Thank you again for sticking with the story, reading and reviewing the chapters. I appreciate them so much and the interest has helped inspire the next few chapters to come together quickly.
Enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think...
~~~ "I'm Never Alone, I'm Alone All the Time" ~~~
* Chapter Forty*
"I got us another round!" Haley announced as she made her way from the bar to the table she'd been congregating at with Tyler and Walker. The lights were flashing inside the club along with the steady beat from the DJ booth.
Walker looked back at Haley and greeted her with a surprised grin. He took the shot glass from her extended hand paused while the rest were distributed. Haley handed the third shot glass to Tyler and then looked at both her band mates.
"Who's turn is to toast?" Tyler asked with a happy grin.
"It's mine…let me think of a good one…ummmmm…." Walker said trailing off as he tried to rack his brain.
Haley offered an eye roll followed by a shallow sigh while she became instantly impatient.
"Ok, this is gonna be a good one…let's toast to…uhhhh no wait I change my mind..." Walker started again but paused mid-sentence once more.
"A simple cheers will do!" Haley interjected and then clanked her shot glass between Walker's and Tyler's before quickly tossing it back.
Tyler looked on wide eyed as he chuckled, "Whoa James ain't playing tonight!"
She stacked her glass onto of the four other shot glasses she'd downed since she arrived. She flashed Tyler a cheeky grin and then looked back at Walker who was still holding his shot. She looked down at the shot and then back at Walker. Haley snatched the glass from Walker and brought it to her lips before he knew what had happened it was empty.
"Snooze you lose!" she declared with a laugh.
Walker's mouth gaped open slightly in shock. He'd partied with Haley for years now however had never seen her this way.
"Let's dance!" Tyler shouted over the music hoping the redirection would help ease any awkwardness. She responded quickly and followed Tyler on to the floor.
Walker, Tyler and Haley moved to the music throughout the sweaty sea of bodies bumping into one another. The temperature on the floor combined with the alcohol began to hit Haley's blood stream strong. Not even 20 minutes later, Haley pulled Tyler's head close to her face.
"It's your turn to get a round!" Haley yelled directly into Tyler's ear in an effort to be heard over the pounding music.
"Now?" Tyler questioned back a bit surprised.
Haley nodded in response and then turned her body away from Tyler's to resume dancing with a group of women she'd befriended. Tyler waved Walker over to him once Haley's back was turned. They took a few steps away from Haley before one of them finally spoke again.
"What?" Walker hollered as he placed his hand on Tyler's back to steady himself.
"She's wants me to get another round of shots already. She's had like six shots or so and the first two she ordered were doubles. I think she's had enough for a while." Tyler said while cupped his hands over his mouth to ensure Walker heard everything he said the first time had been watching Haley as close as he could in the club and sacrificed his preference not to dance just to keep an eye on her. Her cheeks were flushed red as he watched her body move to the beat.
Haley looked over to her right and out of the corner of her eye she saw a tall figure with dark black hair. Immediately, her heart stopped and she couldn't take her eyes off of him. She watched as a short dark haired woman wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him close. Could it be?..Slowly the couple turned around and Haley was finally able to make out the details of his face. The man had similar features to Nathan from behind. The tall build, muscular tone and dark head of hair screamed Nathan Scott. However, the moment his face came into view, she knew her mind was playing tricks on her. The man in question had a thick dark mustache on his upper lip and a hoop ring through his lower lip. It wasn't the first time her eyes had played tricks on her.
Something snapped in her and Haley tried to force the feelings that had come rushing back to her away. She was starting to feel again and couldn't deal with that. She finally glanced over towards where she last saw Walker and Tyler. They were standing close to one another and clearly involved in a conversation. Haley took advantage of the moment and slipped off towards the bar to order herself another drink. Anything to numb the pain.
Nathan Scott was the ideal NBA client for his new management company to represent. He was dedicated to the game and did whatever he had to do to perform and get the job done. The topic of Nathan's knee injury was a thing of the past now that he was playing at an optimal level and the statistics didn't lie. His numbers were up for overall playing time per game, three pointers, and assists. The L.A. Clippers had played their way into the semi-finals. Nathan Scott the NBA player was at the top of his game and it appeared as if nothing would get in his way now. Nathan Scott the man was another story entirely.
Nathan followed the rest of the team to the Clippers locker room for post-game interviews after the team had one by two-points in OT. He used the towel draped over his neck to wipe a bead of sweat that had crept down into his line of vision. He felt a heavy hand pat his back and quickly looked up to see who the hand belonged to.
"Nice winning shot Scott!"
