I am so sorry! I meant to post this before I went on vacation last week but I never got around to finishing it. But I'm here now and it's nice and long. I hope you're all still enjoying this and haven't lost any interest..
Karen took a deep breath while walking up the step to the James' home. She wasn't sure if it was her place or not to interfere, but considering how close she was to the girls, she figured she had some sort of right to know what was going on in their lives.
"Oh, hey Karen," Brooke greeted with a smile when she opened the door. Karen returned one and followed Brooke into the house. "What brings you here?" Karen knew about Brooke and Lucas and she was partly here to see how she was. The other part was to tell them some potentially heart-breaking news. It all depended on how much they loved their brother.
"I just wanted to see how things were," Karen said, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Brooke offered her some coffee, but she politely refused. "Everything okay with Haley now? Lucas said she wasn't herself for a bit."
Lucas. The name alone made Brooke cringe. "Yeah, everything seems back to normal as of now," she tried to rid herself of the lump forming in her throat and forced a smile, "how's Lucas? I know he was pretty upset when Haley told him she didn't want to see him again."
Karen sighed. It wasn't Lucas she was worried about; it was more about Brooke and Haley right now. "He's taking it pretty well I suppose. I think it's hard for him to understand but once Haley gets better I'm sure they'll be okay again."
"Yeah," Brooke mumbled, thinking about possibly rekindling her own relationship with him. Not now, not until Haley was 100 percent better.
"Brooke, is everything okay with you?" Karen asked in concern, placing her hand over Brooke's hand that was rested on the table. But before Brooke could answer, Haley came into the room, her face brightening up when she saw Karen.
"Hi, Karen," Haley said with a smile. Karen smiled back and got up to embrace the girl. Brooke let out a sigh of relief when she saw Haley sit. She wasn't quite ready to talk about the whole Lucas thing just yet. "Am I interrupting something?" She asked, noticing how tense both Brooke and Karen looked now that she was there.
"No, no, baby we were just talking," Brooke said reassuringly. Karen couldn't help but smile at how maternal Brooke had become. She remembered how Haley would complain about how Brooke would ignore her and school and it broke Karen's heart that she couldn't do anything about it.
"Is Deb at the café?" Haley wondered, thinking it was not like Karen to leave somebody else in charge.
"Yes," Karen said with a nod, "now let's hope it's still standing when I go back." The three of them shared a laugh, which made the current situation seem less uncomfortable. Karen took another deep breath and went back to her and Brooke's earlier topic. "So, Brooke, are sure everything is okay?"
"Yes," Brooke quickly said, making Karen want to push the subject further. "Everything is fine, okay?" She tried to be as nice as possible, but Brooke was never one to talk when she didn't want to.
"It's just that," Karen continued making Brooke wince, "Lucas told me you two broke up a few weeks ago and-"
"Wait, a few weeks okay?" Brooke interjected, "we only broke up last Friday." Karen's eyes widened, suddenly realizing what she had just did. Brooke raised a confused eyebrow while watching Karen's hand quickly go over her mouth. "Karen, what's going on?"
"Nothing," Karen stuttered, trying to avoid the subject. At time she had a big mouth and it was times like these where she wished she could keep it shut. "Forget I said anything, it must have been an understanding."
"What was a misunderstanding?" Brooke asked, her voice suddenly rising in anger. She shook off the concerned look on Haley's face and stared at the older woman sitting the across the table from her.
"Brooke," Karen sighed, realizing she couldn't talk her way out of this one no matter how hard she tried. "A few weeks ago, I walked in on Lucas." Karen stopped, looking at Brooke's face grow in fear. She didn't want to continue knowing it would break the girl's heart. "I walked in on Lucas and, and Theresa in bed together."
"Oh my god," Brooke gasped, her eyes filling up with tears. Karen got up from the table and enveloped Brooke into a hug. Haley did her best not to say anything and sat there with a sad look on her face. She listened as Brooke tried her best to choke back her sob. Haley abruptly got up from the table, causing Brooke to break out of the embrace with Karen. "Hales?"
Haley shook her head and waved her off like it was no big deal. "I'm fine, I'm just gonna go do something, okay?" Brooke nodded with teary eyes, wiping the tears falling down her cheek. Haley took a deep breath and walked out the back door, trying to gather her thoughts. Lucas, her best friend had cheated on her sister. Haley knew she had to confront Lucas about the situation, but she had trouble standing up for herself, let alone someone else. Brooke would do the same for her and right now Brooke's feelings were her main concern, not Lucas'.
