"Oh, wow." Brooke whispered in amazement, her eyes not looking away from the joints that lay on the table in front of them.
"I don't-I…" Haley tried to formulate a sentence.
"That's not Haley's. I mean guys, this is Hales. She wouldn't use drugs." Lucas tried to defend his best friend, his mind not believing what had just happened.
"I know man, I don't want to believe it but everything makes sense now."
"What are you talking about?" Lucas asked defensively.
"No Luke he's right. She was really beside herself earlier like really happy and giddy."
"And you guys don't think that maybe the group therapy is helping her, that maybe she's getting past everything?" Lucas asked now in full denial.
"Luke, I could taste the weed in her mouth." Nathan sighed.
"What were you doing with her? She's not ready for that!" Lucas fussed.
"Oh, but I thought the group stuff was helping and that she's all better now." Nathan snapped back becoming annoyed with his brother.
"Stop it!" Haley yelled. "I'm sitting right here."
"So start explaining." Nathan bit, still reeling from the tiff with Lucas.
"I. I don't have anything to explain to you." Haley replied firmly.
"Like hell you don't. You're taking drugs Haley." Nathan argued back his tone anything but nice.
"I knew there was something about Holly I didn't like." Brooke commented.
"You don't even know her." Haley defended her friend.
"Since when did you start giving in to peer-pressure?" Nathan spat in disgust.
"Like you'd know what I would and wouldn't give into right now. I'm going to the bathroom." Haley threw back before going into the bathroom.
"I can't believe this is happening." Brooke sighed as she relaxed back into the couch, as Nathan wandered into the kitchen.
Taking in her surroundings Haley tried to clear her mind and think of a way out. The only option that would allow her any kind of stealth would be to exit through the window.
She opened the window and popped out the screen, placing it beneath the window before hoisting herself onto the ledge. After maneuvering herself through the window she dropped down onto the grass beside the house, closed the window and called herself a cab.
"She's been in there too long." Brooke commented after sitting in silence with Nathan and Lucas for what felt like a good 5 minutes.
"Feel free to check on her." Nathan motioned to the bathroom that Haley 'occupied'.
"Um, she's gone." Brooke announced as she came back from the bathroom without Haley.
"What do you mean she's gone Brooke?" Nathan asked, agitation laced through his voice.
"I mean she's not in the bathroom and the screen is out of the window gone."
"Great. This is just perfect." Nathan spat, grabbing his keys off of the table.
"What did you expect?" Lucas asked, speaking for the first time since the blow up.
"What are you talking about now?" Nathan paused mid-step to glare at his older brother.
"You guys just attacked her. You really think she was going to hang around to be yelled at by you two?"
"Before you start another pissing match. Can we just focus on finding Haley?" Brooke suggested as she stood between the two brothers.
"Whatever." Nathan muttered as he led the way out. "She probably went to Holly's."
"Do you think she got Haley into the drugs?" Brooke asked Nathan who was getting his car keys and wallet.
"I don't know Brooke."
"Well it would make sense. I mean Holly went through the same thing as Haley right? And they got kind of close. I don't know, but I do think Holly has something to do with this." Brooke concluded.
"Guys, don't you think we should maybe give her time to cool off?" Lucas spoke up as they made their way to the door.
"What and have her get stoned all over again?" Nathan snipped.
"It'll be okay Luke." Brooke soothed as Lucas continued to look lost and heartbroken.
Haley had called a cab to take her from Nathan's house to Holly's and after paying the driver she was now entering her friend's home.
"Holly?" She called into the house as she made her way into the living room.
"Hey James. I thought you were spending the night with Nathan." Holly smiled as she joined Haley on the couch.
"Yea. Um, he kind of found out about the weed." Haley mumbled.
"What? But how?"
"We were making out and then he pulled back saying he could taste weed and that everything made sense now. I tried to deny everything but he grabbed my bag from me and rooted through it before finding the pen and opening it. Brooke and Lucas were there and saw the whole thing. It was bad Hol, like really really bad." Haley confessed as Holly watched doe-eyed.
"Shit Hales."
"Yea, I know."
"So how'd you end up here?"
"They cornered me so I snuck out the bathroom window and luckily had my phone in my pocket so I called a cab."
"Wow. Nothing gets by that hubby of yours huh?"
