Chapter Three: Forget the Things We Swore We Meant
Chapter Note: Well, I have to say that I got this chapter's title from an awesome band, Paramore's "Here We Go Again."
Excitement and anxiety soared throughout his body, adrenaline kicked in, and memories started to flood his mind with each step closer to the loud gym. Games he played there, sweet kisses he had in that place, and the hype that he lived in there were all sorting to melt warmly into his head.
Lucas finally let go of his half-brother's neck and patted him on the back. He knew that Nathan was definitely not ready for what was about to happen; the pain that would invade him even more when the happy memories of he and Haley had in that place.
"You ready for this?" Lucas asked already knowing the answer he would receive.
Nathan looked over at him slightly and then back up at the looming building. "Yeah," he replied in a deep husky voice with just as much heart you would get from a heartless person.
Shaking his head as they made it to the closed door, the music now pulsating loudly against the metal door, Lucas didn't want to push his brother. So instead he just grabbed the handle ready to pull it open when he said, "You sure you're up for this?"
"Damn it Lucas, open the door; I'm not going to say it again," Nathan said digging his hands deep into his pockets. Lucas could tell that Nathan wasn't a force to be reckoned with when he was pissed, especially when he could now bench almost double than Lucas could.
Again, Lucas shook his head agreeing grudgingly, but he did. He opened the door suddenly and immediately the wave of memories he was expecting to hit him, hit him ten times the multitude than he thought it would. It was almost overwhelming in a sense, but definitely compelling to any soul that would walk through the door.
The banners, the balloons, the enlarge photos of them in high school, their old jerseys, everything—it was all so amazing. "Wow," Lucas softly whispered to himself as his eyes darted from place to place like a small child let loose in a candy shop uncertain of where to go first since it all seemed to lucrative.
"I can't bel--" Lucas started to say to Nathan, but seemingly enough Nathan wasn't right next to him any longer. He wasn't to be seen anywhere for that matter.
He was just about to start looking for Nathan when an all too familiar voice called out to him. Lucas turned around and saw his first friend on the basketball team, Jake.
"Jake, man it's been forever!" Lucas said walking over to him holding his hand out.
Jake laughed and nodded his head agreeing, "Yeah, I know— too long." Taking Lucas's held out hand and shaking it warmly, "This place brings back memories or what?"
"Definitely, I was blown away with the pictures, to tell you the truth." Lucas said smiling as he pointed to a few of the basketball ones.
"I know what you mean; those were great times, too bad I wasn't here for the senior year though." Jake replied with a wishful look in his eye as he looked at the black and white photos with a splash of color here and there.
Looking at the pictures more intently, with the same intensity as Jake, Lucas's eyes fell on a cheerleader in the background of the picture of where he was making a lay-up. "Peyton," he whispered to himself again. Something had sparked at that moment that he hadn't expected would've, especially tonight.
"What?" Jake asked looking up at him slightly with curiosity ignited.
Shrugging, Lucas answered, "Nothing, I was just reminded of something I seemed to have forgotten about."
Her breathing became ragged as her heart race picked up as the nervousness and the 'what ifs' overcame her rational side. She looked at herself in her rearview mirror again, for like the tenth time just sitting there in park.
"Gosh Haley," she exclaimed exasperatedly to herself leaning back in her seat. "Everything's going to be fine. Awkward, yes, but definitely not Hell."
Haley could feel her newly formed tears stinging her eyes as she stared at the gymnasium from afar. She didn't know why she was so afraid; it wasn't as if she had 'left' him. He pushed her away! But even though she wanted to make him feel guilty and crushed, just like he made her feel when she came back during the summer of their senior year, but she wanted to be him so badly. She loved him and she was still in love with him and nothing could change that, not even Nathan.
She closed her eyes to keep her tears from falling and then she looked at herself again to make sure none of her make-up had become blotchy—it didn't thankfully. At this, she decided to get out of the car to keep from being tempted to drive away. "Ah, stop it Haley, stop crying."
"Haley?" someone asked from behind. Haley turned around and saw her curly blonde friend.
"Peyton?" Haley inquired with a smile on her face. "Your hair, you went back to the curls!"
