Author's Note: I know it's been a while, but I'm back. I hope you are all still liking this story. Since you're reading this, I'm going to assume that you are. I'm a little surprised to find that I'm getting this many reviews, considering that it's not a Naley fic. Anyway, I think this is going to be the last chapter for the runaways until we skip ahead a month to see what they're up to. I think that's all I need to say, so I guess it's on with the story.

--OTH--

It had takenTaylor about five minutes to get Haley to calm down and stop crying before she could get the story out of her. Haley told her all the things that had changed in her hometown since she moved away.Taylor was trying to decide which thing she found more surprising, there was certainly a large number of things to choose from.

An hour later they were sitting on the couch that Courtney had just been sleeping on, discussing the latest turn of events.

"So, you finally gave it up?"Taylor asked, only semi surprised considering all the things that she'd heard in the last hour. Haley nodded. "I thought you were going to wait until you got married."

"I was," Haley told her. She looked down at her lap, playing with her fingers. "I always planned on meeting the love of my life, getting married and having kids." She looked up at her older sister. "Than I meet Nathan."

"I just can't believe that someone as smart as my baby sister would fall for a Scott." Haley smirked, agreeing with her. "Well, a Scott that wasn't Lucas anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you've always been crushing on him," Brooke answered as she stepped out of the room, Courtney following close behind her. Both James girls turned around and gave Brooke a smile.

"Thank you,"the blondecheered. "I'm glad to see that someone else was able to see it."

"It's not like I'm blind," Brooke laughed. She always thought it was the cutest thing that Luke and Haley liked each other and neither of them realized it. Haley rolled her eyes, used to the teasing from both girls. "So, everything's okay?"

"Yeah,"Taylor answered, looking directly at Brooke. "We're okay." Brooke smiled, thanking God thatTaylor didn't hate her anymore.

"Good."

"Not to break up the creepy girl bondage fun you have going." Courtney interrupted them. "But, Tay, we have to go. We're meeting them at two-thirty, remember?"

"Oh, crap,"Taylor sighed, looking at her watch, just realizing what time it was. She looked at Haley, apologetically. "Sorry to bail on you when you just got in, but we kind of have plans to meet a few friends at the movies."

"That's totally cool," Haley assured her. "Go have fun." Taylor leaned down and hugged her, giving her a quick kiss on the hair as she pulled away.

"You guys wanna come?" Courtney asked, feeling rude leaving without at least inviting them to join. Brooke and Haley both shook their heads.

"No, no," Brooke answered. "I think we're just gonna crash here. It's been a long trip." Courtney andTaylor nodded as Taylorwent to get her purse. "Have fun, though."

"You too," Courtney replied. "We're probably going to go out to dinner after, so you'll be on your own for that too."

"Knowing Brooke, she'll sleep right through it," Haley answered with a smirk. Brooke laughed and nodded, indicating that she was right.Taylor walked back into the room wearing a different shirt and pants. Haley smiled, noticing thatTaylor was dressed up. "Meeting anyone special?"

"You're one to talk,"Taylor threw back at her, eyeing her stomach.

"How long are you going to throw that in my face?"

"Until I get knocked up, for sure,"Taylor teased her. Haley stuck her tongue out at her and gave her the finger. "Love you too, sis. Bye, Brooke. Have a nice sleep."

"It was nice meeting you," Courtney called out, asTaylor pushed her out the door. The door closed before either of them could reply. Brooke laughed nervously as she walked over to join Haley on the couch.

"So that's Taylor."

"Yep," Haley answered, a little nervous, too. She knew what Brooke was going to say and she really didn't want to have this conversation. She also knew that Brooke was going to push until they talked about it. "That's her."

"She's just like you," Brooke commented, looking around the apartment, trying to find anything to look at other than the girl beside her. Haley smiled at the comment.

"Don't tell her that." They shared a smile before the silence took over. This wasn't like the silence they had in the car, that was comfortable and this was anything but. After a few minutes, Haley couldn't take it anymore and began to stand up. "So, I guess I'll just..."

"What wasTaylor talking about before?" Brooke asked her quickly. Haley froze and closed her eyes. Brooke looked up at her, trying to grudge her reaction. "About what she said when she realized who..."

"I know what you're talking about," Haley answered in a low voice. She sighed and sat back down, but didn't look at Brooke. Brooke sat waiting for Haley to continue, but she didn't say anything.

"So, what did she mean?"

"Do you remember what you were like back then?" Haley answered, some of the hurt that she experienced back then coming back to the surface. She tried to keep it out of her voice, not wanting Brooke to feel bad, but she couldn't control it.

