Court, thank you so much!
HJS-NS-23, thanks for reviewing! The stalker will be revealed, but not that soon hehe!
JJC, thanks! The comment about Lucas hair was more about my personal feelings than anything else!
ESLgirl Sorry! I have just put the 6th and 7th chaps together and wrote the dialogue the way I should. Thanks for the hint, but I really do not have the time to change everything that was ready. So, if you keep reading, I am glad. It will be written how it is supposed to be from now on.
Krizue, the dinner creeps me out! It will happen and the lines have been written, but ugh... the Scott family is just bizarre! That is all I have to say at this point hehe. I just got back from a ten hour party and I am posting this because I should have done it a LONG time ago! I'll give you a more clarifing reply the next chap, in case you stick around. Thanks for the support.
OBS: Haley's essay's not mine, just like the characters aren't either. I made some changes to the text, but it belongs to a certain show I loved and miss. Everwood. It's the essay Ephram wrote to get Amy to Princeton. It's in italics.
OBS 2: There's a phone conversation and the lines from the person talking to Haley are also in italics.
Chapter 3
Sticking to her daily agenda rather than trying to make life more interesting, Haley had left hers and Brooke's apartment an hour earlier, around 6 am, to find some alleviation for her sorrow and some compensation for the awful night of no sleep she had just faced. Now, sitting near her perfect little spot at Tree Hill's docks, she was reviewing for the hundredth time the essay she was sending with her application to Stanford. The stakes held by the sheet of paper were too high and she couldn't imagine herself acting differently. Dedication was part of her; there was no discussion regarding it.
Glancing at the paper, she decided her draft deserved to be read one more time before she started the definitive version.
Tell us about yourself in such a way that we will have a good sense of who you are; 500 words
I wish you would've asked me that a year and a half ago. I could've told you exactly who I was, who I'd be. Eighteen months ago I knew it all and the thing is, I was right. Plans are like candy to the Fates. The only thing you could ever be sure of is nothing ever goes the way you imagined. I should probably be used to that by now. The thing is you can never tell when everything you counted on might fall apart - no matter how solid the rock. Rocks break. Everything changes, even when you think you're sure, especially. To be fair, if I was one of the Fates looking down at the best laid plans of dumb little people, I'd probably see mine and want to mess with them too.
You want to know about me in 500 words? I get scared sometimes and I've been disappointed 24/7. I have doubts and like anyone else, I love getting my way. I don't like the unknown, but I know it's good for me to get to know new places and changing is inevitable so I welcome it as best I can. There's a poem by Johann Franck that says it better than I will. "Defy the old dragon, defy fear. The world may rage and quake but I shall remain singing in perfect peace." Yeah, things happen - things you don't expect - or want or like. The world rages and you become someone you didn't know you'd ever be. And there you are, in your clothes, in your life, this is my future, this is me. This is me and I want things I never thought I would. I want the possibilities a school like Stanford can afford. A place to grow, meet new people, a place to be surprised when life turns out to be nothing like I imagined. You have to be grateful for it - in perfect peace.
Pleased with her work and knowing she had achieved her goal with those words, Haley allowed herself to rest; to take a little break. Those were rare these days.
Placing her notebook on her lap, she relaxed her back, leaning against a tree, and appreciated the scenery around until her precious cell phone which rested on the floor rang, bringing her back to the harshness of reality and ruining her heavenly momentum.
Reluctant to answer, she caught a glimpse of it. Unable to believe her phone had the right caller, Haley was taken aback, the baffled expression straining her delicate features. The shock was so profound that she failed to answer it the first time. It was only when it started ringing again that she dared picking it up, fearing what was about to come out of the mouth of the one calling her.
"Do you need help carrying a body?" Haley interrogated, hoping the answer would be no.
"No." The short and cold response Haley was praying for.
"Do you need bail money?" Haley continued, trying to keep her cool, but at the same time conditioning herself to expect the worst, that one of her questions would have a positive answer.
"No."
"Do you need a new liver because you drank so much and destroyed yours?"
"Hell, no. What is it with you? Why do you always assume the worst?" Sick of playing that game, the caller erupted.
"Maybe because I have only seen or talked to you once over the last three years when you had absolutely no place to go because you were thrown out of your dorm for cheating on an exam, and later on were caught in bed with the Professor that was paying your bills by no one other than his dear wife".
"Always the polite lady, aren't you, Haley Bub?" Taylor declared, all of her sarcasm in her voice.
"Oh you're one to talk, always up to no good, aren't you, Hurricane Taylor?" Haley went on, harshly.
"I do my best". Taylor agreed, knowing it was the pure and honest truth.
