Author's Note: Hello fellow One Tree Hill fans! I'm so upset that there
won't be any new shows until April, but that's what fanfics are for! Well,
for those of you who are still reading my story, here's chapter four...
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Peyton's POV
This isn't real. There is no way that God could be playing such a cruel joke on me. This is all some horrible dream that I'll wake up from any minute now. The problem is, I've been pinching myself since last night and I have yet to wake up. What did I do in my past life to deserve this? Was I really one of those siren chicks that killed sailors like Haley had said? I must have been. Wait a minute. Listen to me. I'm sitting here complaining about how my life is so bad. Am I the one lying in a hospital bed because my boyfriend just raped me? No. Am I the one who had to walk in on my best friend being raped? No. I make myself sick. This whole thing, this is about Haley. Not me. I cannot believe that I am honestly sitting here and thinking about how this affects me. Get a grip! When I finally see Haley, she's going to need me to be there for her, not at some self-pity party. If I keep this up, Haley's going to have no one to help her because both Brooke and I are too busy blaming ourselves for what happened. Sure, she dragged Haley to that party when Haley said she didn't want to go. Sure, I ignored my phone when Haley called me screaming for help. But none of that is what cause this to happen. The only person responsible is Nathan. That's what Karen is trying to tell us anyways. I want to believe her, I really do. Nothing would make me happier than to know that this is in no way my fault. But there's just something in me that won't accept it. I could have saved my mother and I could have saved Haley. Maybe I can still save myself.
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"She called me right before it happened. If I had picked up my God damn phone I could have stopped this from happening," I cried to Brooke. By the look on her face, it seems she's about to pass out. "This is my fault, Brooke! Mine!"
"No, Peyton," she gasps, trying to hold back her tears. "No it's not. You had no way of knowing it was her!" I wish I could believe her. In my head, I know that she's right. There is no possible way I could have known, but my heart is screaming at me for not answering that phone.
"I should have..." I trailed off when I saw that look on her face. She was going to say something I wasn't going to like. I close my eyes as I wait for her to ask the question that I know she's going to ask.
"Can... can I...listen to the message?" she asks me. I sigh. Even thought I knew she was going to say that, I was hoping that I was wrong. I give her a blank look and she gives me a pleading one.
"You really don't wanna hear it," I warned her. It was pretty brutal. She was screaming so loudly. I could hear the fear and pain in her voice as she begged for me to answer my phone. God, I wish I had listened to her.
"Please, Peyton," she whispered. "I saw it happen remember? I saw the look on her face. This can't be any worse. Just let me listen to it." I sighed and gave her the phone. I don't understand why she wants to hear it. If I could erase the memory of her cries from my mind, I would. She holds the phone up to her ear to listen. She presses the okay button and I cringe when I hear Nathan's voice. I don't know if the screams were really loud, if my phone is really loud or if I was just subconsciously listening to punish myself.
"Peyton!" came Haley's panicked voice into the phone. "Please, you have to help me! Please, pick up your phone! Peyton, please! Help me! Don't let him hurt me!" she begged. I watched Brooke's face the entire time the message played. Her face contorted as she tried to hold back the tears. "No! No, please Nathan, don't! Oh, Gooodd!" That's the last you hear before there's a loud crash, which was when Nathan threw the phone I'm guessing. Brooke just stands there, not moving at all as if she was still listening to the message. I slowly reach over and gently take the phone from her tight grip.
"Brooke?" I called, trying to get her to snap out of her trance. I put my hand on her cheek to get her attention. She blinks her eyes rapidly and looks at my. "Are you okay?"
"Did you call Karen yet?" she asks me, looking completely distracted. I think she's going into some form of mental shock. She seems to be trying to block out the things that she just heard. I shake my head.
"No, not yet, sweetie," I answered quietly. I need to forget about my own guilt over the situation for a moment and focus on helping Brooke. Then I'm going to need to focus on making Haley forget about the terrible thing that has happened to her. I'll have to push it back and deal with it later. My best friends need me right now and I'm going to be there this time.
"You should do that," she suggested. "I need to know how Hales is doing."
"I'll do that now," I promised her. She nodded and looked around like she was a lost little girl trying to find her mommy. "Why don't you go in and wait. I'll meet you in a few minutes."
"Okay," she mumbles and turns. "Tell her I'm sorry that this happened." She walked up the steps and disappeared through the hospital doors. I stare after her for a moment and then look down at my phone. I hit the phonebook button and go down until I come to the Café. I take a deep breath and press call. I held my breath while I listened to the rings. Finally after the second ring, someone answers.
"Hello, Karen's Café. Deb speaking. May I help you?" I let out my breath when I hear her voice. I'm surprised that she's still there. Hasn't anyone told her about what her damn son did to his girlfriend?
