Author's Note: Hey, all. Once again, thanks for the replies. I just wanted to warn you that this chapter isn't that great, but I hope you like it anyway. Please tell me what you think.
OTH
"Haley, sweetie, are you here?"
After Peyton left the Café, it took her a few minutes before she was able to catch up with Brooke. She found her standing outside on Haley's front yard. She had asked if Haley was there, but Brooke wasn't sure. She wasn't able to keep up with her, but she assumed that she went there. They spent a few minutes out on the lawn, arguing over whether they should just go in or not. Finally, they decided that nobody else was home; they never were, so they let themselves in.
"She wouldn't be able to hear that," Peyton told her, closing the door behind her. Brooke glared at her before walking further into the house. "She's probably up in her room."
"Sweetie, are you up there?" Brooke called out again, but louder this time. The blonde shook her head at her friend and started taking the steps two at a time up to Haley's room.
"I'm checking her room," Peyton informed her, when she noticed that Brooke was still standing at the bottom of the stairs. "You go check out back. She told me she likes to go out there sometimes."
"Got it," Brooke answered, starting to move past the stairs in the direction of the kitchen. She didn't know what she could expect to find when they did get to Haley, but she knew that her best friend was going to be devastated. Before she could make it to the sliding door that lead to the backyard, she heard Peyton yelling to her.
"She's up here," Peyton called down to her. Brooke felt a wave of relief wash over her when Peyton said that. She was even more grateful when she didn't hear any fear in the blonde's voice.
"I'm coming," Brooke said. When she walked past the table, a piece of paper caught her eye. She stopped walking and picked it up. It was a note to Haley from her parents.
Dear Haley,
You father and I are taking off for the next month or so, we decided that there just wasn't anything for us here. We'll try to get in contact with you sometime during our trip, but I wouldn't count on it. I know that you are old enough to take care of yourself now, and I'm sure that you're happy to have us gone like this. Anyway, if you need anything, just call Kate and she'll take care of it. We'll see you soon,
Mom and Dad
Brooke couldn't believe what she was reading. She shook her head angrily and crumbled up the note, shoving it in her pocket to show to Peyton after.
"Brooke, get your ass up here!" Peyton yelled down to her again. Brooke quickly remembered what she was supposed to be doing and made her way up to Haley's bedroom.
"I'm coming," she said when she was just down the hall. She pushed open the door to Haley's room and her heart broke at the sight that greeted her. Haley was crawled up in a ball, crying her eyes out and trembling. Her eyes traveled up to Peyton, who was standing beside the bed.
"I don't know what to do," Peyton explained, knowing the excuse was weak. She was never good when it came to helping people with their feelings, but that wasn't what her problem was this time. Truth be told, she didn't feel right, comforting Haley and holding her when she had been lying to her.
"Figures," Brooke mumbled, stepping further into the room. She pulled out the note. "I found this on the table in the kitchen" She tossed the crumbled up piece of paper at Peyton to read. "They did it again."
"Her parents?" Brooke nodded before turning to Haley's shaking form on the bed. Peyton walked towards the door, not wanting to interrupt with the talking. She didn't feel right being in the room when Brooke was trying to calm her down.
"Where are you going?" Brooke asked, turning her head when she realized that Peyton was leaving the room.
"You know me," Peyton tried to explain. "I'm not good with this kind of thing. You're better at it than me." Brooke looked at her strangely, knowing that Peyton wasn't telling her the whole truth. "I'm just gonna head down stairs for a bit, call me up when she's asleep."
"You're kidding me, right?" Brooke asked, a little anger that Peyton was acting like this. Peyton was surprised at Brooke's attitude.
"Brooke, come on..."
"Your best friend is frickin' crying her heart out right in front of you and you're just going to walk away?" She looked in Peyton's eyes and she knew that she hated herself for doing this too. "I don't know what's up with you, but this is Haley, okay? The Haley's that been there for both of us whenever we needed it."
"I know that," Peyton snapped. Getting grilled by Brooke was the last thing she needed right now. "I'm no good to her right now. I suck at this sort of thing. Just do your job and call me when she's better."
"Whatever," Brooke hissed at her. She turned her back to her, signaling that she was done with this conversation. Peyton was about to say something, but changed her mind and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. As soon as the door was closed, Peyton leaned against the wall to take a breath. She closed her eyes as she listened to Haley cry. She slid down the wall to the floor and sat there.
"God," Peyton breathed. She let her forehead fall against her knees. She couldn't stand the sight of Haley crying like that. It broke her heart to see her in so much pain. She also knew that she had to tell Haley now. Well, not now, but soon. She knew that Nathan was just going to keep doing this to her and it would just keep hurting her. It was like Haley was in an abusive relationship without realizing it and Peyton couldn't just stand by and watch it anymore.