The walk to Lucas' house was pretty short considering Haley tried to make it longer to think more about the situation. She had avoided the shortcuts and took the longer road but eventually ended up in front of his house. She took a deep breath and walked onto the porch, stopping at the door that led to Lucas' room. Brooke always loved that door, she could sneak in and out without Karen knowing.
Shaking her head to rid the thoughts, Haley gripped the door handle tightly and turned it, not bothering to knock. And as if they were trying hard to get caught, Lucas and Theresa laid in bed together, laughing at something. Haley tried to suppress the gasp that came out of her mouth but it was too late when Lucas spotted her and looked at her with widened eyes.
"Holy shit," He cursed, shooting up in bed, trying to cover Theresa up with the covers. Theresa whined and sat up next to him. "Haley," he started slowly, putting his hand out in front of him. He quickly grabbed his pants from the floor and slipped them on, getting off the bed and advancing towards Haley.
"It's true," she whispered, staring him deep in the eye. He shook his head and looked back at Theresa before giving Haley pleading look.
"Haley, please. This isn't what it looks like," he said, desperately trying to wipe the shocked look off of her face. Theresa sniggered and flopped back down on the bed, thinking this would be some from of entertainment. Haley just stood there, trying to take it all in. Theresa rolled her eyes and motioned for Haley to say something.
"Well come on Tutor Girl," Theresa taunted making Haley snap of out her daze.
"You," Haley started, suddenly finding her voice, "shut up," she stuttered, trying to block out Theresa's amused laugh. Theresa rolled out of the bed with the sheet wrapped around her.
"Aw," she cooed, patting Haley on the head, "did you learn that from big sis? You better watch what you say to me, she's not around to defend you," she bitched, looking down at Haley. Haley stood her ground and went to push her but Lucas stepped in front of her.
"Theresa," he snapped, pushing her in back of him. "Get out, just get out," he yelled, pointing to the door Theresa shook her head and sat back down on the bed. Lucas let out a groan when he saw her sit back down. "Hales, can we go outside and talk?"
"Why did you do it?" Haley asked, changing the subject. Lucas ran a hand through his shaved head and let out a frustrated groan. "Answer me," she snapped when Lucas looked away.
Lucas looked back at Theresa and realized how big of an idiot he was. He had it all with Brooke and that one night where she cancelled their date he had to go and sleep with Theresa.
"Please just come outside with me?" He pleaded, biting his lip when Haley shook her head. "Haley," he snapped, wrapping his arm around her waist and lifted her off the ground despite the yelling and kicking he received from her.
"Put me down!" Haley yelled, trying her best to squirm out of the blonde's grip. She was panicking now and she kicked her legs harder and punched him in the arm.
"Calm down," Lucas told her, gently putting her down when they got outside. He shut the door behind him and sighed. "I'm sorry."
Haley took a minute to catch her breath and took a step back from him. "Don't do that again," she whispered, turning away to avoid his look. She knew he was hurting but she couldn't help the way she felt after the near rape.
The silence lingered in the air, the tension between the former friends becoming thick. Theresa opened the door and came out onto the porch, fully dressed. Haley glared at her and tried to ignore the sarcastic laughter coming out of her mouth. "Luke, I'm sorry but this little thing between us is over. It was fun while you were with Brooke, but know that you're a single man it's not the thrill it used to be." Haley inhaled and exhaled, trying to stand her ground and stand up to this bitch. She kept thinking of Brooke crying at the kitchen table and quickly found the strength.
"Theresa, wait," she called out, watching Theresa walk down the stairs. Theresa rolled her eyes and stopped, turning around on her heel.
"What Tutor Girl? Some time today please?"
Haley joined her on the last step on the porch and raised her hand up and slapped the cheerleader across the bitch. "If you ever hurt my sister again, I'll kill you," she seethed, surprising herself with her new found courage. Theresa held a cool hand to her burning cheek and looked at Lucas before looking back at Haley.
"You just made a big mistake," Theresa bitched, raising her hand up to return the slap. But before she could, Lucas intervened and pulled her hand back, making Theresa angrier than she already was.
"Go home," he yelled, pointing to her car. She exhaled angrily and walked away in a huff, slamming the car door shut once she got in before speeding down the street. "Hales-" He started, but was soon cut off by the punch delivered to his face.
