Yes, I'm back. My Memorial Day hasn't gone according to plans considering the rain so I had some time to update real quick. And I might not be able to update until the end of this week/weekend so I didn't want to keep you guys hanging for too long. :) Please forgive any spelling/grammatical errors. ;)

Thanks for everyone who has favorite this story and/or me. I really appreciate it! And a big thanks to mommyof3cutiestha (I felt the same about writing them, LOL! I haven't been too up-to-date with reading any stories myself so I wasn't sure what it'd be like now), Stef (thanks, hon - you're so sweet!), OTHfan48 (thanks - if you're a Calzona fan you might not like Hilarie's character, LOL; I do - just not her involvement with Arizona!), dkfuryan (I wouldn't say Nathan's not a complete manwhore in this story, LOL - if you continue to read you'll get what I mean ;) ), JamesLover23 (thanks!), and Leah (thanks!) for your reviews. They always put a smile on my face. :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to One Tree Hill or Duke University.

August 21, 2004

Securing her brown purse over her right shoulder, Haley gripped the two duffel bags in her hands as she ascended the two flights of stairs. Arriving on the third floor, she searched every door until finally finding the correct one, 4D, at the far end of the hallway to her left. There was a small white dry erase board hanging on the outside. She saw these when she took her college tours; the students living in the rooms wrote their names on them.

Using her key, she inserted it into the lock and turned. She stepped into the medium-sized room; it was empty except for two twin beds pushed against opposite sides of the room, a chest of drawers sitting between them with a window, blinds down but open, above it. There was a desk with a chair to the left of the door and an empty closet between the desk and the wall.

Haley walked over to the bed to her left, dropping her bags and her purse onto the bare mattress. She plopped down as she glanced around, taking in the foreign surroundings that she would be living in for the next year. A small smile graced her lips as she wondered what the next four years would be like. She was excited. She was finally in college, and her future was starting. Four more years of schooling and everything she's worked almost her entire life for would be at her feet.

She sat quietly for a few more minutes before heaving out a heavy sigh. She had a few more things to grab from her car. Luckily, she didn't have too much to unpack since she left most of her belongings at home, deciding to buy everything else she needed here in Durham. She wanted to wait until her roommate arrived; maybe they could go shopping together. Knowing she needed to finish her unpacking, Haley stood up from the bed, making sure she had her keys, and ventured out of the room.

Ten minutes later, Haley was walking through the upper hallway again with another bag draped over her shoulder and a cardboard box in her hands. As she approached her room she noticed two girls, one with straight brown hair and the other with curly blonde hair, standing in front of her closed door.

"Hi." She greeted, squinting her eyes for a moment at the brunette. The girl looked vaguely familiar, but Haley shrugged that thought off.

"Hi." The brunette returned, her voice loud and cheerful. "You're Haley, right?"

Haley narrowed her eyebrows and nodded her head.

"I'm Brooke. Brooke Davis."

"Oka..."

"Lucas's girlfriend." Brooke clarified, catching onto the girl's confusion.

"Oh, yes. I remember from some pictures." Haley said, the lightbulb suddenly turning on in her brain. "Hi. It's nice to finally meet you. Lucas talked about you nonstop this summer."

"That's my Broody." Brooke beamed, full of pride. "I hope you don't mind the intrusion, but Lucas told me you would be arriving today. I wanted to come over to meet you and officially welcome you to Duke University."

"I'm glad you came. It's nice to know a few people before my classes actually start."

"Well, as you know, I am Brooke. And this," Brooke gestured to the curly blonde standing to her left, "is my best friend, Peyton Sawyer. We live together in the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority house."

"Hey, it's nice to meet you." Peyton extended her hand out towards the petite brunette who accepted the gesture graciously.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you, too." Haley returned and then gestured towards her closed door with a quick movement of her head. "Well, come on in."

The three girls walked into the dorm room; Haley dropped the items she was carrying onto her bed as the other two girls plopped down onto the bare mattress of the second bed.

"So, you're both sophomores?" Haley questioned, making conversation as she began to unpack her belongings.

"Yes. We were roommates last year and decided to pledge into the same sorority. We also cheer for the cheerleading squad together."

