Chapter 1
"So...did you hear the news?" Lucas questioned, running up behind Haley in the hallway between class.
"What news?" She asked, tucking a piece of hair back and adjusting the backpack on her shoulder.
Lucas continued to follow her, quickening his pace to keep up. "White's getting remarried this weekend."
"Oh yeah I did hear that." She nodded with amusement, Nathan had told her the day before during one of their tutor session. For some reason she thought that he was going to ask her, but he never did...not that she wanted him to or anything. "I didn't even know he had a girlfriend."
"Yeah. Neither did I." He replied, beginning to fidget a little. "So...all of the basketball players are invited and we can bring dates...and I was wondering if maybe..."
Haley stopped, her smile widening. "Are you asking me to be your date?" She questioned happily.
"Yes. Yes I am." He confirmed, relieved that he did actually have to ask. He had been planning on asking Peyton, but for some reason decided that he would rather go with Haley.
"I'll think about it." She smirked as she began to enter her class.
"Hales?"
She turned back, a huge smile playing on her lips. "Of course I'll go." She accepted, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. "Thanks for asking." Once again she turned and disappeared into the classroom. Lucas stood outside with a wide grin, wondering why that simple kiss had made him so happy and why her touch sent tingles down his spine.
Later that day
Haley approached the dock for her normal tutoring session with Nathan and for once he was actually there before her. "Wow. Did hell freeze over?" She asked, looking down.
"What?" He questioned with a confused laugh as he look up at her from where he was sitting.
"You're here. On time. Early..." She explained sitting down across from him, still amazed.
"Hey. I'm not always late." He defended himself playfully.
"Oh yeah you are." She laughed, as she laid her backpack on the table and pulled out her books. Nathan's smiled widened as she laughed along with her, carefully studying her movement. He could hardly believe how pretty she looked with the sun shining in her hair.
"Umm...there's actually a reason I'm early." He told her.
"I should have known there was an ulterior motive." She joked.
"Yeah...well I came early because I was practicing." He replied. "I really nervous because I'm going to ask this really great girl out on a date." With that said, Haley's eyes locked with his. She breathed in deep, hoping that she wasn't that girl, because that would just complicate her life a lot more then she need it to be complicated. Of course she knew her hoping was pointless. "So...what do you think? Do you think you'd be interested in going out sometime?"
Haley's mouth opened, she knew she had to say something but she didn't know what. "Nathan..." She began and he could already tell that he probably wasn't going to get the answer he was hoping for.
"Don't...I get it. You don't have to." He held up his hand.
"No...I mean. It's just really complicated with Lucas." She explained, as he looked down at the table and shook his head. "Don't be mad." She pleaded.
"I'm not mad." He forced a smiled and looked up at her. Yet another reason to hate Lucas. He had the heart of his ex-girlfriend and the girl who he would love to have as his current girlfriend. "Just disappointed."
Haley's heart broke as she watched his face fall. "Fine." She stated with a sigh. "I'll go."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." She agreed with a nervous smile. She couldn't believe that she had actually do that. Lucas is was going to be so mad at her. "So when is this..."
"Date."
"Right. When is this date happening?" She questioned, her pulse racing a little as she thought about how Lucas would relax.
"It's this weekend. Coach is getting married and you get to be my date." He replied with a grin as her face fell. "What?"
"I can't go with you." She replied feeling even worse then before.
"Why not? What? You don't like weddings or something?" He asked with a laugh.
"No. I mean I do...like weddings. I'm just already going." She explained. "...with Lucas."
"Oh." He growled, cursing his 'brother' silently.
"I'm sorry. He asked me this morning and..."
"Don't apologize. I probably should have asked you yesterday anyway." He shrugged. "I guess that's what I get for putting it off."
"Well...maybe some other time." She offered. "But I'll save you a dance. OK?"
"Yeah. Definitely." He sighed, "I'm not really in the mood for learning right now." He told her standing up. "I'll see you tomorrow or something." With that he began to walk away, leaving Haley sitting alone. Haley's eyes rolled up to the sky, then closed them lightly as she looked down at the table. She had never rejected anybody before.
