Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I loved reading your reactions to the last chapter. If you guys want to swear at and beat up Ryan, Brett, and Stacey feel free to. I own them and I give you all permission. lol. Anyway, this next chapter isn't as long as the last two previous ones. I wanted to keep this one by itself, though. The next chapter after this one is much longer and will wrap everything up. Thanks again and please keep reviewing!
Chapter 29
"Nathan, it's no use," Lucas said from his seat on the floor. "You're going to hurt yourself."
"We can't let them just get away with this," Nathan argued as he tried beating the door with a baseball bat. What is this door made out of? Steel?
"Nate, save your energy. We're going to need it to kick their asses when we do finally get out of here." Nathan let out a frustrated sigh before throwing the bat across the room and sinking to the ground next to Lucas. He looked over at him.
"Are you ok?" Nathan asked. There were a few blood stains on Lucas' jersey and his face had some cuts and bruises on it. But he was sure that his own face was sporting the same look.
"Yeah. That Brett punches like a girl," Lucas stated offhandedly. Nathan laughed.
"Ryan isn't much better."
"Seriously, they are pathetic. They had to corner us and have us restrained to fight with us."
"And now we're locked in a shed because they know they'll lose against us in an actual game," Nathan added. "Bunch of punks."
"Although, it's not completely far fetched," Lucas pointed. "A few months ago it was the two of us going at it like this."
"We weren't this bad."
"Well, you did kidnap me that one time…" Lucas said.
"Yeah, but I never beat the crap out of you."
"Like you could have," Lucas replied.
"You wanna test that theory?" Nathan challenged. The two looked at each other before busting out laughing. Despite all the crap they'd put each other through in the past, that phase between them was long over.
"I think I'll pass. I've had enough brawls for one day." Nathan nodded in agreement. He started to wonder how much time had passed. It already felt like they'd been trapped in there for hours. They had no watches or cell phones so they couldn't check the time. Although, if they'd had their cell phones, Nathan was pretty sure that they wouldn't still be in this mess.
"Hey, Nathan?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you mean what you said out there?" Nathan gave Lucas a confused look.
"What did I say?"
"You…um…you called me your brother."
"Oh," Nathan commented. He had, in fact, said that. He just hadn't realized it at the time.
"Never mind," Lucas dismissed it quickly.
"I meant it," Nathan confirmed a few seconds later. "Besides, it's the truth." He and Lucas had come a long way since June. Sure, they continued to have their differences. But for the most part, they'd learned to finally work together and trust each other. Lucas nodded in understanding. The two boys then looked away from each other. The moment was getting a little too mushy for the both of them.
"So, uh, do you think they've figured out we're gone yet?" Lucas questioned—breaking through the awkward silence.
"It's probably been a while. I'm sure they know by now."
"Where the hell are they?!" Brooke exclaimed. The game was supposed to have started fifteen minutes ago and there was no sign of Lucas and Nathan anywhere. Haley was starting to get really worried. Something is wrong. Something has happened. She looked over to the opposite team. Ryan and those other jerks were there. Haley tried to see if anything appeared out of the ordinary with them but she couldn't really get a good look at them from far away.
"Something must be up," Peyton stated. "It's not like Lucas and Nathan to miss a game."
"You don't think that those assholes did something to them, do you?" Brooke questioned nervously.
"I'm sure they're fine," Haley assured her—despite the bad feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. She next glanced over at the team and a very concerned-looking Whitey. This definitely isn't good. Tim and Jake—who had gone off in search of them—came running back. The girls moved closer so that they could hear what was going on.
"They weren't in the locker room, our cabin, or the mess hall," Jake informed Whitey.
"I even checked the bathrooms. They weren't there either," Tim added.
"What's going on?" Dan asked as he came out of the stands. "Where the hell is Nathan?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Whitey replied.
"He's supposed to be in your care and you lost him?"
"He's not a baby, Danny. He's seventeen. Nathan can take care of himself," Whitey retorted. "Most of the time." Haley heard the older man mumble that last part.
"This is unacceptable. Who in their right mind would make you a coach?" Dan insulted.
"I don't know. It's probably the same crazy people who wanted to nominate you as mayor," Whitey shot back. "Now go take a seat. You're getting in my way and pissing me off."
