A/N: Hey guys! Here's chapter 5:)

Chapter 5

…

It's been four days since basketball started. Of course, Dan started pestering Nathan as soon as came home from Charlotte on Sunday. Still, Nathan was somewhat relieved that the contact between them had been verbal rather than physical.

As Nathan was getting ready to leave the locker room after an exhausting practice, he heard an authoritative voice stop him.

"Scott. Meet me in my office," Whitey said in a rather serious tone.

Coach "Whitey" Durham was Nathan's basketball coach for two years now. While Nathan enjoyed getting a rise out of Whitey occasionally, he still greatly respected him and looked up to him. Whitey had the tendency to be hard on Nathan at times, but he sympathized with him because of Dan. Whitey was Dan's couch when he was in high school and knew all about Dan's ass tendencies.

Making his way to Whitey's office, Nathan started to wonder what he was going to talk to him about. He was playing his best during practice, so he figured it wasn't due to his performance. However, Whitey's voice sounded serious, which made Nathan think that this conversation wasn't going to end well.

"You wanted to see me, Coach?" As he entered Whitey's office, Nathan saw that Whitey was looking at some paperwork on his desk.

"Sit down, Nathan." Nathan proceeded to take a seat. Whitey finished flipping through the paperwork that was in front of him and looked up at Nathan. "Your grades are slipping."

"I know. I'm trying my best, I promise. I'm doing all my homework now and I started studying a little more."

"Nathan, you're close to being ineligible to play basketball. I know you are trying now, but the past two years of you slacking off is catching up with you now."

"I'll bring them up, Coach. I promise...I just need to stay on the team." His life was practically over if he got kicked off the team.

"Maybe you should get a tutor, son."

A tutor? Wait Haley's a tutor! Normally, Nathan wouldn't even consider trying to work with anyone else, but this was Haley. Lately, the need to be around Haley has gotten stronger for Nathan, especially after she came over to his house last Friday. He thought about that night often this past week. "That actually might be a good idea, Coach. I promise I won't let you down this season."

Right after leaving Whitey's office, Nathan texted Haley to meet him at the cafe when she was free. He felt a fluttering sensation in his stomach with the anticipation of seeing her soon.

"You're not being helpful you guys!" Brooke exclaimed in frustration while throwing a bunch of clothes on her bed.

The three girls were sitting in Brooke's room after school. Despite only knowing them for around three weeks, Haley found herself liking Brooke and Peyton much more than her old friends. It felt easier to be around Brooke and Peyton than those from Oak Lake.

"I'm sorry, Brooke. I'm not a fashion expert," Haley said, amused by Brooke's frustration.

"Brooke, you know your date with Julian isn't until Saturday night right?" Peyton chuckled.

"Exactly. It's in two days and I have no clothes that look good! Our date last week went so well and I just need this one to go well too."

"It will. Julian liked you on your date last week for you, not because of your clothes. That's going to be the case this weekend too." Haley turned away from the girls when she heard her phone buzz. As she saw the name of the person sending her the text message, a blush crept on her face, followed by a smile. Both of which didn't go unnoticed by the other two occupants in the room. "I gotta go."

"Tutor-Girl. You can't leave like that. Who was that?"

"No one," Haley easily lied.

"Does this no one go by the name of Nathan," Peyton marveled.

"It's nothing, you guys. He just wants me to meet him in the cafe. He has something he wants to tell me." Haley was praying that Brooke and Peyton wouldn't ask her any more questions.

Brooke wasn't going to let this go anymore. She's been observing them for weeks, and she didn't want to sit back and watch anymore. "Do you like him Tutor-Girl?"

"What! Where did that come from?" Haley asked as nervousness dominated her tone.

"Well let's see...You guys are always talking to each other during lunch and when you walk in the hallways. Last week, I saw you guys at the party, and you guys were having a serious discussion. I've known Nathan Scott for quite a while now and that boy barely likes to talk with anyone. Also, interesting enough, I saw Nathan drop you home last Friday night. And now, you smiled and blushed when he texted you. I think my point is proven. Don't you?"

