Hi everyone, here's the final chapter of this fic. Thankw you so much to those who have replied to this fic in the past. I hope you guys will leave me comments on this final chapter. Comments mean a lot to me, they encourage and help me improve my writing. Thanks again

Once he had left, Haley once again reverted back to her old self, the person who lacked any type of emotion. She reluctantly returned home, back to her life of sadness and misery. What made thing even worse was the fact that her sadness gave pleasure to her parents. When she came home, she found her parents sitting together, laughing, celebrating the fact that he was gone. Their fear of Haley tarnishing the family's reputation was finally over. They no longer had to worry about Haley falling in love with a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. As long as Nathan was gone, they could have full control of Haley's life. They could once again manipulate her life to their heart's desire in order for personal satisfaction.

How cruel they were.

They never once cared for her. The least they could have done was to mask their joys in front of Haley. Unfortunately, that was too much to ask from heartless beings such as Haley's parents.

After seeing their joyful state, Haley broke down. She had tried to be strong for Nathan. She had tried as best she could to hide her sadness, though she knew that her efforts would be futile since Nathan had always had the ability to read her thoughts like the pages of a book. She tried nonetheless to be strong and supportive. However, seeing her parent's sick pleasure had been the breaking point. All the emotions she had been bottling up for the past few weeks finally exploded. She went into a fit of tears. She couldn't even make it up to her room. She fell to the floor, and wept, using the front door for support.

And then the unexpected happened. Out of nowhere, she heard someone knocking on the door. She didn't know what to think. Haley cautiously opening the door to a panting Nathan.

"I was on my way to the airport. I'd gotten as far as Charleston before I realized what I was leaving behind"

He took a moment to catch his breath and then continued.

"For so long, I had been convincing myself that basketball and my future was what mattered most, and that I shouldn't be thinking of anything else. I was so good at convincing myself that eventually I started believing that it was actually true. While driving to the airport this afternoon, I kept thinking about you, no, us, and everything we had been through this past year. And I realized, what kind of future would I be having if you weren't part of it? As cheesy as it sounds, you are my past, my present and my future, you mean everything to me. What I'm trying to say is that I love you Haley James, and I have for a long time. I've just never had the courage to tell you before.

Almost immediately after Nathan's proclamation of his love, the smashing of glassware was heard. It was her parents, their time of celebration had ended prematurely. What they feared most was coming true. Nathan Scott had succeeded in taking away their daughter. They had tried oh so desperately to prevent it from happening but in the end they had failed. For sometime now, they had noticed that their control had been slipping away, and today, they knew that they had completely lost control over their daughter's life.

Haley was too stunned to notice what was happening around her. She was having trouble believing that Nathan was indeed standing in front of her and saying all the things she had been wanting to hear. For all she knew, this could all be a part of her vivid imagination. Therefore, in order to distinguish thought from reality, she did the only thing she could think of. She kissed him.

This was DEFINITELY not a dream, she knew that now.

'

Once they came out of their sensuous kiss, Nathan looked into her eyes and asked "Are you brave enough to leave with me tonight?"

And the answer was …

"Yes!"

And so, Haley packed her bags and set out on an adventure into the unknown, leaving behind all she had known in the past 17 years of her life. You would expect for her to be scared, it at least scared, but she was neither. She knew that she had nothing to be afraid of as long as Nathan was by her side.

She was the happiest she had been in the longest time. She was no longer alone in the world. And what made things even better, was the fact that for once in her life, her parents were powerless against her. Yes, Haley James was finally free!

The End