7.
"Nathan, what is Damien talking about?" Lucas repeated moments after not getting anything from Nathan. All he could do was watch as his roommate stood scared. What could Damien West possibly have on Nathan?
Nathan knew that it would just be easier if he didn't have to lie to Lucas. Since the first day at High Flyers Lucas had been nothing but a friend to him. They talked about anything with each other and the better part was that they didn't judge each other.
Looking to see if anyone else was paying attention, Nathan roughly shoved Damien out of his way so he could leave the room. He hoped Lucas would follow him. At this point, Nathan had made up his mind and if Lucas wasn't going to follow him, then he might switch his mind back.
"You can't keep playing it cool forever!" Damien shouted after him with a winning smirk on his face.
Lucas shook his head vigorously, before telling Tony that he and Nathan were heading off. When he left the room, he could see Nathan unlocking their door. Lucas decided not to try to catch up with him. Nathan needed some time to sort out whatever was causing him to freeze up. Lucas hadn't seen Nathan act that way since he let Damien score the final shot earlier that day.
Once making the short walk down the hall and walking in the room himself, Lucas caught Nathan standing by the window with his hands resting on the back of his neck.
"I thought you weren't going to let Damien get to you." Lucas commented bluntly.
"Yeah, well, Damien likes to be the star, even when he does lose." Nathan tried to joke as he stared dead straight out of the window, seeing nothing but darkness.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on or are we going to continue skirting around the subject?" Lucas asked as he sat on his bed and kicked off his shoes.
Nathan let out a sigh. This was it. No matter how Lucas was going to react, he just had to spit it out. He was going against Haley's wishes, but they both knew it would be much worse if Damien decided to spread the news.
"There's a reason why I haven't been really hanging out with you and the guys," Nathan started, "it's nothing that's going to ruin my basketball career or anything like that. I don't know if Coach James will kick me out of camp or anything either."
Lucas raised his brow. "Okay?"
"I've been hanging out with Haley in secret, lately." He confessed word by word. His blue eyes watched for Lucas to react.
"Coach's granddaughter, Haley? I thought you told me that nothing was going on between the two of you? And what about Peyton? She's your girlfriend." Lucas began firing questions at him, but his tone remained calm and collected. "I should have known you were up to something because I noticed that you were pulling yourself away and making up excuses lately."
Nathan dropped his hands and sat down on the chair by the window. "Nothing serious is going on with Haley. We're just friends, I guess. Peyton doesn't need to know anything. Luke, you have to promise me that you're not going to tell anyone, especially Thomas. That guy runs his mouth like a hyper child." He tried to joke, but it was difficult.
"I don't understand why it's such a big deal."
"You remember the day Coach James called me into his office, when Damien was talking to Haley?" He waited for Lucas to nod. "Well, he told me that he didn't want me talking to her. Evidently, Haley didn't want me talking to her, either. I don't know why it's such big problem with them. I should be respecting the coach, but I have a good time with Haley."
Lucas let out a large sigh. "It seems to me that Coach James is just protecting her from guys like us. I mean, we'll be leaving in a few short months."
"Yeah, whenever she mentions it, I just feel like there is a reason why I shouldn't be with her. That's probably it." Nathan shrugged. "Are we cool? You won't tell anyone?" Nathan asked him before presenting his fist for Lucas to hit with his own.
"Yeah, we are." Lucas bumped his fist. "Just so you know, you could have just told me from the beginning. It was obvious that you two have talked before."
"I probably should have. I just didn't know that it was going to be secretive then."
Nathan felt much more relaxed knowing that Lucas was completely fine with it, even with the lies he had told him before. He should have never doubted that he could trust Lucas after the short time they had spent together. Maybe things would be easier for him now that Lucas was on their side. Damien wasn't going to get to him after this.
"Now, I'm going to have to tell Haley that you know."
Lucas nodded. "Yeah, that might be a good idea." He started chuckling.
"What's so funny?"
"I'm just thinking about how she ran her mouth off at Damien that day. I wonder what she's going to say when she finds out that you told me your little secret." He laughed again.
