Sorry for the wait guys! As I said, I just got to the States so I've been meeting with friends I haven't seen in ten months. Anyway, before I let you go to your merry way of reading I just wanted to say that the BH shopping was Tuesday... I just messed up the day. That's what sucks about posting chapters online before the story's done, you can't correct stuff from previous chapters :P. Also, thanks for the reviews guys.

Anyway, this is dedicated to Ashley! Happy Birthday girlie! Hope it was a great one!

Chapter Four

Something More

Haley looked through her essay and reread it for the tenth time when she felt a tap on her back. "Yes Brooke?"

"How perfect is it?" she tried to look over Haley's shoulder.

"Not perfect at all," Haley said frustratingly. "Practically a first draft."

"Yeah, sure. How much time did you spend on it? Twenty million years?" Brooke rolled her eyes.

"No," Haley finally turned around.

"Why won't you let me read it then?" she smiled sweetly.

"Because I don't like letting other people read it before I get the grade," Haley answered.

"You're lame," Brooke concluded right as the bell rang.

"Okay, hand in your essays, guys," Nathan began class.

"Mr. Scott, don't you think assigning this on the first week of school was a little unfair?" Brooke handed in her essay.

"Welcome to AP English, Miss Davis," Nathan smiled as he began collecting the essays that were accumulating in the first row. "Okay, so in AP English Lang we don't really focus on novels but instead on essays and such. Now, even essays, usually narrative ones, have characters. So today we're going to focus on that: characters and characterization. Even in your lives there are 'characters', if you will, ones that play a larger role would be main characters," Nathan put the stack of the essays that he would have to start grading that day on his desk, "and those who are acquaintances would be minor characters. Anyone want to give me an example of someone who is a main character in their lives? Colleen?"

As Colleen gave her answer Haley began thinking of any main characters in her life. There weren't that many, really. Her parents, obviously, and the only friend that answered that description was Brooke. But even with Brooke it depended, mostly on Brooke's mood of course.

"Brooke, care to name any minor characters in your life?"

"You," Brooke replied.

"Fair enough," Nathan laughed along with the class.

"How about you? Any main characters in your life, Mr. Scott?" some student asked.

"Hmm, from high school? Let me think." Haley reached for her water bottle as she took a sip, "Tim Smith. He was-"

Haley began to choke on the water she had just drank.

"Oh my God, Hales!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Quick! Someone give her water!" some other student called out.

"You can't give her water. She just choked on water, you idiot!" someone else argued.

Haley held her hand out to show she was fine as she continued coughing. "Fine," she said finally once she was able to speak.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nathan questioned.

"Ummhmm," Haley nodded wiping at her eyes.

"So umm, as I was saying, my best friend's name was Tim Smith," Nathan turned back to the class. "So being my best friend, of course, he was a main character in my life."

"Is he still?" some girl asked.

"Nah, we went our separate ways for college and that's when our friendship kind of ended."

Haley looked at him. How the hell could she know about Tim before Mr. Scott said anything about him?

"Let me walk you to class," Haley offered at the end of English.

Brooke nodded and then laughed, "Way to cause a scene, James."

"Huh?"

"Choking on water," Brooke reminded her as if she really needed any reminding. "You're never going to live this down."

"Gee, thanks," Haley said. "I'll nearly die and you'll laugh at me for it."

"But you didn't nearly die so it's all good," Brooke stuck out her tongue. "Hey Emma!" she waved at her friend, "I'll see you later, Hales. Emma's in my next class anyway."

Haley nodded as she turned back to her English class. When she got there she smiled at Mr. Scott and sat down.

"Are you okay from the..." Nathan pointed to his throat.

"Yeah," Haley laughed. "I'm fine." She looked down at her work and then looked back up. "What was your best friend like? I forgot what him name is." Of course she didn't. The name Tim Smith was now burned into her mind for what she felt would be forever. It was as if she actually met the person. "I mean you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"It's fine," Nathan smiled. "It's Tim Smith. Well, he played basketball as well, that's where I met him, junior league basketball. And let's just say he wasn't the brightest guy in the world," Nathan chuckled. "My personality was more dominant so I didn't always treat him that great."

Haley nodded.

"Who's your main character?" Nathan questioned.

Haley thought for the second time that hour about that. "I don't know."

"Brooke?"

Haley shrugged, "I guess."

"She's not your best friend? Or at least a good one? Because it seems that you two are close."

"We are. I mean sometimes we are. I guess you could say her personality is more dominant than mine." The truth was that since Brooke had many friends she could drop Haley whenever she wanted and picked her up whenever she needed a friend. "I guess I just wish I had a friend that was codominant with me personality-wise, you know?" Haley thought.

