The One Left Standing
two.
Somewhere along the way, Haley had accepted Nathan and Lucas into her life as more than a fleeting moment, and by the next summer, more than their ages had changed. Another one of Haley's siblings, Vivian, had graduated and moved away, leaving only Eric, Taylor, and Haley left in the James's household. Haley bonded with the Scott boys' mother, Karen, as if she were her own mom, and some days after school, she and Nathan would walk to Karen's Café to eat before going to play. It was one of the things she looked forward to during the long school year. Lucas had started playing basketball with kids older than him, leaving Nathan to play by himself. Haley would go and cheer him on and sometimes she would pass him the ball when he asked her to, but she knew she could never be the same. Eric had gotten his driver's licence and seemed to be home much less than he had been before. Haley noticed she lost a lot more fights with Taylor since then. But the biggest change, or maybe not-change, was that Nathan could make any moment unforgettable.
And she sometimes wondered why, exactly, that was.
"Hello," Nathan waved a hand in front of her face. "Anyone there?" She snapped out of her reverie and looked directly at him. "Jeesh, Hales. You totally spaced out." And that was another change, sometime in the past year, Haley couldn't quite pinpoint when, the Scott brothers had given her their own nickname, Hales, which she thought suited her better than bub.
"Sorry," she blushed and then stuck her tongue out at him, "I was just thinking about how badly I am beating you at this game." She held up her video game controller and diverted his attention to it.
"Yeah, I'm sure." He grumbled. She figured he was irritated that she was, in fact, beating him at his racing game. His brow furrowed as he concentrated hard on the car he was controlling, which Haley had noticed he did whenever he was confused or disappointed or, like he was now, concentrating. And in that moment, she couldn't help but smile because she had someone like Nathan, who she knew inside and out. He looked over at her, saw her smiling to herself and rolled his eyes. "Why am I friends with a girl?"
"For the same reasons I am friends with a boy." She told him, matter-of-factly, reaching over to shove him a little. He laughed, threw down his controller and shoved her back. She scrambled to her feet, giggling as she jumped around the room, diverting him. "You can't catch me!" She sing-songed teasingly. He caught her legs and her mouth formed into an O as she fell. Colliding into the side of his desk, Haley didn't register the pain, instead focusing on the broken lamp. She saw his face go pale, and she looked remorseful, "I didn't mean to break your basketball lamp, Nate."
He shook his head dismissively and shouted for his mother, who had heard the great crash and arrived quickly. Immediately, she helped Haley off the floor and shouted to Nathan, "Go get a towel."
Nathan bolted from the room as Lucas appeared at the door, holding a basketball, with his sweaty shirt draped over his shoulder. "What's going on in..?" He started, but stopped when he took in the sight of Haley who had yet to realize the bloody, jagged cut on her forehead. It was right near her hairline and making her soft, curly brown hair stain a horrible red color.
Karen spoke calmly to her son, "Lucas, go tell your father to start the car and to call Haley's parents. He's in his office."
He nodded blankly, almost running into Nathan as he tore from the room. Nathan gave his mother the towel wordlessly, his eyes wide as he watched his mother apply it to the wound. More rapidly than he thought, the white towel was soaked to a crimson color. The color of blood.
Haley's blood.
Haley became worried at all the panicked faces she was looking at. She pleaded with Nathan to tell her something,"Nate, what's wrong with my head?"
"I'm sorry, Hales." He whispered to her, his eyes welling up with tears. "I'm so sorry." He stayed out of the way until they placed her in the backseat of their SUV. He climbed in next to her and folded his hand over hers. She felt instantly comforted, although still deeply afraid. "You're going to be okay, Hales."
She saw her parents pull out of their driveway when the SUV reached the end of their street. She wanted to turn around and wave to her mom, but she felt overcome with dizziness. She let the clean side of her head rest on Nathan's shoulder and waited for the ride to be over. Occasionally, Karen would turn around to check on her, each time Haley would give her a weak smile.
They arrived at the hospital in what seemed to be a much longer amount of time than it normally takes. The panic returned to Haley's face and she whispered feebly to Nathan, "I hate hospitals. I really hate them."
He tightened his grip on her hand and whispered back, "I'm here; it's okay. I won't let anyone hurt you. Ever."
She thought about that day often over the next several years because it marked two very important firsts in her relationship with Nathan: the first time Nathan had hurt her and the first time he had promised to protect her. And it wouldn't be the last time he did either.
"I think it's about time we go, don't you think?" A hesitant voice came from the doorway.
Haley moved her eyes up to take in her best friend. She laid back down on the bed and muttered, "Just a little longer, Brookie." Or maybe never, she had wanted to add, because the longer she could stay in the comforts of this room, the longer her life could stay hers. The longer she could stay a believer.
She really wanted to stay.
"Come on, Hales, please!" He pleaded, even sticking out his bottom lip. "You love coming to the beach house with us. We can stay the night there and everything."
"Nathan," she sighed, switching her weight from one foot to the other, "I wouldn't be able to go to the beach because I can't get sand in my head." She pointed to her fresh wound that was covered up with gauze and medical tape. That day at the hospital, she had to get four stitches in her head as well as numerous brain function tests that probably scarred her for life. Maybe it was unfair to blame Nathan fully, but she had a gash in her head that Taylor said would leave an ugly mark there for all eternity. So she decided that she would take a break from Nathan for a few days, even if that included missing out on a trip to the beach house.
He groaned, "Then we won't go to the beach! Please, Hales. It'll just be me, you and my mom because Lucas and my dad went on a golfing trip with my Grandpa and uncle for the weekend. Please, we can make cookies or something." He stepped closer to her, silently begging her to say yes.
