A/N: Alright, I'm done. It sucks that I don't update sooner, but I know by now that much is expected of me… sigh... And I know that most of you might even hate me more because I had an entire week off of school with no work to do and I spent it on another fanfic. Although, maybe I do get some slack because it was a Naley oneshot? Maybe? Please?

I also had super major writer's block. When I drafted this story, I stopped after eight chapters, figuring the rest would come to me once I got into the hang of it: It didn't. So, this chapter is kind of random, but we'll see how it goes. I do know of a plot twister that will come up again, but I figured let's just drag the story out and help Naley develop their relationship more, why not?

Also, I wanted to make a note that I just took the SATs and a couple of chapters ago, I began including SAT vocab words in these chapters and one of them was on the SATs and I totally remembered it because of that. Fanfiction helps you get into college, it's settled.

Disclaimer: Mark Schwan, people.

Although I'm hungry and I'm tired,

and all the bridges I made on the way are quickly turning into fires,

and as the embers are growing ,

and no phoenix emerge,

I guess another setback is another lesson learned.

An Oak Tree- Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.

Flashback

"Nathan, I know your house is always über creepy, whether it be because of your disturbed father or lack of parental authority, but this is just nuts." Eleven year old Haley yelled, slightly nervously, once she entered the Scott residence.

She'd never been keen on knocking at their door, though she wished that it had been a habit that she developed for that day. Like she said, she was never used to a loud and chaotic Scott house, but this was different. Although all of the furniture remained in the den that Haley entered, most decorations were gone. All of the false pictures that made them look like a loving family, the vases filled with pretty flowers—which were Haley's contribution to the décor—the various potpourri that once lined their walls and tables were all gone.

Haley began to panic in a thought that Deb was divorcing Dan and leaving Nathan for good. Not that she thought it was beyond Deb to do something like that, or that Nathan needed her in his life, but she didn't want that on him. She already wasn't there the majority of the time, and that was one thing, but to completely push all of Nathan's needs aside and to be that selfish—well, Haley just hated the woman more that she did before.

Finally, Haley realized that she needed an answer to her questions and that she accordingly hasn't received a response since she walked into the house. This caused Haley to panic slightly once again. It was Sunday, and Dan always went to his parent's house on Sundays, a place where Nathan always refused to go, hating his grandfather almost just as much as he hated his father. And Deb, well, she didn't really know that Deb wasn't there, but she never was. And Sunday was the one day Nathan had without having to do anything and he always took advantage of that. There was no way that he would have gone anywhere else. Especially since Haley almost always barged in on his alone times on Sunday, he would have told her if he had something else planned.

"Nathan?" Haley called out again, although this time in a form of a question. She could hear her own concern for him ringing in her voice as she made her way out of the den and to the foot of the stairs, preparing to dash up into Nathan's room if she didn't get a response. Which she didn't.

"Nathan." Haley demanded, sternly, once she reached his door on the top floor of his house, while knocking loudly.

She heard a muffled noise come from his room and took it as an invitation to make her way inside. Once she did, she found Nathan laying on his bed, with his face buried deep into his pillow. She could tell that he was crying easily, though, since he was slightly shaking and, well, she just knew Nathan and could tell, especially when he was crying. Nathan crying was a sight that she'd seen way too often in her life, though it never got easier. Her heart broke every damn time.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Haley asked quietly, once she lay down beside him on the bed and pulled him into her arms.

"I'm going to miss you so much Haley." He said, shaking his head and then burying his head deeper into his pillow, as if to shut his mouth. It was a telltale sign that Nathan said something he shouldn't have, but that didn't stop Haley from questioning him.

"What are you talking about?" She asked carefully, squeezing him tighter subconsciously.

Nathan shook his head again and sat up, quickly wiping his face on his hands, "Nothing, I'm fine."

His response was short and harsh, a tone of voice that Haley had heard come from Nathan's mouth several times, though had never been of the receiving end of.