"Or someone that you'd subconsciously take turns with being dominant," Nathan offered laughing.

Haley joined in with the laughter, "Or someone like that."

"Haley," Brooke pulled her by the shirt towards her.

"Hey Brooke I-"

"Someone likes you!" Brooke said excitedly.

"Aww, thanks Brooke. I like you too," Haley said jokingly.

"Shut up. And I SO don't like you. I'm serious! This guy is into you!"

"What guy?" Haley asked really uninterested.

"I don't know," Brooke shrugged. "I'll find out later. All I know is that he's a senior and that solo of yours was what did the magic. Isn't that-"

"What solo?" Haley asked.

"What solo?! What are you stupid?" Brooke's jaw dropped.

"Oh, okay. Relax," Haley laughed. "How do you not know who it is and do know that someone does?"

"The information came to me without the name," Brooke explained. "You know how gossip is."

"No, I don't know how gossip is," Haley said. "And if it's gossip then this whole thing is 20 true meaning the only part real is that someone likes someone else."

"Haley!" Brooke whined. "I hate gossiping with you! This is about you, damnnit. Can you be a little more excited?!"

"Oh my God, someone likes me! And it's a senior! Let me throw a parade. Better?"

"Yes," Brooke nodded. "Now I'm going to find out who it is for you."

Haley rolled her eyes as Brooke pulled her to their cafeteria table. "Oh and, by the way, I love you, not like you," she winked.

"How is the first week of school not even over until tomorrow?" Peyton complained.

"See, Peyton, there's a thing called time and sometimes it doesn't pass," Jake laughed taking a bite of his sandwich.

"This week hasn't passed too slowly," Nathan said. "The classes are actually great."

"Said the guy that has three free periods," Peyton rolled her eyes taking a spoonful of her yogurt.

"Two," Nathan corrected. "I have an aide."

"Three," Peyton argued back. "An aide doesn't take away your free period."

"But it's not like I'm doing what I have planned during that period, anyway."

"Who's your aide?" Jake asked.

"Haley James," Nathan looked at Jake. "Know her?"

Jake nodded, "Great student. I taught her last year for Honors. One of the best students I've ever taught."

"I taught her when she was in ninth grade," Peyton added. "One of the only freshmen to take Music Theory. You know she was the only freshmen to make it into concert chorus? That's really impressive"

Nathan nodded, "She told me."

"He asked you to prom?!"

"Don't mind him, he's only jealous Nathan beat him to it," Lindsey laughed sitting on Haley's bed. "Aren't you, Lucas?"

"You know exactly how I feel about the two of you: undatable-"

"Undatable?" Haley giggled.

"Nice one, Luke," Lindsey continued laughing along with Haley.

"Future Ivy League brats," Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Okay, tell me how he asked you," Lindsey turned towards Haley.

"Do I really have to be here for this?" Lucas whined.

"Yes," both girls replied in unison.

"It wasn't that special or anything. He just asked me in the hall on the way to class," Haley explained.

"How? What did he say?"

"Seriously, guys-"

"Lucas, be quiet, you want to hear her just as much as I do and we both know it so stop pretending you don't care."

"He just asked me," Haley laughed.

"What did he say, though?"

" 'Do you want to go to Prom with me, Haley'," Haley repeated his words.

Lindsey shrieked, "That's so cute!"

"I know!" Haley smiled.

"I don't get it," Lucas looked at his two best friends. "Why is that so cute if it's only the question?"

"Because he said Haley," Lindsey explained.

Lucas raised his brow, "Well, Linds, in case you forgot, her name is Haley."

"Exactly! He said her name."

"Am I missing something?"At this point he was way beyond confused. How the hell did he get two girl best friends?

"Saying a girl's name when asking her out is a must," Haley added.

"It's like a rule of law," Lindsey nodded.

"I'm just never going to understand you two," Lucas turned around in his seat to the bookcase. "You two read any good books lately?"

"So..." Nathan sat down across from Haley. She was sitting on one of the tables outside of the school going over some notes.

"So..." Haley repeated once she saw him and lowered down her notebook.

"So I was thinking, is prom going to be our first date?" he smirked.

"I don't know," Haley shrugged smiling. "Is it?"

"Pick you up at eight tomorrow?" he asked.

"I don't know, actually. You want to tell me where you're taking me first?"

"Pizza and a movie?"

"Pizza and a walk in the park and it's a date."

"You got it," Nathan smiled. "Eight tomorrow."

"Eight tomorrow," Haley repeated.

Nathan could definitely be a great boyfriend. Even going into it, she knew it was something that would last.

A/N: Reviews always appreciated ;)