Unable to give Brooke a straightforward answer, Haley started to ramble, "Brooke...it's nothing ok. He's just a friend. I like talking to him that's all. And last Friday night, I was spending time with him and Lily because she invited us. Also, I didn't blush when Nathan sent that message. It's just kind of hot in here. Also, when we talk in the hallways it's just our normal banter…"

Brooke shared a smug glance with Peyton as Haley's nervous rambling confirmed their suspicions. "You like him, Haley."

"No, I don't!" Haley saw Brooke and Peyton giving each other a look and smirking once again. More than anything, she just wanted to leave this place. "You guys I don't like him. I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, Haley left Brooke's house and headed towards the cafe.

"Tutor-Girl totally likes him," Brooke smirked as Haley left the room.

Haley had been to the cafe earlier for her shift. Since starting on Monday, Haley found the cafe a nice place to work. Karen was a caring boss and the customers she had to deal with were usually very kind.

As Haley entered the cafe, she saw Nathan sitting near the counter. She had to admit he looked good. His red polo t-shirt definitely highlighted his muscles.

"Hey," Haley softly said as she took a seat next to him. She was filled with curiosity as to why Nathan wanted her here.

Like he did every day, Nathan couldn't help but acknowledge how beautiful Haley looked. She didn't have much makeup and her hair was in a messy bun, but she looked stunning. "Hey...sorry, I called you last minute. I have a favor I need to ask."

"Sure, what is it?"

"My grades are slipping, and because of that, I'm close to being ineligible to play basketball. I was...well I was wondering if you could maybe be my tutor?" Nathan asked nervously. He wasn't nervous to get tutored by Haley. He trusted that Haley would be patient with him and tutor him without judging him. He was nervous, however, that she wouldn't want to tutor him. Without tutoring, there was a high chance he would be off the basketball team for good. Additionally, Nathan had a yearning to see Haley more. Despite seeing her every day in school, it just wasn't enough for him.

Haley thought about his question. Even though she just started on Monday, she already had quite a few people she was tutoring. However, she saw the desperate look in Nathan's eyes. After everything he's been through, he needed basketball. She didn't want to be the one to deprive him of that. Not only that, but the idea of spending more time with him helped her form her decision. "Of course I will."

The nervousness Nathan was feeling immediately dissipated and was replaced by a wave of happiness and relief. "Thank you, Hales. It really means a lot to me."

"But you gotta be on time, Nathan to every session."

"I will be on time. You know I'm always on time for everything."

Haley shot him a disbelieving look.

"Fine. I know I suck at being on time, but I promise I will be on time. I'm not gonna screw this up." He meant every word he said. He knew Haley was sacrificing a lot of her time for this, and he wasn't going to take advantage of that.

"Ok. Well if you're free we can start tomorrow morning in the tutor center?"

"That works." Nathan realized this conversation was coming to an end, but he wasn't ready for that yet. He knew Dan would grill him when he got home, but that was insignificant right now. This felt too nice to walk away from. "It's getting late, Hales. Do you wanna eat dinner here? On me? It's the least I can do after you agreed to tutor me."

Did he just ask her to spend more time with him? Without her realizing it, Haley's heart started racing. You're reading too much into it Haley. Stop it. He's just doing this as a thank you for tutoring him. "Sure, thank you."

A few minutes later, Karen came by and took Nathan and Haley's orders, and informed them the food would be out in ten minutes. In the meantime, Nathan and Haley resumed their conversation.

"Prime-rib, really?" Haley asked while making fun of Nathan's dinner choice.

"Prime-rib is my favorite if you must know. You're the one who ordered mac & cheese."

"That's because mac & cheese is the food of the gods."

"Yeah if the Gods are five-year-olds," Nathan joked.

The rest of the dinner went by smoothly. It amazed both of them how they could keep their conversations continuously flowing. In spite of being completely different, they always had something to say to one another.

Right when Nathan opened the door to his house, he saw his father sitting down on the couch. He had a glass of whiskey in front of him, and as usual, he looked pissed.

