Ok guys, this is the first of the two chapters that I'm posting. I was hoping that if you guys are going to submit reviews that you could do so for both chapters. This way I can tell them apart when I get back. I'd really appreciate it. And thank you for your last reviews. I'm glad you all loved the Naley. Anyway, thank you and I'll post again in about two weeks (sorry!). Enjoy!
Chapter 10
That Friday morning, Nathan made sure to get up early. The tournament tryouts were at 8 o'clock. He wanted to make sure that he was ready on time—since he often had the tendency to sleep right through his alarm clock. As Nathan entered the bathroom, he saw that Lucas was already in there taking a shower. I could have some fun with this, he thought as he walked over to the toilet. He waited a second before he flushed it.
"Aaaahhh," Lucas yelped. Nathan then bolted towards the sink and started brushing his teeth. He almost busted out laughing when he heard Lucas shout some more obscenities before opening the curtain to find the perpetrator.
"What the hell did you do that for?" Lucas exclaimed pissed.
"Sorry, man, nature called," Nathan replied innocently—but couldn't quite stop the smirk that formed on his face. Even though the two normally tried to stay out of each other's way, they still managed to get some jabs in every once in a while.
"Nature my ass," Lucas mumbled before shutting the curtain. Once Nathan was done getting ready, he made his way out of the bathroom—but not before flushing the toilet one last time. He just couldn't resist.
"SON OF A BITCH!" he heard Luke shout as he entered their room. This time, though, Nathan did allow himself to laugh.
"What's wrong with Lucas?" Jake asked sleepily. Apparently, he had woken up the rest of the cabin.
"I don't know. I think he's losing it," Nathan answered as he got dressed. "I'll see you guys later."
"Why are you up so early?" Tim questioned.
"I want to get breakfast and warm up before tryouts."
"Will you guys shut the hell up? Some of us are still trying to sleep," Ryan complained while placing his pillow over his head. Nathan took that as his cue and left for the mess hall. When he got there, the first thing he noticed was how empty it was. There were maybe four people total in the large room. And one of those people just happened to be a certain blonde-haired, brown-eyed girl he was interested in. Not wanting to miss an opportunity like this, Nathan quickly got his food and made his way over to her table.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked. Haley looked up surprised. She seemed to be wrapped up in reading something before he got there.
"I don't know," Haley replied while making a playful show of thinking about it. "I guess I could be seen with you."
"Gee, thanks," Nathan said sarcastically with a small smile. It had been a few days since their last get together at the lake. After they both found some free time to get away from their respective friends, they met up and hung out again. As far as Nathan was concerned, they had had even more fun that second time. They had joked around and exchanged funny stories. There was also some verbal banter every now and then. It was a nice change for Nathan. He couldn't remember the last time—if any—he had enjoyed just simply talking to a girl.
"Well, I do have a reputation to protect," Haley declared.
"Really? And what would that be?" he challenged.
"I don't know but I'm sure it's something good," she replied. "I'll get back to you on that."
"You do that," Nathan replied with an amused smile. "But the way I see it is, if anything, I would improve your status."
"Meaning?" Haley asked folding her arms.
"Haley, look at me. I'm the best ball player here. Not to mention the hottest," he concluded.
"Just when I thought your ego couldn't get any bigger," she sighed shaking her head.
"Well, I'm just full of surprises," Nathan replied.
"I bet you are." Haley went back to eating her muffin as she tried to suppress the smile that threatened to form on her face. She had been doing that a lot in the past few days. It amazed her just how much Nathan could make her laugh. When he was with other people, he seemed so cocky and arrogant. But with Haley, she saw a whole different side to him. She just wished that he and Lucas could get along.
"So what's that?" Nathan asked interrupting her thoughts. Haley saw him nod to the piece of paper in front of her.
"Oh, it's a letter from my parents," she answered. "They're visiting my oldest sister Quinn right now in New Jersey." Nathan nodded in understanding. Haley had told him all about her family. His jaw almost dropped to the ground when he found out she had five other siblings—all older. And she definitely had some crazy stories to tell him.
"How's that going?"
"Pretty good. She's pregnant so my mom was telling me about her mood swings. Apparently, my dad made some joke about how big she is and she flipped out. One minute they were having a nice dinner and the next my dad had a giant bowl of mashed potatoes poured on his head."
"Nice," Nathan laughed.
"Yeah," Haley agreed. "But other than that I think they're having fun. So, are you ready for the tryouts today?"
"I'm definitely ready. I'm just more concerned about who's going to be on my team."