"Nathan, talk to me." Haley demanded, denying his comment and searching for the real answer.

"Haley, I said nothing is wrong, why don't you just leave me alone."

"Nathan…" Haley started but was unable to finish because of the newfound tears that were quickly pilling up and threatening to spill out of her eyes.

The way he spoke to her hurt her. Never in her life has Nathan not let her in. She was his best friend and she knew everything about him. Plus, Haley was the only thing that Nathan had. He obviously didn't have his parents and he was a rather shy kid who didn't speak up unless he was spoken to first, resulting in Haley being his sole friend. Well, and Damien, but Nathan didn't care for him much and he only really ever hung out with them because he had a pathetic crush on Haley. He was completely and utterly dependent upon Haley—she was all he knew. So the way he was treating her now—the pushing her out—bothered her and confused her. It was a foreign feeling and she knew how serious whatever happened had to be in order for Nathan to treat her like this.

Haley didn't know what else to say, so instead settled on staring at Nathan's back as he sat on the edge of his bed that Haley was sitting on, but facing the opposite way. She felt the tears begin to stain her face and shook her head in a silent effort to get him to stop with whatever front he was trying to play with and just tell her what was going on.

"You should go, Haley." Nathan finally said sternly.

Despite the slight quiver Haley heard in Nathan's voice with his plea, she respected it and left. Normally she would prod at Nathan to get him to tell her what was going on with him but all those other times he'd never acted like this. He'd never yell at her or tell her to leave, so at this point she was not only worried and hurt but angry too. She worked hard for their friendship, she did everything right and all she was doing right now was trying to talk to him and make him feel better—she was just being a good friend and he wasn't treating her properly in return.

Haley quickly got up, making a point of it to sigh loudly and left the door, stomping her way down his stairs but pausing just before she left the door when she the vacant house reminded her of her initial quest. Even if Nathan wasn't being the nicest friend right now, he was still her best friend that she loved and he was upset. Making her way back to the stairs, Haley yelled up, "You know where to find me when you want to stop being so stubborn. Everything will be fine, Nathan. I love you."

With that, Haley left the house, missing the loud sob that came from the top floor of the soon to be empty house.

End Flashback

"Come on Jenny, please stop crying, I promise Daddy will be here soon." Haley begged the crying infant that she was rocking in her arms.

Jake's parents were out of town for the weekend and he was urgently called into work at the last minute on Saturday and Haley quickly agreed to watch Jenny for the day. She had grown very fond of the baby in her arms but she couldn't wait for her friend to get home so she could get a break. She couldn't imagine what Jake went through, especially being a single parent, but he seemed to manage alright and Jenny was the cutest baby she had ever seen, so he was doing something right.

Haley let out a sigh of relief once she heard the sound of jingling keys at the door.

"Huh!" Haley faked a gasp to the baby she was holding, "Who's home?"

"Dada!" The little girl replied, immediately stopping her crying and smiling up at Haley, squirming in her arms and trying to get down so she could go greet her dad.

"Yeah, Dada's home!" Haley squealed back, making her way to the front door to open it for Jake.

Haley sighed in relief once Jake came in and took Jenny from her hands. She flung herself onto the couch and willed her body to relax. She faintly heard Jake laughing at her in the background, but she didn't pay any attention to him.

"So, what happened at the party last night? You kind of disappeared on us, we didn't even get a chance to sing Happy Birthday to you. You missed out on the cake."

"You ate my birthday cake without me?" Haley asked, making an obvious attempt at avoiding his question.

She didn't want this conversation to happen, but knew it was inevitable. Last night, after she let Nathan hug her for a while, she left, leaving with a small smile. She felt a change in their relationship last night, but she wasn't quite sure what it meant or where it left them. Were her and Nathan friends again? If they are, will it be just as they were five years ago, or will they have to start fresh? But still, she didn't even want to label them as friends yet. Haley is still unsure whether or not Nathan truly wants to rekindle their friendship, or if he's just talking to her right now out of guilt or pity. Haley didn't know how she was supposed to discuss what happened last night when her thoughts couldn't even seem to straighten themselves out.

