Meanwhile
Nathan and Haley stood there staring at each other for a few moments. Finally Haley decided she should speak, since it was seeming unlikely Nathan was going to go first.
Technically he already did, she reminded herself.
"Can we sit down?" she suggested.
"Sure."
They started walking to the back of the house by the pool area. Haley lead them to chairs next to it, where they both sat down.
"Nathan," Haley began, not sure where to go with this conversation. "I think we need to talk; about why things ended up this way...how they ended up this way."
He gave her a look. "It's not my fault they ended up this way."
"You're the one that moved away!" Haley shot back.
"And it was something I had to do Haley. You could have come to California too. But you wanted Tree Hill."
Haley gave him an oh-please look. "Why'd you have to go?"
"You know this Haley," Nathan growled in frustration. "Tree Hill had nothing for me but basketball. And I wanted to build myself a life away from basketball. I explained this to you before."
"It had nothing huh? I'm nothing?" Haley stood up nearly shouting. She got up to storm up but Nathan followed her.
He grabbed her arm and turned her around to him.
"Don't touch me," she hissed.
"God Haley. Why are you doing this? I wanted the long distance relationship remember?" Nathan reminded her. "You were the one who insisted they never work out. You chose to end us."
Haley looked Nathan in the eye, fire burning in her eyes. She spun on her heel to leave and again Nathan turned her to face him again. She didn't know why he always invoked such intense emotions. Whether it be love, or anger, or hurting. Haley wasn't sure what had come over her in that instant. She used all her strength and pushed him. Nathan stumbled back into the large pool. Haley started to walk away.
"Dammit Haley! I still love you and you know you still love me. Just fess up and say it already. Stop trying to deny it!" Nathan shouted hopping out of the pool and going towards her.
Haley shook her head. "It's not high school any more Nathan. That's all we were...high school sweethearts...that's all," she finished in just above a whisper. She left Nathan there staring after her as she retreated into the house.
Nathan pulled off his shirt and wrung the water out of it. A few minutes later he walked into the house to find Jake and Peyton on one couch watching TV and Lucas on the other.
"Did you guys see Haley?" he asked.
"She said she wanted to go take a nap," Peyton answered turning around. "What happened to you?"
"She pushed me in the pool."
"Haley James pushed you in the pool?" Lucas asked, knowing it wasn't something Haley would normally do.
"No! Julia Roberts. Of course Haley James," Nathan said rolling his eyes. "We went to talk and then she started blaming me for everything. We yelled. I got pushed in."
Jake started laughing. "Tough break."
"Just because you have the perfect love life gives you no right to mock those who don't."
"You both pick some screwed up women," Peyton interjected.
"Keep in mind at one point we both picked you," Lucas reminded her.
Jake grinned. "Like she said, screwed up women."
Nathan and Lucas started laughing.
"Hey! Watch it," Jake cried, dodging an attack from Peyton.
"Next time I won't miss," she warned menacingly.
"So what about our women?" Nathan asked, bringing them back to Peyton's point.
Peyton turned her attention to the Scott brothers. "Both have been hurt by you both once before and aren't sure they want to go down the same path again."
"So how do you propose we fix this?" Lucas asked her.
"Why am I the relationship advisor on this trip?" she asked no one in particular. "What did I do to deserve this kind of punishment?"
"So you have no advice then to give?"
"Considering I always found some way to screw up all my relationships, mine and Jake's included at the very beginning, I'm going to have to say no," Peyton answered.
"Since you are of no help to me, I think I'm going to go get changed," Nathan said, heading for the stairs.
"Haley's up there," Jake called to him.
Nathan shrugged and yelled back, "And so are my clothes." With that Nathan disappeared up the steps and down the hallway. Standing outside of his door he tried to open it. But it was locked. Nathan banged his fist against the door. "Haley! Open up."
"Go away I don't want to talk to you!" she shouted back at him.
Nathan wanted to smash his head against the door. "I don't want to talk to you. I want to get in there to change my clothes. Since YOU were the one to push me into the pool. Or have you forgotten that as well?"
The door to the bedroom swung open with such fury. "Oh, so it's all my fault isn't it? It's my fault you're being a jerk and my fault you grabbed my arm after I told you not to touch me?" Haley glared at him, her words dripping with venom.
"This was supposed to be a nice vacation."
"Oh let me guess. My fault you're having a bad time. My fault it's ruined. Is the cloudy sky my fault? Oh! Or how about the hundred degree weather? That's me too isn't it?" she snapped back.
Nathan pushed passed her, trying to ignore her tirade. He grabbed a change of clothes and went into the bathroom with a slam of the door. About three minutes later he reemerged from the bathroom fully dressed in dry clothes.
"Now if you don't mind, I'd like you to leave."
"What if I do mind?" he asked her, standing in the door way. She couldn't shut him out or go anywhere else to get away. Except maybe the bathroom.
