Title: Where do you go when you're lonely?

Author: alienangel19852003

Rating: T, language and partying

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the characters from OTH otherwise I wouldn't have to be looking for a job this week now would I?

Summary: Every since they were kids Haley had always run to Lucas whenever she had a problem and he always seemed to say or do the right thing. Haley and Nathan are having serious problems in their relationship, and Lucas can't seem to get Haley off his mind. What happens when she shows up at his house upset and he just can't hold back his feelings for her?

Prologue

It was the first day of school and four year old Haley James was lost, but she didn't want her older sister to know. Taylor, who was three years older, would think Haley was a baby and she would make fun of her in front of everyone.

Everything her parents had told her about school turned out to be wrong and what Taylor had said to her in what she thought was an attempt to scare her turned out to be right on.

She didn't really know anyone and she wasn't allowed to go where the big kids were even if she wanted to find Taylor, so she sat alone on a bench. She was bored and everyone else seemed to be having so much fun. She saw a group of girls playing and spinning in circles playing games. Boys were playing with dirt or kicking a ball around.

But there was one boy who wasn't with them; he was standing alone by the trees, watching her. It was something she knew she'd remember for years to come, the way he stared at her his green eyes seemed to really see her the way none of the other kids on the playground had they'd all bypassed her like she was invisible, and she'd started to think she was or that something was wrong with her.

She was about to tell him that staring at people was rude when someone else sat down on the bench, it was an older girl she'd never seen before with raven hair and dark eyes, she was thin and pale.

"This is my spot." The girl told her.

"I­­­­­­­­­­­–I didn't know," Haley stuttered trying to get off the bench but she couldn't move fast enough.

"You didn't see my name on it? Or are you another one of those kindergarten babies who can't read?" the girl asked.

"I can so read!" Haley declared, she could read extremely well for a girl who was four going on five.

"Well why did you sit here if you read my name on the bench?" the girl asked.

"I didn't know…" Haley said.

"If I catch you here again, you're going to get it, the name's Nikki remember it." The girl said pushing Haley away; Haley lost footing and fell face down in the dirt.

She could hear laughter in her ears, all of her classmates were laughing and Nikki laughed the loudest of all. She didn't pick herself up immediately, she spat out the dirt and pulled herself up so she was kneeling and just sobbed for all she was worth, she hated school so much.

She felt hands on her shoulders, and she thought maybe Nikki was going to just finish her off, but she opened her and gazed into those intense green eyes of the boy who had been staring at her before.

"That girl won't bother you no more." He told her.

She looked over to see Nikki, running away from there.

"You didn't hit her did you?" she asked.

"No, my mom says I'm not supposed to hit a girl, or anyone really, fighting is for the immature, she says. I told her I'd tell on her." he told her.

"Oh," Haley said.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, just dirty, my mommy will be mad but I'm okay." Haley said.

"I'm glad you're okay," He said finally smiling.

"Thank you for helping me, my name is Haley."

"I'm Lucas," He told her.

"Lucas, how come you were looking at me funny?" She asked.

He shrugged his shoulders, "You were all by yourself and I thought you were pretty."

Haley blushed and he pulled her to her feet, and from that day they were inseparable. Lucas became Haley's best friend; it was the most natural thing in the world, until they grew up.