1Chapter 7

"The Call"

I quickly hurried over to the refrigerator and yanked it open, grabbing a Dasani water and walking over to where Ryan and David were just exiting the room. "Hey guys," I smiled, opening the water. "What's up?"

"When you'd get here?" David asked. "I didn't here you come in."

"Back door," I nodded behind me, taking a sip of the refreshing water. "So, Tree Hill seems nice. A little quaint. A lot less noisy than Charlotte, that's for sure. And there is hardly any traffic!"

They both laughed. "Welcome to Tree Hill, Haley Bug."

I grimaced. "David, could you stop with the 'Haley Bug?' I mean, c'mon, I'm not seven anymore."

"I know," he laughed. "I wish you were. But your not. I get that. I don't want to accept that, but I get it," he nodded. "Anyways, I've got to go into the office and pick up a few things."

"The office?" I asked, puzzled. "I thought you were an assistant coach at the high school. Do assistant coaches at the high school have offices?"

David nodded, "I am. And–though hicky as we are–us Tree Hillers do have offices as assistant coaches–" he laughed, "but I also run a couple businesses. I'm in a partnership with Karen, Lucas's mother, with Karen's Café, I own a car dealership, my rival is Dan Scott, Nathan and Lucas's father, and I have a lumber company in Oakland, which is about 30 minutes away."

"I had no idea," I shook my head. "You know, it's funny how you don't really know a person at all even when your supposed to be really close to them. You know what I'm saying?" he nodded. "Well, I guess I'll see you later. I just have to go up and call Trent and Dex right quick," I shrugged, turning around and starting up the stairs.

"Haley?" David called. I stopped and turned around. "Who are Trent and Dex?"

"Oh, Trent is my..." I sighed, wondering what Trent was, "my ex from Charlotte and Dexter is my best friend from Charlotte," I smiled.

"This... ex. So, what's he like?"

"Really?" David nodded. "I believe you saw him at the funeral. He's tall, dirty blonde, hot... a total jackass," I laughed.

"And this is funny?" I nodded my head. "Why would you go out with a guy like that," he asked, serious.

Without thinking, I started with the first–and truthful–answer that came to my head. "He was really good in..." I was about to answer automatically, but I stopped myself. What I was about to say, I don't think David would have liked much. "Basketball. He was really good in basketball."

"If he's really good, what are you?"

"I'm ok at basketball."

"Why would you change prepositions like that?" David asked, which only puzzled me.

"What? You mean, like: in, at, about, around, etc, etc, blah, blah... that kind of preposition?" he nodded. "I don't really get what your asking me, Davey. Is that Alzheimer's getting to you again?"

"You said he was really good in basketball. And then you said you were ok at basketball."

"Did I propose my prepositions wrong?"

"Oh, no," he shook his head. "Except that in... well, you usually mean things like in the road, in the grass... in the bed... with at, you usually mean things like at the movies, at college, at basketball..." I felt my face turn hot. David was really not as stupid as most parents were.

"I'm sorry. I'll use proper English next time."

"Maybe you should think about what your saying before you say it."

"Or that," I nodded. "Um, good point. I'm just going to go call my, uh, ex boyfriend who was good at basketball.. In basketball... whatever," I laughed a little too highly. Not wanting to be in the same room with him anymore at that moment, I turned around and practically ran the rest of the way up the stairs.

I plopped down on the bed and hit the '2' speed dial on my phone. "Hello?" A small, squeaky voice answered the phone.

"Hi Terra! It's Hales, what are you up to?" I said enthusiastically.

"Hales!" she cried out. "Hey! I miss you so much! I have softball try-outs in less than week and I had to get Daddy outside to throw around with me because you left."

"Hey babe. I'm really, really sorry about all of that. It's just... so much happened, babe, and I didn't get a chance..." I sighed. "So, what's up with you guys?"

"Oh, nothing much, just playing with Barbie and Ken. They had a baby, did you know that?"

"No, I didn't know that. What did they name their beautiful baby?"

"Her name is Kristin. She's a girl. And she has brown hair like Ken's!"

"Wow, I'm going to have to come see her sometime! Maybe I'll even bring Josie. Or Amanda."

"Yeah! That'll be so fun! They can meet baby Kristin. Then we can go out and throw the softball around."

"Well then! I guess we'll just have to arrange a meet-a-date. But, what will Ken say when he sees Amanda again? Now he has a baby and everything with Barbie, his fling with Amanda has to end, or Barbie's going to find out and be really upset and get mad at Ken, then they will go to Barbie court and will get a Barbie divorce and Kristin will be so upset because she won't be able to live with both her parents."

Terra gasped. "Ok. Then we'll stop it. Don't bring Amanda. You can just bring Josie," she said in a hurried tone.

"Ok," I said in a matter-of-factly voice.

"Your so smart, Haley. If Kristin couldn't grow up with her mommy and daddy, she would grow up to be..." her sentence trailed off.

"Be what, Terra?" I asked, curiously wondering what the little girl was going to say.

"Be like you, Hales," she said in a small voice.

I bit my lip, trying to not let it get to me. It shouldn't have gotten to me, but it did. In a way. Barbie's life was supposed to be perfect. It couldn't be as messed up as mine. I wouldn't let it be. "Well, I think Amanda is just going to have to take a permanent vacation to Hawaii or somewhere far, far away and Barbie'll never find out," I laughed. "Hey, Terra, is Trent there?"

"Um, yeah, he's upstairs."

"Can I talk to him?"

"Um, he said to not bring the phone up because he was going over that play thing he's gonna be in.. in his room with..."

"Who?" I sighed. Figures he'd be over me so quick.

"Aimee."

"Aimee? Oh, then they probably are going over the play. She's the Juliet to his Romeo now since I'm going. Is Dexter over there, too?"

"No. And, Hales, I don't think they were going over the play. Um, Hales, do Romeo and Juliet kiss in the play?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh, ok. I guess my brother was just practicing for the play, then."

"Was he kissing Aimee?"

"Um... yes, and they were sticking their tongues in each other's mouths, too. It was dee-scus-ting!"