Hey, everyone!

This is my first fic EVER and I apologise for it's suckiness. I guess I'm still learning. Anyway, It's a Naley fic, totally AU, set up in college – I know that's not the bit original, but I've always liked this setting and always wanted to do one myself (even though I love ATABA, my inspiration in so many ways, but not for plagiarism, don't worry). I'm trying something new. With the personalities, their background, their future.

Summary: Nathan and Haley knew each other before college - they met when they where 14-15, in summer camp -, but they get to see each other again years later at Duke. He's in the bball team, desperatly trying to go pro after college, he lives for bball and that's it, doesn't quite do relationships and he's not a sex-freak, either. Haley, on the other hand, wants to become a professional dancer. She did a music tour as a background dancer when she was in highschool and also she did a year at Juilliard. Now, both her and Nathan are sophomore at Duke. First day of school… that's where the story starts. The other parrings will be: Brooke – Haley's BFF/Lucas – Nathan's older bro, Peyton – freshman, future friend with the girls/Jake-Haley's older bro.

Just wanted to let everyone know what the fandoms will be, so you won't read in vain. It's gonna be a looong trip, though. (avoid the word journey drink)

Rating: T (M, when it's the case, and it will be announced)

Enjoy!

Make Me Shiver

Disclaimer: I disclaim that the character names in this story, besides some less significant, are not mine, they are property of The Creator aka Mark Schwann. All Duke University and Boston Celtics material/refferences belong to their right owners. I'll use italics and quote signs to mark poetry, prose, lyrics, etc, that don't belong to me. The title is inspired by BJL's song "Shiver".

Chapter 1 – Prologue

God, I hate this place! Really, really hate this place! Why do you have to punish me this way? Can't I get something light like, I don't know, a zit or a musty baggle or maybe – oh, yes, I mean it – Brooke singing in the shower for an hour? This is crazy, I don't want to be here, I don't belong here!


First week is almost done and I already want to run away. I don't know anyone – even though most students haven't arrived yet, for them school really starts next Monday, unlike for others -, I don't like anyone – even though I haven't got to know a single soul in here – and, mostly, I'm all alone.


Wanna know how a dorm room really looks like? A big, cold box full of scattered little boxes, that's all. Really creepy. My room is full of boxes and, every now and then, I can hear every screeching sound in this place.


Mom didn't called, dad didn't e-mailed. Wait, let me check again. No, sorry, no e-mail. „You have 0 messages." Congratulations to me! Who-hoo! Hellooo? I'm over here, in the middle of nowhere, screaming from the top of my lungs and no one even bothers to aknowledge my existence.


I'm going to grab a baggle... maybe, just maybe, it's the musty one! In my dreams! BRB!

10 minutes later

(1st edit of the blog)

Ok, I'm back! Yes, as you can see, I'm still alive and kicking, meaning the baggle was just fine! Damn! I think, now that my stomach doesn't do funny noises anymore, that, maybe, I could rethink this whole mess. I should give this thing a chance.

I mean, how many people get to go to a prestigious university as this one, how many get to have an appartment style dorm room on Central Campus, how many get to have a king size bed, a TV, a freaking DVD player in their room? Not many. Well, maybe 3, actually, considering I'm the last one to get the „James' full-college-package" from mommy and daddy dear.

You remember, the last one, Jake. I told you about Jake a few posts ago. You know, Chucky-Cheese freak/basketball without the pedigree player/music junkie of a brother. You remember now, huh? Me too, and I also remember now that he hasn't arrived yet. Maybe he's still at that darn festival.

My god, he's so annoying. Every year, the same old story, since he was 15. He goes all the way to New York to this rock/hairy junkie festival before school starts, with his rat-pack of a friends and doesn't even bother once to ask me to go along. No, Haley James doesn't do concerts, she doesn't do fun, she doesn't do days in the middle of nowhere, with only a backpack and a smile. Hallo, again, Mr Freaking Oblivious?

I was the one that did the Justified tour with Justin-oh-so-gorgeous-Timberlake for almost 2 years, I'm the one who had to stay on stage for three hours and to „have fun" while all those horny teenagers screamed and fainted before my eyes, I'm the one who had to travel from East to West, from NY to Berlin to Paris to Tokyo „with only a backpack and a smile".

