Toxic
By Ashley
Chapter 7
The Breakdown
12:02 pm......
Before she even opened her eyes, Haley knew only two things. One was that she was still, unfortunately in a basement at her place of employment, cold, hungry, and very badly in need of a restroom.
The second of which slightly more alarming, was that she was laying, or rather cuddling next to Nathan Scott. And the real shocker–she was’ t completely disgusted by this knowledge. In fact if she were to be honest with herself, she was actually quite enjoying it..
The side of his body was pressed against hers, her head on top of his shoulder. Haley could feel the hardness of his muscles under his shirt, the warmth of his body, bouncing off of him and onto her. His even breaths lulling her back to sleep.
Wearily she flicked her eyes up to look at him, careful of her movements, so as not wake him. His eyes fluttered, his chest expanded from breathing, he still looked so handsome.
Haley quickly scolded herself. He is not good looking, he is not a good person, he is an evil, evil rich boy, with too much time on his hands. He’ll only use you Haley, he’ll never be who you want him to be. He’ll only hurt you.
With that mantra repeating itself in her head, she tried to slip from his embrace.
“Morning,” she heard him whisper, from behind her.
Haley stalled, and turned back around, unsure of how to act. He seemed decent for now, but who knew when he’d snap again.
“Afternoon actually,” she replied, showing him her watch, as she sat back down facing opposite him.
Nathan ran a hand over his face and eyes, in an effort to wake him self up. Then paused before speaking, “About last night....,” he began, his eyes anywhere but on her. He fidgeted with the rug in front of him.
“Yeah,” she asked, watching him.
“About that....um can we just let it all go for now?”
Let what go, Haley wanted ask, and then remembered the words that had passed between them only hours before. She was supposed to be angry and put off by him, like always. And yet, seeing him like this, his hair slightly ruffled, his eyes still heavy from sleep, he looked so different, so shy. It made it hard not to be mad at him, damn it.
“What, like start off on a slate,” was what she asked.
“Kind of.... I guess,” he yawned., tilting his head down.
“You know that’s not completely possible for us right? There’s way too much history.”
Nathan pulled the rug off of him, and flipped it over to his side. “Well just pretend, for the next however many hours, that you’re not stuck down here by force, and don’t completely hate my guts with a burning passion. That might make it easer,” he boasted.
Haley caught his eyes this time, “I don’t hate you Nathan.”
“Really,” he asked, with a grin.
“Yeah,” she answered honestly, “I just don’t like you very much.”
Nathan smiled at her teasing, clutching a hand to his chest to cover his heart, “Ouch James, that hurts.”
“Oh right, because, Nathan Scott is a paragon of sensitivity,” she commented dryly.
“I’m just stating the obvious. You hated me. I knew it, even if Lucas hadn’t told me. I could of been more likable, but I wasn’t.”
“Is that supposed to be an apology,” Haley questioned.
“If you want it to be one, then it is.”
Haley sighed, figuring that was probably the best answer she was going to get from him anytime soon.
“If you’re willing to let go about last night , then I guess I’m willing too,” she answered, hesitantly.
Nathan’s smile sparkled, “Well I can work with that.”
Chapter 8
I Shall Be Undone
3:47 pm.........
“If you could have anything to eat right now what would it be,” Nathan asked, as he lay sprawled out on the floor. Haley lay beside him, facing the opposite direction, the rug underneath their bodies as a cushion. They’d both been relatively civil towards each other since they’d woken up earlier in the day, the air around them somehow lighter, the pressure to be who everyone else saw them as, now gone.
Haley contemplated Nathan’s question for a moment. “I want a big, juicy, fatty, cheesy hamburger, and ...........curly fries,” she purred, the words rolling out of her mouth like silk.
Nathan’s stomach growled. “Or greasy cheese pizza with sausage and onions, and-and olives, yeah black olives,” he said excitedly.
“Nix on the onions and you’ve got yourself a deal,” she said, rubbing her stomach from hunger.
“You don’t like onions?”
“That would be a huge no. Why do you,” she asked, her face scrunched up in disgust.
“Hell yeah. That and green pepper’s, maybe some hot sauce. I like my food all kinds of spicy,” he licked his lips just thinking about it.
“And I like my food when it’s not giving me heart burn. Although,” she paused, “ I could go for some pepperoni pizza, with a few bread sticks....mmmmm”
“And with a big glass of milk,” Nathan added, closing his eyes with sweet memory.
Haley turned to him, squinting her eyes. “Did you just say you wanted milk with pizza?”
“Yeah. Why you never tried it?”
Haley rolled up onto her side and gave him a look of total revolt. “Uh no, that’s nasty.”
“No, nasty is putting corn and octopus on your pizza, that’s what’s nasty,” Nathan stated, pushing himself up onto his elbows, a mild smirk on his face.
Haley didn’t buy it, “You’re totally lying to me, no way do people do that.”
Nathan let out a little knowing chuckle, and moved to sit upright so that he could look at Haley straight on.
“Last summer, me, Theresa, and a couple of the guys, toured all around Europe and Asia. We spent like about a week in Japan I think. Anyway, so we stopped in this small grocery store shop thing to get some food. All we see are these strange pastry breads, and raw fish and junk like that. Until we come to the freezer isle, and see these frozen pizza’s. We’re all hyped, cause we think we’ve finally found some normal food ya know. And then we pull one out, and it’s covered with like cabbage, and bacon, and corn. We pick up another, and it’s got shrimp and octopus on it. Half the guys wanted to hurl, it was hilarious.”
Haley’s eyes were comically wide, “So... did you eat it?”
Nathan laughed, and fell onto his back “Hell no!”
Pushing herself into a sitting position, Haley carelessly twisted one of the rug tassels with her fingers. “You probably could of picked that stuff off ya know,” she gave him a quick smile.
“There you go being all logical, helps me a lot now,” he teased her.
