Chapter Thirteen

"Hey Baker." Haley greeted, opening her locker combination. "How was your christmas?"

Julian grinned at the girl he considered his best-friend behind Kat too. "It was okay, you know how my dad is."he said. "How about you? Was it good? Was Taylor okay, or was she being Taylor?" he asked, and then realized Haley was not paying attention but looking approximately eight lockers down to a dirty blonde Cutler.

He rolled his eyes, and snapped his fingers infront of her face causing her to jump.

"Um. Sorry. No, I don't think it's lame that your mom still calls you JuJu-Bee." Haley mumbled with a blush, after not hearing a word of what Julian had said. She had been to focused on Dean Cutler the guy who she sometimes has a small conversation with.

But the crush still hasn't faded.

Julian groaned. Why does she keep bringing that up? "When are you to make your move, Hales? He's going to college soon, you don't have long left." He warned her gently.

Haley sighed and closed her locker.

"It's not that easy."

Julian scoffed. "Sure it is, you're beautiful. He would be lucky to have you." He complimented sweetly.

Haley blushed. Even though Julian is her only best-friend, bestfriend in Long Beach anyway, those compliments can't help affect her. Kat keeps saying how different she looks, and how she's changed over the summer. Haley spend the last month of Summer at Tree Hill with Lucas, Nathan, Brooke, Peyton and Skills last year. Brooke had given her a make up which consisted of Haley dying her hair, and some new style tips She's even started wearing a little make up. She and Nathan had also started talking more and reminding him that she has forgiven him. But not ready yet.

Her hair was a dirty-blonde, similar to Dean's. She had also been given a curling iron from Luke (a tip from Brooke), so she's decided to use it. It's now her new look. Her hair was now always curled, and her bangs were clipped back into a twist and held together with a little grip. It definitely had changed since she started here.

Her clothes were more fashionable. She no longer wore t-shirts with cartoon characters on them. Or extremely baggy jeans. And skinny jeans. Her tops more often have pattern on them. A lot has changed over those past sixteen months. Well, for Haley at least.

"Right." Haley said with a sarcastic eye roll. "If it's that easy, then why don't you ask Olivia Jollesten for a date?"

The bell suddenly rang, which caused Julian to grin successfully, at least he's gotten out of making up an excuse for Haley's question.

"Later James." He said quickly, heading down the hallway before she had a chance to respond.

Haley glanced to her right and saw Dean now walking down the hall with Carter Jones. Julian's right, Dean is going to College soon. But what make him notice her? He didn't even take a second look at her new style. She's got a couple of months left to find a way to make him notice her, and then he may just be gone forever. Mostly likely leaving Haley to regret not making him hers.

But how was she supposed to do that?

Nathan grinned cockily as he walked down the hallway. God, he loved being a junior. Ever since he joined the team, people have respected him; they've looked up to him. But he was always just a kid, he just turned seventeen, he's favorite to be the captain next year. When Lucas found out he had HCM. And it also made Nathan one of them most popular guys in school.

Of course, he still has the same wish as last year. He wishes he had real friends. Friends who would like him for him, not because all the girls want to date him, or because he's amazing at basketball. Just someone who would care about him and talk to him about things. He had one of those before she left for Long Beach

Nathan had Tim, the guy who follows him around like a lost puppy, the guy who's does as he's told, and the guy is dimmer than him. But Tim's But just like the rest, he only likes Nathan because he's popular. He has Clay too, who moved here at the beginning of junior year. Clay's cool, they're friends. But Clay likes to keep to himself, so they're really not that close. Brooke is a friend he cares about, but he thinks for popularity reasons, Peyton ex ex girlfriend they were never really inlove but they are now good friends. And Haley James the only friend who was their for him after their breakup and vice versa.

He knew he was pushing it, bur he wanted a real girlfriend too, He had two in the past, until he knew that Peyton and him never felt anything anymore, and Haley he just hurt Haley badly. And he even slept with Peyton. His Uncle Cooper warned him about the dangers of sex, and how you should do it with someone you love, because it's a special bond. Not something you give away easily.