So, yeah. Sorry, bro, maybe I don't do small cheap festivals, but, I sure as hell don't do „pinning in my room until I turn blue" either!


It's sad... I shouldn't waste my energy on this thing, I should just suck it up, because I got myself into this mess. I was the one that lied and now I just have to finish what I started. Yeah, I know, I shouldn't have lied about it. I mean who is crazy enough to lie about geting accepted at Juilliard? Wait, that's right. Me. Haley James, former dancer, former daughter, former party girl, former...


Yeah, I should just embrace this and let go of my dream. Dream. Who does that anymore? They say dreams are for fouls. That's what dad always believes and now got me to believe it too.

I mean, how hard can it be to let it go? Because I can still dance, I can still study, I can still finish college. Just not at Juilliard. It's just a name. Duke. Juilliard. They're just names. Now.


So, I'm gonna try. I'm gonna give it a chance. I'm gonna suck it up, unpack, go to classes, take my extra dance courses, socialize, all I need to do in order to finish this year. It's paid for, so I might as well take full advantage of it. They want me to do this? Okey, let the games begin.

---

(2nd edit of the blog)

Ohh, it's enfurriating! I hate him. I really do. How dare he do this to me? I mean, just hours ago I was „putting it all behind and moving forward" – that's what they kept saying – and now he says he doesn't know when he'll be back because he has to do some appartment-seeing.

That's right. Jake wants to move out of the dorm with Lucas because it's senior year and they need to get their shit together (or something along those lines).


Oh, come on! Like moving out of a dorm will make you St. Jake. Please! You just called me, half drunk, half eaten up by some chicks, to tell me that you're having the time of your life and that you don't know when you'll be back.


I just got here, I'm depressed, I'm lonely, I need you here and you're just gonna pack up and go. Just like that. I'm your little sister that you always get to tease and you're just gonna put that aside and move? I'm here because of you, mister. You're the one that supported Dad's crazy idea by telling „Maybe it will me better if she comes to Duke, with me!". I left Juilliard and you.. you're living me. Again.


Nice job, ass! Talk to you when hell freazes over. I wish you good luck with operation: „get your shit together". And I hope you'll enjoy talking to the hand next time you see me.

God, this blog is really depressing right now. I'm really sorry! Now I've turn it into my „dear diary" crap. I didn't mean to. I know that the last couple of posts scream desperation... I'm just, lonely, I guess. I have no one here.

And I miss Brooke. She used to be my „dear diary", she used to listen, banter, ignore, then banter again and now she's going back to California, living the OC dream, while I'm here. Pining, moping, whining, till the day I day.


Really depressing.

---

(3rd edit of the blog)

Okey. I'm gonna do it. Okey, I'm going to the party. I mean, in the state I'm in, it doesn't really make any difference. If I have to stay in this rotten place, ALONE, I really need to make this easy for myself. Okey. So, Haley, stop the torture and let's mingle with the good people. It's Saturday, for God's sake. Don't make imaginary friends in your room. I think the spider too is bored with your story already. Stop torturing him, al least.

Okey, going to get dress, take that invitation and just go. How hard can it be? You did this a thousand times. You're a people person, go be with the people.


First day of the rest of my life. Here goes nothing.

ETA: What's with the „okey", kinda like „anyway", huh!

---

She closed the laptop that was siting on a large box near the closet and began to dig up through another box, a smaller one this time, that was in front of her bed. She was trying to find the jewellery box. She knew it must have been there. She deliberatly put it in the purple box, this purple box.

„Oh, come on! Where are you? ... YES!", she squealed happily.

She took the small black box and opened it slowly, like it was a piece of porcelain. She found it at the bottom, entagled with the necklace that Brooke gave her last spring. She pull it out and placed it on the bedspread.

It still looked so... sureal. Fragile, yet strong, childish, yet priceless, regular, yet unique. For anyone else, it looked like a crackerjack cheap ring, but for her, it was the most valuable piece of jewellery she possessed.

She put it slowly on her left pinky and just stared at it for a while. Yep, the pinky was the only finger that she could get in the ring now, but that wasn't her concern. It never was her concern whether she would wear it with that blouse, or with that bracelet, or on that finger, or for that ocassion. She would just wear it. All the time.

She sighted slowly. Now, she was ready.

---