That could happen. But she'll eventually realize that you're just looking out for her. I was mad at Karen at first. Now, I'm thankful that she told me. If I hadn't known about it before your father had asked for the divorce, I think that I would have been an even bigger mess than I was." Brooke nodded in understanding as she wiped away her tears.

"Come here, Sweetie," Lydia said as she brought her daughter into a tight hug. "You're a good person and I know you'll do what's right. But there's one thing you need to keep in mind. When you tell your friend, just tell her what you saw. Don't accuse the boyfriend of anything. Say what you saw and let her decide for herself what to believe."

"Thank you, Mom," Brooke stated as she pulled away.

"That's what I'm here for. Now go to bed before you get bags under those beautiful eyes of yours." Brooke laughed. That's my mom. Always helping us through some crisis and then somehow making us laugh afterward.

"I'm going," Brooke replied getting up. Their talk had really helped her. She needed that guidance. And she was going to take her mother's advice. She was going to go upstairs, get into bed, and make herself get some rest. Brooke was going to need her strength. Because tomorrow, she was going to tell her sister the truth…


Haley rushed around her room trying to get her things together. She was supposed to meet Nathan at his house in twenty minutes. They were going to veg out and watch movies all afternoon. They wanted to enjoy their last bit of freedom before winter break ended and they had to go back to school the next day. Not to mention, his parents were away for the week and they would have the house all to themselves. What the hell did I do with that lip gloss? As she continued to search her room, she was interrupted by a knocking at her door.

"Come in," Haley called as she looked under her bed.

"Haley, can I talk to you for a minute?" Brooke asked.

"Sure. Just make it quick because I have to be at Nathan's in a little while. As soon as I find that damn gloss." Haley then moved over to her bureau and started moving things around.

"Actually, what I have to talk to you about involves Nathan," Brooke revealed.

"Ok, go ahead," Haley said still rustling through her things.

"Could you stop that for a minute? I think we should sit down for this," Brooke suggested. Haley immediately stopped what she was doing and turned around to look at her sister. Brooke appeared nervous and she was fiddling with her hands. Nothing ever rattled Brooke. This had to be serious if it was making her sister so jumpy.

"Um, sure," Haley replied. She took a seat on her bed. Brooke soon followed. "Is everything ok with Nathan? He's not hurt is he?"

"No, it's nothing like that," Brooke answered. Haley sighed in relief. For a minute there, she thought that Brooke was going to tell her that there was some kind of accident.

"Thank God. Way to scare the crap out of me, Tigger," Haley stated laughing. When she noticed that Brooke's expression remained serious, she quickly sobered.

"Haley, you know that I love you, right? That I always only have your best interests at heart?" Brooke asked as she took her hand.

"Yes, of course. Brooke, what's going on? You're really starting to freak me out here."

"I overheard a conversation between Rachel and Nathan last night at the club," the brunette began.

"Great, what did Carrot Top try to pull now? You know, she's been coming around him a lot more lately. I mean how hard is it to get into that thick head of hers that he's not…"

"Haley, I think that there's something going on between them...romantically," Brooke announced.

"What?" Haley asked shocked. She had not expected that. There has to be some misunderstanding. "That's impossible."

"I wish it were," Brooke stated. "But that's not what it sounded like to me."

"What exactly did you hear?" Haley questioned carefully. Brooke then explained everything. The whole time, Haley tried to remain calm. She had to know the whole story before she jumped to any conclusions.

"…and then he left," Brooke finished.

"But they didn't come right out and say that they were together?"

"They didn't have to, Haley. It was blatantly implied."

"It could've just been a kiss that happened a while ago," Haley tried to reason. She didn't like that option either but it was better than assuming that they had slept together.

"That's not the point," Brooke argued. "Whether they just kissed or did something more, it's still betrayal. Something is going on between them. If the situation wasn't really bad or recent, for that matter, then why would he hide it from you in the first place?"

"I don't know. But this is Nathan we're talking about. He wouldn't do that to me. He loves me. He's done nothing but be there for me," Haley defended. "If anything, it was Rachel who probably came onto him."

"I understand that. I really do. But he's also the Nathan Scott who used to be the biggest player and asshole in the school. We've all heard the stories. Most of them actually came from Lucas."

"He's changed," Haley argued. She knew it in her soul. There was no way that he could look at her and touch her the way that he did without being completely genuine about it. He loves me. He wouldn't jeopardize everything we have for that redheaded slut. There's something else going on here. There just has to be.

"Are you sure? I mean, after everything that I just told you, do you honestly believe that he isn't capable of that?" Brooke questioned. Haley could feel the sting in her eyes. She was so confused and hurt.
She knew that her sister wouldn't lie about something like this. But then again, she trusted Nathan.

"I need to talk to him," Haley announced as she walked over to her desk and grabbed her purse.

"Haley…" Brooke tried but was cut off.

