A/N: I had chapter three done a little sooner, so I decided to post it! I'm probably going to bump the rating of the story to M at some point, but it won't be until much later in the story. Right now, I really want to focus on building the emotional connection between them rather than the physical connection. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. There are some strong Naley moments!
Chapter 3
…
It was Thursday, almost the end of the second week of school. Haley had gotten much closer to the group of friends. She was also able to get fully caught up on the content in each of her classes. In fact, she was slightly ahead.
"So, for this project, you guys are going to be in groups of three. All three of you are going to work together and create a video that shows a visual of the word problem and then you're going to solve it. Be sure to clearly label everything and show your work or else points will be taken off. Since I'm in a good mood today, I will let you guys pick your groups," Mr. Campbell explained while handing out the directions to the project to each student.
"Oh my gosh, he never lets us pick groups!" Brooke cheerfully exclaimed while facing Peyton and Haley.
Although Haley was getting along with the girls quite well, she didn't want to automatically assume she was in their group. Brooke and Peyton have been best friends since they were little and Haley still didn't know her place. Luckily for her, Peyton relieved her doubts.
"Wanna be in our group Haley?"
"I'd love to."
"So whose house are we going to do this at? I would do it at mine but my bitch of a mom is renovating the place with my dad's money," Brooke fumed. Her parents weren't the warmest of parents. Most of the time, Brooke was ignored by her parents. While she would never admit it, she wished her parents would be there for her.
"My Dad is coming back from his boating trip tonight and has a date tonight at my house," Peyton added on. "Can we do your place, Haley?"
Fear crept on Haley. Things have calmed down with her parents over the past few days. Her dad started his new job and also promised to be sober for six months. So far, there hasn't been any drinking. However, their fights and the drinking always seemed to resurface unexpectedly. What if it started when Peyton and Brooke were over? What if her dad got drunk? She knew she had no choice now though. Brooke and Peyton's houses were out of the question, and they needed a place to work. "Uh...sure. Can you guys come around five? I have to talk to Principal Turner after school, so I can become a tutor."
Suddenly, Brooke's face gleamed. "Tutor-Girl!"
"Huh?"
"That can be your nickname! You know since you're going to be a tutor. I've been thinking of one, but none of them seemed to fit."
Both Haley and Peyton were amused by Brooke's nickname. Brooke Davis really did have a unique mind.
"Ok, so P. Sawyer and I will come over at five. Oh yeah, there's also a party tonight. We can go there after we work on our project for a bit!"
Haley was never one for parties. As a matter of fact, she never went to a party. She never drank and wasn't the best at socializing at times. "Uh, I think I'm going to pass you guys."
"Come on Tutor-girl. Pleaseeee," Brooke begged using her baby voice.
"I've actually never gone to a party before…" Haley let out nervously.
"See that's exactly why you have to come. You're missing out Haley! Omg, I can pick out your outfit and do your hair! I'm going to make your first party experience the best!"
"She's not gonna stop until you come," Peyton added.
"I'll think about it."
"I'll change your mind before tonight," Brooke confidently said as went back to working on her worksheet.
As Nathan took a seat in his chemistry class, he saw everyone lined up to turn their homework in. Fuck. It was the fifth time that he didn't do it. "Jagielski, did you do the homework?"
"Yeah." Jake slid his paper towards Nathan, so he could quickly copy the answers down. "But Nate, this is the last time you can do this man. Your grades need to be good if you want to play basketball this year."
"I know, you're right. I'm sorry about this." As Nathan started finishing up, he handed Jake his homework back. "I promise this is the last time."
After everyone turned their homework in, Mr. Reed started the lesson about nuclear fission vs. fusion. Nathan did his very best to take notes and pay attention, but every once in a while, his thoughts drifted over to Dan.
Things have gotten worse for Nathan. Dan continuously kept grilling him about basketball, which resulted in him barely having any free time. More than once, he wished his dad never injured his knee in college. Then, Dan would've never taken his unfilled basketball ambitions out on Nathan.
