Chapter One: Meeting Her
Nathan Scott plopped down in his usual seat in detention, staring out across the yard, he watched his friends Tim and Damien go against the two best players on the basketball team, Antwon "Skills" Taylor, and none other than Nathan's half brother himself, Lucas Scott. If Nathan hadn't been careless enough to get caught smoking on campus he'd be out there wiping the court with Lucas's ass. Across the court, cheerleading practice was being held next to the football field. Nathan saw his girlfriend of three months, Peyton Sawyer and her best friend Brooke Davis having a conversation while the rest of the girls practiced. Peyton and Brooke were the best of friends, but even they had their ups and downs, and right now it looked like they were in some sort of argument.
Nathan smirked at Peyton, thinking about the previous night. The way she'd tried to resist, but eventually gave in when she thought she might lose him. He loved having that power, the power to control her with threats. He knew every time they got into an argument, he could sweet talk his way back into her life. He then looked at Brooke, whose outfit left little to the imagination. The argument between the two was getting more heated and Brooke's frustrated facial expressions became more exaggerated. Nathan liked this. He liked that Brooke said what was on her mind, not like Peyton who bottled it all up and then when faced with a conflict, ran and hid behind her webcam.
Brooke was thinner than Peyton; more limber too, so he'd heard. Rumors got around school faster than the flu and rumors were that Brook Davis could do anything in bed.
The classroom door opened and in walked Whitey Durham, the basketball coach and the only teacher-like person who really treated Nathan like an adult. "Well, well, well, Nathan Scott," Whitey muttered in his thick southern accent. "What have you done this time?" Whitey took a seat at the teacher's desk and crossed his arms over his chest.
Nathan looked up and smirked. "Smoking," he said.
"You that stuff'll kill you."
"Thanks for the tip," Nathan looked back out the window. The cheerleaders were all heading back inside. He looked back over to the basketball court and saw Damien make a slam dunk.
"If you didn't act so stupid you'd be out there right now, you know that."
Nathan looked back at Whitey who had a frown plastered on his square face. Nathan knew Whitey expected more from him, considering who his father was. But who cares, right? Dan Scott never even acknowledged Nathan as his son, the only apple of his eye was Lucas, Mr. Bigshot-straight-ticket-to-Duke on a basketball scholarship.
"If I was out there, we'd have creamed them by now," Nathan grinned and sat back in his desk.
"Well, Mr. Confident," Whitey smiled, "I have a proposition for you." Nathan knew that smile all too well, it was the "blackmail" smile – the one that came just before the proposition that sounded like a great idea, but in the long run would teach you a lesson you didn't want to learn.
Nathan's eyes narrowed as he stared at the old man. "What?"
"I want you on the basketball team. I've seen you down at the River Court and you've got the same raw talent that I saw in your father all those years ago. It's the same talent Luke has and having two Scott boys on the team will win us the championships for sure." Whitey gave Nathan a minute to think it over.
"What's in it for me?" Nathan asked.
"Why's there gotta be something in it for you," Whitey exclaimed. "You're just like your dad, always wanting to know what he'll get out of it. You'll be part of a team. You'll have friends-."
"I have friends."
"You think Damien and Tim are your friends, Nathan? Look at them. If you were in trouble, would they risk their lives for you?"
Nathan stared at his hands, knowing the answer, but not wanting to fess up. He knew that if Nathan got caught doing some of the stupid things they did they'd never fess up, never bail him out. In fact, he'd witnessed it last year when Tim got caught spray painting the side of the gymnasium. Damien dashed and Nathan, being Nathan, followed suit, while Tim was handcuffed and put in the back of the Sherrif's car. About an hour later though, Nathan bailed him out while Damien went home, completely unworried about the situation. "Every man for himself," he said.
Whitey continued, "The boys on the team are all like brothers. They help one another out, look out for them. Now can you say that about your little gang?" He paused a moment, then added, "Besides, if you join the basketball team, you'll be free from detention."
Nathan perked up at this. Free from detention meant he didn't have to sit in this stuffy class every day. Plus, this would be a good reason to be a part of the team. He'd always wanted to try out, but if he wanted to roll with Damien, he had to keep a low profile, which meant no basketball team. But how could Damien object to this? He couldn't.
"I'm in."
Lucas Scott walked into Whitey's office after basketball practice. "Hey coach," he said sitting in the chair in front of his desk. Lucas's short blonde hair was still wet from his shower and he ran a hand through it nervously, wondering what Whitey could want to talk about.
"I've asked Nathan Scott to join the team."
Lucas felt like he'd been attacked by a football player. A knot in his stomach formed so fast, he couldn't breathe. His brother on the basketball team with him? Why? How?
"But coach-," Lucas started, but he couldn't finish, Whitey was too quick.
"And I want you to take him under your wing. I know he's made some enemies of some of the guys on the team, just make sure if they rough him up a bit that it's all legal and doesn't injure him so he can't play, you hear?"
"But coach-,"
"Luke, I'm asking you to do this for me, alright? And also because he's your brother. I don't like those guys he hangs out with. He's smarter than them –especially that Tim kid– and they'll bring him down."
"Okay, coach."
Nathan was invited to a party that night at Lucas's house. Luke approached him after the game between Tim, Damien, Luke, and Skills (that Luke and Skills won by a three pointer As he was walking out the door, he found Damien and Tim walking up the driveway toward him. "Hey!" Damien said. Nathan knew he'd had a few drinks. "We were coming over hoping you'd invite us in!"
"Can't," Nathan said, shutting the door behind him.
"Why not?" Damien demanded.
"I'm going to a party," Nathan didn't want to tell Damien where he was going. Who was he to demand where Nathan was all the time? It wasn't like he owned him.
