At The End of The Day
Authors Thoughts: Originally this chapter was supposed to have more to it but it was getting insanely long so I think it works better if I divide the "stuff" between two chapters. I actually like it better that way. It's funny how you can plan things in your head but once you start to get things down on paper and let it flow sometimes things happen that you like better anyways. I love when that happens. Anyways this chapter reveals some things about Haley and her life and I think it's important in order to understand what her character is and what her character is going to be/say/do. I hope it's not too confusing or I mean I hope that it makes sense and is believable. Anyways there's more to come next chapter so enjoy!
Chapter 8"Love from one being to another can only be that two solitudes come nearer, recognize and protect and comfort each other."- Han Suyin
Haley leaned back against the wall standing outside of the doors that led out of the gym. She knew Nathan always came out of these doors, as did Lucas except that this year Lucas usually had to stay around later, because of captain responsibilities and all. The season had started and the Blue Devils had already played a couple of games. They were looking pretty good so far, not that she understood all that much about basketball but being friends with Lucas for these past couple of years had made her understand when it looked good and when it didn't. It looked good. And so had Nathan today. He got the most playing time today out of the couple of games they'd played so far and she knew he must be so happy about that. Just then the doors swung open and there he was with a huge grin on his face.
"Hey!" he greeted her when he noticed her leap off the wall and before he could say anything else she was leaping into his arms enveloping him in a huge hug. Laughing he circled his own arms around her bringing her feet back to the ground. "What's up Hales?" he asked pulling her face back a bit so he could look at her.
"All the shots you made tonight! You were awesome!" she exclaimed still in his embrace.
He laughed nervously, "Thanks, I could have been better though."
"Oh stop being so modest you know that was the most playing time you've had so far and you used it well."
Nathan looked curiously down at her. She actually knew that today was the longest he had played? Usually only the players and coaches noticed stuff like that, or the crazy fans, but Haley who was admittedly a little bit clueless about the game…for her to notice something like that and complement him on it was really sweet. He smiled at her, "Thank you Haley."
She beamed at him, "You're welcome."
"So did you wait out here just to tell me that?"
"No see that was the flattery part before the asking part. I need a favor," she clasped her hands together unconsciously placing them under her chin and smiled innocently at him.
"I knew there was a catch," they both laughed, "What do you need?"
"Well ok Lucas told me that he's driving back to Tree Hill with Brooke, she's staying with him over Thanksgiving break, meet the family and all…"
"Oh really? That's great for them."
"Yeah and so they're gonna be all lovey dovey in the car and while Lucas always drives me home since I live near Tree Hill I don't want to be the third wheel. You told me last week that your parents were coming down for Thanksgiving as well to spend it with Luke's family so I know you'll be driving in the same general direction so I was kind of wondering if maybe you could…"
"Give you a ride?" he finished for her. She nodded and he smirked at her, "Of course Haley no problem," he grinned at her, "But I'm still driving."
Rolling her eyes she linked arms with him as they made their way to her dorm, him walking her home the way he had come to often do. "Of course you are, we couldn't have it any other way."
"Ok the bathroom is on your right," Haley told Nathan as she made quick work of removing her jacket. It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and they had just made the trip from Duke down to Wrightsville Beach where Haley lived just outside of Tree Hill. She and Lucas had often wondered if they'd ever seen each other before going to Duke seeing as how their hometowns were so close to one another. Luke had left with Brooke while she had driven with Nathan in his car. After some mild arguing over how much rap was too much rap and how many times she'd get to play her music they'd had a nice road trip. That was until the final hour of their approximately two and a half hour trip where it had begun to rain nonstop.
Haley laughed when Nathan emerged from the bathroom, his shirt still soaked from the quick run they had made between Nathan's parked car and the door to her apartment building. "It's really pouring out there huh?"
"I know we ran all of five seconds and look at us we're soaked."
"I thought that hurricane wasn't supposed to come in until tonight?" she questioned handing him a towel from the linen closet and grabbing one for her as well.
"Yeah so did I," he said wiping at his face and hair, "That's why Lucas and I didn't think we would have to leave early this morning to beat it out and figured we'd just come in the afternoon like we did. I didn't know we'd end up catching this thing, I mean look at it," he stopped to look out one of the windows, "If it gets much worse it won't be pretty."
