Fix Me
Chapter 51
Nathan shivered slightly at the cold December wind that blew through his clothes as he tossed another ball into the basket.
He jogged over to the bleachers, picking up his phone and sighing.
No test results yet.
He'd taken the test yesterday. Why did results take so long to come through?
He tossed his phone down onto the bleachers again, maybe a little too hard this time.
He walked over to the ball, scooping it up and sighing.
He was so bored. Haley was at work still, his school was over. What did he do to pass the time before school?
He stepped back onto the blacktop, shooting the ball again.
He smiled slightly as it sailed through the net, going to grab it again.
This went on for awhile, thankfully.
But the sound of someone calling him blared from his phone.
Who would call him at this time?
Haley really was the only person that ever called him, but she was definitely busy.
He frowned, walking over to his phone and picking it up.
Sure enough, it was Haley James.
He answered quickly, rubbing his neck.
"Hey, is everything okay? You're calling me at two o'clock on a work day..." He trailed off.
"What? Yes, everything is great! I'm just between classes. I just so happened to log into your school account—sorry about that. And I noticed you got your score back!"
If he thought he was nervous before... That was nothing compared to now.
Haley was delivering her own fate to him. Not that he was banking that much on this score... If it happened to be below 75 that would be okay. He would figure it out from there.
"Still there?" Haley asked.
"Yeah, yeah. What did I get?"
"77 percent. Great job, Nathan!"
Nathan's phone slipped from his hand, crashing loudly on the bleachers once again.
There's no way that had been a pleasant noise for her. Or that is phone could withstand another fall that.
"Hello? Nathan? What was that?"
Nathan heard Haley saying as he picked up his phone once again, wincing at the cracked screen.
"Cool, Hales. Thanks for calling me. Also- I think I'm going to need a new phone," He informed her, shaking his head.
"A new phone? What?" She laughed, "Okay, well... We can talk about this more later. I love you. I'm proud of you. You're all done! I mean, a few things still have to be done before you can graduate. But you did it."
"I love you too," Nathan responded, letting out a sigh as she clicked off the phone.
He sat down on the bleachers, groaning.
He pressed his face into his hands. He felt like he was going to throw up. But the good kind. Was there a good kind?
He was nervous. But a good kind of nervous was a better way to put it.
What if she hated the ring?
She wouldn't.
What if she hated the way he did it?
She wouldn't.
What if she said no?
He wanted to slap himself with that thought. This was Haley. She wouldn't say no.
Maybe he should wait a little while and propose to her in the spot they met? Was that too cheesy?
"You good?"
Quentin Fields' voice brought him from his own thoughts, making him lift his head up quickly.
"Shouldn't you be in school?" Nathan asked him, standing up slowly.
"Your girl isn't my teacher anymore, you don't have to say stuff like that," Quentin laughed, slapping Nathan on the shoulder. "I cut my last class. It's fine."
"Okay..." Nathan trailed off, shrugging.
"Haven't seen you around here in awhile."
It was true. He'd been busy with school and with Haley. He probably had not seen Quentin in almost two months.
The only time he came to the Rivercourt was between classes and he usually only shot around for a little while before he had to go.
"Yeah, well... I've been working hard in school. Not like you, I guess," Nathan joked, grabbing Quentin's rebound and passing it back to him.
"Yeah, well... Tell that to my 4.0 this semester," Quentin laughed, shrugging.
"I forgot you were smart. Damn. Good job, Q."
"Doesn't THC's semester end today?" Quentin asked him, shooting the ball again.
"Mine ended yesterday," Nathan said, shrugging.
"What's up then? You fail a class?"
"No, no..." Nathan sighed, rubbing his neck. "It's just complicated."
"Oh, yes, mature adult Nathan. I'm sure I can't relate to any of the problems or stress you have going on. Do not confide in me, you elder," Quentin joked, catching the ball when Nathan tossed it to him.
