Hello everyone. So, I came back and read the reviews for this past chapter and they were so overwhelmingly sweet :), so I just had to come back and update. Here is the epilogue, the final part. I hope you enjoy, leave a review if you have time. By the way, the sequel is called Holding on to Letting Go. I will begin posting that tomorrow so be on the lookout.
Epilogue:
It had had been a week since she made her final decision, an entire week and she had yet to tell anyone. It was now spring break and they were in Charleston, having arrived at her parents' summer house the day before. She knew that everyone was expecting her to decide and immediately tell them. She was trying to find the words to tell them what she had decided. And the time. The timing was imperative. It had to be chosen carefully. She had to tell Nathan what she had chosen. She had already told Jack. She knew she had to tell everyone else soon. Arrangements would have to be made.
She was surprised at her own self restraint. She had thought she would explode trying to keep this to herself, but she had easily kept it a secret. Perhaps because she knew she had made the right choice. If she hadn't…… well, she didn't want to think about that right now.
The gang was hanging out on the beach at 5:00 that night, Lucas chasing Brooke and Haley around. Brooke was screaming, Haley couldn't contain her laughter. He finally caught up to Haley and grabbed her, carrying her to the water's edge. "Lucas, drop me, and I swear, you won't live to regret it."
"Oh really?" he raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"Oh really," she mimicked him, then bit back, "Yes, now set me down, you ass."
He feigned shock. "Haley, you've wounded me."
"Shut up, bastard," she mumbled teasingly. He held her over the water, balanced precariously in his arms. The others just watched from a distance, laughing, but staying away in fear of being Luke's next victim. Not wanting to go down without a fight, she barely managed to reach his shin and give it a good, solid kick.
"Ow!" he yelled. What happened next surprised them both. He lost his balance and they went tumbling down in the cold water together.
Coming up, Haley gasped. "Jerk!"
"Hey, that was completely your fault," he said, muttering under his breath, "shin kicker."
She rolled her eyes, "Grow up."
He grinned and dunked her. She came back up and narrowed her eyes menacingly. She retaliated, dunking him as well, then maneuvering herself so she rested on his shoulders. He stood up with her atop his broad frame. She raised her arms in victory, when suddenly, he dove forward, bringing them both crashing back into the water. They came back up laughing.
He hugged her impulsively and she returned the gesture. He smiled down at her. "Thank you."
"For what?" she asked, smiling back.
"Being my best friend."
"I always will be," she replied and they both grinned, splashing each other and continuing to play like little kids in the water, hoping to forget for awhile all the troubles their teenage years had brought with them. Soon, Brooke, Nathan, Peyton, Jake, and Tim had joined them and they all remembered what they used to have, knowing that, while it had been great, they had found something far greater in each other.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
That night, sitting around the campfire, Haley knew that, though she'd made her choice, she was supposed to be here right now. No matter what the right choice was, New York, or Tree Hill, this is where she belonged at the moment. And there was nowhere else she'd rather be than with the people she cared about the most, especially considering that her decision would soon be revealed to all.
She sat, sandwiched between Nathan, who she was holding hands with and Lucas, who had his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Luke's other arm was around Brooke's waist on his other side. Across from them sat Peyton and Jake, Jake laying with his head in Peyton's lap. Tim sat between the two groups, glad to finally be in the middle of something rather than on the outskirts.
They all roasted marshmallows and made s'mores and laughing, having a good time, forgetting who they were and where they came from, just enjoyed each other's company.
Lucas stood and stretched, then grabbed another marshmallow, approaching the fire. He turned back towards the others. "Hey Hales, Nate, remember the time Keith took us camping when we were like 7?"
Nathan and Lucas laughed, while Haley turned scarlet with shame and buried her head in Nathan's shoulder.
Brooke, sensing an embarrassing childhood story, was already smiling as she asked, "What happened?"
"Well, you see," Nathan started, "Haley has always been deathly afraid of bears."
Lucas picked up, "Yeah, so we told her there would probably be bears, but us men would protect her."
By now, Haley had picked her head back up. "Yeah, and I was stupid enough to believe them."
Nathan laughed. "The whole day, Haley kept thinking she heard things in the bushes, that she heard bears or that she had seen a flash of brown in the trees."
Haley slapped him lightly. "Hey, not true! They kept telling me they saw bears and heard stuff in the bushes. Liar."
Lucas grinned. "Yeah, but see, it was all part of our plan. We were gonna pretend to be bears that night and scare Hales. We thought it was the perfect plan."
