Hey guys! So, I decided to update again just because, well, I felt like it. Besides, I figured it was meant to leave you with a cliffhanger. So, here it is. Have fun with it and leave me some reviews. I might update some more today if I get some positive feedback.

Chapter 9:

Silence. It was what they had grown accustomed to, one of the few things that remained which bound them together. Even now, as they sat, surrounded by it, enveloped in it, they understood not what it meant, but perhaps what it was prolonging. The moment when she would reveal the truth to him. The truth of the events in her life that had transpired over the three years of her absence. Te truth of who she was and who she had forgotten. The truth was what she had never intended to share, but what she now, not necessarily felt obligated to, but needed to share. She yearned to let someone in, to share her confusion with someone else, to relive the mistakes she had made, and to salvage whatever was left of her past and whatever hope there was left for her future. She wanted all of this and so much more. But she didn't know where to begin. She had so much to tell and no idea as to how to tell it.

Nathan, the only person she felt needed to know the truth, sat patiently beside her, concern etched deeply in his features. She reached out and took his hand, holding it tightly for support. Looking worried, he started, "You don't have to do this you know. We can just forget all of it. It doesn't matter anymore."

She breathed deeply. "It matters to me. You need to know the truth. I need you to know the truth." He nodded, silently reassuring her. She sighed. "When we moved to New York, everything was so different. Everyone was so different. There, everything was so fast paced and everyone was so cold. I felt lost without you and Luke there..." She told him of how Jack and The Skulls had approached her and how she needed to be accepted by them. She told him everything she had done with them, even losing her virginity to Jack, though she knew the memory caused them both pain. She told him about the night The Skulls had gotten arrested and why she hadn't gone to prison with them. About how she had made new friends after that and become a slut. The memories came rapidly and sounded shocking, even to her. But Nathan was quiet, letting her talk, saving his judgement until she was finished.

Finally, her ramble ended abruptly. She was done. And he wasn't leaving. She began to wonder how she had managed to convince herself that he wasn't to be trusted, that, no matter what the circumstances, she didn't need him and never would. He was perhaps the only person she knew who could listen to a story such as hers and be able to fight the undoubtedly strong urge compelling him to run fast and far, far away from all the havoc she seemed to be wreaking upon his life. All the damage she had done. All the trouble she had caused. Instead, he stayed by her side, perfectly willing to do anything and everything to keep her in his life. She had once been that for him. Maybe she could be again some day. But she knew that would take time. And time was something she seemed to be running out of.

She wasn't sure her newfound strength could stand the test of time. And she wasn't ready to find out just yet. But she would have to. Because it seemed that fate never wanted her happiness to last. Jack was coming to Tree Hill. What were the chances that a random citizen of her quaint hometown could be so closely connected to the sole being responsible for her destruction who lived so far away? Statistics would show that the chance was something similar to one in a million, but as it turns out, that one in a million does come true every so often.
So, as Nathan remained seated beside her, she decided to be completely honest with him. She softly whispered, "He's Kristen's cousin. He's coming to visit her soon."

Nathan, shaking off the shocked trance he had been in, rested his hands on her shoulders and gazed into her eyes. "Who? Who's coming to town?"

"Jack," she muttered, unable to tear herself away from his eyes. They were deep and held such genuine emotions, the clearest blue she had ever seen. And then their eye contact was broken as he took her in his arms, comforting her as he had done so many times in the past few days, expecting her to cry. But she didn't cry. She couldn't. She was paralyzed by her recent encounter with two spheres of mesmerizing blue.

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Back at school, no one knew where Nathan had disappeared to. All they knew was that he had gone to look for Haley and never came back. Lucas was so worried, he was pacing the floor of the boys' locker room minutes before practice was to commence.

"Lucas, man, calm down," Jake tried, hoping Luke would listen to him.

"Where the hell could he be?" Lucas spit out, taking a seat on the bench beside Jake.

"I'm sure he's fine, Luke," Jake smiled reassuringly.

Luke sighed. "I know. It's just... he's my brother, you know?"

Jake nodded. "I know."

Tim came rushing up, talking speedily, "Ok someone said they saw him leave carrying Haley who was crying and I called her house and he's there and he said he'd try to make it to practice."

Luke, looking relieved, said, "Thanks, man." Lucas, Jake, and Tim jogged into the gym together. They could only wait to see if Nathan would show up.

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After getting off the phone with Tim, Nathan returned to Haley on the couch and immediately took her back in his arms. She sighed contentedly, wriggling closer to him. He cleared his throat. "Haley?"