"Yes, and it was delicious. Now tell me why you weren't there to eat it with us." Jake demanded, sitting on the floor and playing with Jenny.

"I don't know," Haley began, sitting up on the couch and shrugging, "Why did Lucas take credit for my party?"

"How did you know about that?" Jake asked, fully alert to their conversation now, and forgetting about his own interrogation.

"Brooke told me."

"She wasn't supposed to." Jake responded, unsure of how to have this conversation with Haley. All he knew himself was that it was Nathan's idea to throw the party, but he made Lucas take the credit instead. He couldn't really answer any of Haley's questions.

"I was outside with Nathan." Haley said quietly, finally answering Jake's question. She figured she owed it to him; he was such a great friend. Plus, she needed to talk about it with someone—maybe it would help her figure it out herself.

"What happened?" Jake interrogated, coming to full attention now.

"Nothing really. We talked." Haley answered, shrugging. She let out a defeated sigh once she looked at Jake and knew that she had to explain herself further.

"I don't know. I'm over it. I don't want to be mad at him anymore—I'm not mad at him anymore. That's all I know. Otherwise, I'm just confused. You know, I never considered the fact that he may not want to be my friend anymore. I came here assuming that he would love to have me back in his life, but what if he doesn't? I mean, he didn't remember me, Deb said he never talked about me. What if coming here was the best thing that happened to him? He was a shy kid in California, what if leaving me was what he needed to break through that and get to be this strong man that he appears to be today?

"I don't want to be the issue. He—he…" Haley ran off, not knowing how to continue. Her thoughts were leading her to Dan. Currently, Haley knew that basketball was a huge part of Nathan's life, and it always was, but Nathan's at the top of his game, the best in his school. Isn't that everything that he and Dan worked for? What if Dan was done riding him, done making him think that he is a lesser of a person than he is? And now, Dan's mad again because she's here. Nathan getting shit on by Dan again because she came back would be the last thing in the world that she wanted. But, of course, she couldn't tell that to Jake. She was in no position to do that.

"It's okay, Haley." Jake said, interrupting her thoughts, "I'm sure he wants you here. It's probably just been hard for him…"

Jake trailed off himself, not quite sure where to go from here. Even though he wanted to help her more than anything, he never really talked to Nathan much and he doesn't know about Nathan and Haley's relationship. He doesn't truly know what the case is and how it will turn out, so he can't provide much relief to Haley.

Haley shook her head in denial, but smiled at Jake's attempt. She knew he meant well and she understood his dilemma.

"Whatever it is, you just have to talk it out." Jake offered, "I do know that you'll never get any answers if you don't go looking for them."

++++++++She Paints Me Blue+++++++++

"Does somebody want to tell me why I drink?" Brooke mumbled as she dragged herself into the kitchen in the Scott's beach house, running right to the sink so that she could get some water to down the aspirin she stole from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.

"Because you aren't any fun otherwise." Brooke jumped when she heard the voice reply. She hadn't seen Nathan sitting at his counter, eating a bowl of cereal when she stalked in just moments before.

"Godammit, Nathan you scared me to death." Brooke scolded, clutching her chest, then simultaneously bringing a hand to her head when she felt another strong wave of pain shoot to her head.

Nathan only laughed in response, watching as his friend suffered. She was the only one who managed to drink so much that she wasn't able to find her way home, though she wanted to leave. He heard last night from Lucas that Brooke got angry that neither Nathan nor Haley was there for the cake.

"I don't know what the hell you're laughing at. You might want to hold on to the friends you have because all the other ones just seem to be slipping away." Brooke snapped, finally swallowing the pills and sighing in relief.

"What the hell is your problem?" Nathan demanded, not appreciating her bitchy attitude. Sure, it was Brooke and he was used to it, but this was a little much, even for her.

