Hey, Im back after the battle with my Microsoft Word Program. I got it to start working now yeah for me! Here's your long awaited update:
Chapter 24: For You I Will
Wandering the streets in a world underneath it all
Nothing seems to be
Nothing tastes as sweet as what I can't have
Nathan jogged to the front door. His knee and shoulder ached still from practice, but he forgot about his pain entirely when he saw who was on the other side.
"Hi, Mr. Scott." The boy waved with a sheepish grin on his face. He was taller than Nathan remembered. But his shaggy and curly brown hair and round blue eyes were still the same. His muscles were a bit more toned and his voice was without a doubt still changing, yet he looked like the young boy Nathan knew so well.
"Sean? What in the hell are you doing here?" He asked, widening the door for his daughter's best friend.
"I was... kind of... hoping to see Nicole." His brow furrowed in bewilderment.
"I meant what are you doing in Tree Hill, but follow me. You want some gatorade?"
"Sure, I'd love some." He responded. "I can't believe you didn't hear though. My dad was traded to the Bobcats. And uh, my STEP-mom decided I needed a permanent place to call home. My dad heard you moved here, so to make his wife and no one else happy, we followed suit." He grumbled, almost snarling at the mention of his new mom.
"I never thought I see the day Ryan Peirce would re-marry." Nathan shook his head, sitting down at the island in the kitchen across from Sean.
"Neither did I. They eloped." He stated bluntly, not hiding his disdain. "And to make matters worse, she has two kids. Her youngest, Abigail isn't so bad, I guess. She's only five and still pretty innocent. But... her son, Travis. He's my age, actually, he's four months older. But he... he's...He's a bastard is what he is." He paused as he stared a hole in his bottle. "Anyways, is Nicole here? Or wait, did she get sent off to boarding school to complete the universe's attempt to ruin my life?"
Nathan laughed. "No. She's out with her mother and sister, but they should be back by now." He said, glancing at the clock on the microwave. Sean choked on his gulp of gatorade.
"Mother and sister? She has a sister!"
"Yeah. Nicole has a twin."
"I didn't know that!"
"Neither did she." He laughed hollowly. Sean looked at him like he was expecting more. "She'll tell you the story later. I gotta go. You can stay here and wait. They'll be back soon. Don't eat ALL of my food." He said, grabbing his keys swiftly off the counter and leaving him alone. He knew Sean was a good kid, he had known him since the day he started playing for the Lakers way back when. Ryan, Sean's father, who was a year older than Nathan, was traded four years after Nathan joined the team. Nicole and Sean were ten years old when he was traded. At first, they both couldn't figure it out. For four years, they spent everyday together, Sean even started attending the boy's summer camp at Walden and they snuck out at night to see each other. And then, suddenly, they didn't have that anymore. They wrote letters and called each other constantly, but after a while, it faded to once a week, once a month, and then on birthdays or holidays.
"Don't count on it." Sean threw out over his shoulder.
-.-.-
Like you and the way that you're
Twisting your hair 'round your finger
Tonight I'm not afraid to tell you
What I feel about you
News of Brooke and Lucas's pregnancy news spread like wildfire. The whole gang minus Nathan and Jake, had just finished their late lunch and were on their way home. Brooke and Lucas were so overjoyed about the pending arrival of their child that they hadn't wasted an hour before they called every person they knew and announced their pregnancy. Peyton sobbed uncontrollably, incoherently sniffling about their babies growing up together. Haley shrieked and almost dropped the phone in surprise. Karen had to lean on Keith for support from near faint. Yet Dan, was the only one to remain cool and collected, simply smiling into the phone and throwing out a congratulations.
It seemed times were changing in Tree Hill. And everyone had realized it, too. "-Maybe they pump something in the air." Nicole laughed, following her sister out of the car and around to the trunk, helping her carry the bags from their earlier grocery shopping out of the car and into the house.
"Yeah, I can see the commercial now. 'Come to lovely Tree Hill, where your kids lives will end up being more screwed up than your own and the word drama takes a whole new meaning.'" Hannah snickered, hip-checking the front door sloppily as she tried not to drop any grocery bags. Nicole stepped inside after her sister and her eyes immediately made contact with his.
"Hi Nicky." He waved.
"Nicky! That's Sean... Pierce!" Hannah whispered urgently.
"...Sean? Wh-what a-are you doing here?" She stuttered, not realizing she had loosened the grip on her bags and the oranges had rolled out.
"We moved here... well. Not here, this is your house, obviously, I mean... to Tree Hill." He stammered nervously. Nicole wasn't the only one in shock, Hannah looked like the wind was knocked out of her. This boy had been plastered all over the television, guest spotting on different shows, but more famously, his permanent role on a ABC sitcom, that was, until it was cancelled at the end of the last season.
Nicole walked over to him from shock, and threw her arms around his neck fiercely and held him close. He was finally taller than she was, after all their years, but his embrace felt the same as it always had. "Well, I always knew you were hot for me, but god Nicole, you really need to squeeze me so tight?" He smirked.
