FOLLOWING ANOTHER DREAM
author's note: Thanks to the wonderful Scarlet whose fic inspired this.
This was not how it was supposed to be.
Haley James was supposed to be living in a house with a white-picket fence. She was supposed to have three adoring kids. She was supposed to have a dog, a cat, maybe an iguana. She was supposed to be the ultimate suburbia mom, you know the ones who was the president of the booster club and made sure there was always cookies and juice at the elementary school events.
Hell, she was supposed to be driving a Dodge Caravan.
Haley looked at the recording contract from Dreamworks. Her first album had been independently released, now they were offering her everything. One signature would sign away her soul. The one lesson she had learned from being in the music world was that the Entertainment Business equaled Satan.
"Fuck it Haley. Just sign the damn papers," Chris exhaled the smoke from his cigarette.
Haley tried hard not to gag. "I can mother-fucking sign them when I want." For a second, she thought of what her life would be like if she hadn't gone on that stupid bus with the smug asshole in front of her. She would be living a loving life-boring- yes, but she would be happy. She didn't even have friends anymore. Except Brooke who commended her for escaping Tree Hill- which was only typical of a girl who ran off with some rich Ivy League kid when he impregnated her. When her parents found out that she was pregnant at the tender age of 17, they kicked her out of the house. The college student, being a somewhat decent person, decided he could support her, and Brooke left Tree Hill suddenly. Well, not without a visit to Lucas or Peyton. And it wasn't exactly a tearful goodbye -- more like a, "Fuck you, you betrayed me, and now I'm exiting your life forever." Haley imagined that Brooke probably also noted how incredibly Abercrombie and Fitch-like her boyfriend was, because Bryan was sex on legs.
(Brooke's escapade still didn't compare to Haley's.)
But that was Brooke Davis, party-girl and whore extraordinaire. It wasn't Haley James. Haley was innocent and bookish. She was called "Tutor-girl" by Brooke, and it was a pretty fair estimate back then. Brooke's nicknames were always surprisingly accurate, Lucas' "Handsome", Peyton's "Skanky Blonde Bitch".
The limousine arrived at its' destination. Haley and Chris got out, holding hands for publicities' sake, as the paparazzi clamored to get a good picture of them. Haley smiled and waved with all the narcissism one could hold. Fans held out pens and pieces of paper for Haley to sign.
Haley ignored the screaming public. As if she was about to touch stuff from strangers
Her ever handy publicist/assistant/PR rep/slave appeared at Haley's side with a headset and multiple papers and cell phones. "Haley. Here's your room key. It's on the thirteenth floor. I made sure it wasn't near the elevators," she huffed, trying to keep up with Haley and Chris' brisk pace.
Haley took the room card. "Thanks," Haley said vaguely. "Good highlights, by the way."
The young girl blushed. "Thanks."
"Whatever." Haley waved her off.
A reporter ran up to the pair and quite rudely shoved a tape recorder in Chris' face. "Chris Keller! How are you taking your record high sales and the highly anticipated buzz about your protégé, Haley's, upcoming album."
Excuse me? Did she dare call me Chris' protégé. The nerve. I had talent from the very fucking beginning. Chris didn't make me. That fucking bit-.
Chris grinned. "What can I say? We blow the competition out of the dust. I'm expecting a couple of Grammys for myself."
That smug, cocky son-of-a-bitch. Haley fell for Nathan when he was jerk. Nathan turned into a sweet, gentle, and loving person. It was a fairytale. The average girl got the school jock and most popular boy, and changed him. Haley fell for Chris because of his talent. Oh and he was also a jerk. But Chris Keller was an asshole and would always be an asshole.
"I'm going to go to the room."
Chris barely heeded her.
Haley got onto the elevator. It rode slowly up. She looked out the windows and saw a magnificent spread of Los Angeles. There were brightly lit buildings, many cars, and tall palm trees. In the background was a dim blue outline of hills. She never imagined being in LA, living the glamorous life. Hell, she didn't even expect to get out of Tree Hill. Well, maybe she'd go to somewhere like Harvard, then come back and start a family. Now she was in Hollywood and she would positively slit her wrists before even thinking of having a baby.
She stepped in front of her white hotel door with gold rimmed edges. 1325. She slid the slim key in the slot. The light turned green and it beeped. Haley pushed open the doors. She barely noticed the room's expensive décor. Everything in it was ultra-modern; the kind where all the furniture had sharp corners.
Haley carelessly threw her 1,000 dollar light jacket on a nearby chair. She grabbed the pile of mail on the glass side table and sifted through with absent-mindedness. The whole pile was about to be thrown down when a particular white envelope caught Haley's attention. A warm wind came from the windows, making the white curtains billow.
Haley plopped on one of the black leather couches, and made herself comfortable. Tree Hill High School. How the hell did they get my address? Haley didn't want to be associated with that town. It was in the middle of nowhere. She tore open the envelope with recklessness. She pulled out a folded piece of paper.
"Tree Hill High School's five-year reunion," she read out loud. Haley read the contents of the letter with interest. She pulled out her silver cell phone and dialed a familiar phone number.