Nathan rolled his eyes, laughing. "Quentin, some day you're going to get in trouble because you ran your mouth at the wrong time."
"Nah," Quentin laughed, shaking his head. "Seriously. What's going on? You and Miss James clashing?"
"What? No," Nathan shot the ball up, letting out a sigh. "Come here," He said, tapping Quentin's shoulder and leading him over to his car.
He popped open the back, digging around for a second, lifting up the ring box.
"Oh. So the opposite of fighting," Quentin laughed, clapping Nathan on the back. "Let me see it."
"No," Nathan said, placing it back in it's hiding space, pulling the back of his car down quickly.
"What's the problem?" Quentin laughed. "It seems like you're doing pretty well."
"I'm just nervous, man. I don't know. I mean, you know her. She's way too good for me," Nathan reminded him, walking back over to the court and shooting a free throw.
"Yeah, maybe. But if she felt that way then she would have left your sorry ass by now," Quentin said, grabbing his rebound and tossing it up. "Do you have a plan at all?"
"No," Nathan admitted, shaking his head. "I just committed to doing it right before you walked up."
"What if she says no?"
Nathan scowled, tossing the ball at him a little bit harder. "She's not going to say no."
"I know," Quentin laughed, "I'm just kidding. Miss James though... She deserves someone like you. So don't sell yourself too short, Nate."
"Wait... Are you complimenting me?" Nathan asked him, smirking slightly.
"Yes, I am. You're a cool dude, Nate. I'm serious," Quentin said, shrugging. "If I were a few years older, and a girl... I'd be all over you."
"Thanks, I think?" Nathan laughed, shrugging. "Look. How about a quick game and then I'm going to go. If Haley finds out you ditched school and I was with you... She very well might say no."
Quentin laughed, passing Nathan the ball. "You first."
After a game to 21, Quentin sat down on the bleachers while Nathan gathered the few things he brought with him.
"So you're really moving up, huh? No more jobless, spending my inheritance Nathan?" Quentin said, raising his eyebrows.
"I guess not," Nathan said, slipping his sweatshirt over his head. "Don't worry, Q. I'll always remember you," He teased, pretending to choke up.
"Hey," Quentin laughed, "Sorry you're not coaching this season."
"It's okay. I didn't love it anyways. I mean, I had fun during the summer... But it wasn't really my calling. I've been pretty busy too," Nathan said, shrugging.
"Well you were a good coach. Thanks, Nate. Really," Quentin said, clearing his throat. "You know, I think I'm going to go to school to be a Sports Agent too. Whenever the NBA stops working for me, think I could come join you and your friend?"
"Of course," Nathan said, nodding at him. He slid his phone and keys into his pocket, sighing. "Well, wish me luck, Quentin. I don't think I'll do it today. But it will be soon. Maybe today. Who knows?"
"Better do it before I graduate high school because if not, she's free game," Quentin joked, laughing.
"I hate that joke," Nathan grumbled, smacking the top of his head lightly. "Same time next week?"
"Are you telling me to skip class?" Quentin gasped.
"Of course not. Doesn't your winter break start next week?"
"Oh- you're right. Yeah. I'll be here other days too, so just shoot me a text," Quentin said, nodding at him.
"Awesome. See you later, Q. And remember, I was never here with you," He laughed, walking over and getting into his car quickly.
xxxx
"Nathan?"
Haley called out as she stepped into the house, tossing her purse on the entry room table.
"Upstairs!" Nathan called out.
Haley followed the sweet sound of his voice, stripping her heels off her feet as she walked.
She stepped into their bedroom, rubbing her neck lightly and letting out a deep breath. She poked her head into the bathroom, blinking in surprise.
"Hey," Nathan stood up quickly, gesturing to the bath he'd drawn up for her, smiling slightly.
"What's this?" She asked, gesturing around the bathroom.
"I just wanted to do something nice for you," Nathan said, stepping over to her quickly, leaning down and kissing her.