"And you," Haley yelled, glaring right at him. "Who the hell do you think you are? What was Brooke not good enough for you?"
Lucas quickly shook the punch off and shook his head. "It wasn't that."
"Then what was it?" Haley screamed, throwing her hands up in the air. "What was so bad with Brooke that you had to go and cheat on her?"
Lucas was silent for a minute and turned away in anger. He threw his hands up in the air and bent down to get eye level with Haley. "I was jealous," he whispered, barely audible.
"What?"
"I was jealous!" Lucas exploded, turning away from Haley. Haley stood there speechless, staring at the back of Lucas' head. She swallowed past the lump forming in her throat and suddenly found her voice.
"Jealous?" She managed to spit out in complete surprise.
"Yes jealous," Lucas snapped, turning around to face her. "I was jealous that she was spending all her time with you just because of what happened with Nathan."
"I-"
"Had no idea?" Lucas shrugged, finishing her sentence. She nodded hesitantly and sat down on the steps. "Well there are a lot of things you don't know, Haley."
"Like what, Lucas?" Haley asked timidly, biting her lip while trying to ignore the pissed off look on the guys face.
Lucas laughed bitterly and threw his hands up in the air. "Where would you like me to start? Well for one she used to complain to me about being related to you. 'Oh Luke why am I related to a geek like her?' She would say time and time again. But you know what, Haley? I defended you every single solitary time she complained about you. I would always tell her you were such a great person and if she looked past the imperfections she would see you like I did. She never did because she was too afraid of what other people thought. And I hated her for it. I hated her for the way she talked down to you and god damn it, I hated it when she ridiculed you in public."
"Then why, why were you all of a sudden jealous?" Haley asked in a small voice. Lucas sighed and shrugged, throwing his hands up ion the air again.
"I don't really know the answer. I was happy to see you two becoming friends but then when Brooke wanted to spend every waking hour with you, she forgot about me. And she cancelled our dates frequently. So that's when I started-"
"Hooking up with Theresa?" Haley finished bitterly, rising to her feet and looking down at Lucas. "You cheated on her because of me, right? It was all because of me, huh?" Her brown eyes began to water when Lucas nodded his head, staring down at his feet.
"Because of you Haley," he whispered, fixing his gaze up at her. "I cheated on her. Because of you she broke my heart and because of you Nathan is in jail."
Haley tried to stifle her sob before delivering a punch to his face. "Just stay away from us, okay?" She ran down the steps with Lucas right behind her.
"You have to stop doing this, Haley," he yelled down the street after her. "She can't protect you for the rest of your life."
Haley ignored his words and took off down the street, ignoring the looks from the few people standing on the sidewalk.
xxxx
"I always told myself I would never cry over a boy," Brooke laughed while dabbing her eyes with the tissue Karen had given her.
"This might be an exception," Karen smiled warmly at the girl sitting opposite of her. "Brooke, I'm really sorry. Sometimes my big mouth gets me into trouble."
Brooke shook her head and waved Karen off, letting her know it wasn't a big deal. "God no, Karen. There's no need for you to be sorry. You just helped me in a big way though." Karen looked up at her with a confused look on her face. "I was thinking of getting back together with Lucas but it looks like that plan was shot to hell."
"Just give it some time, honey, I'm sure everything will work out." Karen said, running her hands through the loose strands hanging out from Brooke's ponytail. "You look so much like your mother."
Brooke smiled and wiped her eyes. "Really? People always told me I looked more like my dad and Haley looked like my mom."
" Well regardless, you're beautiful."
"Thanks, Karen," Brooke whispered, leaning into Karen and allowing her to wrap her arms around her, comforting her as the tears fell from her face. Karen knew the tears weren't about Lucas now. Brooke sniffled and tucked the loose strands behind her hair and rested her head on Karen's arm. "I miss them so much."
"I know you do, sweetie, I know you do." Karen whispered soothingly, "and with everything you've done for Haley, I'm sure they're very proud of you. I know I am."
"With everything that Haley has been through she deserves it all. She needs someone to be there for her and I wish I could make up for the all the times I pushed her away. But since I can't, I have to make up for the time we lost together. I won't let anything happen to her, Karen."
Karen smiled and gave Brooke a small squeeze before releasing her grip on her. "Haley's very lucky to have you Brooke." Brooke smiled slightly and wiped away the few remaining tears on her face.
