What has it been? a year? lol. I know I know.. its been awhile. Im sorry.. im swamped...this chapter... aint so hot... lol.. btu review anyways please...

Michelley

Chapter 19: Friends.

She ran her fingers over the numbers on her cordless phone. With each number she pressed, her heart pounded more and more until it finally felt as if it were going to explode out of her chest. But before she got to the last number, her hands shook so much and her heart pounded so loudly, it scared her. She turned off the phone and threw it down on the coffee table in front of her, cursing at her lack of bravery.

"Figured." Mark laughed with his toothbrush in his mouth, toothpaste dripping on his bare chest. Haley shot a look back at him, raising one eyebrow. "I knew you wouldn't do it." He said again, darting into the bathroom to spit.

"Why?" She asked in an annoyed voice. She let her back fall on the back of the couch and she pouted her mouth, frustrated with herself. Mark actually thought she would, but was worried that she wouldn't. Why? Not because he wanted her to get back together with Nathan, not that from what he knew they were together in the first place. But he wanted to get close to Haley and he didn't want to take advantage of her situation, of her loneliness. If he was going to be close to her, he wanted her to return those feelings because she actually had them. He wanted her to let go and solve her problems with Nathan. If they were ever going to get back together, they'd do it now, of not, she wouldn't have all of the emotional baggage.

"Because..." He laughed. "You said you loved him, if you did you would have called him long ago and tried to work it out." He had to freak her out a bit, make it so that she HAD to call Nathan, so that, that phase would be over in their "relationship" , if there was one at all.

"I do! And I will call him." Haley whined. She picked up the phone again and finally completed dialing the number. She waited and waited as the phone rang. Mark didn't watch, he didn't want to hear it. He simply grabbed a small white bag from his dresser and slipped outdoors to calm his nerves. This could be the very beginning, or the very end, which ever it was, he was too afraid to watch.

Haley sighed and got ready to hang up the phone, but before she could, she finally heard his voice. He was laughing as he answered and she heard a girl laughing with him in the background.

"Hello?" He laughed. Once again she heard the girl bust out laughing, and this time Nathan was laughing harder, trying to calm her. "Cara, stop, just hold on!" He laughed. "Don't do that!" He laughed again.

"Nate?" Haley asked in a fragile voice, her whole heart dropping into her stomach from hearing his voice with another girl. Nathan soon stopped laughing.

"What's wrong?" Haley heard the girl, who she assumed was Cara, ask him. He didn't speak, but she could hear him breathing unevenly. Even with his disappointed reactions to hearing it was her, Haley wanted to cry. She hadn't realized things had gotten this bad, that he didn't want to speak to her.

"Haley?" Nathan breathed. "Oh, it's her." Cara snapped. "I'll leave you two alone." Haley heard her say sweetly, she obviously felt the same about the situation as Mark did. "Thanks." Nathan said sweetly. She heard him pause and she heard the sound of a quick kiss between them. How long had they been together? Was it a one night thing or were they an item now?

"What do you want?" Nathan snapped. Haley didn't respond, she was too overwhelmed by his tone. "Im sorry." He sighed. "What's up?"

"I just..." She started. "Nathan.. I needed to talk to you... the way things have gotten..." Haley didn't know what else to say, how to explain herself, and she really hoped Nathan would say something along the lines of 'I know, Im sorry too!' but he didn't, he didn't speak, just stayed there in silence. "Im sorry..." Haley tried.

She heard Nathan heave a log frustrated sigh. She could see him now, scratching his head from stress. It reminded her of the time she had admitted kissing Billy Greene under the tree outside the school yard in fifth grade, the way he had told her to be careful, even then he was protective of her, the way he had scratched his head and gave her an uneasy look. "Haley..." Nathan tried to get himself to say something. Anything. But once more he sighed and let his head fall into his hands, phone pressed between his ear and his shoulder. "What do you want from this Haley?" He asked finally.

"I want my best friend back..." She croaked in a sad voice. Again, he was silent. This made her nervous, as if he were actually going to say no, that he'd never forgive her. "I was childish, I think... I loved Lucas, I don't know, it was hard, and then... he did... that and... I thought I'd have you ya know? Like I could spill my guts to you, you'd be upset with me, but you knew, and everyone at school knew. Except me. Then Faith and..."