"Shouldn't it be me that does something nice for you? I mean, you just finished college today," She laughed, resting her hands on his shoulders.
"It's not a big deal," He hummed, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Technically I finished yesterday."
"Well, you passed all your finals and all your classes. I'm so proud of you," Haley said, kissing him again. "And a 77 is a good score," She said, tapping his nose.
"You know, technically it was a 76.8," He informed her, smirking slightly.
"Ah, so I rounded a little bit. Sue me," She said, winking at him. "You didn't have to do this."
"I did," He said, rubbing her back lightly. "Plus, I know your neck and shoulders have been hurting you, so..."
"You're the sweetest," She informed him, letting her head fall against his shoulder.
"Better get in before the water gets cold," He said softly, kissing her head lightly.
"Are you joining me?" She asked him, lifting her head and grinning.
"Not this time," He said, raising his hand to rub at her shoulders. "I love you."
"I love you too," She said, kissing him once more. "Are you sure you're not going to get in with me?"
"I'm sure," He laughed, gesturing over to the tub. "Get in. The water is getting colder as we speak."
She nodded at him, letting out a deep breath. "Well... What are you going to do?"
"I have a tee time with Chase," Nathan said, tapping his watch.
Haley rolled her eyes at that. Him and Chase and the new golf video game they'd been playing.
"Oh brother," She laughed, poking his chest lightly. "Well, don't let me keep you. I'll just be up here, alone, taking a bath. Try not to focus on that too much while you're golfing."
"Don't worry, babe. I've got it locked in my brain already," He teased, pinching her sides and disappearing from the room.
Nathan's so called 'tee-time' was just to keep Haley in the bath as long as possible. She hated the golf game. She said it wasn't fun to watch or play, or to listen to him play. It was too long for her tastes too. So she'd probably stay up there for awhile.
He decided that he wasn't going to force himself into anything. He was going to set up a romantic picnic style dinner in their living room, and if he felt like doing it, he was going to do it.
He pulled open the back door to let Scout in, patting him between the ears. "Hey buddy," He said quietly, smiling. "You ready for this? You don't even understand what's going on," He laughed, scratching the dog's neck lightly. "Good boy, Scout."
He'd gone to a restaurant and ordered her favorite Mac and cheese for her. He'd try and make it but... He didn't have all the time in the world to mess up and start over.
Red wine, which they rarely had unless it was a special occasion, and some fortune cookies, along with a few other various things to add to the meal.
Haley had a thing about fortune cookies. She loved them.
He just hoped he had something good.
xxxx
Haley stepped down the stairs, a very confused look on her face at the dimly lit house. She could see a glow coming from the living room, so she entered slowly.
There sat her boyfriend, with a blanket she'd never seen before spread out in the middle of the living room.
Candles lit up the room. Scout had been laying on their bed when she left the room, so he was nowhere to be seen.
The funny thing was, his attire did not match the setting at all. He was wearing sweats and a t-shirt, and she was dressed in something similar to that.
He'd probably dressed that way on purpose because he knew what she would be wearing.
It was Friday night after a long week for both of them. She figured they'd stay in and watch a movie or something.
"Hey," Nathan greeted, standing up quickly.
"Hi," She said, smiling at him. "What's all this? What's going on with you today?"
"It's called romance, Hales. I'm wooing you," He laughed, resting his hands on her waist, pulling her in for a sweet kiss.
"I'm officially wooed," She laughed, rubbing her hands down his arms. "I feel like I should be doing all of this for you, Nathan. You're the one that accomplished something today."
"No, this is my thank you," He said, wrapping his arms around her. "Thank you for putting up with me this semester."
"No thanks necessary. It was my pleasure," She said, kissing him again. "Although, there were a couple of times I wanted to smack you."
"I'm difficult," He laughed, nudging his nose against hers. "There were a couple of times I wanted to quit."
