HOPEFULLY, you guys STILL like this story. I'm SORRY FOR NOT GOING WITH
YOUR VOTES, but my other stories have Lucas with Brooke or Peyton or WILL
HAVE THEM AS A COUPLE. Please review! And THANKS FOR READING! -marg.
It had been a month since the group had spoken. The whole thing had been so hard to plan, and Nathan and Lucas had done everything they could to make sure it would be perfect.
Yeah, it had been Nathan's idea, but Lucas was willing to help him out, since Nathan and Haley couldn't really talk to each other without feeling all jittery inside AND FORGETTING what to say.
Yup, life was good for Lucas. He was the "middle" guy, the "peacemaker." Or, maybe the "matchmaker," but Joanne insisted that she was the matchmaker.
Lucas had been talking to Joanne ever since that one night when he couldn't get a hold of Haley. She was perky, in a good way, and always managed to get him to smile, whether it had been a good day or not.
He was really looking forward to meeting her, since they were becoming great friends. [i]Right, friends,[/i] Lucas thought, gazing at the ceiling with one hand supporting his head. [i]Wonder what Peyton's doing right now.[/i] Picking up the phone, he dialed her cell, reaching the voice mailbox instead.
"What is she doing? It's almost 9." Lucas, glancing at the clock, thought aloud. "She's always busy! No wonder I got closer to Joanne, my own girlfriend's never there to talk to me."
Grumbling to himself, Lucas walked over to his closet, selecting a jacket, and slamming the door after him as he walked out of his dorm.
-MEANWHILE, in HALEY and JOANNE'S apartment-
"So, Haley, sweetie. Don't worry about it, okay?" Rolling her eyes inwardly at the retard of a guy, Joanne smoothed Haley's hair. "It's not your fault you didn't even like the guy. Haley, look at me. It's not your fault."
Sniffing, Haley looked up with tears brimming her eyes. "Yeah it is. If I had just told him that I'd go tonight, he wouldn't have killed himself." she trailed off, bending her head as tears fell.
"Haley, listen to yourself! You're not making any sense! Do you even hear what you're saying?" Joanne asked shocked. "Sweetie, he didn't have anyone else to leave that note to. You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time, that's all. Haley, look at me. He was probably planning it all along."
Sighing as she shook her head, Joanne gathered Haley into her arms and rocked her until her tears died down.
"Shhhh. It's okay." Joanne soothed. "Remember, hun, it's NOT your fault!"
Nodding her head under Joanne's arm, Haley muttered, "But why did he have to leave that note? Why couldn't he have just left me alone?"
Smoothing down Haley's hair, Joanne answered, "Because he had no one else. You were helping him out, and he figured that he had no one else left, and left the burden to you. It was really inconsiderate of him, but Haley, he was planning it before. I'm pretty sure of it."
Wiping her eyes, Haley sat up in front of Joanne, mumbling, "Yeah. Okay."
Patting Haley on the back, Joanne offered a small smile. "Now get ready. I want you to meet my date."
Sniffling, but giving a smile, Haley got up. "I'll be ready in a bit." Then she turned and walked into the bathroom.
Smoothing her own light brown, almost copper, hair, Joanne sighed. Haley had such a big heart, and somehow always managed to get herself hurt. [i] As long as she has me on the trip, I'll make sure that Nathan won't hurt her, ever again,[/i] Joanne thought triumphantly, shaking her fist in the air.
She started at the ringing of the phone. "Not again. Why, oh why, do you always have to ring?" Glaring at the phone, she dared it to ring one more time.
When it didn't, Joanne smirked, heading towards her room. Halfway, the phone started ringing again. "Damn you."
Snatching the phone out of its holder, Joanne impatiently waited for the caller to start speaking.
Barely a second had passed when Joanne angrily said, "I am so not in the mood. So damn you, whoever you are. Go away."
Chuckling, Lucas answered, "Oh? You were always in the mood before."
Somewhat in a better mood now, Joanne muttered, "I blame it on hormones. Besides, the other times, Haley wasn't crying."
That caught Lucas's attention. Changing his whole demeanor, Lucas asked gravely, "Who did this to her?"
Confused, Joanne raised an eyebrow. "Who did what to her?"
