Chapter 9
"...Give me an N!"
"N!"
"Give me an S! What does it spell?"
"RAVENS!" the whole crowd roared excited. Brooke shook her pompoms proudly in the air cheering. It was Monday night and the Ravens were playing against Verona.
It was now half time and the Ravens were up by 2 points. Lucas' 3-pointer right at the last second had given them the needed points to get to the lead. The crowd was ecstatic and going crazy. It was high school basketball at its best.
"And here they come back! With less than a minute left, the Ravens team comes back to the court. And the roaring you hear from the background is coming from the Ravens fans! Even though it's their away game, a big percentage of the student body is here tonight! I'm Mouth McFadden and this is live from Verona high school where the Ravens lead 32-30. I'm sitting here next to the beautiful tutor and the manager of the varsity team, Haley James. Haley, what are your thoughts about the game?"
"What? No! Put that mike away, Mout- Wait, did you just say I'm beautiful? Wow! I mean yeah, Brooke did my hair and I'm wearing the good jeans but-"
"So, any thoughts about the game?" Mouth interrupted her with a smile.
"Uh, yeah! The game! It's awesome! Sucks you can't be hear. Haha!" She said to anyone listening.
"Thanks for those, umh, professional comments, Haley." He said and turned back to the court. "And the game is back on! Ladies and gentlemen, get ready!"
"And the game is over! Ladies and gentlemen or anyone who's listening! The Ravens have won 56-52! It was an exiting, eventful game with the Scott brothers once again playing like pros! Nathan Scott led with-"
Mouth quickly looked at Haley's notes.
"-22 points while Lucas had 19. Overall, the Ravens played their best game tonight, for sure. Couch Durham can't have anything but positive to say about the whole team. The Ravens will play against Bear Creek on Wednesday. For now, let the party begin!"
"How great was that, Haley!" Mouth yelled excited to Haley when he finished his podcast.
"Yeah!" she yelled and high fived Mouth. She spotted Karen at the stands who was waving to Haley to come to her. Haley quickly finished writing her notes. "Hey, I'm gonna catch up with Karen."
"Alright, talk to you later."
"Bye, Mouth." She said and went to Karen's.
"Haley, hi!" Karen said hugging the girl warmly.
"Hey! How great was Lucas!" Haley said excited.
"They were all great! Very exciting game."
"Yeah, so who's taking care of the café when we're both here?" Haley asked laughing.
"I closed early. The whole town's here anyways." Karen said. "So, haven't seen you around lately. How's your roommate?" she asked with a wink.
"Nathan? He's good." Haley said smiling.
"I'm surprised you're both unbruised." Karen said.
"Well, there was that bra incident but-"
"The what incident?"
"Never mind. Anyways, the place is finally peaceful. We've come to a sort of an understanding." She said with a smile.
"Good." Karen said and looked at Haley for few seconds. "Why don't we go sit over there." She said guiding them to sit in the last row of the bleachers away from the crowd.
"What's wrong?" Haley asked while sitting down.
"Lucas told me about what happened at the party last Friday." Karen said. Haley looked down at her feet for few seconds. "And I just want to say that I'm so sorry about what happened."
"Thanks, I appreciate it." she said smiling weakly.
"If you ever need a shoulder to cry or just someone to talk to, I'm here. Always. I know your parents are gone a lot and I'm sure you'd like to have your mother here-"
"Actually, it's better this way." Haley said quickly. "You know, she would just fuss about it and get worried and call the whole family and then they would all get here."
"Maybe that's not such a bad idea. In situations like this it's good to have family around." Karen said softly.
"It's just too much trouble. Tracking down Taylor is just too much work; Brian and Chris are settled at Duke; Quinn just got her new job and Vivian's too busy with the baby. Not to even mention that Matt just moved to LA. They can't just leave all that behind."
"Why don't you let them decide that?"
"No, I'm not gonna tell them." Haley said looking at Karen. "I just wanna forget about it, get over it and move on. It's just too much hassle if they all come here." She said.
"It's your decision and I trust you to make the right one." Karen said.
"Thank you."
"But like I said, if you ever need anything, I'm here. Your mom trusts me to look after you." She said.
"I know. Does she still call to check up on me every Wednesday?"
"8 pm sharp." Karen said smiling.