Brooke shook her head, mumbling an apology, "Sorry. You're just an asshole and I feel like shit right now and it's all your fault."

"My fault?"

"Yeah, your fault. You are supposed to watch me at parties and make sure I don't drink too much or go into bedrooms with more than one guy, but you and your issue were MIA last night." Brooke sulked.

"Brooke, you should be able to control yourself by now. And my issue? What, is that supposed to be Haley?"

"Yeah, who else would it be?"

Brooke rolled her eyes, turning her back on Nathan and grabbing a box of cereal from the cupboard. She did not want to have another conversation with Haley, no matter who the conversation was with it always ended in a fight one way or another. Everyone, for some reason unbeknownst to Brooke, took a liking to her. She was tired of every conversation she had with Nathan, it would somehow lead to Haley. Since she came he'd been in a permanent slump, never completely forgetting that Haley was here and that he wasn't her friend. She understands how Nathan feels, but she doesn't understand why he can't let it go or move on, if only for one normal conversation with her.

"Could you not call Haley an issue? She's not a problem." Nathan scolded, returning to his cereal.

"She's not? Because you haven't been the Nathan I know ever since she came to Tree Hill." Brooke stated, accusingly.

"That's not true." Nathan mumbled unconvincingly to the both of them.

Of course he's changed, Nathan knows that, and he also doesn't think it's abnormal. He's retreating from the popularity and the parties. Ever since Haley's came, he's been doing his work—he was always an A student in California—, he's stopped being obnoxious to teachers, stopped picking on losers, completely stopped hooking up with random girls. He's been going back to the Nathan that he was in California, when Haley was all he knew. Although, not completely. He knew that he would never be able to be that boy again. Nathan making all these choices wasn't a conscious decision; it wasn't an act to try to get Haley to forgive him. She just brought out that side in him. He didn't want to disappoint her.

"Nathan—" Brooke started in rebuttal, but was interrupted.

"I know." Nathan said, "I know I've been different, but I just can't help it. She'd hate who I'd been, Brooke. I can't have her hating me."

"So you're going to change for her? Nathan, you can't do that. That's not fair to you or her. You can't develop a new relationship based on the past. If she wants a friendship with you, she's going to have to accept who you are now and vice versa." Brooke said, making her input on the situation known.

"It's not like that. She makes me better, Brooke. I don't want to do all those things I did anymore, I just want her to be my friend. I want to be the kid I was when I was eleven. I liked that boy, he could've been amazing right now."

"Nate, you are amazing right now." Brooke said, pulling him into a hug. She never had Nathan talk to her this much, especially about his past. Since Haley's came she's learned that Nathan did not have a good life in California, except for with Haley. But other than that, she only knew that he moved to Tree Hill when he was eleven because he had to move in with his half-brother. He never talked about his past and everyone was too afraid to ask.

"No, I'm not. Brooke, I used to have good grades, I used to treat people with respect, I used to be shy. I could've been more than just a popular basketball player right now, I could have been a decent person. But I'm not and I would be fine with that, I've been fine with that, but now Haley's back and it's different. What if she forgives me? What if she finally forgives me and she realizes that I'm not at all who I used to be and she can't even be my friend anymore? Brooke, I can't handle that. I need her, it would kill me."

Nathan stopped talking, pulling away from Brooke's embrace and looking the other way. He had never vocalized his fears to anyone besides Haley before, and that was one thing, but he could feel the tears burning in the back of his eyes and he was not about to let Brooke see him cry. Haley had been the only person ever to see him cry and he was not going to let Brooke see him in the same condition.

Brooke could tell that Nathan was getting upset, so she sat in the stool next to him and gave him a minute to collect himself before speaking up, "Did you start liking her as more than a friend before you left California or just since she's came to Tree Hill?"

Of course Brooke knew that Haley was pretty, and that Nathan was attracted to her. Before Nathan knew it was Haley, it was evident that he liked the girl as more than a friend. But Brooke's hooked up with Nathan a few years ago, and she knew he was hot and there was an obvious difference in the way that she feels for Nathan and the way that she sees Nathan feels for Haley.