"Nah, I'm lucky to have her."
xxxx
Haley walked around the park with her head hung down in shame. Was she really the reason Brooke and Lucas broke up? Her thoughts were interrupted when she bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, looking up at the figure she had just walked into. Her eyes widened when she saw Christian standing there with a fat lip and black eye.
"You should be," he snapped, looking down at her. He could tell she was studying his newfound appearance and he didn't like it.
"What happened to you?" Haley asked quietly, turning away from him when she noticed he was glaring at her.
"What happened to me? What happened to me?" Christian laughed loudly, startling Haley. "Your psycho bitch of a sister kicked the living shit out of me." Haley bit her lip to try and stop the grin that was breaking out on her face. "So you think this if funny, huh? Listen you little bitch, I thought I told you not to tell anyone about this?"
"I, I didn't," Haley stuttered, frightened by the angry look upon his face. "I swear."
"Yeah right, I bet you ran home and told big sis the night it happened and she was just waiting for the right time to get back at me." He sneered, pushing Haley backwards. Haley tripped over her feet but quickly regained her composure.
"Stop," she said firmly as possible but Christian just laughed and pushed her again, making her fall to the ground. Taylor, who was out for her daily jog stopped by the nearby tree and squinted when she saw a figure that looked like Haley. When she realized it was Haley and the blonde who she figured was Christian, ran over to her and instantly pulled Haley to her feet.
"Is there a problem here?" Taylor asked in a low voice. She grabbed Haley's and tightly and gently pushed her in back of her.
"No, there's no problem here, nothing that concerns you anyways," Christian bit back, glaring Taylor straight in her eyes. Taylor laughed and shook her head.
"Well when you start pushing my little sister to the ground, it is my concern."
Christian groaned and rolled his eyes. "I forgot there were two of you. "
Taylor nodded her head and smirked. "Yeah. I've got a brother too but you're lucky he's gone or else he'd kill you. But I can easily do that."
"Oh, yeah and I'd like to see you try. Your other psycho sister already beat you to it. So I think it's a little payback time for me."
Haley watched in horror as Christian raised his fist as if he were going to punch Taylor. "Taylor," she whimpered, trying to pull Taylor away from him, but Taylor stood her ground, unphased but it all.
"It's alright Haley," Taylor told her, letting Haley's hand go. "Let him hit me, I don't care."
Christian shrugged and brought his fist down, only to have Taylor grab it and smack it away. "You're not so tough now Mr. Big Shot."
"Shut up. Why don't you let your sister handle this?"
"Because," Taylor yelled, pushing Christian away from her. Christian blinked and tried to recover from the forceful push. "How does that feel? It doesn't feel too great to be pushed by a girl, does it? And it's real classy to be going around and pushing girls, especially girls that are my sisters. Brooke already kicked your ass so I'll spare you the pain."
"Oh, thanks," Christian said sarcastically, crossing his arms. "And who the hell do you think you are coming over here like this? Haley didn't exactly ask for you to come and rescue her."
"She didn't need to ask me," Taylor spat bitterly, grabbing Haley's hand again, "it's only natural to protect her when idiots like you hurt her. Look, buddy you have a serious problem, you need to get some help."
"I don't have a problem," he spat angrily, raising his hand again before quickly bringing it down. "I don't have a problem." And that was the final straw for Taylor, who tried to so hard not to snap.
"You don't have a problem?" She yelled, making passerby's stare at her. Taylor pulled Haley in front of her and took a firm hold on her shoulders. "Look at her. Look at how scared she is right now. And it's because of you." Haley tried to turn away but with Taylor's grip she had nowhere to go. "Don't you fucking tell me you don't have a problem," without even thinking, she lifted up Haley's shirt and pointed to the bruise that was beginning to fade away. "You fucking kicked her. You battered and bruised her, and if that's not a problem, then tell me what is." Haley pushed Taylor's arm away and started to walk away, but was soon pulled back by Taylor.
"Stop," Haley cried, looking at Taylor with watery eyes. Taylor looked at her sympathetically, realizing she had gone too far. "I just want to go home."
"One more minute, Hay," she whispered before turning back around to Christian. He stood there looking dumbfounded. "So if you ever think twice about hurting my baby sister ever again I'll rip you to shreds." Christian rolled his eyes only to be pushed by Taylor again. "Listen you bastard, listen to me!" Taylor yelled jerking Christian's face up from his feet. "I swear on my parent's grave, if you touch her I will kill you. And trust me, that is a fucking promise."
