Hey guys, thank you all very much for the reviews! I really enjoyed reading them. I don't know about you guys, but I totally wanted to puke while watching this week's episode. Carrie is a total skank/freak. Although, I ended up watching the episode a second time and was happy to see that Nathan wasn't really leering at her in the pool. He had this look that you give someone when you know that they're causing trouble and are trying to figure out how to deal with it.
I don't think that Carrie is who she says she is, though. She's employed as a nanny, told Haley she wanted to be a pediatrician, and once claimed to Nathan that she was a personal trainer--which is suspiciously convenient now that he's in rehab. It's all very weird and doesn't seem to add up. I have about three theories, though. One, she's obsessed with Haley and is trying to seduce Nathan to sabotage him, so she can get her (but she helped him so I'm not sure that's it). Two, she really wants Nathan and is trying to take Haley's place in the household. Or three, it's Jamie that she's focused on. And since Nathan is the father and she wants to be Jamie's mother, she's pursuing him. All three suck, and Carrie should just be thrown out on her bony, skanky ass to spare us anymore aggravation.
There, I said it! Sorry for the long note, guys, I just had to vent. I actually created a poll, so if you guys want to check that out under my profile and vote, that'd be great. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Please read and review! Thanks!
Chapter 54
April 3, 2008
"He called again," Haley stated as soon as Nathan walked through the door. She was sitting on the couch with her computer on her lap working on a paper.
"Who?" Nathan asked apprehensively.
"Dan," she answered. "I'm seriously thinking of unplugging the phone."
"Great," he groaned. Ever since they'd gotten back from Brooke's beach house, Dan had been calling Nathan nonstop for over a week. Nathan tried to avoid picking up the phone as often as possible. By this time, he was pretty sure that his father knew all about which NBA teams had made offers—and for how much. Needless to say, he really was not looking forward to telling his father that he wouldn't be taking any of them until he graduated.
"You do realize that it's only a matter of time before he shows up here, right?" Haley pointed out.
"Thanks for jinxing it, Hales."
"You know I'm right," she stated. "By the way, lock the door." Nathan did what Haley said. Knowing Dan, he would probably barge into their apartment if he could. He then walked over and plopped onto the couch with a loud sigh.
"Long day?" Haley asked as she put her computer on the coffee table and scooted over to him.
"Definitely." He'd had a full day of lectures and the assignment from Hell in his advertising class.
"Anything I can do?" she offered while running a hand through his hair.
"Yeah," Nathan replied before pulling her onto his lap. She let out a small squeal before his lips crashed onto hers. He kissed her hungrily as she wrapped her arms tightly around him to bring him closer. Just as Nathan started to lower her onto the couch, the phone rang.
"Damn it," he cursed.
"Don't worry about it," Haley stated as she pulled him back down on top of her. It rang for another minute before the machine got it. The line went dead as soon as the beep sounded. The two continued to make out. Unfortunately, the phone started to ring again. Nathan groaned against Haley's neck when he heard it. Her arms only tightened around him to keep him in place. Once again, the machine got it and no message was left. Nathan tried to push it out of his mind as his hands slid to the bottom of Haley's shirt. He had barely started to lift it up when the phone rang a third time.
"Son of a…" he trailed off while getting up. Haley sighed as she rubbed her hands over her face frustrated. She was seriously ready to strangle Dan herself. All she wanted was some undisturbed alone time with her husband.
"What?" Nathan answered angrily after picking up the phone.
"Gee, rude much?" a female voice questioned. Great, this is just another thing I need, Nathan pondered.
"What do you want?"
"Sheesh, why do you always have to be such an ass to me? I told you. We have to meet up together and work on our project."
"And I told you that we don't have to start it this second," Nathan stated with a roll of his eyes. Haley sat up on the couch looking at him curiously.
"Look, I have some ideas that I really think we should go over. I don't feel like doing this project the last minute."
"It was just assigned today, Melissa. It's not due until the 29th," he pointed out. At the mention of Melissa's name, Haley's whole body got tense. This cannot be good, she noted.
"Yeah, well, I want to go over this stuff before I forget it. So when can you meet me today?" she pushed.
"I'm not…"
"Look, you either meet me somewhere or I'm coming over there. It's not that hard. You don't have basketball anymore so stop making excuses."
