Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

A/N: Here's the next one guys. I'm done school now so updates should be coming a bit faster from now till the end of the story. As usual thank you to everyone reading and especially the reviewers.

A little note about the second flashback in case there's any confusion. The stuff in italics is what I've already shown or spoken of and the stuff not in italics is basically Haley's thoughts on it. Thanks and enjoy.

…

Peyton chuckled a bit uneasily as Damien's demand to talk now sunk in. "Umm, now's really not a good time," she repeated to him. "Nathan's gonna be here any second so…"

Nathan. Damien's body became rigid at the hated name. That's why she'd blown him off? To meet Nathan in the boiler room for a quickie? "Nathan," he began with clenched teeth. "is busy flirting with Shelly," he said purposefully.

Peyton's brow arched. Flirting with Shelly? It couldn't be. "He was just thanking her for testifying for him," she replied, knowing Nathan had mentioned wanting to do that.

"Yeah, he was thanking her all right," Damien shot back. He'd seen Nathan on the quad with her when he'd come back to the school. Sure there had been others at the table and he wasn't actually flirting with her, but Damien was sure, considering Nathan's history, that Peyton could be convinced otherwise. "Straight into the janitor's closet."

For a moment she looked hurt and Damien figured she was buying it—and why wouldn't she—but then she shook her head firmly. "He wouldn't do that. Not now."

'Stupid, unwarranted faith,' Damien thought with annoyance. He wouldn't do that? Please. "You're saying I'm making it up?" he asked.

"No," Peyton replied, more uncomfortable than before. "I'm saying you're…mistaken," she said, choosing her words carefully.

He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I saw them, Peyton. I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "No. It's not possible," she denied. "He's changed. He asked me to marry him…"

"He hasn't changed, and he proposed to you so you'd stop questioning him."

She continued shaking her head, not wanting to believe that he could be telling the truth. "That's not true. He loves me. Why are you saying these things?"

"Because they're true. He's just playing you."

"Listen, I don't know why you're slamming him, but I don't appreciate it," she said with arms crossed. "He gets enough backlash from other people, he doesn't need it from him friends too."

"I'm only saying it because I care about you, Peyton. And is he really my friend when just this morning he was warning me to stay away from you?"

Peyton glanced at him, not surprised in the least to hear that Nathan had warned him away. More than once recently had Nathan mentioned that Damien seemed interested in her still. She'd blown it off as his usual unreasonable jealousy, but she was starting to wonder if he wasn't right on this one. It was certainly becoming more apparent that Damien's 'help' during Nathan's retention had more to do with her than with Nathan.

It made her feel foolish for not seeing it before now. She'd been so desperate to keep in touch with Nathan that she'd taken the help wherever she could get it. Yet, even if she had suspected Damien's true motivation before, she wasn't so sure she would have changed anything. Seeing Nathan had been her top priority.

She realized Damien was expecting an answer from her and she opened her mouth to give him one. "That's Nathan," she said. "If he said that, then you should probably get going. You don't want him to find you in here."

"So that's it?" he asked snidely. "Our developing relationship gets tossed down the toilet because Nathan's back and says so?"

Peyton felt a bit thrown off by the comment. It was one thing to learn he had a crush on her, but this was a little over the top. "Damien," she began. "I don't know what you think we had, but it wasn't a relationship. I wanted to see Nathan and you offered to help with that."

"It was more than that and you know it!" he snapped. "We talked. I held you. You cried on my shoulder when he a jerk to you..."

"And I'm sorry if you misinterpreted that, but…"

"It's always about him, isn't it?" he accused sharply.

She jumped at the outburst, but couldn't deny it. "Yes," she admitted. "I've never hidden that fact," she added, watching uneasily as his eyes glazed over with an intensity she couldn't really describe. It was a bit frightening if she was honest, and she suddenly felt like she should get out of there. "Look, what I can do is talk to him," she said, for some reason trying to appease him. "Tell him that you and I are friends and that he'll have to accept that."

"Friends."

