Hey everyone! So, here's the last update for tonight. There'll be more tomorrow. Thanks for the reviews and enjoy!
P.S. :
daddyzangel108: Thanks for your enthusiasm. I love it! And I'm a woman. lol.
Sw33t Lavender: It makes me so incredibly happy to know that you're so into the story. Thank you so much!
Chapter 2:
He listened to her cry over the phone for what seemed like the longest time, just waiting for her to say something. She hadn't confirmed that it was her yet, but she didn't have to. He would know that broken voice anywhere. And then, the sobs quieted for a moment as she whispered, "I'm sorry, Nathan. So sorry." And then came a click and the dial tone.
His expression stony as he slammed his flip phone shut, he didn't take the time to say a word to Karen, Brooke, or Lucas before storming out of the café.
Hearing footsteps behind him, he stopped, knowing whichever one it was wouldn't leave him alone without an explanation. Turning, he found Lucas standing behind him. He was glad it was Lucas. Good old Luke wouldn't be too demanding for details. Luke looked at him sympathetically. "What did she say?"
Nathan sighed and looked up at the stars, the same stars he'd looked up at three years ago, when he'd wished to have Haley back. And he'd gotten his wish. But only for a little while. He stopped believing in wishes coming true the day Haley left his life for the last time. "She said, 'I'm sorry.'"
"That's it?" Luke asked.
Nathan let out a bitter laugh. "That's it, man. I wish it wasn't, but it is."
"I don't know what to tell you," Luke said.
"Damn it, Luke! There's nothing anyone can say. She's gone, she's just gone. No one knows where she is; until just now, no one even knew if she was alive. Isn't it obvious by now? She doesn't want anything to do with us!" he spit out angrily.
Lucas winced. "Look, man, I know you're upset right now and I don't blame you, but you don't know that. Maybe she contacted you today because she wants to make up for it. Maybe that's why she said she was sorry. Maybe she wants to make things right."
Nathan shook his head. "Then why wait three years and why hang up before I got a chance to say anything? Besides, she can't fix this now. Damage is done. She can't take it back now."
Luke just looked at the man before him, not knowing how to comfort him; or even if he could be comforted. That used to be Haley's job. And as time had gone by, they'd all realized that no one could even begin to fill her shoes.
Nathan blinked back tears and continued talking. "I mean, damn it, Luke! Who does she think she is? She thinks she can just walk in and out of our lives and pretend everything's OK. Well, it's not! Nothing's been OK since that day 6 years ago when her parents moved her and themselves to New York. I mean, what's she trying to pull, disappearing and three years later calling and saying I'm sorry. Like that'll just make everything better. Well, it won't! No one can make it better. No one can make me better. Not even her." Then, and only then, did he allow the tears to fall. Finally saying all these things aloud only made them more real. And he didn't want them to be real.
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After hanging up with Nathan, Haley threw her phone against the wall. It landed right next to the smashed picture frame. She slammed her fist against the wall. Over and over until it went numb. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" she cursed.
Why had she done it? She didn't know. There was no possible explanation for her suddenly deciding to call her ex boyfriend, the former love her life whom she'd left, and tell him she was sorry. It wouldn't do any good now, three years later. But, at the same time, she knew why she'd done it.
She missed him. She missed him so much. She had thought being with him and waiting for the inevitable breakup was unbearable, but this. This was so much worse. When she'd finally told him how she'd felt, she never thought she'd be without him again.
She should've known. Nothing is ever that easy. She'd let him go. Now, according to a certain famous adage, if they were meant to be together, they would find their way back to each other. But she knew that wasn't possible now. They would never be able to find their way back to how it used to be. It was just so hard for her to accept that. She still couldn't quite comprehend how wrong she'd been to start a relationship with Nathan. It was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Yet ironically, it's what tore them apart.
She shut her eyes tightly as more tears threatened to fall. Blinking a few times, she managed to hold them in. Just like old times. She knew that she needed to be strong right now. Not just for herself, but for Nathan too. She had proven herself weak by calling him today and that was something she couldn't do again. She knew it had hurt him; that it had given him false hope; hope which she knew she had cruelly torn away from him the moment she hung up without another word. She needed to stop hurting him and, selfish though it may seem, herself.