"My son better be ok or I'm holding you personally responsible," Dan declared before giving Whitey a dirty look and returning to his seat. Haley looked over at Deb in the stands and saw the concerned expression on her face. Whitey then approached the girls.
"Haley, do you have any idea where Nathan and Lucas might be?"
"The last time I saw them they were headed into the locker room with the rest of the team," she answered.
"What about the rest of you? Have you seen them?" The girls on the squad all shook their heads.
"Coach Durham, I'm sorry but we have to begin," the referee said. "We can't postpone the game any longer." Haley checked her watch. It was already thirty minutes past the starting time.
"Alright," Whitey said. He turned around to face the guys. "Tim and Jake, you'll be filling in for Lucas and Nathan's positions. Gary and Hunter, you fill theirs." Once Whitey was finished barking out a few more changes, the team then walked onto the court and took their stances.
"I'm officially panicking," Brooke declared.
"Me, too," Peyton agreed. Haley, however, had tuned out their voices. Her eyes were set on Ryan. He was only several feet away from her now. Is that a bruise on his jaw? She looked more intently at him and confirmed that there was a black and blue spot forming on his skin. Ryan turned his head in her direction and she saw a small cut on his other cheek. His gaze met hers. She glared while he gave her a wicked smile and a wink.
"They did something," Haley announced.
"What was that?" Peyton asked confused.
"Ryan and those other guys did something. Look at him, he's got a bruise and he's cut," Haley pointed out. "I saw him at breakfast this morning and he didn't look like that."
"Damn it," Brooke cursed under her breath. "I'll castrate the idiot if he hurt my Broody. Oh my God, you don't think they…"
"Let's not think about that just yet," Haley interrupted. "We have to figure out where Nathan and Lucas might be if these screwballs actually did something to them." She wracked her brain but couldn't think of anything. Peyton and Brooke also seemed to be drawing a blank.
"Alright, I finally found my video camera. Remind me to clean my area of the room later on. It's like a tornado blew through…"
"Kat, we have bigger problems right now," Brooke interjected anxiously.
"Why? What happened?" she questioned.
"Nathan and Lucas are missing," Haley clued her in. "We think that Ryan and the other guys did something. They look banged up from something."
"Wait, when did this happen?"
"We don't know," Peyton said. "But even Whitey is worried."
"They're fine," Kat told them.
"What?" Brooke questioned oddly.
"I just saw them a little while ago," Kat continued. "Although, I don't know why Whitey is angry. He's the one who sent the boys out to the shed to get the basketballs."
"Ok, back up a minute," Haley requested. "What are you talking about?"
"I ran into Lucas and Nathan on my way to our cabin a little while ago. They said that Whitey wanted them to go to some equipment shed to get the new basketballs."
"No, he didn't," Brooke said. "He has no idea where they are either. And he didn't say anything about sending them on an errand like that."
"So it was a setup," Haley concluded. "We have to find them." A whistle blew and they turned their attention to the court. There was a fowl made by their team. It was ten minutes into the game and already it was going horribly.
"Ok, so where is this shed?" Peyton asked.
"I don't know," Haley answered.
"Me neither," Kat stated.
"I do," Brooke declared. They all turned to look at her.
"You do?" Haley questioned surprised.
"Yeah. Fallon, you can lead the cheer while we're gone," Brooke instructed. She then turned back to Haley, Peyton, and Kat. "Follow me." The girls quickened their pace to keep up with Brooke. Fifteen minutes later, they came to a trail that led into the woods.
"It's shouldn't be too far from here," Brooke informed them.
"Uh, Brooke, not that I'm complaining, but how do you know where this is?" Haley asked as they started to follow the trail.
"Yeah," Peyton agreed. "You are the last person I can imagine trekking in the woods like this."
"First of all, I'd be offended if that wasn't true," Brooke commented. They all laughed lightly at that. "And second, the only time I came out here was with Lucas."
"Oh, really?" Kat questioned. "And what exactly were the two of you doing?"
"I'd tell you but I don't want to corrupt Haley's virgin ears," she replied coyly.
"Just stop right there then," Haley quickly pleaded.
"Hey, guys, is that it?" Peyton asked getting their attention.
"Yeah, it is," Brooke confirmed. The girls then ran the rest of the way.
"Oh my God," Kat exclaimed. "Is that blood?" Haley looked down at the ground and saw a few red spots of saliva in the dirt. The fear she had been experiencing before doubled. She then swiftly went to the door and started trying to open it.