"I know," She hummed, gripping onto his biceps lightly. "But you did it, baby. You're awesome."
"I am kind of awesome, aren't I?" He replied, winking at her. "I really owe a lot of it to my excellent tutor."
"I accept payment in sex and Mac and cheese which I suspect I will receive both tonight," She said, nodding up at him.
"I mean, if it's the only way to pay you..." He said, kissing her forehead. "Really, Hales... Thank you for everything."
"And I really mean it when I say you don't have to thank me. We're a team," She reminded him, turning to look at the set up again. "I would've dressed a little nicer, you know."
"This is perfect," He said, kissing her again. "I just... I love you, Hales. I really, really do. I mean... You hear about love all the time when you're growing up. You see it in the movies... But I just never thought it would feel like this."
"Like what?" She replied, raising her eyebrows curiously.
"What do you mean?" He asked, laughing.
"Like what? I know exactly how I'm feeling... But I want you to describe to me how you feel," She said, smiling up at him.
He thought for a moment, gesturing for her to sit down, taking his original seat once again. "It's like there's a whole part of me missing when I'm away from you. I never thought I'd enjoy the feeling of someone sleeping next to me, fully clothed, as much as I do. I don't even know how to put it into words, really."
"Well I feel the same," She told him, squeezing his leg lightly. "I don't know how to put it into words either. But... It's nothing like I thought it would be," She said, nodding. "I never thought love would mean that I'm having a romantic dinner in my sweatpants, but I don't want it any other way."
He laughed, nodding at her. "And on that note... Shall we?" He said, gesturing down to the food.
"Oh, hell yes. I am starving," Haley hummed, sitting down.
They began to eat, occasionally glancing at the other and smiling.
"So I'm guessing golf didn't go well," Haley said, winking at him.
"I have a confession, golf didn't happen," He laughed, shrugging.
"I never would have guessed that," She replied sarcastically.
"How was work today?" He asked her, clearing his throat.
"Well... You know," She waved her hand, "Finals week is next week and my kids have no motivation. They just want to be on break, and honestly, I'm losing a little of my motivation too. I was a little mean today."
"They're high schoolers, sometimes they need a little mean," Nathan joked, shrugging.
"I know. They were just being noisy while I was explaining something to one of the students, and I snapped at all of them," She sighed, rubbing her neck. "You know, I think I need a new pillow. My neck and shoulders have just been aching."
"Well, I hope you're talking about your actual pillow and not me, because it seems like you sleep on me most nights," He laughed, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Nope, that was just my cruel and casual way of dumping you," She teased him, taking a bite of his food.
"I thought so," He laughed, rolling his eyes. "You know, I can see that you still have food on your plate. Why would you eat mine?"
"It's yours so it tastes better," She informed him, pushing her plate towards him.
"God, you are crazy," He informed her, taking a bite of her food. He let out a groan, rolling his eyes back into his head. "Oh wait, yours is way better."
"You are such a jerk," She laughed, shaking her head at his teasing.
He stood up, walking around so that he was sitting behind her, abandoning his plate for her to continue eating off of it.
"What are you doing?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.
He rested his hands on her shoulders, beginning to knead his thumbs into her muscles.
"Oh," She said, letting out a deep breath. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome," He whispered, kissing the back of her head.
They were silent for a little while, Haley just enjoying the shoulder massage, and well, Nathan enjoying giving it to her.
"You are the best boyfriend ever," She informed him, letting out a deep breath. "Really... I mean that."
"I do what I can for you, babe," He laughed, pushing her hair to the side and placing a kiss on her newly exposed neck.
"You getting all good grades really lifted some stress off of me. I don't know why I've been so stressed out lately," She said, shaking her head.
"I'm sorry to add to it," He informed her, smiling.
"Mm... This is so nice. This afternoon is exactly what I've been needing," She said, leaning forward a bit more.
"Mhm," He hummed back to her, his mind beginning to drift a bit.
