"So...Where did you move here from?" Nathan asked, sounding like he had never talked to a girl in his life. Well he had never talked to a girl that he felt such an attraction to.

"Illinois, my parents used to live here before I was bron, my dad got transferred there, but when..." Peyton started to choke up, and Nathan felt bad, he hadn't wanted to cause her pain.

"Don't worry Peyton, you don't have to tell me." Nathan said as he moved a little bit closer, hoping to comfort her in any way that he could.

"It's nothing, really, let's just get to class." She felt herself moving into Nathan's touch. There was something special about this seemingly typical jock.

"Okay, Peyt. But if you ever need a friend, or anything, just talk to me." Peyton spontaneously hugged him. 'Peyt' was the name that her mother and sister would call her before... she couldn't go into the pain of that situation right now.

"Thankyou." She spoke, and relaxed into the arms of Nathan.

What niether of them knew was that Haley James was eavesdropping on them from one of the hallways. "Curly Q was going down." Her mind spoke to her. Nathan was the only one that was half-way stable in her life.

The pair walked into the classroom, where the teacher with the bad sweater, pointing to the chalk board stopped and looked at them.

"Mr. Scott, and..." He stopped to check the new attendence sheet he had been given. "Ms. Sawyer, since it seems that you enjoy being late to class together, I should believe that you would like to do the presentation that is 30 of your grade together too."

Both grinned on the inside, this would mean that they would have an excuse to spend long hours together.

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"Mr. Scott, Ms. Davis, are we late again? I believe this is 3 times Mr. Scott, I will need to call your father." The old woman sitting at her desk gave Lucas an evil look.

"Yeah, like he will really care that I was late for this worthless class." He mumbled into his desk, as he picked at the loose wood on the top.

"Do you have a problem Lucas?" She asked him pointedly.

"Yeah, I have alot of problems, but I don't see why you have to humiliate me by bringing them up." Lucas looked up at the woman who had caused him many troubles over the years. She had not liked his mother, due to the fact that she got pregnant right out of high school. And she didn't like that she hadn't aborted him either. So pretty much every chance she got to cause him any sort of grief, she took it with greed.

"Well then I suggest that you go talk to the dean about these said problems tomorrow at 7:15 in the morning."

"Maybe you should go talk to a doctor about your hearing and sight issues." He could feel Brooke's hand digging into his shoulder, she hated when he would get in this rebellious mood.

"Lucas Scott, go see the dean this instant!" Lucas stood up angrily and left the room, Brooke following him.

"Ms. Davis, if I were you, I would stay away from worthless trouble makers like him. That is what comes from someone who gets pregnant after high shcool, she killed herself, and left behind a trouble maker."

Brooke didn't care about what the teacher said, she wanted to be there for Lucas, even if he looked guarded and rebellious, she knew that this was one of the times that Lucas was most vulnerable, and the smart ass remarks were only defense mechanism. His philosophy was that if you said something equally mean and hurtful to someone that hurt you, then it won't hurt as much.

She wished for the day that Lucas would figure out that this philosophy was worthless, and abandon it soon, before he got in serious trouble because of it. It had already caused his father to hit him on different occasions.

When Brooke rushed out in the hallway, she found him leaning against his locker, the familiar bottle of Zoloft residing in his hand, which even from the distance she was at, she could see it shaking.

"Luke." She stalked up behind him, and took ahold of his hands to make him stop shaking. But instead of relaxing him, she only scared him to the point where he dropped the bottle of pills, spilling them.

"Oh, Brooke, I'm so sorry. I just feel like I'm falling apart." He slid down to the floor, and started shakily trying to gather the pills.

Brooke bent down infront of him, taking in his vulnerable appearance. She grabbed his hands in her's, trying to cease the shaking.

"Why do you do this Lucas? You are a great guy, but when you get in these moods, you change, like the Luke I know is gone, and a smart ass Luke takes place. I know that it is a defense mechanism, and I also know that, that teacher is a world class bitch, but getting in trouble so much is going to start affecting your future, colleges don't like suspensions. So please Luke, do this for me, in that class room, chill out a little bit."

"But I just hate the stuff she says, I heard her say before I left, the stuff about my mom, and how I'm a trouble maker. How do I deal with that?" He asked desperately.

"Prove her wrong Luke, prove to her that you aren't a trouble maker. I will talk to her about the things she says, and tell her to take it easy." She said lightly, pleased that Lucas's hands were a tiny bit calmer.

"I don't need you to do that for me. I can take care of myself." He stated, trying to be independent.

"Too bad Luke, it's my job, and face it, your whole life would fall apart without me. Gosh you men are so needy. You're just lucky that I like ya." She patted the side of his face, and handed him a pill to swallow.

He tried to push it away, even after all these years, he still hated the pill, it represented too much in his life. The rejection, the abandonment, the gut wrenching pain.

