Hello, everyone. I am so sorry it took me longer to get this chapter up. I know that I've been updating often, but I had to work really long hours this week and I was just mentally exhausted. Anyway, I was so impressed with the feedback. You guys did an amazing job of making me happy this time. :) So, here is a shout out:
OTHbabe23: Hi, thank you so much for your review. :) I'm really glad you thought this chapter was cute, I thought they needed a few lighter moments. Well, I can't say the rest of it will stay that way, but they will have more cute moments, so I hope that's good enough. Don't worry, I don't think you're weird. I love stuff like that too. I'm a sucker for little affectionate gestures like that, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. lol. Anyway, thanks again for reviewing. It was so awesome of you and I loved reading it!
HJS-NS-23: Hey! What's up, girl? I was so glad to see that you reviewed once again. :) Oh, you always put a smile on my face. See that second sentence? Yeah, I'm already smiling. lol. I'm glad you enjoyed Nathan worrying. I thought it was a nice little way to show that he does care, no? Well, I actually am not even sure how everyone's going to find out, but don't worry, I'll make it good. ;) Ah yes, their love/hate relationship, I'm glad you're enjoying it. I always love couples that start out that way, you know? So I figured what the hell, I may as well write one of my own. Well, as always, I loved reading your review. Thanks for always being so great about it:)
sweetdevil23: Thanks for deciding to review, it really does mean a lot. I'm glad you can find the humor even though it is kind of sad. And of course I'm happy that you're enjoying reading. Thanks again for your kind words.
luvhotshot23: I was glad to see your name with the people who reviewed. Thank you so much for all the compliments. I really appreciate your saying that the chapter was awesome. :) And I'm glad you liked the cute Naley moments cause there's plenty more where that came from. ;) I'm also glad that you think the characters are original. It's really great to hear because I was going for a never been done before kind of story, you know? Hopefully, it's working. lol. Haha, yeah, I'd definitely like to see Haley and Nathan pissed off and locked in a shed together. What a night that would be... Anyway, thanks for the comment about writing excellent chapters. I try, I try... lol. And I update regularly for awesome readers like you, so thank you!
Caitidid: Hey, thanks for reviewing again! And I'm definitely glad you enjoyed the last chapter. To answer your first question, I'm not sure exactly how long this story will be and I don't know if I can even ballpark it. But I can tell you that I have 14 chapters already written and it doesn't seem to be nearing an end, so it will be fairly long in length. And people most likely will not find out about Haley's illness for awhile yet. She's not exactly itching to tell anyone as you can see, so if they do find out anytime soon, it will be completely by accident. I hope that answers your questions. Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying the story. :)
OneTreeHillNaley23: Hi, thank you for reviewing and for your comment about loving the story. Hearing people say that is really inspiring, so I really appreciate it. :) And sorry I couldn't update sooner. lol.
mackenzie175: Hey! I was so happy to hear from you and to get your thoughts on the chapter. I'm so glad it was one of your favorite chapters because I know I had fun writing it way back when. I almost forgot how much of a blast writing this story is. lol. And you're so welcome for commenting back on your review. It's honestly the least I can do for such amazing readers like yourself. :) You really don't know how great it feels to read reviews like yours. Aww... thank you so much for all the nice things you say. And I'm glad I have you checking regularly for updates, I love hooking people and reeling them in. Though it probably isn't such a good thing when it takes me a week to get a chapter up, is it? lol. Oh well, at least I'm still getting them up, right? Anyway, like I said, I'm so grateful for having a reader like you who always makes me feel like writing this is worthwhile. Thank you. :)
larocca22233: Thank you very much for reviewing and for leaving so many compliments. I love them just as much, well probably even more, than the next person. lol. I'm so glad you think Haley's character is funny. I really do have so much fun writing her. It's nice to let my inner bitch out without actually being a bitch if you know what I mean. lol. And I loved your comment about offically having you hooked by the third chapter. That is one of the top like 10 greatest things you could possibly tell me. Thank you so, so much for leaving a really good review!
