Updated version of chapter 6 :) Hope you all liked it! Please review and follow!
Chapter 6
Haley spent the next few hours wandering around town, wondering about life. She had fucked up. Somewhere along the way she got lost and she hadn't been able to relocate the correct path ever since.
She found herself driving and driving. The sky grew dark as the sun dipped below the mountains. Stars appeared across the sky, dotting the darkness with glimmers of light. It was beautiful really. Stars, to Haley, were like the hopes of people. They were dead, they have been dead for sometime, but they still shone; just like how people still believed even though in reality the possibility of the dream ever coming true had died long ago.
Her car came to a shuddering stop and Haley swore out loud. She had forgotten to refill her gas tank and now here she was, stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no phone signal and no one to call even if there was.
She had really fucked up.
With Lucas. Her family. Her grades. Her attitude. Nathan. Alivia.
Gingerly she detached herself from the car and stepped outside. It was a cool night. The wind blew periodically, bringing with it a sweet smell that Haley found comforting. The air was silent, only punctuated occasionally by the croaking of frogs or the calls of the grasshoppers.
Haley sat on the dirt ground, leaned against her car and closed her eyes. It had been a while since she had this experienced this kind of peace. It was the kind of peace which permeated every cell in her body and left her feeling like one of those people who still believed in the good of the world. It was that kind of peace that descended upon Haley as she sat. It was infused in every inch of her and it left her rejuvenated. Perhaps she could change. Perhaps this time she could find her way back.
A shaft of light pierced her eyelids, forcing them open. A car was coming down the road and it was coming down fast.
Haley sprung up and thrusted her hands in the air, waving them about desperately, hoping that the driver would take notice of her and be kind enough to let her in.
As the car grew closer so did the dread which filled Haley. She knew that car. It was navy blue 1998 Ford-Mustang. To be more specific, it was his car.
She let her arms fall as the car slowed to a stop beside her. The dark-tinted windows rolled down and there he was. Nathan Royal Scott. A surge of emotions rushed through her. Happiness. Anger. Confusion. Worry.
"What are you doing here?" Nathan asked, concern snaking its way into his tone. Silently he cursed at himself for making it so obvious. He didn't want Haley knowing that he still cared for her.
"My car broke down," Haley said robotically, shrugging, "I guess I'll just have to wait for someone to come." She turned around and sat back down, leaning against the door of her old beat down Chevy.
A little hurt flared up inside Nathan's chest. "Oh well I could give you a ride if you want," Nathan offered, half hoping she would say yes and half hoping she would say no.
For a while Haley didn't reply. She simply looked at Nathan blankly. She desperately wanted to say yes but at the same time her insides screamed at her to say no. It had taken her nearly a year to move on and now here he comes just waltzing back like nothing ever happened. It was always like this with him. He would float by for a few weeks then disappear again and treat her like just another face in the crowd. But just when Haley was starting to move, he came back and the cycle repeated itself. And it hurt. Haley acted like it was nothing but deep down it hurt.
"Oh, well…" she hesitated, hoping to buy some time to properly think out her solutions. Nathan raised an eyebrow, indirectly asking for her answer. They remained like that for a while, just looking at each other but before long Nathan broke the gaze and shrugged.
"Suit yourself. I'll see you around," he muttered, starting up his engine.
Haley felt tears prick her eyes for the second time that day. It wasn't often that she cried but it was just too much for her. She wanted him to stay. She knew that it was she who pushed him away but she just wanted him to tell her that he wanted to stay. Tears spilt over her brown iris and made a black wet track down her dirty face. Hastily she turned around and wiped it away.
From the corner of Nathan's eye, he saw Haley swivel around and immediately he knew something was wrong. Promptly he switched off the engine and got out of the car. He was greeted by a gust of cold night air.
He felt completely out of his element. He didn't know what to say. He was never really good at comforting girls. Sure he was great at using words to get the girls but the words seemed to fail him when it most counted.
"It's cold," Nathan stuttered stupidly, "you're not even wearing a jacket. You should be inside your car at the very least."
Haley let out a short hollow laugh. "Right Nathan, because getting a cold is one of my top most horrors right now," she replied scathingly and Nathan backed up a bit. Haley had always had a knack with making words sting. She aimed at his weakest spot and never once had she ever missed.
"Haley… Whats wrong?" he asked, genuinely starting to feel worried that something terrible had happened. A million scenarios flashed through his head but he pushed them away. He had to stay rational and level-headed, not run away to some crazy fantasy.
"Its nothing," Haley mumbled, still not facing him.
"Tell me," he pressed, his voice urgent.