He was thankful that at least Dan didn't do anything physical to him over the past two weeks. The bruises he had from before have mostly faded, so it wouldn't be too much of a problem when practice started next week. Thinking about practice already made him sick. He knew Dan would find new ways to make his life a living hell when the season started. God, he missed the times when he could play basketball for fun.
"Hey Nate, are you going to the party tonight?" Jake asked as he tapped Nathan's shoulder from behind.
"There's a party? Sweet! The Tim is going to be there to rock the house tonight."
"Just say you're going to the party tonight Tim," Nathan sighed while rolling his eyes.
Tim Smith sat next to Jake in the class. Until last year, Nathan and Tim were good friends. A lot of the friends Nathan had were different than the ones he had now, but those friends solely cared about drinking and didn't give a shit about him when his mom left. It's not like he was enemies with Tim now, but they didn't hang out much anymore.
Nathan then answered Jake's initial question."I'm thinking of going. It's been a couple of days since I drank anyway. It feels like it's been way too long."
Rachel became attentive when she heard about Nathan going to the party. "I'm going to be there too in case you're wondering…"
"Well, it's a good thing I'm not." Nathan was in no mood to deal with Rachel's annoying ass this morning. Couldn't the girl just take a hint?
"Did you do your half of the project?" Haley asked Nathan as they were walking to their anatomy class together.
Over the past two weeks, Nathan and Haley had been getting along a little better. Haley didn't hate Nathan as much as she did the first day. In fact, their playful banter was very entertaining for both of them. The atmosphere around them also felt lighter when they were together. Occasionally, Nathan would let Dan get the best of his emotions, causing Nathan to become cold and distant. However, he tried to keep that version of himself away from Haley as much as possible. She had already been understanding of his behavior or on the first day of school, and he didn't want to take advantage of that.
"Please don't tell me it's due today?" Nathan groaned.
"Nathan! Mr. Lewy was literally reminding us all of last week to work on it. It's not due till tomorrow, but god Nathan can you please work on your half," Haley said, getting a little frustrated.
One thing Nathan observed about Haley was her dedication to her grades. A tiny wave of guilt washed over him. He knew it wasn't only his grade that was going to be affected, it was hers too. "I'm sorry. I'll work on it. I promise."
"I'm sorry for getting mad. It's just I've been studying so much the past two weeks to get caught up, and I need to get a job as a tutor soon, and I got assigned another project today-"
"Haley, I get it. I mean I don't take school as seriously, but I can see that you do. I promise I will do my part. If I don't for some reason, then I'll go up to Mr. Lewy myself and tell him I'm an ass and that you worked hard on your part."
Haley felt herself relax when she heard Nathan's words. For some reason, she trusted that he would do his part. "Thank you."
Both Haley's parents were at work. She started worrying about all the things that could go amiss when Brooke and Peyton got here, so she decided to call her parents and give them a heads up that her friends were going to be over, hoping that it would prevent any chance of a fight.
"Hi, Mom," Haley said through the phone while she placed her backpack on her bed.
"Hi, Haley Bob. What's up?"
"So we got assigned a project for math today, and it's uh a group project. Anyway, my friends, Brooke and Peyton, are going to come over in a couple of hours…"
"Ok. I'm actually working late tonight, so I won't be home until ten. Your father said he's busy too, so he probably won't be home till then too."
A sudden wave of relief washed over Haley. Without her parents home, this evening was going to go over much smoother. "Ok, Mom. Bye."
"Bye, kiddo."
Feeling a little more at ease, Haley went downstairs to make herself some mac & cheese and watch Gilmore Girls.
Right when she got down, something dominated her view. Crap. She saw the hole in the wall that was caused by her dad's violent punch. She definitely didn't want Brooke or Peyton to see that and ask any questions. Luckily, there was a table pressed up against the wall just a few feet away from the hole, so she was able to scoot the table over to cover it.
After, she examined the whole house and made sure nothing else seemed suspicious or out of the ordinary. She couldn't help but feel envious of the friends she had in Oak Lake. She remembered how they would just ask her to come over out of blue. Haley wanted to be able to do that. She wanted to just have her friends over without the worry that her parents would fight or her dad would drink.
