Wow guys, I am in total awe at the feedback that I got for this story! Thank you all so much for taking the time to review. I know you're all eager to see where I'm taking this and to get Nathan's perspective on everything. So here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

Humiliation. It was the only emotion that kept washing over Haley. Humiliation over what she said in her video. Humiliation at seeing the look on Lucas's face and him walking away. Humiliation as she hurried out of the school with everyone's eyes on her. Humiliation just imagining Nathan's reaction to her confession.

Haley couldn't get home fast enough. When she did finally arrive at her house, Haley had gone straight to her room. Her mother would surely ask about her day, and Haley did not want her to see the tears that had already begun to stream down her face. She just wanted to be alone.

After about an hour, Haley's tears finally started to dry. There was no use feeling sorry for herself. What really mattered was how Lucas felt. If she felt horrible, then he must feel ten times worse. Mustering all of her courage, Haley had picked up the phone and dialed Lucas's number. He didn't answer his cell phone, so she called the house. Karen had answered and said that he wasn't home yet, but she'd tell Lucas that Haley called. She doubted that he'd call her back, though.

Haley clutched her teddy bear, Mr. Waffles, closer to her body and sighed. Whoever released that time capsule sure did make a mess of things.

"This is such a fucking mess!" Brooke exclaimed, bursting through Haley's bedroom door.

Haley abruptly sat up. "Brooke, what are you doing here?"

"I am going to kill the little pervert who released that time capsule. He'll be lucky if they can identify his body by the time I'm done with him," the brunette continued to rant. "As if the whole school seeing my boobs wasn't bad enough!"

"Brooke, calm down. What are you going on about?"

"You don't know?"

"Know what?" Haley questioned, getting a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach for the second time that day.

Brooke walked over to Haley's desk and grabbed her laptop. She turned it on and opened up the internet browser. She continued typing before finally placing the computer in front of Haley.

"Oh my God," Haley muttered as she watched the video of a girl from her class. Haley's eyes widened a second later when the girl admitted to being a lesbian.

Well, that explains the times I saw her staring at me in the locker room, Haley thought. She shook head to clear her thoughts and turned to Brooke. "It's gone viral?"

"Yup."

"So anyone can see this?"

"Uh-huh," Brooke replied and moaned. "It's official. I'm internet porn. Some little pimply-faced pervert is probably watching my entry right now and…making nice with himself." She shuddered at the thought.

Running her hands through her hair, Haley sighed. "Great. This is just great. Not only does the whole town know that I love Nathan, but now so does the whole world."

"At least you didn't show them your breasts." Brooke flopped down and buried her face in Haley's pillow. "I've been trying to call Lucas, but he won't answer his phone. He's probably so pissed."

"I wouldn't blame yourself. He's probably just trying to avoid me. He was really angry when he saw my video."

Brooke's head popped up. "Which reminds me." She smacked Haley's arm.

"Ow!" Haley exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot. "What the hell was that for?"

"We are supposed to be friends, Tutor Girl. How could you not tell me that you're in love with Nathan?"

"No one was supposed to know! Hell, even I don't understand it. And it's not like anything would come of me telling anyone."

"Haley, you can tell me anything. And if I knew, I totally could've hooked you and Nathan up."

That surprised Haley. "You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad? Did you think that just because I'm dating Lucas that I'd take his side and automatically hate Nathan?"

"Well, essentially yes," she replied.

"I love Lucas, but sometimes the heart wants what it wants. You can't control love. And I personally don't think Nathan's as bad as he lets on," Brooke revealed. "If you'd of asked me, I'd have told you to go for it."

Haley was touched by her friend's support, but it still didn't make her feel any less horrible. "He doesn't even know I exist, Brooke. And honestly, I've been okay with that."

"He noticed you today," Brooke pointed out.

"Nathan was just being polite. It was nothing."

"The boy got up from his table to help you and then couldn't stop looking at you for the rest of the period. That is not nothing."

"Regardless, nothing can happen. Lucas was really upset earlier. He's my best friend, and I can't let him down."

"You've got a life to live, too, you know."

Haley shrugged and looked away. "I accepted my fate a long time ago, Brooke. Nothing will change that. Except now I'm officially the laughing stock of the entire school."

"I'm sure it won't be that bad. Everyone went off on the time capsule. They're all probably worried about what they said, never mind you."

"You have a point," Haley said, hoping her friend was right. She smiled teasingly at Brooke. "Thanks for the advice, Hooter Girl."