"Who made her cry, duh. And I thought you were the more "smart" one."
"Oh, bite me."
Lucas, laughing, answered, "You're sounded exactly like Haley."
"Just shut up for a second." Joanne practically yelled into the phone.
Hearing Haley come out of the bathroom, Joanne changed her mind. "On second thought, here's Haley."
Shoving the phone in Haley's face, Joanne stalked off towards the room.
Puzzled, Haley stared after Joanne's retreating form.
"Hey?"
"What's wrong? Did someone hurt you?"
Feeling the tears coming on, Haley bit her lip. "No. Well, yes. Someone died for me."
Taken aback, Lucas repeated, "Died for you?"
"Yeah. But I don't want to talk about that right now." Haley said, changing the subject. "Why'd you call?"
"Oh, I don't know. I was bored. My girlfriend's been hard to track down for the last week, and Brooke's out at the clubs. Nathan, on the other hand, is probably playing basketball with his friends, while I'm stuck here all alone. So, I decided to call my best friend."
Rolling her eyes, in a better mood, Haley bit out, "So, me last, huh? Good to know where I stand on your list."
Rolling his eyes too, Lucas smiled. "I thought you'd be busy, you know, studying all the time."
"I do NOT study all the time!" Haley protested, a bit insulted.
"Yes you do, Ms. Smarty-pants. Every time I called so far, you've been studying, or doing God-knows-what."
"Oh, Bite me! You're not my keeper!" Haley said loudly.
"You know, funny thing is, Joanne said the same thing to me, just before."
"I'm sure you'd love to bite her, huh?"
"Well, there's nothing for me to bite tonight, so sure."
"Oh, ew! Lucas, you didn't have to tell me that bit of information! Keep your bedroom activities to yourself and Peyton."
Chuckling, Lucas answered, "I'm sure you were dying to know."
"Oh yea." Haley answered, rolling her eyes, while twisting the phone chord. Hearing the doorbell ring, Haley glanced at Joanne's door, but Joanne had yet to emerge.
The doorbell rang again, echoing in her apartment.
Lucas heard it too. "You gotta go?"
"Yeah. I have to answer the door. I'll call you later."
"Yea, sure. Are you going out tonight?"
"Yeah, I think Joanne's dragging me along."
"Okay then. Talk to you later, Hales."
"later."
The doorbell had rung three more times, but Joanne still hadn't opened the door.
Throwing Joanne's door a glare, Haley stalked off towards the door, throwing the door wide open.
The man, who was holding a bouquet, held it out to her. "So you must be Haley."
"And who are you?"
"Joanne's date's friend. She told me we were going to double-date tonight."
Stunned, Haley said, "Let me get back to you on that one. Hold on a sec."
Slamming the door in his face, Haley flung Joanne's door wide open. "Why didn't you tell me I was going on a date too?"
Joanne, slipping on her shirt, answered, "Well, I didn't have the time. But hurry up and get ready. I'll try to stall them."
"I am NOT going on a date!"
"Oh come on. You haven't been on a date since forever! Just tonight, please? It's not like Nathan will ever find out."
"Sure, with your big mouth and all," Haley muttered, glowering.
"What was that? Well, it doesn't matter. He won't find out, and you'll have a blast!" Nudging Haley towards Haley's own door, Joanne added, "Besides, did you get a good look at the guy that I picked for you? He's hot!"
Shaking herself free of Joanne's grasp, Haley said, "I didn't look at him. I was too hung over the fact that I have a date tonight with someone YOU picked!"
"Oh, get over it! You'll have a blast! And besides, you owe me one, remember? Or did you forget that I'm going to Tree Hill with you?"
Realizing that too, Haley relented, "Fine. But this is THE last time you're ever going to do this for me. THE LAST TIME! Did you hear me? The last time, or I swear I'll kick you out."
Shaking off the warning, Joanne opened Haley's door and pushed her inside. "Just get ready in 5, and this will be the last time. I swear."
"Fine," with that Haley headed towards her closet, trying to find something to wear.
[i]Hopefully Joanne won't get any more wild ideas. She better keep her mouth shut about this. I don't want the others finding out, especially NOT Nathan! [/i] She thought grimly, shoving her arm into the sleeve of her jacket.