"Nathan! Lucas! Are you in there?" she called. Haley tried turning the knob but it was locked.
"Hales?" a voice questioned urgently. Oh thank God!
"Nathan, is that you?"
"Yeah," he called back.
"Is Lucas in there with you?" Brooke asked nervously.
"I'm right here, Brooke," Lucas said through the door. "Ryan and those other guys cornered us and locked us in here."
"We know. Are you guys hurt? We saw some blood on the ground," Peyton chimed in.
"We're ok. Those creeps didn't hurt you, right?" Nathan inquired.
"We're fine. Why?" Haley asked back. She could hear the concern in Nathan's voice.
"I'm making sure," he answered. "Just try to get us out. They took the spare key and we already tried breaking down the door."
"It's completely useless," Lucas added. The girls then began looking around frantically for anything they could use to get the guys out. Unfortunately, there was nothing but trees and dirt.
"There's nothing out here," Kat declared.
"What are we going to do now?" Brooke asked.
"I'll go back and get help," Peyton announced.
"Wait," Haley said as an idea popped into her head. "Let me try this one thing. If it doesn't work then you can go back." She hadn't done it in years but she could still try. She reached up and pulled a bobby pin out of her hair. Haley next crouched so that she was eye level with the door knob.
"Tutor Girl, what are you doing?" Brooke questioned curiously. Haley didn't answer. She simply concentrated on the task in front of her as she inserted the thin bobby pin into the key hole. She moved it around a little bit until she found the correct spot. I hope this still works.
"Dude, you're like the fourth Charlie's Angel," Peyton commented. Haley smiled briefly before pushing that particular spot. A click was then heard. A second later the door swung open and Nathan and Lucas emerged.
"Oh my God, Lucas!" Brooke exclaimed running to hug him. Haley made sure to stand up and get out of the way before she was trampled. Afterward, Nathan brought her into a tight embrace.
"Oh my God, Hales, how did you get it open?"
"My wild sister Taylor taught me that little trick years go. She used to always use it to break into my parents' liquor cabinet." Nathan laughed.
"Well, thank you," he said while pulling back to look at her. Haley gasped when she saw the bruises forming on his cheek and jaw. She lightly ran her fingers over them.
"Are you sure you're ok?" she asked. The poor thing. He's really been taking a beating this summer—literally.
"I am now," Nathan replied as he leaned in to kiss her. Haley wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him tighter. She had been scared to death as all the different scenarios of what Ryan and those goons could've done to him. Haley deepened the kiss—trying to make herself believe that he really was there with her.
"I hate to interrupt the adorable yet awkward PDA's but we have to get back," Peyton stated. "The team needs you. The game isn't going that well." Nathan and Haley broke the kiss but didn't completely let go of one another. Nathan kept one arm securely wrapped around her waist. Haley looked over to Lucas and saw the blood on his jersey.
"Luke, are you bleeding?" Haley asked panicked.
"That was from before. I'm alright," he assured her. "Now can we please get out of here? We have some unfinished business to attend to and a game to win."
"Sure," Peyton said. "This way." As they walked along the path, Haley looked up at Nathan. There was no doubt about it. He had pure fire in his eyes. Haley thanked God that she wasn't on the receiving end of that. Those guys are so going down.
It took the six teens another twenty minutes before they had reached the court. When they did finally arrive, their presence caused quite a stir. Nathan reluctantly let go of Haley and gave her a quick kiss before walking over to Whitey and the rest of the team. A timeout had been called.
"Sweet lord, what the hell happened to you boys?!" Whitey exclaimed. His eyes automatically fell on the blood on Lucas' jersey. "And Lucas, why are you bleeding?"
"Oh, a few of our good friends from Team Seven wanted to have a friendly chat before the game," Nathan explained. Whitey also seemed to take in Nathan's now bruised face.
"The assholes locked us in the equipment shed when we went to get the basketballs you wanted," Lucas elaborated.
"Of course, that was after they acted like a bunch of punks and attacked us while we were restrained," Nathan added for good measure.
"I never told you boys to get any basketballs," Whitey said perplexed. Lucas and Nathan looked at each other. Stacey was in on it, too. I guess you can only reject a girl so many times before she decides to get even. That bitch.
