Chapter Ten: Fall Into You
"So I know Brooke came along because of her paper thing, but why are you here?" asked Haley. She was sitting up in his bed, wrapped in the hotel comforter.
"You sure you're ready for this?" teased Nathan.
"I'm ready for anything," she said, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
"You know all that hype Scott has for his basketball?" began Nathan.
"Lucas is great," said Haley.
"I could kick his ass in one on one," said Nathan. Haley raised an eyebrow again, feeling a completely different emotion. Doubt.
"Really."
"Really really. His fade away isn't for crap and he can't dunk for his life," he said.
"Lucas is the best player since his father!" said Haley defensively, unable to accept the suggestion that someone was better at anything than Lucas.
"And the biggest player since his father," joked Nathan.
"Hey," laughed Haley. While he laughed, she eyed his hard stomach muscles. She wondered how many sit-ups it took to make them look so hard and defined. "So you're what, on the team now?"
"No, Whitey just wanted me to learn some stuff," he said.
"Oh. We could work on your stamina," suggested Haley.
"For someone I met on a supposedly chance encounter…" said Nathan. As Haley scowled at him his mind flashed to the image of her soft skin, her legs, her entire naked body.
"I was happy. I didn't want to go to sleep," she said.
"Why?" asked Nathan, looking honestly interested.
Haley paled for a moment. She'd spent hours with Nathan and not thought of Lucas once, but she thought of him then. She thought of the happy 'reunion' they'd had, the resolve to try harder. The confession of love on both sides.
"Hales?" asked Nathan. Haley stared at him. The use of such a familiar, endearing term was somehow terrifying. Terrifying in that she was feeling for Nathan. The guy she'd chosen for bait to wage war against her half sister.
"I can't. I'm sorry, I really can't. I have to go," she said. Nathan's eyes widened in surprise.
Haley let the comforter fall and ran across the room, her skin fully exposed until she wrapped her robe around herself.
"Haley?" he asked. He rose and walked over to her.
"No. No, it's wrong. Lucas did this to me and it almost killed me. Nathan, no!" she almost screamed, as he put his hand on her back, and the felt the electricity of his gentle touch. His hand flew backward in surprise as she raced barefoot across the room.
Bevin Gilmore's eyes were wide and reproachful as she opened the door to Haley. Bevin was wearing her uniform, her hair was done, she had a raven's tattoo on her cheek. They all did. Even Brooke. Haley marveled at how right it looked on her as the other girls went to work on her hair.
The ten of them sat in previously planned formation on the gym floor. Haley stared straight ahead as the first squad performed, fully aware of Nathan Lee's blue eyes on her. As the second squad went on, she was aware of how nervous her own squad was, but she couldn't think of anything to comfort them when she was too busy comforting herself.
Haley and the other girls stood up.
"Any words of wisdom?" asked Peyton Sawyer.
"Um. You guys are great. I've seen you be better than all of these guys," said Haley. Eight of them ran onto the stage as Haley slowly followed them.
She stopped as Brooke gently laid an arm on her forearm and sent her a concerned, questioning look. Haley gave her a half smile and shook her head slightly as the sisters ran to join the rest of them.
Haley pasted on her cheerleader smile as the music started. She went through her own movements perfectly and emotionlessly, but she couldn't help but take pride in the rest of them. The confidence that shone from the girls was astonishing.
The gym cheered as the gym awarded second prize to the Charlotte High Jaguars, second to the Bear Creek Warriors.
"And first place, to our fifth time champions, the Tree Hill Ravens!" said the announcer. The ten of them bounced up to the podium. Haley remembered the previous year, how eager, anxious and proud she'd been.
As Haley's hands went around the shiny golden columns of the trophy, she raised her eyebrows at her elder sister. Slowly, hesitantly, Brooke's hand joined Haley's on the trophy. Together they held it in the air to the resonating cheers of the crowd.
The crowd cheered again, much later, as Lucas' three pointed swung into the net and the buzzer rung for half time.
Haley sneaked into the locker room as Lucas and the team went in. She ignored whistles as she navigated into the section where her boyfriend was sitting on a bench, a towel about his neck.
"Hey," she said, going to sit beside him.
"Hey," he replied weakly.
"What's up with him?" asked Haley, looking in concern. Tim Smith, one of the Raven's, was sitting in the corner, having his ankle examined by a medic.
"Sprained it jumping of a bench. Haley…" Lucas began. Haley pressed a finger to his lips, bracing herself for the inevitable.
"No. I have a speech. Lucas Scott. My speech is stupid. I'm not in love with you anymore, and I don't think you've been in love with me since seventh grade," said Haley simply.
"That's not true," he protested, smiling at her audacity even in the end.
"Whatever. I saw you. You were eyeing… You know what I mean. It's okay, we're over. We've been over for a while," said Haley.
"Do I get a chance to talk?" he asked. Haley thought about that for a second.
"No. Not a chance in hell. It would make me cry."
Haley ran out of the room, and out into the cold gray day. She sat on a bench, brought up her legs and buried her head in her knees. There, in the silence, she did cry. Cried as she thoughts of the good times they'd had in their many, many years together. Of how simple, pathetic and emotionless their breakup had been. Haley no longer wanted Lucas, but she liked to think he'd at least put up a fight for her.
Lucas heart was full of Haley and not Brooke when he ran onto the court with the rest of the team. He cast a glance at Whitey, who looked grim. Of course he was grim. Tim, an idiot as he might be, was the only one Lucas could trust to play to his ability. His replacement couldn't win the game. It was impossible.
As Haley cried her heart on the park bench, Brooke Davis watched as her best friend subbed in, his dark blue eyes clouded.
"Where's Haley?" mouthed Lucas, as he passed by Brooke, cheering for the Ravens.
Brooke shrugged before looking down the line at the eight other girls, and back to Lucas Scott. Her heart was heavy. The relationship between Lucas and Haley was a fairly good excuse not to go after her heart's desire. Now it looked as though she had none.
Brooke fled the gym and went outside. She spotted a small, pathetic figure in a short blue and white skirt and ran to her.
"You're stronger than this," said Brooke, staring at her sister. Haley looked up, instantly ashamed of her puffy eyes.
"I'm not," she sobbed.
"You're stronger than anyone I know. Get off your ass and come inside," said Brooke.
Nathan's eyes were on the ball as it sailed in his hands in the last five seconds of the game, but on Haley for a nanosecond as she took her place in the line and picked up the cheer. He noted her puffy eyes. He understood. As she met his own eyes, he knew she wasn't cheering for the Ravens.
She, Haley James, was cheering for him. Nathan Lee.
He released the ball from his hands and watched in satisfaction as it went neatly into the net and won the game.
The gym erupted. Lucas immediately ran off, grabbed Brooke's hand, pulled her into an alcove and kissed her. Brooke let go of her qualms and for a time, she let herself be happy. Be loved.
Lucas, involved with Brooke, didn't noticed as Haley spectacularly leapt over the bench, onto the crowded court full of sulking Warrior's and celebratory Raven's. Nathan turned to her as he finished smacking hands with Jake Jagielski, and opened his arms just in time for her to fall into them.