A/N: Hey! Thanks for the replies.... I'm glad you guys like it. So anyway, here's the second chapter. And also... I'm including the link for the banner for this story, incase you'd like to see
Chapter Two
Quick Getaway
That night I couldn't sleep. I kept tossing and turning under my bedspread, often glancing at the pictures set on the table beside my bed. The thought of never meeting Haley darkened my heart... but there was always Peyton. And the others she mentionied... Lucas, Brooke, Jake... I was very eager to meet them. After all, they knew my mother better than I, myself. The closest I would ever get to her, would be through her friends. I glanced at the photo of Nathan with sad eyes, regretfull that I would never know him either. Maybe not to develope a realationship with him, but to confront him with all the pain in my heart. But Nathan Scott had never been found, and it was probably for the best. Because even if he did return to Tree Hill, he would never be welcome there.
Making up my mind, I crept to my dresser and pulled a few sets of clothes from the first drawer. Then, back to my bed, to pulled a small suitcase from under it. I compacted everything I would need into the suitcase and a backpack, making sure to include the photos of my parents. Very quietly, I descended from my room and into the hallway, spotting the staircase through the thick darkness and proceeding towards it in a hurry. I stopped at the beginning however, hearing faint crying sounds and spotting a dim light from underneath Nikki's bedroom door. This was unusual. Why would my darling, self-absorbed mother be crying in the middle of the night? I considered staying, for once feeling guilty that I may in some way be hurting her for leaving without warning, but resisted. I had to go. It was the only way. There was no other option.
Once I was outside withChris' car keys (which were supposed to be mine this year, if it hadn't been for my mother claiming them as her own) at hand-even if I was only 15 and without a license-I carefully packed my luggage into the trunk of the black lincoln navigator and got behind the wheel of the SUV as quietly as possible. I sighed deeply. I had my permit, but hadn't yet recieved permission to drive without an adult in the car. This would be interesting. Just as long as I didn't violate the law, I was good to go. I looked up to Nikki's room and noticed the light within growing larger. I ducked beyond sight just as the curtain was pulled open. A moment later, I dared to peek, and saw that it had been closed again. This was it. It was now or never. Never didn't seem so intriguing. I started the engine quickly and pulled away from the house just in time to see the front room light flicker on through the windows. I stepped on the gas and sped away in a furry, anxious to get as far away from Malibu as I possibly could.
Nikki Keller sat in an upright position on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest as she cried away her life, just as she did every other night. Her daughter, Aubrey, was long past hers. She realized she could no longer pretend he was the day Aubrey learned of the truth of her parents. It was that day she realized Aubrey really did despise her, and that no signature on a peice of paper could ever truly make Aubrey hers. It was the day she stopped trying to make Aubrey love her, because the truth was, she never would. So Nikki cried, for herself, for Aubrey, and for her dead husband, who for the most part had died three years ago on the same exact day as his wife.
The truth was, he really did love his daughter, and had grown accustom to her love in return. But then she grew up, and was inclined to believe that Chris's love was really nothing more than an attempt to control her life. A shuffle of feet in the hall alarmed Nikki, and she sat still for any sign of movement. The moment passed, and she decided to finally go to bed. As she returned from her bathroom two minutes later, she vaguely heard a car door close. Moving to the window, she curiously peeled the draperies open, and peeked out the glass into the night. For a moment, she was sure her ears were decieving her. Then, deciding to go downstairs for a glass of water, she suddenly heard the engine of her navigator roar up. Hurrying to the living room, she turned on the light and rushed to the front door. Too late. The driveway was empty. Her car was gone, and soon she would find... her daughter was too.
I gasped at the road sign ahead. It read "Welcome To Tree Hill, North Carolina". After two-and-a-half days of straight driving, I had finally made it to my destination. I never thought I would make it here. Even after all those countless nights when I would lie awake in bed pondering the thought of visiting Tree Hill. Ofcourse, I had mentioned this to Peyton before, but always got the same old response. It was never the right time... it was a huge deal, and these things would take time. One thing I found hilarious... it would probably hurt my mother to know that I wanted to visit complete strangers only because they were friends with the mother I never knew. But the reality was, and this I was sure of... Peyton was the only one in Tree Hill who knew-or-cared-of my existence. For all they knew, I could be dead, or worse, alive and living with most horrible people on Earth. So I didn't bring it up in our conversations anymore, the fact that I so badly wanted to go to Tree Hill, because I never wanted to make Peyton feel awakward, or guilty. She had done so much for me.
As I reached the housing part of the small town, I was in total awe of the adorable little houses in this particular neighborhood. Everything was so cozy and friendly here. I searched the street signs helplessly for hours, finally deciding to stop somewhere to ask for directions. A cute little cafe I found on Main Street and decided I could really use a cup of coffee also. The building was dim, and there seemed to be no one inside, but the sign read "open", in big neon letter. And believe me, in California, big neon signs never lie. "I'm sorry, we're closed." middle-aged woman from behind the counter called as the bell on the door began to jingle. "Well... I'm sorry but the sign says you're open. Big neon signs don't lie." I mocked. The brunetter turned around with a smile on her face, which made me smile too.
She glanced behind me and groaned. Coming around the counter, the reached behind me and flipped the sign over. Then, turning back toward the counter, she asked, "What can I get for ya?" Thoughtfully, I replied, "Actually, I was hoping you could direct me toward North Oak Street... it shouldn't be too far from here, right?"
The woman just stared at me curiously. "North Oak Street, huh? Just out of curiousity, what business would you have there?" She didn't say it rudely, but I was taken-aback anyway. Geez, small-town people sure were nosey. I guess they were just used to knowing everything at all times. "W-well..." I stuttered over words, suddenly nervous as she narrowed her eyes conspicuoisly and crossed her arms over her chest. "My mother used to live on that street..." I looked down at my feet. "I was hoping to see her house, but, if it's too much to ask, then I guess..." I turned on my heel and was about to leave when the woman called back, "No, it's fine." But the suspicion didn't leave her tone. She scribbled something down on a napkin and handed it to me. I was surprised at how close it was.
"Thanks... a lot..." I slowly backed out of the store, not able to take my eyes away from the woman no matter how rude it seemed. There was something so odd about her. Something so familiar. I just couldn't put my finger on it.... oh well. I brushed the thought off and got into my car. What really creeped me out, was that when I pulled away from the place, I caught the lady staring at me through the store-front window. Maybe she didn't recognize me from around here. Or maybe.... what could she possibly know about my mother, or whatever was down that street?
I veered to the road, suddenly coming out of my thoughts. I gasped, opening the door to the navigator and peering around. Nothing. This road-that was supposed to connect me to the one Haley James had lived on-was a dead end. A dead-fucking end. I could hardly believe she had given me false directions! I knew something was creepy about that women. Geez, the people around here... the thought made me shutter. Climbing back into the SUV, I slammed the door shut as hard as possible and sped off.
After a half-an-hour of more searching, I ended up in front of my plan-B destination. Well, actually, my plan had been to spend the night in a hotel after researching my mother's house... but apparently that wasn't going to happen right then. But after driving this far, I couldn't sit around in a hotel room all night. It was only ten or so, and I would take whatever I could get my anxious little hands on.
I managed to make it to the front door of the fairly small two-story home with sprinting back to my car and running back to California like child that I was. I self-conciously knocked as quietly as I could, and after two or three tries I gave up and turned to leave without hesitation. Just as I did this, I heard the door pull open. I spun around on my heel and looked at the person. In a mixture of confusion and surpise, they didn't look so happy to see me.