She frowned, "Well," she started, but her mother appeared at the door behind her.
"Nathan, hello," Lydia smiled, "what are you two troublemakers up to today?"
"Hi, Mrs. James," Nathan smiled politely and Haley rolled her eyes. Why did Nathan have to be all mushy-gushy with her mom to make her like him so much? "I was just asking Haley if she could spend the night. We're going to go to the beach house."
Nathan smiled evilly at Haley when Lydia turned to focus on Haley. Haley's face looked part disbelief and part amazement that Nathan could bend the truth like that but still be telling the truth. Lydia grinned down at Haley, "Oh, well that's so nice, Nathan. Haley, I'll go pack your overnight bag."
She didn't know why, but she didn't rebut her mother and stay at her own house. Instead, she openly gaped at how Nathan just charmed his mother. In the future, this would come in handy for them, but all eight year old Haley could think about was how wrong, how completely wrong that had been. And then she wondered, was it wrong she was slightly impressed?
He shrugged at her incredulous gaze and then a slow smirk spread across his face, "You know you were going to cave anyways. No one can say 'no' to the beach house."
"That's so not even the point, Nathan!" She scolded him with a smile then lowered her voice to a whisper, "You just lied to my mom."
He struck his foot against the cement, "It wasn't a lie. It was just a slightly different truth."
She giggled at the feeling that overwhelmed her body. The lie wasn't that important because he was right; she was going to cave, but still, it was a lie. A lie that she enjoyed somewhat. It was a glimpse into the dangerous side of her best friend which she would learn is a much more prominent side of him than she had originally thought. When her mother returned with the bag, they both grinned innocently and took off towards Nathan's house where Karen was waiting in the car. The entire car ride they laughed each time they looked at each other, and all of Haley's anger and resentment towards him for hurting her vanished.
While they walked into the house, her hand was enclosed in his. Even at a young age, they had fit perfectly, almost as if they were made for each other, and sometimes, she thought that maybe, just maybe, they were.
"So," Karen started, "are you two going to go get ready for the beach?" She asked, setting their bags in the expansive entryway, heading straight for the kitchen to put some groceries away. Haley and Nathan followed her.
"Nope." Nathan spoke up before Haley. Karen looked down quizzically at him, but he offered no explanation, for which Haley was grateful. "Can we bake cookies instead?"
"I suppose, are you sure that's what you want to do?" Karen frowned with more confusion than before.
Nathan nodded absently, already in search of all the ingredients. Karen shrugged and left the room to put away their bags. Haley poked his head and pointed towards the flour, sugar and chocolate chips she had gathered. He stood upright and scoffed, "Sure, you find all of the easy stuff."
She smiled, noticing again how when they first became friends he was roughly her height, but now, only one year later, he was already taller than her. "You were looking in the completely wrong cupboard. That's where your mom keeps the cans."
"How do you know that? This is my house, you know." Nathan crossed his arms and pouted. Haley rolled her eyes and called him a brat in her head.
"I come here just as much as you do," she pointed out, retrieving a mixing bowl from underneath the island. Karen returned to the room, and Nathan immediately asked her if he could be the one to mix the dough, knowing that it was Haley's favorite job. She glared at him but turned her attention to Karen. "Sure, Nathan. Who wants to crack the eggs?" She voiced, holding up two white eggs.
Haley smiled when she noticed Nathan didn't volunteer and stood on a stool to reach the bowl. She cracked one egg perfectly, but the other, she dropped all over her white and blue tank top. Immediately, Nathan burst into laughter and Haley's face flushed red. Karen rushed to the sink to wet a towel.
"Oh, Hales," Nathan choked between laughs. "That's why I didn't want to crack the eggs." He pointed to his basketball t-shirt. "I can't mess up Jordan."
Haley's mouth broke into a devious smile. "Oh, really?" She said before she grabbed his arm and smushed him into her, tightening her arms around his middle so that she could rub her messy torso all over his. An emotion Haley couldn't quite place passed over his face, but it wasn't anger like she thought it would be. Instead, he took a small step away from her and flashed a shy smile.
Karen sighed when she turned to see the mess had spread to the other child. "Come on, I guess you will have to take baths while I wash your clothes."
They took baths, separately, then changed into their pajamas, even though they argued it was much too soon for that. Karen said it was either watch a movie or go to the beach, so they opted for The Lion King and a bowl of popcorn in bed. The overhead fan in the room kept them cool in the late June heat. Officially, it was Nathan's room, but since Haley had started staying the night at the beach house, it became theirs, and the blue photo frame on the bedside table that displayed Haley and Nathan lying in the sand together proved that fact. The walls of the room were half blue and half white, separated by strip of wood. The bed and furniture were all white, conveying a peaceful feeling that Haley truly loved. It was made even better if the sliding door was open so that they could hear the ocean waves crash in from the balcony.
That night, they watched the sun set together, sitting close together on the balcony's porch swing, then crawled back into bed to watch a sports movie that surprisingly, they both enjoyed. Haley turned her head to look at Nathan who was nearly asleep. "Nate, you were right this morning." She whispered into the darkness and got a murmur of confusion in response. "I can't say no to the beach house." Underneath the white sheets, she gave his clammy hand a squeeze then turned on her side to gaze out at the starry night sky. Perfect, she thought. Perfect.
She dragged one of her hands over those familiar white sheets and smiled wistfully. If these walls could talk, they could tell a tumultuous tale of a boy and a girl. A girl who got a broken heart, and a boy who would get everything he ever wanted.