Chapter 12

Nathan awoke on Saturday morning, his head a little sore from the lasting affects of being so drunk for so long, but still his head felt amazingly clear. Stretching, he made his way out of bed, he wore blue and white striped cotton pyjamas, so not seeing a reason to get dressed, left his room.

In the kitchen he could see Ephraim doing what he assumed was making breakfast for himself. Ollie wasn't with him. Her bedroom door was slightly ajar though and he knew that they needed to talk, that he needed to explain and apologise to his daughter.

He knocked softly, receiving no reply. "Ollie, its dad, can I come in? He asked equally as soft.

"Alright", the reply was weak and sad, guilt shot through him.

Slowly he walked into the room and perched on the end of the bed which she was sitting on leaning against the headboard with her legs under the covers, he tried to show her that she had no reason to be afraid of him anymore. He hadn't seen her last night, not wanting to let her see him so screwed up anymore he had gone into his room before she got home. Not letting it show how surprised he was by the mangled guitar, shattered CD's all over the floor and her dark head of hair. The tear tracks that ran down her face were what he noticed the most though. He knew that his daughter hardly ever cried.

Not knowing exactly how to start, or how much she had figured out already while he was busy being the worst father in the world he simply said gently, "I'm sorry, for the drinking, for everything".

"It's not your fault, it's hers". She didn't look at him but he could tell from her voice that she was angry, sad and scared all at the same time.

"You..You know about Haley?" terrified she would shut him out but he knew he had to ask.

She nodded sullenly.

"I know I should have told you about her." He paused, thinking how to explain. "It's just I was scared too."

"You were?" her voice was tiny but momentarily she had glanced up at him.

"Yeah, course I was."

He looked at his hands fidgeting in his lap. The bed creaked and he felt the mattress moving as Ollie changed positions. Her arm brushed against his, glancing to his side he saw her sitting just like he was with her feet dangling over the side of the bed, right next to him.

"Is there anything you want to know?"

"No, I don't want to know her at all" she said shaking her head timidly but angrily as she sniffled.

Nathan gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders and he felt her hesitate at first but then lean her head into his shoulder. They sat there like that both needing to feel the closeness. He felt a wet patch forming on his pyjamas where she was crying against his shoulder. Bringing his hand up to stroke her head to try and calm her down he could vaguely hear her whispering something into his shoulder.

"I..." she sniffled struggling to say what she wanted to. "I'm not like her; I'm not going to be like her." It sounded hurt but still stubborn; he couldn't quite tell whether he was trying to convince him or herself.

"I know buddy, your not, I promise."

Lifting her head she smiled shakily at him through her tears before wiping them away with her arm.

"No more drinking?" She looked wide eyed at her father with a slightly puppy doggish expression.

"No more drinking." He promised smiling at her sorry.

"Good"

Hearing that,Ollie felt a little better already. Haley didn't matter. She had her dad, Ephraim and her aunts and uncles even if they had kept the truth from her, at least they'd always been there. All her life she had dealt with having no mother. Just because her mother now happened to live in the same town, didn't mean anything had to be different than it always had been.

"Oliiivviiaa" They heard Ephraim singing as he came down the hall with food to try and cheer Ollie up. "Guess who made you pancaaakes?"

Ephraim poked his head in the door. At first he was puzzled seeing the small smiles on both their faces, after the past week he hadn't expected it, bit his face broke out into a grin anyway.

"So I see you're both feeling better?" he asked the two.

Nathan glanced at Ollie and seeing her nod he nodded too. "Enough for me?" Nathan asked smiling at the two kids.

Ephraim grinned, stoked that Nathan seemed to be getting back to normal "Yeah" He glanced at Ollie who was already digging in. "If you can get any" He chuckled.

Ollie handed Nathan the pancakes and forced a grin onto her face. She did feel better but it all still felt so strange.

"So mom gets here today."Ephraim told them conversationally.

"Brooke's coming?" Ollie asked, now not needing to force the smile.