"Yeah I know," reaching for his towel and hers she walked into the bathroom to hang them up to dry. "I'm guessing Connecticut doesn't get too many hurricanes am I right?" she called out from the bathroom.
"You are, but don't worry I've only been up there for four years I hadn't forgotten that they exist."
Laughing she came out of the bathroom and then headed over to the living room, "Do you have to…?" her question was cut short by the ringing telephone, "Let me hold that thought," she said holding a finger up.
"Hello?"
"Haley? Hi honey this is Deb, Lucas' mom."
"Oh hi Deb!"
"Hi I just wanted to check to see if you and Nathan had arrived already?"
"Yes Nathan and I are at my place. Are Lucas and Brooke already there?"
"Lucas just called from his cell phone and said he and Brooke would be here in like 5 minutes but is Nathan near you? I wanted to talk to him for a minute if that's ok?"
"Yes he's right here actually," Haley looked at Nathan and handed him the phone, "Lucas' mom wants to talk to you," she informed him.
"Hey Aunt Deb."
"Hi sweetie how's my favorite nephew?"
"I'm fine, just a little soaked," he laughed, "How are you?"
"Oh I'm good…about that soaked thing, Nathan it's really looking nasty out there I don't think you should be driving around in this weather," she told him concerned.
"Well we're already at Haley's place so I just have to drive over to your house I can get there soon…" he explained.
"No Nathan the roads aren't great and the news is saying for everyone to stay put for now because the storm came quicker than anyone anticipated," he could tell she was worried.
"Isn't it just gonna get worse though? Come on Aunt Deb I can drive it's not that bad now," Nathan tried to reason.
"Nathan!" Deb huffed over the phone, "Give the phone back to Haley you Scott men are all the same!" Nathan laughed and handed Haley the phone, "She wants to talk to you again."
Confusedly Haley took his offered phone, "Hello?"
"Haley listen can Nathan stay at your place for a bit? I just don't want him driving in this weather and his mother will kill me if I let him. Nathan's parents' plane was already delayed and the last thing they need to hear whenever they do arrive is that their son got into some sort of accident!" Deb exclaimed. Deb was not a fan of these storms and she was always saying how they should have been the ones to move to Connecticut.
Haley laughed over the phone, "It's ok Deb Nathan can stay with me for awhile."
"Just until it possibly clears up a little ok? Don't let him out no matter what he says," Deb warned her of Nathan's sneaky capabilities.
Haley laughed once again, "I won't," she assured her. Exchanging goodbyes both women hung up the phone.
"So you're pretty close with my Aunt Deb huh?"
"Well we get along, I spent so much time at Lucas' house this summer that we got to know each other pretty well. I think she likes me," Haley shrugged.
"I'm sure she does."
A little while later Haley had made some coffee and was setting the table for her and Nathan to have a snack as night time approached and the inside of the apartment darkened. Nathan had found something to watch on the TV in the living room and Haley was about to call him and tell him the coffee was ready when the phone rang once more. Picking it up in the kitchen Haley smiled hearing the sound of her mom's voice on the other line.
"I was beginning to worry about you mom! Where are you?"
"Oh Haley honey I'm so sorry, that boss of mine had me go do a job today in Charlotte so I drove all the way down here and now they have a bunch of the roads closed off and I can't get back."
"Wait so what are you going to do?" Nathan heard Haley talking from where he sat in the living room and slowly strode towards the kitchen realizing Haley was on the phone and not talking to herself like he had originally thought. The slight smirk left his face as he heard Haley's tone of voice.
"Do you have money to stay over in a hotel?…Right the emergency credit card…No mom don't feel bad tomorrow is Thanksgiving not today I can just see you tomorrow…I'm fine are you sure you're ok?…Right ok…Yeah I'll see you tomorrow, stay safe…Love you too, bye."
Hanging up Haley placed the phone back on its stand slowly taking in a deep breath. She jumped back slightly when the sound of Nathan's voice interrupted her asking her 'what's wrong'.