"Yeah. You know what? I should see what's taking him anyway and then I can tell him."

She took a step toward the door but he blocked her path. That's when her heart began to race.

"You can tell him when he gets here," he said, his tone eerily calm.

And her body shivered involuntarily.

….

Over in the tutor center, Haley too trembled with fear as her rapist entered, a look of pure enjoyment on his face.

Oh God, it was happening. Just like her dream. He'd come after her. He wanted to rape her again. She'd read recently how it wasn't unusual for a woman to be raped by the same man in more than one instance when she knew him, which probably contributed to her nightmares. But this wasn't a dream. He was really there, and coming closer. She couldn't breathe.

He sat in the chair beside her, first taunting her by asking if she minded.

She wanted to stand up and run, but she found herself unable to move. What was wrong with her legs? Why wouldn't they carry her away?

Nathan smirked at her, already enjoying the torment he was inflicting. Hell, he hadn't even touched her and she was shaking uncontrollably. He stretched his legs out beneath the table, chuckling when they brushed against hers, causing her to stiffen.

"Wh-what do you want?" she managed to choke.

He smiled and picked up the paper she'd been looking at. Gracie's paper. "Maybe I'm looking for a new tutor," he said lightly. "You'd work cheaper than Mouth, right? I mean it's the least you could do after trying to fuck me over. Literally. Hell, you should do it for free. Then my dad could get off my back for costing him a fortune in lawyer's fees plus tutoring."

"Please just leave me alone," she asked, her voice small and shaky.

A sinister chuckle escaped his lips. "Oh now you want me to leave you alone. That didn't work so good when I was asking you for the same thing, did it?"

'So well', automatically came to her mind before she shook the thought away. She was in the room alone with her rapist, just like her nightmares; she didn't know what he was planning to do, and she was worried about his grammar? 'Head check, Haley,' she silently rebuked herself.

"Could be I don't want anything," he continued. "Maybe I just want to sit here with you because…well, because I can." He smiled condescendingly and went on. "Yep, no more fucking ankle bracelet or restrictions for me. Tell me, did you and Katie have fun controlling my every move here at school?"

"I-I don't know what you mean?"

"You know, constantly showing up everywhere I was at so that I'd have to either leave or get arrested."

"I didn't do that," she responded shakily. God, please let somebody come.

"Yeah, that was mostly Katie," he acknowledged. "But even still, I couldn't even go to the cafeteria at lunch time. Someone else, usually Peyton, had to go get my food and bring it to me. All because you were in there. Was that good times for you?"

"No, I…I didn't think about that…I…"

"But now," he continued. "no thanks to you, I'm a free man, and I can be wherever I want to be. Including right here with you," he said, watching as she squirmed in her seat. "Does that scare you?" he taunted and then chuckled. "Stupid question, huh? Seeing as you're shaking and all. Of course you're scared. And you should be. That's what happens when you have to face the guy you falsely accused. Bet you didn't think about that one either, huh? I'm supposed to be sitting in prison, right? Doing time for a rape that didn't even happen?"

She turned her face toward him then, his comment causing anger to momentarily override her fear. "You did rape me," she sneered. "You can deny it till you're blue in the face, but you know it's true."

He snorted in response. "Come on now," he said. "Why stick to that bullshit story when it's just you and me here? Who you trying to kid?"

The reminder, not that she needed one, that they were alone, caused her to shake more violently, and in turn humored him that much more.

"So what exactly are you afraid of?" he asked. "That I might actually make your accusation come true? You'd definitely have it coming," he told her, evoking a small whimper out of her. Damn this was easy. And so entertaining too. "Don't worry though," he continued. "Even if I could bring myself to do something like that, which, by the way, I never could, but if I could, I'm engaged now so I have to be good."

