Chapter Forty-Four: Some People Never Learn
Authors note: Please note that the italiscized scenes are flashbacks.
Running a brush through her hair as she ran out the door, Haley made a desperate attempt to reach her class on time. Letting her feet guide her, she swerved through groups of students and teachers, hoping that she wouldn't miss her class and have to make it up later.
When she did eventually look up and realize her surroundings, she realized that she was completely lost. Sighing in frustration, she pulled out her crumpled campus map and attempted to understand it, unsuccessful for the thousandth time.
"Need help?" asked a voice behind her. She spun around, and took notice of the boy who'd spoken to her. He was fairly tall and well built, and had medium brown hair and green eyes. He vaguely reminded her of Jake. Lovely, unthreatening Jake Jagielski. She smiled automatically.
"I think I'm late, and I'm trying to find this building. Uh, Professor Wilke's first year psychology?" she asked. He consulted the schedule for a brief moment.
"Uh, it's right there," he said, pointing to the building to the left of him. She gave him a brief smile before running off, not realizing that his eyes followed her the entire way.
Haley came out of the classroom alone, trying desperately not to think of the old days when her and Jake and Peyton and Brooke (and Chris, on the rare occasions that he'd attend class), talking and laughing, the envy of the school. She was used to everyone knowing her name.
Looking up, she was surprised and relieved to see at least one familiar face. Slowly she made her way toward the boy she'd seen before, who'd helped her find the building.
"You stalking me?" she asked flirtatiously.
"I haven't been here the entire time, I swear," he said, laughing.
"Good. And here I thought you spent all your time giving directions to corruptible freshman girls," she said.
"Only the ones that catch my eye. Seamus Foster," he said, sticking out his hand. She shook it, her mind flashing guiltily to Nathan only for a moment.
"Haley James," she said, treating him to a smile.
"So, you're a freshman. Where you from?" he asked.
"Tree Hill, North Carolina. Junior?" she guessed.
"Junior. North Carolina, huh? You look kind of familiar," said Seamus in confusion. Haley blushed.
"I kind of used to go out with Nathan Scott," she admitted.
"How's a guy supposed to top that?" he asked.
"I don't know." Haley paused and looked up at him, the only boy she'd flirted with in weeks. "But I'd love to find out."
"You're cheating on Nathan," came a voice from deep inside her conscience.
"Nathan broke up with me," she argued to herself.
"You looooove him."
Haley shook her head in disgust. The last voice sounded alarmingly like Brooke's.
She smiled a timid smile to her roommates as she entered. There were two of them-a blonde from California, Jesse, and a brunette from Iowa, Kelsey. Haley had never bothered to bond with them and the two, suspecting that she was unwilling, had never made an effort.
"Haley, it's Peyton. How're you doing. You know I went to visit the Scotts today, and…" Haley instantly deleted the message, guessing its content more or less accurately. Nathan was brooding. Nathan was miserable. Nathan had made a mistake.
Sure he head.
As soon as she turned off the machine, the phone rang and she answered it, slightly startled, hoping it wasn't Peyton.
"Tutor girl? Guess what?" came a high pitched, excited voice.
"You learned my actual name?" guessed Haley sarcastically.
"Grouchy. No. Guess what's on my left ring finger?" she said. Haley's voice immediately gained the same pitch as Brooke's.
"OH MY GOD!"
"That's the spirit!"
"Tell me everything," she demanded, dropping down into a chair.
"He just proposed and we got married, then did it in an elevator. Oh, and it's so pretty. White gold, huge diamond. Tiffany."
"'Nough said," said Haley.
"It's so incredible. I'm married. Me!" Haley smiled.
"Are you in New York?" asked Haley.
"No, we're in LA. Speaking of New York…"
"Babe, this is your happy day. Are you guys going to take a honeymoon?" asked Haley. Brooke was not easily deterred from subjects, in general, but it was hard for her to resist talking about Lucas. She cracked and began squealing incomprehensively about Venice.
Haley donned her best jeans, a short green jacket and her new leather boots to go out on her date with Seamus. She remembered the summer, when she'd never had to wear so much clothing, when she could feel the heat of Nathan's admiring stare on her body. She shivered and tied up her hair.
Nathan loved her hair when it was down.
Jesse and Kelsey looked up in interest when the door knocked, and Haley opened it to the tall Junior. Haley wondered for the first time if her logic had truly been sound. Seamus wasn't Chris, he definitely wasn't Nathan. She'd gone along with the instant connection he seemed to feel, that which was lost on her. It seemed to fool him.
"Hey Haley," he said, looking happy to see her again. Seamus wore his emotions on his face. Nathan hid them expertly.
"Hey Seamus. This is uh Jesse and Kelsey. Let's go," she suggested, embarrassed and feeling somehow as if she were on stage in a life that wasn't hers.
"You're quiet," he observed, as they walked across campus to his car. She shrugged.
"Don't get used to it," she suggested.
"Duly noted. Want to tell me about your life? Make this less awkward?"
Nathan thrived on making her life awkward.
"Sure. I guess the most important part is my friends. I have three," she said. She paused, realizing how ridiculous this sounded. "I mean, I have more friends. Just three that I…"
"That matter. Go on."