glassy waltz: Wow, I can honestly say that was the most honest, in depth, wonderful review I've gotten so far on this site. Thank you so much. I was actually kind of speechless when I first read it. Then I read it again, and again, and again, and you get the picture. :D Well, that's weird that it said my chapter didn't exist, but I'm probably even happier than you that you went back and checked again because it meant I got to get this spectacular review. :) Yeah, photography's a cool hobby, but as I said, I'm no good at it. Good luck with your camera. I used to always own one, but finally just gave up on that and let other people stay behind the camera. Even though I'm not that great in front of it either. lol. Yes, it's true, I do have quite a bit written. I'm just scared to reach the moment when I finally run out of prewritten material because I'll be in big trouble then. Well, I'm glad you admire my preparedness. What's ironic is that I'm usually the world's biggest procrastinator, but I guess it's different when it comes to something I actually enjoy doing. Well, it's good that you're trying to write beforehand now. I know it's saving me a lot of time with this one because I usually have a pretty busy schedule, so it's sometimes hard to find a good block of time in which to sit down and write. Actually, I don't think you're crazy at all. I should probably try to do the same thing with reviews. Whenever I'm replying to a story, I always think to myself, 'Crap, what was that line I was trying to remember?' I don't always have the best short term memory. lol. And don't worry, I'm a babbler too, a really bad one. This story probably wouldn't work if I wasn't, come to think of it. :) Aww.. thank you so much for the beautifully written comment. And I'm glad you like the first person. I usually try to write in first person and sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn't. I guess I just really got into the characters this time because I was so excited about my story line. I can be such a dork sometimes. lol. And I'm glad you think Haley's character is good. At times, it's somewhat hard to balance out her disease related thoughts and feelings with her normal teenage ones, but I try to do that. Haha, I was cracking up when I read your comment about the magical cure. 3295749875934759875 years is a long time, but you never know. I guess I'll see what I can do. lol. Well, I'm glad you liked Nathan denying Haley help over the fence, then coming back. Haha, yes, the infamous bobby pin trick. I'll admit, I'm not very skilled at it either, but sometimes I get lucky. I much prefer the kind of doorknobs you can use credit cards on. Now, there's something I can do. Again, glad you liked Nathan giving his sweater. Anyone who thinks chivalry is dead can ask Nathan Scott, right? lol. Anyway, thank you again for such an incredible review. I think I'll remember it the rest of my life. Which probably makes me sound pathetic, but I usually am, so I'm used to it. :)
happywtmylife: Hi, I'm so glad you decided to review for this chapter. :) And I'm so happy you loved it and that you think the plot is cute. To be honest, I'm a little afraid of the ending myself. Well, not of what's gonna happen, but of how I'm possibly going to be able to write it well enough. I'm so glad you're liking the journey. And I'm also glad you like having both points of view. I was hoping Nathan's POV would make the story fuller and thanks to your comment, I'm now definitely not regretting that decision. Thanks for the good writer comment. There aren't many things you could say that would make me as happy as that does. :) Thanks so much for reviewing!
Chapter 7:
Haley's POV
This is way too awkward. If I'd known getting along back in the shed would make continuing our walk to the next town so weird, I never would've been nice to him. I steal a sideways glance at him and his hands are stuffed in his pockets. He's staring straight ahead. I clear my throat. "So, uh, did you get a good night's sleep?" So maybe it's lame, but what the hell am I supposed to say?!
He grunts. OK, obviously not a morning person. I decide to try again. "Sorry if I kept you up." You can never go wrong with an apology, right?
He glances at me and gives me this strange look. "Uh, no yeah, that's OK. Not your fault." Aw, he's stuttering. That's so cute.
And then it's silent again. Damn it! Why couldn't we still have the car? At least we could listen to music or something. I could sing, but he probably wouldn't appreciate that. He looks at me again, this time smirking. "You know, I could always go hide and you could stick your thumb out and get us a ride."
I give him a disgusted look. Fuck. Why does he always have to be so… so…. ughhhhh. Yeah, nice comeback there, Haley. "Or I could stick my foot up your ass and see how that works out," I respond with a sarcastically sweet smile.
He raises his hands in mock surrender. "Just making a suggestion."
"Yeah, a really sexist one," I mumble.
He doesn't respond, just glares ahead of him. A few minutes later he turns to me. "Do you really want to keep walking? We don't even know how far the next town is."
I glare back at him. "What do you want me to do? Stand here and show a little skin, pout my lips, stick my thumb up, maybe flirt with the next trucker who drives by?"
He raises a brow. "Yeah."
I don't even realize what I'm doing until my hand makes a stinging impact with his cheek. He stumbles back a little, a red hand print already forming on the side of his face. He stares at me, wide eyed and shocked. "Bitch!" he yells.
I scream back at him. "You asshole! I can't believe you! Do you ever think before you talk? Or do you just think you can get away with saying shit like that?"
He just clenches his jaw and keeps walking. "Hello?!" I shout. But he still doesn't answer. So maybe I over reacted a little. The hell I did! Damn. By now, he's far ahead of me. "Wait!" I shout, but it only makes him walk faster. Bastard.
I have to full on sprint to catch up to him and I'm out of breath by the time I get there. He's power walking now and I have to take three steps for every one of his. "Slow down," I grit out. He ignores me and speeds up. I see a truck in the distance and it's slowly coming toward us. Suddenly, Nathan shoves me to the side of the road and dives behind the nearest rock. Outraged, I turn to cuss him out, but the trucker has already begun slowing to a stop next to me.
"There a problem here, ma'am?" his voice holds a heavy country accent and he leers at me, checking me out with no shame. "Well, you're a pretty little thing," he drawls, eyes drinking me in.
I roll my eyes, about to come back with a smart ass comment, but then I smirk, getting a brilliant idea. I step closer to the truck, giving him a better view and lean against his window, so he can look slightly down my shirt. Maybe I shouldn't have been so pissed when Nathan took back his sweatshirt this morning, he did give me this opportunity.
