The Best of Enemies

Haley took a deep breath as the cab drove through the familiar streets of Tree Hill. She couldn't believe she let her brother talk her into coming back early. Already, Haley could feel the coldness radiating from certain houses as she passed them. Then, the cab pulled in front of her family's house that her parents had brilliantly managed to buy back from the previous owners. She tipped the cab driver and asked him to pop his trunk so she could get her bags. He did and she walked around and grabbed her two suitcases and bags that she brought with her. She even brought her guitar with her. Her guitar had become her constant companion over the years and she certainly wasn't going to venture back into unknown territory without it. She waved goodbye to the driver and walked up to her old front door. She knocked on it twice and then paused for half a second and knocked on it a third time. That was her signature knock that she had spent years perfecting as a kid. The door opened and Haley almost dropped her bags when she saw Taylor's bright face and blonde hair.

"I thought I recognized that knock!" Taylor exclaimed as she threw her arms around Haley. "How are you, kiddo?" she asked. Haley yawned.

"I'm really good, Tay. How are you doing? Where do you call home these days?" Haley asked. Taylor smiled as she took some of Haley's bags and brought them upstairs to her old room. Haley took a deep breath as she looked around her bare room. A bed was there, but it wasn't her old one.

"Uh, well, I was in Atlanta for a long time, but I've moved on. I'm living here for now," Taylor said.

"So, Craig didn't have to call you?" Haley asked.

"Oh, no, he did. When he did, I just considered it the perfect time to say goodbye to Atlanta," Taylor explained. Haley nodded. "So, I was surprised when he told me that you were in Olympia," Taylor said.

"Why is that so surprising?" Haley asked as she started to unpack her things.

"Well, I thought that you would be on another tour with that Chris fellow," Taylor said. Haley shook her head.

"No, when the tour ended, I never saw him again," she said.

"Are you sad about that?" Taylor asked. Haley looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Haley asked.

"Well, I know that you had a thing for Chris back then. That's why you left town to go on tour with him," Taylor said. Haley shook her head.

"It was never about Chris. I didn't leave to be with him because I was never with him," Haley said calmly. But there was an aggressive tone in her voice that Taylor had never heard before.

"Whoa, ok, I understand," Taylor said.

"Why is everyone asking me so many questions like that?" Haley asked.

"Because you up and left your husband, never to be heard from again," Taylor explained.

"Knock it off," Haley said. Taylor laughed.

"Hey, Haley, I'm on your side in this. I really am. You're my sister and I love you but you're kidding yourself if you think certain people aren't going to ask you those questions," Taylor said. Haley nodded and hugged Taylor. "Now, let's go downstairs and help mom set up for the party," Taylor said, wrapping her arm around Haley's shoulder and dragging her downstairs.

"Some things never change, huh? Any excuse for mom to throw a party," Haley joked.

"You have no idea," Taylor said as they headed into the kitchen. Haley stiffened when she saw that Brooke was sitting at the kitchen table and that Lucas and Peyton were both there.

"Well, look who it is," Brooke said venomously. Taylor took her turn to speak.

"Yeah, you remember mine and Craig's younger sister, Haley, right?" she joked.

"How could we possibly forget?" Peyton asked. Her voice was laced with anger. Then, Lydia walked in and squealed in excitement.

"Oh, Haley! You're finally home!" she exclaimed. She ran over and pulled Haley into a hug.

"Hi, Mom," Haley said as she pulled away.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" her dad asked. Haley was about to answer. But Brooke's question stopped her.

"Yeah, how is life with Chris Keller these days?" she asked. The whole room full of people stopped moving to look at Haley. Haley looked at Brooke in surprise. She could tell that Haley wasn't angry. She looked a little too calm.

"I wouldn't know," Haley said.

TEN MINUTES LATER

Haley sat down in the living room, staring holes into the floor as she sat down with Lucas, Brooke and Peyton. They were all catching up and decided to have a private conversation. Haley saw it as a wrestling match only Nathan wasn't here. Peyton, Lucas and Brooke were all in his corner and decided to sub in for him. Only there was nobody in Haley's corner, which was perfectly fine with her. Living alone in a big city had toughened her up. She could certainly handle anything they threw her way. Right? "So, how's your life been so far?" Peyton asked. Haley knew she had to be careful about this answer. Any wrong answer could cause an explosion.

"It's been really good," Haley replied.

"Any regrets?" Brooke asked. She shook her head.

"Why would there be?" she asked.

"Because you left Nathan to go on tour and then signed the annulment papers, pouring salt in his already broken heart," Lucas replied.

"The papers that he initiated," Haley reminded them.

"You still signed them," Peyton said. Haley sighed in annoyance.

"I made a clean break. I did what I thought was best for me and for Nathan," Haley explained.

"Well, you were wrong. It completely destroyed him when he saw your signature," Lucas replied. Haley started to laugh at them.

"What the hell is your problem?" Peyton asked in anger.

"Oh, I'm not the one with the problem here. It's you," Haley said.

"You hurt our friend," Lucas said.

Haley stopped smiling and her face grew really serious as she said, "Seven years ago. It's ancient history."

"How can you be so cruel?" Peyton asked. Haley shrugged.

"Well, what do you expect me to say, Peyton?" Haley asked.

"I'm sorry?" Lucas suggested.

"Well, you shouldn't set such high expectations because I'm only going to disappoint you even more," Haley said.

"Why?" Brooke asked.

"Because I'm not sorry," Haley said. Lucas looked at her in shock and Haley finally showed how angry she really was. "I'm going to say one last thing and then I'm leaving the room because I refuse to explain myself to you. What's done is done. I can't change it and I don't want to. Nathan has obviously moved past it too, so maybe you guys should do the same," Haley said, leaving.

"Wow. She's really changed," Peyton commented. They all nodded in agreement. Haley James had always managed to make her points in her own way and while she didn't let people just walk all over her, she was always polite about her anger. They had never witnessed such strength and resolve in her before. She had obviously developed a really thick shell while she was away, living wherever it was that she lived.

"If only Nate could've made that good of a transformation," Brooke said. Again, they nodded. Nathan never betrayed any trace of sadness with the way his life turned out to them directly, but they could tell that he wasn't as happy as he let everyone else believe. There were two things that were a dead give away: the first one was that after Haley; he had never had a serious relationship- just an endless string of one-night stands. The second thing was that in all this time, he barely ever mentioned her. And when he did, you could hear the love for her that he still had in his voice. But there was also anger, unbearable pain as well as a devastating longing. Brooke gasped as she suddenly realized something. "Nathan is on his way here," she said.