A/N- One more chapter left…

Chapter title is "Something More" by Sugarland

Chapter Fourteen: Something More

January 6, 2006 10:34 a.m. Tree Hill, North Carolina

Haley James sighed as she watched the clock while ignoring everything the teacher was saying. There was nothing in the review that Haley didn't know and nothing that she was interested in anyway. It had been over two months since her twin sister had left to live in New York City and Haley hadn't realized just exactly how the move had impacted on her life.

Nathan had done his best to help fill Brooke's role in her life and though she appreciated all his efforts, it really just wasn't the same.

Suddenly a note plopped down on her desk and she glanced up wondering where it had come from. She saw Nathan trying to hide a smile as he concentrated on what their teacher was saying and she couldn't help but give him a grin.

I'm always here to talk.

Haley let out a genuine smile as she read the note. He was so good to her and she absolutely loved him for it. She scribbled something down and as soon as the teacher turned around, she placed it on his desk. She could see him smiling as he read the note and suddenly the bell rang, surprising them out of their seats. She grabbed her stuff and waited for Nathan to finish gathering his.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and lowered his head down so his lips were right next to her ear. "I love you too." He stopped walking and pulled her to him bringing her into a soft kiss outside of her locker.

"Get a room," his teammate Jake Jagielski coughed as he opened the locker next to Haley's.

Nathan rolled his eyes as Haley giggled in embarrassment. She opened her locker as Jake and Nathan began a conversation.

"What's going on Jagielski?" Nathan held out his hand to do their manly handshake.

"How's Jenny?" Haley jumped in. She, Nathan, and Lucas had recently learned of Jake's infant daughter and they had been surprised to say the least. But they took the news quite well and had even babysat her in the last couple weeks.

Jake smiled proudly, "She's doing great. Seems to have taken a liking to you Hales."

Nathan wrapped his arm around Haley's waist as she closed her locker, "Well who wouldn't?"

"Everybody's always liked Haley," Lucas' voice cut in on their conversation as he joined them. He nodded at Nathan and Jake and glanced at his best friend. "For years I swore my mother liked her better than me."

Haley rolled her eyes. "You were a pain in the ass growing up Luke, so that's not really a surprise."

Lucas put his hand over his heart, "You wound me Hales, really, you do."

"Get over it, you big baby," Haley tried to stifle her grin.

Nathan shot a glance to Jake who was watching their banter in amusement. He had to smile at their relationship though, they truly had that brother/sister bickering down to an art. "Okay well as much as I would love to listen to the two of you fight, I've got class."

Haley nodded, "I'll see you at lunch?"

"Count on it," Nathan grinned down at her and gave her a quick kiss before nodding to Jake as they walked off to their class together leaving Lucas and Haley alone.

Lucas glanced at her, "History?"

Haley sighed, "If we must." They began their short walk together in a comfortable silence. They were used to the silence between them, talking only if Haley felt the need to fill it.

"So, uh, have you heard from Brooke lately?" Lucas asked quietly.

"Yeah she sent me a letter about a week ago and an email last night," Haley answered honestly. She glanced at Lucas hesitantly before stepping into the classroom. "She seems to be doing alright."

"Good, that's good," Lucas took his regular seat and watched as Haley sat next to him.

Haley smiled sympathetically. She at least had warning that Brooke was going to move, everyone simply heard about it through the grapevine when someone saw her boxes outside of her house. "If you want, I can tell her that you want to talk to her."

Lucas gave her a sad smile, "She's not going to want to talk to me Hales. I sent her an email about a week after she left and she just told me not to contact her again."

Haley raised her eyebrows. "That's harsh."

"Yeah," Lucas gave a small laugh. "But I guess I should have expected it, I mean we did end everything on pretty bad terms."

Haley rolled her eyes, "You ended it on bad terms, she had no clue." She glanced at him. "How are you and Peyton, by the way?"

"We're not a couple if that's what you're asking," Lucas clarified. "I guess we just work better as friends, you know?" He shrugged.

"Was it worth it?" Haley asked quietly. She watched Lucas fiddle with his pencil and heard the bell rang but she didn't care, she just wanted an answer.