He looked at them weird because he thought that they knew "Yeah, her and Chase, later today. I'm sure I told you Nathan."

The older man looked at the ground. Understanding that Nathan had probably been too drunk to actually remember being told but didn't want to admit it in front of Ollie, Ephraim covered by saying, "I must've forgotten to tell you."

Nathan looked at him thankfully. "You told them they could stay here right?"

"Yeah, I figured they could, you know umm help with stuff." Ephraim trailed off at the end.

There was a small awkward silence because none of the three wanted to mention all the current problems. Strangely it was Ollie that broke the silence.

"What, um what time do they arrive?"

Ephraim grinned at her. "About one thirty."

Despite the fact that just a day before, her world had been falling apart, now everything seemed to be going right again. Her dad was better; Brooke was coming home and not to mention but Ephraim made some pretty god tasting pancakes.

Too much of a coward, coward, coward. The word that Ephraim had called swam around inside Haley's head, taunting her. It was so true, that was the problem. That was why it wouldn't leave her alone. Not until she proved it wrong and talked to Nathan anyway.

A drunk, that's what Ephraim told her he was. She knew when they were younger and Nathan had a problem he tended to push everyone away, but a drunk, she just couldn't believe it. Sure he drank at parties when he was in high school, but by senior year even that had pretty much stopped. She knew that he had stopped a lot of the partying and drinking for her, maybe it was because of her that he started again as well.

So she made the decision to be brave. Grabbing her jacket on the way out, she locked the door and climbed into her car. Pulling out she drove to Nathans, the way cemented in her mind from the night she dropped Ollie home. She parked on the road and walked up the drive so that there was no way for her to be able to just drive away if she panicked.

She knocked on the door, from the inside she heard someone excitedly call "Shes here!" to the others in the house. A second later the door whooshed open and there stood Ollie.

Haley smiled at her, "Hey Ollie"

Ollie gave her a dirty, hateful look then slammed the door in her face.

Haleys heart fell, at that moment she knew her daughter knew about and was definitely no longer Haley James' biggest fan. Even though she had expected it to be like this, it still stung.

The door swung back open and revealed Nathan standing there.

"What do you want Haley?" His voice was hard and annoyed fury burned in his eyes that refused to meet hers.

"To talk." She said meekly fiddling with her keys nervously. He seemed angry but not drunk, that was good.

"We have nothing to talk about." He spat the fury evident in his voice.

"Please, I just want to explain myself." Her eyes started to run under his glare full of hatred

"Well I don't want to hear it." His voice rose increasingly.

"Nathan please just ..." she started to beg, the tears silently running from her eyes

A car pulled up behind them into the drive cutting her off as Nathan turned to look, completely ignoring his wife falling apart right in front of him.

Ephraim and Ollie came to the door just as a woman stepped out of the car.

"Brooke!" Ollie excitedly called as she ran over and hugged the women who wrapped her arms tightly around the younger girl. Ollie deliberately exaggerated her pleasure and excitement to see Brooke, knowing that Haley was watching and that it would probably hurt her.

"Hey Mom" Ephraim grinned also hugging his mom.

Haley watched them seeing how happy they all were, even Nathans expression changed from the one of pure hate he had with her to a happier one as he left her on the porch crying, to greet his friends. She saw him hug Brooke and in a manly but affectionate way greet Chase, who was now chatting to the kids and pulling bags from the trunk. She knew that she would be a part of this had she stayed.

"Well, if it isn't the Tutorwhore." Brooke stated purposefully rude, approaching her with Chase, Nathan and Ephraim following carrying a load of bags. Ollie who stood not far behind them smirked nastily, quite happy for Haley to be insulted.

Haley smiled weakly, stubbornly brushing away her tears trying not to show how hurt she was "Hi Brooke. I... I'm gonna go, Nathan, can we please talk sometime?"

"No." He said bluntly and spitefully before stepping inside after everyone else. "Bye Dan", He spat at her.

Then, for the second time that day the front door got slammed right in her face.