This was all feeling so right. He could do it tonight. It was in his pocket, ready to go. He could do it.
"So what's next for you, Mr. Scott?" Haley asked him, glancing over her shoulder.
"What?" He replied, clearing his throat.
"What's next?" She asked again, smiling slightly.
"Well..." Nathan sucked in a deep breath, reaching forward and grabbing a fortune cookie, holding it out to her. "Why don't you tell me?"
This was it.
She unwrapped the cookie, breaking it open and removing the fortune.
"Your present is not your future," Haley read out loud, before adding "In bed."
Nathan felt himself deflate at her words. That wasn't a very encouraging fortune cookie to propose after.
"Oh," Nathan said, frowning. "Whatever that means."
"Kind of a lame one," She agreed, laughing.
She took it very lighthearted. But he just got knocked down a few levels.
"I mean, we can only go downhill from here, right?" She joked, leaning back against him.
She was talking about the sexual aspect and she was just messing around.
But it was not encouraging.
"So, is that your phone in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" She joked, squeezing her eyes shut.
The ring box in his pocket felt like dead weight.
So maybe tonight was not the night.
He forced out a laugh at her words, kissing her head.
"Do you want to take this upstairs? I promise we can come back down and finish eating later," She said, brushing her fingers along his forearms.
"Sure, just... Let me blow out these candles first. I'll meet you up there," He hummed, watching her hop up to her feet.
"Don't be too long," She hummed, hurrying out of the room.
Nathan groaned, pulling the box out of his pocket and shoving it in one of the couch cushions.
He blew out the candles as promised, before following her up the stairs.
xxxx
Haley had fallen asleep easily that night. Nathan, on the other hand, had not.
Maybe it was Scout laying under their bed snoring, maybe it was the way Nathan's semi-plans had been shatter tonight by a cookie. It was a toss up, really.
He sighed, getting out of bed slowly.
It was close to midnight and he wasn't tired at all.
He was careful not to disturb the sleeping beauty on the bed as he exited the room.
That sucked. Cleaning up sucked. The only thing that didn't suck about the night was Haley.
He shook his head, trudging down the stairs slowly. He walked into the kitchen, warming up some of the remainder of the food, making sure to leave some for Haley to eat tomorrow.
He walked into the living room, turning on his playstation.
Chase was on. Did he ever sleep? Damn.
"What's up, Scott?" Chase asked through his mic, which blared through the TV.
Nathan laughed, slipping his own mic on and shaking his head. "Hey, Chase. How long you been playing?"
"About ten minutes. I just got off work," Chase told him, clearing his throat. "Well- actually, I just quit my job. So..."
"What?" Nathan asked, shaking his head. "Why?"
"I don't know, man. It's not fun being in New York anymore. Clay is moving down there. Alex and I are finished for sure..." Chase said, clearing his throat.
"Chase. Remember how I told you that we could go in and buy a bar together in Tree Hill?" Nathan said, joining the game that Chase was playing.
"Yeah..." Chase trailed off, clearing his throat. "I don't know, Nate..."
"Do it, Chase. Trust me on this one. Think of how fun it would be," Nathan laughed, rubbing his face lightly. "I'm sure Haley knows some people that we could set you up with."
"Oh, no. No. You will not be the couple that sets people up. I won't allow it," Chase laughed.
Nathan could picture his eye roll from North Carolina.
He missed Chase. They always had fun together. With Clay, he had plenty of fun, but there was always the 'I feel like I'm your kid' aspect to it.
"You're right, you're right. But you quit your job, you're going to run out of money eventually. You bought my car when I moved, but we both know it sucks to drive around New York. Alex is long gone, and I predict she's not coming back anytime soon. Just come down here," Nathan urged him. "I'll pay your first two months of rent. It's a lot less expensive here."
"Oh, yes. That's exactly what I want. My adult friend paying my rent," Chase laughed, letting out a sigh as the ball he just putted toward the hole just barely missed.