He lounged back in his seat, letting the silence create more discomfort for her, before going on. "Or maybe you think I'm gonna hit you or something," he said lightly. "You'd deserve that too. You've heard about my temper, right?" he asked in amusement. "I'm sure you have, from Lucas at least. Yeah, it gets pretty bad. It's hard to control sometimes. I just get so fucking pissed, you know, and then I lose it." He chuckled as she swallowed hard. "But guess what? You're in luck there too," he said, enjoying the complete control he had right now. "Cuz whatever you've heard about me and my temper," he said with a shrug. "I've never ever hit a girl." He leaned in very close to her ear. "Not even a lying bitch like you."

His close proximity was her complete undoing. Her body trembled violently and tears of pure freight made their way down her cheeks.

He leaned back again and simply laughed. "What? Did I say something sad? Never been called a bitch before? Cuz no offence, but that'd be kinda hard to believe considering all the shit you cause…"

"What are you doing?" came a voice from the doorway.

Haley let out a sigh of relief at the welcome interruption. Thank you, God.

Nathan's smirk held firmly in place, he turned toward the entrance where Mouth stood, his expression stern and disapproving. "Hey Mouth, what's up? I got your message, but I can't make it tonight. We're having dinner with…"

"I asked you a question," Mouth cut him off, coming fully inside to stand beside him. "What are you doing?" he repeated.

Nathan chuckled and stood to his feet. Shrugging carelessly, he replied, "Just having a bit of fun."

Mouth glanced over at Haley, taking in her demeanor. Tears filled her eyes and she was trembling uncontrollably. He'd never seen her this way. She was clearly petrified and, for the first time, he considered the possibility that Nathan really had raped her. Why else would she be so afraid if he was innocent? He suddenly wondered if he'd made the wrong choice defending Nathan. "Leave her alone," he said firmly.

"Me leave her alone?" Nathan scoffed. "Now that's rich."

"Get outta here, Nathan."

"Dude, would you relax. I'm just…"

"Having fun, yeah," Mouth sneered. "But the fun's over. Seriously," he added, his head motioning to the exit.

"I'm allowed to be here," Nathan stressed. Damn it, he had no restrictions anymore and nobody was going to impose any new ones. He had as much right as anyone else to be anywhere in this school.

"Why would you want to be?" Mouth returned irately.

Pointing at Haley, Nathan felt his own temper rising. Damn it, Mouth was on his side. Why was he sticking up for her? "She tried to fuck up my life," he said. "Why shouldn't she get a little grief about it?"

"You gonna go or do I have to call someone?" Mouth asked.

Nathan snorted in response. "Who the fuck you gonna call, man? And what are you gonna say?"

"You wanna find out?"

Snorting once more, Nathan shook his head in disgust. "Fine," he conceded. "I gotta meet Peyton anyways. But I didn't do anything wrong," he insisted. "She started this, not me."

He stormed out, passing Gracie, who was returning with her muffin, on his way.

She instantly regretted having left Haley alone. She should know better, she thought as she silently kicked herself.

She rushed over to the crying girl whom Mouth was currently trying to soothe, noticing Haley freeze when his hand touched her shoulder. "You're not gonna wanna touch her," she warned.

"Just trying to help," Mouth replied, feeling helpless.

"Unless you're a guy she really trusts, which I somehow doubt you are", Gracie began with disdain. "you're not helping." She knew who Mouth was—a friend of Haley's who'd turned on her to side with her rapist.

"What do you know about it?" Mouth asked, not liking her tone. It created havoc with his already stirring guilt.

"Enough to know that she doesn't want some guy near her right now."

"I'm not some guy," he retorted. "She's a friend of mine."

As much as she wanted to, Gracie wasn't going to argue that point. That was between Haley and Mouth, and certainly not what Haley needed right now. "Even so," she said. "You can't help her right now. You might want to go get Lucas."

Ignoring her, Mouth leaned down toward Haley. "Hales, it's me, Mouth. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Haley's only response was to tremble more, furthering Mouth's sense of helplessness.

"Back away from her," Gracie said impatiently. "That will help."

"Haley, I'm really sorry about Nathan," Mouth continued, not wanting to believe that he couldn't do something for her. "He shouldn't have…"

The mention of Nathan's name didn't help matters.