Nathan and Haley stood there staring at each other for a few moments. Finally Haley decided she should speak, since it was seeming unlikely Nathan was going to go first.
Technically he already did, she reminded herself.
"Can we sit down?" she suggested.
"Sure."
They started walking to the back of the house by the pool area. Haley lead them to chairs next to it, where they both sat down.
"Nathan," Haley began, not sure where to go with this conversation. "I think we need to talk; about why things ended up this way...how they ended up this way."
He gave her a look. "It's not my fault they ended up this way."
"You're the one that moved away!" Haley shot back.
"And it was something I had to do Haley. You could have come to California too. But you wanted Tree Hill."
Haley gave him an oh-please look. "Why'd you have to go?"
"You know this Haley," Nathan growled in frustration. "Tree Hill had nothing for me but basketball. And I wanted to build myself a life away from basketball. I explained this to you before."
"It had nothing huh? I'm nothing?" Haley stood up nearly shouting. She got up to storm up but Nathan followed her.
He grabbed her arm and turned her around to him.
"Don't touch me," she hissed.
"God Haley. Why are you doing this? I wanted the long distance relationship remember?" Nathan reminded her. "You were the one who insisted they never work out. You chose to end us."
Haley looked Nathan in the eye, fire burning in her eyes. She spun on her heel to leave and again Nathan turned her to face him again. She didn't know why he always invoked such intense emotions. Whether it be love, or anger, or hurting. Haley wasn't sure what had come over her in that instant. She used all her strength and pushed him. Nathan stumbled back into the large pool. Haley started to walk away.
"Dammit Haley! I still love you and you know you still love me. Just fess up and say it already. Stop trying to deny it!" Nathan shouted hopping out of the pool and going towards her.
Haley shook her head. "It's not high school any more Nathan. That's all we were...high school sweethearts...that's all," she finished in just above a whisper. She left Nathan there staring after her as she retreated into the house.
Nathan pulled off his shirt and wrung the water out of it. A few minutes later he walked into the house to find Jake and Peyton on one couch watching TV and Lucas on the other.
"Did you guys see Haley?" he asked.
"She said she wanted to go take a nap," Peyton answered turning around. "What happened to you?"
"She pushed me in the pool."
"Haley James pushed you in the pool?" Lucas asked, knowing it wasn't something Haley would normally do.
"No! Julia Roberts. Of course Haley James," Nathan said rolling his eyes. "We went to talk and then she started blaming me for everything. We yelled. I got pushed in."
Jake started laughing. "Tough break."
"Just because you have the perfect love life gives you no right to mock those who don't."
"You both pick some screwed up women," Peyton interjected.
"Keep in mind at one point we both picked you," Lucas reminded her.
Jake grinned. "Like she said, screwed up women."
Nathan and Lucas started laughing.
"Hey! Watch it," Jake cried, dodging an attack from Peyton.
"Next time I won't miss," she warned menacingly.
"So what about our women?" Nathan asked, bringing them back to Peyton's point.
Peyton turned her attention to the Scott brothers. "Both have been hurt by you both once before and aren't sure they want to go down the same path again."
"So how do you propose we fix this?" Lucas asked her.
"Why am I the relationship advisor on this trip?" she asked no one in particular. "What did I do to deserve this kind of punishment?"
"So you have no advice then to give?"
"Considering I always found some way to screw up all my relationships, mine and Jake's included at the very beginning, I'm going to have to say no," Peyton answered.
"Since you are of no help to me, I think I'm going to go get changed," Nathan said, heading for the stairs.
"Haley's up there," Jake called to him.
Nathan shrugged and yelled back, "And so are my clothes." With that Nathan disappeared up the steps and down the hallway. Standing outside of his door he tried to open it. But it was locked. Nathan banged his fist against the door. "Haley! Open up."
"Go away I don't want to talk to you!" she shouted back at him.
Nathan wanted to smash his head against the door. "I don't want to talk to you. I want to get in there to change my clothes. Since YOU were the one to push me into the pool. Or have you forgotten that as well?"
The door to the bedroom swung open with such fury. "Oh, so it's all my fault isn't it? It's my fault you're being a jerk and my fault you grabbed my arm after I told you not to touch me?" Haley glared at him, her words dripping with venom.
"This was supposed to be a nice vacation."
"Oh let me guess. My fault you're having a bad time. My fault it's ruined. Is the cloudy sky my fault? Oh! Or how about the hundred degree weather? That's me too isn't it?" she snapped back.
Nathan pushed passed her, trying to ignore her tirade. He grabbed a change of clothes and went into the bathroom with a slam of the door. About three minutes later he reemerged from the bathroom fully dressed in dry clothes.
"Now if you don't mind, I'd like you to leave."
"What if I do mind?" he asked her, standing in the door way. She couldn't shut him out or go anywhere else to get away. Except maybe the bathroom.