-Right Here is a song by Staind.
-Right now, I think i'll just let you read:
Chapter 26: Right Here
I know I've been mistaken
But just give me a break and see the changes that I've made
I've got some imperfections
But how can you collect them all and throw them in my face.
The next day was a depressing, bleak weathered Monday. Nicole's winter break was over and she had returned to school that morning. She had tried her hardest to convince Hannah to at least come to school one day with her, just to see what it was like, but she indignantly refused. Instead, Hannah spent the morning locked away in her room listening to old punk bands and updating her website. Nathan had been picked up early by Lucas that morning for practice, which left Haley pretty much alone in the house.
Nearly ten minutes after she had turned on the Today show, the doorbell rang at the same time she thought she saw someone scurry through the backyard. Haley knew she was naturally paranoid, living in a house of six growing up, you knew to be extra careful and to watch your step, and living in New York hadn't lessened her worry either. Nervously, she pulled herself off the couch and made her way to the front door. On the way she stopped at a mirror, and wiped the tear marks off of her cheeks and tugged at her robe to make it tighter. Immediately after opening the door, she wished she hadn't. Flashbulbs blinded her and reporters shouted questions at her, and worst of all, three people barged into Nathan's mansion's front door.
"I'd ask you what the hell you were thinking, but I already concluded you weren't." A man smirked at her, untwining his fingers from a woman's hand.
Haley sighed. "Guys, do we really need to re-hash all of this crap? We made a horrible mistake. We ARE human."
Taylor looked at her sister wearily. "What's the mistake Haley? The engagement? Or the fact that you let the whole world see it?"
"I don't know. Maybe both." She shrugged. Kenny, Chris, and Taylor followed her into the kitchen where she opened the refrigerator and got out the juice.
Chris opened his mouth to make another snide remark no doubt, but Taylor nudged him. "Haley," She uttered softly. "You have pretty good instincts and I trust them. It's about time you started trusting them too. You and Nathan will figure this out."
"You don't think we're rushing it?" Haley asked, slightly surprised, and slightly hopeful.
"Haley. You haven't gone fast enough. You two belong together and you spent all that time apart." Taylor laughed.
"But Hannah wants to stay in New York, and go to that boarding school or something."
Taylor frowned. "So?"
"She's only thirteen years old! I can't let her stay in New York alone!" Haley exclaimed, leave it to Taylor to not understand the biggest problem she's had with her daughter in years.
"Tell you what. She can live with Chris and me,"she shrugged causually,"I bet you by the end of the year she'll probably want to come home anyways."
Haley hesitated. "I don't know. I'll think about it." Taylor nodded.
"So I guess this means you are staying in Tree Hill then, huh?" Kenny sighed. "I'm going to have to make a lot of calls."
"Yeah... And I think I'm going to take a break from the music business for a little while. I thought it over." And thought it over she had. Nathan had stayed up with her for a long time last night deciding what they were going to do. He had urged her not to, but ultimately it was her decision.
She had decided.
"What about all of your upcoming appearances that we've already scheduled? We can't back out on these things, Haley." He gave her a warnful look.
"I know... I guess I'll go to those. A way to say goodbye I suppose." She nodded to herself before she thought back to the man running across the back patio. "Have you guys seen people in the backyard?"
"Reportersand whatever. Just don't look like crap, which means you need toshower, you look like hell." Chris smiledproudly.
-.-.
But you always find a way to keep me right here waiting
You always find the words to say to keep me right here waiting
And if you chose to walk away I'd still be right here waiting
Searching for the things to say to keep you right here waiting
"Shut up...They didn't!... How can they do that? You're like the smartest girl in our grade!." Hannah squeaked over the phone. Her friend, Alexis had just told her that the school didn't pick up her enrollment for the next term. It was common knowledge that Alexis was one of the few people that attended her school who was on scholarship. It was never said, but when you went to private school, these things were known. One of the downfalls with schools, in Hannah's opinion, everybody knew your business.
"Knock, knock." Came Haley's sheepish voice from the doorway.
"Alexis, I'll call you back... alright. Bye." She hung up the phone and looked up expectantly at her mother.
"I come in peace, and brought cookies in case that wasn't enough." She offered, sticking out a tray of cookies and milk.
"It's just a few months mom." Hannah whispered back, playing with her cell phone's battery. Haley nodded.