"That's so her." Haley said smiling. "It's quite funny, actually."
"Why?"
"Because right after she calls you, she calls me. Oh, you should've heard the conversation we had last Wednesday." Haley said smiling.
"About living with Nathan?" Karen asked.
"Yep, I think she actually used the word 'pre-marital sex' four times in one sentence."
"That's Lydia."
"And I could hear my dad yelling in the background. I can't be sure but I think he asked if he should send Nathan some condoms."
"And that's Jimmy. How did you convince them to not come back home? I would've expected them back by now."
"That's just them. They are pretty liberal when it comes to raising me. They trust me to make my own decisions, or mistakes. But yeah, I know what you mean. I'm still surprised I haven't seen their little RV parked in front of Nathan's." Haley said laughing with Karen.
"Oh, speaking of which." Karen said pointing at the locker room doors that had just opened and Nathan and Lucas had walked out to meet the ecstatic crowd.
"Don't they all look so handsome in those suits?" Karen asked. Haley's eyes were fixeted on Nathan who was high fiving some of the other players.
"Yes, they do." She said slowly while playing with her necklace and staring at Nathan. Karen turned to look at her with a knowing smile.
"I'm gonna go say hi to the players. Talk to you later, Karen." Haley said before leaving.
Karen smiled to herself and looked down to see the cheerleaders stretching on the floor. She walked up to them with a smile.
"Hey Brooke. Good cheering. You too, Peyton." She said smiling at the two girls.
"Thanks, Karen. Lucas played well today. I promise he'll be home early tonight." Brooke said smiling.
"I appreciate that but it's not the reason I came here." She said and handed Brooke 20 dollars.
"What's this for?" she asked confused.
"For the Nathan/Haley bet. I'm putting my money on the upcoming weekend." She said with a wink before leaving Brooke and Peyton to roll on the floor laughing.
--
"So, good game guys!" Haley said and bumped fits with both Nathan and Lucas of them."Thanks, Hales. Hope you enjoyed the show." Lucas said.
"Yeah, I did."
"So, what did you and mom talk about?" Lucas asked.
"About the incident on Friday night." Haley said her smile fading. "She thinks I should tell my family about it."
"Why don't you?" Lucas asked softly.
"I don't wanna worry them..." Haley said looking at the floor. "It's something I gotta learn to live with and I just can't have them breathing down my neck." She said.
"How are you doing, anyway?" Lucas asked. "Nathan told me you've had some trouble sleeping." Lucas said. Haley looked at Nathan who was standing next to him with an upset look but before she could say anything, Nathan spoke.
"I'm sorry but he asked. I had to tell him." He said.
"That's ok." Haley said and then continued with a quieter voice.
"Yeah, it's been only few days so the whole thing kinda bothers me." Haley confessed quietly.
"Hey, I'm here. Always." Lucas said and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"Yeah, I know. And I'm doing better now, I guess. I just can't stop thinking about the fact that the asshole is still out there." She said and saw the worried and empathetic looks on the guys' faces.
"But basketball and tutoring is keeping me busy and it's not like I really spend any time alone." She said smiling a bit and looking at Nathan.
Suddenly she heard Brooke and Peyton burst out laughing somewhere behind them and she turned around. Brooke and Peyton were practically rolling on the floor laughing their asses off while Karen just walked away with a grin.
"What the hell are they laughing at?" Lucas asked.
"I don't know but I wanna hear that joke too." Haley said and left the guys to go talk to the cheerleaders. Nathan watched Haley's back intensively.
"I hope there was something we could do." Lucas said.
"There is." Nathan said.
"What are you planning?" Lucas asked when he saw a look on Nathan's face that only meant trouble. It was the same look he'd had when he had convinced Lucas that stealing a school bus was a good idea.
"I'm gonna find the asshole who did this." Nathan said.
"And do what?" Lucas asked. Nathan turned to look at him annoyed.
"And give him milk and cookies. What the hell do you think I'm gonna do?" Nathan said sarcastically but then continued with a more serious tone. "The asshole deserves everything that's coming his way."
"How are you gonna find him?"
"I don't know but I'm gonna figure out something." He said and left towards the busses.
"Good game, Chase... Nice D, McAndrew... Way to push yourself, Lansen." Haley was making her way towards the back of the bus while high fiving several players. They were in the bus on their way back to Tree Hill.
