Chapter.8 (music: Love is Here: Starsailor)

"Hey!"

"Hi, Lucas."

"How are you doing?"

"Hi, Scott."

Lucas could barely make it to the sidewalk. Karen, a knowing smile on her pretty face, nodded at him.

"Don't worry, mom."

"I'm not."

"Things change so quickly. Nobody. Hero. Nobody. Hero today..."

"Look on the bright side. Enjoy it while you can. Today you're a hero."

"Thanks."

"Do me a favor?"

Lucas paused, hand on the door.

"Stay off this heroics stuff for a while."

"I will. Love you.."

She watched him walk away, one of the basket ball players took his books, hugged him. Gently.

It was a good day.[]

The autumn sky was blue, bluer than a painting. A cool nip in the air made the students slightly hyper, giddy. New fall fashions, colors, styles, trends. There was an excitement in the halls. Everybody was finally getting back to normal. And normal could be such a wonderful thing.

"How's it going?"

Lucas murmured a response, slightly embarrassed at all the attention. He wondered if people would care as much ..if he wasn't on the varsity. The thought made him sober, but he couldn't stay solemn for too long. It felt good, he'd missed the school, his scarred desk, the silly clusters of giggling females, and...Peyton. She was absent during the morning period...Lucas hadn't seen her since the accident. And Hales..

"Good to have you back."

"Thanks."

Jake swung Lucas's bag onto the desk and shook his head. "How do you feel now?"

"A little freaked out."

"Don't be. This popularity thing is a fickle at best. Live the moment."

Lucas smiled. "It's great to be back."

"Lucas, Jake, if it's not too much to ask, could you kindly take your seats and join the class?"

Jake shook his head. "Isn't it, though?"[]

Basketball practice was lame at best. Lucas, chin in hand, sat on top of the bleachers. He'd wrapped his shirt about his waist, discarded the heavy book bag and relaxed. Coach Whitey yelled at a particularly sloppy maneuver, glanced up at Lucas and shook his head.

"How much longer you going to sit it out, Scott?"

Lucas shrugged. "I don't know..."

"Well, don't hurry back on my account."

Lucas laughed at the coach's dry, sarcastic tone.

"How's Nathan?"

"Doing good, last time I heard."

"Probably at home with Dan, receiving a truckload of free therapy." He nodded. "Be careful, take it easy. We'll make it. Eventually."

Lucas, concentrating on the ball, barely noticed someone sit down beside him.

"Hey, Teeshirt boy."

"Oh-hi." He took in Brooke's arch look, the way she flipped her hair so it brushed against his face.

"I have a message for you." She cocked her head, smiled.

"And who is this message from?"

"A girl."

Lucas followed the game.

"Don't you want to know who it's from?"

"I figured you'd tell me when you were ready."

Brooke hit is arm. "Oh, you guys."

She leaned against him; Lucas moved back, smiled. "Didn't you have something to tell me?"

"Yes." She frowned petulantly. "In the hall."

He climbed down, careful. Brooke lowered his bag, hopped after him. "Here. I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

Lucas nodded. "Thanks. See you."

(music: Belief: Gavin DeGraw)

The hallway was deserted. He hefted his bag, checked the time. Karen wouldn't be stopping by for another fifteen minutes.

Lucas sank onto a bench just outside the gym, feeling slightly tired. Even without basket ball practice, the day had seemed long.

Thought...rested his head against the cold wall...

Thought...remembered..felt...

Someone slipped down beside him.

"Lucas?"

"Hales!" He straightened abruptly, the smile dying. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Nothing much." The dark haired girl lowered her gaze, caught his hand.

He waited, patiently, until she cleared her throat and began.

"I just wanted to talk to you. I-"

"Hales-" he took her by the shoulders and forced her to meet his eyes."You can tell me. I'm your best friend, right? What's going on?"

She pulled away, forehead wrinkling in confusion.

"Something sort of happened."

Lucas rubbed a hand across his face, forced himself to sit still.

"Yes?"

"I don't want you getting all excited..."

"That's exactly what's going to happen if you don't tell me what's wrong, Haley James!"

"Well..." she pursed her lips, a habit she'd been doing ever since he could remember."I was tutoring today..."

"And?"

"I had a little bit of trouble with this one guy."

Lucas started to rise, but she touched his arm. "No, Lucas, please sit down and listen to me."

"Okay." He took a deep breath, leveled her with his gaze. "Tell me."

"This guy, I don't think he was too interested in my help. He kept trying to get close, to take my hand. Then he grabbed me and tried to kiss me..."

"And what did you do?" The question sounded lame, even in his own ears. But Haley James wasn't your typical girl.

"I hit him. He just laughed at me and tried again. So I picked up my algebra and threw it in his face."

Lucas saw the vivid image flash before his eyes, unconsciously felt a stir of laughter. "Haley-"

"I think I hit him rather hard. " She ventured a smile. "He didn't follow me."

Lucas, attempting to relieve the situation, shook his head."You probably flattened him."

"I hope so."

"Walk out with me?" He put his arm around her.

"That's the idea. As far as a half crippled ex-basket ball player can offer a girl protection." She noticed him wince, pulled his bag away from him. "Oh, man." []

Lucas had kept the conversation light, but he was determined to get the guy's name from Haley and take matters into his own hands.

"You should report him," he urged her.

"I will, as soon as I get home. Or-"she frowned. I'm supposed to help your mom out tonight. I can call from there."

"Good. That way I'll be able to keep an eye on you."

"Hey. Don't get too-"

"What?"

Her face crinkled in concentration. "Listen, I did take care of that guy on my own. I'm not a fragile, high voiced, pink type of girl. Got that?"

He stopped on the sidewalk, a smile touching his lips .

"What?"

"Haley, I've never described you as pink, verbally or otherwise."

"That has nothing to do with it."

"I worry about you."

She tugged at his hand, pulling him toward Karen's car. "Well, you shouldn't."

He shook his head as she hopped into the vehicle, heard his mom asking how his day had gone- then Haley's exuberant,

"I kicked some butt!"[]

Lucas found himself wishing that he had been there, stepped up, been the one to take that jerk down...

Amazed himself to realize it was more for his own sake then Haley's.

Like words to a song, they swam over and over again in his mind...Haley... James...

"What's with that face?"

Karen smiling, jerked him back to reality. He caught Haley's gaze upon him, puzzled at it's intensity...but when he looked back, she'd turned casually and began chattering to his mom about school.

He was being foolish. Haley James? He was her best friend. That's it. Period.

Then why that lost, empty feeling? She sat beside him, yet was unreachable.

Afraid to face her laughter, to bare his soul. Uncertain what it all meant....yet.[]

The night slipped by, and answers seemed as far away as ever...

He relived the scene in the hospital room , where Haley had neatly taken Dan down, right in front of him...for him...

Again and again...

Why must life be so complicated. The day's happiness had vanished.

Awake, in the moonlight. Tossing atop wrinkled sheets. Words...

When you came to my defense

With a knife in the shape of your mouth

In the form of your body

With the wrath of a God

Oh you stood by me........[]

(Belief-Gavin DeGraw)