Brooke groaned and buried her face back in Haley's pillow. "So not cool, Traitor Girl!"

So you want me to tell you something about myself. I don't really have anything to say. Even if I did, you'd be wrong to believe me. Trust is a lie. Nobody ever knows anyone. But if you're that desperate to learn something about me, then all you need to know is that I'm Nathan Scott and basketball is my life. It's pretty much my shot at everything from here on out. I've never really been into school. I'm usually too busy with practice, games, and partying. Even if I did care about my grades, my training schedule is intense. My dad keeps me pretty busy.

You see, everyone thinks that it's just my dream to go to Duke and eventually play in the NBA. But it's not. It's my dad's, too. My father, Dan Scott, was a big basketball star in his day. He played for the Ravens and then went on to play for UNC. But he suffered a knee injury his freshman year, and that was it for his career. My dad's always going on about how he would've been one of the greats. Since his dream is gone, it's up to me now to make it for the both of us.

If only it were that easy to please him. He's always picked me apart and criticized me about my game. Most of the time he claims that I'm too weak or lacking the drive that he had. Lately it's been getting worse. You see, my dad has another son. He got his girlfriend in high school pregnant but broke up with her before college. Three months later he met my mom at school and got her pregnant. I guess you can say he was always the overachiever. Nathan rolled his eyes. Anyway, Dan married my mom in the end and has had nothing to do with his other son. For the most part this other kid was forgotten—until recently. You see, Lucas decided to join the basketball team, and my life's been a living hell ever since. Not only did he take my position, but now he's getting friendly with my teammates. The Ravens are supposed to be my team. I'm sure you've been able to conclude that my dad is really pissed about it all. He says I'm letting it all slip away.

But that's not the worst of it. You want to know what the worst part is? I'll look at my dad and sometimes I swear that he's thinking he picked the wrong son. Sometimes I wonder if he did. He's never mentioned Lucas, but I know that Dan's been comparing us all of our lives. Maybe I'm not meant to be the son Dan wants me to be. Maybe Lucas is actually the lucky one. Even my relationship with my mom isn't that good. She's away for work all of the time. And when she is home, I can tell she's only talking to me out of guilt for her extended business trips. I can't say that I blame her, though. If I had the choice of getting away from Tree Hill and my dad for a while, I'd take it. It doesn't mean it doesn't suck, though. Sometimes I actually wish that my knee will give out just so I don't have to deal with the pressure anymore. Maybe I'd actually have a life that's my own.

I'm sure that sounds pretty broken. He shrugged, his expression hard. But don't feel sorry for me. I don't want or need anyone's pity. The truth is I love the game. I just hate the way my father uses it to dictate my life. But what can you do? We've all got our crosses to bear, and this is mine.

So what's the moral of the story? As far as I'm concerned, there isn't one. People are mean and life's a bitch. The sooner you learn that, the better off you'll be.

Nathan sat at his desk, unable to pry his eyes away from his laptop. He couldn't help but cringe as he watched his time capsule video. He felt like such an idiot. The only reason he'd been so honest was because no one was supposed to see it. At least not for a very long time. It was already a disaster that the time capsule had been leaked at school. The fact that it was now on the internet for anyone and everyone to see just made the whole thing that much worse. The things he said…well, he would just have to hope that his father never finds out about what happened. He'd never live it down.

A few more videos played before the one Nathan had been waiting for finally appeared on the screen. He'd been shocked when he'd seen Haley's video earlier. Nathan had no idea that she'd had feelings for him. Hell, he had no idea she even existed before he saw her at lunch today. Then suddenly this video popped up, and so much more was revealed. Nathan wondered how he never noticed Haley before. Despite being Lucas's best friend, there had to have been times when he saw her around school.

Nathan had to admit that he was flattered by her entry. Haley said that she was in love with him, and the prospect intrigued him. Normally he would dismiss her feelings as a crush, but something told him this wasn't the case. Haley seemed genuine in her video and very unlike the other popularity-seeking girls at school. What really got to him, though, was how well she'd been able to read him. It was almost scary. Nathan's image was everything. He'd worked hard to build it. Of course it was probably shot to hell now. But Haley, she managed to see right past it from the beginning.

Hitting the replay button, Nathan was about to watch the video again when he heard the front door open. Dan was home. He could hear his footsteps coming up the stairs. Nathan quickly shut his laptop and grabbed a textbook, turning to a random page.

His bedroom door opened. "Nathan, I saw your car outside. What are you doing home? Don't you have practice this afternoon?"

"It got cancelled."