"Scott", Whitey shouted, sticking his head out of one the classrooms. "Come here. I need a word."

Nathan grumbled and walked into the classroom. "Why aren't you in your office?" he asked entering the math room.

"Mr. Roll is sick, so I'm covering his class" Whitey told the younger boy with a sigh. "Sit down." he ordered.

"Yes sir," Nathan mocked. Taking a seat. "Why am I here?"

"What is it?" he asked.

Whitey took hold of a piece of paper, and inspected it for a second. He then threw it back down on the desk and glared at Nathan "Your grades. You're failing most of your classes, you're only doing okay in Biology and Calculus. And you've got an A in gym. That isn't good enough. Nathan. I can secure your place on the team for the rest of the year. But if you don't get your grades up, I'm afar id I will have to kick you off the team. By Senior year."

Nathan shot up. "What?" he shouted. I'm going to be captain next year! You can't kick me out How am I supposed to get into Duke?"

Whitey didn't seem fazed by his outburst. "How are you expect to get into Duke without good grades? At this rate, you won't even graduate. It's not my decision, Nathan. It's school policy."

"Well can't you change it?"

"No," Whitey shook his head. "Sorry, son."

Nathan ran his hands over his face. "How am I supposed to get my grades in a few months? I'm as dumb as a post."

"Get a tutor." Whitey told him. "You'll have your grades up in no time."

Nathan thought about it for a second. Him being tutored, that wasn't good. That would just mean another person could call him stupid. He didn't want that.

"Zoey Daniels," Whitey spoke up, breaking Nathan away from his thoughts. "She the best, after Haley of course. You have to pay though. But she's the damn tutor they had since Haley left a few months ago, and I think she has a spot open."

Nathan didn't recognize the name but he nodded. "Okay, so where do I go?"

"I'm in the tutor center," Haley told Peyton over the phone with a sigh. She needed a new student, she needed more money. But apparently everyone had suddenly gotten smart and didn't need a tutor which sucked. "I'm a cheerleader."

Peyton groaned on the other end of the line. "Lucas isn't talking to me, he keeps staring at his girlfriend. I need you here, Hales."

Haley rolled her eyes. "Peyton, you know how important this job is for me."

"I know Hales. You need to get into college..."

"Because my mom can't afford it after my dad died." Haley finished for her, ignoring the pain in her stomach."Sorry Peyton, just talk to Lucas about math. Or offer to watch Hamlet or something with Julius Caesar with him , if he talks to you."

"No, way I'm not that desperate."

Haley giggled. "I'll talk too you later." Peyton tell Brooke, Luke, Nathan and Skills that I say Hi."

"Love ya, Hales and will do." And then heard a dial tone.

Haley sat down and ran her hands tiredly over her face. Ever since she's returned from Tree Hill two days ago, she's been working non-stop, so she can make a tiny bit of money she missed getting from not being there. She's still got thousands of dollars to save if she wants to get into Duke, the average cost of admission is $55,690. She's got $41,342.56 saved so far, so she's got a long way to go. Her mother is working multiple jobs too, to get extra cash and her father has left money in his will, but Haley still has to work multiple jobs to be able to afford it.

"Um, Haley James?" a deep voice asked, breaking her from her worries for a second.

Haley looked up and saw Logan Cutler, He was smirking at her, and his arms were crossed.

"Yeah?" she asked, slightly frustrated by his presence.

Logan smiled at her... wait, was that a real smile? She was gorgeous, but he couldn't let her know that obviously. He's Logan Cutler; he's not a sweet, caring guy. And this is Haley James the girl who had a crush on his brother. And she will just have to deal with it.

"Do you have any tutor spots open?"

Haley nodded cautiously. "Yeah why?"

"Well, I guess your my tutor."

Haley's eyes widened in surprise and more frustration. "Excuse me?"

Logan rolled his eyes and pointed at her. "You. Are. My. Tutor." he said slowly, saying each word as if it were a sentence.

