Brooke grabbed Lucas' hand and led them upstairs to their bedroom.
"So this leaves us together huh?" Nathan said.
"I noticed."
"If it's too weird for you I can sleep on the floor or downstairs on the couch. What ever you want," he offered.
Haley shook her head. She shouldn't be mad at him. But it was like he didn't even want to be around her. "It's fine. Let's go unpack."
Nathan followed Haley up the stairs. Once inside the room they'd be staying in, Haley turned to face Nathan.
"You've barely spoken three words to me. Why?" she demanded.
Nathan shrugged. "It's just a little weird after all this time. We haven't talked too much since graduation."
"And whose fault was that?" Haley snapped. She shook her head. It wasn't worth it. Brooke didn't know that she hadn't talked to Nathan in a long while. "Never mind; it's not worth getting into an argument over."
Nathan and Haley started unpacking their suitcases in silence, both pretending the other wasn't there.
He was trying to avoid staring at her. All this was his fault? It's not like she ever called him just to say hi. Nathan had looked forward to this trip this last week; all because of her. Haley turned around and caught Nathan's gaze and quickly looked away.
"Know what Haley? Do you know the whole reason I even came on this stupid trip? Because of you. Because I wanted to see you again, to talk to you, and be close to you. Because I still love you dammit. That's why I've barely said three words." With that Nathan slammed the dresser draw in and stormed out of the room, leaving a completely shocked Haley as the bedroom door slammed behind him.
Haley walked to the door and leaned in the door jam. She heard the front door close. He must have left. She turned to the left to see Brooke and Lucas standing there. Haley went back into the room and shut the door.
"I'm gonna go talk to Haley," Lucas whispered to Brooke who nodded. "Why don't you go after Nathan?"
"Ok," she agreed.
Brooke left the beach house to find Nathan, while Lucas walked over to Haley's room and knocked lightly before opening it.
"Hales?" he called softly. He pushed the door open to see Haley's shaking body curled up on the bed. Luke immediately closed the distance between them and sat on the bed, pulling Hales to him. "Talk to me Haley."
Haley leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I don't know what to do Luke," she sobbed into his chest.
"Tell me what happened."
"I...he...it was so awkward," she choked out.
Luke stroked her hair. "Calm down. Take deep breaths."
Haley took a few deep breaths and then tried to fill Luke in on what happened. "He would barely talk to me," she told him. "And...and then I started yelling at him about it. And we started blaming...ok I started blaming him. And then he told me he still loved me and stormed off!" Haley cried, as a fresh round of tears poured down her cheeks.
Luke nodded, taking all this in. "Why are you sitting here crying?"
"Because I'm an idiot. He still loves me. I now know I've wasted an entire year and I'm still sitting here...alone."
"You have me," Luke pointed out.
Haley rolled her eyes. "For now. Until Christina has something to say about it."
She wanted the Earth to open up right now and swallow her. First she picks a fight with Nathan and now with Lucas. 'What's wrong with me?' she wondered.
"That's not fair Haley. What does Christina have to do with this?"
Haley wiped her eyes. "When's the last time you answered one of my emails?"
"What emails?" he asked confused.
"Exactly."
Luke gave her a look. "You think Christina has something to do with it."
And Haley nodded. "Because you email Jake and Nathan back but never me and Brooke. I find something a little funny with that, don't you?"
"You've sent me emails?"
Again, Haley nodded. "Tons at first. Then Brooke and I gave up. Wondering when you would take initiative and contact us first. Guess we're still waiting huh?" There was a long silence between them. Haley shook her head. "This trip...this whole idea was a mistake. The six of us will never make it through the week."
Luke couldn't believe this. 'Would Christina do that?' he thought to himself silently. He wasn't sure. She did seem to dislike his female friends a great deal. "We will make it through Haley. We made it through high school. Now go find Nathan. And send Brooke to find me." Luke saw Haley start to protest. "You need to talk to him Haley. You still love him. Now go."
"What if he won't listen to me?" she asked.
"Make him listen. Do whatever you do that makes it impossible for me to stay mad at you."
Haley smiled at him. She could never be angry with him for long. "How do you always know what to do?"
"Just a few lucky guesses." They hugged each other tightly. "Now go," he demanded, grinning down at her.
"I'll talk to you later Luke." And Haley left the room smiling, and on a mission.
Meanwhile With Brooke and Nathan
Brooke went after Nathan like Luke asked. Luckily he didn't get very far by the time she came outside. She noticed him walking down towards the beach. She jogged to catch up with him.
"Hey you."
"Not now Brooke. I just want to be alone," he told her.
