Haley's POV
I sit in the hospital's waiting room and stare out the window absent-mindedly. It's been over twenty-four hours since Serena overdosed on pills, and we still don't know if she's going to survive.
I glance over at my mother, who is crying into my father's chest. My dad seems lost in thought, and he strokes my mom's blond hair gently.
"I love you both." I blurt out suddenly.
"I love you too Haley." My mom says with a sniffle.
"So do I." My father mutters.
At that moment, my phone begins to buzz. I sigh when I realize it's a text message from A, that's the last thing I need.
Do Mommy and Daddy really love you? Are they forgetting that Serena tried to kill herself because of you? Poor Haley, I think you made the wrong choice.
Kisses,
A
I begin to cry ever harder, if that's humanly possible. My parents don't even glance over at me, I've been crying since we found Serena in her bedroom.
"I'm going to go for a walk." I say as I leave the waiting room.
I start to walk out of the hospital, but stop when I hear a familiar voice.
"Haley!" I hear Riley Fitz yell.
I turn around, and see my friend standing behind me.
"Y-you came." I ask in disbelief.
"Of course I came!" Riley says as she wraps her arms around me.
Riley's warm embrace causes me to cry even harder.
"I though you were mad at me. I said so many horrible things about your boyfriend." I say with a sniffle.
"It doesn't matter Haley, you're my best friend." Riley tells me softly.
"I'm glad you're here." I tell my friend truthfully.
"What happened to Serena?" Riley asks me suddenly.
"She over-dosed on pills because she wanted to die." I say as I stare at the ground.
"Oh my God." Riley says as she tries to comprehend the situation.
An awkward silence passes between us, and I try to think of what to say next.
"Is she okay?" Riley asks breaking the silence.
"We don't know yet." I say with a sigh.
"I'm sure the doctors are doing everything that they can to help." She says before resting an arm over my shoulder.
"If she doesn't survive, I'm never going to forgive myself." I say as I bury my face in her chest.
"Forgive yourself? This isn't your fault Haley!" Riley tells me seriously.
"It's entirely my fault." I say sadly.
"That can't be true." Riley says as she shakes her head vigorously.
"Riley, I told my parents about Serena's abortion." I say guiltily.
"Y-you did?" Riley asks shocked.
"A gave me three choices, and if I didn't pick one A would have expose all of our secrets. One of the choices was to tell my parents about Serena's abortion. It seemed like the right decision, and I thought my parents could help her." I say with a sigh.
"Haley, people don't commit suicide suddenly. Serena probably planned this a long time ago." Riley tells me gently.
"But I was the one who pushed her over the edge." I say through my tears.
"You love your sister, and she knows it." Riley says as she rubs my back.
"I feel like a horrible person." I tell her truthfully.
"You're not a horrible person, and this isn't your fault." Riley assures me.
"I should probably go back to my parents, they're probably worried about me." I say with a sniffle.
"I'll come with you." Riley says as we walk into the waiting room.
I gasp when I see Aria and Ezra sitting with my mom and dad.
"What are you doing here?" Riley asks her parents shocked.
"We just got the news." Aria says as she tries to hold back tears.
"Have the doctors said anything about Serena?" I ask my parents curiously.
"She's still in a coma." My dad says as he wipes away his tears.
"Haley, why don't you go home and get some sleep? We'll call you if we get an update." My mom tells me.
"I don't want to be home alone, especially after what happened." I tell the group truthfully.
"Why don't you go home with Riley? You're welcome to stay with us for as long as you'd like." Ezra offers.
"I don't want to intrude..." I start to say.
"Don't be silly Haley, you're practically family." Aria says before she kisses my forehead lovingly.
"Come on Haley, you need to rest." Riley says as she drags me out of the waiting room.
Line Break
I enter Riley's living room and gasp when I see Sam Kahn sitting on the couch and reading a book.
"Do your parents know he's here?" I whisper to Riley.
"Yes, I'll explain everything later." Riley says in response.
Sam glances up from his book and notices us for the first time. Less than a second later, Sam rushes over to me and gives me a big hug.
"I'm so sorry Haley." Sam says softly.
"It's not your fault." I tell him truthfully.
"I know you despise me, but my older brother killed himself a few years ago. If you ever want to talk, let me know." Sam tells me gently.
"Thanks Sam, and I don't despise you. Just know that if you hurt Riley, I will hunt you down and kill you. You've been warned." I tell him seriously.