"Please take it Luke, you know how your dad gets when he counts the pills and finds that you haven't taken one. Please, I'll be your best friend if you do." She asked, giving him the wounded cheerleader look.

"You already are my bestfriend, but I guess I will, but just for you." He stuck the pill in his mouth and dry swallowed it.

He stood up, and helped her up. "Well, maybe you should get to the dean before you get in even more trouble." Lucas sighed at that comment. The dean, again. The man was friends with his father, which meant that he had the same feeling about Lucas as his father. It was simply amazing how much power you got from donating thousands of dollars to the school board gave you.

As he entered the dean's office, the disgruntled man peered up at him.

"Well, well, what a suprise, Lucas Scott. What did you do now?" Dean Jones motioned for him to sit down in the chair infront of his desk.

"Mrs. Dejaynes was being a..." Lucas decided not to finish that sentence the way he had intended to.

"She was saying things about me and my mother, so I kind of got really pissed and got sent out of class." Lucas said without his usual composure, and smart alec comments.

"So pretty much, you were being a trouble maker again, and got kicked out. I'm going to call your father. You have detention all next week at 7:15 am. Go sit outside."

Not at all happy, Lucas picked up his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and went to sit outside to wait for his next class.

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Haley James walked through the hallways of the school, trying to find Nathan. Ever since that blonde wannabe came to Tree Hill High, whick had been approximately 3 hours, Nathan had been spending every waking moment with her.

As she looked through her purse to find her phone to call Nathan, she felt something smack into her, sending her flying. But before she could spit out the usual 'watch where you're going' she caught the eyes of none other than Jake Jageilski.

"Hey..." She spoke, still looking into his eyes, wondering why she had never noticed their wonderful color, and sensitivness.

"Are you okay Haley? I'm so sorry, I was just on my way to class, and I thought I heard someone say my name. I didn't see you." Haley found his rambling sweet. The fall had been both their faults, but he was taking the whole blame, dusting off her books, and putting all of her stuff back in her purse.

"Don't worry Jake, I'm fine, you know me, I'm a total klutz, remember at my 10th birthday party where I tripped on the cat and fell into the garbage can." She laughed. It felt good, not being this forced 24 hour a day bitch. But being her old self, the nice girl.

"Yeah, that was hilarious by the way." They both laughed, and were amazed how natural they felt around eachother.

"Would you like me to walk you down to the cafetaria?" He asked. She happily nodded, as they began to make their way to the cafeteria.

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After a long and monotonous day school, Lucas opened the front door to the house and quietly shut the door, attempting to avoid his father or step-mother. When he heard some voices coming his way though, it was apparent that luck was not on his side.

"Don't move Lucas!" His father's voice boomed through the entry way. Lucas adapted his standoffish composure, the one that his father despised, because it looked like Lucas didn't care what he was saying.

"Why the hell did I get a call from the dean today, saying that you were once again being an embarassment to The Scott Legacy?"

Lucas chose not to answer that question, but continued with his biting silence. He didn't let anything show on his face that the fact that he was an embarassment to the family hurt him.

"What Lucas, nothing to say? You seemed to have plenty to say last night when you were drunk! Is that the only way you open up? Alcohol? Figures you would be an alcoholic after your crazy mother was one."

Silence couldn't cover how Lucas felt anymore. No one talked like that about his mother. No one. He stepped closer to his father.

"Don't you ever talk that way about my mother! You didn't know her, she wasn't an alcoholic, I got that trait from you!" Lucas's face was flushed with anger.

Dan took the front of his shirt and balled it into his fist. He was incredibly close to hurting the kid.

"Don't you ever compare your worthless ass to me again. I am so much better than you." Dan pushed Lucas back, his back making contact with the corner of a nearby table.

Lucas's body was telling him to double over in pain, but his desire to never let Dan see him weak, wouldn't let him. Instead, he only allowed himself to let out a small whimper.

Lucas looked up at his father who was smirking at him. He couldn't believe that he had ever wanted this man to be his father. Before any other cruel words could be exchanged between father and son, the door bell rang.

Dan answered it, and found Brooke on the other side. "Hi Mr. Scott, where's Luke?" She asked coldly, she absolutely hated this man, who had been so cruel to Lucas over the years.

"He's in some trouble right now, I don't think he has time for any nonsense in his room with you." He said with venom. Even if Brooke was a perfectly respectable girl, he just enjoyed how Lucas got angry when he bugged his only friend.

"Mr. Scott, I'm sure that if you knew anything about your son, that you would know he has no girlfriend. We are friends. Nothing more, So lay off." Brooke yelled at Dan.

"I know that you kids these days do have friends with benefits. And someone like you, Brooke, probably loves to take part in these activities."

