This is going to have a little bit of a time skip! I can't believe this is chapter 50! Wow! Thank you for reading and for reviewing. I love this chapter as well!

Chapter 50

Lucas laughed quietly as he listened to Haley help a frustrated Nathan with the homework assignment he'd forgotten to do, which earned a very mean glare from both of them.

Haley was standing behind Nathan while he sat at the table, his face in his hands, laptop in front of them, a notebook with notes scribbled on it off to the side.

Nathan was about to say something to him, but he was cut off by the beautiful girl that had been dedicating her time to learn about a subject that she had never taken before in order to help him.

"Lucas, get out," Haley snapped to him, shaking her head and frowning. She raised her hand, threading her fingers through Nathan's dark hair, massaging his scalp lightly.

"No, wait! I'm just kidding," Lucas said, standing up and hurrying over to the table. "Let me help."

"Why don't you try Brooke and see if she's almost here?" Haley suggested, sending him a pointed look.

Lucas sighed, taking Haley's advice and pulling his phone out of his pocket, walking out of the room.

"Nathan," She said softly, rubbing his shoulders. "Why don't you take a break?"

"Yeah, I don't know if I can take a break," He said, squeezing his eyes shut and leaning back.

"You've been frying your brain," She said, kissing the top of his head.

"Yeah, well you're working and putting me through school. I don't have time to relax, Hales. I'm a procrastinator, which means this is all stuff that I hid from you until the last possible second," He grumbled, shaking his head.

She laughed, sliding her hands down to his chest, resting her chin on top of his head. "You know that you're smart, Nathan, right?"

"But I'm not, Haley! School is stupid," He grumbled, sighing softly.

She shook her head slightly, bunching his t-shirt up in her palm. "You're smart, Nathan, you are! You understand this stuff, okay?"

"I coast," He mumbled, rolling his eyes, allowing himself to soothe under her touch.

"You do a lot of that, it's true," She hummed, kissing the top of his head again. "But you've studied really hard this semester. You have good grades. And next week, when you take your finals, you're going to do really well. And then Clay is going to quit his job, move here, and the two of you are going to become the most successful Sports Agency in the world. You hear me? I won't accept anything but the best," She teased him at the end, bringing a small smile to his face.

And she shouldn't accept anything less than that, in his opinion. She was the smartest, most beautiful, kindest person in the world.

"Let me tell you a secret, one that I've never, ever told anyone," She said, tapping his chest lightly. "But you have to promise me that you'll keep your mouth shut."

He raised his eyebrows, nodding his head slowly, clearing his throat. "I promise."

Haley sighed, resting her cheek against his head. "I barely passed my very last English final when I was in college," She admitted, rolling her eyes at herself.

"Haley James!" He gasped, mocking her a little bit, but he was also surprised.

"I know," She groaned, moving so that she was leaning against the table and looking down at him. "I still got an A in the class, but... I felt destroyed when I saw my grade."

"Who knew?" He said, shaking his head and looking up at her.

"Finals are important, Nathan, but they aren't everything, okay? Some people just aren't great test takers, and that's okay," She said simply, smiling at him.

"What happened?" He asked her curiously, resting his hand on her leg.

"I stayed up all night studying, which is never a good idea. I just wanted to do well, and I had to take a few other finals that day and it was my last one," She admitted, letting out a sigh. "My head just wasn't in it. I'd had some other stupid stuff going on, and I just didn't want to be taking a test. So the human part of me took over and just did the test as quickly as I could so that I could come back to Tree Hill."

He smiled at her, squeezing her leg lightly. "Wow, I'm shocked."

"Mock all you want, but I was crushed. It was one test, but it made me feel worthless," She said, shrugging her shoulders. "It's dumb, I know. But it happens to everyone, Nathan."

He shook his head, gesturing for her to lean down so that he could place a gentle kiss on her lips.

When she did so, she sat back up with a smile, before gesturing to his homework.

"So finish your study guide, then let's just take a break and relax with your brother, okay?" She suggested, moving to sit next to him.

He glanced over at her as she began to search his textbook to the answer of the next question, a content smile forming on his face.

He felt a lot better. She confided in him something that made her uncomfortable about her past, instead of the other way around. Maybe it wasn't as extreme as his past, but it was clearly a big deal to her.