"What?" Nathan asked, sincerely shocked. Did he say that he liked Haley as more than a friend? It was a pretty long rant, maybe it could have slipped out… No, no, he didn't say anything like that, because it wasn't true.

Well, that's what he'd been telling himself at least on many nights. During the day whenever he would see Haley or think about her, it was mostly concern about the present, occasionally good memories of the past, but at night, before bed, it was always thoughts about a possible brighter future. And those futures always included Haley as more than a friend.

"I think it started before I left." Nathan answered, not waiting for Brooke to ask her question again or accuse him in any other way. It was the truth, why should he hide it from Brooke? She obviously knew anyway.

Brooke was slightly taken aback, not expecting Nathan to be so honest with her, especially considering that he knew how she personally felt about his friend. Even though he wasn't Haley's biggest fan, she couldn't help but smile. In the past five years she'd never heard Nathan say that he liked someone.

"That long, huh?" Brooke questioned, still with a smile tugging on her lips.

"Yeah. She was my first kiss." Nathan added, smiling at the memory.

They were eleven and at Damien's twelfth birthday party, a little over a month before Nathan knew that he would leave. He got to invite about fifteen kids over, though only seven of the kids accepted. Nathan remembered he only accepted because Haley made him. Damien got his parents to leave them alone in his basement, and it was accordingly his brilliant idea to play spin the bottle.

Damien insisted that Haley spin first, praying that it would end up on him, but it conveniently and awkwardly landed on Nathan instead. The two crawled to meet in the middle of the circle, and kissed for ten seconds before pulling away, faces bright red, not talking and avoiding eye contact for the rest of the night.

The next day being a regular Sunday, Haley waltzed into his house and never mentioned the kiss, which Nathan went along with. If she wasn't going to mention it then neither was he. Nor would he mention the butterflies in his stomach that he'd never felt before and wouldn't mention again.

Brooke smiled before hugging Nathan again and looking him in the eyes, "Everything's going to be fine, Nathan, I promise."

Nathan smiled, watching Brooke leave. He hoped she was right.

+++++++++++++++She Paints Me Blue+++++++++++++++++

Brooke shook her head as she chickened out once again. She'd been standing in front of Haley's door for the last few minutes, continually putting her fist up to knock on the door and then pulling it away.

Ever since she left Nathan's an hour ago, she knew what she had to do. Nathan was clearly serious about his relationships with Haley—about making sure she forgave him and welcomed him back into her life as her friend, and eventually, potentially as more. Brooke could easily see that this was important to Nathan and she wanted him to be happy, and she wanted him to get what she wanted and Brooke figured that her hating Haley wasn't helping anyone and if she wanted to she could probably even help them.

Brooke didn't get a chance to completely chicken out once Haley opened her front door. She jumped back slightly, clearly unaware that there was anyone waiting at her door. Brooke sent a nervous smile in Haley's direction before opening her mouth, "Hi. Uh, sorry to come here like this, I was just hoping that we could talk."

"Uh, okay, sure." Haley answered hesitantly. "Just let me take this to the bin, you can go inside." Haley explained, gesturing to the garbage bag in her hand.

Brooke only nodded and entered the small apartment once the girl left. She took no time in making herself feel at home. She threw off her jacket and draped it across the back of the worn out couch before looking around. Brooke smiled once she saw a picture of what was clearly and young Haley and Nathan. This just might be easier than she thought it was going to be.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Brooke heard Haley ask uneasily as she closed the front door and leaned against it. She was visibly uncomfortable with Brooke being in her apartment.

Brooke sighed, never being one for apologies. She wasn't that person. She did what she did and if you didn't like it then it wasn't any of her concern, but she knew that this situation was different. She had to swallow her pride for Nathan's sake.

