Haley James cursed out loud. In a technology filled millennium of Ipods and MP3 Players, Digital TV and Blackberries, she was just catching up by purchasing her first cell phone…ever. In truth, she had never really needed one before. She was always surrounded by family and friends and whatever house they had settled in, a land phone always eventually followed. She hadn't been that out of touch with society. Or at least she thought.
"Okay, James", she said out loud to herself. "Get with it. This is not hard. This is not brain surgery and even if it was, you could do it because you have the IQ of a genius. Now…flip the little door thingy up. Dial the numbers and press the button with the green sign on it for 'send'. Okay, got it. Green is for send and red ends the call and…"
The phone rang in her hand and she jumped. On the screen the Caller ID read HOME. Haley fumbled to answer it. Okay, she had taught herself how to make a call but she hadn't got around to covering how to take one. Where was that damned manual?
"Haley bub? Haley? Can you hear me?"
Apparently in pressing all those buttons, she had done something right, she thought as she put the phone to her ear.
"Mom?"
"Hey, sweetie girl! How are you?"
"Good. Um, everything is fine. How are you guys?"
"We are great but we miss you though. Elijah's band played last night and we all went to see that. Your dad was so proud he jumped right on the stage. They jammed to Bob Dylan covers all night. What a hoot! And Vivian is pregnant, Quinn got a new job and no one has heard from Taylor in weeks, big surprise."
Haley smiled.
"Sounds like everything is normal."
"It is. Except for your brother, Jonas."
"What's wrong with Jonas?"
"He comes home the other day and the boy can't go a two minute conversation without scratching his balls. I mean it. Scratch, scratch, scratch. Finally, we couldn't take it anymore. Guess what it was? You'll never guess. I'll tell you anyway. Crabs. Swear to God."
Haley groaned. The last thing she wanted to hear about were her older brother's crabs.
"Uh, Mom, thanks for the insight and I know I said I wanted you to keep me in the family loop while I was away but that's just too much information."
Lydia ignored her.
"So that's what's cracking on our end. How are you?"
"Fine."
"Are you eating well? You know, I worry about stuff like that."
"I'm eating, Mom."
"What are you eating? What did you have for dinner last night?"
Haley sighed.
"A cheeseburger."
Lydia gasped.
"First your brother comes home with crabs and now you're eating cheeseburgers. Drive a stake through my heart, why don't you?"
Haley couldn't help but smile.
"What can I say? I'm a sinner, a rebel."
"You just have to find you own way in the world but you're still my baby and I still love you."
"I love you, too, Mom."
"Do you need anything?"
"I'm fine."
"What about reefer?"
"Mom!"
"What? It's a simple question. Just want to know if you've found any good bud up there."
"No, I haven't. I…"
"Want Daddy and I to send you some?"
Haley was mortified.
"No! You can't send me marijuana through the mail, Mom."
"Okay, okay. Just asking. You have to be careful these days. You go to buy a dime bag of weed and no telling what other crap is mixed in there. Pot is a great thing and it comes from Mother Earth. Smoke it and love it. But be careful like I said. That reminds me of the time your dad had that bad LSD trip, which is why to this day he cannot watch The Wizard Of Oz while listening to Pink Floyd. It's a shame."
Haley laughed. Her whole family were a bunch of cuckoo free spirits. Turning around, she gasped. The whole time she had been on the phone in the tutoring center, she had thought she was alone and her back was to the door. Now in front of her was a tall dark haired guy wearing basketball shorts and a sleeveless Nike shirt. He was staring at her with the craziest look on his face.
"Uh, Mom. I have to go. I'll call you guys back. Bye."
With a red face she looked at the guy, judging by the books and orange paper in his hand, had come for a tutoring appointment.
"Hey", he said. "Are you my tutor?"
"Let's see", she said, looking over his paper. "Um, it looks that way. Why, why don't you have a seat and we'll get started."
"Okay", he sat.
"Haley bub? You still there? Who is that in the background? Is it a boy? Is he cute?"
Haley felt her face burn.
"What the hell is that?" her pupil asked.
"It's my mom on the cell phone."
"Do you want to take the call?"
"Huh? Oh no. No, I told her I'd talk to her later."
He made a face.
"Then do you want to end the call?"
Haley looked embarrassed.
"I would like that but uh, I don't really know how."
He reached for the phone and she gave it to him. With one click, it was done.
"New phone?" he asked.
"Actually, my first phone."
He looked confused.
"Like ever?"
"Yeah."
"Why? How could you not have a cell phone?"
"It's a long story. I kind of grew up on this commune and then we moved around a lot and for a while we were in my dad's RV, then we got a house, a couple of them actually. They're total hippies. Like dancing around naked, listening to Janis Joplin…the whole nine yards. Thus the reason they smoke a lot of grass, which I know you heard me talking about it on the phone. I don't do it, I mean, I did, I have but not lately. I mean, it's pretty harmless and there are worse drugs but I just don't want to anymore. Not that I judge anyone who does, I mean, obviously if you did it would be okay. Not that you need my permission. You don't even know me but if you're an athlete, they get pretty strict about that around here, huh?"
"Yeah."
"I'm rambling. Sorry. I'm a rambler sometimes. Anyway, Haley James", she extended her hand and she took it, before glancing at the tutor's manual. "Uh, welcome to the Wake Forest University Tutoring Center sponsored by your Student Union and uh, um…I hope you brought all the required materials. What, what is your name?"
He raised an eyebrow. She didn't know?
"Nathan Scott."
"Nice to meet you, Nathan."
"Are you okay?"
"Who me? Oh yeah. I'm great. Why?"
He shrugged.
"I don't know. You seem nervous."
"I do?"
"Yeah. Look, it's cool. A lot of people get nervous around me. You don't have to be. I'm here to be tutored so just don't let all the hype get to you."
"What hype?"
He grinned. Was she serious?
"I'm Nathan Scott."
"I know. You told me. You're on my list."
"No. I don't think you get it. I said I'm Nathan Scott."
"Okay…"
"Number 23 ring a bell? Last year's ACC championship?"
"Sorry. I didn't go here last year and even if I did, I have no idea what that it."
"Oh", Nathan looked stumped.
It was a first time for everything.
"Is that like sports? It says on your file that you play basketball…"
Nathan rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, it does and if I want to keep playing, I have to have a tutor so my dumb ass won't flunk right out of school."
"Oh don't say that. You're not dumb. And I'm here to help you. Haley James to the rescue. Is this your first time?"
He smirked. When was the last time a girl had asked him that one?
"Getting tutored? Yeah, you could say that."
"Whew! That's a relief. It's my first time too, tutoring that is. But it's okay. We'll help each other, right?"
Nathan sat back and smirked to himself. The blind leading the blind. Why not? He was holding up his end of the bargain. He had reached out for help. If the school was providing inadequate assistance, who could hold him liable for his grades? And if they tried, Dan Scott would slap a lawsuit on them so fast, they'd never know what hit them.
"Right", he leaned back with a smile.
Some things were just too easy.