Haley let out a little laugh, until their eyes met. Unconsciously she looked back to her tassel, and began twisting it again. “So you went to Japan huh? That’s pretty awesome,” she said, changing the subject.
Nathan nodded his head somewhat reluctantly, reliving the experience in his head, as he sighed, “Yeah, it wasn’t too bad. It rained the whole time we were there though. Theresa kept bitching and moaning about her hair, or her makeup or something. Annoyed the crap out of me.”
Haley sympathized with him. From what she knew about Theresa, she’d always been stuck up. Not that most of the wealthier Bayview students weren’t, but Theresa had always thought she was just a cut above the rest, and it showed in everything she did. “Oh that’s right, I remember you two are an “item”.”
Nathan cringed, as he rolled back up onto his side again and began mindlessly messing with the zipper on his jacket. “Were actually. Brooke tell you this?”
“As always. She failed to mention your break up though,” Haley said with gathered interest, watching Nathan fidget.
“Probably because Theresa hasn’t told anybody yet,” he offered, deciding to go ahead and take the jacket off.
“Interesting,” she replied, looking very intrigued.
Nathan debated on whether or not he should tell Haley the truth. Deciding he could probably trust her, more than his own friends. “Let’s just say that after a certain guy I know decided to transfer back to school here in Bayview. Princess Phillips conveniently began screwing the her father’s assistant.”
“Ooh how Scandalous,” Haley said earnestly, putting up a hand to her face in mock alarm, before letting out a fit of giggles.
Nathan watched her and laugh, and within seconds joined in as well, shaking his head at the ridiculousness of his entire social group.
“Whatever, I’m sick of her drama. I’m done with all of it.”
“I know what you mean,” Haley added.
“Do you,” Nathan asked with a curious grin.
“Yes I do. I may not look like it, but under this smart girl exterior is quite the party girl,” she crossed her arms with assurance.
“I bet,” he answered sarcastically, giving her the once over with a cocky glance.
Haley gave him an annoyed glare, and let out a groan. “Ya know, everyone keeps saying that I don’t know how to have fun, or be wild and crazy. But I do. I’m just waiting for a good opportunity.”
Nathan’s eyebrow quirked up. “Like being stuck alone, in a basement. Alone, with a complete stranger. Hours of free time to do with what you may,” he through out, his eyes lowered, as he leaned closer to Haley on the rug.
Haley watched him, but chose not to move, “You’re not a stranger Nathan.”
“I can, if you want me to be,” he proposed, sliding closer her to this time, eyes locked on hers.
Haley’s breathing grew deeper, as Nathan’s voice seemed to lull her in. “What are you suggesting,” she asked, all to aware that this current situation between them was not going anywhere good. Not anywhere she wouldn’t regret later on.
Nathan leaned forward, his eyes upward as Haley’s body stilled, waiting for his move.
“Hey look at that top shelf up there, I think it has food on it,” he uttered. Haley’s closed eyes broke open, just in time to see Nathan getting up off the rug. Instead of the kiss she’d been expecting, maybe even somewhat anticipating, she now found herself, staring at the back of his head as he tried to reaching for what ever it was he’d seen.
Her heart hit the floor.
Haley decided then and there it would go against everything in her belief system to have Nathan catch her panting, and in lust. So she gathered her self up, and put a serous mask over her face. “What’s up there.” She asked, moving next to him.
The top shelf was just out of reach from Nathan’s grasp, and with one more urgent stretch he let angrily let his arm fall to his side.
“Cans of food I think, maybe, it doesn’t matter I can’t reach it.”
“I can.”
“How?”
“Just watch,” she moved to the front of the rack and swiftly grabbed onto the pillars. She pulled herself up quickly on the second shelf, and then the third. On her tip toes she leaned onto the shelf, and looked at grouping of cans that lay in front of her. She picked one up and inspected it.
“What is it,” Nathan asked.
“Tomato soup and....................Spam. Expiration date March 15th.............,” she showed the can to him.
“Well that’s not so bad.”
“.........1997,” she finished, putting it back on the shelf quickly.
“Oh Well who eats Spam anyway. It’s probably radio active or something,” he said, his stomach letting out another audible growl.
Haley nodded in agreement and tired to lower herself down, but found her pant leg stuck on the metal pillar.
Nathan meanwhile, went back to the rug to lay back down. Haley still struggling behind him with growing frustration. Finally she let out an irritated sigh.
“Hey, stranger, wanna help me get down,” she called to him.
Nathan flipped his head back an gave her a naughty smirk. “Whatcha gonna do for me?”
“Not throw these cans at your head,” she smiled back sweetly, still trying to unhook her pants.
“What kind of deal is that? Come on James, you can think of something better than can throwing.”
“I never said which head I would throw them at,” she said, biting her lower lip with innocence. While still holding on to the shelving unit.
Nathan made an instinctual move to cover his family jewels, and gave Haley a painful look. “Alright,” he started to forward, “give me your hand.”
At that moment Haley gave one final tug to her pants, pulling her leg free and also swinging her body forward. Unfortunately due to the lack of strength of the shelves, and her unsteady balance, Haley found herself losing her grip on the pillar.
Desperately she tried to get her grasp back, but it was to late, she was already falling. Nathan saw her propelling to the ground, and leapt forward, capturing her in his arms with a quick swoop. This action causing him to lose his footing and fall backward to the ground, Haley’s body securely in his arms.
With a loud ‘whoompf,’ once they landed on the floor, Nathan let out a exasperated gasp, and looked up into Haley’s eyes.
“You ok,” he asked out of breath
“Yeah. You?” She replied, concern written on her face.
“I’m good,” he answered, allowing his head to fall back, and rest on the ground.
Haley let out a relived sigh, only noticing then the position they were both in. Her body on top of his. His arms wrapped safely, comfortably around her waist as they lay pressed up against each other, neither of them in a hurry to move.