~~~ PLEASE REVIEW!! Just tell me what you REALLY think! It can be GOOD or BAD! ^_^" thanks! -marg.
It had been a month since the group had spoken. The whole thing had been so hard to plan, and Nathan and Lucas had done everything they could to make sure it would be perfect.
Yeah, it had been Nathan's idea, but Lucas was willing to help him out, since Nathan and Haley couldn't really talk to each other without feeling all jittery inside AND FORGETTING what to say.
Yup, life was good for Lucas. He was the "middle" guy, the "peacemaker." Or, maybe the "matchmaker," but Joanne insisted that she was the matchmaker.
Lucas had been talking to Joanne ever since that one night when he couldn't get a hold of Haley. She was perky, in a good way, and always managed to get him to smile, whether it had been a good day or not.
He was really looking forward to meeting her, since they were becoming great friends. [i]Right, friends,[/i] Lucas thought, gazing at the ceiling with one hand supporting his head. [i]Wonder what Peyton's doing right now.[/i] Picking up the phone, he dialed her cell, reaching the voice mailbox instead.
"What is she doing? It's almost 9." Lucas, glancing at the clock, thought aloud. "She's always busy! No wonder I got closer to Joanne, my own girlfriend's never there to talk to me."
Grumbling to himself, Lucas walked over to his closet, selecting a jacket, and slamming the door after him as he walked out of his dorm.
-MEANWHILE, in HALEY and JOANNE'S apartment-
"So, Haley, sweetie. Don't worry about it, okay?" Rolling her eyes inwardly at the retard of a guy, Joanne smoothed Haley's hair. "It's not your fault you didn't even like the guy. Haley, look at me. It's not your fault."
Sniffing, Haley looked up with tears brimming her eyes. "Yeah it is. If I had just told him that I'd go tonight, he wouldn't have killed himself." she trailed off, bending her head as tears fell.
"Haley, listen to yourself! You're not making any sense! Do you even hear what you're saying?" Joanne asked shocked. "Sweetie, he didn't have anyone else to leave that note to. You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time, that's all. Haley, look at me. He was probably planning it all along."
Sighing as she shook her head, Joanne gathered Haley into her arms and rocked her until her tears died down.
"Shhhh. It's okay." Joanne soothed. "Remember, hun, it's NOT your fault!"
Nodding her head under Joanne's arm, Haley muttered, "But why did he have to leave that note? Why couldn't he have just left me alone?"
Smoothing down Haley's hair, Joanne answered, "Because he had no one else. You were helping him out, and he figured that he had no one else left, and left the burden to you. It was really inconsiderate of him, but Haley, he was planning it before. I'm pretty sure of it."
Wiping her eyes, Haley sat up in front of Joanne, mumbling, "Yeah. Okay."
Patting Haley on the back, Joanne offered a small smile. "Now get ready. I want you to meet my date."
Sniffling, but giving a smile, Haley got up. "I'll be ready in a bit." Then she turned and walked into the bathroom.
Smoothing her own light brown, almost copper, hair, Joanne sighed. Haley had such a big heart, and somehow always managed to get herself hurt. [i] As long as she has me on the trip, I'll make sure that Nathan won't hurt her, ever again,[/i] Joanne thought triumphantly, shaking her fist in the air.
She started at the ringing of the phone. "Not again. Why, oh why, do you always have to ring?" Glaring at the phone, she dared it to ring one more time.
When it didn't, Joanne smirked, heading towards her room. Halfway, the phone started ringing again. "Damn you."
Snatching the phone out of its holder, Joanne impatiently waited for the caller to start speaking.
Barely a second had passed when Joanne angrily said, "I am so not in the mood. So damn you, whoever you are. Go away."
Chuckling, Lucas answered, "Oh? You were always in the mood before."
Somewhat in a better mood now, Joanne muttered, "I blame it on hormones. Besides, the other times, Haley wasn't crying."
That caught Lucas's attention. Changing his whole demeanor, Lucas asked gravely, "Who did this to her?"
Confused, Joanne raised an eyebrow. "Who did what to her?"
"Who made her cry, duh. And I thought you were the more "smart" one."
"Oh, bite me."
Lucas, laughing, answered, "You're sounded exactly like Haley."
