Chapter 7

'Finally some peace and quiet," Haley thought. Her day had been hectic to say the least. In the morning she had did her community service for about three hours, then she had worked a shift at Karen's and after working about four hours, she had gone home and slept for a few hours.

"Is it 8 o'clock already?" Haley said out loud. She got out of bed and went to the kitchen to get something to drink when she noticed that Nathan wasn't home. She decided to call him and ask him where he was. She dialed the number and Nathan answered almost immediately.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's me."

"Haley..." She couldn't tell if he was happy to hear from her or not.

"Yeah…Where are you?"

"I'm at Karen's."

"Are the others with you?"

"Yeah."

"Do you mind if a join you? We need to talk."

'Sure. We'll wait for you here.'

"Okay. I'll be there in 20 minutes."

"Okay, see you then. Bye," Nathan said and hung up the phone.

"That was Haley, wasn't it?" Peyton asked.

"Yeah. She's coming to meet us here in 20 minutes."

"What? Why?" Brooke asked.

"She probably wants to talk about whatever it was she wanted to talk about yesterday."

"But you don't know what it is?"

"No idea..."

15 minutes later Haley walked through the doors to the café.

"That was fast," Nathan commented.

"I guess I was just eager to get here," Haley said.

"So what was it you wanted to talk about?" Lucas asked Haley.

"Right to the point, okay...This is kind of hard for me but...ever since the accident I have felt like you guys among others have been pulling away from me...A lot."

"Oh," the others said at the same time.

"Yeah. And I was kind of wondering why. I mean, I know that it has been hard but I always thought that if we had any problems or something, we could still talk about it with each other. Was I wrong?"

"No! No, you weren't wrong," Nathan protested.

"Then what is it?"

"It's like you said. It's been really hard. I'm sorry it feels like we have been pulling away."

"It doesn't just feel like it. You have been pulling away. Intentionally."

"No," he tried to object.

"Nathan, I know that you have gone and slept every night on the couch night since the accident."

He looked down at the ground. "When did you found out?"

"I have known since the first time you did it. Today was the first time in a week that I have actually slept. I was awake every time you went and slept on the couch and when you came back to bed at 5.30 - 6 in the morning. Every morning." Haley told him.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Just tell me if we can ever go back to the way it was. When you slept in the same bed as I and when we all would actually have lunch together at school when you guys didn't leave the second I got there or when you didn't even show up at all."

"I don't know, Hales. I just don't." he told her honestly.

"How about the rest of you? What do you think?"she asked, looking at her friends.

"Maybe. But it's going to take time," Lucas said.

"Just...just tell me what you think. Good or bad, whatever. Just say something. Yell at me if you have to."

"Fine. You want to know what I'm feeling?" Nathan practically yelled, standing up.

"I do."

"Fine. I think that this situation is totally screwed up!"

"Nate…" Lucas began but was interrupted.

"No. Haley wanted to hear what I thought so now she is going to hear it," he said, looking Haley in the eye. "I think that you were..."

"I was what?" Haley asked.

"Reckless. We asked you if one of us could drive you home because we knew that you felt sick but you said no. Even though you knew that you had been drinking."

"One glass! Barely!"

"It doesn't matter! And then you kept driving even though it was a red light."

"I made a mistake."

"Yeah. A big one that caused a man his life."

"He was on medication so it wasn't just my fault."

"You're going to blame a dead guy?"

"No. I was just saying that I'm not entirely at fault."

"Maybe not but mostly."

"Come on! Haven't you ever done something stupid? What am I talking about? Of course you have."

"I've never killed anyone!"

"No. You just almost killed yourself. Twice! And that's just two of the mistakes you have done but guess what? I was there for you. I didn't pull away. And that goes for the rest of you too."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Brooke asked.

"It means that you have also made mistakes."

"Like Nathan said. We haven't killed anyone."

"You're right. You haven't and I have. And there is not an hour that goes by, that I don't think about it! But I still think that we should be able to talk about it."

"We're talking now!" Nathan said.

"Yeah, because I made you!"

"Do you know what we have been through the past week? People staring at us and talking behind our backs."

"What you have gone through? What about what I have gone through? Yesterday with my family was the first time that I didn't felt like enemy number one. They were here for a few short hours and they still were there for me more then you have been for a week!"

"You brought this on yourself."

"Whatever. I've heard what you and Brooke have to say, and since Luke and Peyton aren't saying anything then I'm guessing they are agreeing with you so I'm just going to go."

"Just like that?"

"Yeah. Just like that."

With that, Haley left the café but when she got outside she heard someone calling her name from behind her. She was surprised she'd even heard him, considering that it had started to rain a lot.

"Haley!" She recognized the voice. Lucas.

"Not now, Luke!" she yelled back.

"I'm sorry!"

"It's a little late for that, don't you think?"

"No, I don't!"

She stopped and turned to her friend. "Do you know how much it hurts to have the people you love and trust the most in the world turn away from you?" Haley asked. "Because I do."

"I know! That's why I want to apologize."

"Save it!"

"No, I'm not going to save it! You are going to hear me out!"

"Why should I?"

"Your just gonna."

"Look, I have had a really bad day and I just want to go home so can we please, please talk about this in the morning?" she begged.

"Fine! But we are going to talk about it!"

"Fine! But it's raining and I'm cold so I'm just going to go." She said and turned to leave.

"Haley, wait!"

"What?!"

"I...Look out!"

Haley turned around and saw a car coming straight at her. The driver probably didn't even see her because of the rain. Haley completely froze. The car was only a few inches away when she suddenly felt something or someone pull her away from the danger, but then only just a few seconds later, everything went black...