Hey guys, thank you so much for the reviews! I was expecting many of you to freak out about the possibility of Nathan and Peyton getting together. I'm not going to lie, there is going to be some Pathan in this story. But I promise that it's not going to be such an intense relationship that it's going to outshine the prospect of Naley. For those of you who have read my previous stories, you know I always have something up my sleeve. The only reason I'm even putting Pathan together is because it's going to cause some really important events and issues to come up in the plot. However, I'll try to make it as painless as possible. I hate writing it just as much as you hate reading it. Lol! But you'll see in the next few chapters where I'm going with it.

Also, I'm going to try to post the next chapter of More Than Anyone today. Between school work and writing some crucial chapters for that story, I haven't gotten the chance to update it. So keep an eye out for that. Now, onto Chapter 4. I hope you like it, and please review!

Chapter 4

"Let's see, do I want the blue bathing suit or the red one?" Haley muttered to herself. She had her large suitcase sitting on her bed. There were four days left until she graduated that upcoming Saturday. The following Wednesday, she and Brooke would be leaving for California. Haley wanted to start her packing early. She'd be gone for about three months until she came back home at the end of August. She wanted to make sure that she had everything she needed. Haley threw the red bathing suit into her suitcase before looking back at the checklist she had made.

It was another hour until she got the majority of her clothes packed. Afterward, she decided to go downstairs to the kitchen for a quick snack. She passed Taylor's room. Haley could hear her blasting some song by the Pussycat Dolls and singing at the top of her lungs. She winced and quickened her pace. Taylor was definitely not the best singer in the world. Nails on a chalkboard would be a much more pleasant sound. Several seconds later, she finally entered the kitchen. A smile appeared on her face at the sight before her.

"What are you doing raiding our fridge, loser?" Haley questioned teasingly. Lucas jumped slightly and ended up banging his head on one of the shelves. She heard him mutter a string of curse words before finally turning around to look at her.

"I thought you promised to not do that anymore, geek," Lucas commented while rubbing his head. "I'm gonna have a huge mark now."

"Well, maybe if you stopped being such a moocher and ate your own food, then I wouldn't have scared you," Haley pointed out while walking towards him.

"Hey, I am not a moocher. Your mom said to make myself at home."

"She was only being polite. And I'm still mad at you for eating that chocolate chip cookie on me."

"Haley, that happened last Christmas," Lucas laughed.

"So? A girl never forgets when you deprive her of chocolate," Haley joked while nudging him playfully with her hip. She then went around him to grab a can of soda in the fridge.

"That was not my fault. Taylor told me to take it," Lucas defended before getting a mischievous smile on his face. "What if I made it up to you? Would you forgive me then?"

"Well, that depends on what you have in mind," Haley stated. If it means he can get Nathan to become my love slave for a week, then I'm in!

"My mom has a new 'Death By Chocolate' cake she created. She hasn't put it on the menu at the café yet," he said. "I might be able to smuggle you a few pieces." That works, too.

"You are good," Haley replied.

"I know," Lucas chuckled before grabbing a bag of chips on the counter and heading into the living room.

"So, not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" Haley questioned following him.

"Matt and I had plans to hang out," he answered while taking a seat on the couch. Haley did the same.

"And where is he?"

"He forgot to rent the movies we were going to watch. He went to pick it up while I stayed to guard your refrigerator," he teased.

"Moocher," she fake coughed.

"Geek," he mimicked. Haley laughed in response. She missed hanging out with Lucas when he was away at college. They'd e-mail and talk on the phone, but nothing could compare to getting together in person. Haley loved how they could be so carefree around one another.

"So, what are you guys planning on…" she began when she heard the front door open.

"Luke, I got the movies. I picked up some idiots on the way over, too," Matt called.

"Hey!" two male voices protested. Haley felt a pang in her stomach when she saw her brother enter the living room with Nathan and Tim behind him.

"Haley, what's up?" Tim greeted.

"Hi, Tim," she replied. "Nathan."

"Hey," Nathan responded. "Are you joining us?"

"Um…" she started to say when Matt interrupted.

"We're watching horror movies."

"Which ones?" Haley asked. She usually hated scary movies. But she really wanted to hang out with the guys—especially now that Nathan was over.