"Yeah, I was wondering if you could give me a lift," I give him a sexy look, smiling seductively. I can just imagine Nathan's expression right now. He's probably smug as hell that I'm using his idea. You won't be so happy in a couple minutes, dickwad! I think.
I can see the trucker hesitating. He must be at least in his fifties, but he's my only way out, so I lean forward a little more, smiling at him again. "How will you pay me?" he's smirking now.
That's just disgusting. But I smile again, giving him a wink. "I'm sure we can think of something."
A slow, perverted smile spreads across his face as he looks me up and down again. "Hop in, little lady. Where to?"
I walk around to the other side of the cab. "Just to the nearest town."
I can feel his eyes on me as I slide in and, out of the corner of my eye, I see Nathan stepping out from behind the rock. But I'm already slamming my door behind me and motioning for the guy to drive off. I look behind the truck at Nathan running after us. He's not that far behind, but there's no way he can keep up with a moving truck. I smirk back at him.
But suddenly, there's a loud thud and I see him fly through the air to land in the back. "What the hell?!" shouts the guy driving, whose name is undoubtedly Bubba or something. He swerves to the side of the road and I hear Nathan's body slide across the back and hit the side. Bubba and I both step out of the car, quickly running around to the back. And there's Nathan, struggling to sit up and rubbing his back. Bubba stares at him with blazing eyes. "Look, buddy, I don't know what the hell you think you're doing, but you better get the fuck out of my truck!"
Nathan stays where he is and points at me. "That's my sister."
Bubba smirks. "Oh, really? That's why she was trying to leave you behind, huh?"
Nathan looks at me with this look, one that says he really will kill me if I don't play along. "As a matter of fact she is. Aren't you, Haley?" He widens his eyes at me.
Bubba looks at me, waiting for an answer. I look down at my feet, debating. Looking back up at Nathan, I sigh. "Yeah, yeah, he's my brother. Can you still give us a ride?"
Bubba grunts. "Ain't worth the trouble."
I sidle over to him and rub my body lightly against his. I don't think I can keep this up much longer. "Please?" I give him my best pout.
He looks down at me hungrily. "I guess. Your brother can ride in the back. You can ride up front with me."
"No way in hell!" Nathan shouts. "She rides with me! Haley had a fever last night and I don't want to take any chances."
"Fine," he grunts, slamming back into the driver's seat. I climb in beside Nathan.
"Thank you," I mutter gratefully to him.
He slides away from me and looks out at the scenery passing by. "Oh come on, you're not still mad?" I ask, incredulous. This is fucking ridiculous.
A few minutes passes by and he looks at me again with this expression of anger. Shit! He's gonna kill me. He's gonna kill me right here, right now and there'll be no witnesses around. Except for Bubba. But he'll probably kill Bubba too. Poor Bubba. I actually pity the guy now. "So, you were actually going to just leave me?" he asks, voice surprisingly calm.
I nod, somehow finding the idea shameful now. He shakes his head. "Unbelievable. It was my idea too."
I glare at him. "Are you serious?! That was the dumbest idea I've ever heard. I'm not some whore, Nathan. You can't just use me like that. I'm not your damn toy."
He glares right back at me. "Well, you didn't have any ideas. Besides, Haley, you know it was the only way out of there. And I was not about to sit and listen to you bitch and moan about getting blisters from your little sandals or whatever."
"I'm wearing boots," I mumble, knowing it's lame, but for once I can't think of anything to say.
He scoffs. "Whatever. Doesn't really matter now, does it?"
I pause for a few seconds before ripping into him again. "Well, what's up with you telling that guy we're brother and sister? I sure as hell don't look anything like you."
He gives me a disgusted look. "Feeling's mutual babe. Besides, it worked, didn't it?"
I scoff. "Yeah, only because of my brilliant acting skills."
He grinds his teeth together. "Yeah, and if I hadn't come along, you would've had to screw the guy. Which, by the way, I still haven't heard a thank you for."
I laugh bitterly. "I said thank you when I got in the truck. You were just too busy being an ungrateful whore to notice."
He smirks. "Oh, I'm the whore? Says the girl who was all over some fifty year old trucker."
"That's it!" I yell, lunging at him and tackling him to the floor of the truck. I punch him in the stomach and he looks surprised before rolling us over and pinning me beneath him. He grabs my arms and locks them above my head so I can cause him no further harm. I try to spit in his face, but can't seem to muster up much saliva. So, I do the only other thing that comes to mind. I knee him in the groin.
His face twists in a way I didn't know someone's face could twist as he rolls slowly off me. He eases himself back onto the wall of the truck, leaning against it, eyes closed tightly. "Damn it, Haley! That hurts like hell!"
I move over to sit next to him. "Well, maybe if you weren't such a dick, I wouldn't be forced to use such drastic measures."
"You attacked me!" he wheezes out, hand massaging where I got him. I can't help but smile at how wrong it looks.
Focus, Haley! I tell myself. "Because you were being a dick!" I shout.
He opens his eyes and I'm right next to him. He smirks over at me, but I can see the pain that's still in his eyes. "Well, want to help me and my dick out?"
