Chapter 14
Haley looked gingerly through the bins of records at Max's. She's always loved music. That ability to listen to a song and have it transport you to a specific moment in time was magical to her – it was an escape. And right now she needed an escape. The past couple of days had been tiresome on the blonde teenager. Nathan had been dodging his father for the past few days, which had meant that the raven-haired boy had taken refuge in the James household. Haley was just grateful that Travis had been in South Carolina with Lindsey in the meantime. Lord only knows what he would've done to Nathan had he caught him sneaking up to Haley's room at midnight. She knew this would have to stop. She's pretty sure Travis would literally kill Nathan if they got caught during one of their sleepovers. But she's worried about her boyfriend. She's worried that Dan pushed him to drugs and she doesn't want him back in that environment. Haley's tried convincing him to stay at Lucas' but he insists that it's a last resort. Something about not wanting to put Karen and Keith in the middle.
"You need help over there?"
Haley is jarred out of her thoughts by the voice coming from the cash register. She looks up and sees a guy not too much older than her staring at her with a smirk planted firmly in place.
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and shook her head. "I'm good."
"You sure?" He questioned again. "Chris Keller knows what he's talking about when it comes to music."
"Chris Keller?" She questions confused.
"Me." He smiled moving from behind the cash register and walking towards her.
She let's out an unamused chuckle. "You refer to yourself in the third person?"
"Yeah, it adds character." He nodded standing besides her and going through the bin next to the one she was looking though.
"Where's Max?" She questioned slightly annoyed at her new 'friend' – this place was her sanctuary and this Chris Keller guy was seriously ruining it for her.
"He had an emergency." He explained talking about the storeowner who usually manned the front register. "Left me in charge."
"Lucky you." Haley mumbled riffling through the bins.
"Now this..." Chris speaks up while pulling out a record and placing it out in front of Haley. "…is a musical masterpiece."
Haley looked down at the record and chuckled. "Blind Pilot."
"Yeah." He nodded enthusiastically. "They have this awesome track, Half -"
"Moon." Haley finished with laugh. "I know."
Chris let out a whistle and put the record back in the bin. "I underestimated you, Blondie."
Haley shook her head and continued on with her task glancing down at her watch. She was supposed to meet Nathan at the café in ten minutes to discuss what he was going to do now that Travis was back in town and their late night rendezvous' had to come to an end.
"So you got a name?" Chris questioned leaning back against the wall behind Haley.
She looked at him for a moment before shaking her head. "I have a boyfriend."
"That's a weird name." He joked.
She chuckled and shook her head. "Look, I just came in for a couple minutes of solitude and no offense but I'm not interested and you're really messing up my vibe here, Keller."
Chris let out an audible chuckle before pushing himself off the walk and placing himself beside her. Haley grew extremely uncomfortable at the proximity. "If you didn't have a boyfriend would I have a chance?"
Just as Haley was about to release a verbal lashing a loud voice interrupted her from the door of the record store.
"A little close, aren't you?"
Chris looked towards the presence and let out a chuckle. "I take it you're the boyfriend?"
"Yup." Nathan nodded curtly making his way towards Haley. "I suggest you leave."
Chris let out a laugh, which only seemed to irk Nathan more. Once the spiky haired employee had made his way back to the register Nathan turned to Haley. "I leave you for an hour and you're already attracting male suitors?" He joked. Nathan wasn't threatened by the punk. But that didn't stop him from wanting to beat the living shit out of the guy when he walked into the record store and saw how the cocky asshole was leering at his girlfriend.
Haley let out a hearty laugh and shook her head. "What can I say, Scott? I'm simply irresistible."
Nathan shook his head and laughed.
"What's up? I thought we were meeting at Karen's?"
"I got out of my meeting with Whitey early, thought I'd meet you here." He explained.
Haley looked at him sympathetically bringing a hand up to caress his cheek. "How'd it go?"
Nathan sighed before shaking his head. "Mind if we take this somewhere else?" He questioned in a low voice. "I'd rather not have an audience."
Haley looked over his shoulder to see Chris staring intently at the two of them. Haley nodded softly and took his hand in hers leading her towards the door. She stopped abruptly at the register and turned to Chris.
"I never got the chance to answer your question."
"Yeah?" He questioned his posture straightening up in obvious excitement.
"Not for a second." She sent him a wickedly sweet smile while pulling a laughing Nathan out of the record store with her.
