"Nathan, can I see you in my office please?" Coach K said firmly, as the rest of the team headed to the locker room after practice.
"What's up Coach?" Nathan asked, as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
As the two sat down, Nathan still wasn't sure why he had been called into the coach's office.
"Nathan, it's come to my attention that you've received quite the reputation on campus," Coach K said, leaning back in his chair, folding his arms.
"I like to have a good time, Coach, is that a crime?" Nathan shrugged.
"No, but failing your classes could be," Coach K replied.
"No worries," Nathan sighed, "I'm keeping my 2.0 Coach."
"That's the thing," Coach stated, "The NCAA has changed the eligibility requirements for players. They now require a 2.3 GPA to be eligible for college sports."
Nathan's eyes widened. Sure, he had the 2.0, but he'd barely been able to make that. He'd had to sleep with two of his TA's just to pass with C's. He wasn't stupid, he just preferred to spend his time partying than going to class every day.
"All the other players are good to go, except you," Coach K continued, "Now, I've been able to negotiate a two-week grace period for you to get your grades up. Our first game of the season is in three weeks. If you don't have your grades up by then, you're benched. Do you understand?"
"Yes, coach, I'll do whatever I can," Nathan assured him.
"I've taken the liberty of signing you up for campus tutoring," the coach said, "You'll be meeting with, um, James, tomorrow after your last class. The session will get done fifteen minutes before practice begins. Don't be late. I'm giving you a huge opportunity here, Nathan."
The next day, Nathan walked sleepily into the Tutoring Center on campus. He wasn't used to going to all four hours of his classes, and had fallen asleep a few times. Now, he had to come meet with some awkward nerd named James for the next two weeks.
He'd never stepped foot in this building, and from the looks of all the empty tables, not many people did. A girl with honey blonde hair and glasses was the only person in the building, crouched over a large textbook, a pencil tucked behind her ear.
He approached her, his signature swagger in his walk. He did not have to try hard to get girls. All the girls on campus worshipped the ground he walked on, and were practically ripping their clothes off at first glance of him.
"Excuse me," he said, getting her attention, "I'm supposed to be meeting with James. Do you know where I can find him?"
Her eyes narrowed, "You're Nathan Scott."
"So you've heard of me?" Nathan smirked.
"Of course," she replied, "You're on the top of my list."
"Trust me, I'm on the top of everyone's list babe," Nathan smiled.
The girl dropped her eyes back to her textbook, sighing, "You must have a lot of tutors then."
Nathan's face took on a confused look, as he opened his mouth to try and say something, but nothing would come out.
"My name is Haley James. The university assigned me to tutor you. They've reassigned my other students and are paying me double to do this," she elaborated, "And we don't have much time, so I suggest you take a seat."
The two sat in silence thirty minutes later. Haley had given Nathan some math problems to do, to see what areas he needed help in. She felt like she could see the wheels turning in his head as he furiously scribbled on the paper, then erased what he'd just written as an answer and changed it.
"Alright, time's up," Haley said, "Let's see how you did."
As she looked over the paper, she was surprised. The work that he'd shown for these math problems was on the right track, but she could see where he'd gotten lost. She had helped students with the same problems before, and thankfully, it hadn't taken too long.
"You've got a good foundation," Haley nodded slightly, "Looks like you've at least gone to a few classes."
"I'm not just a pretty face," Nathan smirked, before his look turned to a serious one, "Hey, I'm sorry, about before, when I thought you were a guy?"
"Whatever, I have a short memory," Haley said, trying to hide the small smile that had appeared on her face as she looked down at her textbook.
"That's the first time you've smiled this whole hour," Nathan pointed out, "You should smile more. You're prettier when you smile."
She looked up, and her brown eyes locked with his icy blues. They held each other's gaze for what seemed like hours, before Haley finally snapped out of it.
"And that's enough for one day," Haley quickly said, "I have classes tomorrow afternoon, would you be able to meet in the morning, let's say 9?"
"Uh, yeah I guess I could do that," Nathan replied, "I can bring breakfast."
"Just don't be late, alright?" Haley said, before checking her watch, "Ugh, I'm sorry to cut this short, there's somewhere I have to be."
"What, do you have a hot date or something?" Nathan called out as Haley headed for the door.
She turned, facing him, "Something like that."