I roll my eyes. "No, not particularly."
"Come on, Haley," he ignores my refusal. "This is your fault, now I want you to make it better."
"Nathan!" I cry, disgusted. "That is so like you."
I look over at him again and his eyes are already closed again. He never expected me to do it. It's almost like he's daring me. And I never turn down a dare.
My hand crawls over his leg and into his lap, slowly inching toward the sensitive place where I'd kneed him. His eyes shoot open in surprise as he looks over at me, but it's quickly replaced by a cocky smirk, as though he knew I'd give in all along.
I lightly massage him, watching as the stiffness slowly leaves his body, his eyes closing lightly. I feel him grow hard against my hand and smirk. That's one thing I refuse to take care of. He can have the pleasure of doing that all by his fucking self. Or, more accurately I guess, by fucking himself.
He grabs my hand, stilling it and slowly opens his eyes to look at me. I stare back at him innocently. "Haley," he whispers and I wonder why it doesn't annoy me. And then we're both leaning forward, toward each other, until our lips are touching lightly. His arms shoot out to bring me closer until I'm resting lightly in his lap. I straddle him and deepen the kiss. He seems pleasantly surprised as he grabs me around the waist, fighting desperately to bring me closer. Something tells me I should stop. But damn it! I don't want to. So, I don't.
I don't know how long we make out for. It seems like a pretty long time. But soon enough, the truck stops, though we don't take notice. By now, we're on the floor of the truck, me on top, and things have gotten heated. His hand slides up my shirt just as someone interrupts us. "What the hell is going on here?!" I look up to see Bubba, mad as hell, watching us.
We quickly pull apart and Bubba the trucker looks at us accusingly. "You said you were brother and sister. That's just nasty. How could you do that with family?"
We look at each other and I silently signal for Nathan to take this one. "Thanks for the ride," he throws out, grabbing my hand and pulling me rapidly away from the truck.
"Hold up!" Bubba yells at our retreating backs. "How are you gonna pay me?!"
We both stop dead and wait for him to catch up. He's leering at me again. "I want my payment."
I swallow, barely able to look at him. "And what would that be?"
He smirks at me. "A kiss from you, sweet thing."
I release Nathan's hand and, unsure of what else can be done, start toward Bubba. But Nathan grabs my arm and pulls me back to him, wrapping a hand around my waist. "No way!" he stands his ground.
Bubba glares at him menacingly. "Maybe you didn't hear me, buddy. I said, the lady gives me a kiss since I gave you a ride."
"It was a ten minute car ride!" Nathan yells, indignation filling his voice.
Bubba's smirk widens. "That's why it's only a kiss."
I shudder. "Nathan, just let me get this over with, so he'll leave us alone," I whisper. He looks down at me and I silently beg him to listen with my eyes.
He sighs and lets go of my hand. "Alright."
I slowly sashay up to Bubba and he grabs me to him, sighing in contentment as my body presses against his. I shiver violently against him, unable to stop myself. He leans down and kisses me full on the lips. I feel like puking right there. But he doesn't stop there. As his tongue probes my lips, I jerk away and hurry back to Nathan.
"Hey!" Bubba shouts.
"You said a kiss!" I shout back over my shoulder. "You never said how long!" Then, I spit on the ground over and over until the taste of him is gone. Nathan snakes his arms around me and holds me close as I shake convulsively. "H-he k-kissed me," I stutter, throwing my arms around his neck and choking back a sob.
I take a shaky breath and try to stop thinking about it. I hear a car engine start up and roar away, but I'm still afraid to turn around. I don't ever want to see that guy's face again.
Nathan places a surprisingly gentle kiss on my forehead. "It's OK, Haley."
I don't know what to think. One minute, we're screaming and I attack him, then we're making out, then he's being all sweet. Does he have a split personality or something? I actually kind of like this side of him though. And who knows? Maybe a miracle will happen and my life will go back to normal. Somehow… I just don't see that happening. But I find it gets harder and harder to resist Nathan the more this trip progresses. I almost want to give in. But where's the fun in that?
If he wants me that badly, he's gonna have to work for it.
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Nathan's POV
It's been almost thirty minutes since our little adventure in the shed ended, but I can still feel her in my arms. And I can't think of a single damn thing to say to her. It's starting to annoy the hell out of me. I mean, if this is what it's gonna be like every time we have a momentary lapse in sparring, imagine what it would be like if we ever dated or anything... not that I'm thinking of dating her. I don't do dating. 'Sure you don't,' whispers the little voice in my head. I ignore it.
I stuff my hands in my pockets and stare straight ahead, refusing to be the first to look at her. But then I hear her voice. "So, uh, did you get a good night's sleep?"
What kind of a question is that? 'Did you sleep well last night?' Of course I didn't, bitch! And it was all your fault too. But I need to learn to control my temper. 'Relax,' I tell myself. 'She's just trying to start a conversation.' I can't decide what to say, so I just grunt.