"Oh a party?" Damien's face lit up, as did Tim's. "That sounds much better than our plans. Get in the car, let's go."
Nathan knew better than to argue with Damien, so Nathan took the keys from a reluctant Damien and drove to Lucas's house. When they pulled up to the massive two story house Nathan got out sighing thinking, "What have I gotten myself into?" He looked over at Tim who was gaping at some girl who'd just come out of the Jacuzzi on the second story balcony. When Nathan got a better look he realized it was Brooke Davis, wearing a tiny little two piece. She wrapped herself in a towel and took the hand of some guy with a beer in his other hand, leading him in the house into what Nathan assumed was going to be a bedroom. Nathan craned his neck looking for Peyton, but she was no where to be found. Maybe she wasn't here tonight.
"Alright!" Damien said coming up behind Nathan and throwing an arm around his neck. "Let's party!"
Inside the house was kicking. Nathan saw so many people from school he knew, and even a bunch he didn't. Marvin "Mouth" McFadden sat on the couch attempting to talk to a cheerleader who looked more interested in the guy standing behind him, who Nathan knew was on the football team. Lucas was standing next to a cute girl, about 5'3 or 5'4, with brown hair. The body language between them was very relaxed and welcoming, so it must have been his girlfriend.
Nathan made his way to the side of the room Lucas and the mystery girl were on. When Lucas saw him he looked shocked, even startled – maybe – to see him, like he didn't expect him to show up. "Hey Nathan," Lucas said. "Welcome to the party. There's beer in the kitchen, hot tub's upstairs, make yourself at home."
Make myself at home, yeah right, Nathan thought. He turned to the girl standing next to Luke and smiled. She was even prettier up close. Her brown hair fell just before her boobs, which Nathan had to admit, were very nice. He wouldn't have minded getting her in bed, but if she was Lucas's girlfriend, he didn't want to touch. He was just getting in with the team; he didn't want to mess it up.
"Hey," he smiled. "I'm Nathan." He held out a hand, and she looked at it skeptically before taking it.
"I'm Haley," she smiled a forced smile which immediately turned into a smirk before she quickly let go of his hand.
Nathan thought it was strange how she acted as if she didn't like him because she didn't even know him. Then again, he had developed a reputation around school as a bad boy ever since he started hanging out with Damien and Tim – well, except Tim wasn't really a bad guy more than an idiot.
The whole night went pretty well, Nathan thought, until a few people decided to converse in the kitchen around a keg. Damien who'd had more than enough drinks, decided to partake in the keg and it wasn't long before he was up in Lucas's face. Nathan remembered hearing yelling and as soon as he turned around Lucas was on the floor; hand on his jaw, Damien staring down at him, breathing heavily with a clenched fist. In one swift move Lucas got up and threw another punch back, which led to wrestling. Three guys from the basketball team pulled Damien off Lucas, but Damien kicked one, punched the other, and was too strong for the third. It was like a scene from an action movie.
Nathan ran over to Damien and threw his arms around the guy. Damien's arms were forced by his side, but he was still flailing from side to side, thrashing to get away from Nathan's grip. Nathan remembered yelling "Calm down, man!" over and over, but with Damien yelling insult and cuss word and people around the room yelling, no one could hear him. Nathan dragged Damien into the living room and threw him on the couch. Damien collapsed, but quickly regained his strength. He jumped off the sofa, or did something that resembled jumping – since he was drunk.
"What the hell Nathan?" Damien yelled.
"Dude! That was out of line!" Nathan yelled back. Nathan could see everyone staring out of the corner of his eye. Some girls had their hands covering their mouths, some guys looked ready to pounce in case something else happened, and even a few cameras were pulled out, ready for more action.
"Whose side are you on, anyway?"
"You're drunk, you need to leave."
Tim came up behind Damien holding up the car keys. "You want me to drive?" he asked excitedly, since Damien never let him drive his car – mainly because he was an idiot.
Damien glared at Nathan, and then turned around, grabbing the keys out of Tim's hand and storming out of the house with Tim in tow, almost knocking over two people. Nathan looked around, some people had already restarted their conversations, the music was turned back on, and most people looked like they hadn't even been fazed by the interaction. But Nathan felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and it was the girl he thought was Lucas's girlfriend, Haley was her name? "Hey," she muttered. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Nathan managed to mumble. But he wasn't okay; he knew that this fight with Damien meant something bad. He'd never stood up to him before, but he knew it could only mean that he was one step closer to Damien's bad side, something that he never desired to be on.
"Then why don't you look so good?"
"He was my ride." Nathan looked out the window as he saw Damien pulling away.
"Come on," she said. "I'll drive you home."
After saying a quick goodbye to Lucas, Haley and Nathan walked out to her car. Now he knew that she couldn't have been Lucas's girlfriend – she didn't kiss him goodbye, just a hug.
The ride home was both silent and painful for Nathan. He wanted desperately to start a conversation, but everything he went over in his head sounded stupid. About halfway to his house, Haley turned on the radio and not long after she started singing along. It was so soft he barely heard it, but it got slightly louder the more the song went on. Her voice was pretty decent – actually, Nathan had to admit – it was kind of pretty.
As Haley turned onto Nathan's road she turned the radio down. "That was really brave, what you did back there. Standing up to a friend."
"Yeah, it was nothing." But Nathan knew it wasn't over.
"It was still brave." She said, but it almost sounded awkward, like she wanted to talk but didn't know what to say – just like him.
"Yeah, I'll get it tomorrow though. No one fights Damien and gets away with it." He looked over at her. She was staring at the road, almost too much, like if she tore her eyes off the road for a half a second she might crash.
She slowly pulled up in front of Nathan's house. He opened the door and got out. "I'll see you around," he said before shutting the door and walking up the driveway.
"I hope so," Haley whispered to herself.