Haley followed Nathan down the dock her hand intertwined with his. She leaned her head on his shoulder lightly. It still amazed her how comfortable she was with him.
She looked up at Nathan when she felt him chuckle. "Remember this place?"
She laughed and shook her head following him to the railing. "How could I forget, you made me jump off this railing on our first date."
"I didn't hear you complaining when you kissed me." He smirked.
"Whatever." She laughed hitting his arm playfully. She linked her arm through his and sighed their playful demeanor fading. "What happened with Whitey?"
Nathan sighed and shook his head. "He's disappointed. He says I'm lucky he doesn't report me to the scouts."
Haley turned to face him. "You made a mistake." She stated sympathetically.
"How much does it suck that my coach being disappointed in me upsets me more than my father being disappointed in me?" He chuckled pessimistically.
"Was that all?" Haley questioned.
"He wants me to sit out the next couple of games." Nathan nodded. "He wants me to make sure that this is really what I want."
"Is it?" Haley asked curiously. "Is basketball what you want?"
Nathan shrugged and sighed. "No one's really asked me that before."
"You have some time to figure it out." Haley smiled softly bringing a hand to his cheek and running her thumb across his temple. "What are you going to do about Dan?"
"I've been researching. In order to be emancipated I have to prove my financial stability to the judge." Nathan sighed. "And unfortunately, as of right now I have no financial stability."
"Is that why you wanted to take shifts at the café?" Haley asked recalling the conversation that had lead to his job with Travis.
"Yeah." He nodded. "And I just got the job with Travis, he doesn't really need me on a regular basis so until I have enough money saved up that I can prove that I'll be able to rent out an apartment and feed myself no judge is going to grant me emancipation."
"I'll talk to him." She nodded. "Travis is stubborn about accepting help."
Nathan sighed. "I don't know Hales, maybe I should just drop it and stick it out at home for the next year and a half."
"No." Haley shook her head vigorously. "I don't want you going back there Nathan."
"What other choice do I have?" He asked helplessly.
"Live with Luke." She stated simply.
"But I don't want to put my Uncle-"
"Nathan." She interrupted him. "Karen and Keith love you like you're their own son, I really think they'd be offended if you didn't go to them for help."
"Can I ask you a question?" He wondered out loud after a few moments of silence had passed between the two.
"Of course." Haley nodded.
"That day, when you talked to me at the gym," He started out turning to face her. "You said that you had been around enough asshole druggies to know when someone is on something."
Haley nodded slowly.
"What'd you mean by that?"
Haley sighed and walked over to the bench nearby tugging Nathan along with her. She sat down and turned gently so that her body was facing his.
"I was a different person in California, Nate."
"What do you mean?"
"Nathan, after my parents died, I spiraled out of control. All I wanted to do was get high so I could escape reality…the reality where my parents didn't exist." Haley sighed and shook her head. "It's a really big reason why I moved here. Travis was worried about me."
"I had no idea." He shook his head.
"No one did." She shrugged. "Just Luke, Travis and Brooke."
"Do you still feel that way?" He asked curiously.
"No." She smiled softly at him. "There's nothing in Tree Hill I want to escape." There were still parts to the story that she was leaving out. Now was her chance to have the talk that she had been dreading. "I need to talk to you about something though."
"What is it?"
"That day that I freaked out in your room…"
"Hales…" Nathan shook his head. "I will never forgive myself-"
"No." Haley cut him off. "That's not why I'm bringing this up. There's a reason I freaked out." She took a deep breath and sighed turning away from him for the first time.
"What is it?" He questioned concern evident in his voice.
"I was fifteen, my parents were out of town for the weekend and they made Travis come home for Stanford and left him in charge. He wanted to meet up with some buddies from high school so he left and me and Brooke decided to go to a frat party at UCLA."
"Haley…" Nathan spoke softly not liking the tone of her voice.
"Someone forced themselves on me….touched me in places that I didn't want to be touched. I just remember fighting against what felt like dead weight." Haley shook her head and sucked in a breath. "I screamed and some drunken idiot opened the door to the room, I ran out."
Nathan looked at her and tried to stay calm despite the fact that he felt the anger boiling within him at the knowledge that someone would even try hurting Haley like that.