Peyton laughed and nodded her head, probably because she spoke of her 'old' hairstyle. "Yeah, the short slash punk thing wasn't really the professional artist look my company wanted, so," she pointed up at her hair off-handedly, "the curls are back."
Hearing this, Haley closed the distance between her old friend and hugged her warmly. "I would've never thought that you would oblige them—I thought you would've told them to stick it."
"Yeah, well that doesn't put food on the table and I really wasn't up for trying the whole starving artist act." Peyton replied as she backed out of the hug, smiling.
For some strange reason, Haley wondered why Peyton parked in front of the building, like herself, where no one else had parked. "So," she started out tentatively, "what makes you park all the way out in the sticks like me?"
Peyton's smile faltered slightly. "Yeah, well, I guess I'm kind of avoiding Brooke since," she looked down at the ground and kicked a random rock a little, "she and I aren't really on the best of terms. And I suppose you could say that the past always seems to bite me in the ass somehow, especially when I see my old boyfriends, friends in general, and you know, my old angsty habits on display." Peyton looked back up at her, "What about you, why are you out here?"
Haley laughed as if 'you don't wanna hear about it' sort of way. "Well," she said shakily as she rung her hands, "Nathan and I seem to have hit another rough patch in our marriage." Haley could feel tears again forming in her eyes and she tried her hardest to keep them from falling. "I guess I'm delaying the inevitable by parking in front so I won't have to see him right away and lose my nerve to say the three words I've always felt."
She didn't know why she was divulging her fears to Peyton because it was a very vulnerable situation for her.
"I guess both of our histories seem to haunt us," Peyton said barely over a whisper.
Nodding, Haley laughed sarcastically still fighting the relentless tears. "Lucky us," she responded sullenly.
After a comfortable silence, that's usually shared once two people expose their fears, Haley felt an arm wrap around her arms. "Let's go in there and get our groove things mingling with old friends. What's done is done and we can't change it as much as we wish we could." Peyton started to laugh at her own little 'pep' talk. "You with me?"
Haley let out a painful breath and then looked up at Peyton smiling slightly. "I guess the inevitable awaits."
"That's the spirit!" Peyton giggling at Haley's very deep, as well as bland, statement.
On their walk over to the gym, Haley couldn't help but feel slightly more comfortable though on the other hand, afraid. But she held her head up high ready to take on any situation that presents itself.
"By the way, did I tell you that you look like a hottie tonight, Haley?" Peyton teased playfully. "Nathan's going to be drooling for sure."
"I try," Haley joked in a slightly better spirit than her past remarks. "And you look like a hottie as well Peyton; many guys are going to instate stalking for the first time tonight once they see you."
Laughing, Peyton answered, "Right."
Just as they rounded the high school and finally came closer and closer to the main entrance of the gym, Haley was starting to get chills running up and down her spine. Too many memories were rushing back at once; this route was all too familiar. Taking one last deep breath before she opened the door, Haley looked up at her blonde friend.
Peyton smiled awkwardly, her nerves and anxieties were obviously taking a toll on her as well, but she put on a brave face just for her. "Ready to work this joint, biotch?"
Shaking her head laughing, Haley opened the door allowing the songs of 2006 to bring back even more memories; she smiled and then said, "As ready as I'll ever be."
As soon as he entered the gym, he was lost in his memories. Idly walking on the outskirts and avoiding conversations by the shadows, Nathan walked towards the locker rooms. He had spent his teenage years basically in their lifting weights, showering, talking, listening to music, getting hyped up before a game and celebrating afterwards, and many chats with Whitey. That was his sanctuary off the court even if they were dirty, smelled of urine, and had sweat-drenched uniforms just lying around; they enabled him to think clearly. Many of his brood sessions in there were about his marriage, especially during his senior year, but they continued to get lighter and lighter once they began to work out their kinks.
Finally making it to the boys' locker room door, Nathan pushed the door open slowly. The familiar smells invaded his system and he felt slightly at ease. It was dark, but he knew where he was going; he knew the place as well as he knew the back of his hand. He cautiously made it over to the wall where the light switch was and turned them on.
