Hey guys, here's the next chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed that last one.
Chapter 3
Haley walked aimlessly down a quiet street in her hometown. Tears were still streaming down her face from her parents' funeral service and burial that ended two hours earlier. The sun was beginning to set and Haley decided it was about time to begin the short walk back to her house, where Keith and Karen were most likely waiting for her.
At the thought of her new guardians, a scowl spread across Haley's face. During the past three days that they had been preparing for the funeral service Haley had barely spoken two words to either of them. Of course, Haley understood why Karen and Keith were making her move to North Carolina; she just refused to be okay with it.
Sighing as she walked onto her front porch, Haley pushed open the unlocked front door and slammed it shut to make her presence known. Karen came running out from the kitchen with Keith trailing behind her.
"Haley! Where have you been? We drove around everywhere looking for you!"
"You obviously weren't looking hard enough. I was just walking around town."
Karen shook her head tiredly. "Okay, we understand that you're devastated about what happened to your parents and upset about having to move across the country, but Keith and I are fed up with your attitude towards us. For the past few days you've been nothing but rude to both of us and it is going to stop right now. The three of us are leaving for Tree Hill tomorrow morning, whether you like it or not, now smarten up and stop acting like a child."
"In case you didn't realize, I'm being a bitch because the only two people that have ever been my family are gone because my disgusting ex-boyfriend was drunk driving. Then out of nowhere, two complete strangers are coming into my house and telling me I have to move away from my hometown where all my friends are to go live in some random town across the country. So, yeah, I'm being rude to you, because right now I have no idea how to deal with everything that's going on in my life and you're easy targets to take my anger out on."
Karen and Keith stared in silent shock at the girl's outburst. Her chest was heaving as she gasped for breath from traitorous tears rolling down her face. When Karen stepped forward to hug her, Haley pushed her away gently and ran out the front door again as quickly as she could.
Haley ran. Granted, she had never been the most athletic girl but she ran as fast as she possibly could. She had been doing so for the past twenty minutes and was now vaguely aware of where she was running to. She couldn't feel her legs anymore but Haley continued on with her fast pace until she knew in her heart that she was standing in the spot where her parents were hit.
The abandoned dirt road wasn't that far out of town. It had no street lights for miles and no houses either. Only the locals knew it really existed and most tried to avoid it. Those who travelled on it tended to drive way over the speed limit, and that combined with the winding, continuous curves and sharp turns made up a recipe for disaster. More accidents than Haley could count had happened on this stretch of road in her lifetime, she just never thought her parents would fall victim to the danger
Dropping to her knees in exhaustion and distress, Haley took in her surroundings and saw the specks of her parents' blood all over the road. She picked up a handful of the rocks and dirt, letting it filter slowly through her fingers. Sniffling once, Haley rose from the ground and began walking absentmindedly further down the road until she saw a telephone pole lying broken in half in the ditch. She noticed the smear of black paint on the smaller piece still rooted in the ground.
No wonder her scum bag boyfriend died on impact. He was driving his half million dollar Porsche sports car that offered no protection in a head on collision. Haley gazed intensely at the paint mark until she could no longer bear the image of her parents being taken off life support running through her mind continuously. She turned her back on the ditch and began running quickly again in the direction she had come from, this time knowing exactly where she was headed.
"Haley, it's Karen again. You've been gone for a few hours and it's starting to get dark. Keith and I are worried sick. Please come back or call me when you get any of my messages." Karen hung up her phone after leaving her tenth message and ran a hand over her face. "If she's not back in the next hour, I'm calling the police."
"Okay, just calm down. She's upset and just needs her space. I'm sure she'll be back soon," Keith tried to sooth his wife.
"I just wish instead of disappearing when she's upset, she'd talk to us."
"Well, would you wanna talk to the two people that are ruining your life about your problems?"
"Do you really think we're ruining her life? I know she thinks so, but I don't need you thinking that, too. I'm trying to do what's best for my niece."