"Alien Resurrection, White Noise, and Freddie vs. Jason," Matt answered. "You wouldn't like them." Haley definitely heard the underlying hint that he didn't want her there. Things were still awkward between them. Lydia had sat them both down a couple of days ago. She was tired of the constant tension that seemed to surface when they were in the same room together. So she forced them to talk everything out. Matt apologized for his behavior, but Haley knew that he really wasn't that sorry. As her brother, he thought it was his job to protect her—no matter how many times she or her parents told him he was going overboard.

"Ah, she'll be fine," Tim dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Stay, Tutor Girl." Haley looked to Lucas and Nathan.

"Stay," Lucas agreed.

"Yeah, we'll protect you, Baby James," Nathan said with a sexy smile before taking a seat on the other side of her. She felt her skin tingle when his arm brushed hers.

"Then I guess you're stuck with me," Haley announced. Matt looked like he was about to say something else when Tim cut him off.

"Awesome." He then took a seat on the other side of Nathan—which actually made Haley more squished between Nathan and Lucas. But she didn't mind. Being stuck between one of her best friends and the guy she was crushing on was her idea of the perfect afternoon. "Put the movie in, Matt, and let the bloodshed begin." Matt sighed before reluctantly nodding his head. He then walked over to the DVD player and set everything up.

"So, Haley, play anymore interesting games of I Never lately?" Nathan whispered teasingly.

"Shut up," Haley muttered before giving him a light whack on the arm. Her face suddenly got hot, and she just knew that it was probably turning red. "And don't mention it again if you value your life."

"Why? You gonna beat me up?" he smirked. "I thought we agreed that the cycle of violence has to stop." Damn it, why does he have to look so hott right now?! She could instantly feel her serious expression forming into a smile.

"I am not violent. I prefer the term 'feisty,'" Haley informed him.

"I don't know, Baby James. You weren't always like that. Actually, you were a lot more sensitive before. I still remember that time Matt stole your favorite Barbie and you started crying," he reminded her.

"I wasn't crying," Haley denied—even though she knew she had. She was in the fourth grade. She'd had that Barbie doll since she was three. Plus, that one had the nicest hair. Taylor went through a weird hair-cutting phase and shaved the other dolls' heads years ago. Seriously, why does he remember these random things about me?

"Yes, you were," he smirked.

"Yeah, well…you…ugh, stop embarrassing me!" Haley exclaimed before whacking him again.

"See, I told you that you've turned violent," Nathan laughed.

"Are you guys going to talk through the whole movie?" Matt asked slightly annoyed from his spot on the loveseat.

"Hey, it's not my fault that your feisty..." he emphasized while looking at Haley "…sister is beating me up."

"Yeah, well, you deserve it," Haley defended.

"I second that," Lucas joined in.

"You don't even know what we're talking about," Nathan pointed out.

"So? Whatever is, I'm sure you started it."

"I agree. You can be a jerk, Nate Dogg," Tim added without taking his eyes off of the TV screen.

"Why is everyone ganging up on me, all of a sudden?" Nathan questioned. He looked back over at Haley when he heard her laughing. "You think this is funny?"

"Um…no," she answered while placing her hand over her mouth. However, it was obvious that she was getting a kick out of all of this.

"Oh, ok," Nathan stated nonchalantly. A second later, his hand went to her waist and gave it a quick squeeze as payback. Haley let out a small squeal and jumped.

"Nathan!" Haley scolded as Lucas and Tim laughed.

"Sorry. I forgot that you were ticklish. My bad," he stated innocently.

"You…"

"Will you guys please shut up?!" Matt exclaimed while giving them a pointed glare. They all settled down but still had amused smiles on their faces. My brother really needs to lighten up, Haley thought. An hour later, however, Haley was definitely not laughing. The alien movie was seriously starting to freak her out. Why did I want to watch this again?

"Ew!" she mumbled as the weird creature ripped out of another person's chest. At this point, her hands were tightly clutching both Lucas and Nathan's arms. Haley couldn't help but notice how hard Nathan's bicep was. But, unfortunately, that didn't completely distract her from the massacre she was watching on the screen.

"Cool," Tim commented.

"You ok?" Lucas questioned. Haley stared at the screen for a second before quickly looking away as one of the aliens killed another person in a very bloody and disgusting fashion.