"I'm sure it'll work out," Haley stated. She knew that Nathan was probably referring to Lucas in that last statement. But she didn't want to say anything.
"Are you going to watch?" he asked a minute later.
"Watch what?"
"The tryouts," he elaborated trying to sound nonchalant. Nathan was secretly hoping she'd be there.
"Unfortunately, I won't. Brooke, Peyton, and I have dance again today."
"You don't sound too happy about that," Nathan smirked.
"Yeah, that'd be because I'm not."
"Then why do you do it?"
"It's more Brooke and Peyton's thing. I'm really just along for the ride. Although, I am getting better. I think," she added causing Nathan to laugh.
"So what do you like?" he questioned. Haley bit her lip. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to tell him. It wasn't bad, but it was kind of personal.
"Um…I went to a music workshop the other day," Haley revealed.
"And that is…" Nathan prodded when she didn't elaborate.
"They teach you how to write songs, sing, or play an instrument. It's mostly just basic stuff."
"And I'm assuming you do one of those."
"Actually, I do all of them," she informed him shyly. Aside from Lucas, no one else knew about her hidden talent. It was something that she usually kept to herself. When she was sad or frustrated, music was a way for her to cope.
"That's cool. Maybe you could sing for me sometime," he suggested.
"Oh, no way. I can't," Haley quickly rejected the idea.
"Why not?" Nathan questioned. He was really interested in seeing what she was capable of.
"Because…" she trailed off flustered as he gave her an expectant look. "Because the only time I sing is when I'm in the shower. So other than my showerhead, no one else has heard me. Not even Lucas."
"But don't you have to perform in front of the people in the workshop?"
"Not really. You can volunteer if you want but they don't force you. And since it's such a small group, the counselors tend to work individually with us."
"Well, if you ever change your mind, the offer still stands."
"Trust me, I won't," Haley replied matter-of-factly.
"I'm just saying," Nathan said as he held up his hands in a mock surrender. It was then that he noticed the time on his wristwatch. "Oh crap, I've got to go." The tryouts started in a half hour and he wanted to make sure he was there early.
"Yeah, me too." The mess hall was starting to get busy. Haley knew that her friends would probably be coming any time now. Even though she was ready to give Nathan the benefit of the doubt, she was pretty sure that Lucas wasn't. And Brooke was hell bent on finding someone who was "fling material" for Haley. So, basically, she was hoping not to add fuel to the fire.
"I'll talk to you later," Nathan promised. He then gave Haley's hand a friendly squeeze before leaving. To her surprise, Haley could feel the warm, tingling sensation from his touch radiate through the rest of her body. It was still there even when Lucas, Peyton, Brooke, and Jake came in a couple of minutes later.
"Hey there Miss I-Need-To-Wake-Up-Early-Because-I'm-Insane Girl," Brooke greeted.
"Which translates to 'hi' in Brooke World," Peyton clarified with a small laugh.
"Hey, are you ok?" Lucas asked.
"Uh, yeah. Why?" Haley responded as she tried to gain control of her senses. Seriously, it was one simple touch. What's the big deal?
"I don't know. You just look…" Lucas trailed off unsure of how to describe it.
"Flushed," Brooke filled in as she stepped closer to examine Haley.
"Oh my God," Peyton commented now looking at Haley in a new light.
"What? Is there something on my face?" Haley asked exasperated at how her friends—mostly Peyton and Brooke—were staring at her.
"It's a boy!" Brooke suddenly proclaimed.
"Excuse me?" Haley questioned.
"You've just had an encounter with a boy you like. I'd recognize that dopey, love struck look anywhere," Brooke explained. Whoa, she's good. Hey…I'm not love struck!
"Ok, so which one of you slipped her crack this morning?" Haley inquired staring at the rest of the group.
"So who is he? Twenty bucks says he's really hott, right? Oh my God, was it Ryan…" Brooke continued on.
"Um…no," Haley replied.
"No, it wasn't Ryan?"
"Yes. I mean no," Haley denied as she prayed that she'd make it out of this conversation alive. She was normally a terrible liar. "'No' as in there was no guy."
"There is no way there was no guy."
"How do you know there was no guy?" Haley countered.
"Because I just know," Brooke continued.
"Ok, please stop. I'm getting really confused," Jake interrupted. Lucas also appeared to be lost. As for Peyton, Haley noticed that she just looked amused.
"I was smiling because I was reading the funny letter my mom sent me," Haley explained. It was technically a form of the truth. She had been laughing at the letter before Nathan came along.
"If that's your story," Brooke commented. "I'll let it go—for now. But we are so not finished, Tutor Girl."
