Chapter Twenty: A Question That You Should Say Yes To
Months passed. Haley got the apartment. A job. An emancipation. A broken heart.
After their last time together, they'd barely exchanged two words. Having Nathan as the new star on the basketball team made their contact minimal. Haley couldn't stand having Nathan never look at her for entire weeks on end, and considered quitting cheerleading, but she also knew that she wouldn't be able to survive without at least being able to look at him.
Nathan rose quickly into the ranks of popularity, rising almost to the height of Lucas and Haley. When their breakup became apparent girls began to chase him shamelessly, but went so far out of his way to avoid them that inevitable rumours began to spring that he was gay.
Lucas had flings with a long series of girls. There was Caitlin, Jessica, Katrina, and Janet. Then he was in a relationship so suddenly that Haley was worried. Her name was Davis. She was pretty, smart, funny, and not even a skank. She was a less interesting version of Brooke. Haley knew it. Nathan even knew it.
Familial bonds were strong with Brooke. She never once contacted Lucas but she called Haley from New York weekly. The two talked for hours and Haley caught her up on all the Tree Hill gossip except for Nathan and his solitude, Lucas and his Davis.
Nathan dropped tutoring, and Haley saw him drift away from his former self as she drifted back toward hers.
A heartbroken Brooke settled easily into life in Manhattan with her mother. Her new school saw only the Brooke she'd become, the prettier, showier, more confident Brooke that consequentially became very popular, and very datable. False rumours began to drift around her school that Brooke Davis, the new Queen Bee, was notoriously loose in Tree Hill. But these rumours were proved untrue when she became famous for never sleeping with any of the many guys she dated.
And so it went on for months, the four that had grown so tight rebounding into barely co-existing.
Until, one day, everything changed yet again.
XxxxxxX
In the end, it was Justine who did it. Justine, who underneath her contempt for Haley, admired her greatly and loved her even better when she was with her brother.
Traditionally the two girls would put the cheerleading equipment together while alternating members of the basketball team would put away the balls. After three months passed, Justine waited until the day she knew that Nathan would clean up, and left practice ten minutes early.
Nathan considered running the moment he realized what his sister had arranged, but he forced himself not to be afraid of confrontation with her. At first, he had nothing to worry about. Haley didn't say a word, but blushed hotly the entire time.
Until she cracked.
"So what, you're just not going to talk to me?" she demanded.
"You weren't exactly making yourself available," shot back Nathan.
"God, I said I was sorry," she said.
"Why'd you do it?" demanded Nathan.
"I saw you with Brooke. I thought… Never mind, it doesn't matter. Nathan, I told you I loved you," said Haley.
"Yeah, but you didn't tell me what you did. I had to hear it from Brooke. And speaking of which, how many times do I have to tell you that there's nothing going on?"
"One more time, apparently. Why do you have to be so God damn stubborn?" she said heatedly.
"I'm stubborn? Why do you have to make this my fault?"
"I'm not talking about that. You're not being particularly stubborn about that. I'm talking about how badly you suck without me. You're nothing without me," said Haley.
"And you're nothing without me. You're just a cheerleader," said Nathan. His blow hit her hard, but there was promise in his words.
"Finally you admit it. Nathan, you need me. I need you. I love you," she said. His eyes couldn't help but flash to the legs that were almost wholly revealed in her cheerleading uniform.
"I can have any girl I want," he said.
"Sure you can. But you don't want them, Nathan. If you did, if you really did, you wouldn't bother coming to basketball. Because we both know that basketball isn't the only reason you come. You could spend the time hanging out with blonde girls, and taking them home. But you don't, Nathan," said Haley. She had slowly approached him. They were only feet away.
"I like brunettes…" said Nathan slowly. Haley laughed and toss her golden brown hair over her shoulder.
"How about a mixture?" Haley had always known that she wouldn't have to throw herself at Nathan. She knew that if she'd held off long enough she could make him come to her. And he did.
Haley gasped as Nathan pushed her against the cement wall. Quickly finding the zipper on the back of her uniform he ripped it off before taking her hands in his and holding them above her head.
Nathan was impatient and eager, but he made her come before entering her. She dug her fingernails into his back while he moved around and went in deeper and deeper. Pleasure equal to hers bubbled up inside of him while he came inside of her.
Silence came between them when they were finished. They finished cleaning up the gym together, clad once more in their respective uniforms, not a word passing between them.
"You do realize that that's the second time we've done it in school?" asked Nathan. Haley looked up and laughed.
"Yeah. It had occurred to me. They could probably hear us from the change rooms," she said. Nathan smiled. They walked together to the bleachers. Nathan sat down and she sat on his lap, leaning into his chest while he wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered. He stroked her hair for a moment.
"I know."
"Are we going to be okay?"
"If what just happened was any indication," said Nathan, smirking. She swatted his arm lightly.
"I'm serious," she entreated.
"We'll be fine. Great," he said.
"Good. I don't think I can stand to lose you again," she said. She settled her head onto his shoulder and sighed in contentment. He looked down at her, feeling tender once again.
"Maybe you don't have to?" he said, before he'd known he would speak. She looked up lazily and turned her head to face him. She slipped her hand into his and squeezed it.
"What do you mean?" she asked. Haley tried to decipher the look in Nathan's blue eyes, but she couldn't discern it.
"Marry me?" he asked in a whisper, his eyes never leaving hers.