Taylor quickly pulled Haley along with her and they made their way across the park, Haley struggling to catch up with Taylor. "Slow down," Haley groaned, exhaling as Taylor stopped.
"I'm sorry. For what happened back there, I got a little out of control and I didn't mean to show him the bruise."
Haley smiled and gave Taylor a hug, which surprised her. "Don't be sorry. I know you're only trying to protect me." Taylor smiled back and grabbed hold of Haley's hand and led her out of the park. "Okay, you don't have to hold my hand though."
"Ah, yes I do. I'm still in protective mode. It should wear off when we get back to the house. Besides, there's something you, me and Brooke need to talk about when we get home, okay?" Haley nodded, unaware what was going on. She moaned while Taylor began to walk faster, which made Taylor laugh and pull her up alongside of her. "Sorry, I usually run home."
"Yeah, well forget about running today. Haley does not run."
xxxx
"So, you're okay now?" Karen asked cautiously, not wanting Brooke to become upset again. Brooke nodded and smiled widely, making Karen breathe a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, I think I am. Thanks for staying with me, Karen." Brooke leaned in and gave Karen another hug. She couldn't express in words how much she was grateful for having Karen in her life.
"No need to thank me," Karen said with a smile, giving Brooke a one last hug before getting up. "Well, I forgot what I wanted to come here for in the first place," she laughed along with Brooke, who stood up beside her.
"Um," Brooke wondered out loud, "did you need to see me? Haley? Taylor?" Karen's heart skipped a beat and realized what she originally came for. "Brooke, why don't you sit down for this. We'll wait until Haley gets home, she needs to hear this too."
"Okay," Brooke whispered, looking at Karen I bewilderment. She did as she was told and stiffly sat down, twiddling her thumbs, waiting for Karen to speak.
Taylor and Haley arrived outside their house just a few minutes later. Taylor glanced at Karen's car and looked at Haley.
"I didn't know Karen was here, I must have just missed her." Taylor said as Haley sat down on the porch.
"Yeah," Haley agreed distantly, figuring to leave out the part about Lucas cheating on Brooke.
"Can you do me a favor?" Taylor looked down at her and nodded. "Don't tell Brooke about what happened, okay? She's already got a lot of stuff to deal with and I don't want her dropping them all to take care of me."
Taylor let out a sigh and sat down next to her sister. "I won't tell her, but Haley, if you keep this in like the Nathan thing, she'll probably shit a brick and go kick his ass again.
"I know," Haley mumbled, looking down at her feet. "I just don't want to burden her with all my problems. So, just keep it a secret between us."
"Fine, Hay, but if she finds out-"
"She won't," Haley said sternly, standing up to her feet. "Just let it go." Taylor groaned at how stubborn Haley could be sometime. She got up and followed Haley into the house, only to stand confused while Brooke sat on the couch looking nervous and Karen paced around the room.
"Um, hi?" she said cautiously, making Karen jump, immediately throwing her hand over her heart. "Sorry. What's going on?"
"Oh nothing," Karen stuttered, nodding her head towards Brooke, "we were just waiting for you two to get home actually." Haley raised her eyebrow and joined Brooke on the couch. "Taylor," she motioned for her to come over. "I'm going to tell them, alright?"
Taylor was quiet for a minute before reluctantly agreeing with Karen. "Okay, I'll wait in the kitchen then."
"Okay," Karen whispered, rubbing Taylor's shoulders gently while she walked past her. She turned to Brooke and Haley and put a smile on her face. Brooke and Haley knew she was trying to dance around whatever she had to tell them and motioned for her to go on. "Girls, I don't know how to say this, or even where to begin, but I'm just going to say it right now."
"Is it bad?" Haley asked quietly, bring her knees up onto the couch and resting her chin down on them. Brooke bit her lip in anticipation and gently ran her hands through Haley's hair.
"No, no," Karen assured them, kneeling down in front of them and taking their hands into hers. "Well maybe. You probably noticed your brother hasn't been around in a while." Brooke snorted but quickly shutup when Karen glared at her. "Your brother, he, he lost his job when he refused to defend Nathan in court." Haley tensed up at Nathan's name and the mention of her brother. Brooke rested her hand on Haley's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. "And somehow, Dan managed to shut down the firm he working for."
"What?" Brooke asked in shock, she never even knew about Mike's firm closing down. Karen nodded sadly and tried to push on with the subject.