"It's why Travis is so psycho." She laughed lightly. "I know he still blames himself." Haley shook her head and sighed. "Anyway, after that incident I turned to drugs, I mean in the grand scheme of things nothing happened… I didn't get raped, but I was still violated and I could have you know? And I just couldn't deal with it. My parents made me go to a therapist and I stopped, I dealt with it the right way but when they passed away I just went back to it."
"Haley, I would never…" Nathan shook his head vehemently.
"I know." Haley nodded turning to face in and take his hand in hers. "I know that you would never hurt me, but being in the moment…I just reverted back to that fifteen year old girl."
"I feel like a jackass."
"Don't." Haley shook her head. "You didn't know and I wasn't exactly pushing you away from the start, besides, I know that wasn't you."
"I don't know what to say." He replied honestly.
"You don't have to say anything." She said earnestly. "I just wanted you to know why I freaked out, we hadn't really talked about it."
"Haley, I will never force you to do anything you don't want to."
"I know." Haley sent him a soft smile. "I'm not saying I'm waiting for marriage, but being in that situation made me realize that I'd like to be in love and have it mean something." Haley looked away from him. She did love Nathan, it scared her but she was sure of it. The past three days had confirmed it. She wasn't ready to go there yet though and honestly she didn't think she would be for a while.
I do love you. Nathan thought in his head. He gave her a soft smile and nodded. "Of course."
Nathan let out an uncomfortable cough and shifted in the bench a little. "What is it?" Haley asked.
Nathan looked at her for a moment before shaking his head. "It's nothing."
"It doesn't seem like nothing."
"I guess, I just assumed you and Julian…"
"Mmm." Haley chuckled. "Nope, I just let him flirt with other girls. Julian's a good guy, but he's a teenage boy and I wasn't really on the same page as him." She sighed. "I guess that's why I've waited to have his conversation with you…what I have with you, it's nothing like what I had with Julian. I'm not okay with you flirting with other girls because I'm not giving you any. I'm not stupid Nathan; I know what your reputation in Tree Hill was like before I got here so I don't want you to lie to me. If this isn't enough for you I want you to be honest with me."
Nathan looked at her in disbelief. "You can't seriously like that I would break up with you over sex?"
"It's happened before, it's not out of the ordinary." Haley shrugged.
"But we're not ordinary." He denied. "This," He stated motioning to their joined hands. "Is about so much more than sex for me."
She smiled at him sweetly and let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."
Nathan chuckled. "You're stuck with me James."
Haley rolled her eyes and laughed. "Lord help me."
Nathan brought his hand to her face forcing her to look at him. "Thank you for telling me that. I'll never let anyone hurt you."
She smiled at him and nodded. "So what are you gonna do about your Dad?"
Nathan sighed and shrugged. "I'll stay at home tonight and avoid him and talk to my Uncle Keith and Aunt Karen in the morning." Nathan was telling the truth when he told Haley he didn't want his Aunt and Uncle in the middle but living with Dan was just too toxic.
"Come on it's getting late, I'll drive you home." He smiled at her, brought her up from the bench and wrapped an arm securely around her shoulder.
"I can't believe my Dad has already texted you about meeting up for golf." Lindsey called out surprise laced in her voice. "My Dad has never voluntarily hung out with any of my boyfriends."
"What did I tell ya Linds." Travis smirked from his spot on the couch in the living room. "Parents love me."
"Whatever." She scoffed plopping down next to him. "Don't get cocky."
The two snapped their heads to the front door when they heard laughing. "Will you let it go?" Haley laughed loudly walking into her house with Nathan behind her.
"Let it go?" Nathan asked incredulously. "Hales, Lucas broke my nose!"
"You were six!" She laughed.
"Yeah, do you know how traumatizing that is for a six year old!"
Haley laughed loudly and smiled when she walked into the living room. "Hey Trav."
"Hey." Travis nodded over at Nathan acknowledging his presence.
"How was South Carolina?" Haley asked walking over to the chair opposite of Travis and Lindsey and sitting down. Nathan followed her lead and took a seat on the armrest of the chair she was in.
"Lindsey's parents love me." Travis smiled proudly.
Lindsey laughed and shook her head. "Your brother has developed quite the ego."
Nathan cleared his throat and spoke up. "I should get going." He stated while standing up. "I'll see you at the garage tomorrow." He nodded over to Travis.
"Wait." Haley halted his movements with a hand on his wrist. She gave him a worried glance. "Stay." She didn't want him going back home. At least not yet.
Lindsey looked at the interaction between the two and gave her boyfriend a soft nudge in the rib.