Haley remembered Lucas mentioning something about his girlfriend being a cheerleader, but she didn't really pay too much attention to that subject when it came up. She, herself, was anything but a cheerleader. Taking in Brooke's preppy, somewhat revealing appearance as well as her personality, Haley could definitely see the cheerleader in the girl. She glanced over to Peyton. Now, that girl didn't exactly seem like the cheerleading type, wearing a plain black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. But looks can be deceiving.

The three girls made more "get to know you" small talk where Haley learned Brooke was from Pasadena, California, studying business and fashion merchandising. The brunette wanted to eventually begin her own clothing line. Peyton was from the Portland, Maine. She was studying towards a double major in art and music. According to Brooke, Peyton was a phenomenal artist, and Haley couldn't wait to see some of her stuff.

It was another ten minutes before Brooke and Peyton left. Haley was just finishing tucking the comforter into her mattress when the door flew open. She turned around to see a girl walking in; she assumed the girl was her roommate. The girl had dark, brown hair that was pulled up in a loose ponytail with some hair tendrils dangling on the sides of her face and had on black framed glasses. She was wearing a pair of gray, satin capris and a black undershirt with a short-sleeved green jacket over it.

Haley smiled, immediately stopped what she was doing and walked over to her. "Hi. I'm Haley James. You must be Millicent?"

The girl smiled brightly and nodded. "That's me. Millicent Huxtable. You can call me Millie - everyone does. It's so nice to meet you."

The new roommates shook hands.

"I hope you don't mind but I took the bed over there." Haley said, pointing towards her unfinished bed.

Millie shrugged. "No. I don't mind at all."

The two girls parted, walking to their respective sides of the room. Haley set to work on finishing her sheets and comforters as Millie dropped her purse as well as a pale green book bag onto her top mattress.

"So where are you from?" Haley asked.

"Albany, New York." Millie answered as Haley smiled. "It's a beautiful city, but I couldn't wait to get out of there."

"I know what you mean."

"Are you from out-of-state?"

"No. I'm from Tree Hill, North Carolina. It's down along the coast. I was actually on my way to Stanford but that didn't really work out so I decided on Duke. As much as I would have loved to have been in California, it is kind of nice to be so close to home yet still away." Haley explained.

Millie nodded in understanding. "Well, you seem pretty cool so I'm glad you ended up here."

Haley laughed before returning the compliment. "Any siblings?" She asked and Millie shook her head before asking her the same thing. "I have three sisters. I'm the baby."

"I don't if I could handle three sisters. A friend of mine has an older sister who's a complete bi...well, she's just not a very nice girl. I think if I were to have any siblings, I would pray for brothers." Millie stated as the girls laughed. "What about a major. I'm studying journalism. You?"

"I'm not too sure yet." Haley answered. "I'm leaning towards a possible English major - probably a teaching degree, but I'm keeping my options open."

The new roommates talked and unpacked for the next couple of hours. Doing everything they could with what they had at the moment. They discussed simple topics, the kind of topics that just helped you get to know one another. Topics such as: favorite color, favorite movies/television shows, favorite music, favorite foods/drinks, favorite classes, etc. The two girls learned they had quite a bit in common which was a relief for them both. They instantly clicked, realizing they weren't just going to spend the next year as roommates but as good friends, too.

"Hey, there's this party at one of the fraternity houses tonight. A couple of girls I met earlier invited us. Do you want to go?" Haley asked.

"Oh, I don't know. The whole Greek - frat/sorority - stuff isn't exactly my thing."

"I had the same response." Haley laughed. "I'm gonna go, though. Another friend of mine from back home is going to be there. He's kind of expecting me so I probably shouldn't stand him up. It could be fun. I could use another ally there with me, and we can leave if it totally sucks. What do you say?"

Millie mulled it over for a few seconds before agreeing. She did want to meet some new people, and like Haley said, at least she had an ally there with her. She wasn't jumping straight into the lion's den, so to speak, all by herself.

Haley, with Millie at her side, followed behind Brooke and Peyton into the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity house. The music was blaring and there were bodies jammed packed throughout the entire house. As the girls pushed their way through the crowds, Haley observed all the other party goers, the girls in particular. The majority of them were barely dressed, wearing short skirts and shorts or tight jeans with tops that displayed a considerable amount of cleavage as well as other body parts. Of course, the girls were strikingly beautiful, the epitome of sexy with their hair and makeup perfectly done. Haley suddenly felt self-conscious in her loose denim shorts and her somewhat form-fitting t-shirt. She had not a trace of makeup on her face, minus some cherry flavored chapstick on her lips, and her medium-length brown hair was down and simple, nothing special done with it.