"So...did you hear the news?" Lucas questioned, running up behind Haley in the hallway between class.
"What news?" She asked, tucking a piece of hair back and adjusting the backpack on her shoulder.
Lucas continued to follow her, quickening his pace to keep up. "White's getting remarried this weekend."
"Oh yeah I did hear that." She nodded with amusement, Nathan had told her the day before during one of their tutor session. For some reason she thought that he was going to ask her, but he never did...not that she wanted him to or anything. "I didn't even know he had a girlfriend."
"Yeah. Neither did I." He replied, beginning to fidget a little. "So...all of the basketball players are invited and we can bring dates...and I was wondering if maybe..."
Haley stopped, her smile widening. "Are you asking me to be your date?" She questioned happily.
"Yes. Yes I am." He confirmed, relieved that he did actually have to ask. He had been planning on asking Peyton, but for some reason decided that he would rather go with Haley.
"I'll think about it." She smirked as she began to enter her class.
"Hales?"
She turned back, a huge smile playing on her lips. "Of course I'll go." She accepted, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. "Thanks for asking." Once again she turned and disappeared into the classroom. Lucas stood outside with a wide grin, wondering why that simple kiss had made him so happy and why her touch sent tingles down his spine.
Later that day
Haley approached the dock for her normal tutoring session with Nathan and for once he was actually there before her. "Wow. Did hell freeze over?" She asked, looking down.
"What?" He questioned with a confused laugh as he look up at her from where he was sitting.
"You're here. On time. Early..." She explained sitting down across from him, still amazed.
"Hey. I'm not always late." He defended himself playfully.
"Oh yeah you are." She laughed, as she laid her backpack on the table and pulled out her books. Nathan's smiled widened as she laughed along with her, carefully studying her movement. He could hardly believe how pretty she looked with the sun shining in her hair.
"Umm...there's actually a reason I'm early." He told her.
"I should have known there was an ulterior motive." She joked.
"Yeah...well I came early because I was practicing." He replied. "I really nervous because I'm going to ask this really great girl out on a date." With that said, Haley's eyes locked with his. She breathed in deep, hoping that she wasn't that girl, because that would just complicate her life a lot more then she need it to be complicated. Of course she knew her hoping was pointless. "So...what do you think? Do you think you'd be interested in going out sometime?"
Haley's mouth opened, she knew she had to say something but she didn't know what. "Nathan..." She began and he could already tell that he probably wasn't going to get the answer he was hoping for.
"Don't...I get it. You don't have to." He held up his hand.
"No...I mean. It's just really complicated with Lucas." She explained, as he looked down at the table and shook his head. "Don't be mad." She pleaded.
"I'm not mad." He forced a smiled and looked up at her. Yet another reason to hate Lucas. He had the heart of his ex-girlfriend and the girl who he would love to have as his current girlfriend. "Just disappointed."
Haley's heart broke as she watched his face fall. "Fine." She stated with a sigh. "I'll go."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." She agreed with a nervous smile. She couldn't believe that she had actually do that. Lucas is was going to be so mad at her. "So when is this..."
"Date."
"Right. When is this date happening?" She questioned, her pulse racing a little as she thought about how Lucas would relax.
"It's this weekend. Coach is getting married and you get to be my date." He replied with a grin as her face fell. "What?"
"I can't go with you." She replied feeling even worse then before.
"Why not? What? You don't like weddings or something?" He asked with a laugh.
"No. I mean I do...like weddings. I'm just already going." She explained. "...with Lucas."
"Oh." He growled, cursing his 'brother' silently.
"I'm sorry. He asked me this morning and..."
"Don't apologize. I probably should have asked you yesterday anyway." He shrugged. "I guess that's what I get for putting it off."
"Well...maybe some other time." She offered. "But I'll save you a dance. OK?"
"Yeah. Definitely." He sighed, "I'm not really in the mood for learning right now." He told her standing up. "I'll see you tomorrow or something." With that he began to walk away, leaving Haley sitting alone. Haley's eyes rolled up to the sky, then closed them lightly as she looked down at the table. She had never rejected anybody before.