Haley kept one watchful eye on the clock, one eye on the floor. Her heart pounded as loudly as the thunderous response from the Oakland crowd. There was less than a minute in the game with the score tied but by NBA standards, it was a lifetime. It was still anybody's game to take, the Boston Celtics or the Golden Gate Warriors. The intensity was enormous but the high stakes drama of it all had begun days earlier. The road schedule was absolutely grueling…Utah, Dallas, Los Angeles and the final stop in California's Bay area. The road trip had started off successful enough with a 15 point victory over the Jazz. But as quickly as it has started, the momentum began to unravel.

The Mavericks had decimated and embarrassed the Celtics, holding its star Nathan Scott without a basket until the middle of the fourth quarter. The victory had caused a stir within the sports world and Haley had quietly watched from the sidelines as her boyfriend had taken quite the beating in the press. When the team was on top of its game, he was the beloved star, a worshiped king who could do no wrong. But one slip up, one bad game and it was as if the world turned on him. It was all his fault. Haley had listened in on the press conferences, sadly and quietly shaking her head. She has listened in silence as Nathan angrily read aloud the negativity laced reviews in all the papers. Cheerfully she had tried to remind him that L.A. was another day, another city, another game. Too bad the dark omen that lurked over them was the one thing that remained.

The Clippers had taken advantage of Boston's bad luck and subsequent mental off balance. They had played team basketball from the beginning of the game, implementing a smart and savvy strategy to gang up on Boston's "wounded" hero. Nathan had played hard but the opposition only played harder. His frustration grew as his stats staggered and five opposing players capitalized every chance they could. At times it felt like he couldn't even count on his own teammates. It was coming and everyone recognized it…the clenched fists, the reddened face, the harsh swear words slipping from his lips that made the censors cringe. Exercising self control had never been one of the strong points he was known for. An all out mid third quarter brawl had led to his immediate ejection from the game. But Nathan wasn't done. To the fans' shock, to Haley's horror, to the Celtics' dismay, his tantrum fueled rant continued as he stormed off the court, angrily pointing and cursing, ripping off his jersey and tossing it onto the floor before kicking over a large cooler of Gatorade.

Immediately Haley had risen to her feet, instinctively trying to get to his side. But it was an impossible feat. Within seconds a small crowd had separated them. Haley forced her way to the back. If only she could see him, talk to him. He was obviously enraged but no one needed to see him like that. He needed to be calmed and a bunch of staff and reporters would only have the opposite effect on him. She knew she could reach him but the end goal was unattainable. Glancing over, she saw a familiar face and with it an unlikely chance for hope.

"Mr. Scott…" she pleaded.

If anyone could get her in, it was him. Their eyes met and his narrowed and darkened as he gave her a smirk and quickly disappeared from sight. She tried to push her tiny frame through the small crowd but it was of no use. So all she could do was wait and wait and wait some more. The minutes dragged on and felt like an eternity as Haley impatiently waited her turn behind the team, the staff and the press. She slowly entered the locker room area where more than a few people still lingered on. In a private corner in the back, she caught her first glance of him. His dark hair and body was still damp from the shower. Although physically he was quite the specimen, as always, his demeanor appeared angry and agitated. Haley was sure his father hovering over him was not helping matters one bit.

"What the hell was that, son?"

"Just lay off, Dad," Nathan warned between clenched teeth.

"I will not lay off, are you kidding? Are you out of your mind? First that debacle in Texas and now this? What are you trying to do? It's career suicide!"

"Dad!"

"They watch every move you make. Don't you get that? Sports Center is going to make a meal out of this."

"I don't need to hear your stupid lecture right now, Dad. It's not helping anything. Why don't you just get lost?"

Dan laughed in spite of the situation.

"Get lost, eh? And that is supposed to solve everything? Keep dreaming, Nate! I am the least of your problems right now. You have fans to worry about as well as sponsors. The coaches are infuriated, the press is ready to have your ass for breakfast and not to mention, your team."

