Hey… I was on a little trip Friday to today so that's why I didn't update… but here's another chapter!

For All You're Worth

Chapter 26

Haley walked to the docks with the books in her hand. She was early as always and was not expecting to see Nathan already there waiting for her.

She sat down in front of him as he smiled at her, "Good morning."

"Let's skip that and get straight to business," Haley took the novel Nathan was reading in his English class. "English, right?"

"Actually I'm failing a lot of classes."

"Figures," Haley rolled her eyes. "What classes do you need help with?"

"All of them. We might have to do this tutoring thing for a while," he smirked.

"And you're happy about that?" she raised a brow. Nathan shrugged and was about to say something, "Don't answer that. I don't have the patience. Name the classes and I'll write us a schedule for what to work on and when."

"English, French, math-"

"What math?"

"Algebra two. And umm- Government," he added.

"Government? You're kidding, right? You always know the answer in class and I'm sure you get good grades."

"Yeah well sometimes I can't remember anything."

"You don't need a tutor for Government," Haley concluded. "Is that all?"

"Wow, you really hate me," Nathan laughed. "I'm not Kyle, you know. No need to take your anger on me."

Haley looked at him. "We're not going to talk about him. I know you're not him because he cares and you-"

"Still see him as that night in shinning armor, I see," Nathan cut in.

Haley fell silent. "Just don't waste my time. I don't wish to discuss anything with you, simply school, understood?"

"Whatever you say," Nathan smiled taking the book from her. "So we doing English first?"

Why was he taking charge? That was her job. "No, math," she took the book back from him.

"Why not English?"

"Don't argue with me and take out your math book," she said sternly.

"I don't have it here."

"If you knew I'd have to tutor you in math why didn't you bring your math book?"

"I don't know I just didn't."

"Well what did you bring?"

"Nothing," Nathan replied. "Wait," he took a pen out of his pocket, "this."

"This is a waste of my time," Haley took the books and got up.

"No, Haley, wait!"

"Why should I? You're not making an effort. I don't even know why you want this tutoring."

"Because if I don't get my grades up Whitey's going to kick me off the team. Basketball's important to me. Do you know what it's like to lose that one important thing in your life?"

Haley looked straight into his eyes. She lost Kyle and knew exactly what he was talking about. She sat down. "If you don't take this seriously I'm not going to tutor you."

"Yeah I know. Thanks," he smiled at her as she began flipping through the novel.

"Why weren't you here this morning?" Lucas asked Haley at lunch.

"She was tutoring and it's no one we know," Peyton filled him in. "I already asked her in class."

Haley nodded.

"Okay, excusable."

"And if it wasn't?" Haley raised up her brow.

"Then we're ditching you," he joked.

"So every single thing I do is grounds for ditching?"

"Pretty much."

"LUKE! That's not fair!"

"Haley that was a joke!" he chuckled.

"Oh," she blushed.

"Hey Hales, do you want to have a sleepover tonight? Like we used to," Peyton asked.

"Yes!" Haley beamed. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"We get the message," Mouth laughed along with Peyton and Lucas.

"Oh shut up," she playfully smacked him. "When should I come? Or do you want to come to my house?"

"My house is good. My dad's not home so we can do anything we want," Peyton winked.

"Like what?" Lucas asked interestedly.

"Strip, look at porn, you know, the usual," she joked.

"Oh I'm so there."

"No you're not," Peyton laughed. "It's a girl thing."

"Stripping and looking at porn?"

"No. Facials, watching chick-flicks, having long talks, soap marathons," Peyton explained.

"The usual," Haley added.

"Oh, then you can do that while I'll be at the rivercourt playing ball. Mouth?"

He nodded, "Not playing of course."

"Well you 'announce' the game like you always do while Fergie, Junk, Skills and I play."

"The usual," Mouth said as they all laughed.

"Not that I don't love ya, Nate, but you should really get friends at your school," Cooper laughed as he took a drink from his beer.

"All bastrads," Nathan said.

"All? What, you know everyone at your school?"

He shrugged. "I just don't care to find out anymore. I'm better off alone."

"Or with her."

'Especially with her,' Nathan thought as he nodded.

"And what if it doesn't work out?"

"It will."

"But what if it doesn't?"

Nathan fell silent as he thought of not having her in his life. She made him smile even when she was angry with him. He wanted her to laugh at his jokes and answer his questions. He just wanted her.

"You can't drive here every lunch period. You need friends your own age, Nate."

"I know. But I can't think of anyone right now."

"How about your teammates?"

"Asses."

"Your brother?"

"Hell no!"

"And why not?"

"Look, just because I changed my mind about her doesn't mean I changed my mind about him."

"Okay, whatever you say."

