So this chapter is kind of a filler. There's no Naley, but it's really important. Next chapter will focus on Nathan. I split the chapter, so that's why it's short. I didn't want to keep you waiting, so I just posted what I had. Hope you don't mind. Enjoy :)
Haley woke up from hearing a loud, rapid knock at her door, and she groaned as she buried her face under her pillow.
"Tutor girl! Are you alive?" Brooke screamed as she knocked louder on Haley's door.
Haley moaned again, "Go Away!"
"Haley! Let me in!" Brooke pounded on the door.
"Brooke- it's-" Haley glanced at the clock, and saw the time on her clock read 12:23 pm. Her eyes widened instantly. She never slept this late before in her life. Haley usually was one who woke up at 7 am every single morning. "I'm sleeping." She mumbled.
Brooke rolled her eyes, "If you don't open this door right now, I'm going to push it down!" Brooke insisted.
If Haley's head didn't feel like an elephant was sitting on it, she wold have laughed. "Okay, I'm coming!" Haley shouted as she rolled out of bed. She glanced at herself in the mirror, and groaned again. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, and she was wearing an old Charlotte Bobcats sweatshirt, that Nathan gave her when she was 18. It was oversized but she didn't care because it was comfortable, and it reminded her of Nathan, and the night that he gave it to her; when they were all surrounded by the fire, and she sang in front of him for the first time. She almost smiled at the memory, but let out a loud groan when Brooke didn't stop knocking on the door.
"What do you want Brooke?" Haley mumbled bitterly.
"Good morning to you too, Tutor girl!" Brooke said sarcastically, as she pushed her way inside of Haley's apartment.
Haley rolled her eyes, "Sure, come on in." She said in the same tone of voice, and made her way back to her bedroom. Once she was inside, she jumped onto her bed and crawled back under the covers.
Brooke followed Haley into her room, and sat on her bed. "Hales, it's almost 12:30, why are you still in bed?"
Haley popped her head up from under the covers and frowned, "Sleeping helps heal the pain." She whined.
Brooke bit the inside of her cheek, "I'm really worried about you Haley James! You left the bar last night with out saying goodbye, and I called you 12 times this morning but you never picked up!"
"My phone was off." Haley mumbled.
"I thought you might have went home with Nathan." Brooke winked.
Haley let out a frustrated sigh, "No."
"Uh oh. Did something happen last night?" Brooke asked coyly.
Haley shook her head furiously, and hid back under the covers.
"Hales..." Brooke whined, and pushed Haley gently. "What happened?"
Haley responded with another groan, and Brooke literally ripped the covers off of her, creating Haley to curse.
"Nathan kissed me!" Haley shouted, and then brought both of her hands to cover her mouth.
Brooke jumped up and smiled widely, "Are you serious?"
Haley bit her lip, and sat up in her bed, as she brought one hand to her forehead. "First of all, please stop screaming. I have a massive hang over, and yes I'm serious."
"Are you sure it wasn't like a dream?" Brooke asked.
Haley felt the corners of her mouth slightly tug upwards, "Yeah, I'm sure."
"Oh, Hales! This is great!" Brooke cheered again.
Haley rolled her eyes, "Does it look like I'm great?" Haley bit out.
Brooke cocked her jaw to the side, "Right, sorry. Okay, so why is bitch being a Haley?"
Haley chuckled slightly, "Well he kissed me, and I let him..."
"Okay, usually kisses are a good thing, so where is this leading?" Brooke intervened.
"Well, I was drunk, so I wasn't thinking clearly, and when he kissed me, all of these emotions came flooding back to me." Haley explained slowly.
"Wait-" Brooke asked. "Was it a good kiss?"
Haley furrowed her eyebrows, "What do you mean?"
"Like, was there tongue?"
Haley couldn't help but laugh, "Um, yeah.. there was." She admitted shyly.
Brooke squealed, "Oh my gosh! This is so great! So on a scale of 1 to 10, how great was it?"
"11." Haley smiled nervously.
Brooke screamed again, and started to jump up and down. "So then why are you all like depressed?"