And then, Haley got that feeling again. That feeling where part of her was screaming how wrong this was, how horrible of a person Nathan really is, how she’d regret anything she’d did with him. The other part of her however, the little devil on her shoulder, whispered for her to go ahead. Do what she really wanted. Use him for all he was worth. He was Nathan ‘@#%$’ Scott for Christ sakes, if there was anyone due to getting a taste of their own medicine it was definitely Nathan. And Haley knew she wanted to be the one to teach him that lesson.
“Nathan,” she regarded him tentatively.
“Yeah,” he asked, tilting his head up to look at her.
“Earlier, when we were talking where you going to .....I mean.......did you.... maybe want to kiss me,” Haley asked, her last words spurting out of her mouth so impulsively, she wasn’t sure where she’d gotten the courage from.
Nathan looked up at her a little surprised, a growing grin on his face. “Did you want me to kiss you,” he through back at her.
Haley suddenly felt awkward, her cheeks becoming red and flushed. She didn’t have an intelligent answer to that question. Didn’t think she could come up with one either, not lying above him like she was. Quickly she began to move off of Nathan’s body.
However, with a strength and agility that amazed her, he reached up and grabbed her hand, and dragged her back up against him. He encircled her with his arms, and clasped his hands together trapping her.
She paused, staring into his eyes with doubt. “Nathan....I---”
“I want this Haley.”
Stilling her, Nathan lowered his mouth and kissed her. And, oh he knew how to kiss. From Katie Roberts to Theresa Phillips, he had no doubt had plenty of practice kissing. His mouth applied a slight suction to hers that sealed them together. His tongue was active but not invasive. It penetrated slowly and deliciously.
Echoing the hungry sounds that vibrated in his throat, Haley kissed him back. The little voice in her head repeating the same mantra from earlier. He’ll only hurt you, Haley. He’s only using you Realizing that she shouldn’t be, she angled her head back and away. “Maybe we shouldn’t....”
“Shhh.” He whispered enticingly into her ear, causing her to moan with pleasure. Nathan let a grin spread over his face. As his searching lips found her neck arched and wanting. Ever so slowly he trailed a line of feather soft kisses down her neck, until he reached the top of her chest.
Haley complied to his movements eagerly, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close, her nails tracing lightly over his spine, sending shivers all up and down his body. Her fingers twining through his hair, gently massaging the knots in his neck and stroking the chocolate dark locks of his hair.
Nathan moved back and forth over her body, touching her, tasting her all over. His hands now actively pulling her blouse up and off, and he rose away from her delightful touch to do so.
Haley was panting, her lips were starting to feel numb and she felt as if she were coming apart. There was this visceral sensation of uncoiling or unraveling. For a brief moment she was terrified. Terrified of making the wrong choice, making the right choice, not knowing the difference between the two. Because when he touched her, when he looked into her eyes like he was in this moment, she no longer cared what was right or wrong any more.
Noticing her expression Nathan hesitated and pulled slightly away from her. “Haley do you want me to stop?”
This was the point of no return. The second where everything would change.
“No,” she said confidently an instant later, eyes filled with desire.
A smile twitched at the corner of his lips, but his touch was compassionate and tender when he reached up and stroked her cheek. “You sure?”
“Yes.” she assured him, then bringing her shirt up and overhead the rest of the way. Both of their clothing seeming like to much of a barrier between them.
Hurriedly they began shedding their shirts, their pants, everything keeping them apart, until they lay naked together.
The awkwardness of the moment cut short when Nathan drew Haley down for a long kiss. His tongue made repeated forays into her mouth while his hands caressed her breasts, her back, her legs. She responded to every subtle suggestion he whispered, until without any further pain and a great deal of sensation and joy, he was fully nestled inside her body.
He continued to coach her. A soft touch, a guiding hand, a whispered endearment. Loveplay, erotic and exciting. Until it became uncertain who was saying what to whom.
The foundations of their worlds began to quake, then break apart. They clung to each other. He cried her name. She chanted his.
Replete, totally drained of energy, she collapsed on top of him. Her limbs so weak she couldn’t move them. Her skin was damp with perspiration. His hands continued to idly strum her back, and arms, but all she could do in reaction was smile complacently against his shoulder. And together, the earth slowly began to slip away into darkness, enrapturing them both in a warm cocoon of slumber.
Chapter 9
Reality Check
6:05 pm......
Simon Reynolds was not having a good night. Hadn’t had a really good night in fact, in a long while. Mostly he figured, because he spent the majority of his time in this damn club of his. With a slow ease he slipped into the pitch black house of the club. He switched the main lights on, immediately activating the fluttering sparkles on the disco ball on the empty dance floor. It felt odd being the only one around. Seeing everything so empty and barren. He still hadn’t gotten use to opening by himself, figured he’d make Dexter do it from now on.
With a hefty sigh, Simon began his usual routine. He checked what needed to be cleaned, what arrangement the tables should be put in, what areas should be assigned to what waitress. However tonight for some reason, he felt the need to check the bar first.
Squatting down below the counter he checked in front of, and behind him, and discovered they were almost entirely out of Vodka, and few of the beers. With a grumpy scowl, Simon pushed himself up to stand, and tried to grab for the basement keys, under the counter. He didn’t feel anything, and bent over again.
They weren’t there.
Strange.
He went to the opposite end of the club, up into his office and grabbed his personal pair.
Reluctantly he made his way down to the basement, silently listing off the numerous other things he had to get done, before the club opened. He could already feel the stress begin to build up inside of his head. A small twitch in his left eye, causing him to blink a couple times, in a vain effort to be rid of it.
Coming off of the stairs, Simon moved forward, and felt himself trip over something heavy. Balancing himself, before he completely fell over, he whipped out the small flashlight key-chain connected to his other keys and brought it up over the offending object.
