Chapter Fourteen

A Bullet for everyone

Haley

Bang. Bang.

Ok, actually it's a knock, but my head is pounding so much that the sound of a fly ten minutes ago sounded like a chainsaw. I struggle to my feet and practically crawl to my front door.

You know, I should be so proud of myself. My first full day off school. I actually wanted to go in and laugh at all the zombie hangover kids, but my parents and Lucas told me it was out of the question. Lucas was even going to take the day off to look after me but I refused to let him, I know how harsh Whitey is when his class miss even one lesson, never mind a whole day's worth.

Bang, bang, bang, BANG!

"Okay, okay," I croak. My skull feels like it's just been wrenched open with a sledgehammer. Ugh.

I open the door and see a way too cheerful looking Brooke.

"Good morning Tutor Girl!" she greets, handing me a huge basket and walking into my living room.

"Come in," I croak, trying to be sarcastic. I look at the basket as I slump back onto the sofa. It's filled with cookies and chocolates and a huge teddy bear. "Brooke, this is… this is so sweet. But shouldn't you be at school?"

Brooke grins at me. "I'm making the rounds. Peyton's off school too."

Peyton? I vaguely remember her being kind of drunk and completely out of character last night. "Too much to drink?" I ask. Brooke shakes her head, looking sad.

"No, she got drugged like you."

I groan at that. I mean, who does that? I'm so relieved that nothing bad (apart from the dunk in the pool) happened to us. At least, nothing bad that the asshole who drugged us might of wanted.

But then, who the hell drugged us? I mean, I think Lucas has an idea, but he's not telling me.

"I heard about the fight at the hospital last night."

I drag my head up at Brooke. She's biting her lip and looking concerned. "Lucas and Nathan have been completely awful to each other all day. Not like they aren't always, but worse than that. I've never seen Lucas so… dangerous looking."

"Just because Lucas got dunked? Or was it because I got dunked?" I ask. A fight? At the hospital? I remember Lucas storming out but I thought he just wanted air. After all, he'd just found out that his girlfriend's drink had been spiked. I didn't even know Nathan was there.

"Haven't you heard?" Brooke asks.

"Heard what?"

Brooke takes a deep breath. "Okay, I know I shouldn't be the one to tell you this, but if I don't I don't think anyone else will…"

"Take a breath Brooke," I order with a laugh. She just said the whole sentence in a rush that I'm not entirely sure what she said.

"Um… Lucas has this idea – completely irrational and stupid I'm sure – that… that um…"

"Spit it out Brooke!"

"Lucas has this idea that it was Nathan who spiked your drink."

Silence.

Nathan?

"I know, it's completely stupid because why would Nathan spike your drink? Of all the girls there why would he just drug you and Peyton, not that I don't love the two of you, but cheerleaders in short skirts? I mean, I know they're pretty easy and everything but still, you were wearing jeans and a sweater with no cleavage and…"

"Brooke, you're rambling," I say quietly. I want her to shut up. I want to get my head straight and process what she just said.

Nathan?

The idea that it was Nathan feels like a punch to my gut. I mean, I've seen a different side to him these last few days. If it was him, then this side I've seen was a complete joke.

"Haley?" Brooke asks.

I look up and stare her straight in the eye. "Do you think it was Nathan?" I ask. Brooke actually laughs at that.

"No! I mean, I know he can seem like a complete jerk sometimes, but he's not desperate and he's not stupid."

"but you've got to admit, he's treated his past girlfriends like crap."

Brooke looks stuck for things to say. "I… yeah, I guess but…"

"So he has no respect for girls?"

"Haley! Stop, okay. Nathan would not spike your drink. I saw him, I saw the look on his face when you feel to the bottom of the pool, when he refused to stay at the beach house instead of going with you and…" she gasps, putting a hand over her mouth. "I've said too much."

Tears spring to my eyes. "What was his face like? Filled with guilt? Maybe he wanted to go to the hospital so that the doctor would tell him that I'd been drugged and Lucas and the rest of you would never know! Maybe he was devastated that his little drug plan wouldn't work! Maybe…"

"He's in love with you Haley!"

"What?"

Brooke puts her hand over her mouth again. The room seems to spin and I think I'm going to be sick. "No… no that's stupid." I actually laugh. I don't feel like it but I need to relieve this tension somehow. "Nathan Scott hates me."

"Not anymore Haley. I know him, okay? I know how his mind works, how his heart works, and I know that the look on his face when you came out of that pool lifeless was not guilt, or anger, or anything like that. It was pain, pure pain and… and concern and anguish… Haley, where are you going?"

I'm stood up, pulling my denim jacket on over the sweats I'm wearing. "I need to go into school."

"Why?"

"Why do you think? I need to talk to Nathan and…"

"What about Lucas?"

Lucas? Crap, I'd forgotten about him. Oh God, I'd forgotten about my own boyfriend. What kind of girlfriend am I?

"Well, it's not like I'm going to jump Nathan in the middle of the corridor, we're just going to talk and…"

"Okay, okay Tutor girl?"

"What?"

"You are not going into school like that."