Hello again! Here's a ridiculously short one-shot based off of a song on Taylor Swift's new album. It's called "It's Nice to Have a Friend." Not many people seem to like it but I find it adorable and couldn't help but picture Naley.
I wrote this to try and overcome my writer's block - plus, I'm not sure when I'll have time to write again. I just got my first teaching job (I'm both extremely excited and scared out of my mind). I don't know if any of you are teachers but I heard the first year is the worst year… I figure I better spend the next two weeks doing everything I can before I no longer have time. I have so many old stories in my reservoir and some new ideas that I've been wanting to write, it's just a matter of finding time to fix them up and write them. Even if you don't see updates for me for a while, I'm not going away forever. I've been writing fanfics for over six years and it has helped me in more ways than I can even describe.
Anyway, before I let this Author's note get longer than the story, I'll just say thank you and enjoy :)
. . .
"I see the way you two act. You're like best friends who are in love."
A slow smile blossomed across Haley's lips as her sister Quinn's words were planted in the air. It was true. She and Nathan were best friends. And they were in love- nothing would ever change that.
Their eyes met across the room like so many times before. An instant pull of magnets, no force could separate. He held up his glass of champagne like an exclamation point next to his smirk. Haley's smile stretched wider, and in that instant, was reminded of every moment they've shared together for the past twenty years.
. . .
Haley James loved going to school. She loved fifth grade. But there was nothing she loved more than the sound of the old school bell ringing.
He was always waiting, without fail, by the doors to walk her home. They were in different classes this year, but that didn't stop them from carrying on their tradition. This was the first year her parents let her walk to and from school without their supervision - but only if Nathan was there with her. But she didn't mind, because any time spent with her best friend was time well spent.
They walked the same path every morning and every afternoon, even in the cruelest winters. She smiled when he brushed the snow off a small piece of sidewalk. Their names, written in neon blue and pink chalk, were still there from the summer before. It was like their little secret, nestled under a hidden blanket.
"Where are your gloves?" He asked her one February morning. Haley's fingers were raw with frostbite.
"I lost them."
She watched Nathan pull off one of his black mittens and envelope her hand inside of it. Her other hand grabbed his and they walked with their fingers laced. She never gave him the glove back.
"Wanna hang out?"
"Yea, sounds like fun."
They ran up the stairs and to his room. He'd just gotten a new basketball video game and couldn't wait to teach her. Her giggles popped like bubbles every time she pressed the wrong button. Nathan's eyes twinkled when he let her win - but he'd never tell her that.
When another spring melted the snow, he passed her a note: "sleepover?"
Haley wrote 'yes' with her purple gel pen, and they camped out in a tent in his backyard. No one else in the world knew they stayed up 'til sunrise, trading stories of dreams and their biggest fears. It was just the two of them, when they decided it was nice to have a friend.
They grew with the seasons but never changed the color of their leaves. Even when the sky turned pink, they stayed on her roof. No longer did they have a curfew as they watched the sunrise through half-drunk eyes.
"Let's play twenty questions," Nathan suggested.
"Fine, but you better tell the truth."
"Deal."
Haley's teeth sank into the side of her lip. "If you could change anything about your life, what would it be?"
"My dad," he said, staring out at the horizon. The sun was peeking over her neighbor's roof. "He stresses me out."
Haley nodded. She knew. "I've been stressed, too. But not from my parents."
Nathan craned his neck to look at her. A piece of her honey blonde hair fell in front of her eyes. "School?"
She nodded again, looking down when his hand touched hers. They smiled. It was nice to have a boyfriend.
Haley remembered how much she loved the ringing of the school bell, but she one day found a new favorite sound. The church bells.
They rang throughout the town on the day they said 'I do.'
Nathan carried her to their new home, past the rice that looked like snow. He'd called her bluff. She'd call him babe. They had each others back every day and would spend every weekend in bed.
It was nice to have a husband.