"Shut the hell up dad! You don't know anything about Brooke, you SOB. Don't ever judge her ever again. Or I will hurt you." He stepped up to his father. Brooke's words hurt him and crushed his hopes of her ever returning his feelings slightly, but that only made his sense of protection towards her, increase. But damn, he would never let his father hurt her, even if Dan beat the hell out of him for his threats, he would protect her till the end of time.

"Wow, wait a second, who ever said that I would lower myself to the point that I would actually call the likes of you, my son." Dan knew just how to push Lucas's buttons. Truth was, Dan was proud to have Lucas as his son, but he already lost Karen, his one true love, and he didn't think he could take it if he put himself out there for Lucas, and then have the boy shoot him down.

Lucas felt like he was just punched in the gut, he really wanted Dan to say. "Yeah Luke, I am your father, and there is nothing you can do about it." Sure he would have brought a smartass comment to fight back, but the comment would have meant something to him, it would have meant that he had a father who cared about him in his life. But in the end, Dan had to crush those dreams too, didn't he.

"Who says that I would want to be the son of smarmy scum like you?" By this time, Brooke had grabbed his hand, and was guiding him up the stairs to his room.

"Why you little bastard." Dan said, but immediately regretted it when Lucas looked like a kicked puppy before covering it up with his horrible mask of stone.

Lucas turned back around when he was on the stairs, to face his father a last time.

"Bastard. You could stand to be a little bit more original. Dad."

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"Why do you do that Lucas? He riles you up every time. And you don't have to defend me against him. I can protect myself." She sat by him on his bed, rubbing his arm. He had been locked up emotionally for a few minutes, and it always scared her when he did.

"Talk to me Lucas..." She tried to coax him out of his silence.

After a few more minutes past, he looked at her. "I just hate him." He said with no emotion.

"That is not the only reason you snap when he says something bad about me." Brooke hugged his larger frame close to her. These were some of the times that he needed her the most.

Lucas knew there were two reasons that he had for yelling at his father about Brooke. One of them was the fact that he loved Brooke with every fiber of his being. And he would not stand by and let someone degrade her. He even got jealous when the band geeks stared at her.(A/N no offense to anyone in band.) The other reason could be voice to Brooke though, it was something he had to get off his chest.

"Because Brooke, I don't want anything to drive you away. I'm always so afraid that someone will say something that will make you rethink your decision to be my friend. You are the only thing that I have left, and I could never stand to lose you, so I have to do everything, and I mean everything to show you that you mean everything to me. I can't let Dan drive you away, I just can't." He pounded his fist into the bed.

Lucas's reason for protecting her was so sweet, but so heartbreaking. Even after all they had been through, what happened to Brooke last year, Karen's suicide, and Brooke's transition from flirty gossip girl, to his best friend, Lucas was still fearing that she would leave him.

"Lucas, no matter what anyone says, I will always be there for you. Even if someone told me that you were a closet gay, or that you stole candy from little children, I would still be there for you. Remember, I was where you turned to when you had no one." He needed to understand that no matter what happened, they would always be there for eachother, and no matter how many jack assish things Dan said, she would be there for him.

"Thankyou Brooke." He whispered into her shoulder, as she ran her hands through his hair.

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Nathan and Haley were sitting at Haley's house that night, both watching a movie, but both thinking about the new people that they liked.

Nathan couldn't keep his mind off Peyton, the new girl who looked needed no makeup to look like his angel. Sure Haley was beautiful with her brownie doe like eyes. But in his eyes, she had nothing on the curly haired, green eyed angel that had graced Nathan with her presence today. He couldn't keep living this lie with Haley for any longer.

Haley thought about how stupid she was about never noticing how attractive and wonderful Jake was. His eyes, oh his wonderful eyes, they looked like a fox's, with their sharpness and their thoughtfulness. Haley wanted to keep that image in her mind for the rest of eternity. But what Haley really couldn't believe was that Jake brought out the old her, the one from two years ago. It felt so good that she could just let go and be herself around him, and she felt so much lighter when she did. Nathan needed to know the truth about how she was feeling about their relationship.

"Nathan" "Haley" They both said at once.

"You go first." Nathan said, hoping that whatever Haley said wouldn't make it any harder to break up with her.

"Nathan, I have been thinking about how lately, things have been different between us, and I just don't feel how I did when we first started going out. I think that we should break up." She said while looking at the ground.

"Don't take any offense to this but I feel the same. I think that we should break up, but I do feel that we make better friends that couples." Nathan said.

After Haley agreed to it, Nathan put his arm around her shoulder and they continued to watch the movie, feeling much lighted about what happened between them.

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Deb sat on her bed, flipping through an old photo album that had been given to her by Karen before she killed herself. She had been instructed to give this to Lucas when he turned 17, at that age, he would be ready to face the real truth about what events surrounded her death.

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So.. What did you guys think? I hope you liked it. It may seem a bit choppy because I just changed something major, and had to change alot of stuff back here. Please review. Love Kendall