***FYI READERS***
I made a few changes to Chapters 2, 5, and 9. I decided to go a slightly different way with a certain plot point, so if you would like, go check out the changes. They're just small details, but they will be very important!
**His name is Jamie Lucas James, named after his grandfather (James James) **
Previously…
Haley opened her front door, seeing Nathan waiting for her on the couch.
"Hey beautiful," he smiled, before noticing that she'd been crying. He immediately got up and walked over to her, "What's wrong?"
"There was press when I left the café," Haley sniffled, "They were in my face, asking me questions about you and Chris and I panicked. Peyton saw and got me out, drove me home."
"Chris?' Nathan questioned, before wrapping his arms around her, "Haley, I'm so sorry that you have to go through this. I never wanted this for you, for us."
"I know," Haley sighed, before looking up at him, "But I think we need to talk…..about Chris."
PEOPLE magazine was hot off the press, the cover displaying two photos: on the left was one of the shots of Haley and Nathan from the beach, they were looking at each other and smiling. The photo on the right, however, was from Haley's old MySpace page, of her and Chris. They were sitting against the brick wall of the school. Chris was playing the guitar, intently looking at it, while Haley was smiling at him.
The cover read:
Haley James: Hunting for Fame?
"The truth behind Haley's past with musician Chris Keller"
"Haley, what's going on?" Nathan asked, looking visibly concerned.
"I think we should sit down," Haley nervously stammered, taking his hand and leading him to the couch, taking a deep breath as she sat down, "When I told you that secret at The Docks, I didn't exactly tell you the whole story."
Nathan's brow furrowed, confused, "What are you talking about Hales?"
"I told you that Chris and I were together, and that when we were offered the tour, he said yes, and I said no, that he abandoned me and Jamie," Haley began, "But that's not the whole truth. And now that the press seems to know what happened somehow, I can't let you find out from the tabloids. I wanted to tell you myself."
"Tell me what?" Nathan asked, now growing slightly agitated at his girlfriend's news.
"I knew Chris from school. He was a senior when I was a junior. He heard me singing in the tutor center and that's how it all started. Chris and I did perform together, a few times, at Karen's and some local contests. The summer before my senior year, we got offered to do a west coast tour with The Wreckers and Gavin DeGraw. I was 17 and starstruck, and we both went. It was a dream. An 8 week tour up and down the west coast. Everything was incredible, but after our first show, we all decided to celebrate. I had never drank in my life, and I got completely wasted and…"
Haley took a deep breath, her hands shaking and her voice trembling as she continued.
"I thought that he cared about me. We'd known each other for years and everyone thought he was a jerk, but in that moment, he seemed different. That night, on an empty tour bus, I lost my virginity to Chris Keller," Haley managed to stammer, her voice still shaking, "About a month later, I was feeling really sick. I thought it was the flu that everyone had been getting, close quarters on a tour bus and everything, but then I was late. Finding out you're pregnant at 17 in a strange city by yourself. That's one of the scariest things I've ever experienced."
Nathan was in shock hearing all of this. Never had he imagined that this was what had happened.
"After our concert in Seattle, I told Chris I was pregnant," Haley said, her voice now barely above a whisper, tears streaming down her face, "And he told me that it was my problem. He said that it wasn't his, that it could be anyone's on the tour. He said that I was just another stupid slutty high school girl who would open her legs to anyone."
Nathan was now getting angry, not at Haley, but at this son of a bitch Chris Keller. How dare he treat Haley like this, like it was her fault? He reached for her hand, which was still shaking, but calmed slightly at his touch.
"I was in shock, numb to everything. I heard Chris talking crap about me to the tour manager, spewing some stupid lie, so I quit. I packed my bags and came back to Tree Hill," Haley sighed, "He stayed on the tour, but I should have known. I should have seen it. Chris Keller's #1 priority has always been Chris Keller. He just wants his five minutes of fame. I'm pretty sure he's the one who leaked the story to the press. I mean, who else could it have been?"
She looked in his eyes, her makeup running down her face. He squeezed her hand, but was still unable to say anything.
