Thanks for the reviews guys, keep them coming. I need ideas on which direction to take this story, please give me your feedback. I'm working on making the chapters longer. Enjoy!

Haley had only tried to leave her father once. And once was all it took.

After a particularly nasty beating, she had packed a bag, hoping to slip out before her father woke up. She would go live with Quinn, or Taylor, or any of her other siblings. Anything was better than here. As she was walking down the hallway, she heard her father grunt. He was awake. He stumbled into her path as she quickly tried to get out of the house.

"Wheree do you think youu're goinn'" he slurred.

"I'm leaving. I'm going to stay with Quinn, " Haley stood her ground.

"I donn't think so," He said, grabbing a knife from the kitchen table. "'You try to leave me, and you're dead."

Haley attempted to side step him, but this resulted in her being stabbed in the stomach. She fell to the ground in a heap.

"Don't think I won't kill you next time. And you try to get help from your brothers and sisters, they're dead too." The evil look in his eyes was enough for Haley. That coupled with the now severely bleeding hole in her stomach told her he was not playing around.

She had made it to the hospital with help from a neighbor. When they asked her what happened, she mumbled something about a kitchen accident and her clumsiness. They all bought it. After all, Jimmy James was a great guy.

As Haley sat in her 3rd period English class, she fingered the scar, bringing back the awful memory of how it happened. She was so tired. Sleeping at home was not easy when you had an alcoholic and abusive father in the next room. She put her head down on her desk. Maybe she would rest. Just for a moment.

This was a bad idea. Not ten minutes later, Haley woke with a scream, causing the teacher and every student in the class to stare at her. Breathing heavily, all she could say was, "Excuse me," before bolting out of the room. Lucas stared after her with concern and considered following her, but he was beaten to it by his brother, Nathan.

Haley walked down the hallway, still shaking from her nightmare. Was it still a nightmare if it was real life? She dreamt she had come home from school and her father had gone after her, this time with a gun. She tried to run, but he caught her, and just when he pulled the trigger, she woke up screaming.

"Great," Haley thought. "Now the whole school is going to think I'm a lunatic. Could things get any worse?"

"Haley!" called a voice.

"Guess I spoke too soon," she muttered, while turning around to face none other than Nathan Scott.

"Haley! Are you okay? You kind of freaked back there," said Nathan. There was concern dripping from his voice.

"I'm fine. Why do you even care?" snapped Haley.

"Hey, I'm sorry. You just looked really scared. It seemed like more than a bad dream."

"I'm fine Nathan. Please just leave me alone."

As Haley walked away, Nathan couldn't help but notice how she stepped gingerly, almost as if she were nursing an injury. She definitely had something more going on than she was mentioning.

The bell rang, and Lucas walked up behind him.

"Hey man where'd you run off to?" asked Lucas.

"Nowhere, I was just checking on Haley, she looked pretty freaked. You guys used to be really good friends didn't you? Maybe you should talk to her."

"Yeah. Maybe." Lucas mumbled, staring down the hallway.

Lucas couldn't understand where their friendship had gone wrong. He always put Haley before the team, before his other friends, but then one day, she just stopped caring. She started avoiding him and then eventually they were cut off completely. He couldn't deny it. He missed Haley. Maybe he should try to talk to her. Just then, his girlfriend Brooke Davis walked up.

"Hey boyfriend! Did you hear about Haley? You were in her class weren't you? I heard she went all Sydney Prescott and freaked during class."

"Yeah Brooke I was there," Lucas answered, not really focusing.

"You okay, Lucas? You seem a little off."

"Yeah I'm fine. Just a little worried about Haley."

"Maybe you should talk to her, broody."

"Yeah, Nathan already suggested that. Maybe I will."

Lucas was rather distracted the rest of the day. He didn't see Haley, and couldn't understand what could have been so awful that would make her scream like that. Her mother's death had happened a few years back, but he thought she had made peace with it. He missed his best friend, and decided to go see her after school.

Haley walked home from school and entered the house quietly, like she did every other day. She cleaned up the mess her father had made the night before. She didn't want to make him more angry than he already was. She took out her homework, finished everything, and even got a head start on a paper that wasn't due for a few weeks. Then, her father came home.

"Haley! Where's dinner? I'm hungry!" he yelled through the house.

Haley had prepared dinner before starting her homework. She put it out on the table for him, and he ate quickly, without a thank you. He got up and moved into the living room. As Haley cleared the dishes, she thought, "Maybe this will be a good night." Just then, the doorbell rang. "Scratch that."

She ran to get the door, hoping her father had already passed out and hadn't heard it. Who could be knocking on her door? No one ever came to her house. She opened the door to reveal a very nervous looking Lucas on her front steps.

"Hi Haley."

"Lucas."

"May I come in?"

Haley looked behind her. Her father was asleep in the chair.

"No." She walked out of the house, shutting the door behind her.

"Can I help you with something?"

"I just came by to check on you Haley. Nathan said you were pretty freaked today."

"No offense Lucas, but why do you care? You haven't said hello to me in months and now here you are on my doorstep asking me if I'm okay?"

Lucas stood there not really knowing what to say. He stared blankly as she continued.

"No Lucas. I'm not okay. Now please leave."

"Haley, I--"

"Lucas. I'm telling you now. Leave."

And with that, Haley walked back into the house, leaving a very confused Lucas on the front porch. When she reentered the door however, she was met with the face of her father.

"Who was that?"

"It was just Lucas."

"Lucas? Did you try to get help from someone?" her father asked, his voice rising.

"No! I swear, he just came by to ask me a question about an assignment!"

"I don't believe you!" he screamed, punching her.

"Do you really think he would have left if he knew?!" Haley screamed, hoping to save herself from a harsher beating.

This only provoked him more, and soon Haley was on the ground, being kicked and punched over and over. And then came the darkness.