Chapter Twenty-Three: Skeletons in the Closet
Haley wilted under Brooke's scrutinizing gaze, somehow a thousand times more powerful than it had been in their high school days.
"Brooke, what are you doing here?" asked Lucas in amazement.
"Chris called me," she said simply, crossing her arms and leaning against the elevator door as it began to rise with the three of them inside of it.
"You and Chris are still in touch?" said Haley in amazement.
"One could say the same of you two," replied Brooke, raising a perfect eyebrow.
Haley looked up at Lucas and studied him for a moment. Their long years of disconnect suddenly seemed light years behind them.
"Except that Lucas and I did, at some point, have a relationship," said Haley, her eyes narrowing.
"Who's to say we didn't?" she asked cattily.
XxxxxxX
"So, are you guys are together?" asked Chris, after Nathan and Taylor had stopped kissing and an awkward silence had descended.
"I guess," said Taylor, shrugging her shoulders. Nathan took her hand.
"Uh, okay," he said.
"Hey, do you want to move in?" asked Taylor of Nathan.
"Haley owns this place," reminded Nathan.
"Oh, right. So we'll go to your place," she decided. He nodded his head agreeably.
Brooke entered Haley's apartment and looked at Taylor and Nathan in disgust. They looked so annoyingly coupley. She turned to Chris.
"Hey. You're back," she said.
"Wonder why?" he asked, smirking.
"Wait a sec. Taylor, Haley told me to tell you she left. She's gone off somewhere," said Brooke.
"With Lucas?" asked Nathan.
"Hi, jealous. Uh, no. They went off separately. She's by herself," said Brooke, turning back to Chris.
XxxxxxX
Haley rolled open her window as she entered Tree Hill, North Carolina, letting it's familiar smell off freshly cut grass wash over her. The town hadn't changed. The boy dribbling a basketball down the sidewalk could have just as easily been her. The simply dressed girl beside him could have been her. Haley smiled as they stopped to kiss and they faded out of view.
She smiled at all the businesses. Everything was brand named in Manhattan. From Prada to Blockbuster. Here it was all "Pierson's Pharmacy". "John's Grocer." "Karen's Café."
The bell above her head jangled as she stepped into her the café. It had been ten years. It felt like a lifetime. She peered cautiously around. Deb Scott was at the counter talking with Keith. There was a couple sitting in the counter, a few people working on computers.
Karen saw her at the same moment she saw Karen. The older woman dropped her notepad on the counter and cautiously walked over.
"I thought I'd be seeing you," she said.
"After ten years?" asked Haley in surprise.
"Well, you're a little late. Lucas told me what's been going on. I was hoping you'd return to the source. Do you want to talk?" asked Karen.
"No, not if you already know. I have to clear my head," explained Haley. Karen nodded and in a moment she was gone again.
Haley completely bypassed her own house, and the apartment, and moved on to somewhere far less familiar.
"Haley?" asked Dan Scott in confusion as she knocked on the door. For a moment, she was proud. It was difficult to catch Dan off guard. In a moment he was smirking again.
"I just wanted to tell you that I'm not going to marry Nathan," she said.
"Of course you're not. My son finally knows better. He's never going back to those dark days," said Dan confidently.
"Sure, whatever. What I was going to say is that I'm not going to marry Nathan because I'm going to marry Lucas," she said, suddenly quite sure of it. "Oh, and by the way, Nathan's knocked up my big sister. And it's been really nice seeing you."
Haley turned and walked away proudly. She'd been waiting for ten years to have something to rub in his face, and now she'd had two things.
XxxxxxX
Chris and Brooke were gone by the time Gabby suddenly came home from school.
She gasped in surprise when she saw Taylor and Nathan kissing in the entry way. She'd gotten as used to the fact that he'd disappeared from all of their lives as she'd gotten used to the slight bump on Taylor's stomach.
"Oh, hey Gabby," said Taylor, finally noticing her.
"Hey," she said slowly.
"Uh, you know Nathan? He's not cheating on Haley, I promise," explained Taylor. Gabby smiled a half smile at her guardian.
"Are you moving?" asked Gabby, noticing the cardboard boxes.
"Yes," said Taylor. She looked at Nathan and raised her eyebrows. He shrugged.
"You can come, if you want," offered Taylor. Gabby looked suspiciously between them.
"What about Haley?" she asked.
"Haley's going to stay here. I think she's going to get married. But that's not what I meant. Nathan and I will adopt you, if that's what you want," explained Taylor. For a second, Gabby considered throwing herself into Taylor's arms. But that would be far too clichéd for her tastes. So she simply nodded and shrugged and hoped they'd get the message.
XxxxxxX
Lucas smiled as Haley crawled into his bed the next day, pale with exhaustion.
"Hey, where'd you go? Even Brooke was a bit worried," he said in concern, stroking her hair when she dropped her head onto his shoulder.
"I went back home. They all kind of think we're going to get married," she said slowly.
"Well then, I guess we'll have to, to save ourselves from embarrassment," he said.
"Tomorrow, when I'm actually awake, I'm going to expect a far better proposal. It's funny, how you're the first boy I ever kissed and Taylor was Nathan's first time. It's like we're all ending up back where we started," she said. She rolled over until she was on top of him.
"I'm sure I'll think of something. I love you," he said suddenly, as she looked like she was about to drop off to sleep.
"I love you too. And I missed you," she said sleepily.
"When, last night?" he asked.
"No. For the last ten years," explained Haley, locking eyes with him before hers fluttered closed.