I know it was short, I was just seeing what kind of response I got from the story before I kept writing, the next chapters will certainly be longer. That was just a sample chapter.

Previously:

"I jut wasn't playing up to par. Those guys don't deserve you if they can't see what a great girl you are. It's their loss."

"Thanks Nate." She responded meekly to the adoration she saw in his eyes.

"No thanks needed, just being honest it sucks to see you hurting Hales."

"That's sweet Nathan, well I gotta get back out there. I'll see you later. Oh and it sucks that you got kicked out of the game." With a small smile, one that left Nathan's heart racing, she walked through the tunnel and back onto the court.

God the things she does to me, Nathan thought, feeling the unwanted smile stretch across his face, his heart race, and a weakness in his knees that only Haley could make happen. Why does it have to be like this, why can't I move on and let this go, she's not interested, she hasn't been for the past two years...maybe its because your in love with her you idiot, he said to himself, jeeze I talk to myself too much. Hearing the buzzer in the background signaling the end of the game, he walked the rest of the way to the locker room, and prepared himself for the "your attitude sucks, your playing sucks, this organization doesn't pay you millions to do nothing, get your shit together" speech from hell. His coach never did follow through with his threats though, he needed Nathan, and everyone knew it. Ripping off his warm-up jacket, he paced once again in a bad mood, he could feel his blood boiling, the weight on his shoulders getting heavier and heavier. His thoughts ran through the trials, Haley, stupid coach, knee bugging the hell out of me, mom in rehab, Haley, dad's the biggest asshole in all of North America...probably further, brother thinks I'm some out of control wild child he can foster instead of just being my brother, and fucking Haley!

"SCOTT IN MY OFFICE NOW!" His coach screamed at him as he enter the locker room without another word. Nathan took a deep breath and walked into his coach's office, taking a seat, he knew this routine pretty well by now.

"Nathan what's going on with you?" His coach asked in a normal voice, the concern in his voice evident, catching Nathan off guard, but he quickly wiped the shocked look off his face.

"Nothing coach, just yell at me and tell me that I don't get paid millions for nothing, and that I need to get my shit together before you get rid of me." Nathan smirked, his coach's reverse psychology wasn't about to work on him now. His coach sighed and said nothing but looked pointedly at the door. He was once again caught off guard, but got up quickly and headed out of the room, he gathered his things, not stopping to shower, and left the stadium as quickly as he could, only stopping to sign autographs and take pictures halfheartedly.

How did I end up here? Nathan thought to himself as he sat outside of Haley's bungalow. He had gone home straight after the game, but had grabbed his keys and headed for his Dodge Charger soon after, needing to get out of the confinement of his house. How he had ended up in Haley's driveway was beyond him, he had been sitting there for 10 minutes now, his nerves playing tricks on him. Inside he knew that was a lie, he had done this a lot, time and time again he would sit at home with his finger on the call button over Haley's number, just to talk, just to hear her voice, but he never could get himself to hit send. So here he was now, his seatbelt undone and the ignition off, but no movement towards opening the door. Suddenly a tapping on his window brought him out of his daze, and he looked up. Shit, there was Haley, in her pajamas looking at him with a tired and bewildered expression. Slowly opening the door, his breath hitched as he took in her full appearance, short shorts, and a tiny pink camisole.

"Nathan what are you doing here?" Haley asked softly, sleep still evident in her voice.

"Um I don't – I don't really know. I'm sorry I woke you up, I wasn't just sitting here stalking your place, I swear." Letting out a nervous laugh, and running his fingers through his hair, he tried to offer a smile, but it formed more of a grimace. Haley frowned, his eyes were blood shot, and dark bags lay beneath his dull blue eyes, his shoulders tense and slumped, her heart broke for him. She had never seen Nathan this broken, all she wanted to do was hold him and take him away from whatever brought him such pain.

"Come inside, I'll make some tea, it'll help relax you." She offered quietly, turning towards her house, not waiting for a response.

20 minutes later

The silence was eating her alive, why wouldn't he say anything, why can't I say anything. Her hands twitched to reach out and stop his trembling hands as they continuously played with the tea bag laying in his still full coffee cup.

"How did it all get so bad Haley?" His broken voice finally filling the silence.

"How did what get so bad Nathan?" She whispered, not trusting her voice to deliver the strength that Nathan so clearly needed.

"Everything."

"Nathan honey, I can't help you if you can't tell me what's wrong." Hearing him take a deep breath, she braced herself, wondering if she was ready, whether she was capable of helping Nathan, when she couldn't even help herself. This is it man, you gotta tell her everything, you need to tell someone, or its only going to get worse, it'll only keep building up until you crack, Nathan thought.

"How did I get to feeling so useless, so defenseless? My mother's in rehab, she has a problem with prescription drugs, hell she called me the night she was taken in after almost overdosing, and flat out told me that it was my fault she was there, that I made her do it, because I left her to follow some stupid basketball dream. Her words, not mine. And my dad, he calls and visits constantly to tell me that I'm weak or that my game sucks and I'll never be the best, I'll never be good enough. He pressures me and belittles me so that he can live some pathetic pipe dream of his through my hard work and persistence. He acts like I'm in the NBA because of him and nothing else. Then there's Lucas and his need to remind me every other second on what an out of control typical NBA bad boy I am, and his urge to babysit me and yuda yuda. The pressure of the team is killing me Hales, I'm not the only player on that damn team, yes I'm suppose to be running the team and being a good example, but there's only so much I can take before I blow a fuse. And you, god Haley if you only knew how insanely in love with you I am. Just the thought of you makes my heart race, and my knees weak. Seeing your smile every day, makes all the problems and worries go away, because I can think that for those precious moments, its just us. Your gorgeous, smart, funny, you have this amazing heart, and a smile that makes me forget where I am and who I am, and not to mention a killer body. I've changed so much over the past two years, just to be remotely good enough for you, to be the guy that you truly deserve and need, and I've done it happily, thinking you'll see how much you mean to me. I see you date all these assholes, and I pray to God, that I can take that pain away, the pain I see in your eyes every time one of them hurts you. But I fall short every time, and it hurts like hell, and I want to give up and move on with my life, and forget my feelings towards you, but I can't. Your it for me Haley, your the one I'm always going to love, the one I will always want and need, the girl I will always want to protect and heal with all my being. Your the one for me Haley James." Nathan finished with a sad sigh, out of breath.

"Wow." Without another thought, she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, sealing their lips. It was a frantic kiss, full of need and desire and pure lust. Nathan immediately responded, moving his lips against hers roughly, he had spent what felt like a lifetime wondering what it would be like to kiss her, to feel her arms around him, her body pressed against his, and now it was happening, and it was nothing like he expected. Slowly the kiss softened, tongues moving against each other slowly, tasting every inch, passion that couldn't be faked. Hands gliding against bare skin, and before either one could comprehend what was happening, before anyone could stop the path they were following, they were both heading towards Haley's bedroom, mouths and bodies still pressed against each other.

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