"Good luck," Peyton muttered to Haley as she and the others went to get in line for food. Yeah, really looking forward to that conversation…NOT! Note to self: come up with good excuse. And possibly work on poker face. Oh boy, I'm in trouble.
"Alright, boys. Bring it in," Mr. Philips shouted. Nathan took his last shot before joining the rest of the group. Although a lot of guys tried out, many of them looked like they hadn't even picked up a basketball a day in their life. So far, the only really good players turned out to be him, Tim, Ryan, Jake, Lucas, and that other kid Brett.
"You all did a great job today. Unfortunately, not everyone will be chosen. There will be total of ten teams once we make our final decisions," he explained. "Now, I also have another announcement."
"Dude, we are so in," Ryan whispered to him. "Do you see these other losers?" Nathan smirked in response before returning his attention back to Mr. Philips.
"In addition to all the other coaches here, a very good friend of mine will be joining us for the rest of the summer. Not only was he a hell of a player back in the day, but he also happens to be one of North Carolina's best high school basketball coaches." As Mr. Philips continued to speak, Nathan was trying to figure out who this mystery coach was. Most of Tree Hill's opposing teams sucked in comparison to them—with the exception of Oak Lake Academy. It was then that Nathan got a sudden feeling of foreboding. There was only one other coach in the state that was known for his skill…
"I want you all to give a warm welcome to Coach Durham!" No freaking way.
"Hey, he has the same name as our coach," Tim pointed out. It was then that Whitey made his presence known as he walked onto the basketball court.
"That's because he is our coach, Dumb Ass," Nathan replied rolling his eyes at Tim's idiotic comment.
"Sweet! We'll definitely make it." It wasn't that Nathan didn't like Whitey. In fact, he really respected him—even though he never openly admitted it. But he knew that if Whitey was in charge of picking teams, there was probably a pretty good chance of him and Lucas getting stuck together. As Nathan looked over to his right, his eyes met Lucas'. He didn't look so good either. Apparently, he was thinking the same thing.
"Thank you but you all can stop kissing my ass now," Whitey joked causing the large group to laugh. "When Mr. Philips first told me about the tournament and how talented you boys were, I knew I couldn't turn down his offer to come out here and train you for the summer."
"I bet," Nathan mumbled.
"It's going to be a lot of work, but I guarantee it'll be worth it. Not only will we teach you techniques about how to improve your jump shots and free throws, but we'll also teach you how to work as a team." After that comment, Whitey paused for a second. His eyes honed in on both Nathan and Lucas. He then got a small, knowing smile on his face. Oh yeah, we're definitely getting stuck together.
"So good luck and let the best team win," Whitey finished.
"Also, you can check to see if you made it and what team you're on tomorrow morning on the call board in the mess hall," Mr. Philips informed them. "Now hit the showers." As Nathan made his way to the locker room nearby, a tap on his shoulder stopped him.
"You're not even going to greet your coach," Whitey commented.
"Oh, you mean the one that took my captainship away from me and gave it to my bastard brother? Yeah, that'd be a no," Nathan replied. He was still angry with Whitey because of his decision.
"I know that you're upset, Nathan, but…" Whitey tried to explain but was cut off.
"No, you don't. You have no idea what you've done. My father flipped out when he heard. He's been calling me practically everyday to make sure I'm not 'going soft'," he explained making air quotes.
"Well, I'm sorry about that," Whitey replied. "But I did it because it's what's best for the team. And whether you realize it or not, it's what's best for you and Lucas."
"Whatever you have to believe. So I guess this means that you're going to put me and Lucas together aren't you?" Nathan questioned beating around the bush.
"I haven't decided yet."
"Yeah, right. Come on, Whitey. We both know you can't resist torturing me," Nathan pointed out.
"Possibly. Or maybe I just see something that you can't yet," he answered. Nathan looked at Whitey curiously. What is he talking about?
"Just remember that," Whitey added. The older man then patted him on the shoulder and walked over to join the rest of the counselors. Now Nathan was really confused. He had no idea what Whitey meant. He was being so cryptic.
"Yo, Nate, you coming?" Tim called.
"Uh, yeah," Nathan responded. He then took one more quizzical look back at Whitey before following his friend.
"One. Two. Three. Four. Five and six. Seven and eight," Diana the dance instructor called. She was teaching the girls the rest of the routine. To Haley's surprise, she was actually getting the hang of it today.
"Haley James, did I, or did I not, just see you drop it like it's hot!" Brooke quietly squealed next to her.