"My team? What team, Dad? If their asses knocked down a shot or two every once in a while I wouldn't have to carry them for 48 minutes every night."

"You are impossible, you know that?" Dan straightened his tie. "Stay here and try not to make an even bigger mess of things. I'll see you back at the hotel."

"Where the hell are you going?" Nathan mumbled.

"To save your ass yet again, son. It's called damage control, maybe you should try it sometime."

With that, the older Scott stalked off, leaving Nathan all alone. Haley cautiously made her way over to him, jumping as his fist angrily connected with the wall.

"Are you okay?" she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

He looked at her before looking away again.

"It's bullshit, all of it."

"I know."

"Do you? Do you really? Do you know what I have to go through?"

"Nathan…"

"I do everything for everybody and it's never enough," he said, shaking his head and staring off into space. "I'm there for the fans and the charities. I fucking carry this team on my back. Reporters and coaches want to talk about a franchise? I am the franchise, Haley."

It was a lot of pressure, too much for anyone to deal with and she truly felt sorry for him.

"It was a bad couple of games, so what? I mean, everybody makes mistakes. You're only human, Nathan."

"What?"

"You're upset, I get that. You have every right to be. But dwelling on it isn't gonna make it better. People are gonna talk and write and do whatever they do. You can't change that. I hate seeing you like this. Just…just get dressed and let's get out of here. We'll get some food and head back to the hotel and talk. You'll feel better, it'll be okay."

"You don't get it," he took a seat on the bench. "You don't know what it feels like. No one does."

She walked over to him.

"You're right. I can't pretend that I do because I don't. All I can do is be here to listen to you, to help you in any way I can."

She ran her fingers through the drying mop atop his head. Her other hand gently stroked his face as their eyes met. The stillness of the moment was interrupted when he unexpectedly pulled her onto his lap. She gasped, then laughed before he kissed her. His lips, his tongue, everything about his kisses always felt so heavenly. Haley moaned in his mouth as the kiss deepened.

"Come here," he grumbled, roughly pulling her closer.

"Nathan," she groaned in between kisses. "Not…not here. Come on. Someone could see us. What, what if your dad comes back?"

"I don't care. Let them watch. It'll give them something else to talk about."

She giggled but it was plain to see he wasn't joking. He began to unbutton her shirt so forcefully that several of the buttons spilled onto the floor.

"Nathan…"

"Just be quiet for a minute, alright?"

"Nathan, stop it."

"It's okay…"

Suddenly the pawing and the rough kisses were becoming too much. He was like a different person and when he came dangerously close to the wiretap, she jumped away falling out of his lap.

"What is wrong with you?" she breathed trying to gather her wits.

"What's wrong with you?" he shrugged. "I thought you said you wanted to be with me, that you wanted to help me."

"I do but not like this. Nathan, you're out of control!"

"What is this, Haley? Huh? What, you're not ready for an adult relationship? What, are you a virgin or something?"

"No, not that it's any of your business. Gosh, Nathan, I can't believe you right now. What has gotten into you? Why are you doing this?"

"Do you want to be with me or not?" he demanded.

"Do I want to talk to you when you're normal and have a relationship? Yes. Do I want to screw you in the back corner of a locker room when your teammates, coach and some guy from Sports Illustrated are just a few feet away? Hell no."

He shook his head.

"It's a different tune when you're the star and everything is going great. People worship you when you're up but when you're down…"

"Don't. Nathan, come on."

"Unbelievable. You're just like the rest of them."

"Nathan…"

"What do you want from me?"

Her heart stopped beating from a moment.

"The truth," she blurted out. "You."

He looked away.

"I think you should go."

"Nathan…"

"Now, Haley! I mean it. Just get out of here. Get the hell out of here."

Fighting back tears, she left without another word. Her feelings were hurt. It was a very different, very ugly side to a guy she cared about. But it was more than that when Nathan Scott wasn't what he seemed. If a couple of poor performances in a game caused him to lose his temper, what else could? Haley closed her eyes. She feared the answer to those questions the most.