"You shouldn't be. Just talk with me. Maybe it will make things better," she suggested.
Nathan laughed. "Unless you can somehow magically transport us back in time to a year ago, my life is still going to be the same."
"Well I can't turn back time but I can have an influencing affect on my best friend."
"Peyton's with Jake Brooke," he informed her.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Not that one!" she said, exasperated. "Haley."
"Oh. Her."
Brooke glared at him. "Don't give me that. Spill it mister. What the hell happened in that room? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for you two to be together in the same room..."
"We would have been just fine if she hadn't started accusing me and blaming for all this stuff!" he yelled out in anger. "It's all my fault things are awkward!"
"You barely talked to her at the airport and in the car," Brooke argued. "She's got a right to be upset too."
Nathan sat down on the bench, and Brooke followed. "I wasn't going to come on this trip Brooke. It didn't matter if I saw the old gang. What mattered was that she was going to be here. And I would have the chance to tell her things I should have said before."
"Are you going to tell her?"
He ran a hand through his hair. "I just did. Just not in the way I was planning. We got into an argument. She yelled...I yelled. And I told her I still loved her before walking out of the room and slamming the door."
"You didn't!" Brooke shrieked, but she knew it was true because both, Luke and her, witnessed the slam. And saw Nathan's retreating form fleeing the house.
Nathan nodded. "I wonder how bad I seemed to screw things up this time."
"You have to go talk to her," Brooke told him. "Sit down, talk, and tell her in a better way."
"Please. I'm sure she doesn't want to see you again."
"That's going to be tough. You'll be coexisting in the same room for about a week. And I'm not giving up my room," Brooke said smirking.
"She's not going to want to hear what I have to say Brooke. I know it."
"You'll never truly know until you've tried it," she pointed out. You can't hypothetically guess how she's going to react. Now come. You are going to talk to her," Brooke demanded.
Nathan rolled his eyes. It was exhausting trying to argue with her. So he reluctantly agreed. Brooke and Nathan got back to the driveway when they saw Haley coming out of the house and straight towards them.
"We were just looking for you," Brooke told her.
"Can I talk to you Nathan?"
Brooke gave him a You-better glare. And he knew she meant business. "Yeah sure."
"I'll just head inside then..." Brooke trailed off.
"Oh! Lucas is looking for you," Haley called out to her, and she disappeared behind the front doors.
"So this leaves us together huh?" Nathan said.
"I noticed."
"If it's too weird for you I can sleep on the floor or downstairs on the couch. What ever you want," he offered.
Haley shook her head. She shouldn't be mad at him. But it was like he didn't even want to be around her. "It's fine. Let's go unpack."
Nathan followed Haley up the stairs. Once inside the room they'd be staying in, Haley turned to face Nathan.
"You've barely spoken three words to me. Why?" she demanded.
Nathan shrugged. "It's just a little weird after all this time. We haven't talked too much since graduation."
"And whose fault was that?" Haley snapped. She shook her head. It wasn't worth it. Brooke didn't know that she hadn't talked to Nathan in a long while. "Never mind; it's not worth getting into an argument over."
Nathan and Haley started unpacking their suitcases in silence, both pretending the other wasn't there.
He was trying to avoid staring at her. All this was his fault? It's not like she ever called him just to say hi. Nathan had looked forward to this trip this last week; all because of her. Haley turned around and caught Nathan's gaze and quickly looked away.
"Know what Haley? Do you know the whole reason I even came on this stupid trip? Because of you. Because I wanted to see you again, to talk to you, and be close to you. Because I still love you dammit. That's why I've barely said three words." With that Nathan slammed the dresser draw in and stormed out of the room, leaving a completely shocked Haley as the bedroom door slammed behind him.
Haley walked to the door and leaned in the door jam. She heard the front door close. He must have left. She turned to the left to see Brooke and Lucas standing there. Haley went back into the room and shut the door.
"I'm gonna go talk to Haley," Lucas whispered to Brooke who nodded. "Why don't you go after Nathan?"
"Ok," she agreed.
Brooke left the beach house to find Nathan, while Lucas walked over to Haley's room and knocked lightly before opening it.
"Hales?" he called softly. He pushed the door open to see Haley's shaking body curled up on the bed. Luke immediately closed the distance between them and sat on the bed, pulling Hales to him. "Talk to me Haley."
Haley leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I don't know what to do Luke," she sobbed into his chest.
"Tell me what happened."
"I...he...it was so awkward," she choked out.
Luke stroked her hair. "Calm down. Take deep breaths."
