Hi everyone! So I know I haven't updated in a while, and I am very, very, very, very, very, sorry. School got really busy, but my last final is tomorrow, so I will definitely be updating more often. I have the next couple of chapters already outlined, so once I get started writing them, hopefully it'll just come onto paper easily! Okay, please and review!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to OTH, just my storylines.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

"Well, that went better than I expected," Haley sighed when she and Nathan got back from dropping Taylor off after their shopping trip.

"I'm glad you guys are getting along," Nathan pulled his short girlfriend into a hug and then kissed her hair.

"I hope it lasts. Taylor does seem like she changed though. She couldn't stop talking about her college classes, and she said she thought she would get a promotion at Best Buy soon," Haley pondered out loud. Taylor did really seem like she was changing. She had even offered to have Nathan and Haley over to the James house the next Friday night so she could cook for them.

"I bet it will. If she's anything like me, the changes you inspired in her will stick," Nathan smiled. He thought back to the person he used to be, and he was a little disgusted. He couldn't believe that he had ever been such a person. But Haley had changed all of that; she had brought a new light into his life, and his stomach did somersaults when he thought about it.

"Okay, well, I'm tired, so I'm going to take a nap," Haley kissed her boyfriend. "I'll see you later," she smiled as she walked out of Nathan's room.

"Man, I'm lucky," Nathan whispered to himself. He smiled, and then went to see what his early-morning haul was.

Nathan~Naley~Haley

The rest of the weekend was fairly uneventful for Nathan and Haley. On Friday night, after a much needed nap for the both of them, they went to a movie with Lucas and Brooke. Saturday was spent at sports practice for the both of them, but that was nothing unusual. Sunday was spent getting ready for the school week.

But Monday was the first basketball game of the season, and the entire school was excited. The cheerleaders were in their uniforms, and the team was dressed in nice pants and blue shirts. Nathan and Haley walked up to school arm in arm, and they met up with Lucas and Brooke.

"Hey Tutor-Girl!" Brooke exclaimed as she pulled away from Lucas's arm. "You look so good in the uniform. I knew you were meant to be on the squad." Brooke changed her focus to Nathan and Lucas, "And you, basketball boys, are you guys pumped up for the game too?"

The boys looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and mumbled some unintelligible form of yes. Brooke rolled her eyes, "Ugh, you boys are never nearly as excited as we are about the games."

"Well, after the pep rally they should be ready to play. Wait, there are pep rallies, right?" Haley questioned. She had never really paid attention to school activities; she was always so busy with school and working at the tutor center.

"Duh, Tutor-Girl, there are always pep rallies before home games. Where have you been the past three years?"

"Holed up in the tutor center," Lucas spoke up. Nathan, Haley, and Brooke all stopped to look over at the snide comment he had just made. "What, it's true, isn't it?"

"He's got a point there. I really never immersed myself in the school social life," Haley explained. She had never really wanted to, or had a reason too, at least not until Nathan came along.

"But still, Lucas, that was a little rude," Brooke raised her eyebrows at her boyfriend.

"Uh, you're right Brooke. Haley, I'm sorry for my rude comment," Lucas looked over to Brooke to see if she was satisfied. She nodded her head in approval.

"Thank you boyfriend," Brooke slipped her hand back through Lucas's.

"Hey, we better get to class. We're not going to be able to go to the basketball game if we get a tardy detention," Nathan said to the group.

"Geez, I have turned you into an even bigger dork than I am," Haley laughed at her tall, dorkish boyfriend.

After last period, which ended early, the entire student body filed into the gym for the pep rally. Brooke, being the head cheerleader, was already waiting in center court with a microphone. Once everyone was sitting, everybody heard the song Let It Rock fill the gym. Brooke started, "Hey Ravens, who's ready for another winning season?" They gym filled with cheers and applause. The rest of the cheerleaders were waiting on the sidelines.

"Peyton," Haley called out to her friend moments before they had to go out to center court for their routine.

"Yeah Hales?" Peyton replied.

"I, I… I can't do this," Haley shook her head. She was full of butterflies, and underneath her pom-poms, her hands were shaking.

"Haley, yes you can. It's just like at practice," Peyton was trying to calm down her obviously freaked out friend.

"No, Peyton, the entire school is out there," Haley pointed to the bleachers. "The kids that have never given a damn about me are going to be in the audience, laughing at me and judging me. I can't do this."

"Haley, I need you to calm down. Okay, um," Peyton looked around the gym, looking for something to distract Haley. She finally found what, or more appropriately, who, she was looking for. "Haley, look over there," Peyton pointed, "Just concentrate on Nathan the entire time. Pretend that it's just you, and the squad, and Nathan." As Peyton pointed over to her boyfriend, Haley couldn't help but smile. As the boys started to walk onto the court for the pep rally, Nathan stopped for a second to smile at Haley. It was exactly what she had needed.

Haley took a deep breath. "Okay, let's do it," she stated. If she didn't do it now, than she never would. Haley and Peyton turned their attention back to Brooke, who was welcoming the coach, Whitey, to the center.

To Haley, the rest of the pep rally seemed to go in slow motion, until it was time for the cheerleaders to do their routine. Then, everything seemed to move really fast for her. But Haley walked out onto the court with the rest of the squad, and they started their routine. Haley didn't make one mistake, and when the routine ended, Brooke walked over to her and pulled her into a big hug. "Tutor-Girl, that was awesome! Are you sure you weren't a cheerleader in a previous life?"

"Um, I don't think so," Haley laughed. She had never felt so accomplished. Sure, she felt good tutoring, and when she was in the chorus freshman year she felt pretty cool, but Haley had just done something that she had never thought she would ever do. She felt pretty good about herself.

After Brook walked away, Nathan jogged over to Haley. "Babe, that was so good. You're sure you never did pom team or something like that?"

"Why does everyone say that? I don't think I was that amazing. I just did the routine," Haley really didn't know what everyone was fussing about. "I'm just glad it's over with. I was a nervous wreck before we started!"

"Why? You did great! What calmed you down?" Nathan asked.

"Well," Haley hesitated, now wanting to seem needy. "Peyton told me to imagine that it was just me and you, and I saw you smile at me before you went out on the court. I saw you, and all the butterflies in my stomach just went away."

"You wanna know a secret?" Haley nodded back to Nathan. "I did the same thing… I always get pretty nervous during pep rallies, I don't know why, they're just pep rallies, but I looked at you, and I knew everything was going to be okay." Nathan smirked before continuing. "You're great, Hales. I love you," he looked down at her.

"I love you too Nate," Haley realized that if the two of them could get through a little pep rally, then, what couldn't they get through? "Let's get home hot shot. I hear you have an English test tomorrow?" Haley raised her eyebrows at Nathan.

"We were having such a good moment Hales," Nathan laughed.

"I know, but just reminding you why we were having a moment." Haley and Nathan intertwined their fingers, and walked out of the now empty gym together, smiling at each other.