She thought back to her parent's fighting in general. She couldn't understand how her parents were able to say such hurtful words towards each other and suddenly act normal. It was by no means healthy since there was no resolution. The feelings - anger, rage, pain - were suppressed and released when the next fight came along. In some twisted way, it allowed Haley to know exactly what she didn't want her future relationship to be like.
"You love beating us don't you?"
"It's always the highlight of my day," Nathan smirked. He placed the basketball on the pavement and grabbed his water bottle off of the bleachers.
Nathan, Lucas, and Jake would often go to the river court to play basketball. When Nathan first found out about the place, Dan had conditioned him to hate this place by saying it was a crappy shithole that would get him nowhere in life. The fact that Lucas played here all the time made him hate it more in the beginning. However, after Nathan and Lucas started getting closer, he found himself coming here a lot. It was the one place where he found himself loving basketball again, even if it was for a brief amount of time. There were no distractions. There was no Dan. It was just him and the game.
"So Nathan and I were thinking about going to the party tonight. Luke, you in?" Jake breathlessly asked as he made his way over to the bleachers to cool down.
"I wasn't planning on it, but Peyton wants to go since Brooke is dragging her, so I'm going to go."
"Man, you're so whipped," Nathan joked. He couldn't understand how Lucas did everything Peyton wanted. It seemed so daunting.
"You've just never been in love before. Hell, you never had real feelings for anyone before."
"Love is overrated anyway. Any type of love is," Nathan mumbled. It felt like too much work to be in love. Nathan thought back to his mom. All he ever did was love her, but in the end, he was the one left with pain. Who needs love when you can have alcohol?
Lucas and Jake picked up on Nathan's growing frustration and changed the topic. "So, what do you think of Haley."
Nathan felt himself easing up at the mention of Haley's name for weird reasons. "She's ok, I guess."
"Ok? I've seen you guys talk in the hallways. You were even smiling, and you barely smile."
"First of all, we only talk to each other because we have the same third period. Second of all, I like to get her mad. When she's mad, I smile." What the hell was Lucas implying? Sure, things felt lighter when he talked to Haley, but there was no way was he going to admit that to Lucas. He would probably turn it into a big deal, which it clearly wasn't.
Lucas shook his head at Nathan's words. He remembered how Nathan had the same classes with Brooke and Peyton last year but never walked with them to class. Instead, he avoided them like the plague.
"Keep telling yourself that," Jake joked. Nathan shot Jake a glare, and Jake knew it was time for him to shut up about this subject. Deep down, Jake, like Lucas, knew something was up with Nathan.
"Hi, Haley!" Brooke exclaimed while entering her house, along with Peyton. Brooke's eyes roamed around the living room and the parts of the kitchen that were visible from where she was standing. "Your house is so nice."
"Thank you. We still have a lot to unpack, but hopefully, we finish soon." Truthfully, Haley had been nervous for her friends to see the place, mostly Brooke. She knew Brooke was rich and didn't want to feel judged. To her delight, there was no judgment in Brooke's voice, only sincerity.
"You're parents home? It would be nice to meet them," Peyton asked.
Thank God they're not. "Actually, they're working late today, but maybe some other time. Do you guys want anything to eat or something before we start?"
"I'm good...but we still have to discuss the party tonight," Brooke smirked as she plopped herself down on the sofa.
"Yeah I'm not going," Haley immediately said.
"Haleyyyyy, please. Your parents aren't even home, so it's not like you're going to get into trouble. Just stay for an hour, and if you don't like it, then I will leave too."
"Yeah right. You're going to be too busy ogling Julian," Peyton teased.
"Julian?" Haley hadn't heard of him yet.
"He's Brooke's secret crush. Brooke joined a filmmaking club last week because she thought she needed more extracurriculars, so she just randomly chose it. Anyway, she met Julian Baker there and is now all crushed out on him."
"Yeah, but he barely acknowledges me!" Brooke pouted. She grabbed one of the pillows on the sofa and hugged it. "He still thinks I'm the spoiled, bitchy rich girl who sleeps around."
