She shouldn't have set her hopes so high. After their semi-civil conversation on Friday, Haley had thought that things might just go well with she and Nathan.

No such luck.

"You're late."

"I slept in."

Haley stared at Nathan in disbelief. It was their first tutoring session and he expected to saunter in almost half an hour late because he felt like getting a little more beauty sleep? "You slept in?" she repeated incredulously. "Nathan, that is not an excuse for being late. 'My car broke down' would be a valid excuse. 'I was sick' would be a valid excuse. 'My house burned down and a piece of timber fell on me so it was hard to get here with my gimpy, bleeding leg dragging on the road behind me' would be a valid excuse. 'I slept in' is not a valid excuse!"

He shrugged carelessly, taking a seat on the bench across from her. He'd had a run-in with his father that morning; Haley's irritation was nothing compared to that of Dan Scott, and he wasn't in the mood to provoke her. "It's what happened. But if it'll make you feel better, I'll remember that in the future."

She groaned. "You're impossible."

"I've been told that on occasion."

Didn't anything get through that thick skull of his? She was steaming inside and he looked as if he'd just been woken up from an exciting daydream he wished to return to. "Just out of curiosity, how do you get through life? Does everyone really lay down and make exceptions for you and your oversized ego just because you play a game?"

"I play a game wonderfully," Nathan corrected her, a smug smile on his face.

"You're one cocky bastard, you know that?"

"I've heard that one before, too."

Picking up her copy of Crime and Punishment from the tabletop, Haley forced herself not to scream. "Well then I guess we better start looking into Dostoevsky. I'd bet good money that you've never listened to anyone going over that before."

Nathan frowned, reluctantly going for his backpack. "I've gotta admit, that's one pick-up line I've never heard. Memorable, Haley."

"Pick…pick-up line?" she stuttered, seeing red. "Let's get something straight right now. I don't care who you are. I don't care how many points you score when you play basketball. I don't care how many awards you've won. I don't care how many girls want to occupy your bed at night. I don't even care how many cheerleaders you've slept with, okay, because I can guarantee you, I won't be impressed. I'm here to help you pass English so you'll leave my friend alone, not get into your pants."

She was kind of fun when she was angry, but Nathan was supposed to be getting on her good side, not pissing her off and giving her more of a reason to hate him. Forcing himself to look remorseful, he reached out and took one of her hands in his. She abruptly pulled it back, sending him a death glare. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm just not used to that."

"What?"

"Honesty. I get it now. Can we start?"

Grudgingly, Haley nodded her head. "So what do you think about the book so far?" When her answer was silence, her patience began to fade once more. "You didn't read it?"

"I tried but—"

"No buts! God, Nathan, do you really expect to pass without reading the book? There's no way I could tell you everything you need to know… and I'm not willing to try. Either do the reading or fail, it's that simple."

"What about the deal?" he demanded.

"I'm having second thoughts. The way I see it, you fail English and get kicked off the team. Then Lucas is fine and I get to keep my sanity." Haley stood up and started packing her stuff into her bag.

Nathan huffed. "Now who's the cocky one, huh? You think I can't pass English without you? I can do it on my own. It just seemed easier with some help."

"Then do it on your own."

"Fine."

"Fine." She zipped up her bag and hurriedly started away from the table, cursing beneath her breath. He didn't need her and she didn't need him. It was that simple.

Except nothing about the dejected look on Lucas's face after he'd been shoved into the mud and forced to walk home was simple. It was pitiful and it was heartbreaking.

Haley hesitated, biting her lip at what she was about to do. It's for Luke, she reminded herself before whirling around and going back to face Nathan. "Tomorrow morning you better be here on time and I swear I'll rip you open if you haven't read the first chapter."

Nathan nodded. "Got it." He didn't let the relieved smile touch his lips until she had turned around once more and was stomping away from their table.