Jenny followed her nose all the way downstairs as the delicious aroma was enticing. She was used to good smells coming from the kitchen but this was on a whole other level. From the doorway she could see Haley standing over the oven stirring something in a pot. Haley turned around and jumped, surprised to see the small figure.

"Jenny…"

"Hey."

Haley wiped her hands on her apron and managed a smile.

"Hungry?"

"Where's my dad?"

"He and Peyton stepped out for a minute. Um, can I get you something to eat?"

Jenny just shrugged and sat down. The spread before her looked like a breakfast buffet fit for a palace. Every food imaginable was there and it was guaranteed to taste as good as it looked and smelled.

"I guess I'll just have a croissant…"

Haley grabbed a plate and placed two fresh buttered croissants on them. She added a large piece of country ham, a couple slabs of bacon and a forkful of scrambled eggs. Next to the plate was an apple and a bowl full of oatmeal along with fresh squeezed glass of orange juice.

"There you go", she nodded.

Jenny looked skeptically at her big breakfast.

"Okkaaayyyy…"

"Hope you like it."

"It's good", Jenny shrugged between mouthfuls.

Haley nodded.

"Can I get you something else?"

"I'm cool."

"Blueberry muffin? Home fries? Sausage?"

"Uh, I'm good."

"Sorry", Haley apologized. "When I get nervous I tend to bake…a lot. I like to make things even more than usual. I'm like Betty Crocker on crack."

"It's cool."

"Well, um, I, I…hope you enjoy everything…" she stood to leave.

"You don't have to go", Jenny blurted out. "I mean, you could stay here with me…if you want. You did make all this, it's only fair that you get to have some."

Haley smiled and sat back down, nibbling on a bran muffin.

"Thanks. I guess I could use the company."

"You cooked enough food to feed the Army. That's all you're gonna have?"

"I don't have much of an appetite these days."

"Yeah…I heard."

"Excuse me?"

"About you and Nathan…and Amanda."

Haley's cheeks turned bright red.

"Oh."

Jenny kicked at the empty chair across from her as she watched Haley bravely fight back tears.

"Sorry", Jenny mumbled under her breath.

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry."

Haley nodded.

"Thank you, Jenny. Um, I think I'll be okay."

"What are you gonna do?"

Haley shrugged.

"I have no idea."

"Are you and Nathan gonna get a divorce?"

"I don't know, sweetie. It…it's complicated."

"You must be pretty mad at him, huh?"

"Yeah, I am", she said softly.

"Nathan really loves you, you know. He isn't the sharpest tool in the box but he's a good person. And that's more than I can say for Amanda. She gets off on hurting people. Just don't let her do that. Don't let her win."

"Sweetie, I'm sorry Amanda hurt you and now I know that she wasn't the nice girl we all thought she was but what may have or may have not happened with her and Nathan and what I saw…it's just so complex, honey. It's not just black and white. And I appreciate you trying to help but you can't. You're just a little kid."

"I may be a little kid but I'm not stupid. I know what it's like to get hurt by someone you're supposed to trust", she said in a low voice.

"You mean Nikki?" Haley asked.

Jenny nodded.

"Yeah. Like when I was growing up, we moved around a lot. And I'd see other kids my age and stuff with their families and I'd get really jealous. Because most people had these nice houses with a mom and a dad and brothers and sisters. All I had was Nikki and whoever she was shacking up with that month."

"Was she mean to you?"

"Not really. We got along most of the time when she was there. But a lot of times she was off partying with her friends at night and during the day she'd sleep a lot. When she was by herself and sober, she wasn't half bad."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"One day she just came to me and told me I was going to live with my dad. I didn't want to but I didn't have a choice. I mean, I didn't remember him and Nikki said a lot of bad things about him. Anyway, I got here and it was…weird."

"How so?"

"I mean, I never met people like you guys before. Dad and Peyton, you and Nathan and even that ditz Brooke and Lucas. You guys were like so together and everybody was happy and I'd just never seen anything like it except on TV or movies. I'm not trying to tell you what to do and you might think I'm just a dumb little kid but I've met a lot of Amandas in my life. But I haven't met that many Nathan and Haleys. So I guess what I'm saying is, look inside your heart. I mean, you know this guy. You two have been together since before the dinosaurs ruled the earth. Up until this point you loved and trusted him. Why stop now?"

Haley wiped her eyes.

"I do love Nathan but…"

"But what?"

"But I don't know. It's not that easy, Jenny."

"No, it's not but all you have to do is look in your heart. That's what I had to do with my dad. And I was scared and I had trust issues but I knew that he loved me. Just like Nathan loves you."

Water dripped from Haley's eyes.

"I just freaked. I came home and I saw them in bed, in our bed together and I totally flipped out. It didn't matter how much he loved me or how much I trusted him, it was just all about what I saw at the moment. And it hurt, Jenny. You dad told us the truth about Amanda and Nathan has been calling and trying to stop by but…"

"Then you should talk to him. At least see what he has to say. My dad says there are two sides to every story and he's pretty smart."

Haley nodded.

"Yeah, your dad is pretty smart."

"So have you decided what you're going to do?"

Haley looked away.

"No. Not yet. I just still have a lot to think about, Jenny."

"Okay", Jenny stood. "I've got to go. I'm late for school."

"Have a good day, sweetheart."

"Thanks for the grub", Jenny called out as headed for the front door.

"Hey, Jen!" Haley yelled, running out after her.

"Yeah?" Jenny turned around.

"I'm sorry. I, I was wrong."

"About what?"

"When I said you couldn't help me."

Jenny gave her a smile but Haley took it one step further by pulling her in for a bug hug. Jenny was not a fan of hugs, especially Haley's as she had mouthed off to her about it since day one but for the first time she didn't make a smart comment or pull away. It just felt good…and for the first time that was okay.