"Seriously, you can't help her," Gracie said. "She needs…"

"Seriously," Mouth returned, copying her tone. He may feel guilty but this girl was really pissing him off. "I think I know a little more what she needs…"

"I somehow doubt that," she replied.

"You've known her a few months," Mouth pointed out. "Compared to me who's known her for years."

"That has nothing to do with anything."

"I think it has everything to do…"

"You don't know what she's going through."

Mouth rolled his eyes. "And you do?" he scoffed.

"Yes," she answered, her voice small now.

He glanced up suddenly, his face showing surprise as her words finally reached him. Her meaning was crystal clear as he looked into her eyes, so full of pain and torment; she was raped.

He stepped back instantly, offering an apology as he did so. Gracie ignored the apology and went to Haley herself, wrapping her arms around her as she sobbed.

After a while, Gracie looked back at Mouth, who seemed more uncomfortable than ever. "Your friend's an ass," she said contemptuously, knowing Mouth would know she referred to Nathan, not Haley. "These guys and their sense of entitlement," she continued angrily. "It's not enough to just get away with rape, no, they have to harass their victims too. Really push the knife in."

Haley leaned back then, her tears still falling as she gazed at the girl beside her. "What happened to you last year, Gracie?" she asked for the first time. "What made you quit cheerleading?"

"I think you know," Gracie answered softly.

Haley nodded, confirming Gracie's comment, but other than that offered no reply.

"It was at a party just like what happened to you," Gracie began, knowing Haley needed those details—even just to be able to relate to someone. And she already felt better knowing she would tell someone for the first time and that person would understand. Completely forgetting Mouth's presence, tears formed in her own eyes as she began the story she'd kept to herself for too long. "Except that I remember everything. I must have had a smaller dose of the drug, or my body reacted differently, I don't know."

Taking Gracie's hands into hers, Haley urged her to continue.

"He had asked me out probably a dozen times before that night," Gracie said. "I always said no, that I didn't see him that way and I only wanted to be friends. The truth was, I didn't even want that. He kinda gave me the creeps, but I didn't want to say that, you know?"

"Yeah," Haley acknowledged.

"Besides that, he always seemed more into Peyton anyway. That might have been one of the reasons I didn't want to be with him. I didn't want to be anyone's second best."

"Nobody does," Haley said, feeling stronger just by hearing someone else's story. "No one should have to."

"Yeah well, he didn't agree," Gracie replied. "I guess he thought since he wanted me, he was entitled to have me, whether I wanted him or not."

Shifting uneasily on his feet, Mouth realized that the girls had forgotten he was standing there. He had the distinct impression that he wasn't meant to hear any of this—that it was a moment meant to be shared by the two of them alone. With that in mind, he quietly slipped out of the room, his own anger and guilt burning within him. What had he done?

He took Gracie's advice and went off in search of Lucas, knowing that if Haley was in trouble, he'd want to know.

He found him on the quad, sitting with the rest of the Rivercourt gang, including a pissed off Skills who'd just gotten into his first argument with Bevin over the almost-fight between him and Nathan. He approached the table purposefully, ignoring the sneer the guys were giving him.

"Well, well, if it isn't Judas," Jimmy said contemptuously. "So nice of you to join us."

Mouth looked straight to Lucas, ignoring the negative remarks of his one time best friend.

"What do you want, Mouth?" Luke asked in a dull tone.

"Haley needs you," Mouth replied, noticing Luke's expression instantly change from disdain to worry.

"Why? What happened?" he asked, already on his feet.

"Nathan, he was uh…talking to her…ok, more like harassing her I guess, and…"

"What?"

"I don't know exactly what happened," Mouth replied honestly. "But she's pretty upset."

"Son of a bitch," Luke fumed. "He's a dead man."

"Yo Luke," Skills said as he now stood as well. "Go to Hales, man. We got him," he said, as he motioned to the others, all of whom nodded affirmatively.

