To those who I deeply confused w/ the whole posting fiasco, I'm sorry. I kept noticing stupid mistakes in chapter 3, and I couldn't figure out how to edit them after I posted it. So, being the blonde that I am, I deleted the entire document, and then uploaded it again. Since then, I've found easier ways to edit which are amazing, seeing how more likely than not, it'll happen again

Oh yeah, I also want to say how in some chapters, I may switch the perspective to 3rd person, rather than 1st person the entire story. It's just an idea that I'm playing with, so no guarantees.

Once again, thanks so much for the reviews / alerts / favorites! You have no idea how exciting they are to see!!!

Chapter 4:

We were all piled into Nathan's car, and headed to the theatre. Considering the fact that Tree Hill is such a small town, we don't have a movie theatre, and so we had to drive to a nearby town.

We've been riding in silence for a while, but it's still pretty content.

"We should do something." Rachel says.

"We're going to the movies." I say in a 'duh' tone.

"No duh." She says in the same mocking tone. "I meant in here."

We sat in silence for a few more seconds as we began to think.

"We could play the radio game." I suggest.

"Okay." Rachel agrees, and I turn to Nathan.

"Fine by me." He says.

"Okay." I think for a minute. "I've got nothing."

"I do!" Rachel speaks up. "How do Naley really feel about eachother?"

Nathan and I turn to look at her, and then I realize what he's doing, so I hit him so that he'll keep his focus on the road. Like I said, we've got a very physical relationship.

I give her a weird look. "Who's Naley?"

"Duh Hales." She looks at me. "Nathan, Haley; Naley"

I roll my eyes. "Fine. You want to know how Nathan and I really feel about eachother?" I say dramatically. "Nate, I'm sorry, but our secret is about to come out." I say jokingly, laying my hand on his shoulder.

"It's about time." He agrees, and I smile, moving my hand from his arm so I can turn on the radio.

Hinder's song Just Friends quickly fills the car with sound.

I smile triumphantly until I notice Rachel is smirking from the backseat.

"See, Just Friends. That's the name of the song. The radio doesn't lie" I gloat, not even listening to the song.

"Hales, have you even heard the lyrics?" I shut up for a minute and listen to the song.

I saw you there last night
Standing in the dark
You were acting so in love
With your hand upon his heart
But you were just friends
At least that's what you said
Now I know better from his fingers in your hair

"The radio doesn't lie, right Hales?" Rachel smirks, and I blush. I glance over at Nathan, who's smirking also."

"Shut up." I say, and sink deeper into the seat.

The rest of the trip is pretty much silent as we listen to the radio. Once we get to the theater, we have to figure out what to see. Nathan wants to see Grindhouse, but I quickly turn that down because I had my fill of scary movies last night. Rachel wants to see Are We Done Yet, because she absolutely loved the first one, but Nathan isn't interested. So being the genius that I am, suggest Blades of Glory, because really, who doesn't love Will Ferrell?

As we're buying our tickets, Rachel starts talking. "Don't look now Hales, it's lover boy."

I give a confused look. "Who?" But before she answers, I feel a tap on my shoulder.

Turning around, I see my ex-boyfriend Craig. We dated for a few months last year, but split because his mom was diagnosed with cancer. I didn't want to distract him with a long-distant relationship, so we broke up mutually. He was my first serious boyfriend. I'm kind of surprised that I haven't thought about him much lately. Then again, I dated him pre-love of Nathan.

Craig looks exactly the same as he did last year. I haven't seen him lately because he goes to Wilmington, while I go to Tree Hill. Anyway, he's tall, not as tall as Nathan, but still pretty tall, with bright green eyes, and brown hair. It's not as brown as Nathan's, but it'll do. Seeing Craig made me remember all the times we spent together last year, and I realized that I still missed him a little.

"Craig, hey." I say with a smile, and reach up to give him a hug. It felt like old times.

There was no need for introductions, because both Rachel and Nathan already knew him. Rachel greeted him, while Nathan did the whole 'man-hug' thing with him.

"What movie are you seeing, Haley?" He asked me.

"Um." I lost my train of thought for a moment.

"Blades of Glory." Rachel filled in for me, and I blushed a little.

"What a coincidence. Me too." He says, holding up his ticket. "Do you want to sit with me?" He asks me, and then turns to the other two. "That is, if you guys don't mind. I don't want to steal her from you or anything."

Nathan shrugs, and Rachel ushers me along. "Nah, you can take her. We were getting sick of her anyway." I quickly thank them, and then walk off to the theatre with Craig.

As we sit down, he turns to me. "I've missed you Hales."

I've missed him too, but it feels pretty awkward for him to call me Hales. Rather than reciprocate, I ask, "How's your mom doing?"

He looks down for a minute. This can't be good. "She uh, passed away a few months ago."

"Oh Craig, I'm so sorry!" I say. And I mean it; his mom was such a nice person.