After giving Whitey the folder Haley decided to find Lucas or Nathan who were sitting with some guys in the back of the bus. It had become a ritual that she would hang out with them after the game.
"...no, no, no. Jennifer Aniston is way hotter than Angelina Jolie." Lucas said.
"Are you kidding me? Have you seen Jolie's lips?" Tim asked and they both turned to look at Nathan for his opinion.
"I'm gonna have to go with Lucas. Aniston is the hottest woman."
"You're all wrong." Haley said smirking while making her way between Lucas and Nathan who were sitting next to the isle turned around to face the back of the bus. She sat down next to Tim who was sitting behind Nathan. Lucas was across the isle smirking.
"Jessica Alba is way hotter than either of those two." She finished with a smirk. All guys nodded their heads in agreement.
"So, good game guys! Way to work the crowd." Haley said and high fived Tim who was sitting next to her.
"We were pretty awesome, huh. Did you see that one chick flash me from the crowd?" Tim asked with a dreamy face that made Haley laugh.
"Oh by the way, Whitey told me to make sure you don't party tonight." Haley said looking at Nathan and then continued with a grin. "So, not only am I your maid, cook, housekeeper and tutor but apparently I'm also your babysitter."
"Hey, you hungry?" Nathan asked from Haley while holding the door open for her. They had just gotten back to Nathan's apartment.
"No, but don't worry. Just because we spent the whole day in Verona, doesn't mean I won't fulfill my duty and make you your dinner." Haley said with a smile while making her way towards the kitchen.
"Actually I was thinking we could order pizza or something." Nathan said.
"Really?" Haley asked surprised. "I thought you didn't like to order in." She said referring back to the conversation they had had when he had forced her to make food instead of ordering.
"Or maybe I just wanted to be an asshole." He said apologetically.
"Maybe." She said with a small smile.
"Look, I just want you to know that I'm sorry for being like that." He said making his way towards him.
"Hey, don't worry about it. I was the biggest bitch so I'm sorry too."
"Truce?" Nathan asked holding his arms open for a hug. Haley excepted it with a wide grin and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I've think we've had a truce for a while now." She said while taking a step back and looking at him while keeping her hands around his neck and playing with the soft hair on the back of his neck. He automatically leaned back a bit to her touch while having no intentions of unwrapping his arms from her waist.
Nathan couldn't help but marvel how well she fit in his arms. His arms wrapped securely around her waist made him wonder how he had been able to live without that feeling before.
Haley took a step closer and started to pull his head lightly towards hers. When he didn't break the connection and instead did the actual opposite; leaned towards her, Haley started to tilt her head. Nathan unwrapped his left hand bringing it slowly to her cheek to put a strand of hair behind her ear before closing his eyes and opening his mouth a bit.
But unfortunately for them and like in every movie, only few centimeters before their lips connected, they were interrupted. By a knocking on the front door. Nathan couldn't help but let out an annoyed groan while making his way towards the door. He smled a bit when he heard Haley mumble an angry 'son of a bitch' under her breath. He yanked the front door open annoyed.
Nathan opened the door to find a pair of identical twin brothers standing in front of him. And glaring. Quickly their glares turned into grins when they looked over his shoulder.
"Whatta-" Nathan asked but got cut off by a shriek. A shriek by Haley.
Nathan turned around to look what was wrong but he only saw her run past him and jump on the twins' awaiting arms.
"Oh my god, I can't believe you're here!" she was yelling while being almost crushed for being hugged so hard.
"Looking good, Hales." The other said taking a good look at her.
"Oh shut up." She said smiling.
Nathan coughed a bit while looking at Haley with a look that could only be described as 'who the hell are those guys'.
"Oh, sorry. These are my brothers Chris and Brian. Guys, this is-" she started but got cut off by Brian.
"Nathan Scott." Brian said offering his hand to Nathan. He took it quickly and shook it and then did the same to Chris.
"So, what are you doing here?" she asked while holding the door open so they could all go inside.
"So, just wanting to see our favorite lil' baby sister isn't reason enough for a visit?" Brian asked while making his way towards the apartment. Haley raised a single eye brow and looked at him in disbelief.
"What?" he asked. Haley wrapped her arms over her chest and continued to stare at him without saying a word.