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He considered calling a cab to just take him back to his parents' house where he was staying. But he had decided against it, thinking a walk in the cool night air might help clear his mind.
It was December 19, six days before Christmas. It was the winter break of his senior year in college. Or it should've been. He should've been saying goodbye to all the friends he'd made in the past four years and preparing to return home for the holidays. But he wasn't.
He had completed one year of college before dropping out. He would've liked to blame his failure on Haley; said that he was doing so poorly because her leaving had shaken him up. But he knew it wasn't her fault. It was his own. After she left, nothing seemed to matter. The basketball career he'd worked toward for so many years had seemed only a dream; an impossible dream, one he could never accomplish. So he gave up trying.
He packed his bags at the end of his freshman year and traveled the country, finally deciding California would be his new home; that it would be the start of a new life, erasing his first 18 years in Tree Hill. But he could never erase everything he'd gone through there. He could never forget. And it affected everything he did; everyone he met. But that was something he had no control over.
Thinking back to his earlier days, in high school, he couldn't quite believe this was how everything had turned out. After the initial shock of Haley's departure had passed, he had thought nothing would ever be right in the world again. But then, he'd found Michelle who, while she couldn't hold a candle to Haley, was always there for him and put up with everything his past did to him; everything it made him do to her. He couldn't count the number of times he'd blown up on her, tried to push her away, told her she could never understand. But she'd always been patient, knowing that the last thing he needed was another person leaving him. And because of that, he cared for her deeply. But he could never love her like he'd loved Haley.
It hurt knowing that with her, Haley had taken his ability to love someone so deeply. It hurt knowing that he'd probably never fall in love again. But he had Michelle. And he should be thankful for that. So, why couldn't he get Haley off his mind?
His thoughts took a different direction as he remembered all the plans he and the rest of his friends had made. Their little group of seven had had so many dreams, had been excited to take on the world. They had been convinced nothing would ever tear them apart. How naïve they had been he thought bitterly. They hadn't been prepared for the real world. Their silly dreams and hopes for the future had seemed so real; so possible. But life had gotten in the way.
He reflected on where they all were now. Tim was away at college. Surprising them all, he had gotten accepted into Princeton. With all his shallow and dimwitted, moronic antics, they had never predicted how much potential he actually had. Last Nathan had heard, he was doing well in school and had even fallen in love. Nathan was proud of him. He had always known Tim could be something great, even when Tim himself couldn't see it. And he'd been right. Who would've thought?
Peyton and Jake were both attending college somewhere in Florida, having decided they loved each other too much to be separated. Their relationship had grown over the years and they were now happily engaged. Nathan had never seen a couple more in love, with the exception of himself and Haley. And maybe Lucas and Brooke.
Lucas and Brooke. The two lovebirds. Luke had gone off to college, only to graduate a year early and return to Tree Hill. And of course, Brooke. They were now married and Nathan was glad they had finally realized they couldn't live without each other. They'd been the last ones to figure it out. The others had been rooting for them for years. And it had finally paid off.
Lastly, he and Haley were through. Done. Finished. There was no Nathan and Haley anymore. There was a Nathan. And there was a Haley (whom no one could seem to find). But they were no longer together. That had ended a long time ago. And, Nathan decided, it was time he learned to accept it. Haley was never coming back. He looked up at the night sky one last time and cursed the stars above for the grief they'd brought him.
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It was early morning on December 20, five days until Christmas and 11 days until she had to be back at school. Her senior year of college. She should've been elated. Instead, she was… well, she was indifferent. Honestly, she really didn't understand why getting into a good college and doing well in school had been so important to her. What with her rich parents and all the money she would inherit when they died, she didn't really need a job. Maybe it was just her need to be successful at something. She wanted something to show for all the years she'd had to endure on her own, with no one to stand beside her.
It was 8:00 in the morning. She was supposed to meet Jack at 9:30. The thought terrified her. And yet, at the same time, it excited her. She didn't know what would come of their meeting, but maybe she could finally gain some closure. Maybe, he would show her that she did do something right. Because at this point, she was beginning to think her whole life was one big mistake. And she didn't want to end up regretting her whole life.
Slowly, she slipped out of bed and began getting ready for the day ahead of her.