Nathan offered a head nod and replied, "Couldn't have done it without your assist man." He offered Parker a small smile and then headed over to his locker to finish his interviews with the media.
Parker later walked over towards Nathan who was finishing up buttoning up his blue dress shirt.
"Scott, you coming out with us tonight?" Parker asked hopefully.
Nathan looked over at his team mate and noticed he was already dressed and ready to go.
"Naaaw, I'm pretty beat tonight. I think I'm gonna head home instead. Rain check?" Nathan replied.
Parker's face fell slightly and said, "That's what you said last time. What's with you bro? There is more to life then the game. I only ever see you on the court or in the gym. It's like you're a machine or something. It's ok to take a night off every once in a while."
Nathan opened his mouth to respond but words seemed to fail him. Parker noticed a shift in his eyes and stepped a bit closer to Nathan.
"Seriously though, I appreciate how hard you work at the game and everything you've done to get it back but there is more to life than this. You've kinda been obsessed with conditioning and stuff ever since….I know you said this before but I gotta ask again. Are you sure you're ok? It's been like four months since you and Haley broke up."
Nathan winced inside as if someone stabbed him with a dagger in his stomach.
Nathan glanced back at Parker and responded quickly, "I'm fine."
Parker's eye brow rose up with suspicion and said, "Bull shit! I'm not buying it."
Nathan looked away and took a deep breath before he spoke again this time with honesty.
"I'm working on it man." He felt Parker give his shoulder a quick squeeze as a sign of comfort.
After finishing up in the locker room, Nathan quickly hopped in his car and headed home. He entered through the garage door and dropped his gym bag on the floor by the door. He neglected to turn any lights on until he entered the kitchen. Why bother. He dropped his keys and phone on the center island and then went to the refrigerator. The glaring light blinded him for a second as he searched for a cold bottle of Powerade. He took a big gulp before setting it down on the counter next to his phone. He headed to down the hall towards his bedroom and changed out of his game day clothes. Minutes later he grabbed his phone and drink from the kitchen before settling in the living room stretched out on the couch. He flipped the television on and began to surf the channels trying to find something to lose himself in and to drowned out the quiet. His iPhone illuminated and began to vibrate signaling a call coming in. Nathan picked the phone up off the cushion next to him and swiped his finger across the screen.
"What's up man?" Nathan announced.
"Way to hit the winning shot Nate! I just wanted to call and congratulate you on moving on in the semi-finals."
"Thanks Luke. They put up a damn good fight in overtime and I have to admit I'm exhausted." He commented as he turned the volume down on the remote for the television.
"You should be, you played a great game tonight Nate." Lucas replied.
Nathan cracked a small smile as he said, "Thank you. Enough of me, how are you guys doing?"
"Things are good. Same old same old for me."
"I wasn't asking just about you dumb ass. How is Brooke doing?" Nathan replied sarcastically.
Lucas laughed out loud before he said, "I'm hurt bro. I thought we were friends."
Both men shared laugh together until Lucas spoke again, "She's doing good too. Busy with work like always."
"That girl stops at nothing even now." Nathan stated in amazement.
Lucas continued, "At least now she's over the puking stage and able to eat and keep her food down."
"Dude, I still can't believe you're going to be a Dad." He confessed.
"Tell me about it! Shit got real when we were able to hear the baby's heart beat at her last check-up." Lucas replied. He proceeded to tell Nathan about the appointment and the baby's growth. Lucas and Brooke had told Nathan they were expecting their first child a month earlier and he couldn't have been happier for his old friends.
"She literally passed out on the couch by half time and I finally had to send her to bed. I'm sure she won't stop working until the baby's about to come out. You know how she can be." Lucas concluded.
"There is nothing wrong with working hard like that to reap good benefits." Nathan pointed out.
"So is that why you hit the gym at home before you go to practice with the team on game days?" Lucas fired back.
"I didn't get this good by playing soft now did I?"
"No but it sounds like you're using the gym as a way to escape reality." Lucas added bluntly catching Nathan a bit off guard.
"Whatever Luke!"
"Nate come on, with everything that happened with Dan and your relationship with Haley ending the way it did. No one would blame you for trying to avoid it all but eventually you need to deal with it."
Nathan was immediately consumed with his own thoughts as his feelings about Dan and their dysfunctional relationship. Even when he thought back to a time when his mother was still alive, their relationship was always strained. And then there was the subject of Haley James. She had now become his kryptonite ever since he somehow found the courage to walk away from her.