Shaking those thoughts from her mind, Haley continued to follow her new friends until they arrived in the surprisingly empty kitchen. Brooke immediately set to work on mixing some drinks for the four of them; the girl was obviously familiar and comfortable in this environment. Haley wasn't much of a drinker so she was happy to see Brooke mixing her a simple cup of grape juice and vodka, and she accepted it graciously.

The girls sipped their drinks and made very menial small talk for the next ten minutes, Brooke and Peyton getting to know a little more about Millie and vice versa. Taking a sip of her drink, Haley noticed Brooke's face light up and followed her line of sight, smiling when she saw Lucas strolling into the kitchen. He was such a good-looking guy with his shaggy, blonde hair and his green eyes. He looked like he belonged on the West Coast, near the ocean with a surfing board permanently attached at his hip. He was wearing a light blue, button-down shirt with the top button unfastened; the shirt was untucked and hanging just past the waistband of his medium-washed jeans.

"Broody!" Brooke exclaimed, running into the blonde's arms as their lips immediately met in a long, somewhat tasteful kiss.

"Yah. Another year of watching this."

Haley looked over at Peyton when the blonde mumbled those words. The two caught gazes, and Peyton playfully rolled her eyes before they both let out a little chuckle as Haley took another sip of her drink.

"Well, if it isn't Haley James."

Haley smiled warmly. "Hey, Luke." She greeted as the two embraced in a tight hug.

"It's so good to see you. Gosh, it's been forever."

"Really, Lucas?" They pulled out of their embrace, and she quirked her eyebrow. "We saw one another last week."

"Yeah, but I miss hearing those sarcastic quips of yours, Haley Bob."

"Hey!" She exclaimed, shoving him playfully against his shoulder. "We agreed to never say our middle names aloud, Lucas Eugene."

"Okay," Lucas put up his hands in surrender, "I'm sorry. Let's call a truce."

"Truce."

"Are you all settled in?" Lucas asked, heading over to the keg and filling a plastic red cup to the top with some beer.

Haley shrugged. "Almost. Millie and I are going shopping tomorrow; we need to get some stuff for our room. And besides, we figured we should drive around and get familiar with the geography of the town. Neither one of us really wants to get stranded somewhere and have no clue where the heck we are."

Lucas chuckled and nodded his head. "That's probably a good idea."

"Speaking of," Haley began, stepping to stand next to Millie, "Lucas, this is my roommate Millicent Huxtable. Millie, this is my best friend Lucas Scott.

Lucas and Millie shook hands, greeting one another warmly.

OTHOTHOTH

Haley turned the faucet on just as a persistent knocking began at the bathroom door. She yelled that she would be out in a minute but that didn't end the incessant rapping which grew louder with each knock. She washed her hands with soap and hot water before drying them off with a nearby white towel hanging from a medal rack on the wall next to the sink.

Finished with all of her tasks, Haley opened the bathroom door, sneering at the bleached blonde who was wearing a red, halter style dress which stopped at her mid-thighs; the dress was practically painted onto her body and her breasts were almost spilling out of the v-shaped neckline. The girl shot her a look of total loathing, and Haley wanted nothing more than to punch her in the face. She didn't, though. Instead, she settled for a small bump to the shoulder as she walked fully out of the bathroom; she smiled triumphantly when she heard the snotty "Hey, watch it!" spill out of bottle-job's mouth.

As she made her way through the long, narrow hallway, Haley collided with another body stumbling out of one of the closed bedrooms. The hard force caused her to fall backward, but a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, catching her before she landed on the floor. She looked up and found herself staring into those all too familiar blue eyes.

"Haley?"

Haley straightened her body into her previous standing position and adjusted the t-shirt she was wearing back in place before looking up at him once again. "Hey, Nathan."

"What are you doing here?" He asked, completely perplexed at seeing her. "What happened to...I thought you were going to Stanford?"

"That was never carved in stone. Duke was also one of my choices, which you knew about." She reminded him.

"Yeah, but I never thought you would actually choose Duke over Stanford. You were dead set on your choice. What happened?"