He loved her so much, it was ridiculous. He loved the happy little smile she'd get on his face when he walked into a room. He loved the way she smelled, with or without perfume. He loved how awkward she could be around people she didn't know very well, and how she'd ramble when she was nervous. He loved how happy she'd been when she came home after her first day back to school and just hugged him for like five minutes, crying because she'd missed it.

He loved how she didn't think he was ridiculous when he woke up in the middle of the night sweating and breathing heavy because he'd had a nightmare. Or how even when he was grumpy, she'd still love him. Even when he was sad she still loved him. When he was depressed and anxiety ridden, she'd still love him. He loved how being near her gave him reassurance. He loved laying next to her and feeling her heartbeat in sync with his. Or how she went running with him even when she didn't want to. She spent time with him when he was annoying. She'd turn off her favorite show when he walked into the room because she wanted to focus on him. She'd watch him play stupid video games with Chase, and sometimes play herself, just to be with him and make him smile. He loved watching her play piano, how her eyes lit up when she was showing him a new song she learned, especially when it was a song she knew he liked. He loved everything about the woman next to him. And she deserved every praise she'd ever received in her life. Every compliment.

She wasn't perfect. But she accepted that fact. She was embarrassed by a bad test grade, and by running her mouth when she sometimes shouldn't. She was fearlessly loyal, and had proved it so many times. He couldn't thank her enough for forcing him to grow on his own before they could grow together all those months ago.

He loved her. So, so much.

And suddenly, that velvet box with a ring inside of it that was hidden underneath the spare tire in the trunk of his car came into his mind.

The thought scared him, it did... But not the way that it used to. Not the way it did when he bought it.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked, bringing him from his thoughts.

He smiled at her again, leaning over and kissing her softly. "I'm just sorry that you didn't do well on your test."

"Clearly it didn't change my life that much," She laughed, shrugging her shoulders. "It's important to study, Nathan. Learn the material, but don't over think it."

"Don't over think it, huh?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

She shook her head, shrugging her shoulders. "Nope."

And he wouldn't. Not anymore, at least.

xxxx

"Brooke Davis has finally arrived!"

Haley stood up quickly from the table at the sound of her front door opening, pointing to Nathan's final problem on the computer screen, before hurrying to the front door.

Lucas had apparently beat her there though, and had her best friend ensnared in what appeared to be an intense lip lock.

"My eyes," Haley jokingly gasped, throwing her hands in front of we face.

Brooke pressed one more kiss to her boyfriend's lips, before turning to Haley, laughing. "Hello, my sweet, sweet, Haley James," She hummed, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Haley, I can't believe you have the nerve to say anything like that," Lucas teased, rolling his eyes. "Nathan has no shame."

"Neither do I, remember that, Broody," Brooke hummed, winking over at Lucas.

Haley laughed, hugging her tight. "Nathan is just finishing up some homework right now."

"He should be just about done with school, right?" Brooke asked, smiling brightly at her friend.

"We'll see if he passes," Lucas said, shrugging.

"That's not funny, Luke," Haley said, scowling at him.

"Yeah, Lucas," Brooke scolded, releasing Haley and joining her boyfriend once again, wrapping her arm around his waist.

Haley smiled at the sight. It was so nice to see her best friend glowing. Lucas made her so happy, happier than any other guy ever had. It was such a breath of fresh air, because Brooke Davis deserved the world, and luckily Lucas seemed to understand that.

Haley liked having Lucas around. Besides the sometimes intense and hurtful teasing that happened between the two brothers, it was nice. They were fairly good friends now. Her and Lucas had gotten pretty close as well.

"You two don't have to stick around here," Haley said, smiling at them.

"Please, we saw each other a few days ago. I want to hang out with you and Nathan for a little while," Brooke said, pinching Lucas' cheek, before standing on her toes and kissing him in the same spot.

"They're both grouchy right now," Lucas said, shrugging his shoulders.

"That's probably because you're annoying," Brooke teased, winking at him.

"Ouch. Hales, am I annoying?" Lucas asked, looking over at her with raised eyebrows.