It appeared to be a half empty box of Bacardi, which was very peculiar, seeing as 1) the spare set of keys were missing from the bar, and 2) almost an entire case of alcohol just lay open and unattended.
Warily, Simon checked behind and in the other the storage room, unsure of who or what was possibly in his club. When he didn’t find anything, he returned to the locked door. Pulling the key he needed and setting it in the lock.
He heard the click of the lock come undone as he pulled up on the silver door handle, and slowly pulled the door open.
At first nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The dark curves of the room appeared untouched. It was only when Simon lowered his flash light that he saw the two still bodies before him.
Tangled limbs covering each other over a Persian rug. Their breaths heavy and shallow, as they slept.
Stunned, all Simon could do was stare at them.
Finally he regained enough composure to do the most effective thing he could think of, which was to yell. “What the H ELL is this,” he bellowed with anger.
Haley suddenly jerked awake, turning her head to look at the intruder, her eyes fuzzy , her mind disoriented from being woken.
She made an incoherent mumble, as Nathan’s body began to stir. And with a hazy picture in front of her, he gazed up at the large figure standing before her.
“James! Mind telling me what the fuck you’re doing,” her boss roared, his face a mixture of confusion and anger.
Unsure of what to say, and still a little preoccupied with how cute Nathan looked post-sex, mussed hair and all, she took in a quick breath of air. Pulled her clothes up to cover her body.
“Simon I uh...I can explain. It’s---this is not what it looks like,” she said, quickly fixing herself. Simon averted his eyes, the indignation still in his voice as he spoke.
“Really? Cause it looks like you just finished fornicating in my basement. Why or what for I don’t know,” he rambled on.
Haley glanced over at Nathan, as he too began gathering his clothes, making himself as busy as possible. All Haley wanted to do was talk to him, ask him what he was thinking.
“Ok, it is what it looks like,” she agreed. “But it’s not what you think.”
“So what exactly am I thinking James. Please tell me, I’d love to know.”
Haley adjusted her shirt in place, and then her skirt. She went up to Simon, with a pleading face. “We got locked down here last night by accident, and–and.....”
“And you what? Decided to Christen my storage room in the mean time,” he rubbed a hand over his head in frustration. His face rough as stone.
Simon had never been an overly emotional kind of man, at least not in the year Haley had come to know him. Straight to the point, all about business, that was him. Which was why Haley found this sudden outburst at this whole debacle (not her doing by the way) a little bit confusing. More than likely, she assumed that his sudden crankiness had seldom to do with her or Nathan. However that didn’t give her permission to piss him off anymore than was necessary. Yes groveling sounded like a good plan. Lots and lots of groveling.
Haley swallowed hard. “It was mistake Simon. I’m sorry. I really am. Anything you want me to do I’ll do it. Just please don’t fire me. I need this job. And it was just accident I swear to God. Neither of us meant for it to happen.” And yet you still let it happen Haley. Her inner voice screamed at her. She shook the thought away, and concentrated on her boss.
Simon bent his neck to the side to crack it, letting the tension out for the moment. He sucked in a breath of air, and exhaled it quickly, giving her a resigned expression. “You know what James, I’m too damn tired to care about this right now. Go home, get some real sleep. Be back here tomorrow at six. And the next time that boyfriend of yours comes inside my club, keep him out of the restricted areas. Got it?”
Haley felt as if a thousand pound weight had been lifted from her shoulders. With happy glee, she smiled. “Yeah--yeah of course Simon, we promise, right Nath---,”she began.
Her words faltering when she spun around and noticed that there were no longer three occupants in the room. Suddenly her breath caught in her throat. And that thousand pound weight turned into a thousand pound sledge hammer slamming right into her chest.
Quickly Haley gave her thanks again to her boss for his mysterious leniency on the entire matter, and jetted up the stairs through the club and out the door.
Once outside she scanned the parking lot for any cars, any people, anything that would let her know that yes, he was still here. That he hadn’t left without saying goodbye. That he’d actually been waiting up here for her. That there time together wasn’t just another game.
But there was nothing.
And so she began to trudge through the parking lot, and onto to the sidewalk that would lead her home.
Her earlier thoughts began to resurface, leaving her mind uncontrollably full. What did I tell you? I said he’d use you and he did. Just like he does with everything else.
“Maybe it’s different this time,” she argued with herself, the mental battle doing nothing to ease the fresh raw pain inside of her aching heart.
.................
Lucas sat in the bigger of the two family rooms, in his parents house. Casually flipping channels on the large screen t.v. He glanced up at the clock when he heard heavy footsteps come through the room behind him. The sound of pant legs swishing together as the intruder walked.
Swiftly Lucas turned his head to see the ragged figure of his younger brother come in through the door way. His clothes wrinkled, his hair fuzzy, his eyes saggy.
“Where you been,” he called to Nathan, with mild interest.
The brunette never broke his stride as he went passed Lucas and into the hall that led to his room.
“Nowhere,” Nathan clipped out, trying to ignore the presence of his brother with extreme determination.
Lucas just shook off his indifference with a grin. “Nowhere huh? Well it certainly doesn’t look like you were nowhere,” he surveyed his younger brother’s appearance with amusement, then raising his hand and waving in front of his nose with a bigger smirk, “And it really doesn’t smell like you were nowhere.”
“Piss off Luke,” Nathan grumbled, pushing through his closed door, and into his bed room. He tried ignoring Lucas’s footsteps as they entered behind him, too preoccupied with getting into bed. He needed sleep. He needed to sleep for a long time.
Lucas’s curiosity wasn’t anywhere near satisfied though. “Come on man. Tell me. Who was she? And please don’t say it was Theresa, I know she’s hot and everything, but issues, man. Major issues there.”
“It’s no one, alright. Now get out,” Nathan’s yells were muffled, while his head was face down on his pillow.