"Sorry if I kept you up," she continues and I look at her strangely. Obviously, I'm suspicious. What the hell is she trying to do now?! But she looks back at me and she looks sincere enough, so I decide to play Mr. Nice Guy. At least for now.
I respond with a brilliant, "Uh, no yeah, that's OK. Not your fault." Damn it! I curse myself. Since when do I stutter? I'm not a fucking pansy.
And then there is, of course, more silence. Until I decide to start up a conversation myself. You'd think I'd have realized how touchy she is by now. But apparently, I haven't as I smirk at her. "You know, I could always go hide and you could stick your thumb out and get us a ride."
She gives me this glare, like she's completely disgusted with my idea. Crap. I've pissed her off again. Every time things are going well, I just have to screw it up. "Or I could stick my foot up your ass and see how that works out," she responds with a totally fake smile. She's holding back again. Not a good thing. It only means that one day all her anger will explode and she'll probably end up killing someone. That someone will probably be me.
But dumbass that I am, I can't just let it go, so I raise my hands and stupidly respond. "Just making a suggestion."
For some reason, she looks a little… disappointed maybe? Well, I've never been good at keeping a girl happy. So screw her if she thinks I can change my ways. Now, her voice has lowered to a soft, irritated tone. It's actually kind of sexy. "Yeah, a really sexist one," she mumbles.
Oh, hell no! She did not just say that to me. But I choose to fume silently, not saying anything for a few minutes. I have to do something though. I, for one, am not very fond of her whole walking to the next town idea. So, I turn again to her. "Do you really want to keep walking? We don't even know how far the next town is."
She gives me another death glare. Whoops. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. "What do you want me to do? Stand here and show a little skin, pout my lips, stick my thumb up, maybe flirt with the next trucker who drives by?" she asks and I know she's being sarcastic, but I can't help responding.
I lift my eyebrow, responding with an equally obnoxious, "Yeah."
I never see it coming. Until I feel her hand connect with the side of my face. Hard. I stumble back a little, shocked. I bring a hand to my face. That little whore! The nerve. She slapped me! That bitch slapped me! Hell no, she didn't! If only my mother hadn't taught me never to hit a girl. Who listens to their mother anyway?… But instead, I choose to throw out an outraged, "Bitch!"
She starts screaming back at me. "You asshole! I can't believe you! Do you ever think before you talk? Or do you just think you can get away with saying shit like that?" I feel like yelling at her some more, but I know it won't help our current situation, so I opt to clench my jaw and just walk on without her.
It takes a couple seconds before I hear her shout, "Hello?!" I'm far head of her by now and apparently, it takes a few seconds for that to register before she screams, "Wait!" I walk faster. There's no way in hell I'm waiting for her to catch up and yell at me some more. I'm really not in the mood for anymore of her crap right now.
I hear her footsteps pounding on the ground behind me and she's really winded by the time she catches up. "Slow down," she manages to puff out, but I only walk faster. I'm power walking now and she can barely keep up. I smirk. I'll teach that bitch a lesson. I look ahead and see a truck coming. I look over at her and she's looking at it too. Time for Plan B. I shove her to the curb and jump behind this rock that's nearby. She turns to look at me with a really angry expression, but by that time, I'm gone and the truck has stopped right next to her.
The trucker's some old, middle aged guy with no hair and really bad teeth. I smirk. Good, she deserves it. I hope she doesn't blow it. For a minute, I think she's about to start yelling at him. I don't know what he said, but it made her mad as hell.
But she quickly shifts gears and I can barely hear her sultry voice. She moves closer to the truck, leaning against it. I've got a great view of her legs as her skirt rides up a little and I can see her turning all her charm on with the truck driver. Damn. She's good.
I knew she could get us a ride. I'm the brains, she's the beauty. No, wait. I'm both. She can be whatever the hell she wants. I don't really give a shit. Doesn't matter now. At least we don't have to walk. I'm friggin brilliant. But this time, I've really outdone myself. OK, so maybe my idea wasn't that original, but hey, she didn't think of it, did she?
I look over to see how things are going and he looks like he's hesitating. Damn. I knew she couldn't do it. Why in the hell did I trust her again? But then, she leans forward a little more. I smile. 'Good girl,' I think. Then, I see the guy smirk. And I get mad. 'Hey, buddy! That's my job,' I think.
She's saying something now, but I can't tell what it is. I'm too busy staring at her ass. What? A guy can't help it sometimes. I watch as a slow smile creeps over the guy's face and I can tell he's having inappropriate thoughts. Hell, with a girl like Haley, who wouldn't be?
She starts to walk around to the other side and I know we have him. She says something, but I still can't hear her. She slides in and I step out from behind the rock, silently thanking her for getting us a ride. But then, the truck starts to speed off.
I stand in shock for a few seconds. Oh no, she did not! I start running after them, knowing it's impossible to keep up, but I can't just let them leave me. I catch a glimpse of her smirking face in the side mirror before I throw myself as hard as I can at the back of the truck. I land in it with a loud thud. Shit, that hurt.