"Where did you want to go?" Nathan gave in after a few seconds. He knew she could be relentless. And he definitely didn't want Melissa showing up at the apartment.
"I was thinking the coffee shop in the Union," she suggested.
"Why not the library?"
"Because it's too quiet, and we won't be able to talk in there," she replied.
"Fine, we can go to the coffee shop. What time?"
"I was thinking we could meet up in about fifteen minutes."
"Alright. I'll be there," Nathan stated reluctantly. He really did not want to go. He could've killed his professor when she assigned him and Melissa to be partners for their final project of the semester. With basketball season being over, the only time he would've had to deal with Melissa was during the basketball banquet coming up and maybe occasionally during class. Unfortunately, that was now shot to Hell.
"Great. Don't be late," she warned before hanging up. Nathan shook his head as he hung up the phone.
"What was that about?" Haley asked from behind him. Nathan turned to face her.
"Melissa and I got paired together for a project in our class," he explained. "She wants to meet up and go over some ideas."
"Oh," Haley commented. She knew it was silly, but she couldn't help but feel her stomach drop at the thought of him and Melissa working together. Haley really didn't trust her.
"Yeah. I have to get my stuff together and leave now," he stated while heading into the bedroom. Haley looked at her watch. She had another hour before she had to meet up with a new tutee. She had been hoping that she and Nathan could've spent some time together beforehand.
"I'll be back in a little while," Nathan said as he walked back into the living room. "Will you be home?"
"Um, I have a tutoring session in an hour. But I should be back on time to make dinner," she replied.
"Alright, I'll see you later," he said before giving her a quick peck on the lips. He was then out the door.
"Have fun," Haley muttered dryly. She really didn't have a good feeling about this.
Nathan walked into the coffee shop in the Union. He looked around for several seconds before spotting Melissa at a table in the back. He mentally prepared himself for what was to come as he headed over to her.
"Well, it's nice to see that you're actually on time for a change," she commented.
"I'd say it's more Haley's influence than mine," Nathan stated while taking a seat across from her.
"Isn't that nice," Melissa muttered with a strained smile.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Nathan questioned, getting straight to the point. He really just wanted to be back at the apartment lounging around after such a stressful day.
"Ok, so I was thinking of some brands that we could research for our campaign analysis project," Melissa began. "It's supposed to be a product that's been around for awhile. I wrote a few ideas down when I finally came upon the perfect one."
"What is it?" he prodded.
"Barbie," she stated.
"What?" Nathan questioned confused. Please, God, let me be hearing things.
"Barbie Dolls have been around for a wicked long time. And with the company changing the dolls' body image and getting rid of Ken and all that, it's the perfect product to analyze," Melissa explained. Nathan felt his stomach drop at that.
"Melissa, you can't be serious. There is no way in hell that I'm getting up in front of a classroom full of people talking about a plastic bimbo that wears way too much pink than humanly possible," Nathan declared. He was a guy. More specifically, he was Nathan Scott. He couldn't talk about Barbie.
"Why not? It's a good topic."
"It's lame and is a chick thing," he pointed out. Nathan could only imagine what something like that could do to his reputation.
"Well, I like it," Melissa stated.
"I don't. I was thinking we could do something like Nike," he suggested.
"I'm not doing sportswear," she objected.
"It's still better than Barbie," Nathan declared.
"She's practically an icon."
"She's not real." For the next ten minutes, the two argued back and forth about their topic. Neither one could come to a solid agreement.
"What about…Hershey's? They've been around forever," Nathan pointed out.
"No, that's too boring," Melissa retorted. She was silent for a minute before her eyes lit up. "We could do Trojan condoms. They're a noted brand and very popular product among college students. I bet the class would like that one. We could maybe even do some field research." She then gave him a mischievous grin. Nathan had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Oh yeah, we're going to have loads of fun working together, he thought sarcastically.
"No thanks," Nathan declined. "Besides, Professor Hayes says the topic had to be appropriate. I highly doubt that condoms would fall under that category."
"It was just a suggestion," she said with an innocent shrug.
"Well, we're definitely not doing that," he stressed firmly. Nathan hoped she picked up on the double meaning. They discussed topics for another ten minutes before finally agreeing on one.
