Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter of FOWB! I know it's kind of short, but they will be for a little bit until I get more into the story and more things start happening. Anyways, I hope you like it! As always, please read and review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

Rating: K+ to T

Finding Our Way Back

Chapter 4 – This Place Just Keeps Pulling You Back

The two weeks passed by quickly and on Monday, Haley made her way towards her classroom. She was nervous. Sure, she had taught high school kids before during her teaching internship, but now there wasn't another person watching over your shoulder to make sure you didn't make any mistakes. She unlocked the door to her classroom and went in, staring around the room. She had decorated her classroom with posters, books, and other various things in preparation the week before. Haley settled down in her desk and began to rehearse what she would say to her students as she looked over the materials she would hand out to them. It was the first day of school after all and as with the beginning of every year and new semester, teachers had to distribute a course syllabus and then discuss it with them.

The bell rang and soon the students began to file into the classroom, taking seats next to their friends. As she looked around, she could already recognize some of the different cliques. The cheerleaders were off to the right, gabbing about some new hot actor or what they did over the summer. Jocks were in the far left back part of the classroom nearest to one of the doors. The geeks or the 'intelligent' people were in the front and center and whoever was left, which were usually the loners, were stuck smack dab in the middle. It was a weird social circle, but it still reminded her of her high schools days and how the cliques back then still resembled the ones today. Maybe it was some unwritten tradition that it always stayed this way, Haley mused.

Once the final bell rang, Haley stood from her desk and began to address her students. She was interrupted by a few whistles from the jocks, who had noticed how young and hot she was. She gave them a disapproving shake of her head then continued on, "Good morning class. My name is Haley James and I am the new English and History teacher here at Tree Hill High School. How was everyone's summer?" Some spoke about what they did, some just muttered, and the others didn't say anything at all. This was going to prove to be a tough class.

The next class was much better. The social circle wasn't as prominent and everyone seemed to get along well. More of them spoke out and stated their opinions on things when asked. She knew that this class would be much more fun and laid back. Haley had prep third hour so she spent the time inputting information from the student contact sheets she had passed out to her classes and preparing for her next class, which was her only History class.

At lunch time, she felt like a teenager again. She took her lunch to the teacher's lounge and looked around at all the staff broken off into their own little groups and she felt out of place because she didn't really know anybody there. So she sat at a table by herself and decided to make a seating chart for her first hour so they could get to know different kinds of people outside of their little cliques. Haley was eating her peanut butter and jelly sandwich when she felt a tap on her shoulder. "May I join you," Whitey asked. Haley looked up at him and smiled, thankful for a familiar face. "Sure, pull up a seat," Haley replied. "Still brown bagging it, I see," he chuckled when he saw what Haley had brought for lunch. "Has the cafeteria food gotten any better since I was last here?" "Nope, still a bunch of slop," he smiled. "Now you see why," Haley raised an eyebrow with a smirk on her face.

After that, Haley and Whitey began to talk about what Haley had been doing with herself before deciding to come back to Tree Hill High. "So, where did you go after high school? You told me you were going to UNC but then a couple months after you graduated, I heard from Karen that you'd left town," Whitey inquired. "I went to New York and graduated with honors from NYU two years early. I pursued acting for a while but then I decided it wasn't the kind of career I wanted. I'd always loved tutoring the kids back when I was in high school and I'd gotten a teaching degree at NYU so I chose to come teach back here. This place just keeps pulling you back, doesn't it?" "Yeah, it does," Whitey responded as he looked around the room.

Later that day, with school dismissed, Haley made her way to Karen's Café to pick up her kids. They didn't start kindergarten for another two weeks. As soon as they saw her, they ran over and wrapped their little arms around her neck. Haley closed her eyes and smiled as she hugged them both tight. "Hey guys, I missed you. Did you have fun with Grandma?" Both nodded emphatically in response and Haley picked Derek up. He had always been the baby of the two, not only because he was the youngest, by like four minutes, but also because he had been small at birth. For a month after he was born, Derek had had to stay at the hospital in an incubator up in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit because he was so small and having breathing problems. It had been touch and go for the first week or two, but Derek had pulled through. And Haley thanked God every day for that. She didn't know what she would do without her son, Katie too. Katie had been born of normal size and weight, already having a full set of lungs on her that she made sure worked when she came out.