The truck swerves to the side of the road and I slide into the wall on the side. I sit rubbing my sore back as the car stops. A few seconds later, Haley and the trucker guy, we'll call him Dick, are standing there looking at me. I try to sit up straight, but it hurts too bad. Then, Dick proceeds to yell at me. "Look, buddy, I don't know what the hell you think you're doing, but you better get the fuck out of my truck!"
Damn, what am I supposed to do now? I have to think fast and I come up with an idea. Not a great one, but it's the best I can do under the circumstances. Did I mention how brilliant I am? I don't move from my spot, simply point at Haley and say, "That's my sister."
Dick smirks. He can't pull it off like I can. "Oh, really? That's why she was trying to leave you behind, huh?"
I give Haley this look, one that I hope gets my message across. She needs to play along or she's dead. I swear, I feel like I could kill her right now. After all she's done to me, I'm surprised she's still alive. "As a matter of fact she is. Aren't you, Haley?" I widen my eyes at her. If she denies it, I swear I really will kill her. I don't give a damn who's around to see me. Dick can watch if he wants to. He'll be next.
I can see Dick looking at Haley. He's waiting for her to answer, just like I am. I'll fucking kill her if she doesn't say yes. But she has to. Does she really want to ride solo with this guy? I mean, he'll probably rape her or something if I'm not here to stop it.
She's looking down at her feet and I can tell she's struggling with what to say. Not that hard, honey. A simple yes would do. She looks up with defeat in her eyes. Yeah, that's what I thought. She sighs and talks to Dick, but she's still looking at me. "Yeah, yeah, he's my brother. Can you still give us a ride?"
The guy grunts. "Ain't worth the trouble."
But Haley walks right up to him and rubs up against him. I can't keep the amused expression off my face. Haley hitting on some old trucker guy. Now, that's comical. She gives him a professionally practiced pout. "Please?" I know she's probably trying not to get violently sick, but she has to keep it up. She's in too deep now.
He looks down at her, lust burning in his eyes and I can practically see the panic rising off her as he says, "I guess. Your brother can ride in the back. You can ride up front with me."
Damn it! Why do I have to be such a nice guy sometimes? "No way in hell!" I yell. "She rides with me! Haley had a fever last night and I don't want to take any chances."
Dick throws me this menacing look, but he can see I'm not going to give in, so he backs down. "Fine," he grunts, getting moodily into the front seat. So childish.
She climbs into the back next to me and I stare discreetly at her legs as she does. I'm glad when she doesn't notice. "Thank you," she mutters, her voice full of gratitude.
I'm not letting her off that easy though. I slide away from her, staring hard at the passing trees. I won't be the one to give in first this time. "Oh come on, you're not still mad?" she asks and I can hear the incredulity in her voice. She's so damn oblivious. Do I have any reason not to be mad at her?
A few minutes go by before I finally give in and look at her. She has this sullen expression on her face and I can't keep my own anger off my face. Even I'm surprised when my voice comes out cool and collected. "So, you were actually going to just leave me?"
She nods and looks down, apparently not too proud of herself. Good, she should feel guilty as hell. I shake my head at her. "Unbelievable. It was my idea too."
She glares at me and I know I've pissed her off again, but this time, I really don't give a damn. She deserves to suffer. I hope she goes to hell. Right on cue, she starts yelling. "Are you serious?! That was the dumbest idea I've ever heard. I'm not some whore, Nathan. You can't just use me like that. I'm not your damn toy."
I give a glare that could rival the one she's sporting right now and respond with a, "Well, you didn't have any ideas. Besides, Haley, you know it was the only way out of there. And I was not about to sit and listen to you bitch and moan about getting blisters from your little sandals or whatever."
"I'm wearing boots," she mumbles. I almost laugh, but contain myself.
What kind of a comeback is that? Looks like she's running out of momentum. Perfect, I can wear her down. I scoff. "Whatever. Doesn't matter now, does it?"
She waits a couple seconds before responding and suddenly, her fire is back. Shit! Just when I thought I was getting the upper hand. "Well, what's up with you telling that guy we're brother and sister? I sure as hell don't look anything like you," she retorts.
I know she did not just say she was prettier than me! Hell no! Ugly slut. So, I choose to throw it back in her face. "Feeling's mutual babe. Besides, it worked, didn't it?"
She scoffs and I know she's got some smart ass comment on the tip of her tongue. "Yeah, only because of my brilliant acting skills."
I feel like throwing her out of the car right then. Hello! I'm the brains, not her. I grind my teeth together, trying to keep my anger in check. "Yeah, and if I hadn't come along, you would've had to screw the guy. Which, by the way, I still haven't heard a thank you for."
She laughs, but it's not a pleasant one. "I said thank you when I got in the truck. You were just too busy being an ungrateful whore to notice."
I smirk. She brought this one on herself. "Oh, I'm the whore? Says the girl who was all over some fifty year old trucker." Got her there.