"That job was his life and he felt so bad for losing it. And he felt like he failed you. Well, what I'm trying to say is, well, he found a new job in Boston and he jumped on it along with his girlfriend. Guys, I'm sorry to tell you this, but he moved out a few weeks ago. He couldn't say goodbye, I don't think he really wanted to." Karen ended the last part bitterly, knowing he wasn't involved in their lives at all, but still she went on.
"I don't care," Haley whispered, looking away from Karen. Brooke nodded along with Haley and began to gnaw on her lip.
"I know you don't honey," Karen said comfortingly, gently rubbing Haley's face with her hand. "But when he left, he also," she quickly wiped her eyes with her free hand and tried to regain her composure. But looking into Brooke and Haley's lost eyes made her want to cry again. "He gave up being your legal guardian and turned your custody case over to the state."
Brooke and Haley sat there in shock, looking at each other in horror. "Wait, he, he gave us up is what you're saying?" Brooke asked slowly, putting her hand over her mouth when Karen nodded. "But, why, why would he do that?"
Karen shook her head and squeezed their hands tighter. "I don't know, Brooke, I don't know. He, he asked me if I would consider becoming your guardian." Karen paused for a minute and let the information sink in. They looked up at her with hopefulness sparkling in their eyes. "And I thought about it long and hard. I went and talked to the lawyers and they told me it was the best thing to do right now."
"So does this mean?" Haley asked quietly, her stomach now in knots.
"Well, not exactly. See, I was nearly through with the process when someone else wanted a chance. Someone who knows you much better than I do." Brooke and Haley looked at each other and shrugged, trying to think of someone else besides Karen. "Someone, who loves you so much and someone who wants to make up for the mistakes they've made in the past."
And as if on cue, Taylor appeared in the doorway, waiting for the shocked expressions to appear on her sister's faces. They turned around, looking at her and then back at Karen. "Taylor?" Brooke whispered in awe, staring with her mouth wide open.
Karen couldn't help but smile when she saw the happy expressions on each girl's face. "Taylor agreed to take custody of you and become your guardian."
"It's the least I could do," Taylor said with a smile. Brooke immediately got off the couch and gave her a hug. But Haley sat there, still trying to take it all in. Karen picked up on it and placed her hand on Haley's knee.
"Are you okay?" Karen asked in concern wondering about the grave look on Haley's face. Haley shook her head and bit the tip of her fingernail.
"I, I'm not sure. Can I talk to you outside?" Haley whispered, getting up off the couch after Karen gave her a nod. Taylor tried to hide her disappointment when Haley walked outside with Karen in tow. Brooke was still hugging her so she couldn't see the look on her face.
"Haley, I know it must be hard," Karen began, sitting down on the steps next to Haley. "But trust me, everything is going to be okay."
"How do you know that?" Haley asked, her eyes filling up with tears. "Can you honestly sit here and promise me that everything is going to be okay? She'll be just like my brother, take care of us for a while, then forget about us and then throw us away."
Karen shook her head and tried to hide the shock in her voice. "Haley, that is not going to happen. She's changed a lot over the past few years."
"So what?" Haley half-yelled, "so what if she's changed? She's only doing this to prove to us that she's grown up. It's all just a big act, I know her much better than you do."
"Haley James," Karen said in disbelief, "I can't believe you just said that." Haley got up from the porch and shut her eyes for a minute.
"I can't talk about this right now. I'll see you later," Haley mumbled, going back in the house and leaving Karen still in shock. Taylor quickly moved away from the window when the door opened and tried to stop the tears from falling down her face after hearing what her sister had just said. Brooke had gone upstairs to call Peyton and tell her what just happened and wasn't there to hear what Haley had said.
"Haley," Taylor began when Haley started going up the stairs. "Haley wait," she called out when Haley ran up the stairs. "Haley!"
"What?" Haley snapped , turning around to look at Taylor. "Just leave me alone." Taylor walked up to her and shook her head.
"I'm not going to leave you alone," Taylor said, trying to rest her hand on Haley's shoulder. "What's wrong with you?"
Haley tapped her foot and turned away, shaking Taylor's hand off of her. "Nothing is wrong, now just leave me alone." She started to walk into her room but Taylor quickly pulled her back.
"Haley," Taylor snapped, suddenly losing her patience with Haley. "Look, I heard what you said and-"
"And what? Don't tell me it's not true because I know you Taylor, I know you. I know what you're going to do, you're going to get sick of and then just throw us away just like your bastard child."