As she made it to her car and began the five minute drive to her off-campus apartment, Haley couldn't shake that feeling that she'd had when they'd locked eyes, after he'd said she was pretty. In that moment, it had been like a thousand butterflies were fluttering around in her stomach. But this was Nathan Scott, Duke's resident playboy, used to getting whatever he wanted, any conquest. She was his tutor, and that was all.
Haley set her backpack down on the kitchen counter as she entered the apartment, smiling at the view she saw in the living room.
"Hey, how did everything go?" she asked her best friend and roommate, Brooke.
"Perfect angel as always Hales," Brooke smiled, as she sat on the floor of the living room, playing with blocks with Emma.
"Sorry, I just worry. She can be a handful sometimes," Haley sighed, as she sat on the couch, pulling Emma up to sit in her lap, "Mama worries too much doesn't she Em?"
"How did tutoring go?" Brooke asked, as she sketched a new design in her sketchbook.
"I didn't tell you who it was before because I knew you would freak out," Haley began, as Emma played with her necklace, "But the new student they assigned me to? The one who's my sole focus? It's Nathan Scott."
Brooke's eyes bugged out, "What? Ugh, why didn't I apply to be a tutor?"
"Brooke, he's a pig, remember?" Haley reminded her best friend, "He's probably slept with half the girls at the school, and anytime you see a picture of him on Instagram, he's completely wasted."
"Right, a pig, anyway, how did it go?" Brooke continued.
"Let's see, he thought I was a dude, then he stonewalled me for about twenty minutes, and it turns out, he's not entirely stupid," Haley explained, "And to top it all off, he told me I was pretty, can you believe that?"
"Uh, yeah Tutor Mom," Brooke smiled, "You're definitely a MILF."
"Not the point Brooke," Haley retorted, "He's just trying to butter me up, so I'll give him the answers or do his work for him. I've seen it before."
"Saying that you're pretty isn't a crime Hales, so don't condemn the guy," Brooke insisted, "Besides, you haven't been on a date since Emma was born. Don't you think you should get back out there? This is college, you're supposed to go out and have fun."
"I have a one year old daughter Brooke," Haley reminded her, "Which means I can't just drop everything to go to the next football game."
Brooke hesitated before correcting her, "It's actually basketball season, Hales."
"Whatever!" Haley exclaimed, as Emma cuddled up against her, resting her head against her mother's chest.
"Mama!" Emma smiled.
Haley stroked her light brown hair, "My job is to get Nathan to pass his classes. Two weeks, that's all I signed on for. Once the time's up, my life goes back to normal."
They were interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Oh, that's Lucas!" Brooke said, "Can you get that? I'm just going to go grab my purse."
Haley opened the apartment door to let her other best friend in, Emma immediately reaching out for him, "Ooh, Ooh."
"Hey pretty girl," Lucas smiled, taking the baby into his arms, "How's my favorite girl doing?"
"I hope you mean your second favorite girl," Brooke said as she walked back into the room.
"Close second," Lucas smiled, kissing Brooke on the cheek, "Are you ready to go?"
"Yeah," Brooke said, before turning back to Haley, "Are you sure you and Ems don't want to come with us?"
Haley reached out and took Emma back into her arms, "No, you two deserve some alone time. I'm always your third wheel and I'm sure you're getting sick of me."
"We could never get sick of you Hales," Lucas smiled, hugging her before taking Brooke's hand and leaving the apartment.
"Well, it looks like it's just me and you baby girl," Haley smiled, turning on some music and dancing with Emma around the kitchen.
The next morning, Haley sat in the tutor center, alone. She checked her watch again, 9:20 am. She knew agreeing to tutor Nathan Scott was a mistake. He obviously didn't even care enough to get here on time, let alone pass his classes. She began to pack up her stuff, when he came strolling in, carrying two cups of coffee in his hands.
"Where have you been?" Haley questioned, narrowing her eyes at him, "I've been waiting for almost a half hour."
"I'm sorry, the line at the coffee cart was long," Nathan apologized, "I would've texted you, but I don't have your number."
Haley sighed, her eyes still glaring at him as he handed her a coffee.
"Breakfast of champions," he smiled, as he pulled his math book and a box of Cracker Jacks out of his backpack.
