Hey guys. I hope you like the story and I hope you keep reviewing. I'll try to update more often since I'm already done with the story. Please R&R and tell me if I should continue or not. Love / Malin
Chapter four: And I turn my back on loving you
Haley walked down a corridor a few hours later and she was heading toward the cafeteria to get some food since she was starving. She sat down and began to eat when she heard a familiar voice at the table next to her, Brooke the gossip queen was revealing the latest scandal and by her excited voice it was something big. She overheard Brooke saying her name so she decided to eavesdrop for a while.
"You know that girl Haley James or something like that? Did you know that she's a stripper? Yeah, the basketball-team saw her the other night and apparently she seemed pretty used to the job." Brooke said with a smirk as the other girls at the table made 'oohs', 'aahs' and 'no way's'. "She's such a slut I mean why would anyone want to work as a stripper from their own free will?" Brooke commented and the girls agreed. Haley rose from her seat and ran out of the cafeteria and into one of the restrooms, bending down to the toilet just in time as she threw up her lunch. Afterward she sat on the floor crying hugging her arms close to her body as if she was freezing. The gossiping continued through the day, everywhere she went she could hear the whispers and see the pointing and staring. It hurt, it hurt to know it was all about her, it hurt to know it was about her even if they had now idea who she really was and her reasons, I hurt so deep. Every break longer than ten minutes was spent in the restroom crying and throwing up the rest of the contents of her stomach. After last period she called Karen to tell her she wouldn't be at work today and then she went to get her homework in her locker before leaving. By her locker there was a crowd, the popular crowd of course including Lucas, Jake, Tim, Nathan, Brooke, Peyton and the rest of the two teams.
"Excuse me? I just want to pick something out of my locker." Haley said.
"Oh, hi I don't think we've met. I'm Brooke Davis and if I'm correct you're Haley James, the slut right?" Something just clicked inside Haley and she snapped.
"Right, I'm the slut of the two of us? I mean how many guys have you been with this week? As for me, I've only been with one person my whole life. So who's the slut?" She asked in an angry voice before turning to Lucas who was talking to Nathan not seeming to know what just happened. "Luke? I'm sorry for being so mean the other day, I understand what you mean but I just…" She trailed off as she noticed that Lucas was completely ignoring her, he turned and walked away with Jake and she stood there watching him leave.
"Oh, did the slut actually think she had a chance with Lucas Scott?" Brooke said in a fake pitying voice.
"I'm not a slut and for your information Lucas is the only guy I've ever been with okay?" Haley said before slamming her locker shut and leaving the school.
Three days later Lucas was still ignoring her, acting as if she was made out of air. She was finally going back to the café but not because she was ready but because she really needed the money, her neighbour Mrs. Morrison had already done her too many favours. She stepped into the café and the bell rung above her; Karen looked up and smiled at her. Haley immediately started talking orders so she wouldn't have to speak to the older woman about her son. After an hour and a half the bell rung for the millionth time and Lucas walked into the café, still ignoring Haley he, Nathan and Jake sat down at a table. She told Karen that she needed a brake and went upstairs to the roof. She sat up there letting the cool air hit her face and mess with her hair and suddenly everything seemed so much simpler than it had five minutes ago. She sat up there for almost fifteen minutes before Karen came upstairs to check on her.
"Hi hun. What's up? Why did you leave when Lucas came in? Did you have a fight or something?" Karen asked concerned.
"No we didn't, he's ignoring me because of all the gossip about me in school and because he doesn't think my second job is good enough." Haley said in a bitter tone looking up at the cloudy sky. "It's going to rain soon." She said mostly to herself.
"Yes it looks like it. That's not like Lucas; he usually doesn't judge people like that." Karen said slowly.
"Well he's judging me now and can we just drop this, I don't want to talk about it." Haley pleaded.
"Sure, they're still down there so you can go home early if you don't want to meet him right now." Karen said.
"Yeah actually if you don't mind, I'd like that." Haley responded as they walked downstairs again.
"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow okay?" Karen said as Haley left.
"Yeah, I'll see you Karen." Haley said as she passed Lucas' table and gazed at him with eyes filled with sorrow and hurt. Nathan noticed this and he also noticed his brother's gaze of disgust.
Later that evening Nathan pulled up outside Haley's apartment building, it hadn't been easy to find her address but he needed to talk to her, to find out more about her relationship with his brother since Lucas wasn't talking. He knocked at the door and heard Haley's voice from inside: "I'll be right there Mrs. Morrison." Mrs. Morrison was probably a neighbour or something, Nathan thought. Soon the door swung open and on the other side he found an only half dressed Haley and a young man he didn't know but found quite familiar.