Haley hedged, tucking a strand of hair behind her right ear. "I just wanted a school closer to home."

Nathan narrowed his eyes at her. She was lying; he knew her, and there was obviously more to the story. But he shrugged it off, because he wasn't really interested at the moment. Besides, she wouldn't tell him if he asked anyway so it would really be a moot conversation. "So, you're here now."

"Nathan Scott, you were always the smart, observant one." She quipped and was just about to walk past him when she saw the door to the room he was previously in swing open further and a girl came waltzing out. Her strawberry blonde hair was slightly disheveled and her makeup was smeared a bit. The denim skirt she was wearing was in place but the left strap of her pale blue tank top was hanging off her shoulder. The girl stopped in her tracks when she noticed Nathan still outside in the hall; her face heated up to a crimson shade of red, appropriately embarrassed.

"Excuse me." The girl whispered before making a mad dash down the hall, quickly disappearing into the bathroom as soon as bottle-job exited.

Haley wanted to feel sorry for the girl, and she did for a brief moment, but it was a very, very fleeting moment. Girls like that know what they're getting into. Guys like Nathan, while they are jerks, they're honest jerks. Haley knew Nathan was never anything but completely straight-forward when it came to his whoring ways. But for some reason, those girls who threw themselves at him suddenly forgot that fact after the sex was over. Maybe they thought he would really change his mind and suddenly want to be with them for more than just a quick "fuck" or maybe they were just completely clueless. Haley didn't know, and she really didn't care. All she knew was that she found it hard to feel any sympathy for girls who had no self-respect and no sense at all. Don't pout that you've been screwed over by a guy when you put yourself in that position.

Turning back towards Nathan, Haley rolled her eyes when she saw the smirk plastered on his face.

"What?" He laughed.

"Nathan, do you even know her name?"

"Oh, please. Don't tell me you actually feel sorry for her."

"No, of course, I don't. She's an idiot." She scoffed. "But you can be a real jerk sometimes."

"Tell me something I don't know," He muttered, unaffected by her words.

Nathan didn't care what anyone said or thought about him. He may be a jerk who used girls for sex, but at least he was honest. He never led girls on to thinking there would be anything more, and it wasn't his fault when girls hated themselves the next morning or thought he would want a relationship with them. He's been called more names than he could ever list; he's been slapped across the face half a dozen times. He didn't give a damn. Those girls dropped their panties for him just as quickly as he slid his boxers off but he was the bad guy? He was the jerk? Whatever. People can say what they want.

"And no, by the way." He shrugged. "I don't know what her name is. It's not like it matters."

"Same old Nathan," She mumbled, strolling past him to venture down the stairs with Nathan following closely behind her.

When they arrived in the kitchen, the whole group was still standing there. Haley walked over to the island, settling herself in between Millie and Peyton. Brooke and Lucas were standing adjacent to them as Nathan joined them, standing next to his brother who handed him a full cup of beer.

"Thanks." Nathan accepted the drink immediately, taking a sip of the alcohol. "And thanks for filling me in on the Haley news."

Haley looked at him, smirk in place.

"Sorry. I didn't think you would care either way." Lucas countered, defending himself.

"I don't."

Haley rolled her eyes at Nathan's response and took a quiet gulp of the drink Peyton handed to her. She then noticed another guy strolling into the kitchen. He was cute - short brown hair, muscular shoulders. He was wearing a light green button-down shirt with thin black pinstripes and a pair of denim jeans. She watched him nod to Lucas who returned the gesture.

"Hey, Jake." Just like with Nathan, Lucas handed him a drink. "Jake, this is Haley."

Haley smiled when Lucas pointed her out, and her eyes met the guy's.

"Haley, this is my roommate Jake Jagielski." Lucas introduced.

"Haley, it's nice to finally meet you." Jake held out his hand towards the petite brunette who accepted his handshake. He then gestured towards his roommate. "This one brags about you all the time. His genius best friend from back home."

Haley blushed as she shot Lucas a look before turning back towards Jake. "It's nice to meet you. It seems our friend here has a habit of talking about other people. He talked about you this summer as well, told me some very interesting stories about the two of you and the trouble you guys got caught up in last year."

"That's all on Lucas. Me - I don't get into trouble." Jake smirked as they all laughed.