"Nathan, I'm so sorry," Haley choked, "I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want you to think that…I was that girl. The girl who had sex on a tour bus and would give it up to anyone. That's not who I am. I wanted to be someone, someone important, that everyone knew. It was stupid, and I didn't want to lie to you. I was embarrassed and ashamed to have to admit that Chr..he was Jamie's father, if you could even say that. More like a sperm donor, but…"
"Hales, you're rambling," Nathan interrupted, a small smirk on his face, knowing that it would make her smile, and it did.
"I completely understand if you hate me, if you're mad at me for lying to you," Haley replied, the smile leaving her face almost immediately, as she looked down into her lap, her grip on Nathan's hand loosening.
"Haley, look at me," Nathan said, his fingers lifting her chin up to meet his gaze, "I don't hate you. I could never hate you. Look, Chris Keller is an ass. And he doesn't deserve to be in your life, or Jamie's for that matter. Let's just promise to be honest with each other from now on, alright?"
Haley looked into his blue eyes, her small smile creeping back into appearance as she sighed, "Thank you for being such an amazing guy."
She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, a sweet kiss, full of hope and promise. Yet soon, it turned into more, as the two were soon engaged in a heated makeout session. Nathan was hovering on top of Haley, his lips trailing from her lips, down her neck, and his hands exploring her body, finding the small strip of skin exposed from her t-shirt sliding up. Things were starting to get pretty hot and heavy, when Haley heard Jamie yelling for her.
The young boy's cries brought both of them back to reality, as Haley was out of breath, sitting up from her previously laid-back position on the couch. Nathan looked slightly disappointed, but she placed a quick peck on his cheek before hurrying to Jamie's room.
Though they had been together for months now, they still hadn't had sex. Haley was clear about physical boundaries. She loved Nathan. She knew she did, and she knew that he loved her too. But she just couldn't allow herself to go all the way. Something was holding her back. Thankfully, Nathan was being patient with her, at least for now anyway.
"Mama, I had a bad dream," Jamie whispered, his bottom lip quivering as he sat up in his bed.
"Oh baby I'm sorry," Haley replied, sitting next to him, pulling him close to her, "Do you want me to stay until you fall back to sleep?"
"Could you sing me a song?" Jamie asked, "The heart song?"
Jamie's current favorite movie was Tarzan, and he'd insisted that Haley learn how to play "You'll Be in My Heart" on her guitar.
"It's late Jimmy-Jam," said Haley, her mom look beginning to form, "You need to get some sleep."
"Just one song, please Mama?" Jamie begged, sticking his bottom lip out in full puppy-dog form.
Haley sighed, giving in as she crossed the hall to get her guitar, her eyes catching Nathan's as he sat on the couch still in the hall. It was a small house, and you could see just about everything from the hallway.
She sat on the edge of Jamie's bed, strumming her guitar, singing about how she would keep her son safe, now and forevermore, meaning every word she sang. She didn't notice that Nathan had joined them, leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed as he listened to her sing. As she did, Jamie laid back on his pillow, his eyes fluttering shut as she reached the end of the song.
Nathan slipped his arm around her waist as they walked back out to the living room, placing a kiss to the top of her head.
"I should get going," Nathan said, "The team has an early practice tomorrow, and I have to get in a workout myself."
"Nathan, about before," Haley began, talking about their couch endeavors, "I'm sorry, It's just…"
"Hales, I told you, it's okay," Nathan smiled, "It's not about sex with me okay? When you're ready, I'll be too."
Haley wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes as she pulled him into an embrace, "Thank you."
The next day, Haley had gone to TRIC, after receiving a frantic call from Peyton. Having to walk past a few photographers with flashing cameras as she walked in, she saw Peyton through the crack in the sliding doorway of the back area of TRIC. It was a big space, but it wasn't being used for anything.
"P. Sawyer, what are you doing back here?" Haley asked, coughing from all the dust in the air, surprised by what she saw in the previously empty space.
There was a pool table, and a desk, and further off, she could see what looked like a recording studio built in the back. A piano lay in the center of the room.
"Well, Karen's agreed to lease me this space, to open my own music label," Peyton smiled, "Say hello to Red Bedroom Records."
Haley smiled at the reminiscence of Peyton's bedroom, where so much had happened in high school and so many memories had been made in those four red walls.
