Chapter Eight: Just Like Old Times
Haley hopped down her stairs quickly as she dashed past the living room entrance, in a hurry to get to school. As she passed the living room door she spied a blurred image in the living room, sprawled out in pajamas watching television. She stopped in her tracks as she gasped. Tears of happiness automatically stung in her eyes as she stood there in disbelief.
"Hey best friend? Not even going to say hi to me?" A voice called from the living room. Haley laughed as she turned around and ran into the room with her. She wrapped her arms around Faith as she overflowed with happiness.
"Faith! When did you get here? What are you doing here?" Haley smiled as she refused to let her go. Faith laughed as she hugged her back.
"I got here last night, your parents and I didn't want to wake you. And Im going to be living with you guys for awhile..." Faith almost sighed at the end. Haley pulled away and stared at her seriously.
"Why?" She asked with confusion. It wasn't that she didn't want Faith there, after all, this was FAITH! The same girl who was best friends with Haley and Nathan growing up, but moved away a long time ago.
"My parents are going through a nasty divorce. Then when I found out I was pregnant, ti was too much for them, so they sent me away." She said sadly and obviously hurtfully, still angry at her parents for doing so.
Haley had been so caught up in seeing Faith that she hadn't noticed her impregnated belly. "Wow, you're pregnant." Haley gasped as she stared down at it.
"Okay, you're like the first person who hasn't noticed it right away. Most people stare and shake their heads wondering what bad parents would allow their teenage daughter to get pregnant at seventeen!" Faith said all in one breath. She smiled to assure Haley that she was okay, then pulled her in for a hug again.
"Oh Haley, I've missed you so much!" She laughed as she tightened her grip on her.
"I've missed you too." Haley whispered.
"God! I can't wait to hang out with you and Nate again and have things just like normal." Faith squealed excitedly.
Haley sighed. "Don't count on it." She whispered.
"What?" Faith said as she pulled back from her, her hands still on Haley's shoulders. He deep brown eyes stared into Haley and she could see her worrying. "What's going on."
Haley swallowed hardly as she began to speak, but was cut off.
"Haley?" A voice called from the front door.
"Yea Luke! I'm in here." She called back as she turned to look at Faith. Giving her a knowing look.
"Luke? As in Nate's brother?" Faith whispered, getting her answer as she saw him enter the room. He walked up behind Haley and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her temple.
Faith looked at Lucas with disgust. "Lucas..." She spat out.
Lucas just looked at her with confusion, until he gasped as he realized who she was. "Faith Mitchell?" He asked, almost praying it wasn't her. In junior high he always gave her a really hard time, because she was a geek and all. But now he could see how beautiful she was, and how her dark skin had really cleared up.
"Uh huh." She said as she turned her attention back to Haley. "We need to catch up soon okay?" She smiled.
"Of course." Haley smiled back as she pulled Faith in for another hug.
"Where's Nate?" Faith asked, almost hurt that so much had changed and she had no idea.
"With Brooke probably." Haley sighed as she grabbed her book bag and got ready to leave. Faith gasped again. Brooke. She thought. Lucas's accomplice when they were in junior high. This it just too weird.
"See ya." She whispered. Haley lifted her hand and waved goodbye as she disappeared out the door, hand in hand with Lucas.
"What was that all about?" Haley asked as the shut the door behind them.
"Ah, remember when I was a popular egotistical jerk?" Lucas squinted at her regrettably.
"Oh! LUCAS!" Haley whined. Lucas put his arm around her shoulders as she folded hers in front of her chest and they began to walk down the walkway. "She's my bestest friend!"
"Im sorry!" Lucas defended himself. "A lot has changed since then I swear."
"Well you better let her know that soon!" Haley pouted as Lucas opened the door to the car for her and she climbed in.
"Hey!" Nathan smiled as Faith opened the door after he rung the bell.
"Nathan!" Faith squealed as she jumped into his arms and through her arms around his neck. A soon as she collided onto him he could feel er stomach, and puller her away too look at her in shock. "Ouch Nathan, try not to look so disgusted." Faith sighed as she laid her hands on her stomach.
"Im just surprised that's all, I guess it's been awhile huh?" He smirked.
"Yes, It has!" Faith smiled back. "Shouldn't you be in class?" She asked.
"Haley told me you were here! So I skipped." He laughed as he made his way in through the hall and into the living room.
"Speaking of... we need to talk!" Faith said as they coth sat on the couch.
"About?" Nathan said casually as he picked up the remote to flick through the channels.
Faith took the remote form his hands quickly and turned off the roaring television. "About you and Haley." She said as she stared him straight in the eye with seriousness.
"Oh..." Nathan sighed.
"What's going on?" Faith whispered as she noticed the fragile look on his face.
"I made a huge mistake and it tore our friendship apart." Nathan nodded sadly as he swallowed the growing lump in his throat.
"It must have been pretty bad, because if I can remember clearly you guys were inseparable. You seemed like you guys were crazy about each other, even though you wouldn't admit it. You know I've always been rooting for you too." Faith smiled as she laid her dark hand on Nathan's shoulder.
"We were, but I screwed it up." Nathan said, trying to avoid saying those simple words out loud.
"Nathan, how? What did you do? Tell her she had bad grammar?" Faith smirked. But her smirk faded as she saw that Nathan barely laughed, he just stared over at the picture on the coffee table painfully, the one of them both at a family wedding. Haley's mother had taken it from a distance when they didn't know, while they both just stared at one another smiling.
"No, not quite." Nathan sighed as he looked away, almost as if he was afraid that looking at it would shatter the one fragile memory they had left.
"What then? Nathan! Talk to me!" Faith begged him.
"I fell in love with her." Nathan whispered as he glanced over one more time.
Faith's eye widened as she heard the words she knew she'd someday here, but then she realized that the situation wasn't as she always dreamt it would be. "That's amazing, but you're wrong. Because I think you fell in love with her a really long time ago." She smiled sadly as she scuffed his hair.
"I've made so many mistakes Faith." Nathan sighed as he looked at her with the most serious look ever.
"Like?" Faith asked wanting terribly to be able to sort all this madness out.
"Like, being embarrassed of her, leaving her out... telling her how I felt." Nathan let out a deep breath and leaned back on the couch
"First of all? Why the hell would you be embarrassed of her, and leaving her out of what? And Second of all... you told her?"
"I don't know why... and, I started hanging out with the "popular" kids at school, and left her alone, except she wasn't alone, she was with my brother. And yes, I told her."
"You ditched her for popular people? You're a jerk Nate..." Faith said as she placed her hands on her stomach and also leaned back. "What did she say?"
"She asked if I'd love her when all my friends were around." Nathan whispered, almost afraid she'd ask if he would.
"And?" Faith said as she raised her eyebrows. Nathan shrugged and Faith just shook her head sadly.
"Im home! Faith!" haley screamed as she ran in the door, tossing her book bag on the floor and excitedly dashing through into the living room. She stopped in her tracks as she stared at Nathan. They just stared at each other for an awkward second.
"Great." Faith said sarcastically. "Just like old times!" She sighed as she watched the exchange.
Okay.. review review review! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! LOL.
Michelley P.