"Come on, Nate!"

The group glanced over towards the opening of the kitchen where about five guys, wearing gray t-shirts with the Greek symbol for the Alpha Tau Omega house written in white across their chests, were standing, looking in at the raven-haired freshman.

"We're about to start a game of strip poker!" One shouted. He tripped over his footing, some of the beer from his cup spilling onto his shirt. He glanced down, laughing drunkenly before looking back up at Nathan. "Dude, come on!"

Haley rolled her eyes, watching the frat boys disappear towards the main living area, cheering, chanting, and laughing along the way.

"Well, that is my cue." Nathan stated, refilling his cup with the newly tapped beer before grabbing a full, unopened bottle of vodka with his free hand. He nodded his head towards the group, winked playfully at Haley who smiled sarcastically in response, and then walked out of the kitchen.

"My little brother." Lucas chuckled, watching Nathan's retreating form.

Nathan groaned when the door to his dorm room opened and then slammed shut. He yelled for his roommate to keep it down but all that did was generate a deep, gutteral laugh. He tried his best to ignore the unwanted noise, and it worked until the harsh ray from the sunshine hit his face. He rolled over onto his left side, facing away from the window. "You're such a dick!"

"Dude, it's after three. You need to wake your ass up."

"Leave me alone. I have a terrible headache." Nathan grunted.

"Yeah, that's called a hangover. You should be used to those by now."

Nathan flipped onto his back. There was no use in trying to go back to sleep now. He turned his head and saw Tony sitting on his own bed, a take-out box in his right hand and a plastic fork in his left. It was Chinese food; Nathan could tell by the smell, most likely from China Express. The two of them dined there quite frequently during the summer.

Nathan met Tony Battle about three months ago, back in June. Coach Mike Krzyzlwski, or more well-known as Coach K, had a strict basketball schedule for all of his new freshmen players. There was a required conditioning program during the summer months; most of the guys hated it but not Nathan. For him it was one of the greatest excuses to get out of staying in Tree Hill for those extra three months. He and Tony were assigned roommates, and they quickly became friends as well, practicing together and partying together.

"You bring me any?"

"Do I look like your slave?" Tony quipped, popping a piece of orange chicken into his mouth. "I did set some aspirin on the dresser for you, though. I needed some this morning, and I didn't get nearly as wasted as you did so I figured you'd want it."

Nathan looked to his right and saw a small white bottle sitting next to a bottle of water. He shifted his body into a sitting position and reached for the medicine. He dispensed a couple of white pills into his hand and then popped them into his mouth before grabbing the water; he opened the cap and took a swig to wash the pills down his throat. He leaned backward, colliding with the wall behind him.

"You're welcome."

"Thanks." He muttered, rolling his eyes. "Thank God we don't have practice today. There is no way I would have been able to run up and down a court. I can barely move. And I feel like I'm about to hurl."

"Just don't do it in here, please." Tony pleaded, eating some more of his food.

"That was some party last night."

"Yes, it was." Tony agreed. "And who was that hottie I saw you talking to?"

"I was talking to a lot of hotties last night." Nathan smirked.

Tony shook his head. "No, that brunette. I saw you guys coming down the stairs together. She was pretty fine - kind of plain-looking but surprisingly dressed in something."

"Oh, you're talking about Haley. She's a girl from back home."

"Ex?" Tony smirked, his interest piqued.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "No. We graduated together."

"Did you guys at least hook up?"

"Why do you care?" Nathan asked, sighing in irritation. Tony only shrugged. "Can we not talk about her right now? I have a massive headache, and your food is a mixture of smelling good and making me want to hurl. All I want to do right now is sleep. I don't want to think about Haley, let alone talk about her."

"Sorry, dude." Tony apologized. "You're kind of touchy."

Nathan shook his head. "I'm just tired. And I was surprised to see Haley last night. I didn't know she would be here; she's supposed to be at Stanford."

"Wow. Ivy League. She must be pretty smart."

"Yeah, she is. She was the valedictorian of our class."

"You know, you never answered my question." Nathan looked at Tony confused. "Did you guys ever hook up?"