“Fine. If that’ll help get that bug out of your ass. But I bet you twenty bucks you’ll be begging to tell me about it later.”
“Ready to lose twenty bucks?”
“Whatever you say little brother. Whatever you say.”
Lucas stood watching for a few more seconds, realizing the stubborn side of Nathan was out and roaring. No way was he going to get any information out of him this way. He was more than likely defeated for moment.
Relinquishing his brotherly duty to bother Nathan at all costs, Lucas began to retreat from Nathan’s room, pausing in front of his door way.
“Hey Nate?”
“What,” he asked dryly.
“Some of the crew are coming over to party in an hour, and their bringing some people from upstate with them. Better get cleaned up. We wouldn’t want you smelling like sex when the guests come over,” Lucas finished with a wild grin, closing Nathan’s door before strutting down the hall.
Nathan groaned into his pillow, not really caring to or even wanting to deal with the idiocy of his socialite friends. And knowing he had to, despite that. With a more effort than he thought he’d ever mustered, he pulled himself back up off his king sized bed, and trudged into his adjoining bathroom. Slamming the door behind as hard as he could in protest.
.....................
The walk back to the apartment had been long. Not because she was tired. Which she was. Not because she was hungry. Which she really was. No, the walk had been excruciatingly long because all she had to think of was him.
A million thoughts ran through Haley’s head on her way home. Some justifying her actions, some damning them. And others just contemplating why in the H ell did he leave without even saying goodbye.
Logically Haley knew that her indiscretion, as some may call it, was not by any means a form of commitment. S hit, she hadn’t even really known Nathan until last night. Maybe she still didn’t. She did know however, that in some way or form, in that basement they had connected . Something had clicked. And as strange as the thought of her and Nathan clicking sounded, it was true.
What amazed her the most, was that she didn’t find it all that surprising. If someone had told her two days ago, that she would have been talking to Nathan Scott, enjoying his company, like a regular human being, she would have told them to go jump off a cliff. If someone had told her two days ago that she would have spent one of the best nights of her life in the arms of her most revered enemy, she would have told them they were fucking insane.
And yet here she was. Feeling empty and cold without him.
Life really felt like a huge joke sometimes.
Haley ran the thought through her head again. Here I am. She figured she should feel something, anything. But in actuality, it was numbness of nothing that seemed to dominate her emotions. Unhurriedly she slipped her key in the lock of her apartment door, discovering it was already unlocked. Before she even made it three steps in, Brooke and Peyton came running towards her at warp speed.
“Oh my holy God. Where were you?,” Peyton questioned her, right beside Brooke.
“Are you ok? Are you hurt? Because you didn’t call, and we left the club before you left, and we figured you’d be right behind us, but then you weren’t and—I’m really sorry. Are you ok,” Brooke rattled off her questions in rapt succession.
“I’m fine.”
“We were seriously freaking out Haley, are you sure your ok,” Brooke asked her more softly this time.
Haley nodded dumbly and then took a step back from the interrogation of her friends, and sucked in a breath of air. Looking at them with little emotion, before she tried to brush passed them to get further into the apartment.
Brooke and Peyton watched her. Giving each other a confused and bewildered looks. Brooke silently mouthing ‘What was that?’ Peyton answering with a silent ‘I don’t know.’
Haley meanwhile went it into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water before heading to her room. Brooke cutting her off at the door, so that she couldn’t enter.
“So,” Brooke asked Haley eagerly, her eyebrow quirked as she tapped her nails on the door frame persistently.
“So...what?”
“So...where the hell were you for the last 24 hours. Me and Peyton here would really like to know, wouldn’t we Peyton.”
“Seeing as we spent the first 12 of the 24 hours scouring the entire campus for you. And the rest, spending all our money calling your cell-phone, yes, I think we do deserve to know,” Peyton added with a heavy nod.
Haley glanced at the ground, and then to Peyton’s feet, noticing the black and pink converse tennis shoes she wore.
How did she tell them what happened to her? How did she explain Nathan? And to Brooke of all people. There was no way she could handle that now. No way.
“It’s a gigantically long story, with an even more confusing ending. So if you don’t mind, I’m gonna go take a shower, fall into bed, and you two can gossip all about it after I’m asleep.”
Brooke’s eyes widened. “Nothing? That’s it? We go an entire day having trauma inducing panic attacks, thinking you were abducted by some alien rapists, and we don’t even get an explanation?”
“Nope,” Haley affirmed.
“Seriously,” Peyton asked, giving Haley that sisterly expression. The one that made it almost impossible for her to refuse, because it was so comforting. She knew it was only a diversionary tactic to break her and make her spill. She was going to be strong. Now was not the time to tell them what happened.
“Totally and completely,” Haley answered.
Brooke let out an exasperated sigh. “Ugh.....fine. Be off. We have no use for you, until your ready to do some major spillage girlfriend.”
“Thanks for your concern,” Haley replied.
“Oh, you have no idea,” said Brooke, pushing her into her room, towards her bed.
Haley let herself be shoved forward, watching as her friends closed her door, leaving her in the darkness of her room. Letting the quiet seep into her brain as she sighed. If there was one thing she’d learned about those two girls in the past six years, it was that they always managed to find out everything about her and each other.
Everything.
Haley might have won the battle to keep her night with Nathan a secret. But there was no way she was going to win this war.
Chapter 10
I Go Back
Peyton skimmed through a pile of cd’s as she stood inside of Red Cult, their town’s pathetic version of a real underground record store. Most of the time Peyton considered Red Cult a music haven when compared to the million’s of Sam Goodies and Virgin Records that roamed the Earth. Today, however, she wasn’t coming across anything that peaked her interest.
She traveled a little further down the rows of scattered selections. The different genre’s that were mixed together, only easily detectable to the trained eye.
Stopping when she saw a cover that intrigued her, Peyton flipped the cd over and began reading the song tracks on the back.