A deafening silence filled the room. The only sound made was by Taylor's shallow breathing. The words pierced through her and it took everything in her power to stop herself from hurting Haley. "You," Taylor began, pointing her finger at Haley while tears streamed down her face. "Are an ungrateful little brat you know that? I try and do something nice and this is how you thank me?"
"I never asked you to do it Taylor, I never told you to tell Mike to leave and give us up. I never said a damn thing to you about it so don't call me an ungrateful brat when you know you brought this upon yourself."
"Fine then. You don't want me to be your guardian? I'll call social services and they can deal with you." She began to walk away but turned back around when Haley said something.
"See, you're already throwing me away, just like your daughter," Haley spat, making Taylor turn around in anger. She marched over and glared right at Haley.
"I did not throw her away," Taylor yelled, making Brooke peer out her bedroom door to see what was going on, "I was forced to give her up so don't you dare say I threw her away. You have no idea what the hell I went through." Haley rolled her eyes prompting Taylor to throw her arms up in frustration. 'You know what? I'm going to sit here and have this conversation with you." Haley muttered something and went into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.
Brooke carefully made her way down the hall and nearly bumped into Taylor when she turned around. "What happened?"
"I made a mistake, that's what happened," Taylor sniffled, wiping her eyes before starting to walk down the hall.
"Taylor, wait," Brooke called out after her but let out a sigh when she disappeared down the stairs. Karen came up a few seconds later with a worried look on her face.
"What's going on?" She asked, walking over to Brooke, who shrugged.
"I don't know," Brooke said quietly, "they were yelling about something and next thing I know Taylor ran down the stairs in tears and Haley slammed the door. But something tells me this is Haley's fault."
Karen sighed and nodded sadly. "I think she's taking this harder than I expected. She feels like Taylor's only doing it to prove something to you two." Brooke closed her eyes and sank to the floor, staring at the wall.
"I can tell she's really changed, Karen. I don't think Haley wants to believe it's for real, you know? I don't think she trusts anybody anymore to do her right." Brooke sighed again and got to her feet, placing her hands on the doorknob. "I'll go talk to her."
"Do you want me to come in there with you?"
Brookeshook her headand gave the older brunette a smile. "No thanks, but if you hear things banging and me screaming, you might want to come in." Karen laughed a little and watched Brooke slowly opened the door to Haley's room while taking a deep breath. She felt her heart sink when she saw Haley sitting on the side of her bed sobbing uncontrollably. "Haley?"
Haley looked up and turned her head towards Brooke, who was coming over to sit on the bed. "What did you say to Taylor?"
"Nothing," Haley mumbled, turning so her back was now facing Brooke. "Just leave me alone."
"I am not going to leave you alone," Brooke said on a borderline angry tone, "what did you say to her Haley?"
"It's none of your business," Haley snapped, annoyed that Brooke would come in and start taking sides. "I don't want to talk about."
Brooke let out a frustrated groan and had remembered what Karen said before she went in. She knew Haley was feeling a little bit skeptical about the whole thing but she couldn't understand why. Taylor had changed and it was really obvious she made an effort to become a better person. "She's changed, Haley. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it Haley. She's not doing it to prove something to use, she's doing it because she loves us."
Haley sat in silence just staring blankly at the wall. "I know," she finally whispered turning back around to Brooke. "I know. I'm just scared."
"What?"
"I'm scared!" Haley yelled making Brooke jump. "I'm scared, okay?"
"Why are you scared, baby? What happened today?" Brooke asked with concern laced in her voice. When Haley didn't reply, she became agitated. She was about to say something but stopped when Taylor's voice came from behind them.
"Yeah, why are you scared?" Taylor asked in a nasal tone. She had managed to stop crying after she had a small talk with Karen. Just hearing about Emily made her want to cry. There was something she wasn't telling anyone because she could barely accept it herself. But all the years of holding it in made it harder and harder to move on. She couldn't tell anyone, not before she told herself it was true. She made her way over to the bed and sat down on the other side of Haley.
Haley looked away and felt trapped in between her two older sisters. She had nowhere to go and knew she couldn't get out of this no matter how hard she tried. "Because," she sniffled, wiping her eyes and taking a breath, "Tay, I am so sorry for what I said to you, I didn't mean any of it. I'm, I'm just trying to understand it all, okay? It's hard to take in. I really am grateful you would do something like this."
