She yelled at him. She threatened him. She made him work. She even beat him at golf and air hockey—but she sucked at video games.

All in all, Haley wasn't half as bad as he'd expected her to be. When Nathan was completely honest with himself, he actually kind of liked spending time with her. Originally, he'd thought that she would be boring, nerdy, and apprehensive—and in the beginning, she was certainly the latter—but once she opened up she was witty, amusing, and intelligent.

Beyond that, despite her sometimes cutting remarks in their conversations, she was always patient with him when he didn't deserve it in their sessions and she didn't mock him over the details that he failed to comprehend.

She knew what she was talking about and had a way with explaining her thoughts in a clear manner. As time went on, Mr. Turner began going over the book and Nathan found that he understood what was going on—not because of the teacher but because of Haley.

She made his mornings a little more bearable. Haley took his mind off of his troubles and made him laugh.

It was weird, but since that night at Mulligan's he felt that he could be himself around her, tossing aside the arrogance and bullshit that buried him when he was at school. He didn't even feel that comfortable around his best friends; there was always a mask that needed to be in place, a façade of strength and conceit.

"Scott, you're zoning out on me," Haley announced, flicking his arm lightly with her pen. "Don't tell me there's something in your mind more interesting than Svidragaylov and his past?" She frowned teasingly and cocked her head to the side.

He let out a small laugh and shook his head. "Is that even possible?" he asked sarcastically.

"You wouldn't think, would you?" she chuckled in response. When he didn't reply, instead looking listless and faraway, she sighed to herself. She didn't mind spending time with Nathan but he was undoubtedly a complex character that she had yet to fully understand. "Is something wrong?"

"Tell me something about you that nobody knows."

Haley stared at him, unsure where the question had come from. She was almost positive that he hadn't heard a thing she'd said about the character Svidragaylov in Crime and Punishment. "You wanna run that by me one more time?"

His dark eyes were locked onto hers with a startling intensity. "Tell me something about you."

"Like what?" she asked, pushing aside her chapter notes to give him her complete attention. His general course of action seemed to be impulsive and random, and she wasn't sure she minded that. It certainly made their morning sessions more interesting.

"Something nobody knows. Something surprising."

She eyed him wearily, sensing something lurking beneath his question. "Something nobody knows or something Lucas doesn't know?"

Nathan looked distinctly guilty but tried to appear perplexed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know, Nathan, you've gotten a lot better but you still have some of that old bullshit in you."

Irritated that she had to bring up the topic of Lucas, Nathan smiled wickedly. "Old habits die hard."

"I hate to break it to you, but Luke's still my friend and he knows me about as well as I know myself. You're not gonna get one up on him about me, so I suggest you stop trying."

He sighed. "Just tell me something about you."

She was disappointed that she had ruined their fun, so she raised an eyebrow teasingly in an attempt to regain some of the playfulness. "Something dark and private?"

An unexpected warm feeling tugged at his heart as he looked at her, leaning across the small table with a devilish gleam in her dark eyes. For the first time, he realized that she was actually a very pretty girl. A long, shiny mane of chestnut colored hair was down and flowing free as usual. Her smooth, creamy skin was lightly tanned and the vibrant life in her eyes startled him. And then there was that smile… something about her smile was beginning to get to him. He couldn't explain it.

"Something dark and private would be great."

She grinned and leaned closer. "I'm really a man," she whispered in his ear before returning to her position with a completely serious look on her face. "Dark enough for you?"

Nathan grimaced. "Too dark."

This brought a laugh from Haley. "Really, I should have stayed a male. I would have been much more attractive, I think."

"I disagree," Nathan voiced emphatically. "Come on, be serious. Tell me something real."

What had he meant when he disagreed? That she was pretty? Or simply that she would make a truly horrid-looking man? More importantly, why did she care? "How do you know that isn't real?"

"Because you look nothing like a man," he said seriously.

Haley shrugged her shoulders. "The miracles of modern medicine."

"You're really starting to frighten me."

She smiled and began to think about what she could tell him about herself. She hated to admit it, but she was starting to value him as a friend—and that was dangerous. Letting him get even closer to her, letting him into her mind and sharing with him the details of her life, was even more dangerous. The more time she spent with him, the more she saw his good points. She liked who Nathan really was when he was away from the pressure and expectations of his father and the rest of his peers. He was kind and funny and cute, and Lucas would kill her if he ever found out she felt that way… "Okay. I like chocolate."