"Hey Diva!"
"Hey Brooke."
"Haley, what's up?"
Haley sighed and fingered the letter. "Well I got the mail today. And I got the reunion let--."
"--wait Haley, just a sec. Bryan!" Brooke called into the background. An indistinct voice answered. "Take Aidan for a second, please. Oh Aidan, say 'hi' to Aunt Haley."
The five year old's voice sounded over the phone. "Hey Aunt Hawey!"
Haley smiled at the cuteness. "Hey kiddo."
"How are youu?" he sang in way that young children talked.
"I'm doing great!" Haley lied.
Brooke's voice appeared back on the phone. "Hey Hales, Bryan just took Aidan. So the reunion…?"
Haley returned to her current state. "Oh yea. I think it would be really cool to go."
"You're not really thinking of going, are you?"
Haley was a confused at Brooke's tone. "Why not?"
Brooke sighed. "After what you did...to Nathan? You want to go back?"
"So what?" Haley asked defensively.
"Haley, you expect to go back and be received with open arms. The whole world may be in love with you…but Tree Hill isn't. It's a small town, everyone knows what you did to Nathan. He's the town's golden boy--next to Lucas."
Haley was indignant. "Brooke! You got pregnant with Aidan in high school! With a guy in college… Then you left town, just like me. How's that different?"
Brooke tried to be calm. "It's different. I fixed it. I married Bryan and we settled down and now we have a very nice life. You didn't. You made the whole situation worse. Plus Haley, what do you have to prove by going back? I'm going back so I can rub it into Lucas and Peyton's faces that my son is so much better-looking that theirs."
So typical of Brooke. Realization of what the hell Brooke was talking about washed over Haley. "So I really can't go?"
"No, you really can't. It's not just that you left Nathan. It's your current status…You act like everything in your past never happened. You need to see the reality, that it did happen, and you can't forget it…Aidan darling, mummy is on the phone…No, sweetie I can't play tow trucks with you right now…Haley I have to go, Aidan is begging incessantly and he's too adorable to resist. Anyways, call me sometime soon. Okay? I'll see you at Christmas."
"Yeah…see you at Christmas. Bye."
"Bye."
Haley's finger forcefully pressed the end button. Brooke was right, she couldn't go. Haley glanced at the brochure for her concert the next day. It was a picture of her at one of her previous concerts. It was just her with a keyboard in the center of the stage at one of the sold out venues.
Thousands of screaming fans…
"This song is for those who miss what they had before…" Haley said over the microphone.
The crowd cheered.
"…It seemed like yesterday…
Haley played the song in her head. She missed Tree Hill so much. Tree Hill used to have the most beautiful summers. The leafy green oaks were soft and shaded the entire town from the hot sun. Haley would wake up in the small apartment Nathan and her shared, and gently lie in the soft white sheets of the bed. She would always sigh in content as Nathan hugged her close to his body. He always slept so soundly, with a peaceful look on his face, oblivious to the world around him. Some times he would wake up and groggily give her a kiss before turning and falling asleep again. Then Haley would get up for work at the Karen's café.
Karen always let Haley off work early since Haley just day dreamingly stared out the large pane windows. Nathan would be working at Keith's shop, so Haley called Brooke and Peyton, and the three of them would do something fun together. Before she went back home to Nathan.
Lucas was gone that summer, an impromptu decision to move to Charleston with Keith. But he came back, when news of Dan's (may that evil son-of-a-bitch die soon) heart attack became known.
It started off like such a great year.
Haley and Nathan would go to school together. They would both work after school, and when they got home, they sort of did their homework and ate dinner. Then, they would watch the big-screen TV that Nathan had for no good reason. I mean they were poor, how could they afford such a monstrosity? It seemed like such a boring life, but really, Haley thought, it was the best time of her life.
Nathan was so kind to her. They didn't have many fights, and the ones that they did have could be solved by sweet words and kisses. He was such a good kisser too, probably from all that experience of being a man-slut in his previous high school days. Haley loved how he would hold her tight and she would inhale his scent. Some expensive cologne, she was sure. Nathan was everything she had ever dreamed of as a dream boyfriend. She never expected marriage to be so hard. Haley would always love Nathan always and -
"Haley?"
Haley whipped around and dropped the letter onto the floor. It fluttered down.
Chris grinned and held out a dozen red roses. "For my talented and beautiful sweetheart."
Haley squealed. Maybe there was a chance for Chris after all.
"I had to get them special mail-order from some small boutique in San Francisco. Major bitches complaining to me about the distance. I had to pay them a thousand dollars just to get them to shut up," Chris said as Haley enveloped her with a hug.
Haley inhaled the scent of the flowers. It was heavenly.
Chris grabbed her hand. "C'mon. Let's go to P. Diddy's LA bash. We got reservations at a really nice Italian place with that famous chef. Wolfgang something..."
Haley let the door of her penthouse suite close behind her.
The white piece of paper still lay on the floor.
Dear Haley James Keller,
Fin.