"What?" Dan retorted, his eyes narrowing. "Why?"

"There was this…prank that some students played at school. Everyone was sent home early and after-school activities were cancelled so that the mess could be cleaned up," Nathan carefully explained.

Dan shook his head and scoffed. "Typical Whitey."

"He didn't really have a choice," Nathan muttered.

"That is ridiculous. You have a game this weekend against Oak Lake. They're good this year, and you boys will need as much time to train as possible."

"We're ready, Dad."

His father obviously wasn't listening. "Get dressed. We're going for a run."

"But, Dad, I have homework," Nathan interrupted.

"Homework isn't important, son. What's important is shining this year for the scouts, and that's not going to happen with you looking winded all of the time on that court."

"Winded?" Nathan repeated. "I haven't been winded."

"You were winded in the fourth quarter and almost cost your team the win. Now get dressed and meet me downstairs in ten minutes."

"But, Dad—"

"Now," Dan barked and turned to leave.

Nathan slammed his book shut and threw it off of his desk. He just couldn't catch a break.

Haley kept her eyes forward and her head held high, intent on her goal. She didn't want to look at any of her classmates, although she could feel their eyes on her. She could only imagine what they were thinking and whispering.

"There goes that loser with the crush on Nathan. Just who does she think she is?"

"Like she actually has a chance with him. Puh-lease."

"Did you see Lucas walk away from her yesterday? Drama!"

Shaking her head, Haley cleared her mind and continued walking to her locker. She was hoping Lucas would be there so they could talk. The books he needed for his first few classes were in there, after all. He'd have to show up eventually to get them.

"Hey, Haley," a female voice greeted and sidled up to her.

"Hey, Peyton."

"Today is nuts. I was hoping they'd cancel classes again, but I guess they like to torture us."

"Tell me about it."

"I can't believe that I said I loved Jake on the time capsule. I haven't even said it to his face yet."

"Well, at least he said he loved you on his," Haley replied, looking on the bright side.

"It's still weird, though. It's like, what do we do when we see each other? Has our relationship been taken to the next level already, or do we just pretend like it didn't happen and go back to normal?"

"You guys will figure it out. Just be thankful you didn't admit your feelings to someone who barley knows you exist."

Peyton smiled. "So you and Nathan, huh?"

"There is no me and Nathan," she pointed out.

"Look, it's cool if you like him. I mean, he was a total ass when we dated, but I always thought that he could be a better person. I think that's why I stayed with him for so long. You just have to be careful."

"Honestly, Nathan is the last person on my mind right now."

Peyton nodded in understanding. "I gather that you haven't talked to Lucas yet."

"Nope. That's where I'm headed now. I'm hoping to ambush him at my locker."

"Good luck. I'm off to find Brooke. Last I heard she was ripping some freshman a new one in the quad for printing out pictures of her topless debut."

"Yikes."

"Yeah."

"Good luck reining in Hurricane Brooke."

Peyton motioned to Haley's locker. Lucas was there collecting his things. "You, too."

"Thanks." The two parted ways, and Haley hurried to her locker. Unfortunately, Lucas had already spotted her and was about to take off.

"Hey, can we talk?" Haley questioned, ignoring the stares they were getting at the moment.

Lucas slammed the locker shut. "I have nothing to say." He started to walk away, but Haley followed him.

"That's okay, because I do. Luke. Luke!" she called after him, struggling to keep pace with his long strides. "Will you please wait?"

"I've got class."

"Lucas." She reached out and grabbed his arm to halt him. "Lucas, I am so sorry."

He turned toward her. "For what? For falling in love with my ass of a brother, or for lying about it all this time? Or maybe you're only sorry because you got caught."

"Lucas, I'm sorry that I hurt you. You were never meant to see that video."

"I guess we'll go with the third option." Lucas pulled his arm away from her and turned the corner.

Haley continued to follow. "It's not like I wanted to feel that way, Lucas. It just happened."

"So that makes it okay?"

"No, but you're acting like I had a relationship with him behind your back."

"Do you?"

"No! He doesn't even know I exist."

"It didn't look like that yesterday."

"He was just helping me pick up my books. It was nothing."

They stopped in the middle of the hallway, and he whipped around to face her. "And what if he did really notice you, huh? Would you go with him? After all of the hell he and his father have put me through, would you still give him a chance?" he demanded, fuming.

Haley halted, thrown by his question. "I'm still your best friend, Luke. That would never change," she said carefully.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I don't know what would happen if he noticed me. But I do know that I would always have your back."