"Where have you been all this time?" Dan sternly asked, not even giving Nathan a chance to fully make it into the house.

I knew he was going to ask. "I had practice, and then went to the cafe," Nathan answered dryly. He was hoping to make it upstairs without further interrogation, but of course, that didn't happen.

"Why did you go to the cafe?"

"I was meeting with a friend and had dinner there."

"Did your 'friend' leave her ring here while I was in Charlotte?"

What the hell? "What are you talking about?"

"I found a girl's ring while I was getting something from the kitchen. I don't remember seeing it before, so she had to come here when I was in Charlotte. So, who is she, Nathan?"

"No one, Dad."

Dan scoffed, "Nathan, this is your career we're talking about. You can't screw it up because of some slut."

Nathan felt his temper flare at his dad's choice of words. How dare he call Haley a whore? "She's not a slut, Dad!"

"She's going to ruin everything for you son, just like your mother did for me."

"Wow, that's great Dad," Nathan bitterly spoke. "You lost basketball because you injured your damn knee, not because Mom was pregnant with me. Maybe, you should take a look at yourself before you start pinning the blame on everyone else."

"Watch your mouth, son," Dan warned.

"Now you wanna call me your son?" Nathan fumed. "I'm only your 'son' when it comes to basketball."

Like after every fight he had with Dan, Nathan found himself wanting to just grab a bottle of beer and chug it down. He was just so pissed. So pissed that Dan had called Haley a slut. So pissed that Dan always found ways to blame everyone else. So pissed that his mom left him with Dan Scott. Despite how badly he wanted to drink, he couldn't. He promised Haley he would be on time for their tutoring session tomorrow, and he wasn't going to break that promise now.

"You're actually here on time. I'm impressed."

"Told you I was going to screw it up. I also brought coffee and breakfast."

Haley was touched by Nathan's gesture. Each day, she found herself finding out a new side of Nathan Scott. "Is that a crackerjack box?"

"Yeah, it's the breakfast of champions." Nathan proceeded to open the box and ripped open the packet inside. "Please let there be a cheat sheet in here." To his surprise, he saw a plastic bracelet and smirked while gently grabbing Haley's hand.

The warmth that radiated through both their bodies when their hands collided didn't go unnoticed by either of them.

"What are you doing?"

Nathan slid the bracelet on Haley's wrist and smirked, "Don't say I never gave you anything."

As cheesy as it was, Haley felt the butterflies in her stomach making their reappearance. Not wanting to focus on them any longer, she opened up the math textbook, so they could start their session.

Three Weeks Later

It was now mid-October. Like she had for the past three weeks, Haley was sitting in the tutor center with the eagerness of seeing Nathan soon. The tutoring sessions, lunchtime, and anatomy were all the times in the day Haley felt herself looking forward to the most because those were the moments she got to see him.

The past three weeks were a rollercoaster in terms of her home life. Her parents had one severe fight during the time, which caused Jimmy to resume his drinking habits. Once that fight passed last week, he stopped once again. Haley wanted so desperately to have faith in her dad that he would one day stop drinking, but found that optimism wearing thin with each passing day. At times, she didn't even want to go home because she didn't know what to expect when she opened the door. Despite how unpredictable things could be with her parents, she found stability with Nathan in the moments she shared with him. She found that Nathan was her calm in the midst of all the chaos in her life.

Haley glanced over to the clock and saw that Nathan was five minutes late. He wasn't always the best at being on time, but he was never late to any of their tutoring sessions.

As Haley surveyed the area around the tutor-center, she felt her heart sink at the sight of Rachel talking to Nathan against the lockers. Since school started, it became apparent to Haley that Rachel had a huge crush on Nathan. It hurt her now that he was late to their session because he lost track of Rachel. Suddenly, doubts started forming in her mind. What if he likes Rachel?

Meanwhile, standing against his locker, Nathan was growing increasingly frustrated. All he wanted to do was go into the tutor center and see Haley. Never in his life was he happier that his GPA sucked. Having these tutoring sessions with Haley always gave him something to look forward to too. Every moment he shared with her instantly became the best part of his day. Now, due to the redhead in front of him, he was late, and couldn't see Haley. He knew how irritated Haley was going to be. She hated it when people were late.