Nathan interrupted. "Turns out, we wouldn't be needing it. We had left Haley to find a place to pee because we figured she needed her privacy. A few minutes later, we hear a scream. So, we run back to where we left Haley and there in front of her, is a bear cub."
Lucas chuckled. "Or that's what she thought. That poor little chipmunk got one hell of a shock when Haley picked up a stick and almost beat him to death with it."
The group erupted in laughter.
"I was paranoid," Haley defended herself.
The next few hours were spent reminiscing. They learned more about each other than they'd ever thought they would. At around 1 in the morning, there was a lull in conversation and, as she looked around, Haley knew it was time to tell them. She had to do it now before she lost her nerve. It was now or never. Taking a deep breath, she pulled gently away from Nathan and Lucas and stood in the center of the group. She had everyone's attention.
"Guys, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. I'm sure by now that you all know about Jack and how he came back and his…… proposal I guess you could call it. And you all know how hard this has been for me and how much I've thought about it. And the more I thought, the more I realized that the answer wasn't that hard. You see, a person I'm very close to had told me that the answers to all my questions, to what the right choice was, was in my heart. I knew the answer, I was just scared to admit it."
She looked around at all of them, how anxious they looked, and knew, that, though this was not when she originally planned to tell them, she couldn't back out now. They knew she had decided and they wanted their answer.
So, she continued. "Well, I know this may be hard for you to believe, but I actually do think that Jack had a point in that if I didn't let myself love anyone, I couldn't get hurt. And I know none of you will probably ever be able to understand that, but you would if you had gone through what I went through. So, that's why it wasn't as easy as just picking Tree Hill and letting it be over. You see, I figured out that this whole time, I've been too afraid to let go of New York. That I've been holding onto it. So really, it was just a matter of whether I should keep holding on or let go. But I was still confused. So, I took some time, really thought about it, and suddenly, it just came to me. And I know you're all dying to know what my decision was, so I guess I'll tell you."
They all stared at her, their anticipation rising, hoping for the best, but knowing there was a huge chance it wouldn't happen.
She looked at each one of them in turn. Nathan, how she loved him. He was her everything. It had taken her too long to figure that out. Lucas, he was her best friend, she was closer to him than almost anyone else. Their kind of relationship, their closeness, was something most people can only dream of one day having. Brooke, despite all her judgments, Brooke had proved to be an amazing friend with an amazing heart. Peyton, she was different, that much was certain, but she was there for you when you needed her. Haley thought of Jake, sweet, kind, and all the other things you could ever hope to find in a guy. She was glad she knew him, and even more glad he was her friend. And Tim. Tim was something else. But she wouldn't trade him for the world.
She knew all of them had the potential to hurt her deeply. They had her heart. So, she needed them to know what she had chosen. "It wasn't easy; finding the answers, and everything that came before that. Now, I've already talked with Jack about this and he knows what I decided, so now it's time for you to know." She stopped, not sure if she was strong enough to do this.
And then she looked at Nathan and felt a surge of strength. She walked to him, never tearing her gaze from him and knelt before him, hands on his knees. "I love you more than life itself and because of that I know that you have the ability to break me. That is why, I'm giving you my answer. My heart. I'm asking for your blessing, Nathan, to stay in Tree Hill and be with you."
All her previous doubts melted away as the fear vanished from his eyes and he shouted for joy, jumping to his feet and throwing her in the air, catching her and kissing the life out of her.
The others surrounded them and enveloped them in a group hug. She looked around at all of them, the joy shining in their eyes and she'd never been happier.
She looked up at the night sky, at all the stars, and she knew that somewhere, under the same sky, Jack was back in New York, upset as hell she hadn't chosen him. As a shooting star flew across the sky, she closed her eyes and wished that she would never have to see him again.
As another shooting star rocketed across the sky, she slid her eyes down to meet Nathan's and whispered, "Make a wish."
He kissed her softly. "It already came true."
The rest of the night (or early morning shall we say) was spent celebrating. They finally had Haley back. And she was here to stay.
For the first time in ages, not having to worry about anything, she let herself enjoy the night and be free. Free from Jack and free from New York. She had finally let go and it felt damn good.
And she realized that if you don't let go, you'll never know what you might have missed out on. And she would have hated to miss out on this.
On the way down
I saw you, and you saved me from myself
And I won't forget the way you loved me
And on the way down
I almost fell right through
But I held onto you
Thanks so much everyone who reviewed. You really made writing this story worthwhile. I hope you liked the end and don't forget to look for the sequel tomorrow.
Luv all you guys,
Ashley