The last few months began to race through his mind and his heart ached. He remembered when news broke about Quinn James leaving The Fire Pistols to focus on her pregnancy. Nathan had tried his best to avoid anything related to Haley as if she never existed. It was easier that way. He'd been watching television in bed one night when the news story popped up on the screen. A picture of the original line up of The Fire Pistols flashed on the screen and Nathan panicked. He tried desperately to search for the remote to make her go away but couldn't locate it in the midst of all the bedding. He stopped his search when he heard the news of a new member being added to the band. His eyes snapped back to the television screen as video footage began to air showing the new keyboardist and singer in action while the band played along with him. Yes, it was a him. Nathan stopped listening when the news anchor stated his name was Tyler Richmond. Haley's voice invaded his ears as he watched the video of the band playing together. It was the first time he'd let himself see anything about Haley since their break up. Try as he might, he couldn't manage to tear his eyes away from her. At first he thought it was because he hadn't seen her in a while but ultimately he concluded that it was because she looked different. The still shot of the band posing for a magazine covered showed Haley at the center of the band with a serious smirk on her face. A far cry from the flirty smile she used to display when posing for press related to The Fire Pistols. Of course Peyton Sawyer was standing off to the side in the background.
"Nate…are you even listening to me?" Lucas called out ripping Nathan from his trip down memory lane.
"Uhh yeah sorry man. I'm just kinda tired tonight. What did you say?" Nathan asked trying to recover and be in the moment.
"I was just saying that maybe you should just get over your pride and call Haley and tell her you made a mistake in letting her go. I know you Nathan and you loved her…I mean really loved this girl in a way I've never seen you do. You still love her. That has to count for something." He declared boldly.
"It's not that simple Luke and you know that. After everything she's been through with that punk West and the bull shit with Peyton and the label…..She's better off this way." Nathan concluded hoping he sounded confident.
"Better off for who Nate? If you ask me, I'd say you're miserable and…"
"Well I didn't ask you now did I?" Nathan challenged back cutting him off.
"OK I'm sorry it's just if you're going to move on from her then move on Nathan. It's been long enough and you need to get out and live your life."
After a moment of silence, Nathan quietly replied, "I know Luke."
"But if you think you made a mistake in walking away from her then you've gotta fight like hell to get her back and make it right."
Lucas' final words stuck with Nathan for a while even after their conversation ended. Haley James consumed his thoughts as he crawled into bed alone as he waited for sleep to finally come.
Haley sat at the bar and attempted to listen to her "new" friends converse back and forth but truth be told she didn't really care what they were talking about. She was desperately looking for anything to take her mind off of Nathan Scott and that feeling deep within her core. The feeling she got whenever she allowed herself to think about him over the last four months. A feeling she despised and lately would stop at nothing to make it disappear before she nearly lost herself completely. Her mind began to wander back as the events played over in her mind.
It had only taken Peyton Sawyer a matter of minutes to arrange a suite at a hotel downtown for Haley to stay in while she waited for her house to sell after things ended with Nathan. With the help of Chris, Haley had managed to pack up the contents of home and move them to a nearby storage unit. It felt safe to have her life under lock and key. A key only she contained now. Anything to help her feel in control of her life and the direction it was going. Haley's thoughts shifted back to present time yet another shot was pushed down the bar only to stop directly in front of her. She plastered the fake smile she'd grown accustomed to wearing on her face and picked up the shot glass to toast with her friends.
"It's your call man, you know her better than I do. What are we going to do?" Tyler asked Walker after they'd spent the last few minutes talking about Haley.
Walker nodded in acknowledgement and then answered, "We should call it a night. Let's grab Hales and head back to the hotel." He looked past Tyler to where they'd left Haley moments earlier.
His eyes widened as he quickly tried to search the crowd for her familiar face.
"Where did she go?" Walker asked prompting Tyler to turn around as well to aide his new band mate in his search.
"She was just right there a few minutes ago." Tyler declared pointing his finger in the general direction.
The two scanned the dance floor together and soon both stopped when they found Haley seated at the bar. She was in the process of becoming sandwiched in between two guys who were clearly trying their best to impress her at that very moment. Walker headed toward the bar with Tyler hot on his heels. Just as he reached her, the man seated next to her reached out and begin to run his hand down her arm.
"Hales, there you are. It's time to head back to the hotel." Walker announced as he stepped in between her and the man sitting next to her. He swiftly brushed the stranger's hand off of her arm as he waited for her response. It took a few moments for Walker's words to register but when they did Haley looked back with displeasure.
