Author's note: In this story, Haley James and Lucas Roe are best friends. Lucas and Nathan Scott are no way related but still considered somewhat enemies. Other characters will remain as they are on the show, One Tree Hill. I do not take any credit regarding the television series, but it is based on a true story—mine. Although most of the story will relate, not all will be true. Hey, real life isn't always as pretty. xoxo

Full Summary: Nathan Scott is the most popular boy at Tree Hill High. Haley James is the probably the least. Circumstances bring them to each other and what happens in effect may change the entire course of their lives. Based on my true story. Some parts have been changed for benefit of the story.

The autumn leaves were turning, transpiring change and new colors. Summer had ended what seemed so long ago, when it had only been less than two weeks. It meant that school was starting again which most students scowled at, wishing that they could return to the sweltering and exciting days of summer vacation. Most students did not include Haley James.

She stood at her full-length mirror getting dressed for her first day of school, clad in faded jeans and a simply fitted t-shirt. Taking a flat brush, she untangled her long chestnut-colored locks, still damp from her recent shower. As the sun shined through her bedroom window, flecks of natural gold highlights shined brightly. Haley was completely excited for school to start because that was one thing she knew she excelled in. She didn't party or have tons of friends to do mindless things with. She was an academically astounding student and even participated in her school's tutoring program, volunteering as a tutor for other students. And the school which she attended was Tree Hill High School.

As she finished up, she heard the front door open.

"Haley! It's time to go!" a familiar male voice called out.

That would be Lucas—Haley's long-time best friend, a friendship that had sprouted from elementary school and remained unbreakable. They both shared their fair amount of similarities, not in their personalities but in other aspects of their life. To mention a few, they never cooperated with the social system that enveloped their small town, Lucas especially. They went unnoticed in their schools, growing up because they weren't involved in athletics which was a high achievement in that close-minded community. On top of that, they were teased for being a boy and girl who were best friends rather than dating; only to realize that the ones who teased were the ones who were jealous of their devoted relationship.

"I'm coming!" she yelled.

She dashed down the stairs, backpack in hand, and running past Lucas who held the front door open for her.

"Haley, you can calm down, considering I'm going to school thirty minutes early, just for you,"

She stuck her tongue out at him teasingly and jumped into the passenger side of Luca's mini red pick-up. They drove quietly out of the neighborhood and once they reached the first red light, Lucas briefly turned to his friend.

"So… I was wondering," he began.

Haley was occupied filling out paperwork necessary for her to be allowed to tutor for that year.

"Uh huh…" she replied still concentrating on what was in front of her.

He cleared his throat before continuing, "Well, I was wondering… what do you think about Brooke?"

"Brooke… Brooke?" she asked now disinterested in her papers.

"Yeah, you know, Brooke Davis,"

"Gee, Lucas, I think I know who Brooke Davis is… along with the entire male student body at Tree Hill."

"O-kay, so I guess that answers my question,"

"Why the sudden interest in my opinion about Ms. Head-of-the-Cheerleaders, Brooke Davis?"

"Um… because… I, uh… sort of asked her out," he finished hesitantly.

"What?! When did this happen?"

He continued driving as the light turned green.

As they pulled into the school parking lot, Lucas had a defeated look on his face while Haley's was flushed in what seemed disbelief and anger.

"So, you're telling me that all those times when you were blowing me off, you were buddy-buddy, no, scratch that, fuck-buddies with Brooke?"

"We weren't fuck buddies, Haley!" he exasperated.

She crossed her arms in dissatisfaction with his answer.

"Then what are you guys?"

"Well, we're boyfriend and girlfriend now…"

"Great! My best friend since grade school decides he's dating one of the most stuck up girls that hasn't ever acknowledged my presence—which I'm sure it matters to you if your girlfriend and best friend in the whole, wide world ever get along. Not to mention, you hid this from me for the past month!" She bitterly yelled.

"Haley! She's not as stuck up as you think she is… you just… need to get to know her…"

She scoffed at his remark.

"What makes you think that I wouldn't try to? Don't put this on me! If she's not so stuck up, for the past several years that we've all attended the same schools, why didn't she bother to give you the time of day, much less me?"

Lucas sat speechless, understanding the truth of his best friend's words.

After her rant, she stared out the passenger side window for a minute or so, trying to calm herself.

"Lucas?" she asked warily.

He smiled weakly at her, apologetic for how she had to find out about Brooke.

Unexpectedly she saw his lack of anger with her and continued, "If she makes you happy, than I'm more than happy for you. You deserve someone special and I was just thrown off that it's her. I'm just going to ask that you don't push me to like her. Besides, if I do or don't like her has nothing to do with the fact that you do."

Surprised by her sudden change of heart, Lucas felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Hales, I won't let you down," he smiled at her reassuringly.

"Good. Just don't get all gushy over her with me. Do that in your own private time!" she jokingly warned.

He grinned in pure happiness that his friend was so forgiving and gestured for her to come close for a tight hug. In truth, it did bother Haley but knowing Lucas, she trusted his actions and could only hope for the best. Then the two hopped out of the truck to begin their first day of junior year as Tree Hill Ravens.

