Disclaimer: I do not own OTH or any of it characters places or such. I am simply borrowing them
AN/ Here is the next chapter! The long awaited conversation between Nathan and Haley. Please don't forget to review!
As always suggestions are welcome!
Five minutes later, the four of them were hugging Meredith and leaving her classroom. Haley was stood silently behind the rest as they entered the hallway
"Let's go stop by Ms. Mitchell's class" Lucas said
"It is this way," Nathan said as he lead the way down the hallway
Brooke noticed that Haley had not said a word since they had left the lunchroom. She stopped and waited until Haley was beside her.
"Haley, is everything okay?"
"Not really"
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not here."
"Okay" Brooke said softly.
The door was open as they approached the classroom and they could hear the sound of chairs being pushed in. Lucas walked so that he was standing in the doorway and watched as the children in the classroom stood at the door.
"Lucas Scott, is that you?" Ms. Young said she spotted Lucas in her doorway
"Hey Ms. M"
"Well, come on in here. Ms. Jackson was just taking the class to lunch"
"I brought some friends with me" Lucas said as Nathan, Brooke and Haley walked in behind him.
"Ms. Young, we will meet you in the lunchroom" Ms. Jackson said as she led the class out of the room and down the hallway.
"Thank you Ms. Jackson. Haley James! Oh, you look so good!"
"Thank you, Ms. Mitchell"
"I told them that you got married, but old habits die hard," Nathan said
"Oh, I know. To you three I will always be Ms. Mitchell"
"Ms. M, this is my girlfriend Brooke Davis"
"Hello Brooke"
"Hello, Ms. Young. I have heard a lot about you"
"I hope it was all good things," Ms. Young said as she smiled
"Yea, all positive things. I heard that you were a great teacher"
"Well, I don't know about that."
"Ms. Mitchell, you were a great teacher. You are actually the person that made me went to go into teaching" Haley said
"What?"
"Yea, Haley told me about you when she told me that she wanted to be a teacher" Brooke said
"Haley, I am touched. It is good to know that I made a difference in your life"
"You did"
"So, how is everyone? Lucas, I am sorry to hear about your dad"
"Thank you. Everything is going good."
"I am glad. I am glad that you guys stopped by"
"We will get going. I know that it is your lunch, but we just wanted to say hi," Nathan said
"It was good to see you all again. Stop by anytime"
"Bye Ms. M" Lucas said as the group left the classroom and headed back towards the front office to turn their visitors passes back in.
The bell for the café rang as the door was opened. Karen looked up from the counter to greet the customer and saw that it was Jake and Peyton.
"Hey Guys!"
"Hey Karen" Peyton greeted as they walked towards two empty stools at the end of the counter.
"How are you?"
"Good. Tired" Jake said as he sat down
"Yea, I heard. Thanks for going with Nate"
"I am not sure why he wanted to go see it. It was not something that I was prepared for," Peyton said
"Yea, I know. How are you two holding up?" Karen asked. She was concerned about not just her three children, but the other ones that she considered her adopted children. Keith was their second father.
"I think I am going to be okay. It wasn't as difficult for me to look at the truck last night as it had been the night that it all happened" Jake answered honestly
"Peyton?"
"Jury is still out on that one, Karen" Peyton said as she looked towards Karen.
"I know. What do you two want for lunch?"
"Usual" Jake answered as Peyton nodded
"I will be right back," Karen said as she walked back to the kitchen to place the order.
"I have no idea how she is holding herself together. She just lost her husband. I feel like crying just at the thought that he isn't going to walk through those doors." Peyton said
"I think she is trying to be strong for her children" Jake said looking at where Karen was standing in the kitchen, "all of us"
"So what are we going to do now?" Lucas asked as the group left the elementary school.
"I need to do some shopping" Brooke said as she linked arms with Lucas, "You have just been elected to come with me"
Lucas groaned, "Brooke, do you really need to go shopping?"
"Yes, I saw this cute outfit that I want and I need to find shoes and a purse to go with it. Come on Broody"
"I guess we will see you guys later," Lucas said as he was dragged away
"Call me later Haley" Brooke said
"Okay, I will" Haley replied watching the two walk away.
Nathan and Haley stood together, the first time they had been alone since that morning. Haley sighed as she turned to Nathan.
"I think we need to talk"
"Okay" Nathan replied
"Let's walk"
The two took off walking in the direction of the river court both silent. Haley still did not know what she was going to say to Nathan, but she hoped that it would come to her.
"I think something is bothering Haley" Lucas said when they out of earshot.
"I know something is bothering her"
"Did she say anything?"
"When we were walking in the school. I asked her if she was okay. She told me no, but she didn't tell me what was wrong. I think I know what it is"
"Nathan"
"Yea"
"I think he expects Haley to just forgive him. We both know that is not going to happen"
"Haley has lost all trust in him. She is so hurt. The other day, after I left Peyton's I went looking for her. I found her in the tree house. She had been crying and I didn't know what to say to her. All I could tell her was that she needed to tell Nathan how she felt"
"Nathan told me last night that they still hadn't talked about it"
"I don't think Haley knows exactly what to say"
"I don't think either of them know exactly what to say" Lucas replied as the reach the main street
Haley and Nathan walked in silence until they reached the river court. Haley walked over and sat down on a picnic table facing the river itself. Nathan sat down silently beside her waiting for her to speak
"Nathan, I know that you want to talk about the other night." Haley started to say, "I don't know really know what to say to you. I am hurt, really hurt. I stood there when you started dating Bevin, I stood there in that church when you married her, I was there when Michael was born and I was there when you laid them both to rest. All that time thinking that I was just the girl that you had grown up with, that you would only ever love me like you love Peyton. Now, when the truth about how Bevin and Michael died is found, you want to tell me that you lied. Nathan, I feel like a rebound. Bevin has been dead for five years and I still feel like a rebound. You have always been one of the few people I thought would tell me the truth, if you lied it was only to protect me, but this is no little lie. This lie effects our entire lives; it effects our entire friendship. I don't know if I can trust you."