"That's it!" she screams and suddenly, she's flying at me and we land on the floor of the truck. She punches me in the gut and I'm shocked. But I recover quickly. No one punches Nathan Scott and gets away with it. I roll over, so she's stuck beneath me and grab both her arms, bringing them over her head and holding them there. I see her preparing to spit at me, but it somehow never leaves her mouth. While I'm trying to think of what to do next, I feel her knee come up into my groin. Pain, searing pain. My vision goes blurry and I can't see clearly.
I roll off of her and ease myself back against the wall of the truck. I close my eyes. "Damn it, Haley! That hurts like hell!"
I hear her sliding over and feel her presence as she sits next to me. "Well, maybe if you weren't such a dick, I wouldn't be forced to use such drastic measures," she says. Damn it! I think I hate her.
I start to massage myself. I don't care how wrong it looks. Nothing else is going to help. "You attacked me!" I breathe out, defending myself.
"Because you were being a dick!" she shouts.
I open my eyes and there she is. Right next to me. And I smirk. Even when she's mad, she can't stay away. But it still hurts like hell. "Well, want to help me and my dick out?" I ask, half joking, half not.
She rolls her eyes, which I've come to learn is sort of a defense mechanism for her. "No, not particularly."
I ignore her. "Come on, Haley, this is your fault. Now I want you to make it better." Might as well finish what I started. But I know she won't do it.
"Nathan!" she cries. "That is so like you." Yeah, yeah, I guess it is. But I can't help it. So, she'll just have to put her problems aside. Because it's a long way yet to Tree Hill. And for now, she's stuck with me.
I close my eyes. No way she'll be helping me out. Maybe if I go to sleep, it'll feel better when I wake up. Wishful thinking I know, but what else am I supposed to do? Without warning, I feel her small hand creep over my thigh and into my lap to where she kneed me.
She slowly begins to massage it and I open my eyes quickly. Damn. She's just full of surprises. But then I smirk cockily. Of course she's 'helping me out.' Who wouldn't? After all, I'm the brains… and the beauty.
I half expect her to stop, but she doesn't. I close my eyes lightly as the pain starts to lessen. But I can feel myself getting hard. Man, this girl doesn't know what she does to me. And then, I can't take it anymore. I have to have her. So, I grab her hand and open my eyes slowly, staring at her. She stares back at me with these wide, innocent eyes and it just makes me want her more. "Haley," I whisper.
We both lean forward slowly until we're kissing. But it's not enough and I grab her waist in my arms, bringing her onto my lap so she's straddling me. Much better. I still can't get enough though, so I'm unbelievably happy when I feel her tongue slide into my mouth. My arms settle around her waist, bringing her as close as I can, pulling her body hard against mine. I can't get close enough. Apparently, she can't either as she presses even closer. After a minute, my back starts to get sore, so I lower us to the ground, her on top.
I don't know how long we stay like that, but it's not nearly long enough. My hand is sliding up her shirt and she's not stopping me. But then, we arrive at the next town and Dick has to come around to the back and ruin it all. "What the hell is going on here?!" he yells.
Damn it! I'll kill him! But I'd have to get up in order to do that and Haley's still on top of me. And I like the position we're in, so I decide killing him can wait. For now, I just want to get back to making out with Haley. But she quickly jumps off of me as Dick looks at us accusingly.
"You said you were brother and sister. That's just nasty. How could you do that with family?" he says, disgusted. Now, I can kill him! But Haley's in the way and I realize she wouldn't exactly appreciate that right now, so I restrain myself.
I look at her and she looks at me, then slowly nods in my direction. What the hell?! I don't want to explain. So, I don't. Instead, I instinctively grab her hand, pulling her away from Dick and the truck and calling over my shoulder, "Thanks for the ride."
"Hold up!" Dick shouts. "How are you gonna pay me?!" I turn and look at him. He is not serious. But he is. Bastard. He catches up to us and he's leering down at Haley. "I want my payment."
I can feel Haley gulp and I know she doesn't want to do this. I doubt anyone would want to do anything with that asshole. Bet he doesn't get much action if you know what I'm saying. I listen as Haley responds. "And what would that be?"
He smirks and I want to strangle him. "A kiss from you, sweet thing."
She lets go of my hand and starts toward him, but there's no way in hell I'm letting her do this. I grab her arm and pull her back to me, wrapping an arm around her waist and holding her securely next to me as I shout, "No way!"
Dick glares at me, trying to look tougher than he is. Well, I've got news for you, Dick. You don't scare me! You're a damn coward. He's talking again now. "Maybe you didn't hear me, buddy. I said, the lady gives me a kiss since I gave you a ride." He tries to look intimidating. He's not.
"It was a ten minute car ride!" I yell in outraged indignation. This guy isn't getting anything from Haley. I'll make sure of that.
His smirk grows bigger. "That's why it's only a kiss."
She shudders against me and I hold her tighter. "Nathan, just let me get this over with, so he'll leave us alone," she whispers and I look down at her. I see the panic in her eyes and my first instinct is to protect her, but I can also see the pleading there.
So, against my better judgment, I sigh and drop my hold on her waist. "Alright."