"No, I think we're doing the right thing. I'm just saying, in her mind we are ruining her life, and if you were in her position, the last thing you would do is talk to us."
"I guess you're right. I just wish she didn't hate me already, it's not exactly the best having my own niece hate me the day we meet."
"She doesn't hate you," a voice spoke up from behind them.
Karen and Keith both turned their heads in surprise and saw Haley's friend Jake standing in the doorway to the family room.
"How do you know?"
Jake laughed softly. "Mrs. Roe, I'm Haley's best friend. She tells me just about everything, and when she doesn't, I know exactly what she's thinking and feeling already."
"So she's talked to you about us, then?"
"Nah, not yet. This is one of the times when I just know what's going through her head. Haley doesn't hate you. She just doesn't know what to feel right now. I mean, she had to make the decision to take her parents off life support after having breakfast with them that morning. In her mind, I'm the only family she has left and being forced to move away from me is like being kicked when she's already down. That being said though, Haley is a smart girl, and she definitely knows leaving town where she has all these memories of her parents will be for the best in the long run. So just trust me, Haley doesn't hate you and eventually she'll warm up to both of you."
The couple nodded in thanks at the young man's short speech. "Is there any chance you know where Haley is right now?"
"Yeah, she's actually waiting in my car. She got all your phone calls and asked me to come in and tell you both that she's fine and gonna stay at my house for the night. All her bags are packed in her room and you can pick her up in the morning, she says she'll be ready to go."
"She doesn't wanna stay here on her last night?"
"No. It's too painful for her to be in this house right now. I promise I'll take care of her tonight though, you have nothing to worry about."
"Thank you, Jake," Karen said tearfully and hugged the teenager. "I'm sorry for taking your best friend from you."
"Don't apologize. It's not like you really have any other choice, right? Besides, if everything goes according to plan, my parents will let me go to college in North Carolina, so I'll be with my best friend again soon," he smiled.
With that, Jake turned and walked slowly out the front door and back to his car. When he opened the door, Haley looked at him gratefully. "Thanks for doing that for me."
"No problem, buddy. They both looked like they were really worried about you. Cut them some slack, Hales, you can't be angry at them for events that are beyond their control. Besides, they are your family now."
Sighing, Haley stared out the window as Jake started driving down the familiar streets of the town. "I know. I'm just scared. I'm moving to a town I've never been to in my life, where I know no one. You'll be across the country and God only knows when I'll be able to see you again. I just, it scares me knowing my whole world is about to change even more than it already has in the past few days."
"I know. You're a strong girl though, Hales. We'll get through this together, no matter how far apart we are."
Haley smiled briefly at him as he parked the car in his extensive driveway. They both exited it and walked up to Jake's bedroom. Not bothering to change from their clothes, Jake and Haley climbed into the large king size bed and Jake opened his arms for Haley to scoot into his embrace. The best friends clung to each other tightly as they gave into sleep and didn't release the fierce grip as they dreamt.
Morning came quickly and out of nowhere, Karen and Keith were set to arrive at Jake's in a matter of minutes. Jake and Haley were sitting silently in his kitchen eating breakfast across from each other. Haley froze when the sound of the door bell echoed through the large house. Jake nodded to himself and sighed. He pushed his chair back and opened the door for Karen and Keith quickly before making his way back to the kitchen.
Haley was putting her dirty dish in the sink as Jake walked back in with her aunt and uncle trailing in behind him.
"Hi, Haley. You ready to go? We've already got all your bags in the car."
She shrugged and nodded mutely. Haley led the group back to the front door and slipped on her shoes. She stood awkwardly until Karen and Keith understood that Jake and Haley needed privacy to say good bye and the two adults exited the home to wait in the car after saying farewell to Jake.
"So, call me when you land, okay?"
