Chapter 15: Promise Me
I dozed off once Nathan had left me. I didn't want to think anymore. My thoughts were scaring me, but even sleeping wouldn't let me escape my nightmares.
I dreamed of a sea green lake surrounded by tall trees. The sun was just a shadow as it loomed down. Replacing it was the luminous moon, shining upon the lake. There wasn't any star though. I stared up at the sky, confused. Why was the sky so clear? Where had the stars gone to?
I looked at the lake. Slowly, my legs started to crumble. They felt like rubber. I was sliding into the lake. The ice, cold lake. The crisp water overwhelming my body. My body was shaking, trembling, and shivering from the coldness. My blood turned thick. My nerves were numb. My hair was glazed with stiff frost.
Suddenly, something began to pull me. I looked down through the murky waters to see a pale hand. It was pulling me down into the cold depths of the waters. Then another hand flung out of the water and clutched my throat. It squeezed tight. My lungs pained horribly.
Then the hands let go. The water flushed into my lungs. My mind was spinning. I looked up at the moon through the waters. It was staring at me. I felt so helpless. All I could do was let the water drown away my life.
When I had woken up from the dream, I clutched my sides. Tears rolled down my cheeks. Sweat coated my skin. I bit my lip with apprehension. The bitter taste of blood filled my mouth.
The door cracked open. Lucas and Cheyenne bustled in. Cheyenne was trembling from worry. Lucas was shaking with fright. They enveloped me into a hug. We just stood there, embracing one another.
"H-Haley... we were so scared..." gasped Cheyenne.
"It's my fault, I should've been there for you-" started Lucas.
"No Luke. It was my fault. I mean-" interrupted Cheyenne.
"Stop!" I shouted. I couldn't listen to them blame themselves. It was my fault. They looked at me, scared. Slowly Lucas started to talk.
"Cheyenne, can you excuse us. I'd like to talk to Haley about something really important."
"Yeah sure," faltered Cheyenne. Her lip was quivering as she tried to hold back the tears. She left the room and closed the door.
"Haley... I'm sorry..."
"Yeah, I know... I can't believe that guy almost..."
"How could anyone do that to a person? How can they even think about it?" His eyes were saddened. His hand was twitching. I could tell he was angry.
"Lucas, don't do anything stupid." I knew he was going to do something stupid.
"Haley... I can't let this guy go unpunished..."
"I just want to forget about it..."
"You can, but I won't. He hurt you Hales, and I will be damned if I let him live."
"Please Lucas... just promise me you won't hurt yourself. I can't let you get hurt."
"I won't get hurt. He will."
"Please, just forget about it..."
"Hales, I'm doing this for you and all his other victims. I can't express my disgust without throwing up. What he did was wrong. If the police aren't going to do something, I will."
"What if he hurts you? Huh? How will I feel?"
"I won't get hurt."
"And why not?"
"Because I'm not doing this alone."
"Who's helping you?"
"Just some old friends."
"Please Lucas... I can't let you get hurt."
"And I can't let you get hurt. Haley... I have to do this for you and me..."
"Promise me you'll come back... don't go if you can't promise me."
"I promise." He kissed my forehead and looked at me. His eyes welled up with tears. He got up and walked out of the room. I heard some people mumble, then leave. I starred at the ceiling wondering what Lucas was going to do. I already had a pretty good idea, though.
Just then the door opened. Cheyenne entered and sat in a chair next to the bed. Her back faced me. Her voice cracked when she spoke.
"I-I was so scared... Peyton called and told me of how he-he... he tried to hurt you..."
"It's alright Cheyenne... I'm still here." I had to calm her. She was shaking violently. I got up and hugged her. I knew she was hurting.
"It's just that... you're my sister... I can't let you go, too," Cheyenne whispered as the tears drenched her cheeks.
The gravity of her words kicked the air out of my stomach. Her sister, Chloe, was all the family she had. Now, she only had me. I forgot about my pain and thought about her's. I have to find a way to fix it. She was breaking apart. I had to put her together again.
"Cheyenne... have you ever visited Chloe?" I timidly asked.
"Not in 2 years..."
"Cheyenne, I can't see you like this anymore... I think you should see her... just see her."
She looked at the ground, the pain scrunched up in her eyes.
"I can't."
"Why?"
"I just can't look at her..." She was still looking at the floor, not at me.
"Look at me Cheyenne."
She looked up and I saw a flash of sorrow.
"Cheyenne, you can't avoid her. You have to face your fears... remember?" I was hoping she would remember the lil speech she gave me right before the party at Lesley. She smiled despite the agony.
"I guess you're right... but don't make me go along... come with me..."
"Of course, I will." I hugged her and patted her back.
After awhile, Cheyenne left to get some green tea to help "relax my nerves and appease my stress." Whatever.
Slowly the door squeaked open again. It was Nathan.
"Nathan..."
"I have to go with someone to do something... I'll be back later."
He was about to close the door when instead he rushed by my side. He bent down, leaning against me. His breath ran short against my neck. He gently kissed me. I put my arms around his neck and pulled him in. His hands clutched my body. Hungrily, we kissed and moaned. I didn't want to be away from him anymore. I placed kisses along his neck while he whispered into my ear "I love you." Those 3 words sent shivers down my spine. We lay on the bed and things just progressed.
Before our clothes were off though, I heard someone call his name. Nathan got up alert of the surroundings. He kissed my passionately again.
"I have to take care of some business... I'll be back," he murmured.
"Promise?" I asked weakly.
"I promise."
He walked away and closed the door. The sound of the door shutting echoed in my ears. Where was Nathan going?