"Nathan, did you hear anything I was saying?" Rachel asked as she pressed up against his locker even further.

"Not really no," Nathan replied coldly. "Rachel, I really gotta go...like I've been saying for the past five minutes."

Before he could leave, Rachel tugged on his arm. "You know the homecoming dance is next Saturday. Are you going with anyone?"

No, because the one person I might consider going with couldn't possibly feel something for me. Dammit, Nathan. Why are you always thinking about Haley? "No, I'm not." Nathan's voice became a little more irritated. He removed Rachel's hand from his arm. "I really gotta go, Rachel."

Nathan was relieved to see Haley in the tutor center. "I'm sorry, I was late Hales. I got held up."

Yeah held up by Rachel. Haley didn't understand why seeing Nathan and Rachel together affected her so much, but she couldn't help it. Right now, when she saw Nathan, that's all she could think about. "It's ok. Uh...I actually have to go talk to Mr. Miller about an extra credit assignment for A.P Psychology, so can we reschedule?"

"Yeah, sure. No problem." Great, the day barely even started and his day was absolute shit. After Dan yelled at him yet again last night, Nathan was awaiting to see Haley. He couldn't figure out why, but she had the power to make him feel so at ease despite everything going on in his life. Each moment he spent with her, the more he felt himself forgetting about the world around them.

"Guy's don't go yet," Brooke said while gesturing for Jake, Peyton, and Lucas to sit back down on the lunch table.

"Why not? The bell just rang. We're gonna be late."

"Because we need to talk. Your classes are like thirty seconds away. You guys will live. Now, sit."

"Ok, what's this about Brooke? And why didn't you make Nathan and Haley sit down?" Lucas questioned. He knew Brooke's talks were going to be long, and he really didn't want to be late.

"Because this conversation is about the two of them duh."

"What about them?" Jake asked.

"What do you mean 'what about them?' They obviously like each other even if they're too stupid to realize it!"

"What are you thinking Brooke Davis?" Peyton said with a smug smile, knowing her best friend already had something conjured up.

"I'm thinking we need to make them go to the homecoming dance next Saturday."

Jake chuckled at those words, "Yeah right. Nathan hates dances. In fact, the only dance he's ever going to was the homecoming dance in ninth grade with Peyton and just ended up leaving her to get drunk with Tim."

"Gee, thanks for reminding me," Peyton said in a deep voice. She was far from mad though. It's not like she ever had real feelings for Nathan anyway.

Brooke brought everyone back to the focus of the conversation. "I don't care what you and Broody do, but you guys are going to make sure Nathan shows up to the dance. P. Sawyer and I will take care of Haley."

"You really think this will help?"

"I'm not expecting anything big to happen yet. They need to admit their feelings to themselves first before anything can happen. I think this night will help with that. Oh, and you guys…" Brooke pointed directly at Jake and Lucas "...make sure Nathan actually dresses his best for this."

"Brooke. It's already going to take time to convince Nathan to come. We can't be responsible for his wardrobe too," Lucas complained.

"Well you got a little more than a week till the dance, so have fun figuring it out. Ok, let's go to third period P. Sawyer! Bye fellas."

Nathan couldn't figure out why Haley became suddenly so distant. Was it because he was late for tutoring this morning? That was the only reason he could think of. Nonetheless, it hurt him that he couldn't spend time with Haley. During lunch, Haley was mostly talking to Brooke, Peyton, and Lucas. Even during their walk to Anatomy and during the actual class, they walked in an uncomfortable silence between them. Sitting in his American History class for the fourth period, that's all he could think about.

"Nathan!" Lucas loudly whispered. The two brothers shared this class together.

"What?"

"I've been trying to get your attention for like five minutes. What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"So this doesn't have to do with a certain blonde that goes by the name of Haley?"

"No."

"Well, Brooke has been telling Peyton things and Peyton's been telling me things…"

"What things?"

