Forever and A Day | one tree hill

nine.

Valentina never thought that she'd go to Karen's Café, not because she didn't think the food was good but because she didn't want to impose herself on Karen Roe when her mother had been the other woman in her relationship with Dan.

Now Valentina was eating breakfast with her mother at Karen's Café, and it wasn't just her and her mom, Deb was there was well and the three of them were chatting like they were old friends and Valentina was very confused at what she was witnessing.

"Are you okay?" Haley asks as she comes over to refill Valentina's glass of orange juice, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I might have," Valentina answers, "Do you see the three women socializing with one another?"

"You mean your mom, Lucas's mom, and Nathan's mom? Yeah. I see them."

"This is it. I honestly don't think anything stranger can happen in this town," Valentina says as she stares at the women, "I mean they should hate each other? They slept with the same man in the same time span."

"Yes, but now they all hate the same man, so it makes sense," Haley says as she leans on the counter and Valentina sighs as she directs her attention to Haley.

"So how have you been doing?" Valentina asks.

"I'm fine," Haley answers.

"Right," Valentina says as she grabs a sugar packet and begins to play with it, "Nathan told me that he tried to apologize to you at the record store."

"I don't need his apologies," Haley answers as she leans against the counter, "I know he's your brother, but he doesn't have track record of being a good guy."

"He's had his moments," Valentina states, "But I've never seen him so bothered before. Nathan doesn't apologize so the fact that he's doing all of this makes me believe he values your relationship more than you know."

"Why are you advocating for him?" Haley asks, seemingly annoyed, "Do you want us together or something?"

"You seem very against the idea of you and Nathan," Valentina observes.

"Maybe because I am," Haley answers.

Valentina can't help but stare at Haley as though she's stumbled across a rare creature. Everyone was interested in Nathan, if not for his looks and basketball skills then at least because they saw a fast track to NBA wife life. This was a very strange occurrence.

Haley looks up at her, brows furrowing, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Valentina shakes her head, "And just when I thought Tree Hill couldn't get any stranger."

Haley lets out a laugh, "What?"

"I've never met a female who isn't into Nathan," Valentina shrugs, "Well I have but they're usually attracted to me."

"Are you implying that I'm attracted to you?" Haley asks.

"Well, if you're not attracted to Nathan, that leaves me unless Brooke's stupid love pentagon thing was right and you're actually into Lucas," Valentina sighs, "I can't keep up with who likes who anymore."

"Maybe you should stop worrying about who likes who and focus on yourself," Haley tells her.

"But in order to know who likes me I have to know who likes Nathan," Valentina states, "We have a strict no double dipping policy."

Haley snorts, "Double dipping?"

"Yeah," Valentia says with a smile, "You can only have one Scott and not the other. Unless it's Lucas, we haven't really established any rules with him, and I think Peyton already double dipped so."