"You never stop, do you?" Tony shook his head as Nathan chuckled. "We weren't exactly best friends growing up. We got along; we had to since our families were so close. She practically lived in the guest bedroom at my mom's house. She also worked in my mom's café. She and Luke are really close - that's how I met her. They met when we were like eight or nine. I don't really remember. Haley and I probably wouldn't have ever talked to one another if she and Lucas weren't such good friends. They were into the same kind of things: reading, writing, all of that crap. She wasn't exactly part of the 'popular' crowd like I was. I mean, she was because of me and Lucas. She didn't care about that crap, though."

"So if you're not with her, does that mean..."

"Don't even think about it." Nathan interrupted with a warning tone. He rolled his eyes at the smirk on Tony's face. "It's not like that. I just know her. Besides, she's way too good for you." He grinned.

"Whatever. She didn't fall for your crap so the girl is obviously smart in a lot of different ways. And I am very charming when I want to be."

Nathan laughed, shaking his head. "Dude, just leave her alone. Between me and Lucas, you really don't stand a chance at getting near her in any way other than friendship."

The shrill ringing of a cell phone, Nathan's, sounded. The two looked around the room for it. Tony followed the sound to the floor. He picked up the jeans his roommate was wearing the previous night, reaching into one of the pockets and pulling out the obnoxiously loud device.

"It's your brother," Tony said, tossing the phone over towards Nathan who caught it effortlessly.

"What's up, Luke?" Nathan answered, holding the phone up to his ear.

"Just calling to check up on my baby brother. Make sure he's not suffering too much."

"I'm fine."

"Of course you are. It's not like it's your first hangover." Lucas could practically feel the eye roll his brother was doing, causing him to laugh. "Anyway, I trust you had a good night."

"I did. So what else do you want considering I know you're obviously calling for something else?"

"Well, with all the craziness yesterday I never got to ask you what you thought about Brooke."

"What about her?" Nathan asked, confused.

"Duh. Do you like her?"

Nathan shrugged. "She's okay. What's it matter what I think of her?"

Now it was Lucas who was rolling his eyes. "I don't know. Maybe it's because you're my brother and I want to make sure you like and get along with my girlfriend. No big deal, though."

Nathan laughed. "Sorry, Luke. Brooke seems nice. A little too cheerful and talkative, but she's hot. I'll give you that."

"Well, just as long as you don't make a move for her."

"Please. She's doing my brother, and I am not into being with any girl who's been with you. No offense, of course." Nathan stated as they, along with Tony, laughed. Lucas mumbled a none taken response. "Besides, she seems way too high maintenance for my liking. She is all yours."

As Lucas rambled on about that bubbly girlfriend of his, Nathan pushed the comforter off of him and climbed out of his bed. He got in late last night. As soon as he walked through the door of his dorm room his jeans and his shirt were discarded, leaving him in just a pair of red, black, and white plaid boxers. Then, he was falling into his bed, passing out.

Still holding the phone up to his ear with his right hand, he stretched his body and felt the cracking in his back. He groaned.

"You okay?" Lucas asked.

"Just stretching, Luke." Nathan reassured as he ruffled through his clothes, trying to figure out something to wear. He settled on a pair of black basketball shorts and a white Nike t-shirt. "So why is Haley here? I thought she was heading to California."

"You know, I don't really know the whole story. One day she stopped by the house and told me she was going to Duke. I was so excited that we didn't really discuss the why's of her decision."

"She probably just wants to be closer to me." Nathan teased smugly.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it." Lucas laughed. "I am so pumped that she is, though. My new friends are here. My girlfriend's here. And now, my brother and my best friend are here. This is so awesome."

"Luke, do you ever realize how girly you sound?"

"Whatever." Lucas rolled his eyes, already used to his brother's gay comments. "Anyway, have you eaten?"

"No, but I seriously need to." Nathan groaned, hearing his stomach grumble. He was starving. It didn't help that the smell from Tony's food was still hanging around in their compact-sized room. "I need something with a lot of grease to help this hangover of mine."

"Well, Jake and I were gonna head downtown and grab some food. You want to come?" Lucas offered.

"Sure. I need to take a shower first, though."

"Okay. I'll swing by and pick you up. Be there in twenty."

The two brothers said their goodbyes and ended their phone call.