"Ow." He whispered while looking over to her.
She nodded to the two teenagers and looked at him expectedly. Travis only rolled his eyes in return. "Yeah, you should stay Scott. Me and Lindsey were just gonna watch some movies, you and Hales should join us."
"It's okay." Nathan waved off having a feeling that Travis was only inviting him to stay for his sister's sake.
"Stay Nathan." Lindsey smiled. "It's nine o'clock on a Sunday night, what else are you gonna do?"
Haley sent her brother's girlfriend a grateful smile. She knew that Travis wouldn't have made that offer on his own. "See, stay." She pulled him down to the chair that was big enough for the both of them and Nathan sent Travis a nod.
"So what are we watching?" Haley questioned excitedly.
"The Avengers." Travis stated getting up so he could pop the movie into the DVD player.
"Sweet." Haley smiled and snuggled closer into Nathan.
He chuckled softly. "I didn't peg you as a superhero loving girl."
"Dude, Chris Evans is in this movie. Enough said."
"I hear ya girl." Lindsey laughed sending Haley a wink.
"Whatever." Nathan mumbled while rolling his eyes.
Haley laughed softly. "Is that jealously, Scott?"
"Cut it out over there." Travis grumbled. "Just cause I invited you two to stay doesn't mean I want to hear my baby sister and her boyfriend flirting all night."
Nathan laughed and shook his head. "Sorry."
The four had settled into a comfortable silence engrossed in the movie. Nathan looked down at Haley and smiled softly. He had no idea how he got here. He wasn't the greatest person before Haley entered his life but somehow he had ended up here with her and he was so grateful.
Nathan had snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Haley shift slightly next to him. "That's weird."
"Was that a knock on the door?" Travis questioned.
"Yeah, I heard that too." Haley nodded. "I'll go get it." She stood up from her spot near Nathan and made her way to the front door of her house. She opened the door and was surprised to find the person that stood on the other side.
"Is Nathan here?" He gruffly asked.
Haley snapped out of her shocked state when she heard his voice. She recognized Dan Scott from the basketball game where Nathan had collapsed. She saw him rush towards the court to tend to his son and she wondered how someone so manipulative could seem so caring.
"Um-"
"Don't bother lying to me." Dan sneered. "I saw his car parked out front."
"Hales, what's taking you so-" Nathan stopped short when he saw who his girlfriend was talking to. "What are you doing here?" He asked stiffly.
"Why, son is that anyway to greet your father?" Dan chuckled. "And you haven't even properly introduced me to your girlfriend."
Nathan sighed. He didn't want to have this conversation with his father. Not at Haley's house. He didn't want Dan Scott anywhere near Haley. "Not here Dad. I'll leave with you."
"Nathan, no." Haley whispered grabbing a hold of his wrist. Nathan glanced at his father who was seething at the sight.
"Nathan, I just got off the phone with Whitey we need to talk." Dan commanded stepping further into the house and getting closer to his son. "Let's go." He gritted out.
"What's going on here?" Travis questioned stepping into the foyer. He noticed Haley's hand clinging onto Nathan's while a man that he had never seen before standing close to a clearly uncomfortable Nathan.
Dan looked up at the older James and shook his head. "I'm just coming to pick up my son."
Haley looked desperately over to Travis and he was surprised to find fear in her eye. He stepped closer to the trio and clasped a hand on Nathan's shoulder guiding him away from the menacing older man. "You can stay Nate."
"Nathan," Dan practically yelled. "Enough with the bullshit, we're going."
"Listen." Travis went to stand in between the raven-haired boy and his father. "You're in my house and I'm going to need you to leave."
"Excuse me?" Dan questioned.
"You heard me." Travis nodded. "You need to leave and if Nathan wants to stay he can stay." Travis looked over to Nathan. "Do you want to stay Nate?"
Nathan looked at Travis in surprise. He was the last person he thought would be protecting him from Dan Scott. He nodded mutely much to the distain of his father.
"Great, we've got that all sorted out." Travis nodded. "So you should leave."
Dan looked at the three people in front of him in shock before chuckling and moving towards the door. "You can only hide out here for so long Nathan, I expect you see you home tomorrow night."
Nathan let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding when he father slammed the door shut besides him. He looked down at Haley and then looked towards Travis. "I'm really sorry about that."
Travis shrugged and nodded. "You sleep on the couch."