"Hi, Deb. It's Peyton," I greeted her, trying not to let my emotions show. I really don't want to be the one to tell her what a bastard her son is. I'm already about to break one mother's heart, I don't need to break another's.
"Oh, hello, Peyton," she replied, her voice brightening up a bit. "Haley's not working tonight. She went to some party with Nate and Brooke." I desperately try to stop the tears from flowing when she says Haley's name with such lightness. I hope somebody will be able to say it again someday without connecting it with such a horrible event. "I can take a message if you want?"
"Oh, no," I stopped her. "I actually phoned to talk to Karen." My voice crakes when I say her name. I know that this is going to kill her. She loves Haley so much. Between fighting with Keith and Lucas taking off, this might be what finally breaks her.
"Sure. One minute," she says. I can faintly hear her calling for Karen through the covered phone. There's a few fumbling noises before I hear Karen thank Deb.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Karen," I breathed, hoping she didn't catch the pain in my voice.
"Peyton. It's so nice to hear from you." She speaks with such happiness for a woman who's family has fallen apart. Both her and Deb are amazingly brave to deal with what they're dealing with and do it with a smile on their face.
"Something happened," I quickly say, deciding I needed to get it out before I choked.
"What?" she demands. "What's going on? Is this about Lucas and Nik..."
"It's Haley," I interrupt her before she can finish her sentence. I really didn't need to hear about Lucas and his bitch. I hear her gasp. "Something terrible happened at the party she was at."
"Oh, God," she cried. "My baby. Please tell me that she's alright," she begs. I can tell that she's crying now. I hear Deb asking her what's going on in the background. "I can't lose her too. She's all I have left."
"She was raped, Karen," I inform her. I'm so happy right now that I can't see her face because I'm positive that it would break my heart. "He raped her."
"Who?" she whispers. It seemed to be automatic. "What kind of a bastard would do that to my sweet little Haley?" And here I thought that the hard part was done.
"Karen, what's goin on? Why are you crying? What happened?" I hear Deb ask in the background. Boy am I glad that I won't be there for that conversation.
"Who?!" Karen screams from grief. I take a deep breath and let it out.
"It was Nathan." I can hear her whaling sobs through the phone. Who knew that my heart could break so many times in one night?
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So what do you think? Please tell me! Was it any good? I think I'm gonna write the next chapter from Karen's POV. What do you think?
~~~~OTH~~~~
Peyton's POV
This isn't real. There is no way that God could be playing such a cruel joke on me. This is all some horrible dream that I'll wake up from any minute now. The problem is, I've been pinching myself since last night and I have yet to wake up. What did I do in my past life to deserve this? Was I really one of those siren chicks that killed sailors like Haley had said? I must have been. Wait a minute. Listen to me. I'm sitting here complaining about how my life is so bad. Am I the one lying in a hospital bed because my boyfriend just raped me? No. Am I the one who had to walk in on my best friend being raped? No. I make myself sick. This whole thing, this is about Haley. Not me. I cannot believe that I am honestly sitting here and thinking about how this affects me. Get a grip! When I finally see Haley, she's going to need me to be there for her, not at some self-pity party. If I keep this up, Haley's going to have no one to help her because both Brooke and I are too busy blaming ourselves for what happened. Sure, she dragged Haley to that party when Haley said she didn't want to go. Sure, I ignored my phone when Haley called me screaming for help. But none of that is what cause this to happen. The only person responsible is Nathan. That's what Karen is trying to tell us anyways. I want to believe her, I really do. Nothing would make me happier than to know that this is in no way my fault. But there's just something in me that won't accept it. I could have saved my mother and I could have saved Haley. Maybe I can still save myself.
~~~~OTH~~~~
"She called me right before it happened. If I had picked up my God damn phone I could have stopped this from happening," I cried to Brooke. By the look on her face, it seems she's about to pass out. "This is my fault, Brooke! Mine!"
"No, Peyton," she gasps, trying to hold back her tears. "No it's not. You had no way of knowing it was her!" I wish I could believe her. In my head, I know that she's right. There is no possible way I could have known, but my heart is screaming at me for not answering that phone.
"I should have..." I trailed off when I saw that look on her face. She was going to say something I wasn't going to like. I close my eyes as I wait for her to ask the question that I know she's going to ask.
"Can... can I...listen to the message?" she asks me. I sigh. Even thought I knew she was going to say that, I was hoping that I was wrong. I give her a blank look and she gives me a pleading one.
"You really don't wanna hear it," I warned her. It was pretty brutal. She was screaming so loudly. I could hear the fear and pain in her voice as she begged for me to answer my phone. God, I wish I had listened to her.