"What?" Haley laughed surprised.
"She's right," Peyton agreed as she bumped Haley with her hip. "You're getting pretty good."
"You'll be a Pussycat Doll before you know it," Brooke teased.
"I highly doubt that," Haley scoffed but smiled anyway.
"Ok, ladies, one more time from the top," Diana announced as she started the music. Once again "Don't Cha" began to play. Haley realized what her mistake was from before. She was concentrating on getting the moves right so much that it was actually throwing her off. Once she learned to relax and let the beat take over, she ended up doing pretty well.
"Great job, everyone," Diana complimented. "And Haley, I don't know what's gotten into you, but keep it up. You were looking good." Haley could feel her face turning pink at the sudden attention she was getting.
"Thanks," she shyly replied. Brooke and Peyton then enveloped her in a friendly hug.
"Oh please, so she didn't fall this time. She's still a total klutz," Stacey mumbled while rolling her eyes.
"Beats being a bitch," Haley replied causing a chorus of "ooohhhhss" to come from the rest of the girls.
"Sounds to me like someone's jealous," Brooke said standing up for Haley.
"You wish," Jaime retorted. By now, everyone at camp knew that these two groups of girls didn't get along. There was always some type of argument between them.
"No, my wish would be that you take a shower pronto. I can smell the skank all the way over here. It's called deodorant, honey. Use it," Brooke replied.
"You wanna take this outside, ho?" Jamie retorted.
"Who are you calling a ho you hussie," Brooke answered back coming closer to her.
"Alright, girls. That's enough," Diana reprimanded as she stepped between the two. "There will be no fighting. I expect you all to act like mature young ladies."
"Whatever," Stacey muttered under her breath. "Can we go now?" Ugh, I really hate her, thought Haley. That girl had no respect for anyone.
"Miss Keebler, either drop the attitude or don't come back," Diana stated in a serious tone. Haley was glad to see one person stand up to her. Most of the counselors just tried to ignore Stacey's mean behavior.
"Keebler?" Brooke questioned to Haley and Peyton a second later. "Like the elf?" All three girls snickered as they tried to control the insatiable urge to laugh.
"Anyway, before you leave, I have an announcement to make. Since the boys are having their own little tournament at the end of the summer, I decided to shake things up a little for you girls."
"This doesn't sound good," Haley muttered to Peyton who nodded.
"You ladies—should you choose to participate—will be cheering for the guys. I'm going to leave a sign-up sheet now and after the next few dance classes for you girls to join. If you have any friends who haven't been in dance with us, but may want to get involved, feel free to have them come, too." Oh. Hell. No. Haley began to panic. There was absolutely no way she would be able to get up and dance in front of hundreds of her fellow peers. She could barely do it in front of these girls. Not to mention, she was pretty sure that the little display she'd had on the basketball court a few days ago was still etched into everyone's minds.
"So that's about it. If you have any questions, just come and ask me," Diana concluded. They were then dismissed.
"How awesome!" Brooke began to get excited. "Somebody get me a pen."
"Uh, Brooke…" Haley trailed off trying to get her attention.
"We are going to have so much fun. Maybe I could flirt with that other CIT again so we can cheer for Lucas' team."
"That'd be cool," Peyton agreed.
"Brooke…" Haley tried again.
"Not to mention, just think about how hott we'll look when I design our uniforms. Broody, Jake, and Haley's mystery guy won't know what hit them."
"BROOKE!" Haley belted out finally getting the brunette's attention. "I'm not doing it."
"What? Of course you are."
"No, I'm not. I can barely do these simple dance moves. How in the living hell am I supposed to cheerlead on top of that?"
"Come on, Haley, it won't be that bad," Peyton reassured her. "Besides, we'll help you."
"Definitely. And you're getting better. You totally kicked ass today, Tutor Girl," Brooke added.
"Regardless, I'm not up for it. I've humiliated myself enough already."
"And what better way to prove everyone wrong?" Peyton countered.
"I can't believe you, Peyton. I thought you hated to cheer?" Haley argued.
"It beats sitting on our asses all summer. Besides, Stacey and her little band of bitches have it coming. We can totally take them."
"Plllleeeeaaasse…" Brooke begged. "Please?" She then gave Haley her sad puppy dog pout.
"Fine," Haley gave in. "I'll do it. But if I look like an even bigger idiot by the end of all this, you guys are dead."
"Well, don't worry because P. Sawyer and I so have this in the bag," Brooke assured her. "And once we help uncover you're hidden sex kitten, we'll totally be unstoppable." Seriously, what have I gotten myself into?