"Like how you guys are always talking. How she saw you drop Haley off at her house a few weeks ago. How you always look excited about your tutoring sessions even though you hate studying. Stuff like that."

"I...uh...it's-"

"Do you like her Nate?"

"What? I just...she's a friend Luke."

"Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that." Brooke was right. He definitely can't admit his feelings to himself.

"It's the truth." Well, she is a friend, so it's not like he was lying.

"Someone's gotta have a case of serious denial."

"No, I don't." Even Nathan could tell his voice was far from believing, but he wasn't ready to acknowledge it.

Lucas chuckled, "Who knew my little brother would have a crush?"

"Shut up, Pucas." "Pucas" was the nickname Nathan had for Lucas back when they hated each other, but Nathan still enjoys using it.

"Well, it's a good thing you don't like her, considering she's going to the dance with someone else."

"What?!"

"I was just kidding. I thought you said you didn't care," Lucas chuckled amused by the overwhelming amounts of jealousy that were laced in his voice. "Anyway do you think you're gonna go to this thing?"

"I hate dances."

"But it'll be fun."

"No."

"Haley might be there."

Nathan glanced up from his worksheet and focused on Lucas's words.

"Got your attention now didn't I?"

"So what if Haley's there?"

"You're literally impossible man. Can you just please come? It's been a while since we've all hung out." And Brooke's going to kill me if you don't come.

Nathan sighed, "I'll think about it." But only because Haley is going to be there.

It was another tiring practice. Since they were very close to losing their previous game a couple of days ago, Whitey has been pushing them extra harder.

As Nathan made his way into the locker room, he heard two of his teammates, Tim and Vegas talking right beside him.

"I know man. Haley James got one fine ass!" Tim called out.

With those words, Nathan felt anger running through his veins. He tried his best to not let Tim's words affect him, but they did. "Shut up, Dim."

"Why you got a thing for her, Scott?" Vegas asked.

"No," Nathan gritted out, even though saying that left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Good, because I'm asking her to the homecoming dance in a few hours."

If Nathan wasn't angry before, he definitely was now. He could feel the immense amounts of anger and jealousy completely possess him. Stop it, Nathan. Still, those two emotions were sweeping through him. He couldn't let this conversation go now. "Why?"

"She's my tutor and we talk. It's more than that though. She is the finest thing I've seen. I have to admit I wasn't originally into nerds, but man I'm betting she's good in bed."

Nathan felt a sinking sensation in his stomach as he heard those words. He knew he had no right to be jealous. He and Haley weren't even dating. Still, he couldn't help the feeling of jealousy that wavered over him. It felt unfamiliar to him. When he was with Peyton, he never gave a damn about any of the guys checking her out. Moreover, though, he hated the way Vegas was talking about Haley. Sure, Haley was pretty, but Vegas was completely ignoring Haley's warm, kind nature just so he could get her into bed. "What the hell man?"

"What?" Vegas asked innocently.

"Stop talking about her like that."

"Like what?"

"Like she's some type of object."

"You know, Nathan. I recall a time where you had sex with random girls all time."

"Yeah well, things are different now."

"Why?"

"I just...I changed."

"Whatever man. You used to be so much more fun before."

Nathan let those words sink in. Truthfully, he was glad he left the old version of him behind. He wasn't proud of that person, and now all he wanted to do was try to be a better person.

Haley started walking towards the tutor center the next morning and knew Nathan was going to be there soon. She didn't like how she was distant from him yesterday, but something about seeing Rachel and Nathan together unsettled her in a way she didn't know was possible. Today, however, she would just have to deal with it. She missed being able to talk to Nathan yesterday and couldn't find it in her to push him away any longer.

As she entered the tutoring center, she was surprised by the figure sitting in front of her. There were still fifteen minutes until their tutoring session started. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Well, I just didn't want to mess up again, like yesterday. I'm sorry I was late yesterday, Haley."

"It's fine, Nathan. I promise."

"Then why were you so distant yesterday?"

"I just...I wasn't feeling too well."

"Hales-"

"Can we just get started on today's stuff?"

"Sure."