Haley rolled her eyes, "Because you're missing the point Brooke. I shouldn't have let that happened. I don't even know what I was thinking."
"Hales, this is great! Haven't you been wanting to kiss him? Why aren't you happy?"
"Because, are you forgetting what happened? He broke my heart! I can't let myself fall for him again. I'm finally moving on, and now last night he ruined everything!" Haley sighed.
"What do you mean?"
Haley ran a hand through her messy dirty blonde hair, "Because... because... last night, that kiss... it made me feel things that I haven't felt in five years!"
"What kind of things?" Brooke asked patiently.
"Those butterflies in my stomach, and my heart was beating so fast I thought it would burst, and my palms were all sweaty-"
"Sweetie, that's called being in love." Brooke advised.
Haley groaned, and buried her face back in her pillow.
"Did you kiss him back?" Brooke asked curiously.
Haley nodded, "Yeah... which really wasn't a good idea-"
"Why not?"
"Because I led him on, and now I feel bad."
Brooke bit her lip, "Well what happened after you kissed?"
Haley closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Well before we kissed, we were arguing, but I looked into his eyes, and they just brought so many memories back. The next thing I know, his lips were on mine, and I could literally feel myself getting lost in it. All I could think about was our first kiss, and how amazing it was. I wanted to feel like that again, so I kissed him back, and I just- it was- it felt right. You know? Like that's what I was supposed to be doing. So we were kissing, and I knew I would end up regretting it, but in that moment, I never felt more alive. It's like he woke something up in me." Haley took another deep breath, "It was one of the best kisses I've ever had." She admitted shyly. "It was so intense, and I could tell he was pouring all of his emotions in to it. He was always a good kisser, but I never remembered it feeling that intense." Haley blushed. "So when he put his arms around me, it's like I finally came back to reality. The moment he touched me, I felt all of those familiar sparks, and I opened my eyes, and pushed him off of me."
Brooke sat there with wide eyes, "Why the hell would you do that?"
"Because I was so close to letting him back in, but I can't!" Haley sighed sadly.
Brooke sighed and stuck her tongue in the corner of her cheek, "Okay, I'm really confused. Weren't you the one who told him to leave five years ago?"
Haley nodded, "Yeah, and I know, it was the biggest mistake of my life- but there's more to it."
"What do you mean?"
Haley inhaled sharply, "Okay, the only person who knows about this is Peyton, because she was there with me."
"Haley! What the hell? What haven't you told me? I thought I was your best friend!" Brooke shouted.
"I know, you are, and I'm sorry I never told you, I just don't like talking about it." Haley explained softly.
"Okay, well what the hell happened?"
Haley popped herself up against her head board, and gulped.
"Okay, well, Peyton and I came home early, from California for Thanksgiving break, freshman year. I went to Stanford, and she went to UNC, so we decided to take the same flight home-"
"Wait, I don't remember this!" Brooke interupted.
Haley laughed slightly, "I know, you and Luke stayed in New York. Anyway, let me get back to the story..."
"Are you ready for this?" Peyton asked her friend, as they landed in Durham, North Carolina airport.
"Ready as I'll ever be." Haley breathed.
Peyton pulled Haley in for a hug, as they went to grab their luggage from the conveyor belt. "So what's the plan?" Peyton asked.
Haley grabbed her purple suitcase and wheeled it through the terminal as they walked to the exit, and waited patiently for a taxi.
"Well I was just going to wing it-"
"Haley James, you can't just show up- after not seeing someone for two months, I might add- and just wing an 'I love you!'" Peyton advised.
Haley bit her lip, "I know, I just don't know what to say. What if he doesn't remember me-?"
Peyton laughed, "I really don't think that's going to happen."
"Okay, but I'm still freaking out! Thank you again for coming with me."
"That's what friends are for right?" Peyton smiled.
A few seconds later, a yellow taxi came pulling up along side the curb, and Peyton whistled loudly. The taxi came to a screeching halt, and the two girls climbed in.
"Where to, ladies?" The gruff, elderly driver asked.
"Duke University, please." Haley stated nervously.