"It's okay."

By now the lights have dimmed, and I let my mind wander to Nathan and Rachel a few rows ahead of us. I feel bad for just ditching them like I did, but they don't seem to mind. I was afraid it might be awkward, because they haven't ever really hung out together alone before, but they seem to be fine.

The movie started playing, and halfway through it Craig slipped his arm around my shoulders. I shrugged away from it. "Uh Craig. I'm sorry, I don't feel that way about you anymore."

The words sound foreign in my mouth. He and I had so much history. He was the guy I'd lost my virginity to; there would always be that connection.

"Sorry." He apologized, looking a little put out.

"Me too." I say.

After a few minutes, he started talking again. "Have you dated anyone since me?"

I wanted to be honest. "Yeah, a couple of people." I look into his eyes; he just nods with understanding. "Sorry."

He shakes his head. "Don't be Hales, I mean, I dated other people too. I just didn't want you to like, wait around while I helped out my mom. It's actually a relief to know that you got over me."

"It wasn't that easy. I mean, at first I thought about you like, constantly. How you were doing, how your mom was, if you ever thought about me. But after awhile, I just, adjusted I guess."

"Yeah, I know what you're saying. It's good to know you're doing all right Hales."

"Yeah, you too Craig."

We smile and go back to watching the movie.

On the way back to the car, after Craig and I said goodbye, Rachel wouldn't stop smirking. Nathan was pretty indifferent.

Once in the car, Rachel pounced.

"Co how was loverboy?" She asks excitedly. "Are you guys going out again?"

Nathan looks over, interested this time. "Yeah Hales, are you gonna have a new bed mate?"

"Ok first off! We're not going out, I don't like him!" I say, laughing at their interest. "Besides Nate, I don't think three people could fit in my bed." I tell him, wiggling my eyebrows, and he smirks."

Rachel was silent for a minute. The she spoke up, saying, "Ya know, Haley, you seem to not like a lot of people around here." She looks pointedly at Nathan, while he smirks back at her in the mirror.

"Oy vey! Nathan and I," I say pointing my finger between the two of us, "Are just friends. And not like the song!" I say before she can mention the song from earlier.

"And as for Craig, that was so long ago, so much has happened since then! Sure, it was nice to see him, but there is no more chemistry there!" Tried from my little outburst, I turn around and slump down in my seat.

"What about Lucas?" Rachel persists, totally ignoring my last comment.

I shake my head no.

"Come on Hales, there must be somebody you like! I mean, you've had sex before; surely you're going through a dry spell now, don't you ever have, I don't know, urges?"

"Well yeah, of course. But unlike some people, I can get over them without getting under somebody else." I say pointedly back at her. I can hear Nathan snickering to the left of me.

"Okay, point taken. But just because I love sex doesn't mean I'm a slut."

"Nah, of course not. It just makes you a whore." I say, sticking my tongue out at her.

"Better a whore than a crazy cat lady."

"I'm not a crazy cat lady!"

"When was the last time you had a boyfriend?"

"Probably the last time you used a condom. Seriously, how are you not pregnant yet?"

"Hey, it takes away from the sensation!"

"Whoa, way too much information."

"Ask Nathan, he'd know."

This conversation just took a serious turn. Rachel had edginess to her tone, and I had no idea what the hell sparked it. We always fight sarcastically like this, only now it seems like we're actually fighting.

Nathan suddenly spoke up. "Hey! Leave me out of this." Looking at Rachel, he says, "How the hell would you know that anyway?"

"I hear some things."

By now I'm lost. Looking at Nathan, I completely ignore Rachel. "What is she talking about Nathan?"

"It's nothing." He assures me, but there's still a little doubt in my mind. "Who'd told you that, your friends? Because if they did, you might want to check your sources. They aren't exactly reliable…with the truth anyway." He says as he glares at her.

"Bevin and Theresa aren't sluts!"

"Nah, more like whores." He says.

I interject again. "Nate, what the hell is she talking about?"

He turns to me. "Can we talk about this later?" He asks, his tone softer than the one he'd just used with Rachel.

"No. We're talking about it now." I say, my tone still pretty fiery. "Did you seriously sleep with someone without protection?"

He's avoiding my gaze. Then slowly he begins to nod his head.

This time I actually slapped him. Hard. He winced and moved one of his hands from the wheel to rub his shoulder. "What the fuck Hales?"

"How the hell could you be so stupid?" I ask. "What if she'd gotten pregnant, you ass?!"

"She didn't!" He justified, and I slapped him again.

"Ouch, Hales, c'mon! It happened like once! It's not like an everyday occurrence!" He says, pointedly shooting Rachel a look.

"Who was it?" I ask, my voice a little softer, more calm.

Looking me directly in the eye, Nathan says, "I…I don't remember."

Silence filled the car. Suddenly Rachel, being the bitch that she is, spoke up. "I do!"