"You two ready to go home," she asked them as she took Katie's hand and walked over to the counter where Karen was drying some mugs. "Hey Karen, I'm going to take the kids home. Thanks for taking care of them for me. You're a life saver," Haley said as she gave the older woman a one-armed hug. "No problem kiddo. I love spending time with those two," Karen replied as she patted her back. "Bye grandma," both responded in unison. Haley shook her head a little and smiled. It was weird how they did that sometimes, saying things at the same time or finishing each other's sentences. Maybe it was a twin thing. But Haley and Lucas had done that too. The brightness in Haley's eyes dulled and tears formed behind her eyes. Why couldn't she just stop thinking about him? Oh yeah, because she loved him and she was the mother of his children, who kept reminding her of how much they were like Lucas, especially Derek.

Haley and the kids arrived home and while they went off to play, she changed into more comfortable clothes and prepared dinner. That was when she noticed the little red light blinking on her answering machine. She pressed the button and immediately smiled at the voice. 'Haley James, get your ass up and answer the damn phone! Oops, sorry, little ears are probably around. Well, I have some VERY important news to tell you… SO CALL ME!' It was her best friend Kyla. They had met Haley's freshman year of college and she was two years older than her, graduating a year before Haley. They had been best friends since then and she had been Haley's rock through everything. When she moved to New York, throughout her pregnancy, and after the kids were born. Haley missed her terribly. That was one of the downsides to moving back to Tree Hill; she would be leaving her best friend behind.

She quickly dialed the number she knew by heart and waited for her to pick up. When the phone was finally answered three rings later, Haley smiled again. "Hello," Kyla asked into the receiver. "Hey Ky," Haley said, her grin growing wider, finally happy at being able to talk to her friend. "HALEY!" Kyla shrieked and Haley had to pull the phone away from her ear to avoid going deaf. "So what's this SO important news you needed to tell me so much that you left bad words on my answering machine so my kids could hear," Haley inquired. "Oh, sorry about that. I was really excited about telling you that I kind of went crazy there. Well, I wanted to tell you that I miss you so very much…" "Yeah, I miss you too Ky. None of the people I know here are around my age. It sucks not having you here," Haley responded sadly. "About that…" Kyla began and after a pause long enough to where Haley was about to say something, she continued in a happy little shriek and Haley knew she was jumping up and down in excitement, "I'm moving to Tree Hill!"

"What? Ky? How? Your publisher is in New York! You can't just leave your job like that!" Haley said incredulously. "I talked to my publisher and he said that I can work from wherever I want, as long as I meet the deadlines on time. So, I'm moving to Tree Hill to be with you and the kids. I'm sure Karen is already tearing her hair out from those feisty little rascals," Kyla grinned as she thought of Haley's children. Kyla was a writer and had already published a book, which was quite a feat for someone so young. She was also a waitress at a coffee shop on the side because she couldn't live off the money she was getting from the publisher. "Oh Ky," Haley sighed, a few tears rising to her eyes, "thank you. I miss you so much. It's been good being back but it's also been hell without you here. I keep seeing him everywhere…in pictures, his old trophies at the high school, and I keep imagining that one day he's going to walk into the café… It's just been really hard without having a shoulder to cry on."

"Aww Hales, don't cry. Be happy! At least you can look forward to me coming down there. I have to pack up my apartment and get things squared away with the publisher and work but I'll be moving down there in about three weeks." "Three weeks? I don't think I can wait that long," Haley replied. "We've been away from each other three weeks already. What's another three," Kyla responded. "Too long," Haley said with a pout forming on her face. "Don't give me that pout Haley James." "I can't help it. I miss you and now I have to wait three more weeks to see you? It's not fair," Haley responded in a childish tone. "Hey just think of it this way. What if I wasn't moving to Tree Hill?" "I don't want to think about that. I'm really glad your coming down here Ky," Haley replied sincerely. "Me too Hales," Kyla said. "Well, I've got to finish cooking dinner for the kids then give them baths. Talk to you later?" "Definitely," Kyla replied with a nod. "Bye," Haley said and the other girl said her farewell too then she hung up the phone. Haley leaned back into the couch as she smiled, happy that she would have her best friend with her again.