OTHOTHOTH

Millie shifted the gear into park. She turned the car off and pulled the keys from the ignition as she opened her door, climbing out of the car. She met Haley at the back of the vehicle and popped open the trunk. The girls began pulling out their bags; items bought from Target, Pottery Barn, and Bed Bath and Beyond. Those were just filled with the merchandise they purchased for their dorm. They had a couple more paper bags filled with a few grocery items.

"Any idea on how we're going to get that upstairs?" She questioned, gesturing towards the large cardboard box containing their new mini fridge. The microwave sitting in front of it they could manage. Unfortunately, they didn't have the help from an employee with them now like they did before.

Haley shrugged. "I could call Lucas. If he's not busy I know he'd be happy to help us."

"Or we could help."

The girls turned and saw a couple of guys standing behind them. One of the guys was white, kind of gangly looking. He had a thin face with big lips, and he had light brown hair. He was wearing a black polo shirt and some jeans. The other guy was black, his head shaved. He was wearing a pair of black basketball shorts and a maroon t-shirt, the sleeves cut off which revealed a tattoo of a cross and some basketballs on his right upper arm.

"Are you sure?" Haley asked.

They both nodded.

"Thanks." Millie replied. "We really appreciate it."

The guys grabbed the refrigerator as the girls carried the bags as well as the microwave; the four of them entered the building and ascended the stairs and into Haley's and Millie's dorm room. Once things were in place, Haley tossed the boys a couple of bottle waters.

"Sorry, they're warm. Clearly," she began, gesturing towards the newly plugged in fridge, "we haven't been able to cool them down yet."

"Fine by me." The black guy stated.

"Do you guys live in this building as well?" Haley asked, assuming the answer was probably yes considering this was a coed dorm. The guys nodded.

"I'm Mouth." The white one said, extending his hand towards Haley first and then Millie.

"Mouth?" Millie questioned.

"It's a nickname from high school. My real name is Marvin McFadden."

"Yeah, he got punched in the mouth. I'm Skills."

"And is Skills your real name?" Millie asked.

"Nah. It's Antwon."

"Where does Skills come from?" Haley questioned, completely amused.

"Middle school - my first dance. I walked in Antwon but I left Skills. I've got mad skills on the basketball court and on the dance floor, baby girl." He stated with a wink, causing them to laugh. "We roommates. Down on the second floor. You freshmen?"

Both girls nodded.

"We are, too. Skills is on the basketball team." Mouth said.

"My best friend and his brother play basketball." Haley stated.

"Word?" Skills questioned.

"Word." She laughed. "Lucas and Nathan Scott."

"I saw 'em play. Lucas was good last year, and his brother don't seem half bad either. I conditioned with him this summer, the boy got game." Skills commented as Haley agreed. "Mouth, here, is gonna do the commentaries for the games. You can catch him live and in action at .com."

"That's neat." Millie praised, smiling boisterously at Mouth.

"Well, I want to get into broadcasting. Sports." He said.

"Really? I'm studying journalism. I have dreamt of being a reporter for as long as I can remember."

"We should hang out some time - give each other pointers." He suggested.

Millie blushed. "Okay. I'd really like that."

Haley watched Mouth and Millie as they continued to chat away about journalism and broadcasting, all that fun stuff. She pursed her lips together, raising her eyebrows in the process. She walked over to Skills who was just a couple of feet away. "Are they flirting?"

"I think they are."

About ten minutes later, their stomachs were grumbling and the four of them decided to grab an early supper - the girls' treat for the boys' help. They left the room and walked down the stairs, piling into Millie's vehicle before driving to Panera Bread, ordering their food and drinks, as they all got to know one another better.

Antwon "Skills" Taylor was from Chicago, Illinois, living with both his parents who had no other children. Like Nathan, he was the star of his high school basketball team and received a full scholarship to Duke. He was studying for a major in sports coordination. Basically, he wanted to coordinate all of those sport plays/games that are seen in movies and on television shows.

Marvin "Mouth" McFadden is a North Carolina native, growing up in Greenville. He has two siblings - one brother and one sister, Michael and Gracie who are both younger than him. Ever since he was a little boy he has loved sports but never having been the most coordinated player himself didn't open up a wide window for him to actually play. Instead he found a passion in commentating for sports so he was still a part of it all.

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I will warn you guys - most of these chapters will be at least 3000 words long so if you don't enjoy long chapters then I apologize. I personally love long chapters when I read stories so that's kind of where I get it from with my own writing.