"Hmm?" she mumbled.

"You know I'll always be there for you, right?"
She smiled, "Yeah, I do now."

"Haley, you are such a good friend. You're the best friend I've ever had. But I want to be more. I wanna be with you. I want to be your everything."

Her smile faded. "Nathan..." He grimaced, knowing she was about to reject him again. He knew it had been a bad idea to bring it up. He had known it would most likely wreck the bond they had struggled to revive. But he loved her and he couldn't help the way he felt.

Haley sighed. "Nathan, you know you mean so much to me. You're my best friend, sometimes you're the only person I can rely on. I never want to lose you again. But I''m just not ready for that kind of relationship yet. It's too hard right now."

He looked crestfallen, as though she had broken his heart. She felt terrible. But she knew it wasn't right. Not yet. Wanting to provide some comfort for him, she put her hands on either side of his face and said, "But don't you see? You are my everything."

He shook his head and, releasing her, said, "I have to go to practice."

Panic stricken, she raced after him and, before he could close the door behind him exclaimed, "Nathan!" He turned to her. Her voice shook as she tried to explain, "I want to... I just can't."

He nodded and smiled half-heartedly, stepping back in to hug her. She kissed his cheek and watched as he left and got in his car. "I'm sorry," she whispered to the closed door as the tears began to fall. "I'm so sorry." But there was no one there to hear her.

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They were 10 minutes into practice and Nathan still had not arrived. But Lucas wasn't worried. He knew Nate was doing his best. And, his little brother might think he was hiding it discreetly enough, but Luke could see it was wearing him out. He was trying to keep his grades up, do his best at basketball, spend time with his friends, deal with issues in his family, and now, helping Haley too. No normal person should have to deal with all of that.

But Lucas wasn't the only perceptive one in their little group. Peyton was the ex girlfriend of Nathan and besides Lucas and Haley, knew him best. She could detect his moods. She knew when something was wrong. And she could tell that Haley was tearing him apart.

She saw the love in his eyes when he looked at Haley, the very love she had always wished to see when he looked at her during the time they had dated. But his heart was always with her. Haley was the one he loved. And she had known that, had come to respect it.
She had a new love now and was over being jealous, but Nathan was still her good friend. And she couldn't bear to watch Haley come back in his life and ruin it again. Though she had criticized Brooke earlier, she knew her and Haley needed to have a little talk.

And then, Nathan walked slowly into the gym. Peyton frowned. Something had happened. He looked disappointed... sad even. And Nathan Scott was never sad. He trudged slowly over to Whitey, who proceeded to glare at him. "And where have you been?" he asked Nathan, dangerously angry. "Making yourself look pretty for the team?" he spit out sarcastically.

"No, I had something to do," he mumbled, looking at the floor.

Even Whitey could tell how crushed he was and, contrary to popular belief, he was concerned with his player's personal lives. So, he decided to go easy on Nathan just this once. "Get out there, Scott!" he barked.

Nathan nodded, trailing over to Lucas, who asked, "You ok, man?"

Nate sighed. "Yeah, fine." He grabbed a ball and released it, watching as it sailed through the air and straight through the net. Basketball came so easily to him. So why couldn't Haley?

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After washing her face, erasing any traces of her crying session, she sat on the couch, flicking through the channels on TV, thinking about (what else?) Nathan. How had she managed to bring him closer only to push him away so many times? And now she had done it again. Even if she hadn't meant to.

Pressing the power button, she threw the remote down and ran her hands over her face. She had made so many mistakes since her return, since her family's move to New York even, and she was tired of it. So tired. She was going to fix her most recent one.

She couldn't take back what she'd done, but she could try to make up for it. And that's what she was going to do. Before it was too late. She glanced at the clock: 6:43. Nathan would be home from practice by now. She grabbed her keys and rushed out the door.

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Haley's car pulled up in Nathan's driveway. She took a deep breath and slowly got out, walking to the front door. Nervous as hell, she rang the doorbell before her courage dissolved.

One, two, three seconds passed and the door swung open. Nathan looked at Haley, confused. Before he had a chance to question her, she kissed him.

After a few seconds, he kissed her back and held her tiny waist in his arms. Her arms settled on his neck After a while, Nathan pulled away, out of breath and looked at her searchingly. "What was that for?" he asked quietly.

She smiled. "I wanna be your everything."

He smiled and brought her lips back to his.

They were through waiting. The right time was now. It had to be.