"Brooke, just stop. You've done enough already," Haley stated sternly. "Tell Peyton that I'll bring her car back in a little while." Before Brooke could even reply, Haley was out her bedroom door and making her way downstairs. She was already set in her decision. She wouldn't make any snap judgments until she heard the whole story. But until then, she couldn't stop the nagging feeling of uncertainty that was forming in the back of her mind.


Haley took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. Her hands were shaking and her stomach was in knots. Be strong, Haley. You can do this. You have to do this. A minute later, Nathan answered the door. She took in his appearance. He was wearing a regular pair of jeans with a black, short sleeve shirt that clung to his well-built muscles in all the right places. Damn it. Does he have to look so sexy right now?

"Hey, Beautiful," he greeted her with a soft kiss.

"Hi," she replied timidly. Nathan stepped aside to let her in.

"I rented a whole bunch of different movies since I wasn't sure what you were in the mood for. The pizza is on its way, too."

"Good," Haley commented as she started biting her lip.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked.

"No thanks." Haley made her way into the living room.

"Now, I know that you don't like horror movies, but I was kind of hoping that we could watch The Hitcher. And I promise that if it gets too scary…"

"That's fine," she cut him off. Originally, Haley had planned to confront him as soon as she got there. But now that she was standing in front of him, she felt all the resolve drain out of her. Haley didn't know how to ask—or even if she could. At least not right then. I'm just going to collect my thoughts during the movie, finally build up the courage, and then ask him afterward. Ugh, this is horrible.

"Really?" Nathan questioned surprised.

"Yeah," Haley nodded as she sat on the couch. Nathan popped in the DVD and then came to sit next to her. As he put an arm around her shoulders, she felt her body tense. That had never happened before when they were together. If anything, his touch would make her want to snuggle even closer to him. Haley, however, quickly brushed that thought aside as the movie began. She then went through her options of how to question him. About twenty minutes into the film, Nathan suddenly paused it and turned to her.

"Why did you stop it?" Haley asked. I'm not ready yet.

"Because you're obviously not watching it. What's bothering you?" Nathan questioned.

"Nothing." Liar.

"Hales, you're all tense and you've been biting your lip and touching your hair nonstop," he pointed out. And he knows me so well. That just makes this so much worse.

"Ok, there is something," she revealed. It's now or never. Haley then took a deep breath before continuing. "Is there something going on between you and Rachel?"

"What?" he asked uneasily a minute later. Uh oh, not good.

"Is there something going on between you and Rachel?" she repeated as she tried to keep her expression neutral.

"Where would you get an idea like that from?"

"Answer the question, Nathan." Haley could tell by the look in his eyes that he knew exactly what she meant.

"Hales, I don't…" Haley pulled away from him and sat back a few inches.

"Nathan, stop stalling and tell me," she said more forcefully. She was trying so hard to keep her emotions in line.

A moment later, Nathan looked her in the eyes and answered, "No—at least not anymore. But you need to know…."

"I can't believe this," she exclaimed getting up. "Brooke was actually right."

"What does Brooke have to do with this?" Nathan asked as he stood up, too.

"She heard your little conversation with Rachel last night. I told her that it couldn't be true because I knew that you loved me and would never betray me like that. But I guess I was wrong, huh?" Haley's voice began to slightly rise.

"First of all, Brooke needs to get her information right before she goes around accusing people of things. Second, I do love you, Haley. And I would never intentionally hurt you," he tried to explain.

"Well, guess what, Nathan? It's too late for that because you already did," she cried. Just then, the doorbell rang.

"You don't know the whole story," Nathan claimed.

"Then let's hear it."

"Let me get that first and then we'll talk," he said as the doorbell rang again.

"No, I'm going to make this really simple. Did you or did you not sleep with her while we were together?" Haley suddenly asked. She wanted the truth. She wasn't going to skirt around it. The doorbell sounded again. Nathan let out a frustrated sigh.

"Yes…I mean no," he answered stumbling over his words. Haley looked away from him. It literally felt like someone had ripped her heart out and stomped on it. But she pushed that aside and focused on her anger. That was the only thing keeping her going right now. She was positive that if she let the pain consume her, then she'd be in a catatonic ball on the floor. A second later, the door bell rang another time.

"You know what? I'll get it. I'm on my way out anyway," Haley declared angrily as she quickly left the living room and made her way to the foyer.

"Haley, don't leave," Nathan begged as he followed her. She ignored him as she made her way to the door. When she finally opened it, she almost died from shock. She also felt her anger turn into pure fury.

"Oh, hi, Holly. I didn't expect to see you here," Rachel said with a smug grin as she barged her way into the house. Speak of the slutty she-devil herself. And the hits just keep on coming!

"Rachel, what the hell are you doing here?" Nathan spat out.