"So we're doing the iPod and everything the led up to it?" Nathan questioned. He wanted to make sure that they were on the same page.
"Yeah," Melissa confirmed. "I think that's a good one."
"Ok, now all we have to do is divide it up. What do you want to research?" he asked. Fifteen minutes later, their whole project/presentation was planned out. Nathan would find information on older music players while Melissa researched the iPod.
"Is that it?" Nathan questioned. By this point, he just wanted to go home. They'd been there long enough going over everything.
"I think so," Melissa replied. "When did you want to meet up again?"
"Again?" Nathan inquired confused. They'd already gone over everything. Why did they have to get together again?
"Nathan, even though we divided the research up, we still have to work together. Everything has to be on the same page. So when are you free?"
"I don't know. I'll have to check my schedule," he replied. She gave him a probing look.
"Are you sure you don't mean Haley?" she inquired.
"What does she have to do with anything?"
"Well, she must be bothered by the fact that you're working with your ex," Melissa pointed out as she leaned in closer to him. "If I were her, I'd be uncomfortable. I'm surprised she hasn't called yet to check up on you."
"Haley's not like that," Nathan declared. "And she has nothing to worry about, anyway. There's nothing between us anymore."
"Whatever you say, Scott," Melissa commented mockingly. Nathan shook his head slightly.
"I don't have time for this," Nathan mumbled while getting up. He was tired, and now had a massive headache. He really just needed to go back to the apartment and crash.
Nathan had just about
made it to the door when he heard her shout, "Call me!" He
inwardly groaned. Like I even have a choice.
The person was late. Haley had been waiting for her new tutee for about twenty minutes now. She'd already done her homework and finished her paper on her laptop. Since she was bored, Haley decided to browse through some pictures she had stored on a disk. She had been meaning to sift through them to figure out which ones she wanted to put in her photo album. She smiled at the picture Brooke took of her and Nathan in their future apartment for the summer. The bubbly brunette had insisted that it was some sort of milestone. Eventually, she and Nathan just gave in. They knew better than to argue with Brooke.
Haley continued to scan through a few more. She noticed some older ones that had been taken with Megan and Anna when she and Nathan had visited Honey Grove. Even though they were all, technically, living their own separate lives, she would still miss them. Before they left Brooke's house, they'd all vowed to keep in touch no matter what. As she scrolled down, Haley caught sight of a few photos of her and Greg. She still couldn't believe that they were no longer friends. That last conversation with him had been so difficult. When Haley told him that she had no regrets, she meant it. It was a hard and painful decision, but she had to make a choice.
Originally, Haley had thought that Greg had changed. That he was another version of the man he used to be. She had been lying awake the other night thinking about it. That, however, was when the realization had hit her. Maybe he was never the guy she thought he was. After all, Greg had admitted to being in love with her all those years. But he never said a thing. Haley had no idea of his feelings. It soon made her wonder what else he was keeping from her. Were all the things he did for her in the past genuine? Besides Nathan, did he really think that all her other boyfriends were wrong for her? Or did he have some type of secret agenda of his own to win her over?
Haley found that particularly disturbing. It made her sick to think that Greg could have been manipulating her all along. And yet, some part deep down inside of her missed their friendship. The way things used to be before hormones and romantic feelings got involved. Haley knew that a part of her always would. But she was lucky that she had Nathan. He certainly was her light in the darkness of this whole screwed up and depressing situation. She didn't blame him for any of it. He wasn't the reason why Greg felt the way that he did. Nathan just happened to be the guy that made Greg finally reveal the truth about those feelings. And if it hadn't been him, it would've been some other guy that came along. Needless to say, Greg had been a ticking time bomb.
"Ooh, he's hott," someone commented from behind her. Haley jumped slightly before turning around.
"Ugh, what are you doing here?" she questioned while staring at a smirking Rachel. When Haley noticed her still looking at the pictures, she quickly shut the computer.
"Well?" Haley prodded after she didn't answer.
"I'm here for tutoring. Duh."
"Well, Brian's table is over there," Haley stated while pointing to a table on the far left.
"I know. But I'm not here for Brian."
"Then who are you here for?" she asked confused.
"You," Rachel declared with a smug smile.
"Excuse me?" Please let this be some kind of sick joke, Haley prayed.