Lucas scoffed and shook his head. "That's impossible, since you've already stuck a knife in it."

"Lucas," Haley muttered, her eyes watering. This was even worse than she thought.

"You betrayed me, Haley. I thought you were my best friend, but I was wrong. Apparently I don't know you at all. But if this is the person you're becoming, then I want nothing to do with you. We are not friends anymore."

Haley opened her mouth to object when something in her peripheral vision caught her eye. She noticed Jimmy Edwards walking down the hallway with his hands tucked into the front pocket of his hoodie. His eyes were set on something. Haley looked to her right and saw that he was staring at the jocks ransacking his locker. They threw the last of his books at his feet before high-fiving each other and walking away.

Jimmy's eyes closed for a second before he pulled his hand out of his pocket. Haley's own eyes widened in shock when she saw the gun he was holding. Jimmy called out to the group of guys and a shot was fired. Time seemed to pass in an instant and yet move in slow motion all at once as the whole hallway of students erupted in panic. People started screaming and running, pushing each other out of the way

Haley could feel herself getting lost in the shuffle but couldn't really focus on getting away. The hot, searing pain shooting up her leg consumed her thoughts. Haley fell to the ground, unable to stand. And then the next thing she knew, she was overtaken by the crowd.

Nathan checked his watch and saw that he only had a couple of minutes before the bell would ring, signaling second period. He'd had a free period that morning and decided to take the opportunity to study some of the Ravens' latest game tapes. Not to mention that the AV closet gave him a chance to avoid the drama that was the time capsule. Nathan didn't feel like dealing with the whispers and stares that morning. Although he wondered how anyone could judge him, since pretty much everyone had said something embarrassing on the time capsule. Tim was practically avoiding the entire female student body after claiming that he'd slept with them.

Realizing he couldn't hide out for much longer, Nathan took off his headphones, shut off the tape and TV, and grabbed his backpack. The last thing he needed was to be late for English and get detention on top of everything. Opening the door, Nathan stepped into the hallway and frowned.

What the hell?

The hallway was completely empty. There were no students hurrying to class or groups of friends talking by their lockers. It was oddly silent. Was there an assembly that he hadn't been aware of? Nathan shrugged and decided to head to English anyway. It was when he turned the corner that he knew something was definitely wrong. Lockers were left wide open and backpacks and books were scattered everywhere.

Was there a fire drill? There wasn't an alarm blaring. And why would people leave their things behind?

Nathan noticed a cell phone on the floor. This was serious. No teenager would leave behind a cell phone unless there was truly an emergency. Something had spooked his classmates big time.

Not wanting to hang around and find out for himself, Nathan made his way down the hallway. He moved as quietly as possible. The only other scenario he could think of was a rogue student. Images of what had happened at Columbine years ago flashed in his mind. Nathan shivered and quickened his pace. He had to get out of this school now.

He turned another corner, his mind set on finding the nearest exit. That is until he saw a pile of broken glass. Even more disturbing was the bright red substance gleaming off of it.

Blood.

Someone was hurt.

Nathan looked from the glass to the trail of smeared blood. Whoever was hurt had tried to move. Maybe someone had helped the kid and gotten him to safety already. He realized a second later that that couldn't be possible. The trail was going in the opposite direction of the exit. Nathan looked ahead of him and then back at the trail, trying to figure out what to do. Could he really leave knowing that someone was injured and needed help? But what if the person hurt was the perpetrator?

Making a split-second decision and swearing under his breath, Nathan put down his backpack and followed the blood trail. Eventually he found himself standing in front of the door to the boy's locker room. Whoever was injured was inside. Nathan glanced around and found a bag of gym equipment on the floor.

He bent down to search through the bag. Perfect, he thought, picking up the baseball bat. It was no match for a gun, but it was still something. Nathan took a moment to calm himself before opening the door slowly and quietly.

His assumption that someone was inside was confirmed when he heard movement. It was coming from the back of the locker room, which was where the blood trail also led. Nathan held the bat tightly in his hands and walked forward. He was just in front of the final row of lockers when he halted. This was it. There was no turning back now.

Nathan gripped the bat tighter and raised it up. He then sprang forward from his hiding place. "Put your hands where I can see them," he demanded as someone screamed. With his adrenaline pumping overtime, it took a moment for Nathan to process the sight before him.

The injured person was a girl. She was sitting on the floor in a pool of blood, clutching her leg as tears streamed down her face.

Nathan lowered the bat and stared at her in shock. "Haley?"