Haley slowly walks to him and he reaches out and grabs her. He sets his lips on her and I can see his hands wandering. The bastard's groping her! I'm about to go kick his ass when she pulls away and practically runs back to me. "Hey!" he yells and I send him a warning glare.
"You said a kiss!" she shouts over her shoulder as she reaches me. "You never said it had to be long!" she continues, spitting on the ground. She spits over and over and I'm helpless. I don't know what to do. So, when she's done, I wrap her in my arms and bring her close, trying to provide some comfort. She's shaking as she holds me to her and stutters, "H-he k-kissed me." She's trying not to cry as she takes a deep breath.
I look over at Dick and he's staring at us. I give him a look that tells him to get the hell out of here and narrow my eyes at him. I can look scary when I want to. He hurries off in his truck and I feel Haley relax slightly into me as she realizes he's gone. I kiss her softly on the forehead. I have to show her I care. Because as much as I don't like here, this was my fault. And a small part of me feels guilty for that. "It's OK, Haley," I say into her hair soothingly.
I know I'm confusing her, but she brings out the best and the worst in me. Who knows? Maybe someday we can learn to get along. We're not doing too bad of a job right now, but I know it won't last. It never does with us.
She lifts her head slowly to look up at me and I just want to kiss her again. Damn Dick and his timing. If he wasn't so clue-less, we could still be making out right now.
She looks up at me and I look down at her. She so wants me.
I lean down, almost in slow motion and I feel her shift nervously against me. Then, I'm kissing her again. And I don't want it to feel this good. But it does. And I don't have the willpower to stop it. She stands up on her toes, pushing up against me, giving me better access to her lips. I tighten my grip, holding her up. My lips move to her neck and she lets out a soft, almost inaudible moan as I suck just below her pulse point.
I'm not exactly sure how long we stand there like that, making out on the side of the road, but it still seems too short. I pull away slightly, looking around in a daze for somewhere we can rest on. I'm getting tired of holding her up. Maybe I wouldn't have to if she wasn't such a shorty. But she kisses me again and I lose all train of thought.
Then, she's the one to pull away as she looks around. We're standing right outside a McDonalds, so she takes my hand and leads me inside. What the hell?! Food's the last thing on my mind right now. But she leads me past the counter and to the back where the rest rooms are. She looks back and forth between the two doors and I can tell she doesn't know which one to go in. Tough call. But there usually aren't that many people in the men's room, so I take charge, leading her in there.
I push her up against the wall, determined to finish what we started. As we make out some more, somehow, her legs end up around my waist. But that's fine by me. I thought maybe twenty minutes would satisfy me, but as time wears on, I realize nothing will. I just want her more with every passing second.
My hands slide under the hem of her shirt, exploring the smooth skin of her stomach. She reaches up and grabs my head, pulling my lips harder against hers. My hands slide up further, and, forgetting where we are, I lift her shirt over her head and toss it to the floor. But she doesn't stop me.
And then, someone chooses that precise moment to come in. And ruin our moment. Yet again. I can feel Haley looking over my shoulder, but I just bury my head in the crook of her neck, breathing hard. "Damn it!" I whisper. Her legs slowly return to the floor and she straightens up. But I can't bring myself to face whoever it is.
Haley nudges me and I turn slowly to find some twenty year old guy standing behind us. "What are you looking at?" I growl, beyond frustrated.
"Get a fucking room!" the guy bites out. I don't let go of Haley's waist as I drag her angrily out the door and across the way to the girl's room.
She smiles at me as I lead her into the first stall and quickly lock the door behind us, pressing her up against the wall. "Someone's impatient," she teases. But I'm not in the mood for games as I lower my lips back to hers.
The door to the bathroom opens and I hear several feminine giggles and girl's voices. There must be four or five of them. I ignore it and continue kissing her. She doesn't seem to care either. Until someone knocks on our stall door and says politely, "Hey, girl. Think you could hurry up?"
Now, I'm really pissed off. Why do people have to keep interrupting us? So, not caring what it looks like, I unlock the door and shove it open. Four wide eyed, open mouthed girls stare back at us.
I stare back at them. "Nathan?" says one of them.
"Brooke?"
Dun, dun, dun! What do you guys think? Were you surprised? What's funny is that I actually didn't even plan for the to happen when I started writing the chapter, but it just kind of ended up that way. Anyway, thanks again for all the amazing feedback I got. It was the best yet! Keep those reviews coming and I promise I'll do my best to update faster this time, no matter what my schedule is.
I love all of you!
Always and forever :), Ashley
Oh yeah, and P.S. (why do I always forget this part) are you guys liking the spoiler thing? Because I can keep doing it if you do. Well, I'll go ahead with it this time and if you don't like them, then I suggest you stop reading here.
Haley meets Brooke and Co. How will they react to each other? Nathan beats a guy up for a certain feisty brunette... and will another unexpected guest be the end of Nathan and Haley's alone time on their journey? Let's hope not, but anything's possible in this story.
I hope that was enough to nudge your mouses toward that nice little Go button. You know, your best friend next to the lovely Submit Review sign? Please? For me? Thanks, I knew you'd come around. :)