Haley hadn't known Brooke for long, but the Brooke Davis she had come to know was far from the one in her description, well except for the rich part. "Why would he think that? You're nothing like that."
"I used to be. I'm not proud of it, but I changed. Up until last year, I hooked up with at least one boy a week. Now...now I just want something more. I'm ready to start growing up."
Haley saw how serious Brooke was about wanting to change and becoming better. She also saw how upset Brooke was over Julian right now, and wanted to make her feel better. "Fine, I'll go to the party with you guys."
"Yay!" Brooke squealed as she lunged off the couch and gave Haley a hug. "Ok let's get started on this project. The sooner we make progress, the sooner we can go to my house to get ready!"
"Ready? It's just a party. Can't I just come wearing this?"
"Absolutely not! Don't worry, I'll make sure you're fabulous for your first party."
Haley couldn't help but get slightly nervous at the thought of going to her first high school party.
Brooke felt like she did a perfect job. Haley's hair was down in soft curls and was wearing a lace tank top with a denim skirt. At first, Brooke insisted on wearing a more flashy shirt, but Haley wanted the simplicity, so Brooke did the best she could while following Haley's wishes.
Brooke and Peyton had been with her for the first thirty minutes to make sure she was adjusted. After a while, Haley told Brooke to find Julian and Peyton to find Lucas. She didn't want to get in the way of their nights.
Haley felt awkward sitting on a couch by herself. She didn't really know anyone else and had a hard time finding someone to talk to. Everyone around her was either drinking or making out. Despite her best efforts, the drinking just reminded her of her father, especially some of the painful memories she didn't feel like reliving. She wondered if it was always going to be this way. Was she always going to have this dreary feeling every time she saw alcohol? Being the responsible girl she is, Haley had no plans to drink anytime soon. However, when she thought about drinking in the distant future, she still got weary. She didn't want to end up being an alcoholic and hurt her future family. She knew some of her thoughts might be irrational, but she couldn't control her thoughts.
She regretted coming to the party tonight, however, she wanted Brooke to have the opportunity to get closer to Julian, so she decided to go sit on the patio outside for some solitude.
Nathan was relieved when he heard that his Dad was going to be in Charlotte until Sunday. He planned to get wasted as hell at the party, and over the weekend.
When he got there, he quickly made his way over to keg, ignoring those who called out his name. As he gulped down the beer, an annoying redhead made her way towards him.
"Hey, Nathan," Rachel said in a flirtatious tone while running her fingers down his arm.
Nathan pulled away and sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not interested, Rachel."
"Stop acting like a prude, Nathan. Everyone knows you had your fair share of hookups," Rachel smirked.
As Nathan shifted his view outside the window, he saw a familiar blonde sitting by herself. He figured he rather be talking to her than Rachel. Taking his drink, he shrugged Rachel off. "I have to go, Rachel."
Rachel scowled as she saw Nathan walk away from her, but was curious to see where he was going. As she looked through the window, she saw him going toward Haley. What the hell is he doing with her?
The air in Tree Hill started getting a little cooler as autumn was approaching. Being outside always had a calming effect on Haley. It allowed her to think and reflect. Her thoughts were cut short when she heard footsteps coming in her direction. Finally, she was met with a pair of blue eyes. "Nathan?"
"Hey. What are you doing out here alone?" Nathan proceeded to sit in the chair next to Haley. He placed his drink down on the glass table in front. As he looked at Haley, he thought about pretty she looked, even through the dim patio lighting. He found himself thinking that a lot lately.
"I realized parties aren't really my thing. Brooke wanted me to come, so I agreed, but I just...I don't really fit in with all this."
Nathan glanced down at Haley's red solo cup that was filled with water. The sight of that brought about the conversation he and Haley shared at the liquor store on the first day of school. Haley acted fine with him the next day, so he didn't feel like saying anything. However, curiosity overpowered his thoughts now. "Why were you upset at the liquor store Haley?" He told himself two weeks ago that he didn't care and now he just asks her about it. Why were his thoughts so conflicting?