Brooke looked down at Haley's shaking form on the bed and for the first time in her life, she had no idea what to do. Deciding that it was no use talking to her in the state she was in, she figured the only thing she could do was be there for her and let her know that she cared.
"Haley?" she said quietly, not wanting to scare the distraught girl. If Haley heard her, she showed no sign of it. Brooke carefully laid a hand on Haley's leg. "Haley, baby, are you okay?" She rolled her eyes at her question. Of course she wasn't okay.
"Brooke?" Haley questioned, opening her eyes slightly only to see a very fuzzy profile of her friend sitting on the bed. Brooke quickly jumped into action, crawling up to the top of the bed to lean against the headboard. Haley shifted in her position so she was facing the other girl and pulled herself up so she could place her head in Brooke's lap.
"I'm here, sweetie," Brooke assured her, running her hands through Haley's hair, trying to calm her down. Haley smiled; glad that at least someone was actually cared about her still.
"Thanks for coming," Haley got out between tears. Another wave of tears came over her and she clung to Brooke's pant leg, hoping that it will somehow stop the pain. Brooke closed her eyes in an attempt to stop her own tears from spilling over.
"Of course I came," Brooke replied wanting to keep her voice light even thought she didn't feel like it. "You know me, I can't resist the gut wrenching pain."
"You and me both," Haley said. "I don't know I let him get to me like that. I don't know why it effects me the way it does." Brooke frowned at her words.
"Aw, come on, Hales," Brooke sighed. "What he said was so low, anybody would have reacted the same way." Haley hiccupped and wiped away her tears. "Of course I would have slapped him first but..." Haley let out a little laugh.
"Yeah," Haley nodded. "I'm starting to regret not doing that before I ran out of there."
"I was going to do it for you, but I didn't want to hurt my hand," Brooke smirked down at her even though Haley wasn't looking up at her. Silence fell between them. "You know he didn't mean it, right?"
"I'm not so sure," Haley commented. She flipped onto her back so she could look up at Brooke's face. She felt weird talking to her upside down since her head was still in her lap, but she continued. "Lately, he's been acting really weird and he's been picking more fights than usual." She bit her bottom lip, trying to decide if she should tell Brooke this. "I think he might be seeing someone else."
"What?"
"I think he's finally tired of waiting for me," Haley finished. As much as it hurt her to even think about what Nathan might be doing behind her back, it was the only explanation that she could come up with.
"You think he's sleeping with someone else?" Brooke asked, surprised at how calm Haley was being over this new information. If she found out Luke was cheating on her, she would have ripped his hair out by now.
"If he isn't yet, he will be soon, I'm sure," Haley mumbled in a bitter tone. "I can see it in his eyes that he's getting fed up. We start making out and it's great, but then I pull back and can see the look in his eyes. He says that it's okay, but I know that it's not."
"That doesn't mean he's sleeping with other girls," Brooke tried to reason with her. "I haven't noticed anything weird with him lately. I'm sure it's nothing big like that..."
"But it's not just me," Haley interrupted, sitting up into a sitting position. Brooke could tell that Haley's calm demeanor was starting to crumble; her voice was starting to waver. "As much as I hate to admit it, Peyton knows Nathan better than I ever could. I've noticed that she's been acting weird around him too."
"Peyton?" Brooke repeated in a confused voice. She suddenly flashed back to her conversation with her last night, about how she didn't want to hurt her friend. Brooke shook her head, not believing that she didn't figure it out sooner. Peyton didn't have any other friends other than the ones in their little group, at least not any that she would care enough about to not want to hurt them. At the store earlier that day, Peyton had said it didn't involve her, so that only left Haley.
"Yeah," Haley nodded, biting her lip again. Brooke could tell that she was going to start to cry again soon. "She tries to be cool about it, but I keep catching her staring at Nathan." A few tears fell down her cheeks. "If Peyton notices that something's wrong than there had to be something going on, right?"
"Yeah," Brooke whispered, pulling Haley back into her arms. "Something's definitely going on." She couldn't believe that this was happening. How could Peyton do that to Haley? Brooke had never thought of Peyton as a backstabber, but if she was right, and Peyton was sneaking around with Nathan behind Haley's back, than backstabber was the nice word for what she was going to be calling Peyton.
OTH
I hope that wasn't too confusing or rushed. I wasn't sure how to add it in, without coming right out and having Brooke say it. I assume you all understand what just happened, but if you don't because of my horrible writing, just ask. Please, tell me what you think of this chapter.