"Perfect," she responded in a strained voice.

"I told you that you wouldn't like it," Matt reinforced. Haley was about to answer him back when she felt Nathan's hand on her arm.

"Come on," he stated before pulling her up.

"Nathan, what are you doing?" Haley asked as he led her into the kitchen.

"I need a drink," he said.

"So?" she questioned confused.

"I don't know where you guys keep everything. Besides, you were looking a little green. I figured I'd get you out of there for a while before you hurled." Haley thought about denying it but she knew that he was right. If she had to see one more disgusting scene, her lunch would most likely be making a reappearance—which would've definitely been embarrassing.

"Thanks," Haley replied. "I didn't think it would be that bad."

"No problem," he responded with another one of his sexy smiles. Haley leaned up against the counter for support. He always made her insides melt when he looked at her like that.

"So, um, what exactly did you want to drink?" she inquired before she completely zoned out on him.

"What do you have?"

"Water, soda, coffee, juice, and tea," Haley listed.

"Um, soda sounds good."

"Alright." Haley walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a couple of cans.

"Thanks," Nathan said as she handed it to him. He then took a seat at the counter.

"You don't want to watch the rest of the movie?" Haley asked confused.

"Nah, it's kind of boring."

"Boring?" Haley laughed shocked. "Are you kidding?"

"I don't think it's that great. The first Alien was much better," he said with a shrug.

"I didn't see that one either," she stated while taking the seat next to him. She was glad that Nathan didn't want to watch the rest of the film. Haley didn't think her stomach could handle anymore "action." She'd much rather sit and talk with him.

"So, you're graduating in a few days," Nathan commented, changing the subject. "Are you nervous about your speech?"

"Ugh, yes," she groaned. "I've been obsessing about it for the past two weeks. I just don't want to get up there and say something tacky or cliché."

"I'm sure you'll do fine. You're like the smartest person I know." It seemed like every time Nathan came over to visit Taylor or Matt, there was some test or quiz that Haley aced up on the refrigerator. It had always been that way. Jimmy and Lydia thought it was important to acknowledge their children's achievements. His mom was the same way but it's not like Nathan was ever a good student. Most of his concentration was usually on basketball. Deb had put all of his old trophies and awards on their fireplace mantle, though.

"Yeah, but that doesn't really prevent public humiliation."

"Well, from what Matt and Taylor have told me, you're a total perfectionist. So I'm willing to bet that you don't know how to fail."

"I guess," Haley muttered. "I'll just be glad when it's over."

"But then there's the party afterwards," Nathan stated. "Your parents are probably going to have a speech of their own for you."

"God help me," she mumbled. When Matt and Taylor had graduated high school, Lydia and Jimmy had gotten up in front of everyone and talked about how proud they were of their kids. Of course, they had to add a few jokes here and there. But that was just their style. They could never really be serious for more than five minutes. Haley was a little nervous about what they were going to say about her.

"I can't wait," Nathan declared. "They're hilarious."

"Who's hilarious?" Taylor asked as she entered the kitchen.

"Your parents," he answered.

"Hey, keep your voice down," Haley warned. "If they hear you, it'll only fuel them more."

"Relax. They left the house an hour ago," Taylor explained as she looked through one of the cupboards.

"Where'd they go?"

"They went to buy some decorations for your graduation party. Then they were going to stop by the café to drop them off for Karen and Deb." Despite the fact that Haley worked at the café, it felt more like a second home to her. She was really close to Lucas' mom Karen and had been thrilled when she offered to have Haley's party there. It was going to be great.

"Where the hell are my potato chips?" Taylor questioned frustrated after searching a few more cupboards.

"Lucas ate them," Haley answered.

"Again?!"

"Yup."

"Lucas! Get your scrawny, mooching ass in here now!" Taylor yelled. Nathan smirked. He's in for it now, he thought. Taylor was usually very laidback. But she was fiercely territorial when it came to her beloved potato chips.

"Whatever happened, Nathan did it," Lucas stated while entering the kitchen.

"You know, I'm going to enjoy watching her kick your ass," Nathan replied smugly. Lucas rolled his eyes at him before returning his attention Taylor.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from my food?!" she scolded. "Especially my chips!"