"That's great Peyton, congratulations," she replied, hugging her friend.
"And, I'm about to sign my first artist!" Peyton exclaimed, her smile not going away.
"Awesome! Who is it?" Haley questioned, although confused by the strange smile on Peyton's face, then she realized what she was saying, but not really saying, "Woah, Peyton, I can't. No way."
"Come on Haley," Peyton whined, "You owe me. Remember that time, when Jamie was puking buckets, and you had to go work a double at the café. Who cleaned up that vomit, huh? Who smelled like little boy puke for days? This is the least you could do for me."
Haley rolled her eyes, sighing, "Peyton, I just have so much going on right now. With Jamie, and the café, and Nathan."
"I know for a fact that with Deb at the café now, and Karen back, they can manage to spare you for a few hours a day. And Nathan and Jamie want you to be happy. This has been your dream ever since I've known you, Haley James. You can do this."
Meanwhile, Nathan was at the youth center, in the gymnasium, with Millie and Brooke, baby Liam strapped to her chest in a carrier. Brooke had insisted that she help with the design for the gala, despite being exhausted from having a newborn.
"Now, the stage will be set up in the front, the dance floor in the middle, with tables surrounding it," Brooke motioned with one hand, the other placing a pacifier back in Liam's tiny mouth, "Nathan, are you ever going to tell us who this surprise musical guest is? I need to know so I can get the design for the stage just right."
"I'm sorry Brooke," Nathan smirked, "But I can't tell you. I'm sure whatever you decide will be fine."
Nathan did not have an eye for design, obviously, and was more than happy to give that duty to Brooke and Millie. He had invited some of his teammates, his coach, the team owner, and some other big-wigs that he knew would help bring in donations for the youth center. He wanted this night to be perfect.
"Alright everyone," Brooke called, getting the crew together, "We've got one week and a lot to do. Let's get it done!"
A few days later…
"Oh my gosh!" Haley sighed, her head in her hands. She had been so busy the past few days, signing paperwork, officially joining Peyton's label, in addition to running the café and taking care of Jamie, that she'd completely forgotten that he started kindergarten in a few days. She had registered him for school months ago, but he had grown this summer, and he needed new clothes.
"Haley James, what's happening girl?" Skills asked, as he and Nathan took a seat at the counter next to Jamie, who was coloring a picture.
"Jamie's growing up!" she exclaimed, "He starts school in two days and I haven't had time to take him shopping. And to top it all off, my car broke down, again. Piece of crap."
"You get off at 4 right?" Nathan asked, as she nodded, "I'm sure the store will still be there then. And can't Keith fix your car?"
"I have a meeting with Peyton at Red Bedroom today, and I'll be there all day tomorrow too. She wants me to start recording some of my songs," Haley explained, "I've postponed it three times already, and if I do it again, I'm afraid she'll hunt me down. And Keith, bless his heart, has done all he can for my junk on wheels. Ugh, what am I going to do?"
Skills and Nathan turned and looked at each other, shrugging. The two had become good friends since Nathan had come to town and started helping with the Ravens.
"We could take him shopping, Hales," Nathan suggested, not fully realizing what this would entail.
"Yeah, come on, we'll make him look fly as hel…hello Dolly," Skills quickly caught himself before cursing in front of small ears, which were really big ears that heard and repeated EVERYTHING.
"Nathan, Antwon, that's really sweet of you, but I know you're busy with team and I don't want to bother you with this," Haley shook her head.
"Look, Hales, we have practice in a half hour," Nathan explained, "Jamie can come with us, and we'll take him shopping after. It'll be fun."
"Yeah mama, please, can I?" Jamie piped up, the puppy dog look returning to his face.
She sighed, looking at her son before turning back to the two grown men.
"If he comes back looking like P-Diddy, you're both dead," Haley said seriously, before a small smile crept onto her lips.
As Skills and Jamie began to walk outside, Haley dug around in her purse, pulling out a crumpled fifty dollar bill.
"Do the best you can, okay?" she said, handing Nathan the limp, sad-looking money, "It's not a lot, but since my car decided to go kapoots on me again, we can't do anything crazy. If you need help, ask the salespeople. And whatever you do, don't let Antwon pick anything out, okay?"