This time Haley turned around. Tears were dripping down her cheeks and Nathan saw a part of Haley he had never seen before. Though her make up was ruined, her mascara was running and her hair a disheveled mess, Nathan had never seen Haley more beautiful. Yes it was cheesy but it was the truth. Haley had always been so tough. She had never needed anyone. But this. This made her human. It made him realize that she too had feelings and that she too can be hurt.
"Why now Nathan? Why do you care now? You chose her didn't you? You chose Rachel. I'm happy for you Nathan. You guys seem like a really good pair together. And I give you all my blessing but please Nathan, please, just leave me alone," Haley begged, her voice cracked and raw.
Something in Nathan's heart broke. All he wanted to do was to hug her and to tell her that everything was going to be okay. And he would've. He would've done it in a heartbeat if not for the fear that seized him. This was probably the primary reason why Nathan failed miserably in relationships. A paralyzing fear seemed to grip him whenever someone needed him. He would stand motionless, expressionless. It wasn't because he was heartless or that he didn't care. It was simply because he didn't know what to do.
"Haley…" Nathan whispered, "I…"
"Why Nathan? Just tell me why. Why did you choose her?" Haley murmured. Her voice was choked full of emotion. Raw, honest, true emotion.
Yet again he stood, motionless and expressionless. He didn't know what to say.
A few minutes passed and neither of them moved. It was an agonizing feeling for the both of them for all they wanted was to be in each others arms. To comfort and be comforted.
But then Haley looked away. She turned around, took a deep breath and composed herself.
"I'm sorry Nathan, you have to go. I'll see you around," she finally said.
Waves of anger crashed onto Nathan, replacing all the worry he had felt just a minute ago. How dare she? She was stuck here in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night may he add and she was refusing help from him just because of their past? Did she not know how dangerous it was to stay out here alone? Did she not care for her own safety?
"Haley, I'm not going to leave you here," Nathan replied angrily.
Haley turned around, her eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean you're not going to leave me here? What gives you the right to tell me what to do?"
"Haley don't be stupid. You're here in the middle of nowhere, with a broken car, in the middle of the night. Theres no cell signal here and barely anyone drives through here at this hour."
"Stop it Nathan! Just stop it!"
The outburst took Nathan back and his anger subsided slightly. This wasn't just anger. There was something else mixed in between. It was definitely something but it was something Nathan wasn't quite familiar with. He couldn't decipher what it was that tainted the pure rage.
"Just stop it Nathan," she finally said.
Nathan looked at her. And for the third time that day, Haley almost broke down. He had looked at her so tenderly and that was all she really wanted. For him to look at her that way.
"You've got to stop doing this. You've got to stop saving me. You cant always be my hero. You're not even supposed to be my hero. You're supposed to be saving Rachel. Rachel Gatina. Your girlfriend. I'm a nobody Nathan. Nobody wants me. I'm a broken doll and one that is broken beyond repair. I know you're a good person Nathan. You're so full of goodness and I know you want to help but you cant keep doing this. By saving me once, you're actually drowning me. You're drowning us. I cant do this anymore. I cant handle the on and offs. I pretend like it doesn't hurt. I pretend like its okay. But inside its killing me Nathan. Do you know that? It's killing me. We're out here in the middle of nowhere and we pour our hearts out to each other but then the next morning, we go back to being strangers again and that just hurts. It hurts like ass. And I want it to stop. I want it to stop hurting and if it means that we have to stop talking, we have to stop talking."
It was then where he did something that he had never done before. He gathered up his courage and took a step forwards. Without another moment of hesitation, he closed the gaping wide ravine that stood between them. His arms wrapped around her small frame, his lips collided against hers and he became one with her. He heard her suck in her breath. Fear radiated through his body as a single thought replayed itself in his mind.
I made a mistake, he thought.
The words looped around endlessly and a dizzying panic struck him.
But a second later he felt her body respond. Her muscles relaxed and her fingers snaked itself up his neck and entwined itself in his hair. She pressed herself closer against him and he pulled her closer, wanting them to never be apart never.
They stood kissing passionately for a while. It had been a long time and it felt so good. The pent up emotions flew out like rushing water escaping a dam. It was amazing. Words could not describe the relief which coursed through them as they stood locked in each others embrace.
Finally they broke apart, gasping. For a while they didn't look at each other. It would've ruined it. The magic would've and could've been broken by just a single glance. And so they stood there, their foreheads touching, their breaths mixing, their emotions entwining. They knew that it wouldn't last. They knew at one point the magic had to be broken. But even then they kid themselves. They kid themselves that it would last.
And even though this was the closest they'd been in a long time, they had never felt more detached.
Hoped you all liked it!