"Well, someone told us you wanted them," Lucas explained. Nathan could tell that Whitey was now seething.
"This is unacceptable! I'm telling the camp director right now," Whitey boomed.
"Coach, don't," Lucas stopped him.
"I have to, Lucas. I won't let them get away with this. It takes away the whole integrity of the game," Whitey replied. "And that kind of behavior is a disgrace."
"Coach, what they did was wrong. There's not doubt about that," Nathan agreed. "But please let us play them. This feud has been going on all summer long. Now is our chance to put these bastards in their place. Afterward, you can tell whoever you want. Just please give us the chance to beat them." The other guys on the team nodded in agreement. Whitey continued to look at them unconvinced.
"I think that what my younger brother is trying to say is that this has been a long time coming. You've always taught us to be fearless and to not let others intimidate us—whether it's on the court or not. Now is the time for us to step up. We can't let them win," Lucas concluded. A few seconds later, Whitey cocked an eyebrow as a small smile formed on his face.
"So, the two of you are related now?" he questioned.
"Yeah, but don't go spreading it around," Nathan joked.
"We have reputations to protect," Lucas added.
"Well, it's about damn time you knuckleheads!" Whitey chuckled. The whole team laughed at that. "Your secret is safe with me. Now get out there before I change my mind."
"Thanks, Coach," Nathan said as he ran onto the court. Lucas—who had to quickly change into a spare jersey—and the rest of the team followed. Nathan smirked when he noticed Ryan's infuriated face.
"You look surprised to see me," Nathan commented.
"I didn't think you'd get out that quick," Ryan retorted.
"Well, it's funny how things work out sometimes. Or in your case, don't."
"You guys will never catch up. You've lost almost an hour and we're twenty points ahead of you,"
"Well soon, you'll be twenty points behind. So you better watch the scoreboard." Haley watched the intense exchange between Nathan and Ryan from her spot on the sidelines. Please let there not be another fight, she silently prayed. The game resumed. Except this time, the boys' positions were changed now that Nathan and Lucas were back. To Haley's satisfaction, her boyfriend and best friend were already out there kicking butt. Lucas managed to steal the ball from Brett. He then dribbled it down the court and passed it to Nathan. Nathan then went straight for the basket and did his signature slam dunk. Haley and the others cheered at the top of their lungs. The guys had caught up rather quickly within the next hour. It wasn't long before the game was tied and there was about a minute left on the clock. Ryan's team now had the ball.
"Lucas," Nathan called as he ran over to him.
"What's up?"
"Forget about the other guys and concentrate on blocking Brett. Tim, Jake, and the others can take care of the rest of those guys. Ryan is most likely going to have the ball. But when he gets to a certain point, he usually passes it to Brett so he doesn't have to make the determining shot," Nathan explained. It was a little something that he'd noticed throughout the game. Ryan might try to talk and act all big and bad but when the time came for him to step up, he just didn't have the guts to do it.
"Got it. I'll try and intercept it," Lucas stated. They then bumped fists and got ready.
"Come on, boys. Keep it going!" Whitey called. As Nathan had predicted, Ryan got the ball. He dribbled it down the length of the court. But as he approached the basket, he seemed to think twice and passed it to Brett. Lucas quickly moved in front of him and got the ball. He threw it to Nathan who caught it with ease. Nathan then charged down the court dodging most of his defenders. However, both Ryan and Brett caught up to him. He was doubled teamed. He could try to make the shot but it was too risky. So Nathan did the next best thing. He passed it to Lucas. As soon as he got the ball, Lucas barreled towards the basket and finally took his shot. Nathan absentmindedly held his breath as the ball seemed to fly through the air in slow motion. It wasn't until he heard the swish that it occurred to him that they had actually won. The crowed roared as their team came together and congratulated each other. Nathan looked over at Ryan—who was standing nearby—and smirked. Ryan glared back with his fists clenched.
"Game over," Nathan stated before rejoining his teammates.
"That was fo' schizzle fo' sure," Tim exclaimed as he patted Lucas on the back.
"Just say it was amazing, Tim," Brooke said as she and the girls soon joined them. Haley ran into Nathan's arms.
"You were incredible!" she proclaimed while bringing him in for a passionate victory kiss. Nathan pulled Haley closer as he let everything else fade around him. He had beaten his enemy, won the tournament, and gotten his girl. What more could he possibly ask for?
