I HATE YOU
::  iv. | collateral damage

Everyone was at the hospital, sitting next to one another. Chad pacing back and forth about his sister, while Haley was comforting Luke. Peyton just sat there with her arms crossed leaning back in the chair. Haley soon made her way over to Chad and gave him a sympathy look, before wrapping her arms around his waist in a hug. Chad hugged back and in doing so, his eyes wandered towards Peyton and her eyes glanced at Luke.

Once they pulled apart, that's when Chad's mood changed. "Oh hell no." He walked over to Brooke and Rachel.

Haley turned in his direction and saw the girls too. She just shook her head while crossing her arms as she watch Chad talk to them.

"It's the fact that you guys think you deserve to see her which y'all don't." Chad spoke in stern tone.

"We care about her Chad." Brooke told him.

"If that were true you wouldn't talk about her behind her back." He then glanced at rachel, "And don't get me started on you."

Chad, Brooke, and Rachel continued to disagree and so Peyton had to step in and handle it. As the four were arguing with each other, nathan had walked in with his mom.

"Nathan!" Haley ran over to him with open arms. "What are you doing here?"

Nathan wrapped his arms around her, "My dad was in a fire. What are you doing here?"

"Ashley was in a fire too." Haley said and a thought occurred to her. How were there two fires tonight? If Ashely was at the fire in the dealership, why was she with Dan to begin with?

Haley walked over to Chad with Nathan following behind. Once lucas saw everyone together, him and Peyton made their way over to the group while deb spoke with the nurse at the counter.

"Chad when did Ashely get admitted?" Haley ask.

Chad just gave her a weird look, wondering what does that matter? "Around 11:20, why?"

"Same time as my dad. You gonna tell me why your sister was hanging around with my dad?" Nathan step forward into Chad's face.

"I could ask you the same thing." Chad stepped closer, "You're dad's many things but I didn't know he was a pervert."

"Chad!" Haley hit his arm, which caused him to step back.

Nathan was about to say something rude and snarky back but was called by his mother, "Nathan!"

He gave Haley a quick peck on the cheek before leaving to his mom to see dad.

• • •

Chad went off to try and call his parents again. There were no new news about Ashely, she was still the same— breathing but unconscious.

"Why won't his parents answer the damn phone?" Peyton ask, in an annoyed tone.

"They're punishing her." Rachel spoke out.

"For?" Peyton ask, once again in an annoyance tone.

"Me." Rachel said.

Lucas scoffed, "Of course, you're always to blame."

"Wow, the blonde dweeb finally says something. So now that your girlfriend's in a coma you can finally say what you want." Rachel's tone was now turning angry.

"I'm not a puppy dog, Rachel." Lucas defend himself.

"You sure act like one." She crossed her arms over her chest, "What? Ashely got you off your leash this time?"

Luckily for Rachel, Chad came back and at the right moment too. He had to make one pick stop before heading back to his friends, the doctor wanted to speak with him for about a mintier or so. He was told his sister was in a coma but the doctor knew for sure it wasn't gonna last long because of her brain activity.

He was crushed, he didn't know how to react. All he knew was that he wanted to be by her side and he wanted to do it alone.

• • •

Three days later and still no difference with the blonde girl laying in the hospital bed. Chad sighed as he stared at her sleeping body. He wish he knew what happened that night- why his sister was with Dan, the fire, everything. She was the only one holding those answers and it sucked.

As he continued to sit by her side, his mind wandered towards Rachel. He felt bad about how he kicked her out, considering everything about their past. After a moment of still thinking, he decided he was gonna go see her and potentially apologize.

And so his legs carried him to the car and his hands drove him to Brooke's house where Rachel was staying. Once he got there, he parked on near the curb. He then got out and headed to the front door. He rung the doorbell and waited a minute before someone answered.

"You hear to yell at us again?" Brooke answered.

"Where's Rachel, Brooke?" Chad ignored her question.

"Why?" She then crossed her arms.

"Forget it." Chad shoved passed her and headed up the stairs where he assumed the redhead would be.

Chad knocked on the bedroom door and as expected, the girl he was looking for answered.

"What are you doing here, asshole?" Rachel leaned against the bedroom door.

"Sorry for yelling at you." He croaked out.

"You're sorry?" Rachel questioned in disbelief.

Chad nodded, "Yeah. It wasn't fair what my parents did. I guess I'm projecting my anger for them onto you cause you broke my sister's heart. Then my parents broke her even more."

"Everything went to shit once they opened the door." She agreed with him.

"You can see her. I'm not doing this out of pity . . . . ok, maybe I am a little bit but I can tell you still care for her." He joked a bit.

"You mean love her." She corrected him.

"You know you can't." And with that, he turned on his heels about leave downstairs and out the house.

"I'm gonna get her back. Whatever means necessary." She lastly told him before he even stepped on the first step to go downstairs.

a/n:
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