Haley glanced towards the kitchen when she heard the sound of a book shutting, clearing her throat. "Saved by the bell," She joked, turning away, before turning back. "Yes, Lucas. You're annoying as hell," She teased, before hurrying out of the entry way to the kitchen.

"All done," Nathan said when she walked in, clearing his throat and raising his eyebrows. "Want to check?" He asked, gesturing to his computer.

"I trust you," She said, leaning down and kissing him softly, winking at him.

"Check anyway," He said, laughing quietly.

She did as she was asked, reading his answer to the last problem on his study guide, before nodding at him. "Looks good to me."

He nodded, closing his laptop and shoving it in his backpack, letting out a deep breath. "I'm tired," He told her, shaking his head.

"Three hours of homework will do that to you," She hummed, kissing him again, pulling him up to his feet. "Brooke, Lucas, you are safe to enter!" She called out to them, laughing quietly.

Nathan rolled his eyes, looking over when Brooke walked into the room, smiling slightly.

"Nate!" Brooke greeted, hurrying over and wrapping her arms around him. "How's it going?"

"School, school, and more school," He joked, gesturing towards the living room and raising his eyebrows. "How was the flight?"

"Long," Brooke said, shaking her head. "But seeing little mister Scout will make it all better... Speaking of...?" She raised her eyebrows, heading into the living room, her and Lucas sitting on one couch while Nathan and Haley sat on the other.

"I think he's asleep on our bed," Haley said, rolling her eyes. "He's lazy."

"Go get him," Brooke said, gesturing for Haley to go.

Haley laughed, holding her hands up defensively and heading out of the room as she was told.

Brooke turned to Nathan quick, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

"You aren't getting anything out of me," He said quickly, shaking his head.

"Natey," Brooke whined, frowning at him. "I just want to know. I like being kept in the loop."

"No," Nathan said, shaking his head and letting out a deep breath.

"I'm confused," Lucas said, looking at Nathan with raised eyebrows.

"Shush," Brooke said, glancing over at her boyfriend, sending him an apologetic look before her attention turned back to his brother.

"Okay, fine," Nathan groaned, glancing past over to make sure Haley wasn't entering the room. "Only because I just decided like ten minutes ago what I want to do."

"We are in for a treat," Brooke said, smiling at Lucas.

"If I get better than a 75 on all my finals, I'm going to do it next week," He said, wiping his hands on his legs.

"Do what?" Lucas asked, raising his eyebrows, noticing how nervous Nathan suddenly seemed, realization washing over him. "Oh."

"Yay!" Brooke clapped, smiling at him. "And what if you don't?"

"Then I'll figure it out from there," Nathan said, shrugging. "I don't know why, but if I do better than 75, I think I'll feel really confident like I can do anything."

"I am so excited! She's going to say yes, Nathan. Of course," Brooke assured him, smiling brightly, her eyes shining with tears.

"Do you have any sort of plan?" Lucas asked him, raising his eyebrows.

"I just decided it like ten, fifteen minutes ago. I don't know, guys," He said, shaking his head. "Do you think she'll want something... Grand?"

"I think Haley would love anything you did," Brooke said quickly, grinning at him.

"Brooke, stop looking at me like that!" Nathan said, laughing and pushing his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry, Nathan! I'm just really happy. I promise, I'm not going to be nosy, I'm just so excited," Brooke said, biting her lip.

He laughed, looking at Lucas and shaking his head.

"I just love her so much!" Brooke said, a fresh set of tears growing in her eyes.

Nathan was about to respond when Scout ran into the room, shutting them all up.

"What's wrong?" Haley asked, furrowing her eyebrows as she entered the room, noticing the tears in Brooke's eyes.

Brooke was quick on her feet, because Nathan had no idea what to say. He just wished she wouldn't have said what she did.

"Nathan and Lucas just shared a really special, emotional moment," Brooke said quickly, patting Lucas' leg and smiling at him.

Nathan sent Lucas an alarmed look, who was looking at him with a similar expression.

"Aww, I missed it?" Haley frowned, sitting next to Nathan and resting her hand on his back.

"Uh, yeah, we were just talking about..." Nathan began, trailing off.

"Our senior year," Lucas finished, clearing his throat and shrugging.

"When we... Um... Were playing basketball..." Nathan said, shrugging his shoulders.

Lucas sent Nathan a questioning look, shaking his head.