"Still arrogant as ever, I see." She sniffed, wiping away tears she didn't know had fallen.
"Still not noticing anything, I see." He mocked, nodding toward a pale faced Hannah. Hannah gave a feeble huff, as if she was offended by not being introduced, but it sounded more like a sigh as if she was smitten.
"Oh, Sean. This is my sister." Nicole said nonchalantly, bending down to pick up the oranges. Hannah opened her mouth to say something but Haley's voice cut her off.
"Hannah and Nicole! How many times do I need to tell you! DON'T leave your shoes right by the front door, where I could EASILY trip, fall, and die of a head injury!"
"It's a conspiracy mom, we are trying to kill you. Your obituary will read: Haley James, death at 31 by tennis shoe accident." Hannah threw back.
Sean threw a nervous look at Nicole, but she was smiling. "Kind of, sort of, missed, by her twin daughters." She continued.
When Haley appeared in sight, she smiled bizarrely at the boy standing in front of her. "Hello."
"Hi." He responded, confusion laced into his small smile.
"Mom, this is my best friend, Sean Pierce. Sean, this is my long lost mom, Haley James." Nicole clarified, looking at the bewildered faces.
"Hi, Sean. Nice to meet you, finally." She smiled her normal broad smile.
"You too. My step-sister loves your music."
"Step-sister!" Nicole screamed.
"Yeah.." Sean sighed. Nicole's eyes were wide and she looked angry. They didn't know anything about each other's lives anymore.
"That's it! To my room! Best friend time. Hannah, stay away." Nicole yelled, yanking Sean from the kitchen. Sean threw an apologetic smile back at Hannah.
"It was nice meeting you both..." His voice faded from the room.
–.-.-
Oh, I'm gonna muster every ounce of confidence I have
Cannonball into the water
I'm gonna muster up every ounce of confidence I have
For you I will, for you I will
Nathan called shortly after, instructing Haley to get dressed to go out. Haley rolled her eyes. "Out." Pish... that's all he said anymore. But she dutifully dressed in a simple black tank top and cardigan sweater, jeans and black closed toe boots.
"Ready to go?" He asked, buttoning the last button on his shirt as she came down the stairs.
"I guess.. Couldn't we just stay in once in a while, like normal people?"
"Hales, we're not normal. Get used to it. And we won't be gone long. I was thinking we could walk the pier together."
"Oh. Alright then." Haley said simply, but inside she was grinning. Walking on a pier- yes. That was normal and romantic enough. "Let me just say goodbye to the girls and get my coat." She smiled, heading back up the stairs while he pulled his coat out of the closet and sat down on the couch.
"Nicky," Haley peeked into her room after offering a small knock. "We are going out for a little while. Do you guys want some money for a pizza?"
"Do you even need to ask?" Nicole sprang from her bed and held out her hand for money. Haley handed her a twenty.
"Make sure you order enough for Hannah, too. And please, don't leave her out all night."
"Aww-mom!" She started to pout, but Sean cut her off.
"We won't leave her out. In fact, the miracle child and I were just going to go see if she wanted to watch a movie with us. Weren't we?" He smirked at Nicole, throwing his arm around her. She rolled her eyes and grimly agreed.
"Good." Haley laughed, backing out of the room. She saw Hannah at the end of the hall, already in her pajamas. "Nathan and I are going out."
Hannah laughed bitterly. "Do you want an award?" She slammed her bedroom door and Haley sighed.
"Hales! You comin'?" Nathan shouted up the stairs. Haley shook her head to rid it of it's thoughts and walked across the landing to the hallway opposite Hannah and Nicole's to their bedroom. Her coat laid over the back of her vanity chair, and she grabbed it off quickly, knocking down a picture. She bent down to pick it up, not instantly recognizing it. A small tear ran from her eye and she got that bad-mother feeling back in the pit of her stomach. Nicole's wide small shone back at her, with Nathan clutching her small hand and Brooke crying. The bottom of the picture was titled 'First Day Of Kindergarten.' Placing the photo back, she hurriedly rushed from the room and flew down the stairs. Nathan's arms steadied her at the bottom.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Nathan asked as his eyebrow drew together in worry and confusion. Instinctively, his hand moved up to her cheek and he wiped the fresh tear off of her face.
"Nothing.. Let's just go," Haley sighed, but Nathan hesitated, "Please?"
He nodded and he called out a "We're leaving. Be good," as the door shut behind him.
--
Forgive me if I stutter from all of the clutter in my head
Cause I could fall asleep in those eyes
Like a waterbed
Do I seem familiar
I've crossed you in hallways a thousand times
No more camouflage I want to be exposed and not be afraid to fall
"Hey. How are you feeling?" Lucas says, sitting on the edge of the couch next to Brooke who was laying down. Brooke looked completely upset.
"I feel fine." She grouched, jerking back from his touch.