For the next fifteen minutes, Nathan worked on a worksheet and then gave it to Haley to correct. Wanting to break the silence that was brewing among them, Nathan spoke up, "So do you think you're going to go to the dance next week?"

"I don't know. Dances aren't really my thing." Haley decided to talk about Vegas asking her out to see if Nathan would have a reaction. When Vegas initially asked her out, she was shocked. Nonetheless, he was never really her type. "Vegas actually asked to go with him…"

That fucking punk actually did ask her out. Dammit. Nathan tried his best to appear calm. "Did you say yes?"

"Uh, actually I said no. I mean I tutor him, but I don't know him too well. He's not my type anyway."

"Oh, ok." Nathan tried to keep his tone as neutral as possible to hide his bubbling happiness that was transmitted throughout his body. He decided to shift the focus of the conversation, since he knew he would be breaking out a grin soon. "So how did I do on my math worksheet?"

The lack of emotion coming from Nathan tore Haley apart. She was hoping Nathan would have some sort of reaction to all this. She was hoping that everything she saw with Rachel and Nathan was one-sided. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe Nathan really did like Rachel.

Haley normally enjoyed walking home from the cafe after her shift, but Brooke insisted on giving Haley a ride today.

"I'm going to pick out the perfect dress for you for the homecoming dance next week Tutor-Girl!"

"I don't know if I'm going, Brooke. I have a lot of things to do that night. I mean I have like two tests the Monday after the dance, and five projects…"

"Tutor-Girl, you work so hard, but you need to enjoy these things once in a while. I mean when's the last time you went to a dance?"

"Uh...never."

"See! This is exactly my point! I love how hardworking you are Tutor-Girl, but you gotta go have fun sometimes."

Haley knew Brooke was right. She needed to stop worrying about things all the time, but she couldn't help who she was. "I'll think about it."

Seeing that this conversation wasn't getting anywhere, Brooke decided to bring up Nathan. "I bet Nathan's going to be there."

"So?"

"What do you mean so?" Ugh, she's literally impossible. Why can't she just admit her damn feelings!

"It doesn't matter if he's going to be there. He'll probably just be with Rachel anyway."

Brooke chuckled at Haley's tone. "Wait are you jealous?"

"No! I just...I'm not jealous Brooke."

"Then why would it bother you if Rachel was there?"

"I just...I don't…"

"One of these days you need to stop running from your emotions, Haley. And don't worry about Rachel. I've known Nathan Scott for a long time now and I know that Nathan hates her guts. She's been showing interest in him for a while now, and he continuously turns her down."

Brooke's words comforted Haley a little more. She didn't think she could handle going to the dance and seeing Nathan and Rachel together. Without Nathan and Rachel together, the prospect of going to the dance became more appealing to Haley. Nathan still may not have feelings for her, but at least she didn't have to deal with him having feelings for someone else. "Fine, I'll go."

Nathan laid in his bed and stared at his fan as it kept rotating. The previous feelings of relief from Haley turning Vegas down were still fresh. Even though there was a part of him that hated dances, there was a larger part of him that ached to see Haley at the dance. Hearing Vegas taking initiative and asking Haley out just made him realize how desperately he didn't want Haley to go with someone else. The burning need to be around her - and only her - was getting stronger every day, which is why he couldn't walk away from this.

Just as Nathan made up his mind, he felt his phone vibrating on his nightstand. He reached over to pick it up and saw that it was Lucas. "Hey. What do you want, man?"

"Did you make up your mind about the dance?" To be honest, Lucas wouldn't normally really put in the effort to call Nathan about the dance. He knows Nathan hates dances with a passion. However, Brooke was going to beat his ass if he didn't convince Nathan to go soon.

Nathan was confused as to why Lucas was so pushy about him going to the stupid dance but decided to answer him anyway so he could finally get off his back. "Uh, actually I did."

"And…"

"I'm gonna go."

Thanks for reading! There will be a lot more jealous Nathan coming up ;) Also, updates may slow a little, since my spring break is ending soon, but I will try my best to update as soon as I can.