"Ok, so Quinn called and said you were living with your best friend's asshole brother because of some bet so we promised to come to check out things. Jesus, stop with the third degree." Brian said quickly while Haley just shook her head laughing.
"So, this is where you're living." Chris stated looking around. "How about a tour?" he asked from Nathan.
"Not much to see." Nathan said and started to point around the apartment. "Kitchen, living room, bathroom is on the right and bedroom on the back." At the mention of the bedroom Chris and Brian looked at each other sharply.
"So, is that where you sleep?" Chris asked from Nathan.
"Or is that where our Haley sleeps?" Brian continued before he had time to answer. There was a short silence.
"Is she sleeping in your bed, Nathan?" Chris asked with a glare.
"Of course not." Nathan said quickly. Brian smacked Nathan upside the head.
"What-" Nathan started confused but got cut off by Chris. Or it could've been Brian. Nathan wasn't sure.
"Dude, what's the matter with you?" Brian asked from Nathan.
"But-" Nathan tried again.
"Making our sister sleep in that lame ass couch? She deserves your bedroom, bathroom and your crappy car." Chris said annoyed.
"Nathan drives a Mustang." Haley said trying not to burst out laughing. She was used to her brothers being overprotective of her and her sisters.
"And your sweet ass car." Chris corrected himself.
"Brian, Chris. Relax." Haley said calmly and they all turned to look at her. "Nathan already offered his bed while he would've taken the couch." Brian and Chris both turned to look at Nathan.
"That move might just save your ass." Brian said studying Nathan.
"So, how's college?" Haley asked changing the subject. They sat down in the living room.
"It's good." Brian said with a wide grin.
"Very good." Chris said matching his brother's grin.
"I don't wanna know." Haley said laughing and turned to look at Nathan. "Brian and Chris are seniors at Duke."
"Really? I'm applying there." Nathan said suddenly interested.
"Yeah, it's a good school. As long as you like basketball." Chris said which made Haley and Nathan smile.
"Do you play ball like Lucas?" Brian asked.
"Nathan's the co-captain of the varsity with Lucas." Haley said smiling.
"Oh really." Chris said and looked at Brian. "Always knew she had a thing for ballers." He muttered while Brian just nodded his head in agreement.
"Excuse me?" Haley asked.
"Nothing." Brian said and shook his head. "So Hales, how's school?"
"The same."
"Still got a 4.0?"
"Yep."
"That's my girl." Brian said proudly.
"Oh, did I tell you that Whitey asked me to be the manager for the varsity?"
"No, you didn't but that's great. He's always had a soft spot for the James's."
"What do you mean?" Haley asked.
"Well, we both played basketball and the girls were all basketball cheeleaders back in their days."
"That's right! I'd totally forgotten about that." Haley said remembering going to the basketball games when she was younger.
"So, how's the team doing this season?" Brian asked from Nathan.
"We just beat Verona tonight. We're playing against Bear Creek on Wednesday. The state championship game, which we'll hopefully play at, is on Saturday."
"So, it's looking pretty good this year? Whitey deserves his state title."
"Yes, he does." Nathan said and they all stayed silent for a second.
"Looking buff there, Chris. Been working out?" Haley asked changing the subject.
"Hey!" Brian said offended.
"You look very buff too, Bry."
"Thank you. He's got a new girlfriend." Brian said pointing Chris while laughing.
"Oh really? What happened to... umh..."
"Brittany?"
"I was gonna say Erica but obviously she's history. So what happened to Brittany?"
"She was Jessica's cousin."
"And Jessica is...?" Haley asked confused.
"The chick I dated after Misha." Chris explained like it was te most obvious thing.
"Ok, we seriously need to see each other more often. Who the hell is Misha?"
"Erica's roommate."
"Oh, ok. So that explains why it didn't work out with them. Dude, nice group of girls there." Haley said laughing.
"You should've seen them go at it when they all found out." Brian said excited. "I'm talking about cat fighting to the ultimate level. And it got even better when they all realized that Chris was to blame. I swear to god they were ready to rip his eyes out."
"Chris, you gotta start treating girls better." Haley said a bit dissappointed.
"I do! I buy them flowers, pay for their food, hold their hands and all that shit."
"All that doesn't matter if you break up with them for some stupid reason, or in some cases: no reason at all. And you do do that." Haley said.