"Who do you think you are?" she asked in complete shock. Haley doesn't care about that this was her crush's brother, he's an ass. She wasn't going to put up with his cockiness. No fricken way. It doesn't even matter that she needs money, there is no way she's tutoring that asshole.

Logan scoffed. "You obviously know who I am."

"Well I know you're an asshole." Haley said, collecting some books from the table and standing it up.

"Fiesty, I like it."

Just like Nathan. Haley instantly thought, along with Jock. Perv and Ass. She doesn't have a room to fit a pervy ass that's a jock into her life; Nathan is already hard enough to deal with. He's warned her about guys like him, so she's going to listen. Heck, he's even warned her about Logan. After hearing his reputation. Apparently he's been with half of the girls in the school.

"I'll assign you a different tutor." she told him, walking to one of the shelves and placing the books neatly at top of it.

"But you're the best," He said. "I need you to tutor me."

"So? Am I supposed to just do whatever you say? Am I supposed to change my schedule for you?" I don't care that you can score touchdowns-"

"I don't even play football. Logan chuckled.

Haley shook her head quickly, continuing her little ramble."Whatever. The point is I'm not going to deal with your stupid shit for a little bit of cash. I know you'll expect me to do all of your work for you, which I won't. So find someone else. I'll even assign you a guy so you don't get distracted."

He snorted. "Like I would attracted to you."

"I feel exactly the same way about you. So I wouldn't sleep with you either, you probably do that just to get out of actual work."

Okay, ouch. Logan thought with a wince. How could everyone think he's a man-whore? He hates that girl spread around that they've slept with him, even if he's only kissed them, or if they've made out for a couple of hours. It was stupid. And now he can't even get a tutor because of it.

"I wouldn't do that."

"Whatever. Can you please leave? I want to tutor someone who actually needs it."

"Please," Logan said softly, which surprised both of them. "I need this. If I don't get my grades up them I'm off the team next year. I won't get into college."

Haley almost felt sorry for him, almost. If she tutored him and he didn't get his grades up she then would be fired. And then she would be the one not able to go to college.

Haley grabbed her bag from the round table and headed for the door. "No,"

Realization dawned on him. He wasn't going to get tutored. Well, he was. But whoever it was, they were going to suck at it. Haley was going to give him a replacement. He was going to lose basketball, because he's an ass.

Then he realized something else.

No girl has ever said no to him before.

"Hello, is anybody here?" Haley asked, walking into the empty gym. That was odd, normally the door would be locked and the lights would be off. But then she spotted the coach. "Hey Johnny." she greeted, breaking him out of this thoughts as she walked over to the wooden bleachers and down next to him.

"Hello, Haley." John greeted the young girl. "How was your Christmas?

"It was good." she smiled. "I baked you some cookies." she stated, handing him the tin with her delicious treats inside.

Haley nudged him lightly. "What were you thinking? Telling Logan Cutler I would tutor him. I can't stand the guy."

Haley shook his head. "Don't make me feel guilty, Coach Donavan. He's not a nice guy, he expects me to help him just because he's a Cutler. I don't people like that.

Coach Donavan had always been the person who she could talk to about her dad. Her mom got upset whenever Haley mentioned him, so it was always nice for her to talk to someone who had known how great her dad was, and was never afraid to talk about it. Donavan is always great at helping her out and gives her advice. It really helps her when she needs Jimmy the most. She'll always care deeply for the old coach.

"Logan just needs a chance, maybe you could be the one to give it to him?

Haley considered his words. "Maybe"

You know the drill :) Check out my new story I wrote it is called "Opposites Attract." It's where Lucas and Nathan switch places, and it's not a Naley Fanfic. Or a Brucas it's a Brathan, Pathan and Laley fanfic. Don't wanna say too much check it out :) and feel free to review. And sorry for the long delay being a high school student comes with a lot of homework. Thanks for all those who added me to their favourite authors list, and followed my story. And for being all patient to me. Thank you. You guys rock. – Sidney.