"You sure?" Luke asked.

"Absolutely," Junk answered for them. "Go. She needs you."

Lucas didn't argue. As much as he wanted a piece of Nathan, he had to see to Haley first. He had to make sure she was okay. He rushed off, knowing exactly where she was.

"I'm going with you guys," Mouth said to the others.

"No you not," Skills countered.

"I didn't ask permission," Mouth returned.

"Just stay out of our way and don't try to stop us," Fergie warned him as the gang went off to find the raven haired Scott brother.

…

"Did you tell the police?" Haley asked.

Gracie shook her head. "He said no one would believe me and I figured he was probably right. I wasn't exactly pure and virtuous before that."

"Gracie, your sexual history didn't give him the right to rape you."

"I know that," Gracie acknowledged. "But I didn't say no. I let him do it, I even participated like I…wanted it. I wasn't even sure it could be called rape."

"The liquid ecstasy made you compliant," Haley said knowingly. "But if you only had sex with him because he slipped you drugs, that's still rape."

"I know that now," Gracie said. "Thanks to you. Not that it was a good thing that it happened to you too, but it made me realize that I actually was raped."

"Well, I'm glad one good thing came out of it," Haley replied dully. "You should have said something," she added, suddenly feeling a burst of unreasonable resentment toward the girl who might have prevented it from happening to her later on. "He could have been stopped then, a year ago."

"I know…"

"Then he couldn't have raped me or Katie or God knows how many others in that whole time," Haley lashed out blindly. "You could have stopped it from happening to us but you didn't even try."

Shaking her head, Gracie replied, "No, it wouldn't have helped you. It wasn't Nathan who raped me. It was his friend Damien West."

"Damien?" Haley whispered softly.

"Yeah. You know him?"

"I tutored him for a while, but I quit because he kept asking me out."

"Wise choice."

"He slipped you liquid ecstasy?"

"Yeah. Put it in a beer can and came up to me with it, pretended just to make conversation. Guess him and Nathan have a lot in common."

"Yeah."

"At the time I didn't even consider the fact that it was already opened; just took it from him and drank it. Even said thank you," Gracie said with disgust. "I thought he was just being polite. Hindsight 20-20, right?"

"Umm…yeah. Right," Haley replied as her mind drifted back to the night of the party.

Flashback

Damien approached her, a can of coke in his hand. Smiling, he handed it to her. "You looked thirsty," he said, his smile firmly in place.

"Thanks," she said before taking a sip out of the already opened can.

End of Flashback

"And then of course he had to harass me every chance he got afterward," Gracie said, cutting off Haley's troubled thoughts. "Just like Nathan's doing to you now. That's why I quit cheerleading," she admitted. "I couldn't take him cornering me and bragging about that night anymore."

"Bragging?" Haley asked.

"Yeah. I'm sure Nathan did the same just now. Did he tell you how much fun it was and how you should do it again some time?"

"Umm, no, he umm…he didn't." He'd denied it still.

"No? Damien did it all the time. But not in front of anyone, only when he got me alone. As far as everyone else knows, I slept with him willingly. Just like Nathan's playing it with you. In public it was consensual, but in private he admits the truth, right?"

'That's what happens when you have to face the guy you falsely accused.'

"Probably told you how you shouldn't take him on because he's like, invincible or something," Gracie continued.

'Constantly showing up everywhere I was at so that I'd have to either leave or get arrested.'

"Bragging about how much control he had, has, and always will have over you."

' Did you and Katie have fun controlling my every move?'

"And then bragging about how you were stupid enough to take the can and drink from it. That's the most humiliating. It's like saying, yeah I raped you, but you deserved it and there's nothing you can do about it."

'I'm supposed to be sitting in prison, right? Doing time for a rape that didn't even happen?'

Haley's head spun. Gracie was obviously reliving her own experience with Damien, but why wasn't anything she was saying sounding familiar? Nathan had raped her the same as Damien had raped Gracie so everything was similar. Except for the fact that Nathan's words when he'd confronted her had come off more angry than boastful.