He shook his head regretfully. "No."

"I'm glad you realized that," Haley whispered. "Because you guys are one of the major reasons why she left and I hope that you're hurting without her as much as I am, and as much as she was when she saw you."

"Haley…" Lucas started but had to stop as the teacher walked in and began the class. She sighed and glanced at him, waiting for him to finish. "I'm sorry."

Haley nodded knowingly. "I know."

She knew. Of course she knew. Lucas had come to Nathan's apartment the day after Brooke had left and had practically spilled his guts out. It was heart wrenching for both as each had lost someone important in their lives. She only wished he had realized this earlier. "But I'm not the one you should be telling this to."

Lucas nodded at her words. He was the only one who could fix this. Not only was Haley hurting from being without her twin sister, but Peyton was hurting from being so out of touch with her best friend. Neither had ever thought their actions would have these repercussions and both knew that if they could go back and change what they did, they both would.

Haley sighed as she watched the clock change from one minute to the next. The day was just dragging and there was nothing she could do to stop it so she just watched the clock hoping that the small distraction would keep her mind off of everything else.

January 6, 2006. 12:24 p.m. New York City, New York

Brooke Davis took a seat next to her new friends and glanced at her watch quickly noting the time. If she had been back at Tree Hill, she would have been eating lunch with her sister laughing about something that had happened on some stupid television show the night before.

"Brooke?" her friend Jenna Malone nudged her slightly, bring her back into their conversation. "Jake Gyllenhaal or Nick Lachey?"

Brooke raised an eyebrow. "Before I even ask how those two got paired up together, I'm definitely gonna say Jake Gyllenhaal." She grinned at the other two girls sitting at the table.

Tonya Roberts grinned back and she nodded to Erica Murphy. "Told you. He's way hotter."

Brooke turned them out again as she got lost in her thoughts once more. It wasn't so often that she found herself missing Tree Hill but for some particular reason, it was all she could think about today. She had gotten an email from Haley the night before as they tried to keep in touch as much as they could. It was funny how much Haley had started to mean to her as her twin since she had moved to New York.

Haley had kept her in the loop of everything that was happening between her and Nathan, Lucas, Peyton, even Mouth and before she could even think of what was going on with her, she began to miss the dramatic small town and desperately tried to convince herself that she had made the right choice.

"So you guys want to go out tonight?" Tonya raised an eyebrow as she flipped her light hair expertly and winked teasingly at a small freshman who was ogling her.

Brooke shrugged, "Maybe."

"Maybe?" Jenna questioned. She shared a glance with Erica. "Whatever happened to the party girl that moved here?"

Brooke gave them a small smile as she stared out into the streets of the city. "She's definitely changed."

"What's going on Brooke?" Erica asked quietly. She had been Brooke's confidant when she had moved and the first person to welcome her in the school.

"Just a little homesick, I guess." Brooke tried to avoid the questioning but she knew this group of girls wouldn't stop. "I guess I miss Haley and hell I even miss Peyton."

Jenna raised an eyebrow, never hearing these names before. She had been the least closest to Brooke, only there to keep the party going. "Who are Haley and Peyton?"

"Haley's my twin sister," Brooke gave them a genuine smile at the mention of her sister, then she frowned softly at the next name. "Peyton's my back-stabbing bitch of an ex-best friend."

Tonya and Jenna exchanged surprised glances. It wasn't like the Brooke they knew to be so vindictive. "And you miss this person because…?"

Brooke shrugged, not knowing why she was continuing this conversation when all she wanted to do was go home and lie on her bed watching reruns of old shows. "I have no idea." She saw Erica grinning to herself as she stuffed a chip in her mouth. "What!"

"That, my friend," Erica shot her a smile. "Means you've just forgiven her."

Brooke glanced at her surprised as she heard the words. Suddenly she let out a small smile. "Maybe I have." And then she knew what she had to do. She grabbed her tray and dumped it in the trash before grabbing her stuff and leaving the three girls still sitting there.

"Hey!" Jenna yelled out. "Where are you going?"

Brooke turned around and laughed softly. "Home."