Nathan stood up from his chair and grabbed Lucas pillow and swung it at the back of is head. He saw the wide grin that was still plastered on his face and walked away to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
He rested his hands on the marble sink. He looked up in the mirror to see his reflection. Of course, what Lucas had said worried him. He was pretty much worried even before then. This wasn't the first promise that he has ever broken and he was good at making people forget that they were even mad at him. That's how it used to work with Peyton. Haley was a different girl. He hadn't seen her angry ever. He didn't want to see her that way, but if he didn't tell her and she found out, then he probably would lose her for good.
Nathan stood in the supply closet, with his hands folded across his broad muscular chest. He watched as Haley organized the closet. She did that often when she didn't know what to say when he was around her. It started to make Nathan think that it was a cute distraction for her. Not only was it cute, it was also becoming quite obvious to him why she was doing it.
He didn't understand this girl. When the first met, Haley could fire up any conversation. Her attitude was strong and outgoing. Now, it was skittish and concealed. Nathan's intentions were to never make her feel that way. He liked when Haley was able to loosen up.
"Haley, I need to tell you something." His voice muttered when he found the courage to tell her what had happened last night.
She stopped what she was doing and turned to face him. Her potentially worry was forced away. Instead, it was replaced with a reassuring smile to let him know that he could talk to her about whatever was on his mind.
His fingers tapped on the basketball he was holding. Since it was causing a distraction, he placed it back on the rack that was next to him.
"What's going on, Nathan? Is it your dad? Peyton?" Haley asked him as she took a few steps closer to him.
"Um, no, thankfully, I haven't heard from either of them yet. It's more about Lucas."
"Lucas?" Haley crooked her neck to the side. "I thought you two were getting along? I mean, from what I've seen you two are practically inseparable." She noted nervously as her word didn't come out the way she wanted them to.
"We're fine. It's just," he let out a sigh, "I told Lucas about us hanging out."
"You told Lucas?" She asked him incredulously. "Nathan, you promised me that you weren't going to tell anyone about us being friends. What if he tells people? My grandfather is not going to like this when he finds out!"
"Haley, calm down." He found himself taking a few steps closer to her and wrapping his arms around her. "Lucas isn't going to tell people. He promised. Plus, he's a really trustworthy guy."
Haley let out a breath to relax herself. Being in Nathan's embrace was also comforting to her, but her walls built up again as she started thinking about where she was. She softly nudged him away. The feel of his strong chest against her fingertips caused her fingers to shake.
"So, what made you decided to tell Lucas?" She asked him as she took her eyes away from his tingling fingertips and his sculpted chest.
"Um, what?"
"Why'd you tell Lucas?" She asked him carefully. "I mean, it had to come up in the conversation somehow, right?"
"Oh," His arm reached backwards to scratch the back of his neck. He knew that he couldn't tell her about their gambling, so he tried his best to improvise without having to lie to her. "About that. We went to Tony's and we were playing around and Damien was there."
"Something tells me that I'm not going to like where this is headed." Haley cut in at the mention of Damien's name.
Probably not. "You know how guys can be, we throw words around to talk each other down and," Nathan was finding it hard to think straight while all of his world jumbled through his head.
"Smack talk? I'm well aware of that. You do know I work at a basketball camp?" She told him as her impatience for his reasonings began to stir up. "Please, just get on with the point where you decided to tell Lucas."
He let out a nervous chuckle. "Okay, Lucas and I were about to leave when Damien mentioned that...Wait,"
"Nathan?" She let out an annoyed sigh.
"I'm sorry. Before, I tell you I should make note that Damien may have saw us when you dropped me off after we saw the movie."
"What? Di-did he say anything to anyone?"
Nathan shook his head. "Nobody besides me. Getting to the point, Damien was really close to telling the entire room that it was you that he's been seeing me with." He winced at his own confession.
"He knows too? Great, this is just what I expected was going to happen. I knew that hanging out was going to cause a mess of problems." She rand her hands through her long hair.
