Chapter Two

"Hey they finally let you out of the hospital, that's good."
"I suppose," Lucas says looking up from the book he's reading as Haley making herself comfortable lays down on the bed on her side. "I guess I can catch up on my reading now while they have me taking it easy."
"I'll take it that I wasted all of that time reading to you, if you have to read it yourself. Then again, that dream of yours probably kept you interested."
"Well I don't want it to ever happen, I didn't like that much of what happened in it."
"You and me," Haley says kind of scared. "One of us didn't die, did we?"
"Thankfully no, but some people did."
"Well please don't tell me who, I would hate to know."
"Don't worry," he says placing the book down on his nightstand. "I wasn't planning on sharing that with you or hopefully anyone."
"So other than me getting married, what was the strangest thing about your dream?"
"I guess the part where for some reasons I had these unexplainable extremely strong feelings for some girl I've never really talked to before."
"Hmm," she says kind of interested by his attitude towards it. "Really, that girl wouldn't by any chance be Peyton Sawyer would it?"
"Yes, and I have a crush on her. I don't feel that strongly about her though."
"Maybe you do, but you just don't realize it."
"Please, she's pretty and everything but in the end so are most of the other girls at school," Lucas says pausing before continuing on. "Besides, you and Faith have just as much of a chance with me as she does right now."

…about four weeks later

"You punch like a girl," Nathan says after getting punched by one of the sophomore boys.
"It doesn't change the fact that you decided to flirt with my girlfriend."
"Well at least unlike her my girlfriend doesn't half beg to be flirted with by other guys."
Swinging at each other the two boys do a good job at harming the other, Nathan more than the other boy. Coming around the corner, Peyton's furious and Brooke following behind her tries to stall her from giving Nathan heck for his last statement. As the girls see Whitey and the principal nearing though they slow their pace.
Going over to the two boys, the principal looks over at Whitey. He doesn't have to point out that both of them are my players I'm not blind yet, he thinks as the two don't seem to let up or acknowledge their presence. Going to pull Nathan away, Whitey knows all too well how this works by now. As the principal pulls the other boy away, Nathan looks at Whitey disgusted.
"Scott," Whitey says irritated. "If I were you I wouldn't do that."
"Peyton," Bevin says looking around the hallway. "Where's Nathan?"
"He found it fit to get into another fight."
"Oh, he's not on the premise."
"Don't worry I'm sure he'll be back on it by tomorrow," Peyton says rolling her eyes. "Everyone knows that Dan couldn't possibly let him miss a game, so I'm sure he'll sweet talk the school."
"That's good, we really need to win the game."
"What do you have money on it?"
"No but the son of one of my dad's co-workers is on the other team, and his dad is always bragging how much better their school is then ours. It's not that important, but still," Bevin says innocently.

"His father's having him go live with his grandmother."
"What am I supposed to do with only one good shooter in the meantime?"
"You still have Smith," the principal says trying to make things seem better. "He has a decent arm."
"Yeah a decent arm, but not nearly as good of as an arm as he did."
"Well coach I can't do anything about it, it was his father's decision not mine. You wouldn't be in this position though, if you kept your players in line better."
"And how do you expect me to do that when I can't baby-sit them twenty-four seven?" Pounding his fist on the principal's desk, Whitey looks over at the clock on the wall. "How am I supposed to go out on that court with thirteen idiots and win a stinking game?"
"Last time I checked they were here to get an education."
"Principal Turner," Haley says as she knocks on the door to his office anxiously. "I have the papers that you wanted."
"Thanks Ms. James, we were just finishing up in here as is so you weren't interrupting anything."
"I'll see you sometime tomorrow then I suppose," Whitey says turning to leave.
"Yes," Principal Turner says as Whitey leaves his office. "Ms. James you can just place those down on my desk."
Placing the papers down on a visible area of the desk, Haley smiles faintly at the principal and then heads out of his office. As she reaches the hallway she finds an empty hallway. Grabbing her backpack up off of the floor next to her she throws it over her shoulder and heads out to the parking lot. Looking around the parking lot she finds not only a scarce mostly empty lot, but that the person that was supposed to give her a ride had forgotten all about her.
"Coach Durham," she says just realizing that the he's getting into his car about five feet away from where she's standing. "I kind of over heard part of your and Principal Turner's conversation before I knocked on the door."
"Yeah well unless you know of somewhere I can get another great shooter I don't think it makes a difference."
"Actually Coach, I know someone that has a pretty good arm."
"Really," Whitey says trying his hardest not to look interested. "Where in the hell has this person been, and how much do you know about basketball?"
"I don't know much about the game, I'll admit that, but my friend Lucas plays down at the river court almost everyday and I've seen him play enough to know that he's good."
"Lucas Scott?"
"Yes," Haley says excited and then becomes anxious. "So what do you think?"
"Well I suppose I could use another body out there even if he doesn't end up being as good of a player as you say he is. Why would you put him through all of this though?"
"What do you mean? I just think that he should be on the team, and you need a player so I thought it was good timing."
"I mean," he says giving her a look. "Why would you want to have him on the same team that Nathan is the star player of?"
"I'm sure he can handle it."
"I still don't think you know what he's in for, but more importantly what makes you think he'll even be willing to play?"
"I just have a feeling that he will."