"Just shut up for a second." Joanne practically yelled into the phone.
Hearing Haley come out of the bathroom, Joanne changed her mind. "On second thought, here's Haley."
Shoving the phone in Haley's face, Joanne stalked off towards the room.
Puzzled, Haley stared after Joanne's retreating form.
"Hey?"
"What's wrong? Did someone hurt you?"
Feeling the tears coming on, Haley bit her lip. "No. Well, yes. Someone died for me."
Taken aback, Lucas repeated, "Died for you?"
"Yeah. But I don't want to talk about that right now." Haley said, changing the subject. "Why'd you call?"
"Oh, I don't know. I was bored. My girlfriend's been hard to track down for the last week, and Brooke's out at the clubs. Nathan, on the other hand, is probably playing basketball with his friends, while I'm stuck here all alone. So, I decided to call my best friend."
Rolling her eyes, in a better mood, Haley bit out, "So, me last, huh? Good to know where I stand on your list."
Rolling his eyes too, Lucas smiled. "I thought you'd be busy, you know, studying all the time."
"I do NOT study all the time!" Haley protested, a bit insulted.
"Yes you do, Ms. Smarty-pants. Every time I called so far, you've been studying, or doing God-knows-what."
"Oh, Bite me! You're not my keeper!" Haley said loudly.
"You know, funny thing is, Joanne said the same thing to me, just before."
"I'm sure you'd love to bite her, huh?"
"Well, there's nothing for me to bite tonight, so sure."
"Oh, ew! Lucas, you didn't have to tell me that bit of information! Keep your bedroom activities to yourself and Peyton."
Chuckling, Lucas answered, "I'm sure you were dying to know."
"Oh yea." Haley answered, rolling her eyes, while twisting the phone chord. Hearing the doorbell ring, Haley glanced at Joanne's door, but Joanne had yet to emerge.
The doorbell rang again, echoing in her apartment.
Lucas heard it too. "You gotta go?"
"Yeah. I have to answer the door. I'll call you later."
"Yea, sure. Are you going out tonight?"
"Yeah, I think Joanne's dragging me along."
"Okay then. Talk to you later, Hales."
"later."
The doorbell had rung three more times, but Joanne still hadn't opened the door.
Throwing Joanne's door a glare, Haley stalked off towards the door, throwing the door wide open.
The man, who was holding a bouquet, held it out to her. "So you must be Haley."
"And who are you?"
"Joanne's date's friend. She told me we were going to double-date tonight."
Stunned, Haley said, "Let me get back to you on that one. Hold on a sec."
Slamming the door in his face, Haley flung Joanne's door wide open. "Why didn't you tell me I was going on a date too?"
Joanne, slipping on her shirt, answered, "Well, I didn't have the time. But hurry up and get ready. I'll try to stall them."
"I am NOT going on a date!"
"Oh come on. You haven't been on a date since forever! Just tonight, please? It's not like Nathan will ever find out."
"Sure, with your big mouth and all," Haley muttered, glowering.
"What was that? Well, it doesn't matter. He won't find out, and you'll have a blast!" Nudging Haley towards Haley's own door, Joanne added, "Besides, did you get a good look at the guy that I picked for you? He's hot!"
Shaking herself free of Joanne's grasp, Haley said, "I didn't look at him. I was too hung over the fact that I have a date tonight with someone YOU picked!"
"Oh, get over it! You'll have a blast! And besides, you owe me one, remember? Or did you forget that I'm going to Tree Hill with you?"
Realizing that too, Haley relented, "Fine. But this is THE last time you're ever going to do this for me. THE LAST TIME! Did you hear me? The last time, or I swear I'll kick you out."
Shaking off the warning, Joanne opened Haley's door and pushed her inside. "Just get ready in 5, and this will be the last time. I swear."
"Fine," with that Haley headed towards her closet, trying to find something to wear.
[i]Hopefully Joanne won't get any more wild ideas. She better keep her mouth shut about this. I don't want the others finding out, especially NOT Nathan! [/i] She thought grimly, shoving her arm into the sleeve of her jacket.
~~~ PLEASE REVIEW!! Just tell me what you REALLY think! It can be GOOD or BAD! ^_^" thanks! -marg.