"Sorry, I was hungry," he defended.

"Ugh, I can't wait until you and Haley get married. Then you can move away and stop eating my food."

"Taylor, we're just friends," Haley stressed.

"Whatever you say, baby sis."

"I'm serious. A guy and a girl can be friends without…" Haley began. As she and Taylor went back and forth, Nathan felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and saw that he had a text message. He smiled when he saw that it was from Peyton. Ever since they met last week, the two had been talking back and forth on the phone almost every day—getting to know one another better. So far, Peyton seemed pretty cool. He'd called her just last night and had left a voicemail asking if she wanted to get together later in the week. As he stared at the message, it looked like he finally had gotten his answer.

"What are you smiling about?" Lucas suddenly questioned.

"Huh?"

"I said, what are you smiling about?" he repeated. Taylor and Haley stopped bickering and turned to face him.

"No reason," Nathan replied casually. His brother stared curiously at him until a smirk of his own graced his face.

"It's her, isn't it?"

"Who?" he played dumb.

"Your mystery girl."

"What mystery girl?" Taylor inquired with an interested looked. Nathan was about to answer when Lucas beat him to it.

"He met someone right before we left school last week," Lucas explained. "He won't say who it is but he's been calling her practically everyday."

"Really?" Taylor asked with an amused expression. "I don't think I've ever seen the great Nathan Scott so coy about a chick."

"I'm not being coy," Nathan defended. "I mean, I like her but I don't really know her that well. We've just talked. But we're going out Friday and…" Haley didn't hear anything Nathan said after that. She literally felt like she was going to throw up. Nathan had met someone else. And from his facial expressions as he talked, he seemed to be really interested in her. How the hell was she going to compete with another girl who was older?

"Haley, are you ok?" Lucas questioned a minute later—snapping her out of her muddled thoughts. Haley looked up and noticed that Taylor and Nathan were staring at her, too.

"I'm fine," she answered after a second. But even she could tell that her voice sounded far from convincing.

"Are you sure? You don't look so good," Taylor commented concerned.

"Haley?" Nathan prodded while putting a hand on her arm. She got up quickly out of her seat and moved away. She couldn't deal with him touching her right now.

"I…um…I forgot that I have an important errand to run," she made up. "I have to go."

"Right now?" Taylor asked skeptically.

"Yeah. I'll see you guys later," Haley said before bolting out of the room. She had to get out of there before she completely lost it.

"Tutor Girl, where are you going?" Tim called as she passed by the living room. Matt sat up on the couch and watched her. Haley didn't answer. She just grabbed her mom's car keys off of the small table in the foyer and went out the front door—cringing as it slammed behind her.

"I can't believe this," Brooke muttered. Haley watched as she paced around the room. As soon as Haley left the house, she headed straight for Brooke's. She really needed her best friend. Haley was so upset and confused that she didn't know what to do. When Brooke first answered the door, all it took was one look for her to know that something was wrong. She quickly ushered Haley into the house. They then went up to Brooke's bedroom, and Haley told her everything that had just happened. Almost immediately her friend's sympathetic mood had transformed into one of outrage. "How could he possibly be interested in some skank he randomly met?"

"I don't know. He's a guy," Haley stated. "It's what they do."

"That's no excuse," Brooke declared.

"Tigger, he really didn't do anything wrong. It's not like Nathan and I are dating. In fact, he barely notices me outside of the fact that I'm 'Baby James,'" Haley commented solemnly. So much for my master plan.

"That's not true. You talked and got along really well with him at the party," she pointed out. "And didn't you just say that you guys hung out again this afternoon."

"Yeah, but…"

"But nothing," Brooke interrupted. "What we have here is a classic case of male stupidity."

"What?" Haley asked confused.

"Tutor Girl, men are dense. It's a common fact of life," Brooke explained. "They never notice the good things that they have right in front of them. All you need is one moment to really get his attention. Then he'll realize that he's wasting his time with that bimbo and want you."

"Brooke, it's not that simple," Haley objected. "To him, I'm just Taylor and Matt's little sister. That's never going to change."

"You don't know that until you try."

"I have tried! I mean, I've gone out of my way to talk to him every time I see him."