"God, what am I gonna do?" Haley let out a frustrated sigh before someone rang the doorbell to the home.
"We'll think of something." Holly assured as she got up to answer the door. "Um, Hales. Your keepers are here."
"What?" Haley asked as she too moved to peak out the curtains, revealing Lucas, Nathan and Brooke on the doorstep. "Don't answer. I can't face them yet."
"Whatever you want." Holly told her as the doorbell rang out again, followed by the ringing of Haley's cell phone.
"Shh." Haley cursed the phone knowing that the three outside could very well hear the loud ring from the phone.
"Haley. Please open the door." Nathan's muffled voice begged from the other side of the door.
"I'm sure if we just stay quiet long enough they'll leave." Holly whispered as she moved back into the living room.
After talking quietly about how her friends didn't have a right to judge her use of drugs or how they could never understand what she was going through the girls were silenced by the click of the front door opening. Moving cautiously to the foyer the two were caught off guard by an older couple.
"Mom, Dad? What- what are you guys doing here?" Holly asked as she hugged her parents.
"We thought it was time to be home for a bit." Holly's mother answered.
"Good. Guys this is Haley, we met at group." Holly introduced.
"Hello dear. Thank you for keeping Holly in good company." The mother greeted.
"It's nice to meet you." Haley returned shyly.
"Likewise. Now, do either of you know these ones who seem to be camped out on my front porch?" Holly's father asked as he side stepped to reveal the group the girls had been avoiding.
"No..." Holly answered after Haley remained mute, resulting in an unbearable, awkward silence.
Nathan's face drained of all colour as he waited for his wife to speak up, but instead Haley nervously looked between Holly, her parents and then her friends, never making eye contact.
"Well then, I think it would be best if the lot of you leave before I report you for trespassing." Holly's father threatened.
"Wait." Haley spoke softly. "They're my friends."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Holly?" The man looked confused at the group, a sense of relief washed over Nathan.
"I-I wasn't sure." Holly stumbled, looking to Haley for help.
"Alright, well don't be too long. It was nice meeting you Haley." Holly's mother smiled before her and her husband retreated into the kitchen.
"Hales..." Nathan sighed, watching as Haley grabbed onto Holly's hand.
"Tutorgirl, come home. We want to help you."
"Holly. Could you come in here please?" Holly's mother called from the kitchen.
"You're better than this Haley." Brooke whispered after Holly had left, leaving the group in a deafening silence.
"I just want to be happy, what's so wrong about that?"
"Nothing. But you don't need drugs to be happy." Nathan answered gently.
"Right, I was just supposed snap out of it, forget about what happened. Newsflash, it doesn't work that way."
"You never gave yourself a chance."
"Two months. I waited two months for it get better. By that time I was in a darker hell then when everything first happened." Haley stated coldly, interrupted by Holly who was making a beeline for the stairs. "Hol?"
"Oh, um. I won't be around here, for a bit." Holly stammered.
"What?"
"I guess I forgot to clean up the kitchen and my parents found some of the leftovers." Holly described, her voice making evident what kind of leftovers were found.
"So they're sending you away?" Haley asked incredulously.
"To my Aunt Barb's in Texas."
"You can't leave." Haley protested.
"Haley, you're gonna be okay."
"No. Can we talk to your parents maybe. And..."
"Haley. Let it go. It was fun while it lasted."
"So just like that you're done?"
"There's nothing I can do. You know about my parents. They were just waiting for me to screw up. It was just a matter of time." Holly told her sympathetically.
"It's not fair." Haley mumbled, willing herself not to cry.
"Hales…" Nathan called softly.
"Haley. Go, be with Nathan. He loves you and he's trying so hard to be there for you. And so is everyone else. You've got a great support system. Not everyone has that. I certainly didn't and look where I'm ending up. Let them help you." Holly whispered before she pulled Haley into a tight hug.
"This is not fair." Haley muttered into the other girls embrace.
"It's not. But then what's fair about what we've been through? I'll call you when I get settled. Thanks for being here for me." Holly gave her farewell and Haley mumbled her response and watched as her friend ascended the stairs.
"Haley?" Nathan called again to his wife's back.
"I just want to be happy." Haley whispered before turning around to face her friends, allowing Nathan to take her hand and lead him to his embrace.
"And we want to help you get there. Without drugs."