So here it is, another chapter from the future. Hope you guys like it. The next chapter is going to be back in November.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and/or review

Chapter Seventeen

April 17, 2008

"Why are you here?"

Nathan looked up and shrugged, "I have to be here."

Dr. Routh closed the file on her desk and sat back in her chair, "No, no you don't. Coach Durham called me this morning; he said you've quit the team."

Nathan shrugged.

"So I'll ask you again; if you've given up basketball why are you here?"

Nathan hesitated, "Talking about her…… I want to talk about her."

"What about basketball?"

Nathan shrugged, "Why the hell should I be doing something I love when she can't? How is that fair?"

Dr. Routh looked at him with sympathy, "She wouldn't want you to suffer Nathan."

"How would you know? You've never even met her! You don't know everything that I've done… I deserve it. I deserve more than this…." Nathan yelled at her, hands gripping the arms of his chair.

Dr. Routh continued to stare at him and said calmly, "Everything you've told me about her tells me that. She wouldn't want you to suffer."

Nathan was quiet for a few minutes before softly saying, "I heard her voice a couple of days ago. I haven't check my voicemail since th- well since it happened. My phone was in my hand and I remembered that I haven't…. I don't even know why I did, I don't care what anyone has to say, but I felt compelled to so… so I checked it and there she was."

"What did she say?"

Nathan looked up with tears in his eyes, "She forgave me… she was on her way to see me. She had already been at my house, but when I didn't show up she left to go do something… she didn't say what. She was on her way back when it happened…."

The doctor stayed silent as she waited for Nathan to continue.

"There's a part of the message… here listen to it," Nathan got out his phone and pressed a button; holding the phone against his ear he listened.

Dr. Routh studied his face. The way he fought for composure, the trembling of his lips…. the way his mouth moved to mimic what was being said on the phone. It was obvious he had listened to the message many time. His throat convulsed as he got to the part he was searching for.

Nathan moved the phone away and pressed the speaker phone, "Here it is… listen."

A feminine voice filled the otherwise silent office, "soon. Don't worry Nathan, I'll be there before you have a chance to miss me."

Dr. Routh's eyes darted to Nathan, who was currently staring at his phone like it would come alive in his hand.

Nathan spoke, his voice thick with emotion, "Before I could miss her? It's a joke… I miss her, so damn much. All the fucking time. I dream about her, wake up thinking about her. I still turn to her, when I think about something I want to say to her…. only my heart gets ripped out when I see that she's not there….."

Nathan threw the phone, "Why isn't she here! She's done nothing wrong! I messed up…"

Dr. Routh stayed in her seat, waiting for Nathan to get his head out of his hands. When he did she spoke up, "Have you been to seen her?"

Nathan shook his head, "I tried… her family. They blame me too."

Dr. Routh spoke firmly, "Nathan just go see her, find a time when her family won't be around and see her. You both need it."

Nathan wasn't listening, he was by his phone speaking under his breath, "I can't believe I threw the phone… what if it won't play the message anymore…"

"Nathan!" Dr. Routh spoke loudly.

"WHAT?" he couldn't help it, it tore out of his mouth.

"IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT… I don't know everything that happened, but it was an accident! And you told me that you called off the bet, was there something else that happened?" Dr. Routh hadn't heard the whole story yet. The last thing Nathan had told her was that they decided to call off the bet.

"Someone else…. Yeah, I know who else is to blame," Nathan said speaking to himself and rushing out of the room.

Brooke sat on her the bed of her temporary home.

She had surprised herself; it turned out that she really missed Tree Hill and her friends. She hadn't talked to any of them since she ran away. She even got a new cell phone so she could throw away her old one. She had been tempted to pick up when they kept trying to call her.

She sat back and opened the laptop resting on the bed; she had been missing home so much that in the last couple of days she had started to watch Peyton's webcam. It was a dual edged sword; she got to see someone she knew… but she would also see Peyton with her boyfriend. He's your ex-boyfriend Brooke, he's not yours anymore, Brooke had to remind herself. So far she hadn't seen them together in Peyton's room, but she wasn't deluding herself; it didn't mean they weren't together. She just hadn't seen them yet.

Brooke realized that maybe she wanted to see them together so she could be reminded of how stupid she had been. To remind herself of everything that had happened…

Brooke sighed before getting up; she went to get her nightly pint of Ben & Jerry's before she settled down to keep an eye on her former best friend.

Nathan had rushed to his house and drank a bottle of tequila while he thought about what happened at his session.

Closing his eyes, he pictured her in his mind, "Haley…"

Nathan opened his eyes and frowned, whose fault was it? I'm not stupid, I know it was my fault… but who else played a part?

Eyes hardening he got up and pulled out another bottle, and carried it with him as he left the house.

Brooke was watching the Peyton. It was pretty boring, damn it I can't believe I'm sitting here watching Peyton do her boring tortured artistic routine. I'm pathetic.

Brooke reached over to turn it off when she saw a stumbling Nathan appear in Peyton's door, Whoa… obviously Nathan has had one too many.

Nathan started gesturing wildly with his arms, as Peyton tried calmed him down.

Brooke's eyes got larger as Nathan shrugged Peyton off him and got in her face, screaming. Peyton snapped and pointed a finger in his face, screaming back at him.

Brooke moved closer to the streaming video, Nathan had just thrown the bottle of alcohol he was carrying and Peyton stepped back, looking shocked.

Brooke cursed as her phone rang; she ran and got the phone. When she looked at the caller ID she saw that the number was blocked and rolled her eyes. Running back to the computer she almost fell down when she saw Peyton and Nathan kissing. What. The. Fuck.

Brooke watched them, mouth agape. It felt like a lifetime, but really only seconds passed before Peyton unzipped her hoodie and threw it, landing on her webcam and hiding them from view.

Brooke collapsed on the floor, what the hell has been going on since I left Tree Hill. And where the fuck is Haley?

Looking at the cell phone in her hand she dialed a familiar number and held the phone against her ear as it rang...

Disclaimer: I own nothing; not OTH or its characters.

Drama4ashley-Naley: LOL! I didn't even think about your screen name when I called myself that. But it is a cute coincidence. Yay, I'm glad you liked the dates and jealous Nathan. Poor Jake is right :(. Thanks :D

RedRoom323: I know it seems like Nathan is jealous a lot, so I'm glad it's not getting too old yet. Thank you :)

Colviper8: Nathan and his friends agreed to call off the bed a couple chapters back. Thank You! :)

naley19:Thanks! :)

LovingNaley: I'm glad you liked the dates. :D and yay! you remembered the times when Haley brought up her parents leaving, and how without her they wouldn't have been able to go. Poor Peyton :( Thanks! :)