"You're my new tutor for my math class," she clarified while taking a seat across from her at the table.
"That's impossible. I got an e-mail from a girl named Maggie."
"I know. That was me," Rachel replied with a wide grin. "No one else was available, and I knew you wouldn't take me on willingly, so I sort of disguised my identity. Pretty crafty, huh?"
"I can't believe this," Haley muttered with a shake of her head. There was absolutely no way that she could tutor Rachel. She'd either go crazy or eventually end up killing her.
"Look, I'm not exactly excited about this either but shit happens. So, where should we start?" Rachel asked.
"I'm not tutoring you," Haley stated bluntly.
"Look, I told you. No one else…"
"…is available. I heard you. But I'm pretty sure that I can pull a few strings. Wait here," she instructed. Haley then headed over to Mrs. Jade's desk. Five minutes later, she begrudgingly returned to the table.
"Well?" Rachel asked with a knowing look. Haley remained silent for a few seconds before sighing.
"Just open your book to page 105…"
Nathan had a hard time keeping his eyes open as he walked up the stairs to the apartment. His head was pounding, too. He'd forgotten how exhausting Melissa could be. Nathan really just needed to go lie down and sleep for awhile. He still had homework to do for his classes tomorrow. The only thing that kept him from going insane was the fact that the semester would end in four weeks. He just had to hang in there until then.
"You look like hell." And the hits just keep on coming. Why does Haley always have to be right? Dan was standing in front of their door with his arms crossed and a disapproving expression on his face.
"What do you want, Dad?"
"You didn't return any of my calls. I started to get worried. I thought something might've happened to you," he stated.
"Well, as you can see, I'm perfectly fine," Nathan declared with a fake smile. He walked over and started to unlock the door. "Thanks for stopping by." He had barely shut it behind him before Dan stopped him.
"Nathan, I'm your father. You can't avoid me."
"Dad, what part of me punching you in the face and 'we're done' don't you get?" Nathan questioned frustrated. He was certainly not in the mood for this.
"Look, I know we've had our differences but…"
"Oh, please. You insulted my wife and then practically disowned me. There's nothing else to talk about."
"Listen to me, Nathan. Just because we're going through a rough patch as a family doesn't mean that I don't care about you. I may not agree with your choice to stay with Haley, but it's only because I want what's best for you," Dan explained. "You won the championship. You have the best teams of the NBA eating out of the palm of your hands. Now is the time to concentrate on your career. If you would just take my advice…"
"This is all complete bullshit, and you know it," Nathan interrupted angrily. "You don't care about me. Everything between us has always been basketball, Dad. The only reason why you're making an effort now is because you see an opportunity to live your dreams of playing in the NBA through me."
"Nathan, I want to see you succeed. I'll admit that you having these options are a way for me to make up for past regrets. But you have to know that I really do have your best interests at heart. This is the chance of a lifetime. Other people would kill to be in your position right now. All the hard work we've done over the years has been for this," Dan reminded him. "Don't blow it."
"I know what I'm doing, Dad. I don't need your input."
"Look, it's a big decision. I just want…"
"I don't need you," Nathan stated firmly. "If I want anyone's opinion, I'll ask Haley or Lucas. So you can leave now." Dan shook his head frustrated.
"You were always so thickheaded," he muttered.
"Dad, go," Nathan ordered. He was seriously losing his patience with each passing second.
"At least just tell me what team you're thinking of choosing," he requested. "I deserve that much." Nathan rolled his eyes. Dan still couldn't just leave him alone.
"Fine, I'm not choosing any of them," Nathan answered as he started to close the door. However, his father halted him, once again. He really had tried to get away with it. But as he saw his father's originally curious look turn darker, he knew that he was in deep shit.
"What?" Dan gritted out.
"I'm not going into the NBA this year," he elaborated. "I'm going to finish school and graduate first."
"You can't be serious," Dan stated in disbelief.
"I am. I've worked hard for the past three years. I want my degree. There's always next year for basketball."
"Are you insane, Nathan? You have to strike while the iron is hot."
"I got the scouts' attention this year. Next season, with what Coach K already has planned, we'll go all the way again. It's the best decision overall."
"I can't believe I'm hearing this. Who the hell are you, and what have you done with my son?" Dan questioned. "This has to be the stupidest decision you've made yet."