"I already knew that," he pointed out with a smile. After the first week he'd been pretty good about being on time, but he'd slipped up once because he'd forgotten to set his alarm clock. Luckily, he had thought to come bearing gifts and the venomous look on her face because of his tardiness had faded immediately when she noticed the cups of hot chocolate in his hands. Not only was she a chocolate addict, but she also had a soft spot for coffee and tea.

"Oh, yeah." She bit her lip and looked up at him, noting that he was looking straight at her. "I write songs."

Nathan smiled at the timid voice in which she made her confession. Was Haley James, the same girl who had told him off on more than one occasion, really unsure of herself over something? "Now I'm intrigued. You're gonna have to sing one for me sometime."

She shook her head emphatically. "I don't sing, I just write."

"Why?"

"Honestly? My voice is only so-so and I find the composition a lot more fun than trying to make myself not sound like a dying cat." She pretended to wince. "I don't even want to think about it. What about you? Tell me something about you that I don't know."

"I didn't expect to like you when I asked you to help me," he revealed without thinking. Immediately he wondered why he had chosen to share that specific detail with her, but he knew he couldn't take it back.

Instead of blowing up at him, Haley chuckled. At least she knew he was telling the truth for sure. "I've got to agree—you've grown on me."

"With my pretty face, how could I have not?"

Haley groaned. Why had she ever let that stupid compliment slip through her lips? "Right. Pretty-faced boy who sucks at golf."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm glad things turned out this way, though," Nathan told her, a genuine smile gracing his face. He was surprised to realize that he was telling the truth—his words were more than just a line to get to her.

"Me too." Haley smiled sweetly in return, then swatted at him with the papers that held her notes. "But if you don't pass today's test, I'm going to quit, so you better listen up."

He rolled his eyes. He'd been doing fairly well on their tests in English. He would never forget Haley's proud grin when he got his first test back from Mr. Turner—an eighty-eight. She had been even happier than he was.

"Fine," he sighed dramatically, but his attention was soon riveted on Haley as she began explaining to him the importance of Svidragaylov's history and his connection to Raskolnikov's sister, both of which were going to be the main topics of the essay questions on their exam.

"Wait, so you're telling me that Svidragaylov's a dirty old man?" Nathan interrupted quickly. "I figured out that everyone thought he killed his wife, but he was a perv too?"

Haley laughed outright at the astonishment in Nathan's voice. "Right. And that's important because it relates to how he acts later on…" When Haley was done, she found herself the object of what appeared to be intense scrutiny.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked cautiously, beginning to feel self-conscious with the way he was staring at her.

"Do you ever put your hair up?"

"Were you listening to me at all?" she demanded incredulously. "And what is with you today, are you just being random question boy?"

"I was listening to you," Nathan assured her, finding her reaction to him amusing. "But I was also wondering why you always keep your hair down. Now answer the question."

She frowned and stared back at him challengingly. "Tell me what I just said about the gift Svidragaylov offers Dunya."

"You have no faith in me," Nathan commented, meeting her strong stare. "He offers her ten thousand roubles because he feels guilty and wants to win her back after treating her like shit, but she doesn't want them because she feels it would be dirty to take his money."

"I'm impressed."

"Answer the question."

She sighed, wondering why it was even a topic of discussion. Did it really matter that much whether or not she was a boring, unfashionable drone? "Actually, I do put my hair up sometimes. More often at home," she answered.

"Hmm… interesting."

"Not so interesting. Oh, shit, we're running late. I better go," she said, hurriedly getting up from the bench and shoving her papers into her bag. By the time he stood up, she was already hurrying away from their table. "I'll see you in class."

"Haley, wait!" He jogged the few steps it took to catch up with her and gently grasped her arm, forcing her to slow down. "You're gonna be late if you walk. Let me give you a ride."

She bit her lip, thinking about it. A quick glance at her watch confirmed that she would never make it to class on time if she walked to school, but it was an unspoken rule between them that they not be seen together on campus. She didn't want Lucas to see her and figure something was up, and he seemed perfectly fine with ignoring her the way he used to while they were in public. Haley figured it had something to do with keeping up his social standing. After all, it couldn't look entirely good for his reputation to be seen with someone like her—an outsider in the 'popular' group.