“Didn’t figure you for a techno fan.”
She heard a deep soft voice say.
Peyton’s head shot up to see one Jake Jakelski standing on the other side of the waste high cd racks. A clam smile on his face.
“I like to mix it up every now and then,” she smiled back at him.
“Is that right,” he asked, thumbing through the music on his side.
“When the mood suits me. What have you got so far?”
Jake held up the cd he’d been holding for her too look at in clear view.
“Chingy?”
“Yep.”
“Rap. Now why am I not surprised,” she teased with a grin.
Jake watched Peyton’s face light up as she smiled, forcing him to do the same. A nervous knot forming in his stomach. “So there’s this thing tonight,” he began, a little more shy this time. His eyes plastered to the plastic jewel case of his cd.
“Ok,” Peyton said, watching him with interest.
“It’s this party at Nathan’s and Lucas’s house. It should be pretty wild,” he continued, finally looking up at her.
“And you wanna know if I’ll come,” she questioned, making eye contact finally, her demeanor more flirtatious than she intended for it to be.
Jake made another nervous attempt to smile. “It could be fun....if you’re there.”
Fun wasn’t the exact word Peyton would have used to describe a Scott party. At least not the ones she remembered attending. And inwardly she began debating whether or not she was ready to enter back into that world. Yes, at one time her and Brooke and even Theresa and Kelly had been at the top of that group. They’d been in every club, gone to every dance, cheered at every game. But the older they got, the more money had begun to divide them. Because unlike Theresa and Kelly, and the Scott Clan, Brooke and Peyton had never been rich.
The point made all to abundantly clear, when it came time to choose colleges. And that’s when her and Brooke had decided to break away.
It was more of a choice, than an option being forced upon them. So they took the opportunity to be free of that group, and ran with it. The last two years spent creating their own new relationships. With Haley and others. Ones not built on money or prestige, or social standing.
Now that she’d had a chance to see the other side was she ready to step back into the madness?
Something about Jake’s smiling face told her she could at least give it a try.
“What time should we be there?”
........................
“I’ll pass,” Haley told her two anxious friends. Their faces turning into identical twin frowns at her unenthusiastic response, to her invitation.
“What? Why,” Peyton cried, following Haley as she went back and forth from the living room to the kitchen putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.
“Because a Scott Brother’s party sounds a little too crazy for my taste,” she said, while trying to keep busy, under their scrutiny. Trying to do everything in her power not let them see the guilty vibe she was sure was radiating off of her.
“Lucas will be there too,” Peyton offered, offhand. And Haley felt confused.
“Yeah? And?”
“And we saw you two lovebirds chatting it up at the bar the other night,” Brooke said jokingly, watching Peyton follow Haley around the room, as she herself, sat comfortably on the living room sofa.
“Me and Lucas are friends. We always will be. That doesn’t mean I want to go to this drunken, drugged out, sex orgy you keep referring to as a party,” Haley declared, a handful of glasses in her arms.
“That only happened once, “ Brooke waved her off with a laugh, “And besides we’re all of age to drink now, so the cops aren’t even an issue. Technically.”
“Why does that information not fill me with relief?”
“Because you’re too uptight?”
“Where as you on the other hand are nice and loose, so I here,” she snapped back at her.
Brooke mocked hurt, and Haley rolled her eyes looking back to Peyton
“I’m not going alright. Just go by yourselves. You don’t need me there anyway. I know the only reason you’re going is too see Jake.”
Peyton’s mouth flew open, “THAT IS NOT .............ok, well maybe just a little. But still Hales, come on, it’ll be good to see some old friends,” she suggested.
“You forget, oh friend of mine. That I hated these people in high school. With a fiery passion. Not really up for rekindling past “relationships”.”
“It won’t be that bad Haley.”
“Yes it will.”
“You might have fun.”
“I doubt it,” she countered.
Brooke cut in before Peyton and Haley could continue the debate, her voice soft and calm. “Both of you shut-up and listen,” She yelled looking pointedly to her friend. “Haley if you go there tonight, and show them how much you kick ass. How awesome you really are, their not going to have any option but to fall in line. I mean, ok, so yeah you didn’t like them, nobody did. Not even me and Peyton. But maybe, just maybe they’ve changed too. Everyone deserves second chances right? And this way, you can show up on your own terms. You come and leave whenever you want. No job to keep you trapped.”
Haley looked over at Brooke, ready to laugh out loud at the irony of her statement. Deciding now wasn’t a good time. “Brooke I.....”
“Nope, no buts. You’re going with us tonight, end of story. You’re going and you’re gonna look hot, and we’re all gonna have a good time. Understand,” Brooke stated, her face full of resolve.
It’s not so much that Haley couldn’t continue to fight the matter, because she could. When she wanted Haley James could be the most stubborn person you ever met. The thing was, she had never been to one of Nathan’s party’s. Not even when her and Lucas had dated. They’d both agreed to keep that part of their relationship separate from his friends and family. And so she was curious to see what it would be like. Even more so, she wanted to see Nathan. Needed to see Nathan.
Putting the rest of the glasses down in the kitchen counter, Haley opened the dishwasher, leaning down to put in the remaining dirty dishes.
“When do we leave,” she finally surrendered.
Brooke and Peyton looked at each other with wide feline smiles. The word Victory, definitely coming to mind.
Chapter 11
Crash.......
The party was already in full throttle by the time the three girls waltzed into the Scott abode. Small and large groups of people scattered all over the house, on the balcony, and out in the large incased back-porch A soft glow, lighting each and every room, bottles of alcohol in every patrons hand.
Haley cringed at how cliché this entire scene felt, and looked. She briefly wondered if rich kids like the Scott’s, created party’s which movies based them off of, or if they based their party’s on watching too many movies. She didn’t have time to ponder that thought, however, before Jake caught up with them in foyer.