"Oh, don't look so surprised, Baby. I just came by so we can finish our private talk from yesterday." Haley shook her head before turning around to leave. I'm not staying for this. She had heard enough and she didn't trust herself in that moment to not kill Rachel. But before she could fully open the door, Nathan had sprinted to her side, pulled her away from it, and shut it.

"Nathan, move," she ordered. "I'm not staying here for one of your little heart to heart chats with your girlfriend."

"You're my girlfriend and I'm not going to let you leave until you hear me out."

"What else is there to say? I asked if you guys had slept together and your first reaction was 'yes.' That's all there is to it," she argued trying to get around him. He, however, still wouldn't move.

"So you finally told her," Rachel commented with a smirk. "It's about time she knew about us."

"Rachel, get out," Nathan demanded.

"Um…no. I think I have a right to be here for this." She then folded her arms and made no motion to leave.

"Nathan, I mean it. Get out of my way," Haley ordered. She was ready to start crying any minute now. This was all just too much for her to handle.

"The truth is that we did sleep together," Nathan began to explain. At his admittance to it, Haley felt the tears starting to flow freely down her face. "But it was one time and it happened over the summer. I was drunk and I didn't even know you then." Haley wished that she felt relieved by that but she didn't. There was something about this whole situation that was still bothering her.

"If it was that long ago then why is she hounding you about it now? I mean, what's left to talk about? And how come you never told me? You made me believe all this time that you never had any interest in her. That you would never give in to her crap."

"I haven't and I didn't want to upset you. It's something that I'm not proud of and I thought that it would be best if it stayed in the past."

"I'm assuming that the past includes last week too, right?" Rachel joined in.

"Rachel," Nathan warned. "Shut it."

"What?" Haley questioned edgily. Now what the hell is going on?

"Oh, did Nathan not tell you about his little road trip to come visit me in Charlotte? " Haley took in Nathan's reaction. He looked like he was ready to walk over to Rachel and strangle her. But now that Haley thought about it, she hadn't been able to get a hold of him on Wednesday or Thursday. She had asked him about it but he told her that he was busy with basketball stuff and then quickly changed the subject. She didn't think anything of it and let it go.

"You went to Charlotte to be with her?" Haley asked. It came out a lot smaller and broken than she had hoped.

"I went but I didn't go there for her," he informed her.

"But you went anyway and then lied to me about it," Haley pointed out.

"Hales…"

"No, don't you 'Hales' me. I've given you more than enough chances to explain yourself and you have yet to give me a straight answer. So I'm going to ask this one time and I want the truth. If you didn't go there for her, then why were you in Charlotte?"

"Haley, if I could tell you what I was really doing there then I would. But you have to believe me…"

"You know what, Nathan? Save it," Haley stated cutting him off. She couldn't deal with being betrayed by someone she loved again. She had suffered enough. It was too painful and she didn't know if she would have anything left if she didn't walk away right now. "We're done."

"What?" Nathan questioned shocked.

"You're just like the rest of them," she choked out. "You make promises and say 'I love you' but, in the end, you just can't be completely honest."

"Haley…" he tried to interrupt but she kept going.

"I trusted you. When everyone kept saying that you were this horrible person that would never change, I defended you. Damn it, I fought with Lucas, my best friend who I've known since I was seven, because I thought without a doubt that there was something good in you. That there was something worth saving. But, once again, it's the smart girl who gets fooled."

"Hales, please…" he pleaded desperately.

"I can't have another Jimmy James in my life, Nathan. I refuse to. If you really love me—or at least care for me—you'll understand that and let me go." Haley then moved to walk around him but he gently grabbed her arm to stop her.

"I can't do that," Nathan declared a second later. "I love you too much to do any less."

"If that were true, then you would have told me everything by now without holding back," Haley replied wiping at the tears on her face. She then pulled out of his grasp, took off the ring he had given her, and handed it to him. "It looks like always and forever just got a whole lot shorter." Haley didn't dare look up at him, afterward. She was positive that all the sadness and pain that she was feeling would be reflected in his piercing blue eyes. She needed to do this and there was no turning back. Haley then looked over at Rachel and saw her standing there with a satisfied smile. If Haley hadn't felt so defeated, she most likely would have walked over there and slapped that smirk right off her face. But at this point, she was done fighting. It was over.

"He's all yours," Haley said to her before walking to the door.

"He always was," Rachel called as Haley shut the door behind her. She quickly got in her car and started driving to the only place where she knew she would find comfort. When she finally arrived, she ran to the front porch and began knocking frantically on the door.

"Haley?" Lucas asked after he opened the door. "Oh my God, what's wrong?" Haley didn't answer him. She just threw herself into his arms. Lucas instantly pulled her into an even tighter embrace as Haley let the uncontrollable sobs overtake her. Everything she'd been holding inside came pouring out. It was then that she finally let the wave of sadness hit her. As a result, she cried and cried in her best friend's arms until there was nothing left.