Chapter Six
The phone had been ringing for five minutes and when Haley realized that her brother and his fiancée were not home, she had begun to crutch her way to the kitchen.
"Hello?" she answered the phone, as she tried to catch her breath.
"Hales?" The person on the other end of the phone asked uncertainly.
It didn't take long for Haley to recognize the voice of her other older brother, Zack James. "Yeah, Zack, it's me," she replied.
"Shouldn't you still be in the hospital?" he asked.
"The surgery was three weeks ago," Haley reminded him.
"Sorry, I haven't talked to Dad in a while," her brother explained. "I tried calling here but Anthony hung up on me and told me not to call again."
Haley rolled her eyes. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't do the same," she said.
"You're not mad at me too now, are you?" Zack asked in disbelief.
"I wasn't before but when I was in the hospital, you didn't call me once," Haley replied.
"I don't get many phone calls," he told her.
"Let me guess, you want a favour?" Haley asked.
Her brother Zack had a long history of criminal activity. It started out as petty theft then it escalated to bank robbery.
When Anthony had taken him in after their father had first moved to Florida, Zack had promised to get his act together. He would find a job as a mechanic and keep it and seek help for his gambling problem.
At first, he had kept his word, but it was short lived.
Anthony, who was a detective at the Tree Hill Police Department, had found out that someone wanted in connection to a string of bank robberies in Miami, Florida, had known ties to North Carolina. He took a look at the sketch of the suspect that had been faxed to the department as an APB; he recognized his baby brother in seconds.
After wrestling with the decision, Anthony did the right thing and turned Zack in. What Zack called a betrayal, Anthony called helping him and Haley hadn't agreed or disagreed with either one of them. She chose to stay out of it.
Their father had stood by his younger son, cutting his older son off at first but after time, Anthony and Jimmy had managed to reach an understanding about what had happened.
Taylor had understood Zack's problems, having a criminal past herself and a drinking problem of her own so she had taken Zack's side.
Things remained the same between her brothers. Zack was angry with Anthony for turning him in and Anthony was furious at Zack for putting him in that position.
"I'm in trouble, sis," Zack finally told his younger sister.
"What this time?" Haley asked, unsure if she really wanted to know.
"I owe some people money and I need you to get it for me," Zack replied.
"How much?" Haley asked.
"Two thousand," he replied.
Haley was about to yell at him but he spoke before she could. "I know what you're going to say and I'm sorry but I made the bet before I went to prison. If Anthony hadn't turned me in, I would have paid my debt but he did and I can't pay if off from in here," he said.
"What do you expect me to do about it?" Haley asked.
"Don't you have money left over from the lawsuit?" Zack inquired.
"Go to hell, Zack," Haley exploded. "That money is for college and you want me to use it to pay off your debt because you were stupid and decided to rob a bunch of banks?"
"Haley," Zack tried to tell her to calm down but his sister cut him off once again.
"Why the hell did you bet two thousand dollars?" she demanded. "Has the fact that you are the worst gambler in history not hit you yet? You've never won a single bet you've placed!"
"I know you're mad," he started to say.
"Mad?" Haley parroted. "I'm furious with you. Until now, I was staying out of this ridiculous feud between you and Anthony because I'm your sister but not anymore."
"What?" Zack asked.
"You're on your own this time, don't call me again," Haley demanded and slammed down the phone for emphasis.
Nathan came in the door a few hours earlier and stopped in his tracks when he saw his girlfriend sprawled on the couch, glaring at the ceiling.
"Hales?" he asked.
She looked at him and nodded in acknowledgement.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"No," she replied after a few seconds.
"What happened?" Nathan asked worriedly as he sat down beside her on the couch.
"My brother is an ass," Haley declared.
"What did Anthony do?" Nathan asked in confusion.
"I'm talking about Zack," she replied.
Nathan sighed. He knew there was bad blood between Anthony and Zack but Haley had stayed out of it, saying that it was between them but now she was calling Zack an ass. He knew something had happened that day to change her mind so suddenly.
"What happened?" he asked.
She filled him in on her phone conversation with Zack.
"Are you going to help him?" Nathan asked.
"I don't want to but I have to," Haley replied.
"Why?" Nathan asked.
"Because if I don't, he could get hurt again," Haley replied, remembering the last time Zack was late with paying a debt. Two thugs had cornered him in an alley and beaten him nearly to death. "He was on a respirator for four days. I can't let it happen again."
"How much will you have left over?" Nathan asked.
"School's already paid for. I did that when I first got the money. I'll have a thousand left over," Haley replied.
"Left over from what?" Anthony asked.
Haley and Nathan both turned to look at Haley's eldest brother who was looking at them both expectantly.
Haley sighed. "My brothers suck," she told herself.