That question caught Haley completely off guard. Moreover, she was surprised that Nathan had actually detected her change in mood then. "Uh...um...I…"
Sensing the uneasy energy radiating off her, Nathan regretted pushing Haley. She clearly didn't want to talk about it. While he knew something was up with her, didn't want to make her uncomfortable. "It's ok, you don't have to answer that. I'm sorry I asked."
If he didn't surprise her before, he sure did now. She definitely wasn't expecting Nathan Scott to be that understanding. In Oak Lake, a few of her friends would occasionally get mad at her for not discussing her personal life as much as they did. That of course created a feeling of guilt for Haley, but she wasn't used to opening up with people. She was thankful that Nathan didn't press the matter now. "Thanks. Uh, I just was kind of out of it that day. So, how have things been with you?"
"My Dad left to go to Charlotte, so I can relax for a couple of days."
"Yeah. Lucas was telling me about your Dad. I'm sorry you have to deal with him."
Nathan looked over at Haley. He was expecting to see pity. Instead, he saw a genuine concern etched into her features. Normally, this is when Nathan would start to end the conversation with someone, but before he could stop himself, he found himself blurting out more information. "He's gotten worse over the past year. I just...I can't remember the last time we actually had a father-son moment."
Since school had started, Haley observed how closed off Nathan was about his personal life. Now, he was willingly talking to her about it, which made her want to know more. "Is there a reason it's gotten worse over the past year?"
"Lucas didn't tell you?" Pretty much the whole school knew that Nathan's mom left him. He figured Haley would've found out by now.
Haley shook her head.
Nathan didn't know why, but his following words flowed out effortlessly, "My mom left me at the beginning of November last year. We used to be really close before. She did her best to get my Dad to stop torturing me." Nathan paused for a second, thinking about what he was actually saying. He didn't really tell anyone his things about his mom, but he didn't feel like stopping now. "Anyway, last year, I went to a basketball camp over the summer. By the time I came home in late August, I noticed a change. My mom became distant with me and was barely home. Because of that, my dad kept pressuring me about basketball even more. One day in November, I came home and my dad told me she was gone."
Haley wasn't expecting to hear what she just heard. When she looked at Nathan, she didn't see his usual confident self. Instead, she was met with his vulnerability as his words were laced with buried pain. She didn't understand what prompted him to tell her this, but she was glad nonetheless. "I'm sorry, Nathan. You really don't deserve that. Is this what brought you and Lucas closer together?"
"Well not at first. Since my mom was barely home from August to October, I started getting frustrated. Lucas joined the team around then. I already hated him, but I took my growing frustrations out on him. I did some things to him I wasn't proud of." Nathan felt a pang of guilt as he remembered the time he kidnapped Lucas and threw him in mud. "But, after my mom left, my Dad got really bad. One day we both started talking about how much we hated him, and we started bonding...well getting along, from there. I still kind of shut him out, but he was really there for me after my mom left."
"I'm glad you guys were able to be brothers again. I can't believe your Dad wouldn't want you guys to be close. It's bad enough he took that away from you guys in the first place."
"Yeah. Dan Scott's mind works in twisted ways," Nathan said coldly.
"Did you hear from your mom after she left at all?"
"No. I called her, but I think she got a new number. I tried looking for her and did everything I could, but I realized she didn't want to be found." Feelings that were trapped within him seemed to resurface. "I just...I can't help but think that I drove her away somehow. I mean I wasn't always the perfect child, especially during freshman year. I started going out to parties, hooking up with girls, sneaking out. What if I drove her away? What if I made her hate me and she felt like she had to leave?"
Haley thought back to her dad drinking. She felt a similar guilt like the one she carried on the first day of school when she drove her dad to the liquor store. Despite the ongoing guilt, there was a small part of her that knew her dad's actions weren't because of her. Now, that small part had to remind Nathan of just the same. "Nathan. That is one hundred percent not your fault."
Nathan sat still, looking straight in front of him with a pained expression.