"You're doing it. I'm looking into this shit tomorrow morning," Nathan told him, laughing. "You could stay with Haley and me for a couple of days while you figure stuff out."
"I have to work two more weeks at the bar, but I'll think about it... I do have nothing keeping me here though," Chase said thoughtfully, before changing the subject. "What are you doing awake?"
"It's midnight. Not that late," Nathan said, shrugging. "I don't know. I've had a weird day."
"Weird how?"
"Weird like I was about to propose to Haley tonight weird."
The other line was silent. He knew Chase was still awake because he was still golfing on the screen.
"That is weird," Chase agreed, clearing his throat. "Spur of the moment or planned?"
"Kind of planned. I have a ring."
"Why?"
"Well... Her and I have kind of been talking about marriage and stuff for awhile..." Nathan trailed off.
"You have? What the hell?" Chase laughed.
"Sort of. I mean, we kinda dropped it but last week I decided if I got above a 75 on every final, I would propose to her, and well... I did it. I got the score back on my last final today."
"Well, congrats on the degree man," Chase praised, clearing his throat. "So, what?"
"Well... I set up this dinner for us and I had the ring in my pocket and I was just going to let it happen if it felt right. She asked me what was next for me and I thought it would be the perfect time..." Nathan sighed as he recounted the events from earlier that night. "And then I had her open a fortune cookie and I hoped for something good. But it said your present isn't your future and I panicked."
"Yikes," Chase laughed, "What are the chances? I mean... That's not a great fortune."
"No, it sucked. So I didn't do it."
"Are you still going to ask her though?"
"Yeah," Nathan said, rubbing his hand down his face. "Is your game almost over? I'm sick of watching you and not playing."
"I'm on the 16th hole if you pay attention, geez," Chase grumbled.
"So pretty much I'm just going to set up romantic situations and then I'm going to keep trying to ask her when the moment feels right," Nathan informed him, shrugging. "I love her, Chase. I want to be with her permanently."
"I know you do, Nate," Chase said, smiling. "I'm happy for you."
"I'm happy for me too, honestly," Nathan laughed, running his hand through his hair.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Chase yelled into Nathan's ear, groaning.
Nathan watched as Chase's next shot went ridiculously far to the left and into the water.
"I hit the analog stick with my arm while I was grabbing a drink," Chase grumbled, letting out a frustrated sigh.
"Don't drink and golf," Nathan joked, taking a bite of his food.
"It's water," Chase said, clearly upset about the situation he found himself in.
Nathan looked up when the subject of their previous conversation entered the room, her hair now pulled up, a tired look in her eyes.
"Hey," Nathan said, smiling at her. "What are you doing up?"
"I told you, I just got off- oh right, not for me. Hopefully she didn't hear what we were talking about before. Tell her I said hi."
"You left," Haley said, yawning and taking a seat next to Nathan.
"Uh, yeah. I couldn't sleep. Chase says hi," He said, shrugging.
"Hi Chase," Haley said into the mic, shifting herself until her head was rested in Nathan's lap.
"Want me to get off?" Nathan asked her quietly.
"Boo!" Chase said into the mic at that comment.
Nathan rolled his eyes and muted his own mic.
"No," Haley urged, making herself comfortable. "Keep playing, it will put me right back to sleep and probably make you tired."
"Very funny," Nathan laughed, rubbing her back lightly.
"I know you muted yourself, asshole."
Nathan rolled his eyes at Chase's comment, tapping Haley's shoulder lightly.
She lifted her head up so that he could lean down and give her a quick kiss, before laying back down.
Nathan turned his mic back on, smiling slightly down at his girlfriend. "I'm back," He told Chase.
"You're so whipped man."
"I know," He answered, scratching along Haley's back. "And you're totally jealous."
It was quiet for another moment, before Chase responded.
"You are definitely right about that, my friend."