Sweetness

Nathan groaned as he heard a knocking at the door. Looking at his clock he realized it was only 6 am and that meant it could only be one person. Instead of acknowledging her he opted to roll over and bury himself underneath the covers. No such luck. Haley opened the door and hopped up onto his bed.

"Nathan get up. I need to talk to you before I go to school. Come on, get up." Haley begged as he ignored her.

"Sometimes I really wish I didn't have that door in my room. Then maybe the girls I wanted to come into my room would and you wouldn't." he said grumbling at her. She look hurt for a few seconds and then smiled.

"Well first off, probably not. Second, I would just have to come in your window and knowing the klutz I am, I would cause more trouble doing that than banging on your door." she said laughing. "Now get up and meet me in the kitchen. Your mom already went to work so that left me to fend to you." she said and hopped off the bed.

Nathan groaned again mumbling about how early it was as he slipped on a pair of jeans. He finally stumbled into the kitchen where Haley was leaning over the counter reading some papers and eating some kind of chocolate sweet. "What the hell are you doing here so early? Not everyone wants to wake up at the crack of dawn. What are you eating?"

"What does it matter what I'm eating? Besides I have to be at the tutoring center in like half and hour to meet a new student. Well not a new student to the school but to my tutoring. I forgot to get his name, I hope it's not someone completely annoying like that kid Neil…" Haley started to ramble. She was entirely too busy focusing on Nathan's bare chest to concentrate. Whoa, snap out of it Haley.

"Haley…I get it. Gah, how do you stay so thin? It's unnatural how much you eat." he said grimacing at her and the chocolate on her face. He reached up and wiped it from her corner of her mouth. He stared at for a minute on his finger trying to figure out what to do with it and she grabbed his finger and licked it off. "Eww…Haley, that's gross." he said wiping his finger on his jeans.

"Sorry." she said unsympathetically. "Ok, so maybe I'm not. Anyway, this whole thing with Lucas right…listen don't give me that look ok? I'm just saying I think he may lay off since you kicked his ass and I know you start practice today and I just think both of you need to like seriously take a pill and swallow it." She knew it was a sore subject but she didn't really want to hear him complain for the rest of the season.

"So what? You're taking his side now? I remember when you and I just were in our own little world and then that jackass came into it and wanted what I wanted and he couldn't handle it. He's a prick and I just want to play basketball. You act like he's such a saint. You like him or something?" he asked clearly getting angry.

"NO! What would make you think that?" she looked at him and he was giving her a look she knew that meant he didn't believe her. "Ok so maybe I do a little bit. God, get over it. It's not like you don't come from the same genes. Your both gorgeous…"

"So you don't or can't have me so you go to him?" he asked clearly upset.

"What? No, it's not like that. Look, I'm just like every other girl Nathan. I can like Lucas Scott. That doesn't mean I'm gonna hop in bed with him or fawn over him. He doesn't even know I exist. Just don't worry about it ok?" he nodded slowly.

"Ok I'm sorry. It's too early to hear you talking about him like that. Screw that, it's never gonna be ok for you to talk about him like that. You're too good for him Haley. Don't set yourself so low." he said sweetly.

"You set me to a higher standard than everyone else and its not really fair. Besides your obsessed with Peyton and that's so much better. Broody artist and broody jock. Yeah, match made in heaven." she said sarcastically.

"Ok truce. And I don't obsess over Peyton. K, really truce now." he said holding up his hands.

"So High Fliers…three whole months? What am I going to do without you for a whole summer?" she said getting quite serious and starting to pout.

"Dream about Lucas? Alright bad joke. You'll be fine Hales. Don't look at me like that. You know I'll miss you." he said sincerely.

"Yeah, I know. Me too. Alright listen, I gotta go but every spare second this year goes to me. Got it?" she said sternly.

"Sure Hales, whatever you need." he said chuckling. She walked over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. To Nathan's surprise he felt something in his stomach tingling. He shrugged it off to being hungry. "Don't miss me too much."

"Miss me a lot." she said smiling, heading out the door. "Oh by the way, you stink. Get in the shower."