What would she say to Jack? Would she even recognize him? Would he recognize her? Looking in the mirror, she was almost certain he would. She looked a little older, a little wiser, but essentially the same Haley.
After all these years, what could he possibly want from her? Did he want to apologize? Did he want to try to pull her back in? Her mind reeled with the possibilities.
Stepping in to the shower, she wondered why she'd ever let herself become associated with him. Thinking back to the day she met him, she wondered why she didn't just run when he offered her that joint. Maybe it was because she was lonely. Maybe she just needed to feel accepted, like she belonged. Or maybe she just wanted to be daring and take a chance, one the old Haley never would've considered taking. Whatever the reason, she knew, had her little moment of weakness never occurred, she might not be standing here right now. Maybe, none of this would've ever happened. Maybe she'd be living somewhere with Nathan right now, they'd be in college and engaged, happy together. She would have everything she'd ever wanted as a little girl.
But she had taken the joint. And things were different. Things had changed. She wasn't with Nathan anymore. She had left him and she couldn't take it back. She no longer had the life she'd always wanted. And it was her own fault. She just had to learn to deal with the consequences of her actions. She had to learn to accept them. Her old life was gone. And she could never get it back.
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A few miles away from the very hotel Haley was currently fretting in, Jack was already at the café. Seated to the far left in a little booth by the window, he gazed out at the city that was his home. He knew he still had over an hour to the arranged time for his meet up with Haley. But he had wanted to get here early.
He needed to collect his thoughts; decide what he wanted to say to her. He had made the mistake of letting her go last time. He vowed to never do that again. After four years of searching, he had finally found her. It had taken so long since she had hid herself so well, but he finally hunted her down. He needed her back in his life.
Jack Summers was one perplexing guy. He was a walking enigma. No one could ever quite figure him out. And he liked it that way.
He had so many ideas about life, many of them misconstrued, but to hear him talk about them, somehow, he always made them sound a little less crazy and a little more believable, a little more true. He always knew exactly what to say to capture your attention, to make you listen to him; believe him. Haley was the only one he'd ever let slip away. And he hated himself for it.
Everything he'd ever told her was the truth. Or at least, he believed it was. He really did believe that loving people will only bring you pain. He had once been like her. He had once believed in love and happiness; he had once been naïve. But now he knew that to let someone in means to open yourself to them. And that's how so many people ended up with broken hearts.
He thought he had it all figured out. If you never let yourself fall for anyone; never let yourself care about anyone; you would make it through life unscathed; unharmed. You would never have to deal with the pain everyone else would. And that was all he was concerned with. Not being hurt again.
He had been hurt countless times before. He had let himself love and it had gotten him nowhere. Being someone's friend had never gotten him anywhere either. He had seen so much in his 22 years of life and he had learned from it. He had seen poverty, despair; he'd seen death. He'd experienced abandonment, grief, the loss of people close to him. And he had decided he never wanted to experience any of those things again. And if he had anything to say about it, no one else would either.
He wasn't gullible enough to believe that he could share his ideas with the world and they would all just believe him; that they would all listen and respect him. He knew people would find him radical; he knew they would think he was insane. If only they could see things through his eyes. If only they could go through what he'd been through. Then, maybe they'd understand. But he knew they didn't. Not now.
He had to start somewhere though. He started with the members of the Skulls. One by one, he had selected their group. He had picked the most weak; the most vulnerable people he could find; and he had showed them a way of life they'd never seen before. When they weren't strong enough to resist. It was the only way he knew how to trap them. And it usually worked.
The one exception of course was Haley. She had been pulled away from him; back into a world where happiness existed. He still didn't really understand how it had happened, but he was convinced it wouldn't happen again. He didn't ever want to see anyone go through the pain he'd experienced again. And now that he knew Haley, that included her.
He wanted to save people like her. He needed to save people like her. He needed to know that he'd made a difference. That he'd made even a small dent in the billions of people who still needed saving. He wished he could save the world, but for now, it was just one mixed up, confused, weak person at a time.
So, in his own screwed up way, Jack was just another kid who thought he could conquer the world; who thought he could solve all its problems.
Starting with people like Haley.
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I know, not much naley in this chapter, but it's coming, I promise. They will meet again soon and things will heat up...
We just have to set up the background first. :)