"Uh. Okay... Can I get you anything?" He asked tentatively.
"New parents might be nice." She bit out, and realization dawned on Lucas's face.
"What happened...?" He asked softly as he threw a blanket over her.
"I called them, to tell them I was pregnant, and that I'm engaged. And that, most importantly, I'm..." She choked up as tears fell from her face and Lucas's gentle hands quickly wiped them away. He bent down and kissed her cheeks which were hot and damp from her freshly fallen tears. "And that I'm happy. And you know what they said?"
Lucas shook his head, but she knew that he did know. He always knew.
"They said that this is what they expected from me. That once I finally had my life in order, that I would throw it all away for nothing. They said all I'd ever be to them was a mistake. And you know what bothers me the most? It bothers me that no matter how many times I hear things like that from them, it always hurts just the same..." As she finished, she let herself fall into Lucas's protective arms, and she cried. She cried for the uncertainty of her future, she cried for the mistakes of her past, she cried for looming threat of failure as a parent, and most importantly, she just cried for herself. Something she hadn't done, yet needed to do, since Nathan called and told her he was moving to California.
She was falling apart, but Lucas was there to pick up the pieces. "Just let it out baby. It's all going to be okay now. I promise."
- - -
Oh, I'm gonna muster every ounce of confidence I have
Cannonball into the water
I'm gonna muster up every ounce of confidence I have
For you I will
"So does Hannah have any friends that could show up unannounced at any time?" Nathan laughed at the absurdity of the situation. Truth be told, he never thought he'd see the Peirce's again. Once Nicky and Sean's long-distance relationship started to fizzle out and Nicole developed real relationships with the girls from camp, he figured it was the end of the sole best friend era. He had to admit though, he wasn't angry it came back.
"She has friends from school, but with our touring all the time she never really had enough time to produce a substantial relationship. That's generally the reason I sent her to summer camp. She needed some real interaction with kids her own age. Mostly, she usually hung out with the people backstage. They know not to say anything completely inappropriate in front of her, but at the same time, they're like twenty and she's thirteen." Haley shrugged as they walked hand in hand down the pier. They were attracting photographers and glances as always, but neither noticed. Haley was busy staring downcast, feeling an emptiness she only felt when she thought of the years she missed with her second born. The picture of her smiling on her first day of school was taunting her, it wouldn't erase itself from her mind.
"Hales," he whispered, stopping them in the middle of the sidewalk. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's stupid." She tried to dismiss it. She shook her head and started to walk again, but his hold on her hand stopped the attempt.
"I bet it's not."
"I just-" She sighed. "I just feel like a bad mother. I know so little about Nicole, and it's all because.." She swallowed the tears that she felt welling in her throat. "Because I was stubborn and didn't want to face you."
"Haley, listen to me." He commanded softly, lifting her chin so her eyes met his. "You are not a bad mother. Don't ever think that. And what's in the past, is in the past. You're here with Nicole now."
Haley nodded threw her tears. "You're right. I told you I was being stupid."
"You weren't being stupid, Haley. I feel the same way sometimes, but it's not worth it to dwell on the mistakes of the past."
"Oh ho. Look at you, Dr. Phil."
"What!" He shrugged defensively, and she playfully slapped his stomach with the back of her hand.
"'Don't dwell on the mistakes of the past.'" She mocked. "Who says things like that!"
"You do!"
"Yeah, well. That's because I'm tutorgirl. I'm allowed too. You however are not." She laughed, standing in front of him she wrapped her arms around his waist and craned her neck to look up at his face. He placed his arms around her back and leaned down for a kiss. "I love you." She whispered when they broke away for air. But he only picked her up off the ground and kissed her more passionately.
The music that was playing faintly over the whole pier melted away and suddenly, it was just the two of them, in their own world. Paparazzi swarmed the area and flashbulbs were blinking at increasing rates. Bystanders stopped and watched the spectacle, some laughing, others mortified. They broke away, and stood gazing into each other's eyes lovingly. "Marry me." Nathan whispered.
DUN DUN DUN! Thanks for the input everybody! As this story takes it's final turn to the completedside, I have decided, but I don't want to tell you just yet.
Shout Outs:
Come on sweet catastrophe: Im glad you enjoy my taste in music, I think yours is pretty good then too. I liked your input and def. agree with the converse thing.
Cadi Cay: He he he. Screming at the computer screen? Really, well Its not over just yet, probably five more chapters or so... I don't know.
RoseRows: We meet again. I believe I came up with a suitable ending and maybe a beginnning, there I go, saying too much agian. "Great chapter, as always" I know, Im amazing, Its just how I am.
treehillgirl323: I love Nicole's funnyness, and that I decided to have Brooke pregnant, it worked out in the scheme of things.
Arhazivory: ;) I have thought of something... he he he.
That's all for today, yeah I know awww.. you didnt get one. Unless you did.
Anyways, love ya. Keep reading and Ill keep writitng.