“Hey Peyton, Brooke, Haley,” he said greeting each of them individually with his ever present charm.
Brooke and Haley gave him warm smiles, as Peyton said, “Hi.”
He then ushered them down one of the lengthy hallways, amidst all of the different people, coming to a stop in front of the kitchen.
“You girls want anything to drink? It’s all on the house, so to speak,” Jake laughed.
They accepted the drinks he offered from the variety of beverages available. Hundreds of bottles, cans, and cups aligned on top of every open surface, before them.
When they were done they then proceeded to follow Jake, until he came to a more subdued part of the house away from the other commotion.
As they walked into what Haley could only describe as some kind of private study, adorned with plush leather couches, she suddenly felt the urge to turn around and run.
Here they all were. Together again. Haley feeling insecure and 16 all over again. Wanting more than anything to hurt Brooke, for making her wear the rather skimpy black top, and form fitting jeans, which hugged her body.
Everyone in the room, looked over and stared as Haley and them entered the room.
“Well look who the cat finally decided to drag in. I knew it was only a matter of time before you showed your faces around here,” Theresa snipped out bitchily, from her place on the couch next to Nathan. “Oh and look, you brought Tutor girl with you as well.”
“Retract your claws Theresa, were not here to fight,” Brooke responded to her, with a curt smile, entering the room as if she owned it all.
Peyton and Jake followed suit, leaving Haley to stand inside the doorway alone. Her eyes locked on the back of Nathan’s head.
“You gonna stay there all night,” Lucas called from his seat, a couple minutes later.
“Was thinking about it,” she said with a nervous laugh.
“Here come sit, join the festivities,” he offered comfortingly, and Nathan broke his eyes away from the window he was staring out to look at her.
Haley obeyed his request, sinking down into the corner of one of the two sofa’s that occupied the room. She watched the interaction among everyone, with mild interest. Unable to keep her eyes, from flitting back to Nathan, every now and then. Wondering what the Hell was going on in his head.
He’d yet to saying anything to anybody since her and the other’s had entered the room. She didn’t know if he was purposefully ignoring her, or just didn’t know what to say. God knew, she was lacking in the word department at the moment as well.
Taking a drink if her beer, Haley glanced around the room once more, her eyes stopping on the tan blonde that was currently staring at her with a look of pure disdain.
“So what do you do,” Kelly asked her with ridicule, a hint of jealousy in her eyes.
“Excuse me?”
“It is Haley isn’t it?”
She nodded.
“So what do you do, other than tag along to parties you weren’t invited to, I mean.
Haley glanced over at Brooke and Peyton who had overheard the remark and were ready to step in. She gave them an ‘ok’ look, turning back to Kelly sharply.
“I go to school, have my job at the club.” She responded lightly.
“The club? You mean Ecstacy right?”
“Yes.”
“How’s that working out for you?”
“Just......just great.”
“You’ve probably worked at places like that a lot right?. People like you usually do.”
The nerve of this girl was infuriating. What had she done or said to cause such hatred? She’d only been in the room for a total of 15 minutes.
Basically Haley hated confrontation. Avoided it at all costs if necessary. It just never was her thing. Why argue, fight about something when you can solve it with rational words. But something told her that the way these people lived, the way they worked, being logical and rational just wouldn’t cut it in this world. She’d have to save herself or be eaten by sharks. Survival of the fittest was the game. And this chick was going down in flames.
“Where as people like you don’t. I bet you’ve never had job. You do know what a job is though, right? It’s that thing that you do, when you go to a place of employment-- work, and get compensated for it. So that you don’t have to live off your Daddy, like a spoiled brat.”
“Of course you would know all about that wouldn’t you. I’m sure your Daddy just loves cleaning toilets for a living. And so will you,” Theresa smiled sweetly.
Haley gave her a murderous glare. Ready to respond, before she was cut off by Kelly. “Yes, please tell us new girl, how is it that your father can afford to send you to a school like Bayview State. Is it the hours he spends sweeping the carpet of my father’s law firm? Or in between breaks while he’s cleaning the dirt out from his nails?”
Haley wanted to defend her father. Wanted to say something, so that they knew she didn’t think of him being a janitor as anything shameful, because to her it wasn’t. But no words would come.
Theresa and Kelly continued to laugh to themselves, while everyone else watched. Haley move to leave.
“Oh don’t go,” Kelly falsely pleaded to her. “It’s so much fun catching up with you.”
“Screw you,” Haley through back before fleeing the room quickly. Peyton and Brooke right on her tail, and Jake following after them
The two girls giggled wickedly as the others retreated. “Oh I think she’s going to cry,” Theresa mocked.
“Maybe we should go check,” Kelly responded, causing her and some of the other boys to break out into laughter.
And making Nathan finally push up off his seat on the couch, breaking loose of Theresa’s grip. She looked up at him, still laughing as he gave her a irritated face.
“What!,” she said defensively.
“That was fucking lame alright. Get a life.”
“Oh that’s rich, you defending the poor girl now.”
“She’s not poor. You’re just a Bitch.”
“Oooh Burn,” Vegas called, him and Tim cracking into fits of laughter again.
“Shut up asshole,” Theresa screamed at them.
Nathan cast the entire room and annoyed face, before heading to leave, glancing down at Lucas’s silent figure in the corner of the room. Shaking his head in frustration.
.........................
“Haley wait up,” Peyton called, from the down the hall, Haley almost half way to the door.
She spun around, her face and body rigid. “Do not ask me stay.”
“I wasn’t going to. I just wanted to see if you were ok. I think Theresa and Kelly officially win for Bitch of the year now” she said trying to comfort her friend.
“Now Damn it, I wanted that titled,” Brooke whined jokingly, coming up beside the two of them, and running a hand over Haley’s hair soothingly.
Haley cracked a small smile, and looked down at her watch. “Well I made it a whole twenty minutes before running. You should both be proud,” she said.
