Delusions (Chapter Four)
Haley sat down in her bedroom on Sunday afternoon. She was confused and broken at the same time. In one day, her entire world had fallen apart and she was scrambling to make sense of everything. She heard a knock on the front door. She looked out her window and saw familiar curly blond hair. She knew right away that it was Peyton. She sighed. She didn't want company right now especially after everything that had just happened, but she walked downstairs anyways and opened the front door. Peyton looked at her sympathetically. Haley figured that this meant that she knew. "Hey," she said softly. Haley nodded at her and let her in. Peyton walked up the front hall stairs and into the kitchen. "How are you?" she asked. Haley laughed at the absurdity of the question.
"Hmm. That's a tough question to answer," Haley said, putting her finger under her chin to emphasize the fact that she was pretending to actually consider how she was feeling. Peyton looked down. Since she met her, Peyton had deduced that Haley had always been a little sarcastic- had even witnessed it herself- but this was a new level, even for Haley.
"Sorry. What the hell happened?" Peyton asked, sitting down at the kitchen table. Haley rolled her eyes and laughed bitterly as she began to tell the tale.
"Once upon a time, there was a girl who had a best friend and for a long time, it was just the two of them against the world. All they had was each other. Then, the guy joins their high school's basketball team, which his popular half-brother just happens to the star player of. Just so there's no confusion; the brothers- they hate each other. So the guy's brother decides to make his life a living hell. He even goes so far as to approach his best friend for help in school. The best friend, being the idiot that she is, can't see through his act and decides to help him. Then, she slowly realizes that there's more to the brother than meets the eye and falls for him: Hook, line and sinker," Haley started off dramatically. Peyton rolled her eyes but couldn't help but find some amusement in the way that Haley had chosen to tell her.
"Yeah, I knew all that. I also know that the girl starts dating the guy's brother behind his back and then he finds out and suddenly everything's gone to hell. What happened with Luke, Hales?" Peyton asked. Haley looked around the room.
(FLASHBACK)
"Lucas!" Haley exclaimed. Lucas didn't turn around; he just kept on walking away.
"Are you going to talk to me?" she asked. He slowed down and turned around.
"I don't know what you expect me to say, Hales," he said. Haley looked down. "How long, Haley?" he asked. Haley stopped walking and looked at him in confusion. "How long have you been seeing Nathan?" he asked. Haley swallowed the lump in her throat and sighed.
"Almost three months now," she admitted. Lucas scoffed.
"So you've been lying to me about seeing my brother for three months? How could you, Haley?" he demanded.
"I was going to tell you…" she started but he interrupted.
"Gee, what stopped you? Could it be shame?" he asked. Haley shook her head.
"That's a really horrible thing to say," she said. Lucas looked at her incredulously.
"You're dating Nathan, Haley. Are you telling me that he hasn't said some horrible things?" Lucas asked. Haley nodded.
"You don't know him, Lucas," she said.
"Know him? I don't have to know him. I'm just going by what he's shown me. Do you remember all of the stuff he did to me?" he asked. Haley looked down.
"He's not the same person anymore," she said. Lucas scoffed.
"You live under the delusion that you can fix everything that's not perfect," Lucas said.
"What does that mean?" she demanded.
"You know what it means, Haley!" Lucas exclaimed.
"Obviously I don't," Haley said.
"Wanting to believe the best in people doesn't make it true, Haley. And I feel sorry for you because you're going to be really disappointed," he said. Haley shrugged.
"I don't care, Luke. That's who I am. I believe in people; I like to think that people are good even if it means I'll be disappointed once in a while," Haley said.
"And when that does happen, don't expect me to be around to pick up the pieces of your heart after he breaks it," Lucas said. Haley's face crumpled as she fought to hold back her tears.
"Fine," she said sadly. Lucas shook his head in anger and walked away leaving Haley standing on the dock with Nathan's jacket still on crying.
(END OF FLASHBACK)
"Have you talked to Nathan since?" Peyton asked. Haley shook her head. "You just left him there?" Peyton asked.
Haley looked to one of the chairs at the table.
"And stole his jacket," she replied, pointing to his jacket spread across the back of the chair. Peyton looked over and laughed.