The sight brought back a spectacle of boyish memories. It was practically the same, except for new lockers and weights, but all in all it seemed as if he was there yesterday.
Smiling to himself as he walked in between lockers, seeing the same old wooden benches, Nathan felt slightly whole again. Basketball was always apart of his life, but Tree Hill—the Ravens, always held a piece of his heart for the game. Finally, Nathan came to a certain corner in the locker, far back, and saw the small crack in the wall where Haley would get Lucas to slip him small love notes on their senior year once they got back together. Naively, he went over there hoping beyond everything that he would find a small note from Haley in there to give him reassurance that she still loved him even if he was a jackass towards her.
As he pinched his fingers in the thin crack, he found nothing. His heart pounded harder and more painful and it felt as if he was losing himself at that moment because she was his everything. Nothing was there, just air.
Sullenly, Nathan turned around and put his hands in his pockets and slowly walked out of the locker room, without bothering to turn off the lights. When he opened the locker room door, the music of 2006 hit his ears once again for that night.
"Screw this place," Nathan said vehemently looking down at the hardwood basketball court beneath his feet.
Just at that moment, the door that he was heading to opened emitting two women. One of their figures immediately catching his eye, he knew it so well. The air was taken from him and he felt weak in the knees and cold. "Haley," Nathan said softly; he was captivated by her natural beauty.
She seemed nervous, obviously hearing his little murmur to himself. Haley smiled slightly and then looked at the ground and back up at him. "Hey Nathan," she said awkwardly.
Brooke didn't know what was coming over her. Yes, Mouth was clearing a hunk now, but it was Mouth, not a piece of meat that she could pounce just for the physical pleasure of things.
He seemed to have sensed her change in spirit at once because he immediately lost that intrigued look in his eyes and looked away, embarrassed. Obviously, insecurity in himself still existed, the ghosts of his past of being a nerd who never got the girl still did.
"Sorry," he barely said above a whisper not looking at her, but up at the mural. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."
Squeezing his hand slightly, Brooke began to pull him out of the closed off area and out into the open gym. "Nah, you didn't," she replied smiling. "Now are you going to ask me to dance or am I going to have to make all of the first moves?"
Laughing a little, Mouth led her out on to the floor where some brave souls were already dancing. "If I remember correctly, you always made the first move, at least that's what I observed back then and heard of, actually."
"Mr. McFadden," Brooke asked as they started to dance, "are you flirting with me?"
"I'd be lying if I say I wasn't," Mouth answered smiling broadly.
For the first time in a long time, Brooke felt happy. Mouth always seemed to make her smile or laugh in his own little corky way, and here he was doing that again. Sweet memories; why the hell didn't she go after him when they were younger?
Jake patted Lucas on the back, "Yeah, I know what you mean."
Lucas smiled and nodded his head, "Well, I'm gonna go get myself a drink, I'll be right back man."
"Okay," Jake replied still looking up at the various pictures.
Still smiling, Lucas headed over to the punch bowl and started to spoon himself a drink. Laughing at the thought of someone actually spiking it, like they always did at the school dances meticulously, he took a drink to taste and see. Nope, no one had done it.
"Damn," he whispered to himself and when he turned around, something caught his eye. Near the door, a certain gorgeous blonde was standing next to Haley. He was taken aback by her presence. Right at that moment,Peyton looked over at him, seeing that he was staring at her. Lucas unconsciously put his drink down on the table and turned away feeling indefinably embarrassed. "Way to go, now she thinks I'ma stalker."
Trying to see if she was still over near the door, Lucas quickly glanced over that way only to find that no Peyton was to be seen.
Author's notes: Dun, dun, dun! Yes, I have acouple cliffhangers going in this chapter: Haley and Nathan's first encounter, and Lucas's 'wow' of Peyton and where she went. Will our little blonde boy go in search of her or is she in search of him? Okay, I'll just shut up and thank you all. You guys rock and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's more bland than the other chapters seeing as not too much happened except all of the characters finally getting to the dang reunion. So, I hope you liked it more than me! If not, I totally know where you're coming from. Please tell me your thoughts because I love getting a review. You guys are rad…