Peyton was in her room looking up at the ceiling. For some reason she didn't feel anything right at that moment. She was void of any emotion. She wasn't even tired even though she spend half the night with Lucas. That being said, the majority of her night was fighting and making up the 'proper way' as Lucas liked to put it. She felt nothing anymore when they had sex. That's all it was to her really. At one point in time, she could honestly say that what they had was special. That quickly faded as fast as Lucas rose in popularity. He didn't want her, he just wanted the sex and she really wished she could feel something about that but she didn't. That was Lucas, there was no changing that.

"So bestest friend on the planet, what grand thing are you going to do with the prettiest friend on earth today?" Brooke said bouncing in and plopping on the bed. "Because I seriously want to snatch up that eye candy called Nathan Scott. He starts practice today." she practically squealed. Peyton just laughed and hit her with a pillow. "How great is that? You get to marry one Scott boy and I get the other."

"Somehow I don't think Lucas and I getting married is in the cards but I wish you luck on your Scott brother conquest." Peyton sighed as Brooke gave her a confused look. "He's a jackass Brooke. I don't even know why I stay with him. All we do is fight and all he does is cheat on me. Fight, cheat, have sex. That's my life. Oh yeah and I tend to brood with crappy music too. Forgot that part." she said sarcastically.

"No one said you had to stay with him Peyton. Hell, why don't you go after the broody brother? You can brood together. It would totally piss off Lucas and it might straighten him up a bit. Or not." she said smiling.

"He's going for tutoring this morning. Whitey kicked his ass and told him to pull his grades up or he wasn't going to start anymore. I don't know if he could even do that giving the fact that Dan Scott is his father. The supreme jackass of them all."

"Lucas in tutoring? Ha, lets see how long that lasts before someone gets killed. Anyway, you need to get your skinny ass up P. Sawyer and look hot so we can go to school."

Haley had been there for 10 minutes with no sign of the student in such desperate need for her help. She was told he had asked for her specifically and she didn't know if that was because she was the quiet shy type that tended to attract the 'bad ass' guys that couldn't get her or for her talent to help people. She was about to leave when she ran smack into a hard chest. She looked up and locked eyes with one of the bluest set of eyes she had even seen. "Can…can I help you?" she managed to stammer out. He hadn't let her go and she was still close to him. Suddenly she willed herself away.

"What do you think I need? I'm in a tutoring center." Lucas smirked at her and she didn't like his attitude.

"Well no wonder you need one; with an attitude like that I wouldn't doubt many teachers like you." she spat back at him.

"You're a feisty little thing aren't you?" he said as he walked past her and sat down. She remained standing and glaring at him. "Well tutor girl are you coming or did I just get up at the crack of dawn for no reason?"

"First off, you're late. Second, I'm not tutoring you. I can't. Nathan is my best friend but I'm sure you already knew that. Probably why you requested me personally just to screw with him. Well I'm not doing it." she huffed at him and he continued to stare, unmoved.

"I requested you because you're the best. And it doesn't hurt that your hot. I could care less if your sleeping with Nathan. Let me guess…You're not. Whatever. Can we just get on with this?" he said clearly not giving up. Haley had never been so angry in her life. She now understood clearly how Nathan loathed him. At the same time, Haley felt oddly attracted to him and she didn't like it. She shook her head and grabbed her bag.

"You knock yourself out. I'm not tutoring you. I'll find you someone else." she said before slamming out the door. She walked down the hallway a few feet before she was grabbed suddenly. She spun around ready to fight. She locked in with his blue eyes again and saw them pleading with her.

"Please, you're the best and I need this. Basketball is everything to me. It's bad enough he stole High Fliers from…"

"He didn't steal anything. He earned that on your terms even when you threw him in the mud in the middle of nowhere." she said firmly. Inside, she was hysterical. She was still in his grasp and he made no move to let go.

"Fine. Look, if I don't pass, I can't start and if I can't start then there goes my life. My dad will be riding me and I can't deal with that right now. I feel like he's stealing my life away." Haley stood there confused for a moment and suddenly realized he meant Nathan. The compassionate part of Haley felt horrible for him. He seemed so sad.

"I…I really don't think that's such a good idea…" she said meekly. She knew she would give in.

