Chapter Five
A.N. I know it took me forever to get this chapter out. I suck emensely. Four months have passed since this last chapter and I won't even justify it with a lame explanation. But if it helps I have the next seven chapters mapped out. Oh and did I mention that there's only seven chapters left? Lol. So hopefully it'll move quickly. And the faster you read the faster I type!
"Hales, you know we don't have to do this trip," Nathan states for what must be the millionth time that morning.
"Nathan, these are our friends, our best friends, they are trying to do something nice for us. They found us this house, they all are checking out of their lives for a weekend, for us, for me," Haley's words previously have been coming from the bathroom but she emerges now, "we can't back out."
"If you wanted to, they'd understand, they could still go on their own," Nathan replies quickly. "If you're not comfortable going to the beach with a bunch of people, even if they are our friends I'll explain it to them."
"Nathan," Haley's tone is slightly sharp when she uses his name, "we're going. Please stop bugging me about it." With her words Haley sweeps her hair off of her neck and clips it up, "they should be here any minute. I'm going to grab my bag, okay, please don't mention this again."
Nathan is grinning when Brooke pushes open their apartment door, he'd seen a glimmer of the old Haley there, in that moment where she'd snapped, and it thrilled him. "Hey Dopey, what's with the smile?" Brooke asks pushing Nathan out of his thoughts. "Hey Tutor-Wife let's go!"
"Nothing," Nathan shakes his head quickly before Haley reemerges with a duffle bag slung over her shoulder, Nathan immediately takes it from her.
"Great, Nate you can take the bag with you guys in the car. Jake has Peyton's car and you guys are going in that while the girls will be riding in my car." Brooke links her arms through Haley's, "come on Tutor-Wife you've got shot-gun."
"I thought maybe Haley and I could..."
"Nope, sorry. Against the rules. Boys in one car. Girls in the other." Brooke shakes her head as she pulls Haley out of the apartment and starts down the steps.
"Thank you Brooke," Haley sighs once they have started on the road.
"For the trip? Tutor-wife we all needed the break," Brooke states as she passes a slower moving car.
"Not for the trip," Haley shakes her head, "well I do appreciate the trip but that's not what I'm thanking you for. For telling Nathan he couldn't come with us, he's driving me insane."
"He's just worried about you Hales," Peyton offers her words from the backseat where she sits alone, Jenny was staying with Jake's parents for the weekend. She watches Haley intently through the rearview mirror, Haley looked more pulled together then when Peyton had last seen her but there was something lying in her eyes that Peyton couldn't make out.
"I know he's worried about me," Haley's voice is slightly shrill as she speaks, "it's just that his coddling has been driving me crazy. I just want to move on with my life and it's like he needs me to be in a pain so he can take care of me."
Peyton catches Brooke's glance in the mirror, "he just wants you to go through what you need to go through." Brooke's words are slow and cautious, knowing her own temper she knew that Haley was likely to fly off the handle at any point and Brooke didn't want to be on the receiving end of that.
"I don't want to go through it," Haley's eyes shift to something outside of her window so that no one can see her expression any longer. "I just want to move on with my life. Starting with Monday, I'll be back in school ready to catch up on what I missed."
"That's good, Haley," there's a pause in Peyton's speech while she attempts to sort out what she wants to say. "But you just can't push these emotions away, if you don't deal with your emotions now it's all going to come back and bite you in the ass in the end."
"Can we not talk about this anymore? It's supposed to be a vacation, right? So we don't have to cope with the reality of our lives?" Haley cuts her own words off by turning on the stereo and turning up so as to make conversation all but impossible, over the noise and the wind caused by the convertible state of the car
Haley stares at the ocean, she felt more relaxed then she did the instant she left Tree Hill to go to New York City. There was something so cleansing to the soul about the ocean and she was so grateful to Brooke, Peyton, Lucas and Jake for pulling this all together for her. The two days had gone quickly. They were spent mostly on the beach, the girls soaking up the sun while the guys played various beach sport activities and teased the girls. Even Nathan had relaxed by Saturday night and Sunday he'd obviously been enjoying himself, no longer stressing himself over Haley's well being.
"Hey," Nathan appears suddenly from behind Haley. "You've been out here for a long time. Everyone's starting to head to bed." Haley had been grateful for the room she shared with Nathan, although it made her think of an old 50's couple, they had separated twin beds. Haley felt bad for keeping Nathan at the distance but she was sure it would be worse if she flinched every time he crosses that invisible line between his space and hers. "But you missed all the drama."
"Oh?" Haley's distracted and she's only half listening as she makes the quiet noise.
"Brooke and Lucas got into a huge fight and started making out..." Nathan laughs, "you can never tell with the two of them."
"Good for them," Haley is paying enough attention to know the appropriate response but past that she's got no idea what Nathan's talking about.
"Do you want to talk about whatever you're thinking about?" Nathan's words are gentle and Haley bites her lip, fighting back tears.
"Yeah." Haley can almost hear Nathan's shock in the air and they both fall silent, she knows he's waiting patiently for her to begin speaking. Haley takes a deep breath, she doesn't want to say what she's about to, but she has too. She's been out here thinking about it for nearly two hours and she knows that it's best for both of them, especially for Nathan. "I think we need to take some time apart. I'm going to ask Lucas if I can stay at his place." She's sure that Nathan understands what she's getting at but the last sentence slips out before she can stop it, "I think we should get a divorce."