Chapter Five

Come Downstairs and Say Hello

Dorothy moves to click her ruby shoes
Right in tune with dark side of the moon
Someone, someone could tell me
Where I belong
Be calm, be brave, it'll be okay
No more messing around and living underground
And new year's resolutions
By this time next year I won't be here
I turn on MTV, the volume's down
Lips move, they say
It'll be okay
To tell you the truth, I've said it before
Tomorrow I start in a new direction
One last time these words from me
I'm never saying them again
and I shut the light
and listen as my watch unwinds
To tell you the truth, I've said it before
Tomorrow I start in a new direction
I know I've been half-asleep
I'm never doing that again
I look straight at what's coming ahead
and soon its going to change in a new direction
Every night as I'm falling asleep
These words repeating in my head
Voices calling from a yellow road
To come downstairs and say hello
Don't be shy, just say hello
To tell you the truth, I've said it before
Tomorrow I start in a new direction
I know I've been half-asleep
I'm never doing that again
I look straight at what's coming ahead
and soon its going to change in a new direction
Every night as I'm falling asleep
These words repeated in my head

Christmas 2009 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

She thought by now she wouldn't remember what he smelled like. She remembered perfectly, Polo Blue and Listerine mouthwash. She thought by now that when she accidentally washed her clothes in the same detergent she used to wash his in, that she wouldn't be bothered by it. She was. She looked out the window of her apartment and sighed. She hated every beautiful day. She wished it was raining or at least cloudy. She crossed her arms over her chest; she always did this when she felt like she might cry. He knew that.

"Haley!" She heard her roommate, Callie, yell from the living room. "UNC is playing."

Haley wiped her eyes and walked into the room. Callie sat on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. She pulled her legs onto the couch and patted the seat next to her. "Come on."

She smiled and took a seat next to Callie. Haley watched the television screen carefully. She saw Nathan's number and crossed her arms over her chest.

"… that's right, without the wildcats small forward Nathan Scott…"

Haley cringed and Callie watched her every move. "That's kinda weird Haley… he has the same last name as you…"

"Yeah, it's a common last name though ya know?" Haley said. She never changed her last name. She couldn't. He meant to much to her.

----------------------------------------------------

Brooke sat in the front seat of her Volkswagen bug tapping on the steering wheel waiting for him to come out of the doors. There he was. She watched him run his fingers through his blonde hair. He walked over to her car.

"Hey." He said peaking in through her window.

"Hey." She said, smiling at him.

"Congrats homecoming queen. I know that's what you've always wanted."

"Yeah… that and something else…"

"Brooke, I know…"

"I wish you knew Luke, I wish."

"I wish I did too. I wish I knew what I wanted."

"I understand. Sometimes it can't be what you want it to be…" Brooke said as she started her car and switched into drive.

"Brooke, please…" Lucas said as he held onto the window frame.

"No," She said as she looked at him, "Please Luke, just let me go. I'm trying to let you go."

"Brooke, you don't have to. It doesn't have to be like this."

She gave him a half hearted smile and wiped her eye, "No, it does, for now."

Haley couldn't go home to Brooke. She had to go somewhere anywhere. So she got in her car and just… drove. She drove watching the Christmas light covered trees pass. She wasn't going anywhere in particular, or at least she didn't think she was. Without thinking she stopped her car and looked up. She got out of the car and walked to the front door of the house. She slowly knocked.

Nathan answered the door. He crossed his arms over his chest.

She took a deep breath.

"Nathan, please, just listen to me this one time. I got in my car with no intention of coming over here. I have been driving around for two hours with no where to go and without even thinking, this is where I ended up. I am not saying that this is a sign that I was supposed to be here right at this moment or anything but… I guess deep down I am kind of hoping that is what you were thinking when you saw me standing at the door and I just…"

"Nathan?" Nathan looked over his shoulder to see Brooke in an oversized tee shirt.

"Oh." She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest and chewed on her lip.

"Haley, please." Nathan said reaching for her.

"No." She said quickly pulling away. "No, I get it…" She stared at him. "Ya know Nathan, just because you cover it up, doesn't mean I can't see it." She said, pointing at the wedding ring he wore on a chain. "I just like for everyone to see it." She held up her hand.

Nathan walked out of the house and stood on the stoop, "Oh so is that why you hid it in your guitar case when you were on tour. Because it means so much to you right?"

Haley started to walk back to her car.

"Because our relationship meant so much to you right?"

"Nathan, no… don't do this to Haley. Please." Brooke said grabbing Nathan's arm.

Haley opened her car door and yelled out to Brooke, "I'm going home… but I guess I won't see you there."

Brooke ran out of the house, "Haley please, don't be upset."

Haley let out a scoff and got out of the car, "How could I not be upset Brooke? How would you feel if you went to go talk to Lucas and when he answered the door and after you poured your heart out…?" She paused for a moment and ran her index finger under her eyes, wiping away the tears, "You saw me standing there. How would that make you feel?"

"Haley, I didn't mean for this to happen… just, can we talk about this in the morning"

"Don't worry, I'll have my stuff moved out by morning so I won't have to talk to you."

"You don't have to do that."

"No I do." Haley opened her car door and got in. She quickly sped off.

Brooke turned around to look at Nathan. "What have we done?" She said as she lowered her head and walked into the house. Nathan put his hand on her back and followed her inside.

Haley shuffled through her purse, searching for her phone. She quickly pulled it out and pressed two on her speed dial.

"Hello?" The voice said, half asleep.

"Luke. I need to see you."

"Hales what's wrong? What's going on?"

She couldn't tell him the truth; she couldn't break his heart too. "Nothing, I just need to talk."

Lucas nodded his head and said, "Meet me at the rivercourt. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thank you." Haley said, her voice trailing off.

Lucas grabbed the car keys off of his dresser and dashed out the door. He was glad she needed him, because he needed her too.