OTH
"Haley, sweetie, are you here?"
After Peyton left the Café, it took her a few minutes before she was able to catch up with Brooke. She found her standing outside on Haley's front yard. She had asked if Haley was there, but Brooke wasn't sure. She wasn't able to keep up with her, but she assumed that she went there. They spent a few minutes out on the lawn, arguing over whether they should just go in or not. Finally, they decided that nobody else was home; they never were, so they let themselves in.
"She wouldn't be able to hear that," Peyton told her, closing the door behind her. Brooke glared at her before walking further into the house. "She's probably up in her room."
"Sweetie, are you up there?" Brooke called out again, but louder this time. The blonde shook her head at her friend and started taking the steps two at a time up to Haley's room.
"I'm checking her room," Peyton informed her, when she noticed that Brooke was still standing at the bottom of the stairs. "You go check out back. She told me she likes to go out there sometimes."
"Got it," Brooke answered, starting to move past the stairs in the direction of the kitchen. She didn't know what she could expect to find when they did get to Haley, but she knew that her best friend was going to be devastated. Before she could make it to the sliding door that lead to the backyard, she heard Peyton yelling to her.
"She's up here," Peyton called down to her. Brooke felt a wave of relief wash over her when Peyton said that. She was even more grateful when she didn't hear any fear in the blonde's voice.
"I'm coming," Brooke said. When she walked past the table, a piece of paper caught her eye. She stopped walking and picked it up. It was a note to Haley from her parents.
Dear Haley,
You father and I are taking off for the next month or so, we decided that there just wasn't anything for us here. We'll try to get in contact with you sometime during our trip, but I wouldn't count on it. I know that you are old enough to take care of yourself now, and I'm sure that you're happy to have us gone like this. Anyway, if you need anything, just call Kate and she'll take care of it. We'll see you soon,
Mom and Dad
Brooke couldn't believe what she was reading. She shook her head angrily and crumbled up the note, shoving it in her pocket to show to Peyton after.
"Brooke, get your ass up here!" Peyton yelled down to her again. Brooke quickly remembered what she was supposed to be doing and made her way up to Haley's bedroom.
"I'm coming," she said when she was just down the hall. She pushed open the door to Haley's room and her heart broke at the sight that greeted her. Haley was crawled up in a ball, crying her eyes out and trembling. Her eyes traveled up to Peyton, who was standing beside the bed.
"I don't know what to do," Peyton explained, knowing the excuse was weak. She was never good when it came to helping people with their feelings, but that wasn't what her problem was this time. Truth be told, she didn't feel right, comforting Haley and holding her when she had been lying to her.
"Figures," Brooke mumbled, stepping further into the room. She pulled out the note. "I found this on the table in the kitchen" She tossed the crumbled up piece of paper at Peyton to read. "They did it again."
"Her parents?" Brooke nodded before turning to Haley's shaking form on the bed. Peyton walked towards the door, not wanting to interrupt with the talking. She didn't feel right being in the room when Brooke was trying to calm her down.
"Where are you going?" Brooke asked, turning her head when she realized that Peyton was leaving the room.
"You know me," Peyton tried to explain. "I'm not good with this kind of thing. You're better at it than me." Brooke looked at her strangely, knowing that Peyton wasn't telling her the whole truth. "I'm just gonna head down stairs for a bit, call me up when she's asleep."
"You're kidding me, right?" Brooke asked, a little anger that Peyton was acting like this. Peyton was surprised at Brooke's attitude.
"Brooke, come on..."
"Your best friend is frickin' crying her heart out right in front of you and you're just going to walk away?" She looked in Peyton's eyes and she knew that she hated herself for doing this too. "I don't know what's up with you, but this is Haley, okay? The Haley's that been there for both of us whenever we needed it."
"I know that," Peyton snapped. Getting grilled by Brooke was the last thing she needed right now. "I'm no good to her right now. I suck at this sort of thing. Just do your job and call me when she's better."
"Whatever," Brooke hissed at her. She turned her back to her, signaling that she was done with this conversation. Peyton was about to say something, but changed her mind and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. As soon as the door was closed, Peyton leaned against the wall to take a breath. She closed her eyes as she listened to Haley cry. She slid down the wall to the floor and sat there.
"God," Peyton breathed. She let her forehead fall against her knees. She couldn't stand the sight of Haley crying like that. It broke her heart to see her in so much pain. She also knew that she had to tell Haley now. Well, not now, but soon. She knew that Nathan was just going to keep doing this to her and it would just keep hurting her. It was like Haley was in an abusive relationship without realizing it and Peyton couldn't just stand by and watch it anymore.