Haley merely nodded, knowing that speaking now would only let the flood gates open even faster. As her tears began to spill over Jake moved forward quickly and engulfed her in a tight hug. He kissed her temple and buried his face in her neck. "I love you, Hales. You'll always be my best friend, nothing is gonna change that, you hear me?
He felt Haley nod her head softly and let out a quiet whimper. Pulling away, Jake forced Haley to look him in the eye. "Listen to me. I want you to go to Tree Hill and keep living your life. Don't feel guilty for being happy there, okay? You're parents would want you to keep going and I promise I'll make it out there soon to see you again."
She smiled sadly at him and jumped back into his comforting arms. "I love you so much, Jake. I'm going to miss you more than you know and I'm holding you to that promise to visit soon. I promise to keep living my life if you keep yours to come."
"Deal," Jake said and squeezed her tighter. He rubbed her back up and down softly before finally pulling away. Jake kissed her temple one last time and returned her earlier sad smile. "Alright, get outta here before I decide I need you here too much to let you go."
After hugging one last time, Haley opened the front door to exit the house. She looked back at her now crying best friend before stepping out completely and conveyed her love for him in a single look. She entered the back seat of Keith and Karen's rental car silently and buckled up her seatbelt. She saw Karen turn around and look at her worriedly but ignored the concerned woman and gazed out her window at the passing streets of her hometown.
She continued staring silently out the window until they made it to the airport and headed inside to check in before going to their gate. Every so often Keith or Karen glanced at her sympathetically or some random passer-by would see her tear stained cheeks and sport a confused, weird look on their face at her.
After finally checking in with the airline, they headed to the gate and sat down in the uncomfortable plastic chairs to wait for boarding to begin. Karen and Keith carefully tried to make conversation with the eerily silent and devastated young girl, but she refused to participate. Soon, boarding began and Haley took the window seat in the row of three plush chairs. She closed her eyes after the flight attendants had finished explaining all the emergency procedures. Being her first time flying, Haley was anxious about take off and gripped the armrests tightly while taxiing to the runway and feeling the plane slowing begin lifting its wheels off the ground.
Realizing she was really leaving the only home she had ever known, Haley let the tears pour through her closed eyes freely. After some time, Haley's eyes began to feel increasingly heavy and she soon drifted off into a deep slumber.
"Welcome to Tree Hill, North Carolina, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for flying with American Airlines."
Haley wiped the sleep in her eyes and unbuckled her seat belt when the passengers of the plane began rising from their seats. After boarding their plane in California, Haley cried for the first hour of the flight. Shortly after that she fell asleep and hadn't woken up since. She tiredly followed Keith and Karen down the narrow aisle to the doors of the plane and all the way to baggage claim. They waited for about fifteen minutes until their bags finally came into view. Keith promptly lifted them off the conveyer belt and began wheeling as many as he could to where family members picked up arrivals, leaving the rest of the bags for Haley and Karen to bring as they followed him.
Karen looked concerned at the young girl as she walked sluggishly beside her to meet Lucas where they had agreed for him to pick them up. "Are you okay, Haley?"
The girl shrugged indifferently and continued to walk silently beside her aunt. Soon, a tall, blond haired man came into view and Haley's first thought was that he was exceptionally good looking. She stood awkwardly off to the side when they finally made it to him and watched Keith and Karen hug their son happily.
"Haley, this is our son, Lucas. Lucas, this is Haley," Karen introduced the two after saying hello to her son.
"Hi, Haley. It's nice to meet you," Lucas said with a smile.
"Yeah, hi," she replied quietly.
Understanding his cousin's shyness, Lucas merely smiled at her again and walked along side her while his parents moved forward in front of them. Haley took a deep breath when they exited the airport and hit fresh air. Tree Hill smelled nothing like California. She scrunched her nose in distaste and frowned slightly. Even though she was from a small town, Tree Hill took small to a whole new level. Not to mention, just about everything about this town was different. After less than five minutes in North Carolina, Haley already hated the unfamiliar territory.