Haley stormed down the hallway, her mind racing as well as her heart. She clutched onto the railing of the staircase as she sat down on the second step. Her encounter with Nathan was utterly revolting so why was she sitting here on the stairs, trying to catch her breath? Nathan Scott was not supposed to have this kind of effect on her.
It wasn't him, she tried to convince herself. It was the lack of air and the utter disgust she had for him that caused her lack of breath. It wasn't that he made her blood boil or that his words and presence made her skin tingle.
She was not attracted to Nathan. Of course not.
Nodding firmly, she walked into the study, suprised to see that Allyson was not alone. Smiling, she closed the door, "Am I interrupting something?"
"No, Lucas was just keeping me company," Ally said as she patted his knee.
"You look a little winded," Lucas commented with a raised eyebrow.
Haley immediately coughed as she brushed the hair out of her face, "What? No, I'm.. umm, I'm fine. I'm great. Really, kinda umm, tired though."
Ally cocked her head to the side, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Fine," Haley said, her voice overly exaggerated. She never was that great of a liar. "Really, umm," she cleared her throat, "Are you ready to leave yet?"
"Yeah, sure," Ally said as she stood up, wrapping her sweater tighter around herself.
"Or, you know, I could take you home later if you want," Lucas offered, "If you want to stay that is."
Haley's brow furrowed. Okay, this was interesting. She looked at Ally, "You wanna stay?"
"I'm kinda tired too," Ally said as she yawned. She turned to Lucas and smiled sweetly, "Thanks for the offer though."
Haley waved goodbye to Lucas as she backed out of the study, "I'll wait in the car, Al." Hearing an affirmative answer, Haley shook her head as she walked down the hallway. So, apparently Lucas had a bit of a thing for Allyson or at least, that was what it seemed like. She couldn't exactly go jumping to conclusions though. Why couldn't Ally like someone like Lucas instead of Nathan?
"Leaving already?"
Haley stopped as she looked up at the ceiling, wondering what she did to possibly deserve this kind of fate. Turning around, she glared daggers at Nathan, "Yeah, I am."
"I could make things a little more fun for you."
"Not interested," Haley restrained herself from reaching up and slapping the smirk off of his face.
"You wound me, James," Nathan said as he clutched his chest.
Sending him a menacing look, she crossed her arms. They stood like that for a few moments before Ally walked up to them, unaware of the tension.
"Hey."
"Ally," Nathan said with a charming smile, "Are you guys really about to leave so early?"
"Haley's tired," Ally answered, staring up at Nathan, "I am too."
"That's too bad," he said with false sincerity. Leaning in, he gave Ally a tight hug, all the while giving Haley a triumphant smirk.
Haley fumed as she continued to glare at Nathan, "We're leaving," she said firmly.
"Bye," Ally said as she waved.
"I'll call you tomorrow," Nathan promised as he shut the door, a grin on his face.
Haley roughly grabbed the car door and threw it open as she got into the driver's seat. She slammed the door shut as she turned the engine on and jabbed at the cd button.
Ally sat quietly in the passenger's seat as the music boomed out of the stereo. She turned it down slightly before asking, "What happened?"
"Nathan happened," Haley answered simply.
"Did he do something to you?"
Sighing in frustration, Haley said, "Be careful, Ally. Think about what you're doing. You said you wanted to handle this yourself so I'm gonna respect that and let you but seriously, just be careful."
She really didn't know what else to say. Even if Haley did tell Ally what happened, the two resulting situations would either involve her best friend crying or not believing her. Haley really wasn't sure what was worse at the moment.
Ally remained quiet when Haley pulled up to her driveway. The blonde looked at her a few moments before leaning over and giving Haley a tight hug, "Thanks," she whispered.
"For what?" Haley asked, confused.
Giving her a cryptic smile, Ally got out of the car and waved goodbye. Haley sat in the driver's seat, her mind going over all that had happened in a single night.
Well, at least it was eventful.
--
Haley groaned as the buzzer went off. She slapped the snooze button on her alarm clock a few times before it finally stopped ringing. She cracked open one eye and saw that it was already 6:32. She needed to get up. Crawling out of bed, she turned off her alarm and turned on her light. Stumbling into the bathroom, she began her daily morning ritual.
At 6:54, she was dressed and downstairs making breakfast. The rest of her weekend had been pretty much uneventful. It was the usual, work on Saturday and on Sunday, homework. She had yet to talk to Ally about if anything had happened with Nathan. Turning off the stove, she efficiently put her bacon and eggs onto her plate before placing the pan in the sink. Sitting at the kitchen, she quietly ate her breakfast. At exactly 7:06, there was a knock at her back door.
"It's open," Haley yelled as she washed the dishes, wiping her wet hands on the towel and grabbed her backpack off the floor and her keys off the counter. "You're late."
Ally shrugged before handing her a cup of coffee, "I've brought caffeine. Forgive me?"
"Oooh, yum," Haley said as she sipped, "You're definitely forgiven."
"How was the rest of your weekend?" Ally asked as she got into the car.
"Uneventful," Haley said simply, "The usual. Work, homework, I did get a few new CDs though."
"Which ones?"
Haley handed a few newly opened CDs to Ally and the blonde began to look through them. "Fall Out Boy, Sarah Mclachlan, and ooh, All American Rejects," Ally popped the last into the cd player. "How mainstream of you."
