Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Haley couldn't force herself to look at Lucas. She suddenly felt more ashamed of herself than she had when she'd told Nathan what she'd done.
"It's true." She whispered. She couldn't elaborate, she could hardly breathe, as the sobs wracked her body. She had hoped that Luke would hold her and tell her that everything would be okay. He didn't. Instead, he let out a deep breath and stood up and walked away from her. Through her tears she watched him walk to the window and stare out of it. She wished, more than anything, that she could take last night back.
"I don't even know what to say. It's like you aren't even the same person that used to be my best friend. The girl I knew, wouldn't have done that!" Lucas said, his voice rising with each word. Anger washed over her, replacing the guilt and embarrassment.
"Well, she did. That girl makes mistakes just like everyone else. How dare you be so hypocritical? Wasn't it barely a year ago that you were dating Brooke and Peyton at the same time?" Haley ranted, marching across the room towards Lucas. He turned and gave her a hard look.
"Yeah, I messed up, but at least I didn't marry Brooke before I cheated on her." He said softly, the iciness radiating from his voice. Haley drew back, her eyes wide. She had never known Lucas to be so cold. She turned on her heel and went into her room, shutting and locking the door behind her. She slid down the length of it, replaying Lucas's words in her head. The ringing of her cell phone brought her out of her thoughts. She sighed as Chris's name came up on the screen. She flipped it open quickly.
"Hello." She answered softly. She didn't want him to know that she'd been crying.
"Haley, are you okay?" He asked. She should have known that he'd realize something was wrong with her. It was like he had some sixth sense, concerning her.
"Yeah. Well, no, not really. I had to call and tell Nathan about last night. That's not even the worst of it. Lucas and Brooke showed up at my door and Lucas saw the pictures. He totally went off the deep end." She said, wiping away a stray tear.
"I'm sorry Haley. Last night was my fault, if you want I can try to talk to him." Chris offered. Haley was touched by his offer, but she'd known Lucas long enough to know that he wouldn't take seeing Chris well.
"Thanks, but I don't think that would help anything. He'll cool down, it'll be okay." She said, more to convince herself than Chris.
"Well anyway, I'm sorry. I'll see you at rehearsal later?" He asked. She really just wanted to stay home, but she knew that other people were counting on her.
"Yeah, I'll meet you there." She agreed, hanging up her phone. She took a deep breathe and gathered up what little courage she had left. She stood up and opened the door, ready to try and discuss things with Lucas. She didn't see him in the living room, so she checked the kitchen. He wasn't there, but there was a note attached to the fridge.
"Haley, I went to clear my head. I'm sorry I blew up, I just always seem to expect more from you than other people. I know that isn't fair to you, but I can't help it. You're better than other people. I'll be back soon. Love, Luke" She read aloud. She smiled sadly, taking the note down and folding it up carefully. She had always known that Lucas held her on some kind of pedestal. He was right, it wasn't fair to her.
She took his note into her room. She wanted to put it away, before she misplaced it. She went to her closet and pulled a decorative box from the top shelf. The contents of this box were all the was left of her former life. She opened it slowly, hesitantly, just like she always did. Sitting there on top was her wedding ring. She ran her finger around the edge of it. Beneath that were pictures of her and Nathan, pictures of her friends, notes she and Luke had passed in class, letters she and Nathan had written each other. And there, at the very bottom, was her cracker jack bracelet. She tucked Lucas's note in beside it. She quickly grabbed the lid, put it on and returned the box to its shelf. Some days she could spend hours pouring over the contents and others, she could barely look at it. Today was definitely the latter. She grabbed some clean clothes while she was in the closet, and headed for the shower.
She took a long shower. As she got out, she thought she heard her front door close. She quickly got dressed and went into the living room. She'd been hoping that Lucas had come back, but instead she saw Brooke, with at least a dozen bags at her feet.
"I so should have made Lucas come with me. I actually had to stop shopping because I couldn't carry any more bags!" Brooke exclaimed, plopping down on Haley's couch.
"Did you have fun?" Haley asked, not really caring. She and Brooke had gotten closer before she'd left Tree Hill, but they hadn't kept in contact at all.
"It was shopping, of course it was fun. Where's Lucas?" Brooke asked, realizing Lucas wasn't there.
"Uh, he and I had a fight and he left." Haley replied, not meeting the brunette's eyes.
"Okay, I know my opinion probably isn't wanted or needed, but I just have to say this. This is your life Haley, and as much as I love Lucas, and as good as his intentions may be, I don't understand why you give him so much power over you." Brooke said slowly, looking as if she expected Haley to snap at her.
"He's my best friend, Brooke. I value his opinion. I want to be someone that he can be proud of, and I haven't been and that hurts." Haley said, shrugging. Brooke nodded, studying Haley as she spoke.
"It was actually harder to tell Luke than it was to tell Nathan." Haley added.
"You told Nathan? I bet he flipped out." Brooke said, scooting forward in her seat.
"He hung up on me. I think he and I are done, as much as it pains me to say it." Haley admitted softly.
"No, you guys are just going through a rough patch, as my grandma used to say. You guys are in love. You can never really be done with someone you love." Brooke said wisely.