"Haley…"
"No, let me finish while I have the nerve to get this all out. I feel like I was not good enough for you. That you wanted someone who was prettier and who was more popular than me and that is why you didn't tell me the truth then."
"Haley, it was not that I wanted someone prettier or someone popular. I lied because…" Nathan sighed before continuing, "I lied because I didn't want to mess up our friendship. My whole life you have been this great friend to me. We have had this unbreakable bond. I guess I thought that if we started a relationship and then it didn't work out that we would never be as close again."
"Nathan, it happened anyway. Ever since that day, our friendship has changed. Can't you see that? I went out on a limb to tell you how I felt, thinking that you felt the same way. I thought that I knew you, I thought that after all of those years that we had spent growing up together that I could see what you were feeling and thinking. After it all happened, I felt like I didn't know you and our friendship changed. You were spending more time with the guys and then Bevin. Do you remember before that day? We used to be inseparable. You and I were always together whether we were down here at the river court practicing free throws with Lucas and Peyton or out with the rest of our friends. I saw you more than I saw my own parents."
"You act like I was ignoring you. Things just changed, Haley"
"So you are telling me that if I had not told you how I felt, that things would have still turned out the same. That is crap and you know it Nathan. You were ignoring me." Haley had so much built up anger that she felt her face growing red as her voice began to raise
Nathan was silent, she was right. He had been ignoring her. "Okay, you are right. I was ignoring you because I knew that you would look at me and know that I hadn't told you the truth. I was trying to protect our friendship"
"By destroying it. You keep saying that you were trying to protect our friendship, but you and I both know that it is not the real reason that you didn't say anything then. What is the real reason?"
"That is the real reason," Nathan said
Haley could feel herself becoming angrier. He was doing it again; he was lying to her. "Nathan, don't you think that you have lied to me enough? I know that you want us to have a relationship otherwise you wouldn't have told me that you love me. Right now, I don't see that happening. I can't be in a relationship with someone that is going to lie to me. I won't do it. You know me better than that. I also won't sit here and continue to have this conversation with you when you won't tell me the honest truth. You started this, Nathan and now I am finishing it." Haley said as she stood and started walking away
"Haley! Please don't go" Nathan said also standing walking after her. He reached her and turned her around.
Tears ran down Haley's face as she stood there silently looking at him waiting for him to speak.
"Hales, I didn't tell you how I felt then because I was scared. I was scared that if I admitted my feelings to you and we stated a relationship, that you were going to wake up one day and think it had all been a mistake."
Haley felt more tears coming to her eyes, "So you were being selfish. You were thinking about how you feel if I just decided that it was the wrong thing."
"No, that is not it at all. I just didn't want either of us to go through that hurt"
"Too late. Didn't you think about how much it would hurt me when you said that you didn't love me like that? No, you didn't. I loved you; hell I still love you now, but I can't be with you. It is not going to work. You should have taken a chance, Nathan. Life is full of chances and you let this one slip through your fingers" Haley said as she ran from Nathan.
Lucas and Brooke passed the café on their way to the find shoes and a purse for the outfit that Brooke had just purchased, they spotted Jake and Peyton as the counter and decided to go in and say hi.
"Hey guys" Peyton said as Brooke and Lucas came up and stood behind them
"Hey"
"How was lunch?" Karen asked as she walked from the kitchen area
"It was good. We were Meredith's show and tell" Lucas answered his mom's question
"Where's Nate and Haley?"
"Don't know" Brooke answered, "We left them together"
"Have they talked yet? I know Haley gave Nathan a ride home last night" Peyton said
"Not as of last night they hadn't." Lucas answered
Brooke cell phone rang and she pulled it from her purse, "It's Haley" Brooke flipped open her phone, "Hey Girl"
"Brooke…" Haley's tearful sobs filled Brooke's ear.
"Haley, what's wrong?"
"Nathan and I…" Haley couldn't finish the sentence
"Where are you?"
"The docks"
"Stay there I am on my way."
"Okay" Haley said before hanging up the phone
Brooke closed her phone and then looked at Peyton, "She's crying. All I got was something about her and Nathan. I think that they talked and I don't think it went very well. She is at the docks"
"I am coming with you" Peyton said as she looked at Jake
"Go, Haley needs you" Jake said before kissing Peyton
"Call me later and let me know how she is" Lucas said before kissing Brooke.
Brooke and Peyton hurried out the café and towards the docks both wanting to reach their friend fast.
"I am going to go find Nathan. I have a feeling that this didn't turn out the way he wanted it too" Lucas said as he looked at his mom, "I will call you"
"Okay, be careful"
"Hold on Luke. I will come with you" Jake said as he stood and leaned over the counter kissing Karen's cheek, "Thanks Karen"
"Welcome. Now, go find your brother"
Karen watched as Lucas and Jake left the café hurrying in the direction of her house. Karen wiped the counter looking back and forth between the two directions that the four had just gone. Karen had known that the conversation was not going to go as smoothly as they had all hoped. Her only hope now was that it could all be worked out. She knew that Haley and Nathan were meant to be together, she had known that since they were little. If only they would realize it soon.
AN/ Okay, I know some of you are mad about the way the Nathan and Haley conversation went. I am sorry about that, but I do have a plan for these two. Don't rule them out just yet. Don't forget to review even if you are mad at me. All of the feedback does help.