"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you. I just heard talking and…"
"No its ok really I just um…coffee's ready," Haley waved him off avoiding his gaze completely and keeping her eyes and head down. "It's dark in here I'm gonna go…" she tried moving past him to get to the light switch but he quickly and gently grabbed her by the elbow.
"Haley wait what's wrong?" he looked down at her willing her to raise her head but all she did was try to push past him.
"Nothing Nathan let me go turn on the light."
"No not nothing Haley clearly you're upset…is your mom ok?" he asked his voice filled with concern.
"Yeah she um…she just…" he could see her losing her composure but Haley held back. She was strong and confident, she was not weak and while she wore her heart on her sleeve she would not cry in front of others. She rarely did so, always trying to hide any moment where she might be too vulnerable. But with each second it was becoming increasingly hard to fight it especially as Nathan began to rub his hands slowly up and down her arms.
"What Haley? What is it?"
"She's just," she took a deep breath in, "She has this job right and she has to keep it so her boss sent her on this thing to Charlotte but now she's stuck there and has to spend money to stay at a hotel and be late for Thanksgiving tomorrow…not that it matters much I mean its just me and her," she scoffed blinking rapidly.
Even in the darkness of the room he could see the shine in her eyes…the marks of un-fallen tears, "So you're upset because she wont be home in time for Thanksgiving?"
"No it's not that because she will be home! And even if she couldn't be I don't mind for myself I'm just worried about her because…" she took a shaky breath, "Spending the night alone and having to spend the money…"
"Right that is an inconvenience I understand," he told her trying to see what else there was to it because he could tell that wasn't really the main issue here.
"It's just this could have all been so different!" she continued without much prompting from him. It seemed as though she was going to open up, and his ears were wide open.
"What could have been?"
"All of it," she blinked again, "It's just my mom I feel so bad for her. She's always had trouble getting a good job because her family couldn't afford to send her to college and it's just she's always been working so hard whenever she can but its just always been so difficult for her! But in my junior year of high school she got this big break you could say in that it was like…a steady job so she's always working right up until the Holidays and sometimes even in the holidays and its just…I don't know I'm not making any sense am I?" she sniffled.
"No its ok," he spoke softly trying to read her features in the darkness of the kitchen, "What did you mean by it could have been different?" he questioned.
"Because…because while she's out there trying to make a living so she can take care of herself and afford this shoebox of a place to live my so-called father is out there doing…whatever! My parents haven't been together since I was a kid but my dad was still sort of giving his part financially but each year he got more and more stingy and when I went to college he started to only give the minimum of minimums meanwhile he's with some other whore paying everything for her I'm sure!" Haley's words were bitter and harsh but the coldness didn't stop the tears from finally streaking down her cheeks. "I mean not that I'm saying my mom wants to be kept or something…it's not that it's the principle of the thing…I mean…ugh I'm just a mess I'm not making any sense!"
Nathan tried to understand what she was saying…her words were fragmented and her ranting voice was visibly upset but he felt like there was more to it.
"Why," he cleared his throat, "Why did your parents break-up?"
She closed her eyes more tears spilling out at once, "He cheated on her. And not the kind of cheating when the guy is all sorry and claims he made a mistake…the blatant no-feelings kind where he wasn't sorry and had the audacity to be the one to leave her and…" she sucked in her breath, "he just…he caused her a lot of pain and heartache and unfortunately she wasn't prepared to be financially independent when that happened so she always had to depend on the scraps he'd send our way and whatever she was getting paid which was almost always close to minimum wage and just…we were always in small apartments and my mom driving an older car while he could afford a new one and could afford to take vacations and trips and this and that," her tone turned sarcastic, "Meanwhile my mother raised me all by herself and guided me to do the right things and that's how I made it to college and she misses me I know she does because I'm all she has and she's all I have and I could tell in her voice on the phone that she was upset you know?" She looked up at him finally meeting his eyes her voice beginning to crack, "She was sad and sorry that she was leaving me alone and that kills me because I'm fine I just don't want HER to be alone and now the expense of having to stay the night in a hotel is just an extra expense that she doesn't need right now and its just…" She could no longer inhale and speak at the same time and the cracking in her voice finally gave way to full blown sobs. Nathan didn't think twice, enveloping her in his arms and pushing her head against his shoulder with one hand as the other rubbed her back.