--

"Am I late? Am I late?" Haley whined as she came running into the tutoring center.

"Ms. James, even if you were late, you know we would still take your registration papers," a teacher replied with a kind smile.

Haley let out a breath of relief. She paced around the room while the teacher punched in her information onto the computer.

"Okay, you're all set… and it looks like you already have a request for this afternoon starting at 2:30pm,"

"Great! Thank you so much!"

Pulling her schedule out of her pocket, she walked out of the room to see where she needed to head to for her first period.

"Ugh… how can they assign me P.E. first thing in the morning!" she groaned out loud.

Still focused on the rest of her schedule, she continued in the direction of the gym. As she sauntered down the hallway, oblivious to everything except her paper schedule, she suddenly heard a distinct male voice yelling,

"Look out!"

She glanced up from her paper to see a basketball flying right at her. It was too late. The aerial basketball flew towards her left shin, knocking her completely off her feet. She lay there on the ground, still unaware of what had just happened.

"Ouch…" she muttered while bringing her hand to the back of head.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Her vision was blurred for a quick second as she gazed up at the figure towering over her. When her eyes refocused she was shocked to see a dark haired and quite handsome guy lowering his hand out to her.

'Is Nathan Scott helping me up?' she thought instantly.

She took hold of his hand timidly as he helped her back on her two feet.

She moaned while still massaging the back of her head, now fixated on the throbbing pain rather than the boy that stood in front of her.

"Here, let me take a look," he offered as he brought his own hand to where hers was.

"Uh, no… I'm fine," she quickly moved away from his reach.

"Are you sure? That was… a pretty bad fall,"

"Yeah… I'm okay. You're lucky I have a pretty hard head,"

She lightly rapped on top of her head as if to convince him.

"Okay… well, I'm really sorry about that,"

"Nathan… it's fine—"

"Hey, how do you know my name?" he quickly interjected.

She cheeks glowed with a pink hue as his question was met with momentary quiet.

"Um… well…" she paused to think of something to say.

Then she boldly answered, "Since you are the captain of the basketball team, don't you think it would be strange if I didn't know your name?"

"Interesting… so, what else do you know about me?" he challenged her, a cocky smirk plastered on his face.

She snorted contemptuously, "It's been real fun chit-chatting with the person who just tried to kill me with a basketball, but I'm going to be late for class,"

Nathan loved the feisty spark that he had set off in this girl's demeanor. She acted nothing like the other girls of Tree Hill High School; for one, she was not at all intimidated by him. When he had gotten her to blush was when she went off on him, and he liked it. This girl was too cute.

Haley brushed past her sickeningly smug schoolmate. She had to admit, he was hot. He was hot enough to have pretty much every female student falling head over heels for him. Ironically, he had her falling head over heels but because of an airborne basketball. Initially she had caught a glimpse of the genuine Nathan Scott who seemed caring and nice. When she had accidentally let him known that she was aware of who he was, he had taken advantage of the situation, showing his arrogant self again.

"Wait!" he called out as he ran up beside her.

She looked over at him disdainfully.

"I know you already know my name, but what's your's?"

"Huh?"

"Nathan Scott. What's your name?" he stated as he gently took a hold of her hand to shake it.

--

"Haley James!"

"Here,"

Coach Durham was checking the attendance from his roster sheet.

She got absorbed in her own thoughts again as she recalled her previous encounter with the infamous Nathan Scott.

"I know you already know my name, but what's your's?"

"Huh?"

"Nathan Scott. What's your name?" he stated as he firmly shook her hand.

"That's for me to know… and for you to find out,"

And she had sashayed her way to the P.E. classroom, without looking back. She didn't know where her sudden spurt of over confidence had come from but she loved it.

"Nathan Scott!"

Haley's attention went directly to the back of the room where she heard an over exaggerated voice ring out,

"The one and only!"

Nathan gleamed at Haley the only way he knew how, showing off his classic half-crooked smile that seemed to get every chick; except for Haley James. He had already known her name, but tested her to hear just what kind of response would come from those pretty lips on that pretty face. He laughed with his eyes when she spun around as if she discovered the devil himself was sitting where Nathan was. He ignored the girls in the classroom who stared him down but with other unholy and definitely inappropriate thoughts.

Her face boiled with mortification as she returned to face the front board. She buried her flushed face in her crossed arms, hoping that when she looked up and turned back around, Nathan Scott would disappear. She did so and scowled to find him still staring at her, still grinning at her with his same I-can-make-you-melt-smile.

She groaned inwardly,

'What if he saw me daydreaming about how hot he is? Oh my gosh… he can never ever see me blush again; I'm not going to give him the pleasure! He probably knows… uh, thinks that I was drooling over him. Why me?!'

It was only the first period of the first day of school and she had already had to deal with finding out that her best friend was dating one of the snobbiest girls in school. On top of that, she almost died from a flying basketball and now she had to deal with this. It looked like this year was getting off to a great start.