"No, I don't." He said which made Haley and Brian laugh out loud. "I don't!"
"Oh, let's review, shall we?" Haley started with a smile. "July 2002. We spent three weeks in San Diego with Aunt Cindy. You remember your summer fling Susan? You remember why you broke up from her?"
"Did you see how bad her sun burn was?" Chris tried to justify while Haley and Brian laughed along with Nathan.
"You broke up with her because she had a sun burn. How can you not see the insanity?" Haley tried to reason him.
"Did you not see her? It was like dating a crab!"
"So yeah, she looked like a red M&M but that's besides the point." Haley said. "You've gotta start taking dating more seriously."
"I am. This new girl, Jamie, she's so hot you wouldn't believe it."
"Yeah, because looks are all what matter." Haley said rolling her eyes.
"Oh, trust me. She's so hot I'd rather cut off my ear than break up with her. If you'd see her you'd know." Chris said while Haley looked at Brian for comfirmation. He nodded his head furiously which made Haley laugh even more.
"So, any guys in your life?" Brian asked changing the subject while studying Haley's face carefully. First she laughed, then looked at Nathan, then blushed and then coughed embarrassed.
"Besides the one you're living with?" Chris added. Haley looked at Nathan and both were instantly reminded by their hot, almost-kiss before the twins interrupted.
"No, no guys in my life." Haley finally mumbled tearing her eyes off of Nathan. Chris and Brian looked at each other with a knowing look. There was a short, awkward silence.
"So, we should probably get going." Brian said getting up.
"What, already?" Haley asked disappointed.
"Yeah, but don't worry. We'll visit you more." Chris said hugging Haley.
"Yeah, thanks for coming. I've missed you both." Haley mumbled.
"We've missed you too, kiddo. Remember that we're not far away so if you ever need anything..."
"I know." Haley said hugging Brian.
"It was good to see you, Baby-James." Brian said with a grin. Haley groaned out loud.
"Baby-James?" Nathan asked with a laugh. "Who would wanna be called that?"
"No one has called me that since 3rd grade. I thought everyone had forgotten about that." Haley said.
"You're always our baby sister, the youngest of the clan. So get used to the nick name." Chris said kissing the top of her head before opening the front door.
"Thanks for stopping by." Haley said hugging them both again.
"Always a pleasure, kiddo. Take care and like I said, if you ever need anything..." Brian said while looking at Nathan quickly.
"I'm fine, don't worry. I'll call you after the game on Wednesday." She said and the twins started to leave. Brian turned around to look at Nathan.
"Hey, Nathan. You wanna show us that hot ass Mustang?"
"Yeah, sure." He said and looked at Haley. "I'll be right back."
"Alright. Bye Chris! Bye Brian!" she said and waved them goodbye before getting inside the apartment and closing the door.
Nathan watched the twins wave happily back but as soon Haley closed the door, their smiles faded and they turned to glare at him.
"We need to talk, Scott." Chris said taking a hold of Nathan's arm and starting to drag him down the stairs. As soon as they were down on the ground and out of sight from the apartments, Chris pushed him hard against the wall of the building.
"What the fuck do you want from Haley!" Chris asked while Brian stood in the background his eyes never leaving Nathan's.
"What-" Nathan started.
"And don't even try to play the dumb card, although I'm sure it would come very easily from you, you jock." Chris said while having a strong hold from Nathan's shirt.
"Hey, watch it." Nathan said looking at Chris annoyed. It took every ounce of Nathan to not beat his sorry ass but he knew it would do no good. Not to even mention that there were two of them and only one Nathan.
"Are you trying to get into our sister's pants!" Chris demanded.
"What? No!"
"We're perfectly aware of your way of treating girls. You seduce them, fuck them and leave them. But Haley's not gonna be one of those!"
"I'm not gonna-"
"As soon as you're done with her, you're gonna leave her and break her heart."
"I could never-"
"I don't know what your plan is but you better make fucking sure that it doesn't involve Haley."
"Look, it was just a bet. The only reason she's here is because she lost the bet." Nathan explained. "She doesn't even like me!"
"Are you blind or just plain retarded!" Chris exploded. "She likes you! Everybody can see it! So, we're warning you, Scott. If you take advantage of that, we will fucking break your bones." Chris said and pushed him hard on the chest.