Haley took a few deep breaths and then tried to fill Luke in on what happened. "He would barely talk to me," she told him. "And...and then I started yelling at him about it. And we started blaming...ok I started blaming him. And then he told me he still loved me and stormed off!" Haley cried, as a fresh round of tears poured down her cheeks.
Luke nodded, taking all this in. "Why are you sitting here crying?"
"Because I'm an idiot. He still loves me. I now know I've wasted an entire year and I'm still sitting here...alone."
"You have me," Luke pointed out.
Haley rolled her eyes. "For now. Until Christina has something to say about it."
She wanted the Earth to open up right now and swallow her. First she picks a fight with Nathan and now with Lucas. 'What's wrong with me?' she wondered.
"That's not fair Haley. What does Christina have to do with this?"
Haley wiped her eyes. "When's the last time you answered one of my emails?"
"What emails?" he asked confused.
"Exactly."
Luke gave her a look. "You think Christina has something to do with it."
And Haley nodded. "Because you email Jake and Nathan back but never me and Brooke. I find something a little funny with that, don't you?"
"You've sent me emails?"
Again, Haley nodded. "Tons at first. Then Brooke and I gave up. Wondering when you would take initiative and contact us first. Guess we're still waiting huh?" There was a long silence between them. Haley shook her head. "This trip...this whole idea was a mistake. The six of us will never make it through the week."
Luke couldn't believe this. 'Would Christina do that?' he thought to himself silently. He wasn't sure. She did seem to dislike his female friends a great deal. "We will make it through Haley. We made it through high school. Now go find Nathan. And send Brooke to find me." Luke saw Haley start to protest. "You need to talk to him Haley. You still love him. Now go."
"What if he won't listen to me?" she asked.
"Make him listen. Do whatever you do that makes it impossible for me to stay mad at you."
Haley smiled at him. She could never be angry with him for long. "How do you always know what to do?"
"Just a few lucky guesses." They hugged each other tightly. "Now go," he demanded, grinning down at her.
"I'll talk to you later Luke." And Haley left the room smiling, and on a mission.
Meanwhile With Brooke and Nathan
Brooke went after Nathan like Luke asked. Luckily he didn't get very far by the time she came outside. She noticed him walking down towards the beach. She jogged to catch up with him.
"Hey you."
"Not now Brooke. I just want to be alone," he told her.
"You shouldn't be. Just talk with me. Maybe it will make things better," she suggested.
Nathan laughed. "Unless you can somehow magically transport us back in time to a year ago, my life is still going to be the same."
"Well I can't turn back time but I can have an influencing affect on my best friend."
"Peyton's with Jake Brooke," he informed her.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Not that one!" she said, exasperated. "Haley."
"Oh. Her."
Brooke glared at him. "Don't give me that. Spill it mister. What the hell happened in that room? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for you two to be together in the same room..."
"We would have been just fine if she hadn't started accusing me and blaming for all this stuff!" he yelled out in anger. "It's all my fault things are awkward!"
"You barely talked to her at the airport and in the car," Brooke argued. "She's got a right to be upset too."
Nathan sat down on the bench, and Brooke followed. "I wasn't going to come on this trip Brooke. It didn't matter if I saw the old gang. What mattered was that she was going to be here. And I would have the chance to tell her things I should have said before."
"Are you going to tell her?"
He ran a hand through his hair. "I just did. Just not in the way I was planning. We got into an argument. She yelled...I yelled. And I told her I still loved her before walking out of the room and slamming the door."
"You didn't!" Brooke shrieked, but she knew it was true because both, Luke and her, witnessed the slam. And saw Nathan's retreating form fleeing the house.
Nathan nodded. "I wonder how bad I seemed to screw things up this time."
"You have to go talk to her," Brooke told him. "Sit down, talk, and tell her in a better way."
"Please. I'm sure she doesn't want to see you again."
"That's going to be tough. You'll be coexisting in the same room for about a week. And I'm not giving up my room," Brooke said smirking.
"She's not going to want to hear what I have to say Brooke. I know it."
"You'll never truly know until you've tried it," she pointed out. You can't hypothetically guess how she's going to react. Now come. You are going to talk to her," Brooke demanded.
Nathan rolled his eyes. It was exhausting trying to argue with her. So he reluctantly agreed. Brooke and Nathan got back to the driveway when they saw Haley coming out of the house and straight towards them.
"We were just looking for you," Brooke told her.
"Can I talk to you Nathan?"
Brooke gave him a You-better glare. And he knew she meant business. "Yeah sure."
"I'll just head inside then..." Brooke trailed off.
"Oh! Lucas is looking for you," Haley called out to her, and she disappeared behind the front doors.