“You want a medal,” Brooke asked.
“If you’re handing them out.”
“You guys go on ahead, I just want to say bye to Jake first,” Peyton added, turning around to were he stood watching them a few feet away.
Haley took a deep breath, and tried to calm her nerves. Her eyes boring holes into the ground.
“Ready,” Brooke looked at her expectantly.
“Let me go to the bathroom first, ok?”
“Yeah. I think it’s that way, if my memory serves me,” Brooke pointed down another hallway.
Haley nodded, and went forward. Exiting the bathroom a few minutes later, she tired to remember which way it was that she’d actually gotten there. Taking a turn to her left, she walked through a door that seemed similar to what led her to the foyer. Instead finding herself inside of a kitchen. A smaller one this time. Empty.
Making her way through it, Haley paused when she noticed someone come through the opposite door.
Nathan’s face staring back at her.
Their eyes locked for an instant and then they broke away. Neither one speaking for a moment.
“I was just leaving,” Haley finally broke the silence.
“You don’t have to,” He responded, casually.
“Do you want me to stay?”
“Sure. More the merrier, right,” he gave her a half smile, and then headed to the fridge.
Haley quietly watched him. “So this........... is awkward.”
“I guess ,” he said, his eyes searching the refrigerator.
It seemed like he stood there staring in front of him for an eternity. She wondered why he seemed so calm.
Her mind full of questions, only her mouth wasn’t being as cooperative. She followed his body, as he began taking a couple drinks from the fridge and setting them on the counter beside him. Minutes passed, and neither of them spoke.
“Well it was really fun talking to you. But I think I’m gonna go now,” Haley finally got out, heading to the door Nathan had come through.
It was then that she felt a strong hand grab her by the elbow, and turn her around. Nathan only inches from her face.
“Wait,” he whispered softly.
“Why? So you can be the first to leave again,” she retorted bluntly, not sounding half as intimidating as she meant to.
Nathan smiled at her, and looked away mildly ashamed. “About that......... I’m.........I’m sorry.”
Haley’s eyes widened. Her mouth dropped open. “Oh. My. God.”
“What?”
“Did–did Nathan Scott just apologize to me?” She looked around the room to see if anyone else had witnessed this event. “I think Hell might have just frozen over.”
Nathan gave her a fake grin. “Ha ha you’re funny.”
“I don’t think your friends would so much agree with you on that,” she slightly smiled. “Are they always so.....”
“What? Snobby?”
“I was gonna go with evil, but yeah snobby works too.”
“I don’t know,” Nathan sighed, grabbing a strand of Haley’s loose hair, and tucking it behind her ear. Unconscious of what he was doing, while she looked at him. “Might be the holidays. Nobody really wants to deal with their families, you know.”
“If that’s their excuse,” Haley replied. “ Anyways, I should probably go. Brooke and Peyton are waiting for me.”
“Right, of course,” Nathan said staring down at her, not moving.
“So I’ll see you later,” Haley responded, unable to move herself.
Nathan leaned down his eyes zoning in on hers. The striking blue ocean inside of them making her powerless to leave, “ Yeah, see you around,” he whispered huskily.
Before either of them had a chance to say another word Nathan quickly crushed his mouth to hers in a fervent kiss.
In turn Haley pushed herself up into his embrace, their tongues battling together. As they melted into each others arms. Nathan caressing the side of her face, as she rubbed her hand along the strong muscles of his back. At last breaking away to catch her breath, Haley’s eyes, sought out and captured Nathan’s. Everything around them pausing for a moment as they watched each other in silent contemplation.
It was when Nathan finally broke that contact, that they heard the sound of a familiar voice.
“Holy s hit” Theresa cried from the open doorway across the room.
Haley and Nathan broke away from one another, and looked forward at the veritable fumes rising off of Theresa’s stagnant form.
“Please tell me this is not what I think it is Nathan. Please tell me you’re not standing here trying to get into Tutor girl’s pants. That’s so cute I might just puke.”
“Oh, cause you and the Pool boy were just a match made in heaven, right,” he countered with revulsion.
“Jealousy is an ugly, ugly color for you darling. Sorry, but I don’t think green suits you well.”
“Kiss my ass.”
“No thanks. I’ll leave that to Tim and Vegas, if you don’t mind,” she gave him a sickly sweet smile.
Nathan shook his head disgusted, noticing how uncomfortable Haley was beside him. “You done? Cause I’m ready to go now”
Theresa’s eyes flickered with a moment of pain. It didn’t last long though before she resumed her regular visage. This time her expression towards him more demeaning. “What are you doing Nathan,” she asked him, while blatantly watching her competition.
Nathan glanced down at Haley, and then to Theresa. “Nothing. It’s none of your business. What I do or don’t do is none of your business, actually,” he said defiantly.
“Is that right,” she yelled.
“Sure is,” he hollered back.
“Well you certainly acted like you were my business when I was in your room last night,” she finally pulled out her last ditch effort to destroy whatever she could. Her plan appearing to have worked, as she saw Haley’s eyes grow wide at Nathan’s guilty face.
No one was able to react to her statement however, because in that second Brooke walked in through the door behind Haley and Nathan, her eyes searching everybody, almost as if she’d just stepped into some kind of war-zone.
She grabbed Haley’s arm, and turned her around.
“Let’s go.”
Haley tried to search Nathan’s eyes one lat time.. But he kept his attention focused in front of him.
Brooke observed as Haley looked from Nathan and then back to her giving her a nod of recognition. Brooke then let her friend lead them both out the door and away from whatever monstrous fight she assumed they both just unintentionally walked into.
However watching the petite brunette more closely out of the corner of her eye, as they left, Brooke had the sneaking suspicion that her friend hadn’t wandered into that argument by accident. And tomorrow she was fully prepared to find out why.