"I had to tell Lucas after he tried to make a big scene over it. I didn't want anyone to know about us. You have to at least believe me about that." Nathan didn't know if he should try and reach out for her because he didn't want to be rejected.
"I never said that I didn't believe you, Nathan." She closed her eyes and took in a breath, trying to piece together everything that Nathan had just confessed to her. "I just really hate that my prediction about all of the was true. I really like that we've become friends and talking. I don't want to lose that now that we have started."
"We don't have to, Haley. No one else is going to find out, unless Damien tells. He's not going to unless I achieve more than he does here."
That was what she was afraid of. The rivalry between them could potentially screw up Nathan's game while he was here. He was meant to come here for the summer and he wasn't going to throw it all away over a mere friendship. There was just too much for him to risk because of it.
"You're not going to change the way you play. You can't. I've watched you and you're really good. Probably, the best here." Haley admitted to him.
"I don't know how else I'm going to keep West's mouth shut, Haley."
Nathan didn't want to jeopardize his basketball talent, either. It was one of the only things that brought him confidence, sometimes too much. High Flyers was supposed to be for basketball and basketball only. His attitude was driven towards shoving his natural talent in his opponent's faces. Damien was just like the rest of them. If his father ever found out what was really going on during his summer, Nathan knew that the long ride home would kick his ass big time.
Haley bit down on her lip. "I don't think you should do anything. I know that will egg him on, but I think my grandfather and everyone else will notice that something is off with you. You do agree with me about that, right?"
Nathan nodded. "I don't want to. It doesn't seem like it, but I really need to be here." His voice became softer.
"So, where are you dragging me off to today, James?" He found his comfort again and sent her his infamous smirk.
She let out a laugh, that was supposed to be a scoff. "I think my mind has changed. We need to go somewhere that will take our minds off of everything and I know just the place."
Her car pulled off to the side of a dirt road. With a smile she turned to face her passenger. "We're here."
Nathan raised his brow. Where were they? He looked out his window and tried to look as far ahead as he could. All he could see were a long path through grass which seemed to lead to a sea of never ending trees. Nathan turned to Haley, who was still looking at him with a smile on her face. "Are you sure you're not really mad at me for telling Lucas? It seems like you brought me here to kill me and I think you've done this before." Nathan joked with her.
Haley shook her head. "Nathan, I'm okay. Sure," she shrugged, "I'm not one-hundred percent happy about the situation, but I have no intentions to murder you. Come on," she motioned for him to follow her as she quickly removed her seatbelt and stepped out of the car.
He copied her actions and began following her down the path. He couldn't help but look back to where her car sat on the deserted road. When he looked back to her, she had stopped walking.
"Nathan, you'll be fine." She walked forward and grabbed his hand. The feeling of his calloused hand wrapped around hers was the only thing that was going to be trapped inside her head. Haley didn't want to let go of his hand, but she couldn't because he had a girlfriend.
As Haley pulled him along, Nathan couldn't stop looking at their joined hands. Hers was smaller than his, but it fit comfortably into his. The best idea for him was to not think about the fact that Haley's hand was trapped within his. He did his best to bring his eyes to her, which only made matters worse. In front of him, he could only see the back of her body. Her wavy hair gently moved as she briskly walked ahead of him. His natural response was to lick his dry lips at the sight of her hips moving. Peyton was rather thin, so she lacked hips and the curves that other girls had. Haley had the whole package and it was a shame that she hid it under a sweatshirt and sweatpants. She would look amazing it tight clothes, but the whole natural athlete look was definitely working for her. It worked with him, too.
Haley stopped again and Nathan immediately averted his eyes and paid attention to her.
"I usually come here by myself, but I thought we could both use some tranquility. That probably sounds corny to you, huh?"
Nathan shook his head. "No, but what do you do here? Do you just stand here?"