Sam and Riley start to laugh, and I stare at them confused.
"Do you think I'm joking?" I ask them.
"We're just happy that you haven't lost your sass." Riley says with a chuckle.
"I'm really tired." I say with a yawn.
"You can sleep in my room." Riley says as she leads me upstairs.
As as soon as I get to Riley's room, I collapse on her bed.
"Are you hungry? I can make you some food." Riley offers.
"No thanks, I just want to sleep." I tell my friend truthfully.
"Okay." Riley says as she covers my body with a blanket.
"Riley you've been an amazing friend, but I really want some alone time." I tell her softly.
"Okay, just call me if you need anything." Riley says before kissing my forehead and leaving the bedroom.
Line Break
"Sweetheart, wake up." I hear Aria say as she shakes me gently.
"What's going on?" I ask as my eyes flutter open.
"I just got home from the hospital, and Serena is going to be fine." Aria says to me.
"S-she is?" I ask in disbelief.
"Yes." Aria says as she pulls me in for a hug.
"Can I see her?" I ask hopefully.
"Not tonight, your parents want you to rest. I'll take you to the hospital in the morning." Aria offers.
"Thank you." I tell her gratefully.
"Why don't you come downstairs for dinner? You're probably starving." Aria says with a small laugh.
"Dinner? What time is it?" I ask her curiously.
"About eight o'clock." She says in response.
"Oh my gosh, I fell asleep at nine." I mutter.
"You've been through a lot, you're probably exhausted." Aria says sympathetically.
"And starving." I tell her.
"Ezra and James just picked up Chinese food, does that sound good to you?" Aria asks me.
"Chinese food sounds great!" I tell her truthfully.
Aria leads me to the kitchen, where the Fitz family and Sam are eating dinner.
"Hello everyone." I say to get their attention.
"You're awake!" Riley says with a smile.
"Yup." I say with a nod.
"How did you sleep?" James asks me.
"Great." I say in response.
"James, go get her a chair." Aria tells her son.
James nods before scurrying out of the room. At that moment, the doorbell rings.
"I'll get it!" Mackenzie says before sprinting out of the kitchen.
A few minutes later, she comes back into the room smiling from ear to ear.
"Haley, there's someone here to see you." Mackenzie says as she winks at me.
"Who is it?" I ask confused.
"I don't know, but he's smoking hot." Mackenzie tells me.
"What did you just say?" Ezra growls.
"Nothing Daddy." The seventh grader says innocently.
"Haley go! I won't tell your father." Aria says with a chuckle.
I nod, and walk out of the room. I walk to the Fitzes's front yard and gasp when I see Carter siting on their porch.
"What are you doing here?" I ask him shocked.
"I heard about Serena, and I wanted to make sure you were okay." Carter says as he avoids eye contact.
"I don't need you checking up on me." I mutter angrily.
"I know you're upset that I threatened to tell your parents about Kyle, but I don't want to see you get hurt." He tells me softly.
"Whatever." I say with an eye roll.
"I know your family is dealing with a lot, so I won't tell anyone about Kyle if you don't want me to." Carter says with a sigh.
"Really?" I ask in disbelief.
"Really." Carter says reluctantly.
"Thank you." I tell him gratefully.
"If he gives you anymore trouble, all you have to do is give me a call and I'll kick his sorry ass." Carter says with a slight smile.
"Good to know, but I don't have your number." I say with a chuckle.
Carter responds by taking a piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it me.
"Call me if you need anything." Carter says with a blush.
"Okay." I say as I stare into his green eyes.
"I should get going." He says before waving goodbye and running off into the night.
"I'll see you around Carter O'Hara." I whisper to myself.
What did you think? The next chapter is big for Taylor and James ;). I'll update as soon as I get 30 reviews.
A funny story about Haley is how she got her name. When I first got the idea for Rosewood Never Changes I had to create a list of physical and personality traits for each character, and I did that in an old notebook. I actually meant for Haley's name to be Hayley, but I didn't spell it correctly in my notebook and I copied it right on to my story. I didn't realize that Haley was pronounced like Callie with an H until my friend pointed it out to me after I had published her first chapter. I guess it could still be pronounced the same as Hayley, but now I think of her as a Haley. Just out of curiosity, is she a Callie with an H or a Hay-lee to you?