No, that wasn't true. He had boasted. 'Of course you're scared. And you should be.' No. That comment classified more as goading than boastful.

But that smirk, God, that smirk said 'screw you, bitch, I'm Nathan Scott' better than any of the words he'd used.

Still, he hadn't admitted to the rape. Though alone in the room with her, unlike Damien with Gracie, Nathan continued to deny it—even going so far as questioning and mocking her solid stance.

'I've never ever hit a girl. Not even a lying bitch like you.'

He'd still accused her of being the one lying. She stood up and began to pace. Something was definitely not right. As he'd basically said to her, why stick to a bullshit story when nobody but the one who knew the truth was around?

After having kept it inside so long, every bit of Gracie's ordeal came rushing out of her mouth. She couldn't stop herself from spilling everything if she tried. Haley listened hard, trying to find something, anything, that she could put her finger on and say 'yeah, Nathan did that too', but the more Gracie spoke, the less Haley could compare their situations. And yet she knew they somehow connected.

Her mind went back again to the party.

Flashback

Nathan came up just seconds later. "Hey," he said to both of them.

"Hi," Haley said, glad for the interruption.

"Nate," Damien greeted stiffly. He wasn't happy. Nathan either didn't notice or didn't care. He turned back to Haley.

….

Nathan turned his head toward Damien. "Some of the guys are going on a beer run. You should go with them."

Again Damien wasn't happy. He threw Nathan a scornful look but it went ignored.

Damien walked away, clearly seething.

End of Flashback

"Oh God," Haley whispered as the connection finally made itself clear.

Lucas walked in the room just in time to see her sink to the floor. Rushing to her side, he knelt in front of her and reached his arms out. "Hales," he said, anger and pain evident in his voice.

"Luke," she called, her own voice desperate.

"Yeah, I'm here," he said as softly as he could muster as his arms wrapped tightly around her. "I'm right here. And I promise you he's never gonna do this to you again."

"Luke," she said as she pushed away from him.

"Shh, it'll be ok. I'm never leaving you alone again."

"Oh God, Lucas," she whimpered.

"Hales, what is it?" he asked worriedly as she practically hyperventilated.

"I think I made a big mistake."

"About what?"

"I think I might have accused the wrong guy," she revealed in horror.

…..

Nathan made his way down the hallway, heaving a great sigh as he did so. What a wasted hour lunch had been. He never had found Peyton and there was only ten minutes left before afternoon classes started. He may as well just go to class now. Not that he wanted to. In his current mood he'd rather just skip the rest of the day. But he couldn't do that. Whitey had specifically said there were two conditions to getting back on the team—get his grades up and don't skip. No way was he going to be able to concentrate but that was beside the point.

He hoped Peyton wouldn't be pissed at him, that she'd let him explain and understand that he hadn't meant to blow her off. He wasn't overly worried about it though. He figured she'd give him the silent treatment for a while and then give in and listen to him. It's what she always did.

What pissed him off most was how Mouth had turned on him. After what Haley had put him through, he had every right to be in her face about it. And yet, he was somehow the bad guy here? What a joke. The bitch deserved everything he'd given her plus some. There were no words harsh enough to make up for the lie she'd told. And he wasn't going to feel guilty for confronting her. Not a fucking chance in hell of that happening, no matter what anyone said.

He was just about at his locker when the Rivercourt boys, minus Lucas but including Mouth, came upon him. He glared at them suspiciously, sensing an altercation coming. Mouth had obviously told them about the incident in the tutor center, but whatever. They could bring it on. He was up for a good fight anyway. The earlier one with Skills had ended before it had really begun and he had a lot of pent up anger built up from the last hour alone.

Had he been thinking with a clear head rather than simple male testosterone, he might have realized that there was no way he could take on all five of them. Two of them came up to grab his arms, and though he pulled back to stop it, his efforts were in vain.

"Come on, pretty boy," Skills said to him. "Let's take a walk outside."