Haley shook her head. Haley swallowed. The last memory of her being in this spot was when Jason had left her for the summer, taking her heart with him. "There was one time that I spent a long time just walking the path and it led me to this small pond. I would never had found it if I didn't keep walking. My heavy thoughts would have stopped me from finding it. Cliche enough, it taught me to throw my heavy conscious out of the way." She found herself dropping his hand, "what was on your mind the entire time we were walking?"
You. Peyton. Peyton's body. Your body. You. He took in her every word. Nathan wanted to make another joke about her dragging him off to kill him somehow, but he couldn't after her pure honesty with him. His throat let out a small croak as he opened his mouth to speak. "I don't know."
Her lips formed another smile. This one was more sweeter than just out of plain joy. "That's because you weren't thinking. Surprised that it worked?"
His head nodded, almost like he wasn't the one controlling his brain. "So, we're in the middle of nowhere just to forget everything for a little while? When we go back, all our thoughts are just going to come pouring back."
"They easily could or you could just think about the amazing place I brought you to?" Her shoulders shrugged again.
"That's a shame because you were missing out on some pretty breathtaking scenery."
"Nathan?" She waved her hand in front of his face. "Don't get too lost." Her voice ringed in his ears as he snapped himself out of his reverie.
He mumbled an apology to her before following her again. They walked further down the path until Haley found a decent spot for them to sit. Nathan sat down next to her with his feet planted on the ground in front of him as she crossed her legs underneath her. Her fingers began playing with the grass. It wasn't long before his jinxed her at picking at the weak, fragile earth.
Her eyes traveled over to his hands. His fingers fumbled around in the grass. A small smile graced her lips at the sight. It reminded her of a bored little boy, who was stuck outside with nothing to do and had no friends around.
"It's different for me."
His head turned to face her and his hands stopped in the grass. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I usually come here alone. I don't have to talk when it's just me. I'm not saying that I feel the need to talk to you and we should force a conversation. It's not that I don't want to talk to you, either, because I do. I enjoy it. I've already told you that plenty of times." Haley began to ramble.
"It's okay," he chuckled at her fast talking. "I like talking to you, too."
She nodded. "Um, I never got a reply last night to your email, not that I was expecting one." She rushed out. Last night she kept wondering if Nathan had seen her email. She guessed that he didn't want a remaindered of what happened during the game because a few of the guys were either gloating about it or giving him grief about it. That part annoyed her because all she wanted to know was how Nathan was doing.
"Yeah, I didn't have much time to answer it. Luke and I were pretty much getting ready to head over to Tony's. I wish I had the right answer as to why I let him get past me. Playing like crap, isn't me. That's not what got me here."
She placed her hand on his arm to comfort him. "You didn't play like crap in the game."
He shook his head in disagreement. "I did. When my dad finds out about it, I know he's going to be paying me a visit just so he can wring my neck over it."
Haley took her hand off of his arm. "I ruined it already. I'm sorry. I'll change the subject."
"Shocked to see me unhappy?" He found himself asking her. "People usually see me as this cocky, arrogant jock who has the greatest life. I throw parties and drink with my friends and my dad knows about it. We'd be kicked off the team if my coach ever found out. He bribes my coach with my athletic ability to keep me from expulsion from the team." He confessed.
Haley didn't understand how parents could treat and use their own children. She was thankful and blessed that she was born into a family that cared so much about each other.
"You must like being away from all of that then."
Nathan nodded again. "It's good to be away for a summer. I used to be in camps, but they were the ones that you would go visit on certain days and times and then return back home until you got to go back again. Those were the best hours of my life, until my dad decided to stay and watch."
"Well, he won't get to touch you here. Coach wouldn't be able to stand having people sitting in the gym and watching."
Nathan shrugged. "What about your dad?"
"My dad, like my grandfather, is very protective of me. He actually called me and asked me if any of the guys were bother me."
"And what did you say?"
"I said no."
He grinned. "I thought I was getting on your nerves."
"Only a little bit," she joked and gave him a slight shove. "It was your persistent that I couldn't stand."
"Most people like that about me."
Haley found herself blushing. "Anyway, my father is much more laid back than yours. He can be embarrassing, like most dads are, too. At the end of the day, I still accept that he's mine."