"I wanted to apologize." Brooke answered, finally turning to face the blonde girl. Brooke was still currently in front of the picture of Nathan and Haley, which was on the other side of the room from the door which Haley still leaned against.

Brooke watched as Haley's face crinkled in confusion, alerting her that she needed to further elaborate. She gestured to the picture with her thumb before speaking up, "You're really important to him, you know that?"

Haley didn't know what to do. One second she was home alone, doing some housecleaning and the next Brooke is in her house. She knew that Brooke didn't like her very much and she was the last person that she expected to see at her doorstep.

"Uh, yeah." Haley responded, watching as Brooke moved across the room and took a seat on her couch, looking at her, waiting for her to join. Haley reluctantly pushed off of the door and went to join her.

"I'm sorry I've been a bitch." Brooke said simply and bluntly.

"You haven't been a bitch." Haley countered, uncertain of what to do. Brooke had been a bitch to her, but she didn't really know Brooke. She hadn't been offended by Brooke's actions, she appreciated him—she was protecting Nathan.

Brooke laughed out loud at Haley's response, causing Haley to laugh as well. They were both happy for the slight easing of tensions in the room.

"Please, I'm always a bitch, I'm just never apologizing for it. I've just been a bitch because I didn't like the way Nathan had been acting since you got here. He's hurting Haley, and even though it's his fault, it's because of you. I don't like seeing him upset." Brooke explained.

"I appreciate that. You taking care of Nathan, I mean. I know he's been hurting, but I couldn't do anything about it because I was hurting too. I'm glad that you were there for him, defending him, telling him that it wasn't his fault." Haley countered.

Brooke smiled genuinely at the girl. She underestimated her. She'd hated her because she hurt Nathan and she made everyone else care for her. She didn't like that she was so easily able to mess up their world, but she never really spoke to the girl otherwise. It was clear how much she loved Nathan now. She would still support Nathan completely, but she understood what Haley went through and she thought that she might not be that bad of a person in the future. That just made Brooke's mission even easier. She looked forward to getting to know Haley once she was able to mend her and Nathan's friendship and shape them into something more.

"He's sorry, you know that, right?" Brooke questioned.

"About not remembering me?" Haley asked, her voice cracking slightly. Even though she was over that, it still hurt. She watched as Brooke nodded hesitantly before continuing.

"Yeah, I know that. I've pretty much forgiven him for that. We talked at my party a little. I think we're making progress, but there's still other stuff, you know?" Haley replied sadly, avoiding eye contact with Brooke. She was cautious, she knew that Brooke was probably going to go right off and tell Nathan about their conversation and she'd rather have it with Nathan directly.

Brooke's eyebrows raised in surprise. She didn't know that she and Nathan spoke during her party, or that she forgave him. She had to give the girl even more credit now.

"Alright then, I guess my work here is done." Brooke said, standing up and moving to the door before stopping and turning back, "Oh right, Nathan wanted to meet up with you tonight. I'll tell him that you'll meet him by the docks at seven."

Brooke slammed the door shut, not giving Haley a chance to reply before pulling out her cell phone and hastily dialing Nathan's number while running out of Haley's apartment, "Hey, Nate, you're meeting Haley at the docks tonight at seven."

+++++++++++++++++++She Paints Me Blue+++++++++++++++++

Haley was surprised when she found herself walking towards the docks with a genuine smile on her face. Once Brooke demanded that she go to the docks tonight to meet up a Nathan without waiting for a reply, she was excited. For the first time since she'd been to Tree Hill she truly wanted to see Nathan and spend time with him. She knew they still had ways to go—there was much to be mended and there were still so many questions unanswered, but she was finally anxious to get there. She needed Nathan back in her life and the sooner that she was able to do that, the better.

She took a seat at one of the benches that aligned the edge of the docks as she waited for Nathan to get there. Haley could feel herself growing a little nervous that Nathan wasn't there yet. She hoped that her entire conversation with Brooke wasn't some sort of cruel joke and that Nathan did in fact know that Haley thought he was going to shop up and that he did.