"And it was after Luke had quit the team... And I got injured and had blood on my jersey," Nathan cleared his throat, glancing at Haley. "And I came back out wearing Luke's jersey and won the game."

"Right. Yep. That was the story," Brooke said, more tears in her eyes.

Haley glanced at Brooke, before glancing at Nathan. "That is a sweet story," She commented, clearing her throat and looking back to her childhood friend, who was wiping her eyes.

"It was more emotional the first time we told it," Nathan said, glaring at Brooke.

"Enough to get tears," Lucas said, wrapping his arm around Brooke's shoulders.

"I'm just really tired, I'm sorry. I'm super jet lagged," Brooke said, shaking her head.

"I thought you were from New York," Haley said, frowning slightly.

"Yeah, um... The New York City in... a different state," Brooke said, looking at her.

"Right," Haley said, sending Nathan a confused look. "A different New York City."

"Brooke, if you're so tired, and can't keep your eyes open-" Nathan sent her a pointed look, because he really wanted to talk about how she couldn't keep her mouth shut. "-Then maybe you and Luke should go home."

"I promise, I'm not as tired as I seem. I just need to eat and I'll be fine," Brooke said, smiling slightly.

"Oh, Luke made this great pasta for dinner, it's in the fridge," Haley said, smiling at her.

"Do you think you could get it for me?" Brooke asked, nodding at Haley. "I really missed Lucas and just want to sit by him."

"Uh, sure," Haley said, standing up and walking into the kitchen.

Nathan covered his face with his hands as soon as Haley was out of view. "Brooke!" He whisper-yelled, removing his hands and glaring at her.

"I don't know what happened! I'm usually so good at lying to her! I didn't think you'd actually tell a story and it threw me off," Brooke said quickly, letting out a deep breath.

"I think you covered it really well with the whole different New York City comment," Nathan grumbled, shaking his head. "She's smart, Brooke. It's not like she'd fall for that."

"I panicked! I'll do better," Brooke said, glancing over at Luke, who was silently laughing his head off. "You get it together too, Scott. No more laughing."

"You two are going to ruin everything," Nathan commented, patting the couch, smiling as Scout jumped up next to him.

"Look, we'll stay for a little bit longer and then go. Let's just steer the conversation to someone besides us," She suggested, raising her eyebrows.

"Who else do we all know, Brooke?" Nathan said, rolling his eyes.

"I'll talk about myself," Brooke said, smiling at him. "I've got it under control now. I promise."

Nathan glanced at her when Haley headed back into the room, mumbling a quiet 'you better' under his breath.

xxxx

"Was Brooke acting weird tonight?" Haley asked, stepping out of the bathroom, rubbing lotion into her arms.

"Honestly, I tune her out," Nathan said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh, I got too much, let me see your hands," She said, sitting down in their bed, nodding at him.

Nathan smiled, holding his hands out to her, allowing her to rub the excess lotion into his hands.

"The whole New York City thing? You didn't notice that?" She asked him, shaking her head, lifting up the comforter and sliding under.

"Maybe that was a little weird," He said, glancing at her.

"I don't know, she was talking a lot, which she always does but she does it an excessive amount when she's hiding something," Haley said, shrugging her shoulders.

'Usually good at lying to her my ass' Nathan thought to himself, inwardly rolling his eyes.

"She seemed fine to me," He said, smiling at her.

"Yeah, I don't know," Haley said, shaking her head. "I'll figure it out though."

He nodded, reaching over and squeezing her hand lightly, smiling at her. "I love you."

"I love you too," She hummed, smiling at him. "I just want to let you know how proud I am of you, Nathan. I'm sure it's really hard to go back to school after years of not being enrolled. I think you're doing a great job," She said, kissing him softly.

He smiled wider, nodding at him. "Thanks, Hales. You've helped me a ton."

"Just doing my duty," She said, letting out a deep breath. She pressed one more kids to his lips, reaching over and shutting off the lamp on her nightstand, removing any light left in the room. She slid down the bed, saddling up to Nathan, closing her eyes.

"Goodnight, Hales," He whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Mm, goodnight..." She repeated, humming softly.

He smiled, allowing himself to relax into her embrace, sleep consuming both of them.