But she hated being tardy and chances were, Lucas would be in class by the time they got there. They weren't running much of a risk. Haley looked up at Nathan's face and smiled slightly. "Thanks."

He smiled back. "No problem."

When they got in the car, Nathan noticed that Haley continued to rub her hands together in an attempt to get warmer. "You cold?" he asked while driving down the main road to their school.

"A little," she admitted.

Keeping his eyes on the road, Nathan reached out to put on the heater and flipped it up to full blast. "Maybe this will help."

It was a sweet gesture, not something she would have expected from Nathan weeks ago. But now, it seemed perfectly in character for him to be kind to her. "Thanks, Nathan, but you don't have to—"

He cut her off with a playful flick to her scarf. "Shh. You're all wrapped up—that must mean you're cold. I can't having you freezing to death in my car; they would probably blame me for it."

"With good reason."

"I resent that."

Haley wrinkled her nose at him and unwrapped the scarf that was wound around her neck, as if in defiance. "I just don't want to get sick again. It wasn't long ago that I was puking my guts out for days; it's an experience that sticks with you for a while."

"Not a pretty mental picture."

"It wasn't too fun to live through, either," Haley chuckled softly, turning to stare out the window and toying with the scarf in her hands. "You ready for this week's game?"

"Of course," Nathan answered without hesitation. "We've been looking really good in practice."

"Lucas told me," Haley replied. "I'm glad. Listen, thank you for leaving him alone. I know you guys don't get along and it's probably hard for you to play nice but… I really appreciate it. He seems happier without the extra hassle, you know?"

Honestly, he could see that. The entire team was playing better now that they didn't have to worry about underlying tension between the players. Even Nathan could feel a step-up in his game. He tended to ignore Lucas but even when they talked they could manage to be civil and, as his time with Haley went on, he found himself less interested in using her to hurt her friend and more worried about just forming a solid friendship with his tutor. If he hurt Lucas, he would hurt her, and for some reason he didn't want to hurt her. She made him feel human, something he hadn't felt in a long time. "A deal's a deal, right?"

"Right." Haley forced a smile and nodded, staring at the trees and building as they passed by in a blur. That hadn't been the answer she'd been looking for. What she wanted to hear was that he'd changed his mind—about Lucas, about her, about the way he lived his life. She wanted to hear him say that he'd realized that being nice was better than behaving like a jerk, that even if she suddenly decided not to help him anymore—which she would never do—he would still be nice to Lucas because it was right and, beyond that, it was making him happy, too.

Apparently that was wishful thinking on her part.

Nathan wasn't sure what was happening to him. He'd started his plan thinking that he would win Haley's trust, do as she asked for a while, and break her to hurt Lucas. It didn't matter how she felt afterwards; she could feel used, hurt, angry… he didn't much care.

But now he knew her, and the thought of using her and facing her wrath and hatred afterwards left a bad taste in his mouth. She'd become an important part of his life, a part he didn't want to lose over something so stupid. Maybe his plan needed a little reworking.

When Nathan pulled his car into his parking space at school, Haley glanced over at him curiously. God, she wanted so badly to know what went on in his mind. "Thanks for the ride… again. One day I'll be sure to return the favor," she chuckled. It always seemed he was helping her out by driving her around.

"You drive?" Nathan asked inquisitively.

"Yes."

"Do you have a car?"

"Yes," she answered, smirking at his surprised look. "And before you ask why I don't drive, it's because I feel lazy when I drive places that I could just as easily walk to. Walking is my form of exercise. Take that away and I'll expand like a balloon."

"Well it seems to work well for you."

Haley laughed, looking down at her hands and silently cursing the blush that slowly spread over her cheeks. So that was how he got what he wanted with the opposite sex—charm and that sweet, boyish, almost shy smile that could melt the insides of any normal woman like butter. Haley thought that she was strong enough to resist him, but her wall of steel was failing. She had never been one to be deeply moved by an attractive male. She needed to remind herself that he was a jerk. Who had known that deep down she was such a pansy?

"We're gonna be late," she pointed out, hurrying out of the car. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah. See you later," Nathan echoed, watching with a sense of loss as she took off towards her first class. "What the hell is wrong with me?"