Though, her concerns quickly left her once she saw Nathan approaching her. She smiled, feeling her heart rate increase as he reached her and smiled softly. Neither was exactly sure of what to do, but Haley took the initiative and stood up and pulled him into a hug. She let out a breath once she felt Nathan reciprocating the hug. She missed the comfort she always got from him. She never wanted to let go.

They both pulled back reluctantly and sat on one of the benches that was connected to a table.

"Hey." Nathan finally spoke up, unsure of what to say.

He was surprised, to say the least, when Brooke called him up, telling him that he was meeting up with Haley that night. Sure, he was happy. He loved spending time with Haley, but he was concerned about what the hell Brooke did to make that happen. Why was she even speaking to Haley? None of those questions she answered, of course, being the bitchy, stubborn Brooke that she was.

"Hey." Haley smiled back. She could feel the awkwardness in the air and pointed to a stationary ice cream truck that was parked just a few feet away before speaking up again, "Let's get ice cream, I'm starved."

"It's seven. Do you want to get real food first?"

Haley frowned, "Ice cream is real food. If you want to be Mr. Responsible Pants then go ahead and get real food, but I'm going to get rocky road and mint chocolate chip ice cream and if you're not done eating you're dinner of substance before the ice cream starts melting, then I'm afraid you won't be getting any at all."

Nathan smiled at Haley as he watched her stand and make her way to the ice cream truck. This is the first time he's seen a side of her that wasn't hesitant and cautious around him. She was acting like the Haley he'd always loved.

He was broken out of his thoughts of Haley when he realized that she was back with two ice creams in hand, just like she said she would be.

"Dude, you might want to hurry up with that real food, because you of all people should know that I don't joke about ice cream." Haley stated seriously though with a smile on her face.

Nathan only laughed and pulled the rocky road ice cream out of her hand, knowing it was for him, "Screw real food."

Haley laughed satisfactorily when Nathan began eating his ice cream cone. She sighed, looking out at the ocean. She wishes that they could be completely at this point right now, but they weren't. No matter how good of a time she was seemingly having, there was still a nagging voice in the back of her head, telling her all the questions she still needed to ask Nathan. There were still so many things they needed to go through and she couldn't seem to just enjoy the moments they were having, no matter how badly she wanted them to.

"What?" Nathan asked sadly. He could easily pick up on Haley's change in demeanor. As much as he wanted them to just have a nice night, he knew they needed to talk and now seemed as good as a time as ever.

"I just, I just don't understand." Haley started, finally looking in his eyes.

"What?" Nathan asked, though he knew what she was asking about.

Nathan was hurt when he was told that he was leaving to North Carolina from California. No, he wasn't hurt, he was devastated. No, there wasn't a word that satisfied Nathan that could properly demonstrate how hurt and sad and scared and disappointed he was to be leaving. Haley was all he had and he knew that. The second he was told that he had to leave, he pushed her out. He was mad and projected it to her. Well, not fully. Yes, he was a complete asshole to Haley but he justified it.

"Nathan you didn't tell me you were leaving. I had to show up to your empty house. How could you do that to me?" Haley asked, crying, unsure of how she was able to speak at all. All the pain she felt as an eleven year old standing in a completely vacant Scott house was coming back to her. She hadn't allowed herself to think about that since she first got over it. Now, it was killing her. Especially since Nathan was the one she was talking about it with.

"I know, Haley. It was a stupid decision, I know. But I left you a note, and I called you hundreds of times, but you never picked up. I wanted to stay goodbye to you, I just couldn't do it in person. And I know, I know that's no excuse, but I just couldn't handle it at all. I was moving across the country, in my mind I was never going to see you again, and you were all I ever had Haley, you were all I ever knew and I just couldn't tell you because I couldn't have to work through it with me, I was going to lose you so soon. I needed to learn how to deal with things like that on my own. I'm sorry, Haley." Nathan explained, crying himself.