"No! I'm not ready to go yet. You can go if you want but I don't need a babysitter!" She declared sharply. She tried to raise her hand to get the bartender's attention but Walker quickly grabbed her wrist before she accomplished anything. He felt Haley's annoyed glare but blatantly ignored her. He'd never seen this side of her before and quite frankly it scared the hell out of him.
"Hales, you're drunk and have had enough. Let's get out of her before you embarrass yourself any more than you might have already. Come on…don't do this." Walker snapped and then let go of her wrist. Her mind started to swirl as the nights events started to fall into place.
"What the hell dude? If she wants to stay then let her." Said the man who'd gotten Haley her last shot at the bar. He tried to move himself closer to Haley only to be stopped once again by Walker. Walker turned to the right and was finally face to face with him. He stood slightly an inch taller and puffed his chest up slightly.
"Back off punk! She's done!" Walker spat as he engaged in a stare down with the man. Thankfully Tyler budged his way in between and was able to create more distance between the two men. Unfortunately, the small group was starting to draw more attention than desired with all of the commotion.
All too suddenly the room began to spin and Haley found herself gripping the edge of the bar as she slowly blinked. She tried to focus her eyes once they opened hoping the room had stopped moving but had no such luck. Walker signaled the bartender to cut Haley off and then turned toward Tyler.
"Get her back to the VIP room and don't leave her side. I'm gonna go outside to call Chris and tell him what's going on. I'll come back when I've got us a ride back to the hotel." Walker ordered and then turned toward her once more.
"Haley come on let's go back to the VIP room for some privacy for a while." Walker instructed. He gently ushered her body to get up from the stool and barely heard her mumble something as she allowed them to lead her away from the bar. He was surprised she hadn't resisted more to leaving the bar. Once she was on her way, Walker took the opportunity to head outside to make his call. It took but three rings for Chris to answer.
"You better not be drunk dialing me from your hotel room that's just down the hall from mine." Chris said into the phone without even saying bothering to say hello first.
"Chris it's Haley."
Chris bolted up from his bed and exclaimed, "What happened?"
"She's completely trashed and refusing to leave the club. I've never seen her this bad before." Walker confessed in despair.
"What happened? How could you let her drink so much?" Chris accused instantly upset at what he'd just heard.
"I….I don't know how it all happened so fast. She hit the drinks hard and made some friends in the club while she was dancing. Ty and I are trying to get her to leave and she is pissed." He answered.
"Keep her as calm as you can and I'll be right there." Chris announced before he hung up. He dressed quickly and was out of the door hailing a taxi cab in under three minutes. The drive to the club felt as though it took forever but feelings of fear washed over Chris as the cab pulled up to the entrance of the club and he saw Walker standing alone outside. Chris paid the driver as he flew out of the car not bothering to close the door behind him.
"Where is she?" Chris questioned as he reached where Walker was standing.
"She's still with Tyler in the back room. I told him to watch her to make sure she didn't get any more drinks. I've never seen her drink like this before. Something happened to her..it's like a switch went off or something." He answered silently hoping he didn't come across as scared as he felt.
Chris nodded and then followed Walker back into the club and through the car. The two men eased through into the VIP access and soon were able to hear the sound of Haley yelling from behind the door. They opened the door and walked in on a heated disagreement.
"You just need to shut up and mind your own damn business! You don't even know what the hell you're talking about! I can leave if I want to." Haley screamed in a slur at Tyler only to become angrier when he sat there and said nothing in response.
Chris stood frozen for a moment taking in just how drunk Haley had gotten but then quickly got into action.
"Haley, what the hell are you doing?" He cried out as he walked towards her. Her head snapped up in surprise and then she met his eyes with hers. The blank stare and eyes full of hate told a story Chris hadn't expected to encounter.
"What am I doing? Shouldn't you be asking them?" She shot back pointing at Walker and Tyler. "They are what's wrong and they're pissing me off." She continued not making much of any sense to her band mates.
Chris looked at both of them and quietly said, "Give me a minute with her. Get a car to be at the back entrance in five minutes." They merely nodded and then left the room quickly.
Chris timidly took a few steps towards Haley who was looking around herself for a place to sit down. She settled on a singular chair in the corner of the room and let her head fall to her hands. He stopped in front of her and crouched down on the floor in front of her chair.
"Hales…"
"Don't tell me you're here to tell me what to do too! If I hear one more person tell me what I need to do for my image or this band I'm going to lose it completely." Haley exclaimed without bothering to look away from the floor she'd been studying in a last ditch effort to stop the room from moving on her.