"Let her go!" she heard someone from down the hall. She instantly recognized the voice of Nathan. Lucas suddenly let go and Haley stumbled back from his grasp. Nathan walked over and positioned himself in between Haley and Lucas. "Don't you even think about laying a hand on her again." To Haley's surprise Lucas didn't argue with him. They just glared at one another.

"Nathan, he…I…I'm tutoring him." both boys turned and looked at her clearly surprised. Haley wanted to run. She felt sick. One boy looked at her thankful and obviously surprised and the other looked mad as hell.

"No your not." Nathan said suddenly grabbing her hand and dragging her down the hall. She quickly released herself from him and turned to face him.

"You can't do that Nathan. You know what tutoring means to me. I supported you now you need to back off. You're acting like a jealous boyfriend. This has nothing to do with earlier." she said the last sentence more quietly. Peyton and Brooke decided to come stumbling in at that moment in hysterics about something. They stopped laughing seeing everyone in the hall. Nathan and Haley arguing and Lucas looking on trying to stifle a laugh. Brooke was the first one to speak.

"Well isn't this an interesting combination." she said flashing a smile. Peyton groaned. This was not her morning. Haley started to walk away and both Lucas and Nathan started to walk after her. Nathan turned around and glared at Lucas.

"This doesn't concern you. Just stay away from her. Ruin my life all you want…her…just stay away." Nathan said sternly. Haley stopped walking and turned to listen.

"This has nothing to do with you man. I will make your life miserable, don't worry but I'm not doing this to you. I didn't even really know about her. She was the best so that's what I wanted." Lucas said trying to sound sincere and to anyone other than Peyton would buy it. She didn't.

"The only way this is going to work is if you don't make his life miserable. I will not tutor you; I won't even consider it. You back off from him and I'll do it. If you can do that, I'll get you through the season. That's my terms. You want the best you have to do that." Haley said suddenly walking up.

"Haley, don't do this. It's not worth it. I don't want him in yours or my life any more than he needs to be." Nathan said concerned.

"What are the two of you? Are you dating or what? You two act like your just all each other has." Brooke said disgusted.

"We're friends ok? A boy and a girl can be friends with benefits; something you probably wouldn't know about." Nathan spat back at her. "Come on, Hales. I'll walk you to class." Haley nodded and looked at Lucas.

"I'll let you know later when we can start ok?"

"Sure, whatever." Lucas grumbled walking off.

Peyton was pissed. She knew Lucas was only using Haley and it didn't sit well with her. It wasn't the fact that she was Lucas' girlfriend, she was used to his infidelity. This went on some whole other sick level and she wasn't going to deal with it. She started to walk after Lucas but his long legs made it much more difficult.

"Lucas, wait." she said trying to catch her breath.

"What do you want Peyton? I'm not in the mood for this right now?" he yelled as he spun around.

"Don't do this Lucas. I don't buy your sincere crap that you try to pull. You're not. Why would you do that?"

"Because I want to and I can." he sneered back at her and jerked his arm away from her grasp. He walked off leaving her standing there.

Haley's mind was in some other world. How could this be happening right now? She didn't want to hurt Nathan but part of her really wanted to help Lucas. She knew this could only end up one way: bad. She never really did anything for herself though and she was thinking that maybe it was time to do so. She stopped walking and let Nathan's hand drop from the small of her back. She turned and looked up at him.

"I'm not doing this to hurt you." she said quietly. He wouldn't mean her eyes so she reached up and pulled his head to hers. Their foreheads were touching and he finally met her gaze. "I don't care enough about him to let him hurt me. I'll be ok. I'm tougher than you think."

"You're the toughest person I know." he said smiling, his hand still on hers that rested on his cheeks. They hadn't moved and they hadn't unlocked their gaze. "I just worry about you. I don't want to kill him just yet. I'd like to make him suffer." he said and they both laughed. She pulled back and playfully hit him in his arm.

"I think if I can handle you and all your brooding than I can handle your brother and whatever jackass tendencies he has. Which by the way, really shone in you today. I forgive you though because I love you. I gotta go to class though. See you later?"

"Yeah I know and I'm sorry. I'll find you after practice. Don't miss me too much." he said kissing her on her forehead.

"Miss me a lot." she said smiling and walking away.