After about a fifteen minute drive, they finally made it outside of Cameron Stadium, where the Duke Blue Devils would hold their first game of the season.
"Are you here to watch the game?" The driver asked.
Haley and Peyton both nodded, "Yeah, her boyfriend is the star player." Peyton responded.
"You're dating Nathan Scott!?" The driver asked with a shocked expression on his face.
Haley blushed, "Um, yeah kind of."
"Wow, well have fun, and good luck!" The driver said in a jovial voice.
Haley smiled politely, and handed him the fare. "Thank you, have a nice night."
"You too." The driver said, and pulled away once Peyton and Haley were out.
"Peyton!" Haley shrieked, "Why'd you tell him Nathan was my boyfriend?"
"Because technically you never broke up." Peyton smiled coyly.
Haley bit her lip, "I guess your right. What if he moved on?" Haley asked sadly. The question was plaguing her mind all day. "I mean, he never even called. It's been two months-"
Peyton sighed, "Haley, you need to relax. We're going to watch him play, and then you're going to go up to him after the game, and tell him you love him, and everything is going to work out."
Haley smiled. "I hope you're right. But what happens after I tell him? How are we supposed to work?"
"You're Naley. I'm sure you'll find a way." Peyton smiled as she used the nick name that Brooke gave Nathan and Haley.
"Thanks Peyt." Haley smiled and walked into the crowded stadium. Their seats were pretty high up, so it would be impossible for Nathan to spot them; which is what Haley wanted. She was going to surprise him after the game, so she wanted to make sure he had no idea.
Nathan was in the locker room, starring into his gym locker and the other players patted him on the back as they walked by.
"Yo, Scott. You ready?" One of his teammates, Devon Fox, asked.
Nathan looked up, and smirked. "Ready as I'l ever be, I guess." Nathan said as he looked at the picture taped to his locker.
"Who's the hot chick?" Devon asked, when he looked over at Nathan who seemed to be in deep thought.
Nathan's head snapped up from the picture of a smiling Haley in his arms on the beach, and he smiled sadly. "The love of my life."
"Is she coming tonight?" Devon asked.
Nathan shrugged. "Doubt it."
"Well, I'm sure she'll be watching from where ever she is, so play your heart out tonight. Make her proud." Devon advised, and slammed his locker shut, and jogged over to the team huddle.
Nathan took a deep breath, as a wave of sadness hit him. His mind flashed back to the night when he and Haley were laying in the sand, talking about their futures. She said she would be at his first Duke game. She promised. Nathan scoffed. 'Why would she come? She's in Stanford, living her dream. She doesn't even love me.' Nathan thought bitterly.
He was forced out of his thoughts, when he heard his Coach call him. "Nathan, over here." Coach K shouted.
Haley stood on her feet, and clapped loudly when the announcer called the names of the basketball players.
"And Finally, Freshman, The newest starting player, number 23, Nathan Scott." The announcer called, and Nathan came sprinting out, with his infamous smirk. The stadium grew louder as soon as he ran on to the court.
Haley had to grab Peyton's arm, in order to steady herself. She felt as though she would pass out any second.
"You okay?" Peyton whispered.
Haley couldn't even speak, so she just nodded slowly. Her eyes were glues to Nathan's body. He was currently taking practice shots from the foul line, and god, he looked perfect doing it. She couldn't help but smile, as she watched him do what he loved.
Haley's fists balled as she heard the conversation between two blonde girls, take place behind her.
"Damn, he's hot!"
"Totally. I wonder if he's single."
"I heard that he was. Kelsey told me that she saw him hooking up with Victoria Green at the party last night."
"Oh my god, seriously?"
"Yeah!"
Peyton glanced over at Haley, who looked like she was about to cry. "Hey, don't listen to them. It's probably just a rumor." She whispered in Haley's ear.
Haley bit her lip."I hope you're right."
Haley couldn't argue, that Nathan looked hot. He was in his white uniform, and his muscles bulged in all the right places. His body glistened with sweat, and his freshly buzzed cut hair, had Haley drooling.