"But that's months that-" She started, but stopped herself. She had to let her do this. " Look, Hann. I think sometimes you've been taking care of me, maybe more than I've been taking care of you." Hannah looked up at her in shock, shook her head, and opened her mouth to speak, but Haley cut her off. A few silent tears fell from Haley's eyes and streamed down her cheeks. "And that's not right. I just want you to know that I'll always be here. I know I never gave you the kind of life you wanted, like all of your friends where you could just go to school like a normal child, but I tried, I really did. And looking back, I would have given up singing if I had know that's what you wanted." It took her a few minutes to regain her composure. Her face was red and blotchy and her shoulders were still heaving with sobs. "So if you want to go and live with Taylor and Chris, then I'll let you go. I guess... I just, I'll miss you. And I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
"Sorry for making you want to leave." She whispered as she left the room crying. Hannah sat in shock. Her gaze fell on a folder which yesterday had been in Haley's hand in the kitchen. Brownsfield's Academy was imprinted on the glossy, brown and white cover. Slowly, Hannah got up from her seat and threw it in the garbage.
-
I hope you're not intending
To be so condescending it's as much as I can take
and you're so independent
you just refuse to bend so I keep bending till I break
"School sucks. I can't wait until Sean starts school with me again." Nicole complained dropping her black Eastbay backpack on the kitchen floor.
"It was only your first day back." Hannah laughed as she poured a glass of kool aide.
"Which is always the worst." Nicole replied in 'duh' tone.
"True. Um, hey, maybe, ya know, tomorrow I could come with you? Just, to see if I like it?" She asked, nervously playing with a place mat in front of her.
Nicole sent her a disgusted glare. "Yesterday I practically begged you to come with me, and now you're asking? I really don't get you. I mean, YOU'RE the one who wanted Mom and Dad together in the first place. Then suddenly, they get happy and you get homicidal?" She shook her head. "You're freaking nuts."
Hannah sighed. "Nicky, I don't get it either. I wanted them together, and I still do, but... Look, Marriage is huge and what if they rush into it and find out they weren't really meant to be together and then they get divorced and it tears apart our family? I don't want to lose you and Dad again."
"Yeah, and what if a car plows threw this wall and kills me and it tears apart the family? You need to relax. You can't worry so much about what's going to happen, you need to only worry about what you're doing now." She stated wisely, setting a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Hann, did you worry about what was going to happen when you tackled me at camp? Or what was going to happen if Mom and Dad had been angry at us for pulling that stunt with Kristin?"
A defeated smile crept onto her face. "No."
"No, of course you didn't. You thought, "I hate this girl and want to hurt her."...Both times. And you acted blindly on that. You took a leap of faith, and you can look what great things came out of that. Mom and Dad are doing the same exact thing. Maybe they will get a divorce, but then again maybe the sky will fall in."
"When did you get to be the smart one?" Hannah laughed after a few minutes of letting her words soak in.
Nicole laughed. "Enjoy it, it was one of those never-gonna-happen-again things."
--
I've made a commitment
I'm willing to bleed for you
I needed fulfillment
I found what I need in you
"Alright, hot shot. I've fed you and kept you in isolation from the madness for the three hour time span since you ambushed me. I want the scoop or I want you out." Brooke told her companion solidly.
"What should I start with? The fact that Sean's back, the engagement, or Hannah's meltdown." Sometimes Nathan wondered about his friendship with Brooke. They got into fights on a daily basis, yet they never apologized for a single one. Other times, they were peaceful and spent hilarious times together. Up and Down their relationship went and Nathan discovered it was practically unbreakable by now.
"In the order you listed, I suppose. I want the full report, I don't get much adult interaction now that this baby seems to want me to sleep all day, just not at night." She rolled her eyes and sped around the kitchen like she actually knew how to cook something other than sandwiches or cereal.
"Well, he just showed up on my front porch the other day. He said Ryan got remarried to some woman he has an obvious hate for, and to make it worse, she has two kids. Abigail, a little girl and Travis, a punk his age who he doesn't like or something-"
"Oh dueling brothers. How very Scott like... I hope that's not some weird sign or something." Brooke's mouth bent down into a sarcastic frown.
"Shut up you crazy pregnant lady." He laughed. "Anyways, he's back in town and Nicole is pumped about it so I guess it's a good thing, which is rare here in Tree Hill. God I hate this place sometimes."
"Yeah, but most of the time you love it. It's something only a true Tree Hillbilly could fathom." She nodded. "And so you don't think your engagement to Haley is a good thing?"
He shook his head. "One, never call me a hill billy or whatever the crap you said again. And two, I think Haley and I are a great thing, you know that. Just, I hate how it unfolded. I just wish that for once she could have that perfect moment she deserves, without it being tarnished or ruined."