"Nathan, look at me." She was met again with the vulnerability seeping through Nathan's face as he turned his head towards hers. "You are not responsible for your mom's actions. Just because you think you weren't a perfect child doesn't mean she had to leave. I can't imagine what you're dealing with with your Dad, but I know you can't add this guilt on top of that pain."
Nathan couldn't quite comprehend what was happening or what led up to this. He didn't come to this party with the intention of spilling out things he's been holding in, but he didn't regret it. If anything, he felt a little more unburdened. Lucas was the closest person in his life the past year, but it felt unnatural talking about it with him. Why did it feel easier talking to someone he'd known for less than two weeks than someone he's known for a long time? "Thank you, Haley."
"For what?"
"For what you said. I just really needed to hear that."
Haley let out a soft smile. "Thank you, too."
"For what?"
"For letting me in. I know it must've taken a lot for you to share that with me, so thanks for trusting me with it."
"Haley! Guess what!" Brooke said as she latched on to Haley's arm as Haley made her way inside the house.
"What?"
"I talked to Julian and he seemed happy talking to me!" Brooke enthusiastically cheered.
"That's amazing, Brooke!'
"Oh and there were also a few guys who came up to me, and I shrugged them off in front of Julian. After that, he started talking to me even more. I feel like he's starting to see I'm not the girl I used to be."
"I'm so happy for you. I knew he would come around and see the real you."
"So anyway, what's going on with you?"
"What do you mean?"
"With Boy-Toy?"
"Huh? Nothing's going on." What is she talking about?
"Well, I saw you guys sitting out there and talking. It looked intense to me."
"Oh, that was nothing. We have a project due tomorrow and I was making sure Nathan finished his part. I made sure to tell him how important school was to me and I didn't want him to screw it up." It wasn't a total lie. That conversation did happen earlier in the day. It's not like she could just tell Brooke that Nathan confided in her. She would probably just make it into some big deal. The truth probably was that Nathan didn't want to hold those feelings anymore, so he needed to let it out to someone. Still, some part of Haley felt happy knowing that she was the one he told it to.
"Uh-huh...interesting." Haley's story seemed believable, but something else seemed to be up. Brooke had a sixth sense about these kinds of things. For now, she was going to let it go, knowing she wasn't going to get anything out of Haley tonight. "Ok, do you wanna go home now? Your parents must be coming home soon."
"Oh, crap yeah. I lost track of time. Let's go."
Brooke had a slight smirk on her face because she knew Haley lost track of time due to sitting out on the patio with Nathan.
Laying down in his bed, Nathan kept thinking about his conversation with Haley. It felt good to talk to her; he couldn't deny that. Judging from her facial expressions earlier, he surely knew Haley had secrets of her own. Over the past year, several people have forced him to talk about his mom leaving him. Keith and Karen, even though they were just trying to help, made him attend a few therapy sessions. However, everyone's attempts were unavailing as he didn't let any emotions out. Any conversations he had with people - Lucas, Keith, Karen, Jake - felt forced and uncomfortable. He didn't want Haley to feel that way, and right now, he could sense that's how she was feeling. While his curiosity made him want to know what was going with her, he was willing to wait for her to tell him on her own terms.
As thoughts of Haley plagued his mind, he got reminded of their Anatomy project that's due tomorrow. It was already late at night, but he didn't want to upset Haley, so he got out of bed and started working on his part.
Every minute while working on his project, his thoughts seemed to revolve around Haley. He couldn't understand why his mind was so fixated on her. He shrugged it off and told himself it was nothing.
Haley still couldn't believe Nathan told her all of that information tonight. Sure, they had multiple conversations since they had met. However, those were more lighthearted. Tonight's conversation was filled with raw emotion.
She could sense that Nathan knew she was uncomfortable talking about her feelings and was liberated he didn't push her. She knew she certainly wasn't ready to talk about her personal life with anyone yet. Although, the conversation she shared with Nathan tonight got a small part of her aching to confide in him as he did in her. She shrugged that feeling away quickly though and told herself it was nothing.
I hope you guys liked that chapter! Reviews are appreciated:)