Haley's eyes widened when she saw the two desks set up in her calculus class; challenge day.

Was she ready? She began to freak out. What if she lost like last time? Not by one point but by twenty. She needed the extra credit for her grade. It had nothing to do with Aundrea this time.

She sat down as she took a sheet of paper and a pencil to practice while the other students would went.

She tried reviewing all the latest material in her mind. She tried to calm herself down. Sadly, she didn't have any faith in herself. She couldn't rebound from last time. You can't just win after losing with zero points; you just couldn't; even if you were Haley James.

"Any volunteers for first?" Miss Ferrell questioned.

Aundrea raised her hand and Haley did too, slowly. "You two are last as always," she said.

Aundrea raised her brow. She had beaten Haley, totally crushed her, last time they played. Was she serious about having them against each other again? She decided to keep quiet and not say anything.

She called up two students who began the game. Haley just wanted to get it over with. She didn't want to wait until the end of class. As every minute passed her heart beat faster; she was solving the equations and checked over them like she did before. But she knew that against Aundrea it wouldn't be as easy.

"Aundrea and Haley," Miss Ferrell said towards the end of the class as the two girls brought up their pencils and sat across from each other. The students kept doing what they did before: texting their friends or doodling. Seeing the two competing against each other was no longer interesting as they already knew who was going to win.

Miss Ferrell uncovered the first question.

"Cosine of x squared," Haley said after buzzing the bell.

"Correct," Miss Ferrell awarded Haley one point.

How did she answer that quickly? Aundrea thought. She decided to step up her game.

"Sine squared to the x."

"Cosine to the n minus two power."

The students began to pay attention as the competition became heated again; just like it used to be.

"Sine squared x plus cosine squared x equals one."

Saying the answers all the while not even making one exchange between one another; dissing Aundrea really didn't matter to her anymore.

"And that's game," Miss Ferrell called to all the students' surprise. "Twenty, eighteen, Haley.

Haley got up from the seat and walked to her own. All she cared about was that it was Friday and it was the last period of the day. She got the extra credit and expected to be happier about it; but something blocked it. Her eagerness and thrill of learning just wasn't there anymore.

"Do you think people our age can fall in love, Peyton?" Haley asked her friend when she was at Peyton's house.

"Do you mean to ask whether I think you were in love?" Peyton asked knowing exactly what was on her mind. Haley looked up at her and nodded. "Yes, I believe that you were in love."

"And him?"

"I don't know," Peyton shrugged. "I don't know him enough to say."

"It's just that-" she started. "I don't know. I mean he's already with other girls and-"

"Hales," Peyton cut in. "Guys and girls handle break-ups differently. Especially guys like Kyle. I mean us girls, we just cry. Now guys like him have egos and a reputation that they can't ruin. He can't seem heart-broken; even if he was in love with you."

Haley nodded. "What if he wasn't?"

"Then he wasn't," she answered simply.

"I just can't think of a reason why he would tell me he's in love if he's not."

"Then he was. Guys don't like to commit so they don't tell their girl they're in love if they're not. Unless of course…" Peyton trailed off.

"Unless what?" Haley asked after she saw Peyton wasn't going to complete her thought.

"Unless he thought that he could get you to sleep with him if you thought he was in love."

"Oh," Haley looked away.

"Did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Sleep with him?"

Haley looked back to her, "No. Do you think that's why we broke up? Because I wasn't sleeping with him?"

"What if it was? Would you have done anything differently?"

Haley thought about it for a while as they sat there in silence.

"Would you have slept with him to keep him from breaking up with you?" Peyton asked once again.

Haley nodded her head silently as she felt the chocking feeling creep into her throat.

"You would?" Peyton asked wide-eyed.

Haley looked at her feet and just sat there in silence. "I'm still in love with him, Peyton," she whispered.

"I figured," she replied looking into her friend's teary eyes. "I wish you weren't."

"I wish I wasn't too," Haley let out a sad laugh as she wiped away a tear.

"But we can't help who we fall in love with, right?"

"Yeah."

They sat there, once again in silence.

"How much ice-cream have you had since you two broke-up?" Peyton asked out of nowhere.

"None."

"None?!" Peyton got wide-eyed once more. "You're kidding, right?"

Haley shook her head with a smile.

"Oh this is crazy," Peyton smirked as she took Haley's hand. "You're coming with me."

The two laughed as Peyton pulled Haley towards the kitchen.

She missed her. Peyton was the only person she could really talk to, aside from Lucas but that was different. She missed those sleepovers and those conversations they'd have. She understood her; and that's really what she needed; someone to help her get through it, but not push her or lose patience; just a friend.

A/N: Now I know that the tutoring session wasn't what you hoped it would be but just wait… the good stuff is yet to come:p… so comment please!