"Are you telling me why are you calling me at 6 am? You're not the one to be out of bed that early in the morning. Only serious people are."
"You're absolutely right and in fact, I haven't even reached my bed yet. I had a busy night, girlie."
"Spare me the details, please. What is it with everyone around me? Always wanting to tell me about their dirty gossip."
"Well, well. Still the prude, I see. Not even after marrying the hunky offspring number two of Dan Scott you managed to like sex? Bah... Coming to think of it, he wasn't that good in bed, anyways. Give it another try, honey."
"Ha-ha, always the clown in the family." Haley snapped, not having the patience to even begin to tolerate Taylor's comments.
"And still bitter too. Go figure. You're young, cute not as hot as I am, but I bet there are numerous guys dreaming of dating you. Stop mourning that $$ you still call a husband and get yourself a life. If you don't, you'll spend the rest of your days regretting the opportunities you have missed."
"Is that why you called me, Taylor, to torment me with your so called "smart advices"? Because I'll pass, I'm not in the mood to hear your BS."
"That's not why I called. I just hate the boy's attitude and think you deserve better, but I'm done meddling, pinky swear, Now about the reason I called, well, you're going to either love it, or hate it. PLEASEEEE love it."
"Try me." Haley offered, relieved that Taylor was dropping the forbidden subject.
"I called you to wish a happy pre-James family reunion day." A sudden excitement in Taylor's voice.
"A what?" Haley was clueless.
"To make it short---"
"Couldn't you have made it from the beginning?"
"Will you shut up and listen?" Taylor replied in her ungentle tone, getting Haley to think she was Bipolar.
Absolute Silence!
Haley knew patience was a virtue and she had to find hers in order to deal with Taylor James, her sister and complete opposite.
"Are you still there?"
"What do you think?"
"I'll take that as a 'yes, Taylor. I'm here, favorite sister in the world.'"
"Tay, I really don't have all day long."
"That's why I called you at six in the morning, babe. I know for sure you must not have anything better to do than talking to me, seeing as you haven't been sleeping much lately. And before you might ask, I called your house before calling your cell, and your very impolite roommate let that one slip."
"You woke Brooke earlier than usual? God bless us all." Haley muttered, knowing for a fact that Brooke needed her beauty sleep so that the World peace would prevail.
"Whatever, Haley Bub. I needed to talk to you, knew you were an early bird and only assumed you had found someone as freaky as you to live with."
"That would require you, Tay."
"I'm taking that as a compliment."
"Can we move on with the insults and get this party started? If no one's dead, and I'm assuming that, you haven't killed anyone, haven't been in an accident, don't need an organ, why are you calling me? And don't say to wish me a happy pre-James---"
"Family reunion day." Taylor interrupted, finishing for Haley.
"Do I have to repeat myself and ask what all over again? Or you're planning on telling me what the heck are you talking about?"
"I could stall a little more, but I guess I won't. I'm pretty sure you're doing fine despite all the crap going on in your life. You're still as sharp as you used to be, no matter what Brooke says. It seems like the boy had you falling for him, hurt you badly, but still left your personality intact. You're sad, but when driven to extremes you're still same old Haley James. Thank God." Taylor pointed out free from the anxiety of thinking her sister was no longer the righteous girl that took no one's BS while Haley was planning on how to bring Brooke and her big fat mouth down.
"Any who, here's the deal: Queen called me a week ago saying she had received her five-year reunion invitation and that she'd be dropping by Tree Hill the week before the last James graduated. That'd be you hon," Haley rolled her eyes and was truly glad Taylor couldn't visualize her reaction "but I know you already knew that. A few days went by and mom called me to share her Californian adventures and ended up telling me all about her itinerary before paying a visit to Tree Hill to see her baby graduate. Then, being the loving sister I am, I informed mom about Queen's trip and suggested we all gathered in North Carolina in six months to party after you get your diploma. Mom called Viv, who called Jeff, who called Rob, who called Queen again, who called me. To summarize, we're all clearing our agendas as we speak to throw you a little bash before you embark on your new life as a College student. Oh, Haley Bub, we're so proud of you."
Haley was appalled. The word shocked couldn't begin to describe her state at that moment. Her entire family back in Tree Hill!
Contemplating the situation, Haley could only think of two words, and both came with question marks: Fairytale? or tragedy? Haley couldn't make up her mind. It was one tough question...
"Have I heard you correctly? Yo! You're doing what? You're all going to come here? Where are you staying?"
"Mom and dad have the RV, our siblings can surely afford a hotel and I'll probably crash with you, considering I'm barely affording my bus ride."