"I'm here to get my friend home safely. That's it…" Chris said calmly and then reached out to touch her knees. This caused her to jump in surprise and their eyes locked once more. This time he saw fear and uncertainty staring back at him. He held her gaze for a moment until she finally nodded in agreement to his request to leave. She looked back at him and appeared completely defeated from the night's events. Slowly he reached for her arm to help steady her as she stood up from the chair. Instantly he felt her body trembling under his hand. He swiftly unzipped and took his sweatshirt off. Haley made no effort to resist as he helped her put the sweatshirt on before they left the room together. He pulled up the hood to cover Haley's head as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder before they left the room together. Chris held her body close making sure she didn't stumble or fall as they walked out of the club to the car that was waiting for them. The ride back to the hotel was completely silent except for the hum of the tires on the paved roads.
The moment Chris pulled the key card out of the lock Haley rushed past him and headed straight for the bathroom the door slamming behind her. He looked back at Walker and Tyler and assured them he would stay with her for the rest of the night to make sure she is ok. They went back to their respective room as Chris locked the door after them and then flipped the lights on in Haley's hotel room as he walked across the room. He stopped just outside the bathroom door and tapped the door lightly with his knuckles before calling out to her.
"You ok?"
The only response he heard was the sounds of her gagging and vomiting in the toilet. Chris waited a moment before he called out again.
"I'm fine…" was all he heard from behind the door before she resumed throwing up.
Chris stepped away from the door and went over to the mini bar. He grabbed a bottle of water and brought it over to the table beside the bed. He set it down and found himself soon seated on the bed as he began to wait. His body felt tense as he waited for her to rid her body of the all the alcohol she'd consumed hours earlier praying for her sake it would be over soon.
Haley knelt in front of the toilet and gripped the bowl with her hands as her body purged once more. Her head was pounding and she could feel her body shaking as she hung on for dear life. Her eyes began to water as her stomach continued to dry heave. As her body started to slow down, she let her eyes open trying to register just how drunk she really felt. She blinked several times as the makeup that had seeped into her eyes worked it's way out. Her hand reached for the handle to flush the contents again but not before the sight of red in the water caught the corner of her eye. Her stomach ached signaling just how bad she'd let herself get tonight. She knew she hadn't consumed any fruit drinks or shots and that indeed it was blood. She wiped her eyes with her hand and then closed the lid as she got herself off the floor.
Haley moved to the sink to find something to rinse her mouth out with to get rid of the metallic taste still remaining. Her eyes darted back and forth over the counter until she found a small bottle of mouth wash. She brought it to her lips and poured a large amount directly into her mouth, swished it around and then spit it out in the sink. Her eyes traveled from the sink up and it was then she finally saw her own reflection in the mirror. She stared back in shock as she took in her appearance. Her makeup had run down underneath her eyes and to her cheeks. She looked closer at the image staring back at her and couldn't believe it was even her. This is what she'd let herself sink to. This was who she was now. Her eyes looked empty and her heart ached as she continued to look. Her eyes began to swell and she felt her chest start to rise and fall quickly. Tears came over her and she took a step away from the mirror. Haley brought her hands to her head as she dropped to the floor. Her back rested against the tub and her knees soon found their way up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around them and couldn't stop the sobs from escaping her lips now no matter how hard she tried.
Chris' head shot up the moment he heard noise come from the bathroom he hadn't heard before. He got up and approached the door once more.
"Haley, are you ok?" He called out to her once again.
He could now hear her sobbing from behind the door and instantly he tried to turn the door knob. Locked.
"Come on, Hales…let me in!" He said a bit louder hoping to be heard over her cries. There was no movement inside signaling she was obeying his request and unlocking the door. He turned the knob again and felt resistance of the locking mechanism within.
"Haley, you're scaring me now. Please open the door so I can know you're ok."
Haley took several deep breathes desperately trying to get a hold of herself.
"I'm fine, I'll be right out." Was all she said and then the crying stopped. He heard a rustling sound behind the door and the sound of water beginning to run.
Haley splashed the cold water on her face and rubbed the palms of her hands over her eyes and cheeks. She rubbed several times over her eyes washing whatever make up might still be there. She turned the water off and dried her face with the stark white hand towel. She took a chance and glanced once more at the mirror hoping for a more appealing result that she'd received minutes earlier. Gone was the mascara and eye liner that had smeared from her eyes but still present were the dark circles showing she indeed wasn't sleeping as well as she used to. Her skin looked gray and lacked the rosy hue it once possessed. Her hair hung lifeless over her shoulders and lacked any shine. Officially feeling disgusted with herself, she left the sink and unlocked the bathroom door taking one last breathe before facing Chris who no doubt wanted answers.
Please be kind and leave me a review :)
Thanks for reading!