"Please, Peyton," she whispered. "I saw it happen remember? I saw the look on her face. This can't be any worse. Just let me listen to it." I sighed and gave her the phone. I don't understand why she wants to hear it. If I could erase the memory of her cries from my mind, I would. She holds the phone up to her ear to listen. She presses the okay button and I cringe when I hear Nathan's voice. I don't know if the screams were really loud, if my phone is really loud or if I was just subconsciously listening to punish myself.
"Peyton!" came Haley's panicked voice into the phone. "Please, you have to help me! Please, pick up your phone! Peyton, please! Help me! Don't let him hurt me!" she begged. I watched Brooke's face the entire time the message played. Her face contorted as she tried to hold back the tears. "No! No, please Nathan, don't! Oh, Gooodd!" That's the last you hear before there's a loud crash, which was when Nathan threw the phone I'm guessing. Brooke just stands there, not moving at all as if she was still listening to the message. I slowly reach over and gently take the phone from her tight grip.
"Brooke?" I called, trying to get her to snap out of her trance. I put my hand on her cheek to get her attention. She blinks her eyes rapidly and looks at my. "Are you okay?"
"Did you call Karen yet?" she asks me, looking completely distracted. I think she's going into some form of mental shock. She seems to be trying to block out the things that she just heard. I shake my head.
"No, not yet, sweetie," I answered quietly. I need to forget about my own guilt over the situation for a moment and focus on helping Brooke. Then I'm going to need to focus on making Haley forget about the terrible thing that has happened to her. I'll have to push it back and deal with it later. My best friends need me right now and I'm going to be there this time.
"You should do that," she suggested. "I need to know how Hales is doing."
"I'll do that now," I promised her. She nodded and looked around like she was a lost little girl trying to find her mommy. "Why don't you go in and wait. I'll meet you in a few minutes."
"Okay," she mumbles and turns. "Tell her I'm sorry that this happened." She walked up the steps and disappeared through the hospital doors. I stare after her for a moment and then look down at my phone. I hit the phonebook button and go down until I come to the Café. I take a deep breath and press call. I held my breath while I listened to the rings. Finally after the second ring, someone answers.
"Hello, Karen's Café. Deb speaking. May I help you?" I let out my breath when I hear her voice. I'm surprised that she's still there. Hasn't anyone told her about what her damn son did to his girlfriend?
"Hi, Deb. It's Peyton," I greeted her, trying not to let my emotions show. I really don't want to be the one to tell her what a bastard her son is. I'm already about to break one mother's heart, I don't need to break another's.
"Oh, hello, Peyton," she replied, her voice brightening up a bit. "Haley's not working tonight. She went to some party with Nate and Brooke." I desperately try to stop the tears from flowing when she says Haley's name with such lightness. I hope somebody will be able to say it again someday without connecting it with such a horrible event. "I can take a message if you want?"
"Oh, no," I stopped her. "I actually phoned to talk to Karen." My voice crakes when I say her name. I know that this is going to kill her. She loves Haley so much. Between fighting with Keith and Lucas taking off, this might be what finally breaks her.
"Sure. One minute," she says. I can faintly hear her calling for Karen through the covered phone. There's a few fumbling noises before I hear Karen thank Deb.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Karen," I breathed, hoping she didn't catch the pain in my voice.
"Peyton. It's so nice to hear from you." She speaks with such happiness for a woman who's family has fallen apart. Both her and Deb are amazingly brave to deal with what they're dealing with and do it with a smile on their face.
"Something happened," I quickly say, deciding I needed to get it out before I choked.
"What?" she demands. "What's going on? Is this about Lucas and Nik..."
"It's Haley," I interrupt her before she can finish her sentence. I really didn't need to hear about Lucas and his bitch. I hear her gasp. "Something terrible happened at the party she was at."
"Oh, God," she cried. "My baby. Please tell me that she's alright," she begs. I can tell that she's crying now. I hear Deb asking her what's going on in the background. "I can't lose her too. She's all I have left."
"She was raped, Karen," I inform her. I'm so happy right now that I can't see her face because I'm positive that it would break my heart. "He raped her."
"Who?" she whispers. It seemed to be automatic. "What kind of a bastard would do that to my sweet little Haley?" And here I thought that the hard part was done.
"Karen, what's goin on? Why are you crying? What happened?" I hear Deb ask in the background. Boy am I glad that I won't be there for that conversation.
"Who?!" Karen screams from grief. I take a deep breath and let it out.
"It was Nathan." I can hear her whaling sobs through the phone. Who knew that my heart could break so many times in one night?
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So what do you think? Please tell me! Was it any good? I think I'm gonna write the next chapter from Karen's POV. What do you think?