Down on the court, Nathan took place around the Duke Blue Devils logo, in the center, and was prepared for tip off. The player for Duke, tapped the ball, and Nathan grabbed it. He dribbled the ball down the court, and passed it to a fellow team mate. Nathan then ran down the court, underneath the basket, and the ball was passed to him. He leaped through the air, and dunked the ball. Haley instantly jumped up, and screamed wildly. She knew Nathan was good, from whens he watched him play against Lucas on vacation, but she never saw him play in a legit game. "Yay Nathan!" She cheered, and clapped loudly.
Peyton looked over at Haley, and smiled. This was the first time in two months, that she looked truly happy.
The rest of the game carried on just like that. Nathan was on fire. He scored the most baskets, and carried the team to an astonishing victory. The last ten seconds, Haley was sitting on the edge of the seats with nerves. Part of her was nervous for Nathan, even though she knew they would win, she still couldn't help but freak out a little. Haley was mostly freaking out, because of what she was going to do after the game. The entire time, she just kept preparing her speech about what she would say to Nathan. She was planning on telling him how much she loved him, and that she wanted another chance, and she pictured her running into his arms, and giving him a long kiss.
The final buzzer rang, causing Haley to stir from her thoughts, and she looked down at the court to see Nathan celebrating with his teammates.
"You ready?" Peyton asked with a huge smile.
Haley swallowed the lump in her throat. "Yeah."
"Okay, I'll meet you outside." Peyton said. "Good luck!"
Haley smiled, and gave a quick hug to her friend. "Thanks Peyton. I seriously owe you."
"Don't mention it. Now go get your man!"
Haley giggled, and made her way down to the court. She waited patiently, for Nathan to come out of the locker room, so she took a seat on a small bench. There was also a small group of girls wearing Nathan's jersey, waiting near Haley, holding pens. Groupies. Haley thought, and rolled her about two minutes of waiting, Nathan made his way out of the locker room. Haley looked up, and had butterflies in her stomach. He looked beyond sexy in his blue button up shirt, and navy striped tie. She wanted to run up to him and kiss him senselessly. She got up, and smiled, and slowly made her way over to him. She came to a screeching stop when she watched the scene play in front of her. Nathan didn't notice her because, a beautiful blonde girl, ran into his arms, and he spun her around, kissing her on the cheek. Haley felt like the world stopped. It felt like she was punched in the stomach a thousand times. She felt the bile burning through her esophagus, and tears instantly sprang to her eyes. She couldn't look anymore, so she just ran out of the gym doors, and let the tears stream down her face.
Peyton was waiting patiently under a street lamp, and turned around when she heard the doors opening.
"Hales, what's wrong?" Peyton asked worriedly as she saw Haley running toward her with puffy red eyes.
"He-he-he ha-has a-a-a g-irlf-riend." She stuttered.
"A what?" Peyton asked, trying to decipher the words that Haley was blubbering.
"A freaking girlfriend! He has a girlfriend!" Haley screamed. "I can't believe this!"
"I can't believe this!" Brooke screamed.
Haley finished the story, and sniffled as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Neither could I." She laughed sadly.
Brooke suddenly felt like the room was spinning. "So then what happened?"
"I left." Haley said simply.
"Why!?" Brooke shouted.
"Because I was a mess. I cried the entire way back to Tree Hill, and then probably for another year." She joked.
"Are you sure it was his girlfriend? I mean you said he kissed her on the cheek- maybe it was a misunderstanding. I mean, I never remembered him telling me he had another girlfriend. In fact, he never had a girlfriend after you. He was in a depression for a really long time." Brooke said.
Haley sighed, "I don't know. They looked really happy, and it killed me." She said as another tear fell from her eye.
Brooke stood up. "This is impossible. It has to be a misunderstanding! Why didn't you ever tell me?" Brooke cried.
"It hurt too much to think about it, and I really didn't want you to confirm that he was dating someone." Haley admitted softly.
Brooke huffed. "This is crazy. I need to go."
"Where are you going?' Haley cried.
"To find Nathan, and kick his ass."
Thanks for all the reviews. Sorry this is short. I wanted to update ASAP. I didn't have much time.
Thoughts?