Brooke looked down at Haley's shaking form on the bed and for the first time in her life, she had no idea what to do. Deciding that it was no use talking to her in the state she was in, she figured the only thing she could do was be there for her and let her know that she cared.
"Haley?" she said quietly, not wanting to scare the distraught girl. If Haley heard her, she showed no sign of it. Brooke carefully laid a hand on Haley's leg. "Haley, baby, are you okay?" She rolled her eyes at her question. Of course she wasn't okay.
"Brooke?" Haley questioned, opening her eyes slightly only to see a very fuzzy profile of her friend sitting on the bed. Brooke quickly jumped into action, crawling up to the top of the bed to lean against the headboard. Haley shifted in her position so she was facing the other girl and pulled herself up so she could place her head in Brooke's lap.
"I'm here, sweetie," Brooke assured her, running her hands through Haley's hair, trying to calm her down. Haley smiled; glad that at least someone was actually cared about her still.
"Thanks for coming," Haley got out between tears. Another wave of tears came over her and she clung to Brooke's pant leg, hoping that it will somehow stop the pain. Brooke closed her eyes in an attempt to stop her own tears from spilling over.
"Of course I came," Brooke replied wanting to keep her voice light even thought she didn't feel like it. "You know me, I can't resist the gut wrenching pain."
"You and me both," Haley said. "I don't know I let him get to me like that. I don't know why it effects me the way it does." Brooke frowned at her words.
"Aw, come on, Hales," Brooke sighed. "What he said was so low, anybody would have reacted the same way." Haley hiccupped and wiped away her tears. "Of course I would have slapped him first but..." Haley let out a little laugh.
"Yeah," Haley nodded. "I'm starting to regret not doing that before I ran out of there."
"I was going to do it for you, but I didn't want to hurt my hand," Brooke smirked down at her even though Haley wasn't looking up at her. Silence fell between them. "You know he didn't mean it, right?"
"I'm not so sure," Haley commented. She flipped onto her back so she could look up at Brooke's face. She felt weird talking to her upside down since her head was still in her lap, but she continued. "Lately, he's been acting really weird and he's been picking more fights than usual." She bit her bottom lip, trying to decide if she should tell Brooke this. "I think he might be seeing someone else."
"What?"
"I think he's finally tired of waiting for me," Haley finished. As much as it hurt her to even think about what Nathan might be doing behind her back, it was the only explanation that she could come up with.
"You think he's sleeping with someone else?" Brooke asked, surprised at how calm Haley was being over this new information. If she found out Luke was cheating on her, she would have ripped his hair out by now.
"If he isn't yet, he will be soon, I'm sure," Haley mumbled in a bitter tone. "I can see it in his eyes that he's getting fed up. We start making out and it's great, but then I pull back and can see the look in his eyes. He says that it's okay, but I know that it's not."
"That doesn't mean he's sleeping with other girls," Brooke tried to reason with her. "I haven't noticed anything weird with him lately. I'm sure it's nothing big like that..."
"But it's not just me," Haley interrupted, sitting up into a sitting position. Brooke could tell that Haley's calm demeanor was starting to crumble; her voice was starting to waver. "As much as I hate to admit it, Peyton knows Nathan better than I ever could. I've noticed that she's been acting weird around him too."
"Peyton?" Brooke repeated in a confused voice. She suddenly flashed back to her conversation with her last night, about how she didn't want to hurt her friend. Brooke shook her head, not believing that she didn't figure it out sooner. Peyton didn't have any other friends other than the ones in their little group, at least not any that she would care enough about to not want to hurt them. At the store earlier that day, Peyton had said it didn't involve her, so that only left Haley.
"Yeah," Haley nodded, biting her lip again. Brooke could tell that she was going to start to cry again soon. "She tries to be cool about it, but I keep catching her staring at Nathan." A few tears fell down her cheeks. "If Peyton notices that something's wrong than there had to be something going on, right?"
"Yeah," Brooke whispered, pulling Haley back into her arms. "Something's definitely going on." She couldn't believe that this was happening. How could Peyton do that to Haley? Brooke had never thought of Peyton as a backstabber, but if she was right, and Peyton was sneaking around with Nathan behind Haley's back, than backstabber was the nice word for what she was going to be calling Peyton.
OTH
I hope that wasn't too confusing or rushed. I wasn't sure how to add it in, without coming right out and having Brooke say it. I assume you all understand what just happened, but if you don't because of my horrible writing, just ask. Please, tell me what you think of this chapter.