Nathan smiled, before kissing Haley's forehead and squeezing her hand before he followed Skills and Jamie out the door.
Haley walked into her house after a long, exhausting day. The café had been busy, and then she'd spent the rest of her night recording with Peyton. She'd been happy with Haley's writing, pleased with her recent burst of inspiration for songwriting (Nathan, the press, the Chris story getting out).
She was surprised to see Jamie, asleep on Nathan's lap on the couch.
"He wanted to wait up for you, to show you his new stuff," Nathan whispered, "But the little guy tuckered out about twenty minutes ago."
Haley pressed a kiss to the small boy's temple, before Nathan carried him into his room.
"Should I be scared?" Haley asked, as Nathan grabbed the bags of their purchases from the kitchen.
Her eyes widened at the sight of so many bags. There was NO WAY he could have gotten that much for the fifty dollars she'd given him.
"Before you say anything, I never got to give Jamie a birthday present, so I decided this was a good time to cash that in," Nathan explained, gesturing to the bags before pulling that crumpled bill back out of his pocket, handing it to her, "Take it. Seriously, Hales, kids' clothes are expensive, but it's not like we can have him going to school naked. I don't think the principal would like that very much."
She laughed as Nathan showed her everything they had gotten. She wasn't surprised to see that many of the shirts had something to do with basketball. A few plain shirts were mixed in, jeans, shorts, and the final item Nathan pulled out of the bag was a fake leather jacket.
"I know you said not to let Skills pick anything out, but come on Hales," Nathan smiled, "You gotta admit, this is pretty awesome."
"You're spared, don't worry," Haley laughed, before the smile disappeared from her face.
"You've been acting kind of weird all day, Hales," Nathan stated, "What's going on?"
She sighed, "The gala is in a few days. You leave to go back to Charlotte in two weeks. And we haven't exactly talked about what's going to happen when you do."
She was right, Nathan thought. His time in Tree Hill was coming to an end, quickly. The Bobcats had won their first preseason game last week, and their next one was tomorrow night. Just like that, Nathan's suspension would be over, and he'd be expected back in Charlotte, ready to suit up and play again.
However, he found himself extremely hesitant to leave, not only Haley and Jamie, but all of the friends that he had made here as well, not to mention his mom. They'd just started rebuilding their trust and relationship, and now he was going to leave. Sure Charlotte was only a couple hours away, give or take, but it wouldn't be the same.
"I love you, Haley James," Nathan said, intertwining their hands, "And I don't want to leave. But you know that I have to. I want you and Jamie to come to the home games, though, if you can. You can bring Lucas and Brooke, and maybe my mom if she'd want to come. And I'll be back, when I can, but I can't make any promises. We're just going to have to learn to love phone calls and video chats, that's all."
The two cuddled up on the couch, unaware of everything that was going on around them.
Charlotte, NC
"As far as I can tell, sir, they're still together," the private investigator reported to Dan, who was fuming.
He'd thought that releasing the story about Haley and Chris would convince Nathan that she wasn't worth his time, but his son, ever the forgiver, had done exactly the opposite. He sighed, dismissing the P.I. as he tried to figure out what to do next.
He left the office and went to the coffee shop, sitting down after he received his order. His attention was suddenly grabbed by the television.
"Reporting live from Tree Hill, North Carolina, I'm Josie Kent. In just a few days, Nathan Scott will hold a benefit gala for the Tree Hill Community Youth Center. Scott has been volunteering at the center all summer, and hopes to raise $250,000 at the event."
Dan Scott smiled, as he sipped his coffee, and called his assistant.
"Cancel all my meetings for the next few days," he said, "It's time I go see my son."
SOOO sorry for the length between updates! I went on vacation, and then had a SERIOUS case of writer's block. Who knew that listening to 90's boybands would be what got me writing again? (NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys to be exact!)
HUGE thanks to NALEYAAF23 and NALEY23alwaysforever for helping me out! I did make a few changes to the plot, including Jamie's name and the story of how he came to be. Hope you all enjoy it!
Hope you all enjoyed the tenth chapter of Show Me How to Live!
Leave a review with any suggestions, comments, or ideas you want to see in future chapters!