The great doors banged behind him as Lucas rushed out of Tree Hill High School. His practice was finally over and although he would have practice, tomorrow, again, he felt like he was free. A gust of wind blew through his hair that already was messed up. In his excitement he nearly fell over a girl who was sitting in front of the school, but he slowed down in time. He hadn't expected anyone to still be here at this hour.

He almost walked on, but something made him change his mind and he turned back, seeing that the girl was Haley. Her curly, light hair covered up most of her face since she was staring hard at a book.

"Are you okay, Haley?" Lucas asked concerned as he moved a bit closer towards her.

"I'm fine. Better than fine," she mumbled softly, while her gaze kept set on the same point.

He could have walked away and left it at that, but this was Haley. His first sister-in-law ever and before that he was best friends with her for a very long time. Although she fought with him a lot, he would always have a weak spot for her. So he just couldn't ignore her and let her be alone when she was troubled.

"Haley, any girl who voluntarily sits on the schoolyard in her free time needs help, seriously."

She finally looked at him and smiled, which gave him the courage to sit down beside her on the hard bricks.

"We are best friends. You can talk to me."

Were they really friends? They hadn't been such great best friends anymore. She wondered now why she never had been afraid of their friendship when she became his sister-in-law. What it would mean for them if they weren't siblings.

"I don't know. It just hasn't been the same after we became family… I miss that," she spoke her mind.

"Are you sure you want to see me with a sweat on my forehead again?"

Breaking the tension with a joke, even when it included bringing up the funniest moment in his life, was his way to deal with everything.

"That's not what I meant," she laughed, while she playfully punched his arm.

"Spill it," Lucas encouraged her to talk.

Haley bit her lip. Normally she would have talked with Brooke about this stuff, but her best friend already had been part of her trouble. She could really use someone to confide in. But still… this was Lucas that she was talking to and she knew this was going to be awkward. However it was too late now. She would damage their friendship more if she pretended everything was alright, while it was obviously not.

"It's Nathan," she admitted.

"Oh," Lucas rolled his eyes, "what's wrong with Nate? Did you guys fight, today?"

"Never mind," Haley sighed and she got up from the ground.

"Sorry, I'm serious I promise," Lucas hold of her arm, making her sit again.

That was one sentence she never had expected to come out of JT's mouth. He had grown up these last years. Not that she had talked to him a lot, but she did notice he joked around less.

He seemed to be sadder or maybe he always had been like that, but he didn't try to hide it anymore.

She had known him since… forever. It seemed like a million years ago when they were swinging tires, when he pulled her hair, when they played in the sand-box, when he scared her with a toad in his hands and when they fought over lollipops. Who could have ever thought then they would end up like this. If they had known then about all the misery to come, they probably hadn't laughed so much.

Nowadays she was known as the nerd of the school. It all began at the day she decided not to be shop anymore. She wanted to be smart as hell and of course that included new books, which actually meant barely any new clothes. The reason for that change was Stanford. She didn't have a chance of getting in, then she did and she realized how fun it was. However she stayed smart and also kept her changed attitude. Tutoring someone who was dumb, studying when she was bored, having a boyfriend and getting marred. What hadn't she done this year?

No more innocence of their childhood.

Haley set her mind back on Nathan, who was her greatest worry now.

"I think he's cheating on me. He's been lying about his whereabouts to me. And it's not like he never cheated…" she stopped her sentence.

She wanted to smack herself for saying that. Yes, Nathan had cheated on Peyton with Haley. She shouldn't be so hypocritical to blame him for something they did. She hadn't known at first because he lied to her. But then when she did know…

She went to him. Telling him she could keep a secret. She didn't mind sharing him as long as she could be with him. His love was so great that she did whatever it took to have him. When he kissed her then again, it had felt like a victory. He did care about her. That moment she knew they were meant for each other.

Thinking back at that year she realized how self-centered, she was. She even jeopardized her relationship with Brooke for him. Her closest friend didn't like her new look nor her relation with Nathan. Brooke was the wilder one, always doing what was wrong. Haley on the other hand just wasn't like that.

Had she ever cared about Peyton and her feelings? If she was honest she had to say no, she only had her mind set on Nathan and on how much she wanted him. Everything was allowed in war and love, right?

And it all turned out right. They were married. She had him… at least that's what she had been thinking till a few days ago.

After all they've been through she still felt insecure or maybe it was because all they've went through.

"Why can't you just ask Nathan where he really went?" Lucas asked, trying to help.

"What if I'm wrong? What if he's not cheating? Then I'm the awful, green-eyed wife who doesn't trust him and questions about everything."

"Then we have no other choice," he stated radically, which caused Haley to raise an eyebrow of confusion.

"… We have to follow him."