"I don't know what to say." Haley mentioned, still unaware weather she should be thrilled or worried. What if her family decided to ambush Nathan and try and knock some senses into him? What if that blew up in her face once they were gone? This could turn out into the biggest mess of the century. Any good would hardly come out of that. It was then that she realized her family would come and she'd probably leave with them. She'd take summer courses if accepted to Stanford, or to another institution, or maybe she would spend some quality time with her folks. Either way, she was not staying around to deal with the possible outcome of her family's attack towards Nathan.
Taylor was silent, letting Haley take it all in.
"Telling me how happy you are that we're all going to see each other again would be a great place to start."
"So let's start with that. I'm very excited and can't wait for you guys to arrive. Is that better?"
"Not convincing, but yeah. I'll be satisfied with that. Wow, got to go, little sis. Duty calls. I'll be seeing you and I love you."
"You too, Tay, you too."
And with that, they hung up, leaving a thoughtful Haley to absorb the unexpected news.
Still leaning against her chosen tree, Haley closed her exhausted eyes thinking half an hour of sleep couldn't hurt her or get her late to school. Relaxation, what a great feeling! The breeze joined with the noises produced by the course of the river, were the perfect combination to grant Haley a peaceful nap, one that lasted longer than it should have.
That day, lunch hour at Tree Hill High wasn't going as well as planned. Brooke, being the Student Council President, had been called in for an emergency concerning a possible DST lecture that all students would be obligated to attend after hours. Damn PTA! Outraged since the morning because of Taylor's annoying phone call, Brooke had spent her time discussing the lecture with Principal Turner and trying to reason with the man for him to drop it or include it on their regular schedules. One of the motives she had used for her second option was that some students had jobs, like her roommate. The Principal wasn't caving. Stubborn dude...
Making use of all of her points and still not getting what she wanted, Brooke left his office abruptly. She opened the door with a considerable amount of strength and accidentally collided with one person she had no wish of running into, or speaking.
"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?" Brooke barked, her eyes flashing with hate.
He kept quiet, playing cool, despite the fact that some of their colleagues were already staring intrigued.
He'd seen that look before and it was never a good sign. His sixth sense advised him to shut up and not provoke her more with any of his unnecessary comments. There was no need for her to go on yelling. She'd very likely end up losing control and World War Three would begin because, well, he was just as temperamental.
"You can't speak anymore? Great! Let's have a big round of applause for "Mr. the cat ate my tongue", ladies and gentlemen." Brooke continued, intentionally dragging everyone's attention back to them.
Her fellow students were lost. Which side would they take, The Queen of the school's side or should they take the Kings?
"I'm glad you lost your ability to open your filthy mouth. Maybe that'll prevent you from saying the things you don't mean and hurting one of my closest friends in the process." Brooke agressed him with one raised warning finger, challenging him to say anything back. She had reached the point of no more control or holding back.
"Aren't you done hurting her? Aren't you happy she's skipping school? Or you're too busy looking down at your belly button to notice? Ugh… I have no idea why I waste my time with you. Do a favor to society and GO TO HELL. And let me tell you, stay away from her in your way to it, FOREVER. In a few years from now, when she becomes the star she deserves to be, DON'T come crying to any of us, or I'll repeat Luke's gesture and break another tooth in your mouth. It'll be the funniest to watch her getting everything she ever wanted and you screwing random bitches to try and fill her void in your heart. God... I can't stand being in the same room with you."
The crowd remained watching Brooke's scandal unfold. It seemed interesting and they hadn't anything better to do with their lunch hour.
"I'm dead serious, Nathan. Don't come near her unless you plan on growing a pair and apologizing to the one person that loved you more than anyone could... Ha.. What does she see in you?" She rolled her eyes madly. "You're nothing but an egoistical bastard. Get out my way. NOW!" She spoke in her best heated hysterical manner.
He silently complied. He had taken all of Brooke's crap and hadn't pronounced a single word. What else could he have done? She was right, the sad part? They both knew it...
Around 12 pm, Haley stirred, her eyelids fluttered and she finally opened her brown eyes, realizing she was more than late for the first period. She didn't feel sorry. She was more than happy to have slept in a way she hadn't since she had arrived back in town.
Gathering her notebook and cell phone that had been dropped while she slept, Haley was ready to stand up, clean her pants from the leaves and go to school before her next class started. That was the original plan until she heard a snarky comment coming from behind her. It was one of the voices she would recognize anywhere, no matter if thirty, forty years had passed.
"It's always the innocent ones. You'd think they're smart since they get nothing but straight A's." Sarcastic laughter. Think again.
Haley ignored as she cleaned her pants.