"But you just started doing that. You were always more reserved before," Brooke pointed out as she took a seat across from Haley on the bed. "Give him a chance to really notice it."

"Tigger, he's interested in someone else. Maybe…maybe we should just forget this whole thing," Haley stated as her eyes started to water. She tried to hold the tears back.
She hadn't wanted to cry and let it affect her this badly. But then again, she really liked Nathan. She admired his talent and drive to succeed in life. Even though he had that knee injury, he didn't let it stop him from being involved in basketball. She loved how he was able to put that horrible experience behind him. Now he was sharing everything that he had learned over the years with others to help them become better athletes.

Haley also loved the way Nathan interacted with is mom. Once in awhile, he'd stop by the café during one of Haley's shifts. She would watch how he and Deb got along. She especially enjoyed watching him lift the heavy boxes that she and the others could hardly even drag. It was sweet how he helped out his mom. The view of his butt and bulging muscles at the time had been really nice, too.

And then there was that unyielding confidence of his. Some called him cocky—which could be true every so often—but Haley knew that that was mostly just a front. Like everyone else, Nathan had an image to live up to. He had been the star athlete of the basketball team, after all. But Haley had seen glimpses of kindness in him that most people never took the time to notice. She vividly remembered when some of Nathan's other jock friends in high school had been making fun of Tim one time. Everyone always joked about how he could be slow sometimes. But these guys had been downright cruel. They started teasing him mercilessly. As soon as Nathan saw that, he had intervened and really let them have it. They never even looked at Tim the wrong way again after that.

Over the years, Nathan kept on surprising Haley. No matter how many times she tried, she couldn't suppress her growing feelings. There was just something about him that always seemed to draw her in. For almost four years, Haley had kept her mouth shut and not done anything to really make herself known to him. It wasn't until this past December when everyone was home for winter break that she finally decided to do something. But she wanted to start slow. Haley didn't want to become one of those girls who acted like complete no-minds and threw themselves shamelessly at him. She had more respect for herself than that.

But now Haley was starting to wonder if she'd missed her chance. Nathan had never really taken any special interest in one particular girl. She'd heard about him hooking up with girls at different parties. However, it never led to anything serious. Haley could've used all that time to get to know him better and let him see the real her. They didn't have to get together right away. All that would be important was that Nathan would view her as Haley. Not Baby James or Matt and Taylor's little sister. She was her own person who didn't need her older siblings to define her.

A part of Haley hoped that this new mystery girl would be just like the others. Maybe she was another floozy only interested in getting her time with the great Nathan Scott. Yes, Haley really wanted to believe that. It would make the most sense. But somehow, she got the feeling that this girl wasn't like the others. Something about her must have stood out to him in some way. Why else would Nathan take the time to talk to this mystery girl and get to know her before asking her out? Haley could automatically feel her stomach churn again just at the thought of it. It wasn't long before even more tears seemed to pour from her eyes.

"Haley," Brooke said tentatively as she took her hand. "Do you really like Nathan?" Haley nodded—not trusting her voice at the moment.

"Do you truly think that if you guys got together, that he could make you happy?" She nodded again.

"Then don't let some stupid bimbo discourage you," she advised. "It's not like he's marrying her or anything. He doesn't love her. He barely knows her. You still have a chance."

"I just…I just don't want to get my hopes up," Haley stated while trying to wipe away the tear tracks on her face. "Plus, we're going to California for the summer, Brooke. It's not like I'm going to be around."

"So? Give it all you've got now. Leave him with something to remember you by."

"And if that still doesn't work?" Haley asked

"Then he doesn't deserve you," Brooke declared. "Either that or he's gay because that graduation dress you have is to die for." Haley laughed as she wiped away her remaining tears. She was glad that she came to Brooke. Her best friend always had a way of cheering her up and giving her a new perspective.

"Thank you, Tigger," Haley replied while hugging her.

"You're welcome," she responded with a light squeeze. Brooke was right. Haley really hadn't revealed her true self to Nathan. It was only just recently that she'd started to make more of an effort around him. As Brooke had said, it would take time for him to notice the change. Even if he didn't ask her out, at least maybe she could alter his image of her in his mind. That was the most important thing. That's why Haley would give it one more chance. She'd never let things get in the way of what she wanted before. And she certainly wasn't going to start now.