"Haley, I can see why you would be scared, but honey, nothing is going to happen. We're going to be fine, I promise you that." Taylor said, putting her arm around Haley and pulling her close to her. Brooke smiled and nodded, resting her hand on Haley's knee.
"I know, but what are we going to do for money?" Haley asked quietly. Brooke never really thought about it in the first place. She looked worried along with Haley.
"Well," Taylor began looking at both of her sisters, "you don't need to worry about it. The house is paid off, Brooke's car and my car are paid off, and even though we have a deadbeat brother, he did agree to take care of everything for us. And mom and dad did leave us a good chunk of change. We're going to be okay, Hay." The three of them were silent for a minute before Brooke got off the bed.
"I'm going to go to bed because I forgot about the cheerleading clinic the bitch that slept with my boyfriend signed us up for," she said, trying to stop the tears from welling up in her eyes. She saw that Taylor was going to say something but she put her hand up to stop her. "Don't. Don't say anything because I'll end up crying again and I don't want that." Brooke voice cracked with every word she spoke but managed to hold everything in. "Goodnight," she mumbled, walking out of the room leaving Taylor and Haley to stare at each other.
"Um," Taylor began while getting off the bed. "I'll go check on her. What are you going to do?"
"Oh, I'll just go to bed too. Nothing else to do." Haley said, looking up at Taylor. "What are you going to do?"
Taylor shrugged and bit her lip. "I'll find something to do, don't worry," she headed for the door while Haley turned around to look at her.
"Taylor?" Haley whispered watching her sister turn back around on her heel. Taylor scratched her head knowing what Haley was going to ask but she wasn't sure if it was her place to bring it up or not.
"Sorry, I forgot," Taylor mumbled, walking back over to the bed. "Do you want me to go back and get Brooke for you? I'm sure she wouldn't care-"
"No it's fine," Haley cut her off, grabbing Mr. Waffles from the floor. "Would you do it?" She asked quietly, waiting for Taylor's answer. Taylor thought about it for a few seconds before shrugging her shoulders.
"Sure why not, I used to tuck you in back in the day," Taylor laughed as Haley got off the bed and waited for her to pull the covers out.
"Yeah but you always did it wrong," Haley giggled while slipping into bed. Taylor rolled her eyes and put the covers on top of her before sitting down on the bed. "And you still do."
"How did I do it wrong?" Taylor asked in disbelief, "Haley-bub all you do is put the covers on top of the person, it's not rocket science."
Haley sat up in the bed and shrugged. "I don't know, maybe because you do it differently than Brooke."
"Well speaking of," Taylor began while getting off the bed, "I should probably go see if she's okay. Broken hearts are tough to get over and it's the one subject I can help her out with."
"Okay," Haley whispered letting out a yawn. She closed her eyes for a second and put her hands over her head, making Taylor concerned.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah," Haley assured her waving her hand as a signal she was, "I just feel a little dizzy." Taylor bit her lip and put her hand to Haley's forehead, frowning when it felt warm.
"You're a little warm. Just try and get some sleep and we'll see how you feel in the morning," Taylor said, gently laying Haley back down. "Good night, Hay."
"Good night, Tay," Haley said, letting out a little laugh at the face Taylor made. Taylor gave her a quick hug before walking out of the room and gently shutting the door behind her. She made her way over to Brooke's room and knocked quietly on the door. "Brooke are you okay?" She was going to say something else but stopped when she opened the door and saw Brooke sound asleep on the bed. Taylor smiled and carefully made her way over to the bed and pulled the covers on Brooke's body. She gave her a kiss on the top of her head before heading out of the room.
Taylor couldn't help but smile once she left Brooke's room. For the first time in her life she felt proud of herself and felt like she really accomplished something. Her life was back on track and she finally felt like her life was worth living. She only wished her parents were here to see how much she changed. But she knew they were watching and she liked to think they too were proud of her for taking care of Brooke and Haley. The three of them were a family and they needed to stick together for the upcoming months ahead.
Well there it is. I hope you liked it..and since I feel bad for making you wait, I'll post some stuff that's going to happen in the upcoming chapters.
-Brooke sells her soul to the devil and makes a heartwrenching choice.
-Taylor and Haley continue to butt heads over Taylor's decision.
-Haley confronts the one person that caused her all the pain she's suffered.
-Taylor finally reveals the truth about Emily while Haley's past comes back to haunt her.
-Brooke contemplates her decision and realizes she's made a mistake but it's too late to change her mind.