"Yeah. Brooke's my best friend in the whole entire world and she got me into cheerleading and I love her to death, even though she's kind of crazy. And then there's Peyton, who's the moody rebellious one. And then Jake, who's Peyton's boyfriend, but he's been around since like grade five. He's awesome. Like the only boy I can trust," she said, her voice slightly bitter. She looked up guiltily at Seamus. He simply smiled.
"We've gone to school our whole lives together. We used to have a fifth, Chris, who was my boyfriend, but we broke up after five years and I guess he left town. Like I said, I was a cheerleader in high school, I was also a tutor," she said.
"What about Nathan?" he asked.
"We're on our first date and you want to hear about my ex?" she said suspiciously.
"I want to hear everything."
"Okay… Nathan and I went out last summer. His ex-girlfriend is my best friend's cousin, and they were visiting, and we just met, and… sparked, I guess. He spent a few weeks driving me crazy, but we all always knew it was going to happen. And then it did. And it was awesome. But then he had to leave," said Haley briefly.
"Davis Ryan is Brooke's cousin? I used to have the hugest crush on her," admitted Seamus. Haley scoffed.
"Don't. She's the biggest bitch ever. And maybe a bisexual," said Haley. He laughed appreciatively.
In the restaurant it was louder. And somehow easier to let her mind wander.
"So where'd you grow up?" she asked, desperate for conversation topics. As he began to speak, she began to drift.
"What are you doing here?" asked Nathan.
"I haven't been able to leave, Nathan. I'm here to say what I wanted to say what I should have said in the car. We've spent too much time "almost" getting there. It's time we got there. I think it's time we gave it a more honest shot. I'm here to try again, Nathan, if you'll try with me."
Haley, in her memory, looked earnestly at Nathan.
"For real?" he said in surprise. She lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it.
"For real."
"Haley, I'm leaving for LA next week. And what about Chris?" he said. Haley scoffed and stood up immediately to stalk out.
Haley was out of the room as soon as Lucas and Ryan entered it, but she paused in the hallway to listen to them:
"What's she mad about?" asked Lucas.
"She uh, took something I said the wrong way. Chicks, you know," said Nathan off-handedly. Damn him. Acting like he didn't care…
Haley zoomed out of her reverie when she realized with a start that Seamus was looking at her expectantly.
"Sorry?"
"You want a drink?" he asked. She glanced at the waiter.
"Uh, diet coke please," she said hurriedly.
"Sleeman's," said Seamus, glancing back at his order.
Haley vaguely heard Nathan enter the house and call out her name, but she didn't truly register him. They'd had another fight. She was taking a long, relaxing shower in attempt to negate his existence for a while.
Shivering as her wet skin made contact with the cold air, she slipped an unsubstantial white towel around herself and ran down the hall to her bedroom.
"Haley?" said Nathan. He was in her bedroom, his back to her. She blushed when he turned around.
"God, don't you knock?" she demanded, blushing as his eyes traveled her toned, drenched body and her sleek hair, erotically down her back.
"I don't think I ever will again," he said, drinking in the sight of her.
They'd come so close that night. Part of her had wanted it so badly.
"What's your major?" she asked desperately, recognizing her complete inability to follow their conversation.
Once again, Seamus began to speak and give her opportunity to obsess.
"Go! Go Ravens! Go, mighty Ravens!" Haley giggled as she found herself with Brooke and Peyton cheering at the River Court, watching Jake, in his Raven's jersey, oppose Nathan, in the jersey he'd worn during his brief sojourn in the NBA.
"You can't shoot, you can't score, you will beat us Nevermore! Goooo Ravens! Hooooray!" Haley laughed out loud when Nathan easily stole the ball from Jake and made a slam dunk.
"You're going down, Jagielski," said Nathan, when Jake stole the ball back.
"I'm the one with my own personal cheer squad," he shot back.
"Yeah. Traitor," he said, aiming his comment at Haley. She gasped in staged disgust.
"I resent that!"
"You are kind of a traitor. Me too, he's practically my brother-in-law," admitted Brooke.
"Look's like someone's losing his own personal cheer squad," said Nathan triumphantly. Jake's distraction caused him to block his shot and make the winning basket. Haley flew onto the court and jumped into Nathan's arms.
"I'll be your cheer squad," she promised, kissing him.
"You'd better." Haley giggled as he whispered an inappropriate comment in her ear. She watched Peyton run out to Jake, watched them meet in a similar manner.
What was it with this summer, and all it's perfectness?
That had been so lame. Why had they started cheering for a game of one on one, anyway? It made no sense.
"You know I don't exactly consider myself a witty conversationalist, but…" Haley quickly took note of the hurt expression on her date's face.
"Sorry. God Seamus, I'm so sorry. This is just so weird for me. I've never really dated like this. I have to go," she said hurriedly, picking up her purse from the floor and hurrying out the door.
Haley jumped in shock when he caught her arm and held her back as she reached the exit.
"What? Do you want me to pay?" she asked in surprise.
"I know you're still hurting. Can't you at least give me a chance?" he asked.
"Seamus, I've known you for an afternoon," she protested.
"What can I say? I fall fast," he admitted, his eyes twinkling. Haley smiled. Maybe she did owe it to him to give him a shot.
Because at the very least, she owed it to herself.