He could feel her body convulsing as she tried to stop the tears but it only made him hold her tighter. He got the feeling that her exploding like that wasn't really just about today but maybe a combination of emotions that she'd been keeping bottled up and was letting out now. He couldn't form words to ease her mind, he'd never been confronted with a situation like this before, but all he knew was that he hated seeing Haley like this: sad and discomforted. He wanted to make it better for her but he didn't know how, so he just held her and whispered "shhh" as she cried into his shirt.
Haley for her part couldn't believe that she had just blurted all of that out. She usually didn't open up about her family situation too much. It was what it was and she was used to it and she refused to let it get to her, or rather she tried not to and to instead focus on her studies and whatever else was going on in her life. Being away at college was a great distraction from it all but coming home each time only made her realize that the situation was still present, and she longed for the days where she could be working and taking care of both herself and her mother so that her mom wouldn't have to worry about money as much or at all. Mostly though she was shocked that she had revealed all of that to Nathan. Something had simply come over her and she knew it was because she trusted Nathan in a special kind of way. He'd opened up about his personal life somewhat as soon as they'd met and he was never afraid to show her how he felt. She appreciated that about him and figured it was the reason she wasn't as inhibited in letting things out to him as well. But really she could barely think at the moment she could only feel herself crying and the keen feeling of comfort in Nathan's arms. A special kind of comfort she hadn't felt before.
Suddenly realizing that she was in fact crying in his arms she pulled away her face tear stained and her brown eyes wide and glossy, "Oh wow I'm so sorry I'm like totally getting your shirt all wet" she laughed nervously brushing at his shoulder and shirt where a big wet circle was distinguishable.
"Hales its ok, it's not like my shirt didn't get wet before too," he offered her a small smile, "Besides I'm sorry about all that stuff with you and your parents, the least I can do is hold you while you cry," he tucked a fallen piece of hair behind her ear and smiled at her.
"It's not your fault Nathan you don't have to do anything…" she wiped roughly at her cheeks.
"Well its not your fault either Haley you don't have to feel guilty about your mom being alone tonight, I don't think she would want you to feel that way."
She smiled softly at him, "Thanks" she whispered, her voice so small he barely heard her, but he did. He looked into her face, sadness still etched into it and suddenly it made more sense. What she had said at the beach a couple of weeks ago about how her dad could afford fancy vacations, and why she had to depend on her intellect to pay for college. It made sense now why her smiles were genuine but not always entirely happy. It had to be true then, no one was really entirely happy in this world, no one really had everything perfect in his or her lives. Some people perhaps deserved imperfection, but not Haley. He looked at her eyes and found them already looking into his, the small smile still on her face. Even a small smile from Haley was better than seeing her upset and a crying mess. It was surprising to him how much he had hated seeing that look in her eyes…that look of helplessness. He wanted nothing more than to take it away, and was glad that in this single moment it didn't seem to be there.
The phone rang for the third time that night breaking them from their locked gaze and a tentative frown began to creep back onto Haley's face.
"I'll get it," he offered, releasing her elbows from where they had still been held in his hands and shifting past her to get to the phone.
"Hello?"
"Nathan? It's your Aunt Deb again, how are you and Haley?"
"We're uh…we're ok, just…Haley's mom is stuck in Charlotte so she won't be home until tomorrow at the earliest."
"Oh no that's terrible! But actually I was calling to tell you to stay put. It's getting worse outside and I was going to suggest that you ask Haley if you could stay over but now that I'm hearing that she's going to be alone I think its an even better idea to keep her company. I wouldn't want her alone in the house in case the storm knocks out the power or something."
"Well its ok with me if it's ok with Haley…?"
Haley looked up then with question in her eyes and Nathan asked his aunt to hold on, "It's Aunt Deb she doesn't want me driving in these conditions and doesn't want you to be alone so is it ok if I stay here? I mean…"
Nodding she replied, "It's ok Nathan," she assured with a smile, "I'd love for you to stay."