"Stop!" Nathan shouted, cutting her off sharply. "Just forget about it... wait..." It seemed as though he was thinking about something, like it just hit him now. " You loved Lucas?" He seemed surprise.

"I don't know, like I said. But, Nate, I just... got this feeling from him... I can't explain it." Haley justified, then letting herself know that yes, maybe she had loved him.

"So you did. That really changes everything." He whispered.

"Why?"

"Because... Haley, You know how I felt about you..." Felt. Haley grasped that word as if it were her last breath. "And I thought you felt the same way, but you can't love two people."

"Yes you can... I do." She whispered. Nathan's breath caught in his throat. So she did love him, she still does. But it was too late, or at least that was what he was telling himself. But the feeling he got, hearing her say that, made him feel incredible. "I miss you." She said sweetly.

"Oh God..." He breathed, "I miss you too, Hales." She smiled at his use of her nickname, realizing she had missed everything about their friendship.

"Friends?" She purposed. Friends. Nathan gritted his teeth at the words. He wanted to scream, 'NO! Don't you get it? I can't be just friends with you!' But instead, he took what he could get.

"Of course." He smiled.

"Peyton!" Her father smiled gently as he reached out and held her tightly in his arms. "Oh sweetheart, I was hoping you'd be here." He held her close and held back the tears and emotions he had been suffering from all day. "After you wouldn't answer my calls, I got worried."

"I know, Im sorry daddy." Peyton whispered, as she stepped out of his hug. "Jake showed up, pulled me out of my little hole." She smiled sadly.

"Thank you..." Larry smiled at Jake as he made his way near the two. He patted him on the back and the three walked into the house together.

"This breast cancer... they say its genetic right?" Peyton asked dreadfully as she stared straight ahead, not wanting to look her father in the eye. "So I got it from my real mother?"

"Yes..." Larry simply answered, he hated talking about her real parents.

"Did she live?"

Larry just turned and looked at her sadly, pulling her in to kiss her forehead. "She passed away last year... but that doesn't mean anything is going to happen to you..."

"We're going to take care of you Peyt..." Jake smiled as he too reached out to comfort her, noticing the tears of fear forming in her eyes. She just nodded and walked down the hall, into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

"So you did it huh?" Mark smiled as he walked into the room, seeing the bright look on Haley's face. His heart sunk into his stomach, seeing how happy another guy made her. Haley's smile widened, if that was possible. And she nodded, biting her lip. "Good for you..." He lied. No, not good for her, he wanted her, he wanted to be the person who made her this happy. He felt hysterical, he's only known Haley for a short time, was it possible for him to feel this desperate for her. He wanted her bad. She had him stammering when he talked, she had him getting distracted by the thought of her, walking down the halls, tripping over random things, if not, thin air. She had him walking into closed doors, hardly sleeping from the thought that she was next door. She had him bad, and he was too proud to admit it.

"So are you guys together now?" Mark asked as he walked over to the cupboard, searching for... nothing. Just trying to keep himself occupied, keep his hands moving to stop their shaking.

Haley smiled up at him, and he knew then that he was about to be disappointed, just by her smile, he could see a happiness in her eyes. "No." She smiled. "Im finally ready to move on from the Scott boys. We're just friends." She bit her lip, giving him a seductive smile.

He wasn't sure what to say now, should he take this as a hint. He actually wasn't sure if he'd like the way she was acting. He fell for the Haley he had met in the hall that time. He didn't want a different one, he wanted her. He got nervous as she stepped up and walked near him. She was nervous too, not sure why she was doing this, this wasn't her at all, but being around Mark, she was brave, and she liked it.

She watched as he shifted uneasily, jamming his hands in his pockets, taking them out, jamming them in. "What's going on?" He asked, clearing his throat from the lump which had grown in there.

"I dunno." She said shyly and sweetly. This was her, this shyness. And just by being herself, standing so close to Mark, it made him latch onto her lips, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her upwards as she returned the kiss hungrily.

ookay... REVIEW.. and please.. check out my new fanfic.. Changing Tides.. that fanfic is VERY important to me... its about me! ha! so please... read and review it please please please...

Michelley P