He barely registered that he was in a public place and that anyone could see him right now. It simply didn't matter to him. He was with Haley, his best friend, the only person he was ever able to talk to and cry with and getting her to understand was the only thing Nathan cared about.

Haley pulled Nathan's head down to her chest, hugging him tightly. She was hurt, but she wasn't mad. Eleven year old Nathan should have talked to her, but sixteen year old Nathan didn't deserve the blame.

"Why'd you come here, Nathan? Since when did you have a brother? I just don't understand." Haley asked, unable to stop herself.

Nathan nodded, pulling back from Haley's embrace. She didn't look angry and he smiled at her, wiping his face with his hands.

"Dan slept with Karen, Lucas' mom, on a 'business trip'. That's why my mom was never home, Haley. She hated him, but a few days after she found out Dan knocked up some girl when he was cheating, she found out she was pregnant and she couldn't leave him. So all these years, I'd had a brother across the country. Dan sent money, but that was it. He never wanted me to find out about Lucas, but he didn't have a choice once Karen died in a car accident. Lucas didn't have anyone to watch after him and my mom decided that it would be best for Lucas if we all went there. It would be easier for Lucas if he got to stay in his home. Can you believe that Haley? The first time she cares for a kid she's not even his."

"Nathan…" Haley said, desperately.

She had never felt so bad in her entire life. Not when Nathan left without saying goodbye, not when Taylor died, not when her parents ditched her, not when Nathan couldn't recognize her. All of those things hurt her, but all of these things hurt Nathan. It killed her that Nathan went through all of these things by himself. She wasn't the only one who benefited from their relationship—he needed her too and all those times, even though it wasn't necessarily her fault, he didn't have her, he didn't have anybody when he was going through all of this.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't be there for you Nathan." Haley said, sadly, holding her hand on Nathan's face, wanting to provide him with as much comfort as he needed.

"It's okay. You're here now." Nathan promised, opening his eyes that closed at Haley's touch.

His breath hitched when he noticed how close they'd gotten. His eyes subconsciously looked at her lips, only to see her biting her bottom lip, causing Nathan to silently groan. He became aware of her hand making its way from the side of his face to the back of his neck, pulling him in closer to her.

Nathan watched as she closed her eyes, unsure of why his lips weren't on hers yet, when he heard someone clearing their throat. Not that he cared or planned to stop, but Haley had other ideas and quickly pulled away, sliding down the bench, creating space between them.

"Hmm, looks like your friendship's fixed." Nathan looked up to see Rachel smirking before leaving.

He rolled his eyes, seriously never hating the girl more than he did then. He wasn't interested in her, why couldn't she take a hint and move on with her life. But he knew she got what he wanted when he looked up at Haley and saw her face bright red, looking anywhere but at him—she ruined their moment.

"Haley…" Nathan started, stopping once Haley looked up at him and smiled uncertainly.

"Are you okay?" Haley asked quickly, standing up once Nathan nodded. "Alright, then I'm going to go. I have a lot of stuff to do, I didn't know you wanted to meet up today."

Nathan just continued to nod, upset with Rachel and Haley's insecurities.

"If you need anything Nathan, you can call me. I'm always there for you. I love you." Haley hesitated before leaning down and kissing him on the cheek, then walking off back to her apartment, leaving a smiling Nathan behind.

A/N: I am the worst. The absolute worst. But you all know that anyway, so I won't talk about it. I am really upset, though since I wanted it up before Friday, but I guess I'm somewhat close?

I also just wanted to let you know that I have crazy amounts of stuff coming up. The SATs next Saturday, the ACTs the week after that, six finals and huge projects, all ending on June 20th, so I probably won't even start writing it until after that. But, like I said, that's nothing new to any of you because I don't update ever anyway.

I am really sorry for the grammatical errors that I know are in this chapter but I really wanted to get it up and didn't read it over.

Please review! Oh, and I hope some of you enjoyed the Naley marathon on SOAPnet today!

-Megan AKA ToBecomeAClown