"I try to forget it, but...yeah, I remember," Brooke answered quietly. She bowed her head, finding it hard to look at Haley when she thought about the way she used to treat her.

"You used to treat me like I was beneath you," Haley continued, bitterly. She knew that she might make matters worse between them, but she needed to get this off her chest. She was starting to feel better about it already.

"I know."

"Like just because I didn't live in a mansion or because I couldn't afford Gucci sunglasses, I didn't deserve to breathe the same air as you." She finally lifted her head to look at Brooke, and wasn't surprised to find that Brooke had her head down too. "You made my life a living hell for three years."

"I was a bitch," Brooke agreed. She looked up, feeling ridiculous that she was trying to make Haley feel sorry for her. "We used to go out of our way just to make you feel bad, but you never broke. No matter what we said to you, you never cried. I always kind of respected you for that."

"I didn't want to give you the pleasure," Haley explained. She looked past Brooke as a tear ran down her check at the memories of what was said to her back then. "I refused to cry in front of you. I always saved it until I got home.Taylor would come home from school everyday to find me crying in my room."

"I had no idea," Brooke answered. "If I had known..."

"It wouldn't have changed anything, would it?" Haley asked, looking Brooke straight in the eyes. "It wouldn't have stopped you from doing it."

"No," Brooke whispered, not looking away. "Probably not. To tell you the truth, it probably would have just made it worse." Haley nodded as more tears descended down her face. Brooke closed her eyes in an attempt to stop her own tears. She refused to make this about her.

"Why'd you do it, Tigger?" Haley asked, quietly. For a second, Haley wasn't sure if Brooke had heard her. "I always told myself it was because you were really just disgusted with yourself or because you came from a horrible home. I always gave you the benefit of the doubt." She looked at Brooke, as she tried to fight the tears. "But none of that is true, is it? You loved yourself and you had a perfect life, didn't you?" Brooke nodded. Haley shook her head and stood up, not being able to sit that close to Brooke any longer. "So? Why'd you do it?"

"At first, it was just for fun," Brooke answered, truthfully. "I was popular and you weren't, those are the rules, you know? Then after a while, I just wanted to see you cry. Everyday, I would try to think of something more hurtful to say to you, but you never, ever cried."

"So it was all a game?" Haley asked, not turning around to face her friend. "I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time one day and became your little plaything?"

"Basically," Brooke replied. "When we got to high school, I realized that I wasn't going to impress anybody by making you feel like dirt so I just stopped. I pretended that I didn't even know who you were, like I had never spoken two words to you. I actually tried to avoid you at all costs, but then..."

"Lucas and Peyton," Haley answered. "I know the rest, Brooke."

"Look, I felt so horrible about everything I did to you," Brooke confessed, standing up, but not walking over to Haley. "That's part of the reason I always called you Tutor Girl. I didn't think it was right to call you Haley, like we were friends. I didn't want to disrespect you or anything." Haley turned around to face her. Brooke was surprised that she didn't look mad.

"If you felt so horrible, then why didn't you ever talk to me about it?"

"I didn't think you wanted me to bring it up," Brooke answered. "And when you didn't bitch at me when I started dating Luke, I kind of figured you'd forgot about it."

"Oh yeah," Haley sighed, sarcastically. "I forget about people who terrorized me for years all the time." Brooke took a step forward, taking Haley's hands in hers.

"Okay, Hales," Brooke began. "There is nothing I can say that is going to erase the things I did. I wish I could take them all back, but we both know that I can't." She wiped some tears off Haley's face with the pad of her thumb. "All I can do is tell you how sorry I am for everything that I ever said to you. I was a stupid kid, a total bitch and I'm so sorry for that."

"I know you are, Tigger," Haley told her with a sad smile. "It just hurt so much. I can't just forget it." Brooke nodded, not knowing what to say to that. She finally decided that she should just leave it at that. "So, what do we do now?"

"Huh?"

"Where do we go from here?" Haley explained so Brooke would understand the question. Brooke let go of Haley's hands and pulled away, turning around. She closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair as she let out a breath.

"I don't know," Brooke answered, without turning around. After a minute of silence, she heard Haley walk away from her and into the bedroom. She flinched when she heard the door close. "I wish I did," she whispered as she flopped back down on the couch. She curled up, with her head on the arm and finally let the tears fall. She was asleep within five minutes.

--OTH--

So, what did you think? Any good? Drop me a line to let me know. Thanks. Peace.