She had an easy life. It was a life that Nathan wished he had a chance of having. Living with Dan was like living with a drill sergeant. Nothing made Nathan accept the fact that Dan Scott was an actual father to a child.
As the afternoon passed, the sky became a shade of pink. It illuminated off of Haley's cheek to masquerade her blushing. She was glad that she brought him here. She found herself not thinking about how Jason tainted this place for her. Haley didn't think about Jason at all. Her mind wasn't blank like she wanted it to be either. Nathan was burrowing in a permanent place and she wasn't trying to fight it anymore.
Nathan met up with Lucas in the cafeteria that night when he returned from his day with Haley. Lucas was already sitting at the table with empty wrappers from dinner. A few napkins were balled up and on the table.
"Well, at least she didn't kill you. That is, if you even told her." Lucas joked as Nathan took a seat across from him.
"No, I told her. Obviously, she wasn't too happy with me at first. Once I told her about Damien, she sort of calmed down a bit. Then she got pissed at Damien." Nathan shrugged because he felt like it he was no longer the one Haley had a problem with.
"I didn't think you would be gone for the entire day. What did you two do, anyway?" Lucas asked him.
Nathan shrugged. "We just hung out, you know? She took me to this field and we went for a short walk and then we talked."
"Wow. Sounds like you two had a great day. Did you also share your feelings to one another?" Lucas joked.
"Ha." Nathan deadpanned. "I could picture that commented from Thomas, but not you. I thought you understood."
"I do, but the way it looks makes it seem like it was more than what you two think it was." Lucas pointed out to Nathan.
"It wasn't. We're strictly friends. I'm still with-"
"Yeah, yeah, with Peyton. I know. I'd rather talk about my girlfriend back home, if you don't mind. She's really excited about coming here next weekend. I was thinking that you could introduce her to Haley. Do you think they would hit it off? I'm only asking you because you're the one who's spending time with her and I'm sure Haley would like not being the only girl around here."
"I could ask her, but I don't know. Brooke seems more girly than Haley does. You probably are right about her feeling better about not being the only girl, but I don't think a part of Haley's job is to hang out with our girlfriends while they visit us." Nathan could just picture how awkward it would be for Haley to be introduced to Peyton and having to spend the day with her. Peyton wasn't really one to have girl days.
"I know that. It would give them a chance to get to know each other and keep the others away from Brooke." Lucas told him in a matter-of-fact tone.
"How did she react when you told her that a certain blast from the past, Damien West, was also at High Flyers?" Nathan asked him with a smug smile on his face.
Lucas' face dropped.
"You didn't tell her, did you?" Nathan asked as he stretched in his seat. "Here, I thought you were all about honesty?"
Lucas rolled his eyes as he picked up his garbage to pitch it into the trash. He muttered, "I hate you, sometimes," as he got up and walked away.
Nathan let out a tired sigh. So much had happened to him in the past two days. he was looking forward to having a regular Sunday that consisted of going to the gym and then sitting around in his room watching college basketball games with a few of the guys. Then it would be ruined by talking to his father about the practice game. The final task would be checking his email and seeing messages from Peyton and then, hopefully, one from Haley.
He really enjoyed their day together and he knew that she felt the same way. He could see it on her face that she was happy and more comfortable around him than earlier. She was able to look past all the bluster about Damien and Lucas knowing they were seeing each other. Haley was able to share a part of her world with him, even though he wouldn't always be around to experience it. The next time he saw her he was going to make sure that he told her just because the summer was going to end, that all the ties between them were still going to be bound.
Thanks for the reviews last chapter. Lately, I have been annoyed with FanFiction because the server never seems to work whenever I try and log on. I hope by the time I post this that it will be working!
I aslo made another change to my updating schedule. I will only be working on 2 out of my 4 stories at a time to give myself more time to get stories completed.
Can't Buy Me Love- Saturdays
Crash-Mondays
Steal Your Heart and Forbidden are both on temporary hiatus.
Thank you for taking the time to read my stories!
