"Have you seen the guys this morning?" Haley asked, slamming her locker door shut.

Peyton shrugged. She'd been on the phone with Lucas until almost three that morning, she couldn't sleep, and he'd always made it clear that he was there for her, twenty four seven.

"You know how Nathan is." Brooke replied, starting down the hallway. "He insists on giving Luke a ride, claiming that it saves gas if they carpool, but he doesn't wake up on time."

"Yeah." The blonde agreed, pushing a stray curl behind her ear. "But poor Lucas. You both know how he has to be somewhere at least five minutes early, or he starts bitching and moaning like a five year old girl."

"I resent that." He said from behind her.

Peyton jumped, and Brooke glared at him. Lucas slowly held his hands up in surrender before lowering them to rest on her shoulders. He hadn't meant to scare her, but he seemed to be doing it more and more lately. Ever since the shooting, and her two different attacks from the psycho pretending to be her half-brother, she'd become sacred of her own shadow.

"Peyt." He muttered, pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry. That was a bad idea..."

She stared up at him, her eyes narrowing. "Gee... Ya think?"

Haley gave her best friend a mock punch. "Nice, Lucas. Now where's that handsome brother of yours?"

"I always knew you had a thing for me, Hayles." Nathan smirked, turning away from her to open his locker. "Can you guys believe this is our last first day?"

Haley blushed. In truth, she'd had a crush on her best friend's brother since the day she'd met him, when Dan Scott had gone to court to win visitation rights with his elder son. He was seven or eight when he'd dragged her along to the Scott household to hang out for an afternoon the first time.

Who's your friend, Lucas?

Nathan, this is my best friend, Haley. Hales, this is my... Brother? This is Nathan, Hales. I guess he's my brother.

Nice to meet you.

Whatever.

Nathan had grown up loud and unabashed, never apologizing for who he was. The world was his for the taking. He was constantly getting what he wanted. The typical jock, the kid in high school who's parents paid for everything. Most of his friends were arrogant bastards who believed that anyone who wasn't 'one of them,' may as well have not existed in their high school. He was Lucas's exact opposite, and yet somehow they had managed to grow up together and stay friends.

Sometimes, Haley was unsure if she was really supposed to fit into the world of popularity, she was so unlike her friend, Brooke. It was Nathan who reassured her that she did, in fact, belong with them, and that they all loved her for who she was, a tutor, a singer, and a girl who wore her heart on her sleeve.

"Thank god." Brooke muttered, breaking her from her thoughts. "I don't think I could take another year here. We're finally seniors!"

Nathan chuckled and ruffled her hair, knowing how much she hated it. It was one of the very reasons he did it every time he got the chance, to earn her famous don't mess with me glare.

"What's your first class, Peyton?" Lucas asked, laughing as Brooke went to hit his brother. Hard.

"Man." She said with a sad smile. "But hey, at least I have it first period, I can get it over with."

Peyton shot her group of friends a quick smile before moving away from them, her intention to get to class on time for once.

Tree Hill was bigger than his old school, a lot bigger. He'd become lost, and since everyone had seen Tree Hill's Queen Bee dismiss him in the quad, Julian couldn't find anyone to give him directions to his first class: Chemistry.

He barreled straight into her in his hurry to find room 222, sending the blonde, curly haired girl crashing to the floor.

"Peyton!"

Lucas, Brooke, and Haley were at her side instantly, lifting her up, and all asking at once if she was okay.

Nathan had stepped around her, and without warning, slammed Julian up against the cool metal of a random locker.

"You must be new." He hissed, glancing down at his friend. "Most people here know how to talk. Are you okay, Peyt?"

"I'm fine." Peyton replied evenly. "C'mon, Nate, it was just an accident. Let him go."

Nathan thought about it for a moment, and then he nodded. His arm was still resting across Julian's throat as he leaned in close.

"Watch where you're going, freak."

He shoved the new kid back before slinging his backpack over his shoulder and closing his locker door.

"C'mon, Brooke." Nathan said, nodding towards the staircase. "Let's go. We don't wanna be late."

"Yeah, right." She squeezed Peyton's shoulder before following along behind him. "Who wouldn't want to be late to chem?"

Great. Julian thought. My first class, and I get it to take it with the Queen of Mean, and one of the Scott Brother assholes.

Lucas shot Julian a wary look. "Hales? Where are you headed?"

"Math." She replied, shooting Peyton a quick grin. "See, girlie? You won't have to die of boredom!"

"I'll walk you." He offered, wrapping his arm around the blonde. He gently moved her to walk in front of him, before doing the same to Haley.

Haley and Peyton let Lucas take the lead, following along behind him at a slower pace.

"That's the kid who dissed Mouth this morning." Haley whispered to her. "And now he's the guy who knocked you on your ass. He's really trying to make an impression at this school."

"Let's just hope he stays out of Nathan's way." Peyton replied.

It was true, the boys pretty much ran Tree Hill High, but everyone knew that out of the two brothers, Nathan was the hard ass. She gritted her teeth, remembering how one too many times before she'd been forced to watch as Nathan lay into someone. Lucas was a defender of women, but Nathan never thought before acting.

"Guys?" Lucas glanced back at them. He raised an eye brow before slowed his pace so they could catch up.

"Coming!" The girls said in unison.

Haley let out a long sigh and slipped her arm through her friend's. Nathan wouldn't get into another fight, not if she had anything to say about it.