He opened the box, retrieving the prize pack from inside. As he began to open it he said, "Please let this be a cheat sheet."
Tearing open the prize, he revealed it to be a multicolored rainbow beaded bracelet. Nathan looked at it, and then up at Haley, who was looking rather unamused, "It's for you."
"Stop it," Haley protested.
"Come on," Nathan continued, slipping the bracelet over Haley's wrist, "Don't say I never gave you anything."
He had his signature smirk on his face, which got Haley even more upset than she was before. She picked up his math book, opening it to the chapter they were on, turning it to face him, "Do you see this book? This book is me, I am math."
Nathan looked confused, "What's that supposed to mean?"
Haley sighed, "It's supposed to mean that you can work your whole 'I'm Nathan Scott, Mr. Big Shot, scoring my touchdowns' on someone else, because I don't…"
"I don't even play football," Nathan corrected her.
"Whatever, look the point is that all of your bluster and BS don't mean anything to math, because math don't care, and neither do I," Haley retorted.
"Does English care?" Nathan questioned, "Because I really suck at that too."
"Please don't waste my time here, Nathan," Haley insisted, "I really need the money and I'm already taking a huge chance on you, because my instincts are screaming at me that you're full of shi.."
Nathan laughed, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows at her, enjoying the show that was unfolding.
Haley looked at him, before shaking her head, "Look, let's just get started, alright? Page 81."
"Dude, are you alright?" Skills asked Nathan later that day at practice, "You seem tired. Late night?"
"More like early morning," Nathan sighed, shooting another free throw as it swished through the net.
"Oh, I likes me some of that," Skills smiled, "Tell me all about it dawg."
"Nah, trust me man, it wasn't anything exciting," Nathan shook his head, "I just had a tutoring session this morning."
"Damn, man you're lucky," Skills said, "You've got a fine little honey doing your work for you."
"I wish it was that easy," Nathan replied, "Haley's not like that. She doesn't care about who I am. She's actually making me work."
Skills looked confused, "Was she born under a rock or is she just blind? Dude, you're the most popular guy at this school. Girls come up with any excuse possible to talk to you. And you're telling me she hasn't tried anything?"
"No, man, she's different," Nathan sighed, resting the basketball on his hip.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you got a little thing for this girl," Skills slyly said, "Your loss, cuz I was going to invite you to this Phi Gamma Delta party tonight. Gonna be tons of fine ladies."
Nathan shook his head, taking another shot and making it, "She's just my tutor, Skills. Count me in on that party."
"Miss James, a moment please?" Professor Whitmore asked, as Haley was finishing up her homework in the tutor center.
She found it easier to finish her work there after a tutoring session, so when she got home, she could focus solely on Emma.
"Is there a problem, Professor?" Haley asked.
"I just wanted to see how it was going with Nathan," she questioned, "You've had two sessions now. What do you think?"
Haley sighed, "Um, honestly Professor, I've seen worse cases. The potential is there, he just has to focus."
"Well, if he wants to make it to the NBA, he's got to keep his eligibility," Professor Whitmore pointed out, "The University appreciates you for your efforts, Haley. When the Athletic Director and the coach came to me and asked about tutors, I immediately gave them your name. I thought that with the raise and less hours, it would help with Emma. How is the little darling?"
"Growing like a weed," Haley smiled, quickly taking out her phone, to show a photo she'd taken of Emma the other night, "She just started walking and she's starting to talk more too."
"I admire you, Haley," Professor Whitmore smiled, "You're a 4.0 student, a tutor, and a mother, and you're able to balance all of it so well. You should be proud."
"Thank you, for giving me the opportunity Professor," Haley smiled, "I really do appreciate it. I was going to have to start waitressing before this, so…thank you. I don't know how I would have managed two jobs, school, and Emma."
"Are you still planning on graduating early?" she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
"If all goes well, I should graduate at the end of next semester, yeah," Haley replied, "And then I'll start my student teaching."
"You'll be a great teacher, Haley," Professor Whitmore said, "You already are."
So I know my other story, Show Me How to Live, is currently on hiatus. I just lost inspiration for it, but don't worry! I'm not done writing it! I will try to have another chapter of that up ASAP! But the idea for this story came to me, and I loved having the feeling of being inspired and writing and creating again!
Please review and let me know what you think of this story and tell me what you'd like to see happen!