"See, that's why I always knew you two would be together. Nathan, don't worry about the public or anyone else. In the end, You and Haley deserve this, probably more than anyone. You'd give anything for each other and for your girls, maybe it's time for the two of you to get a little selfish." Brooke smiled. In her heart, Nathan and Haley had always been the couple she looked to for guidance. They were her belief that true love does conquer all.
"Thanks Brooke, and trust me: I'm being selfish enough for the both of us, which leads me to Hannah. She completely freaked when we told her. Haley, god I thought she was going to fall apart it hurt her so bad. I know she'd give anything for Hannah, and if it came down to it, so would I, but I just can't let Haley go, not again. She's staying with us, did you know that? She decided she wanted out of music, and I tried to fight her on it, but she said she could go back if she wanted to later and I didn't try to stop her, again with the selfishness. And when Hannah found out, well more like figured it out herself, she came up with this plan to stay at her school. It still hurts to think of Haley's face... it was heart wenching." He shuddered.
Brooke placed a hand on his shoulder in reassurance. "Look at me, Nathan. I promise you Hannah will figure this out for herself. Just give it time."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I'm Brooke." She looked at him like he had uttered the most absurd question. Then she glanced down at the mess of a kitchen in front of her that piled up to amount to absolutely nothing. She shrugged, "Ah, just pass me the cereal."
- -
Why can't you just forgive me
I don't want to relive all the mistakes I've made along the way
But I always find a way to keep you right here waiting
I always find the words to say to keep you right here waiting
He knocked softly on his bedroom door, which thinking about it seemed odd. He heard a feeble come in from the other side and made his way in. He found her laying on their bed. Her small frame shook with silent sobs and the sight made his heart plummet. Her back was to him and she was curled into herself. He came onto the bed and laid down next to her, kissing her hair and tucking a strand behind her ear.
"It's crazy out there. They really swarmed the place, didn't they?" He tried to laugh gently as he thought about the reporters camped out on his lawn. " I wonder if we could get the police to beat them away with night sticks, that would be pretty cool."
"That's not funny." She sniffled rubbing away tears. His lips came down on top of her blotchy red cheek.
"I'm sorry." She knew he was, but still, it wasn't his fault.
"For?"
"Everything that's happened." He offered lamely, way to be specific. Moments later he whispered, "I think we need to talk Hales."
"I don't want to, it hurts too much." She cried turning over grasp him and burry her head into his chest. It killed him to see her so upset. He really wished there was something he could do to take her pain away.
He sighed, "Remember prom night? I was so terrified after your collapse that I wanted to go home immediately and hold you until your fell asleep." She nodded sloppily against him. "-But you made me take you to the party Tim had pretty much set up by himself at the beach house. And then you ended up falling asleep there in the same bed as Lucas." She snorted in laughter and nodded again.
"That was an unforgettable night." She mumbled into the hard planes of his chest.
"You want to know what I'll never forget?" An indistinct murmur came from her form and he continued, "The fear that I had lost you for good. Which is the same one I got when the doctor metold about the complications during the birth, and the one I felt each day I woke up in California, and it's the exact same one I get every time something like this happens. I never want to lose you Hales, ever, so if that means I have to be the most selfish man alive, I will be that because it also makes me the luckiest to be loved by you. But Haley, if this isn't what you want, even for a second, then I'll let you go because I'll still be the luckiest man alive to have been loved by you, even if it makes me the saddest."
It made him a nervous wreck to listen to her breathe and hesitate after his words. Finally, she looked up in his eyes and smiled. "I love you." That was all the confirmation he needed.
But you always find a way
To keep me right here waiting
You always find the words to say to keep me right here waiting
And if I chose to walk away would you be right here waiting
Searching for the things to say to keep me right here waiting
Shout Outs: Only four? Im dissappointed in how poor the reviews have gotten...
Nathanlvr: I'm glad you don't think it's stupid. Good point on the Hannah thing, I was planning on clearing that up in this chapter, I hope I did. Btw, I love Nathan too.
JPNeverlosetheButterflies: I made her be a brat, mostly because I didn't want a perfect little engagement after only two weeks of dating, plus I cleared up why she is freaking out just like I had intended to in this chapter.
Deli41321: You are a very good predicter, I give you alot of props for that.
Emmalee05: It was kind of sad wasn't it, I'm going to let you in on a secret though, I cried while I was writing the scene between Haley and Hannah in this chapter. I'm not so sure it turned out well like it was in my mind.
Sweet Essence: I know they love each other. Thanks. People are against them because they dated for about two weeks...
You know what to do people... give me a decent review and Ill send you a shout out! Review like you know you wanna do!