"That's enough, Chris." Brian said calmly from the background.
"But-"
"Go wait in the car." Brian said again.
"Fine." Chris said and took a step back. "Break his face." Chris said to Brian before leaving.
"So, like Chris already asked, what the hell are you doing with Haley?" Brian asked in calm voice that lacked any friendliness.
"Nothing! We're just friends!" Nathan said frustrated.
"Right. Don't make me beat your sorry ass." He stated. "Do you like my sister?"
"Of course I do."
"That's not what I meant. Do you like her?"
"She's my friend." He said dodging the question.
"Do you like her?" Brian asked again.
"She's my brother's best friend." Nathan said again.
"Do you like her?" Brian asked in a more annoyed voice.
"She's my roommate." Nathan tried again.
"Do you like her!" Brian finally yelled.
"Yes, I do!" Nathan yelled. "She's the hottest thing I know! She's funny, she's sweet, she's smart and cool and I can't fucking stop thinking about her!" Nathan yelled and ran his hand through his hair frustrated.
"I should beat you for saying my sister is hot but luckily for you, the rest made up for it." Brian said and then sighed and started with a softer voice. "Look, as you've probably noticed, we get pretty intense when it comes to our sisters, especially Haley."
"No kidding." Nathan muttered.
"Haley is the kindest person I know. She always sees the best in everyone while ignoring the worst. And that's what makes her vulnerable. There are people in this world who would love to take advantage of her kindness and I hope to your and her sake that you're not one of them."
"I'm not-"
"Haley is our baby sister and center of the whole family. If you think that Chris and I are protective of her, you don't wanna meet her oldest brother Matt or any of her sisters."
"I could never hurt her." Nathan said truthfully. "And believe me or not but I'm also trying to look after her. Make sure she's ok." Nathan said remembering Haley being drugged and almost raped.
"I appreciate that." Brian said. A car honked and they both turned to see Chris sitting behind the wheel annoyed. Brian turned to look at Nathan again.
"Nathan, here's the deal. You like her. She likes you. Whatever you do, you better make fucking sure she doesn't get hurt." Brian said glaring at him again. "Do not hurt her. She can't handle it."
"I won't."
"Good, 'cause if you do, I'll sic Chris on you." He said and went inside the car. Nathan watched as the car drove by him and both Chris and Brian did the cut throat motion to Nathan. He sighed and walked back to the apartment.
He stopped in front of the window and saw Haley sitting on the couch in her pyjamas, flipping through the channels bored. Nathan swallowed hard while the twins' words echoed in his head.
Do not hurt her. She can't handle it.
You're gonna leave her and break her heart.
She can't handle it...
She can't handle it...
Nathan ran a hand through his hair. He cared about Haley more than he could ever admit to anyone, let alone himself. When he looked at her, all he wanted to do was pull her in his arms and never let go. He could never hurt her and the thought that someone could, that someone had actually tried to, made him sick in his stomach.
He swallowed again before taking a deep breath in and opening the front door. Haley looked at him with a smile.
"So, what did they think about your car?"
"Huh?"
"Your Mustang."
"Umh, yeah they liked it." he said.
"So, I was thinking I could make you a nice sandwich from the leftover turkey from Karen's."
"No, that's not necessary. I'm just gonna go straight to bed." Nathan said without looking at her.
"Or we can order in something too, that's fine." She said looking at Nathan while he was looking at everywhere besides her.
"No, I'm not hungry. I'm just wiped from the game." He said trying to give her a reassuring smile but it ended up looking more like grimace.
"Ok, if you're sure you don't need anything." Haley said.
"Thanks for being such a good friend."
"Friend." Haley repeated slowly.
It was like a slap in her face. They had almost kissed earlier and now they were back to being friends. "Yeah, no problem." She forced herself to say to him.
"So, I'm just gonna go to bed. G'nite." He said and walked in his bedroom.
Nathan leaned back on the closed bedroom door and sighed. The twins' words were still echoing in his head and he swore to himself that he would never hurt her. Nathan was aware of his history with girls and the thought that Haley would be one of those girls sickened him.
So in order to protect her, he decided to take a step back from her. Build up that wall around him again. The way he saw it, if they were nothing but friends, she wouldn't get hurt.
And that was worth the heartache of never being able to have her.