"Statistically speaking, the ones who claim not to have time to dress up because they're too busy with their schoolwork are the biggest target. They don't care about how they look, but yet they cover themselves with their ugly $$ clothes. I didn't know how, but they manage to wake the beasts and get attacked in a way the sluts do not. After staying here for a couple of hours, watching you sleeping, I realized how easy it is to approach you. The offender can tie you to the tree and by the time you wake up, he's all over you, taking advantage of what you're keeping for someone else."
Furious, but not to the point of starting a fight, Haley started moving. The sooner she got to school, the sooner she'd be near Brooke, Lucas and maybe even Nathan's ignorance. Tree Hill would be home again and she wouldn't have to worry about having to put up with Peyton.
"Haley, please wait, just wait!" Peyton screamed pleadingly.
"And why should I?" Haley asked, without making any moves to turn her back and face the other girl.
"Because there's something I need and no one but you can do it." Peyton told her, being humble for the first time in what seemed like forever.
"Then you're going to die waiting." Haley snapped, picking her pace up to almost a jog.
"You're better than that, Haley James Scott."
Anger, that was the only thing Haley felt. These days, for almost everyone in town she was Haley James, wannabe American Idol who'd cry her eyes out her entire life for not being able to hold onto the Scott name. Peyton was one of those people. Unable to move, Haley sighed, trying to calm her nerves and to recompose herself. Once ready, she turned back to the girl she had been obliged to treat as an opponent.
"I could give you ten seconds to speak your peace and then leave. I won't. You don't deserve it. Why are you invoking the Scott name, Peyton? You think that'll make me softer? It won't. As a matter of fact, it makes me despise you even more. I've done nothing to you in your entire life. There were no stains in our relationship. I knew you were making out with my best friend behind your best friend's back and I kept my mouth shut. Never judged you, never cursed you, never treated you like dirt. What have you done in return? Nathan's your friend and maybe you feel protective of him, but if you didn't care about hurting Brooke's feelings, why would you care about Nathan's? He's not as close as she was to you and yet you condemn me for messing with his head. You're a hypocrite Peyton. Took me long enough to realize it, but now that I do, I feel no desire to being your friend or acquaintance. Do us both a favor: Go back to not knowing me. So far you've done one hell of job pretending I don't exist."
Contrary to what Haley had expected, her hurtful words had no impact on the blond girl. She stayed put watching Haley finish her speech, but not without giving her daring looks to provoke her and drive her to the edge. Peyton was testing her; she wanted Haley to say everything that she had kept bottled up inside. Maybe after that, they'd be able to move on.
"If you still feel like offending me or punching me, you can do it now." Peyton offered, opening her arms to make it easier for Haley to approach her and punch her stomach or slap her face. Haley never did either. She was too polite to subject herself to such thing, but she still wondered how great it'd feel to have the courage to do so. "It's been a while since I wanted to get this over with. I've tried calling you but I thought if knew it was me, you wouldn't answer. So I started calling your cell phone without you being able to see who was calling, but again you never picked up."
Haley watched Peyton's confession, but didn't show any compassion. She was not going to make it easier on the person that had treated her terribly.
"I'm done, Haley. I'm not going to go on pretending you don't exist. I was wrong when I took out my anger on you and I realized it too late. As soon as I did, I tried to apologize, but didn't have the guts to do it until today. I have no idea what this place is about, but it must be important. You come here everyday and I'm not stalking you. Ellie's motel's right there" Peyton pointed to the building that could be seen from where they were standing - "and whenever I visit her, I come by the river and see you. I wonder if you'll ever trust me enough to tell me what this place holds, but right now, I'll be contented if you say you can forgive me for being an intolerable brat who's caused you nothing but pain since the moment you returned and needed your friends the most."
Two shocks, one day. Haley had no idea of what was going on, but if she had the power to control the surprises that were coming her way, she'd make sure the next one would be Nathan, crawling back to her and apologizing for his asinine behavior.
"Do you think you can find it in your heart to let go of what I've done and let me in again?"
"Is the favor you need that important to you, Peyton?" Haley interrogated, suspecting Peyton's intentions.
"It is, but this is not about that."
"You said it yourself. It's something only I can do for you. Can't say I'm curious. Currently, I could care less about you or your welfare."
"You don't think I know? If someone had put me through the uptight situations I put you this semester, I'd make sure to cross them off my friends list."
"You're not doing a good job helping your case."
"I'm not sure I deserve to be forgiven. But about the favor, it's something that if you say no to, I'll still have other alternatives."
"So why are you apologizing? Why aren't you looking into those other options?"
"Because I have no other alternative if I plan on getting your friendship back."