"Actually, I think it's one of the smartest. And it's not your life, Dad. It's mine. Go live vicariously through someone else if you don't like it," he snapped.
"It's Haley, isn't it? She convinced you to do this," he accused.
"Whatever," Nathan muttered as he tried to shut the door. He wouldn't even bother answering. It's not like Dan would actually believe what he was saying anyway. His mind was already made up about Haley.
"She's not going to be with you forever. Basketball has been the only constant in your life. And at this rate, you're not even going to have that anymore."
"There's more to life than some game, Dad. You've been stuck in the past for twenty years. Get the hell over it before you become even more pathetic than you already are." Before Nathan even knew what was happening, Dan's fist was raised and collided with his face. He went flying backwards with a loud thud on the floor. Nathan felt the pain explode in his left eye as he laid on the ground completely shocked. His father had never outright punched him before. When Nathan finally managed to gain some of his composure back, he sat up. But Dan was no where to be found.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Haley asked as she placed a plate of lasagna in front of Nathan later that evening. After her dreadful and tension-filled tutoring session with Rachel, Haley had been more than happy to return to the apartment. But her enthusiasm had been quickly curbed when she came home to find Nathan sporting a nasty-looking black eye.
"I'm fine. It's just a little sore," Nathan replied as he started eating. He wasn't really hungry, but he had to put something in his stomach. It seemed like every time Dan stepped back into his life—even if it was momentarily—Nathan just felt more miserable. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake him.
"I really wish you would be more careful," Haley stated as she took a seat next to him and started eating. "I know you and Lucas get all competitive and riled up when you play ball, but I don't want you getting hurt."
"I know. I'm sorry. We'll tone it down next time," he promised. Nathan could barely look at Haley as the words left his mouth. He felt horrible lying to her. But he didn't want her to know that Dan had been the one to punch him. She had enough to worry about. And he didn't want to expose her to his family's dysfunction anymore than he had to. So he made up some story about him and Lucas going to the gym to play a friendly game of basketball. They got a little too rough, and Lucas ended up accidentally elbowing him in the eye.
"Yeah, well, remind me to kick his butt when I see him in class tomorrow."
"Actually, it would probably be best if you didn't mention it. He felt really bad about it. He already apologized a hundred times," Nathan explained. He looked at her briefly before returning his gaze to his plate.
"I was only kidding," Haley commented with a small laugh.
"Well, just please don't say anything," he emphasized. Haley looked at him curiously for a minute.
"Are you positive you're alright?" she asked. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but something seemed to be up with him. Nathan was barely looking at her. Plus, his whole mood seemed to be kind of subdued.
"Yeah," he answered. "It's just been a crappy day. Between classes, meeting up with Melissa, and then getting a black eye, I've just about had it."
"I'm sorry," Haley stated as she rubbed his back. "But it's just four more weeks until the semester is over. You think you can hang in there?"
"I'm sure." Nathan then leaned in to give her a quick peck on the lips. "So how was tutoring?" He really needed to change the subject.
"It sucked. My tutee turned out to be Rachel. It had to be the longest and most painful session of my life."
"Wow, that does suck," he agreed.
"Yup. It was a complete waste of time, since she kept interrupting me and wouldn't pay attention. I could've been doing more important things."
"I know the feeling." After Nathan finished his dinner, he looked at his watch. "I've got to get started on my readings for my business class. I think we're going to have a pop quiz tomorrow."
"Ok. Go do what you have to. I'll clean up."
"You're sure. I can help," he offered.
"No, you go. I've got it," Haley insisted.
"Alright. Thanks." Nathan gave her another quick kiss before heading into the bedroom. Haley let out a soft sigh after he left. She could see that emotional wall of his slightly building up. Haley still sensed that there was something he wasn't telling her. But she wasn't going to call him on it or anything. He had a long day and probably just needed some space to unwind.
Lord knows that she did. She needed a break before she met up with Rachel again on Saturday. It literally took all of her patience and self-control not to strangle the girl. Haley then decided to call Brooke. Since Nathan was currently in a weird mood, she needed someone to vent to. Brooke hated Rachel almost as much as Haley did. She'd understand. Needless to say, it was definitely time for some girl talk.