I dozed off once Nathan had left me. I didn't want to think anymore. My thoughts were scaring me, but even sleeping wouldn't let me escape my nightmares.
I dreamed of a sea green lake surrounded by tall trees. The sun was just a shadow as it loomed down. Replacing it was the luminous moon, shining upon the lake. There wasn't any star though. I stared up at the sky, confused. Why was the sky so clear? Where had the stars gone to?
I looked at the lake. Slowly, my legs started to crumble. They felt like rubber. I was sliding into the lake. The ice, cold lake. The crisp water overwhelming my body. My body was shaking, trembling, and shivering from the coldness. My blood turned thick. My nerves were numb. My hair was glazed with stiff frost.
Suddenly, something began to pull me. I looked down through the murky waters to see a pale hand. It was pulling me down into the cold depths of the waters. Then another hand flung out of the water and clutched my throat. It squeezed tight. My lungs pained horribly.
Then the hands let go. The water flushed into my lungs. My mind was spinning. I looked up at the moon through the waters. It was staring at me. I felt so helpless. All I could do was let the water drown away my life.
When I had woken up from the dream, I clutched my sides. Tears rolled down my cheeks. Sweat coated my skin. I bit my lip with apprehension. The bitter taste of blood filled my mouth.
The door cracked open. Lucas and Cheyenne bustled in. Cheyenne was trembling from worry. Lucas was shaking with fright. They enveloped me into a hug. We just stood there, embracing one another.
"H-Haley... we were so scared..." gasped Cheyenne.
"It's my fault, I should've been there for you-" started Lucas.
"No Luke. It was my fault. I mean-" interrupted Cheyenne.
"Stop!" I shouted. I couldn't listen to them blame themselves. It was my fault. They looked at me, scared. Slowly Lucas started to talk.
"Cheyenne, can you excuse us. I'd like to talk to Haley about something really important."
"Yeah sure," faltered Cheyenne. Her lip was quivering as she tried to hold back the tears. She left the room and closed the door.
"Haley... I'm sorry..."
"Yeah, I know... I can't believe that guy almost..."
"How could anyone do that to a person? How can they even think about it?" His eyes were saddened. His hand was twitching. I could tell he was angry.
"Lucas, don't do anything stupid." I knew he was going to do something stupid.
"Haley... I can't let this guy go unpunished..."
"I just want to forget about it..."
"You can, but I won't. He hurt you Hales, and I will be damned if I let him live."
"Please Lucas... just promise me you won't hurt yourself. I can't let you get hurt."
"I won't get hurt. He will."
"Please, just forget about it..."
"Hales, I'm doing this for you and all his other victims. I can't express my disgust without throwing up. What he did was wrong. If the police aren't going to do something, I will."
"What if he hurts you? Huh? How will I feel?"
"I won't get hurt."
"And why not?"
"Because I'm not doing this alone."
"Who's helping you?"
"Just some old friends."
"Please Lucas... I can't let you get hurt."
"And I can't let you get hurt. Haley... I have to do this for you and me..."
"Promise me you'll come back... don't go if you can't promise me."
"I promise." He kissed my forehead and looked at me. His eyes welled up with tears. He got up and walked out of the room. I heard some people mumble, then leave. I starred at the ceiling wondering what Lucas was going to do. I already had a pretty good idea, though.
Just then the door opened. Cheyenne entered and sat in a chair next to the bed. Her back faced me. Her voice cracked when she spoke.
"I-I was so scared... Peyton called and told me of how he-he... he tried to hurt you..."
"It's alright Cheyenne... I'm still here." I had to calm her. She was shaking violently. I got up and hugged her. I knew she was hurting.
"It's just that... you're my sister... I can't let you go, too," Cheyenne whispered as the tears drenched her cheeks.
The gravity of her words kicked the air out of my stomach. Her sister, Chloe, was all the family she had. Now, she only had me. I forgot about my pain and thought about her's. I have to find a way to fix it. She was breaking apart. I had to put her together again.
"Cheyenne... have you ever visited Chloe?" I timidly asked.
"Not in 2 years..."
"Cheyenne, I can't see you like this anymore... I think you should see her... just see her."
She looked at the ground, the pain scrunched up in her eyes.
"I can't."
"Why?"
"I just can't look at her..." She was still looking at the floor, not at me.
"Look at me Cheyenne."
She looked up and I saw a flash of sorrow.
"Cheyenne, you can't avoid her. You have to face your fears... remember?" I was hoping she would remember the lil speech she gave me right before the party at Lesley. She smiled despite the agony.
"I guess you're right... but don't make me go along... come with me..."
"Of course, I will." I hugged her and patted her back.
After awhile, Cheyenne left to get some green tea to help "relax my nerves and appease my stress." Whatever.
Slowly the door squeaked open again. It was Nathan.
"Nathan..."
"I have to go with someone to do something... I'll be back later."
He was about to close the door when instead he rushed by my side. He bent down, leaning against me. His breath ran short against my neck. He gently kissed me. I put my arms around his neck and pulled him in. His hands clutched my body. Hungrily, we kissed and moaned. I didn't want to be away from him anymore. I placed kisses along his neck while he whispered into my ear "I love you." Those 3 words sent shivers down my spine. We lay on the bed and things just progressed.
Before our clothes were off though, I heard someone call his name. Nathan got up alert of the surroundings. He kissed my passionately again.
"I have to take care of some business... I'll be back," he murmured.
"Promise?" I asked weakly.
"I promise."
He walked away and closed the door. The sound of the door shutting echoed in my ears. Where was Nathan going?