Both Nathan and I turn to look at her.

"Bevin's sister Carrie, jackass. Seriously, how many girls do you have to sleep with before you start forgetting their names?"

I turn towards Nathan. He looks ashamed as he stares back at me. "Hales…" he begins.

"Answer the question Nate." I say softly. I knew Nathan had been with a few girls before, but I never actually knew how many. For all I know, Bevin's sister could've been his only conquest, but considering the fact that he forgot her name, I highly doubt it.

"Can we talk about this later? In private?" He asks, shooting a glance towards Rachel.

"Okay." I say. I give up, defeated. The rest of the ride home is in silence.

Once we get back to my place, Nathan and I head up to my room to talk.

"Hales." He begins as he closes the door behind him, while I collapse on my bed and close my eyes. Pretty soon I can feel him lay down next to me, his arm wrapped around my waist. Rather than move in to his embrace, I lay right where I am.

"I'm sorry." He says after a few moments.

"Sorry for what? Doing it, or getting caught?" I ask.

"A little bit of both." He admits. Suddenly, I get a new wave of energy.

"Nathan, how the hell could you be so stupid to have unprotected sex? What if she'd gotten pregnant? You might not go to college; basketball would be in jeopardy! And for what? An unimportant screw? Considering that's what I think it is since you couldn't even remember her name!"

"Hales, I was drunk!"

"Don't even blame this on alcohol Nathan! You should still be conscious for your actions, even if you are wasted beyond belief! And it's not like the baby would be any less yours if alcohol were involved! God, how could you be so stupid! If she'd gotten pregnant, we sure as hell wouldn't be having this conversation; you'd be out buying diapers and cribs! Nathan, you have so much ahead of you to become a father now…haven't you learned anything from your dad? "

"Hales, I wouldn't be with her if she'd gotten pregnant, it was just one time." He reasoned. "Who knows if it'd even be mine? It is Bevin's sister after all."

I slapped him again, hard. "Jackass! You'd abandon her?! Nathan, what the hell is wrong with you? I can not believe you just said that! You can handle the sex, but as soon as it's actual responsibility, you'd bail?"

"Basketball is my life Hales. It's not my choice if she keeps the kid."

I stare at Nathan. Why the heck was he acting like this? Acting like girls were just objects for his own amusement?

"Get out."

"What?"

"You heard me. Get out. Go home, Nathan."

"But Hales…"

"Nathan, just go."

We both get off the bed and I'm pushing him towards the door. "You're not the guy I thought you were Nate, you're so much better than that."

"Hales, c'mon." He tries to reason as I close the door.

Nathan and I hardly ever fight like this. You can tell it's a serious fight if I send him home. Nathan hates it there, yeah his parents' rock, but sometimes they fight. Actually, they fight a lot. And Nathan hates it. They always put Nathan or Lucas in the middle of the argument, and half the time Nathan ends up sneaking out and coming over here.

It's the ultimate punishment to send Nathan home. More so if Royal is there. And to send him home after a night like last night, well that's just cruel. But right now, I really don't care.

I fall back onto my bed, utterly exhausted. I move to rest my eyes, when suddenly Rachel walks in.

"Whatever happened to knocking?" I asked bitchily.

"Whoa. Retract claws please." She says. "I came to apologize. I shouldn't have opened that can of worms in the car. I'm sorry for causing that fight between you guys."

"You didn't. He did. By being an immature jackass."

"Are you okay? Why are you so tweaked?" She asks tentatively.

"He's just not the guy I thought he was." I answer bitterly.

"Hales, he's human. He's not perfect. He makes mistakes. Every once and awhile you have to bring him down from that pedestal you hold him on and let him live. You can't baby-sit him 24/7 Haley, he's got to learn to deal with his mistakes."

"Yeah. I guess. But it doesn't make what he did any better."

"I think he really is sorry Hales, at least it only happened once."

"But still, you knew about it! I'm his best friend, why didn't he tell me?"

She snickers, but runs a hand through my hair, brushing it out of my face. "Darling, look at how you reacted, he hates to disappoint you, just like you do him. Don't judge him too harshly Hales. He just wants to be the guy you want him to be."

"That'd be my boyfriend. And we both know he doesn't want that." I think to myself.

"I guess." I say, defeated.

Waiting a few seconds, Rachel finally realizes what is missing.

"Where is he anyway?"

"I sent him home."

"Poor boy. You must've been pissed."

"Yeah, only now I'm guilty."

"Hales, don't be. He's a big boy."

"Yeah, I guess."

"I mean that literally too, I've heard stories."

"Dear god. Thanks for the images Rach."

"Anytime, sister." She says as she leaves.

And this is why I love her. We fight, we process, and then we forgive. Even when we're pissed, we still have each other's backs. Kinda like Nathan and I. Though I do feel bad about sending him away. Let's just hope he forgives me for that.