"It's good."
Bobbing her head to the music, Ally leaned against the window, looking at the passing scenery.
Unable to hold back the question any longer, Haley asked, "Did he call?"
"Yeah," Ally said as she held up her wrist, "We went down by the docks and he bought me this."
"A charm bracelet," Haley said as her jaw tightened, "How sweet."
Ally simply smiled as Haley pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. Walking into the school, Haley walked briskly to her locker and dropped her backpack onto the ground. She entered her locker combination and grabbed her books out of her locker. Slamming her locker shut, she jumped back as she saw a body next to her. "Jeez," Haley muttered as she looked up and smiled, "Lucas, you need to stop scaring the crap out of me."
"But, it's so much fun," he answered as they walked down the hallway together, "You seem a little jumpy this morning."
"Yeah, well, bad start to what seems like is going to be a bad week."
"What happened?"
Haley shook her head as she tried to brush it off, "Never mind. It's not that big of a deal. What'd you do this weekend?"
"Party, basketball, homework, basketball, ate and guess what, more basketball."
"The Coach going hard down on you guys?"
"We've had an undefeated season so far and Whitey wants it to stay that way. So, it's been tough."
"I'm sorry," Haley said honestly before she dropped her books onto her desk as they entered her classroom.
"Well, it's to be expected." Lucas sighed heavily before looking at Haley, "If I ask you something, will you be honest with me?"
Surprised at the question, she nodded, "Yeah, of course."
Before he could say anything, the bell rang, signalling the start of the school day, "Crap, I gotta get to class. I'll see you during lunch, okay."
"Yeah, sure," she nodded, confused yet again. Lucas was definitely a mystery.
--
The school day had dragged on montonously and Haley thanked the gods above when 4th period finally arrived. It was her tutoring/free period and the tutoring center was empty and she had no one scheduled for today. Sitting down at one of the tables, she just got comfortable when she heard someone come in through the door. Without looking up, she continued to read her book, enamored in the story when she heard someone clear their throat. Looking up, she rolled her eyes and closed her book, "Unbelievable."
"Why, a cheery good morning to you too," Nathan said with a smirk.
"Why are you here?" Haley asked, irritated already.
"Got a pass," Nathan held up the pink slip, "Ms. Altman says I need a tutor for English."
"Okay, I don't care," she answered bluntly.
"You're the only tutor free for 4th period."
Haley scoffed, "I'm not tutoring you."
"Too bad, you don't have much of a choice."
"You have got to be kidding me," Haley said in frustration, "Look, I'll find you another tutor because lord knows I can barely stand a few minutes with you much less a whole period every day."
"You judge too quickly, James."
"And, you're a dick, Scott," she spat.
"Oooh, harsh," Nathan said as he dropped his backpack down onto the ground, "You are my tutor. Deal with it."
"Fine, English. Grammar, vocabulary. Buy a dictionary. Books, read them. I think you're good, now leave."
"Come on, Haley, you can't hate me that much."
"You cannot even begin to comprehend how much I dislike you at the moment."
"Look, if this is about Ally, I'll stop."
"What?" Haley asked, surprised.
"I know it's been kinda bogus of me to mess around with her like that but she's a sweet girl. I've just been nice to her. If she takes it for more then what it is, it's not my problem."
"So why did you take her out this weekend?"
"Why do you think?" Nathan looked up at her and Haley shook her head in disbelief.
"Please don't tell me you did it just to piss me off."
"We have a winner."
"Is this supposed to make me want to tutor you or something because the only thing I want to do at the moment is eviscerate you."
"I'll stop messing around with her. Stop talking to her if you want me to. I need a tutor and if my grades don't get better, I'm dropped from the team. Basketball is more important to me then some stupid mind game."
Haley sighed and nodded, "Thanks for at least being honest with me." They were quiet for a few more moments before she spoke again, "You stay away from her. If she talks to you, smile, be nice but don't you dare mess with her head again, got it? I'll tutor you until you reach a passing grade which is good enough to let you stay on the team. After that, you're on your own, deal?"
"Yeah," Nathan answered, "Deal."
--
"You look upset," Haley commented as she switched radio stations.
"I'm fine," Ally answered as she switched the radio back to the original station. She looked out the window and sighed, "Can we go to Starbucks?"
Haley raised an eyebrow, "2 cups of coffee in a day? Okay, something's up."
"You're gonna think I'm stupid."
"Ally," Haley said honestly, "I would never think you were stupid."
Ally looked down and shook her head, "It is stupid though."
Haley bit her lip, her gut telling her what she already knew. It was Nathan. Crap. "Is it about a certain basketball player?"
Ally shrugged before tapping her fingers against the door of the car, "Am I really that predictable?"
"No," Haley asked, the pangs of guilt shooting through her, "I'm just insightful."
"It was weird. It was like he was just purposely ignoring me today." Ally paused, "Maybe it was something I did on Saturday. Or something I didn't do. I don't get it."
"Maybe it's not you at all," Haley offered softly, "Look, don't worry about him. He's just a guy."
"Yeah," Ally answered after a few moments, "He's just a guy. No big."
"Right," Haley reassured, willing herself and Ally to believe it. There was a silence hanging over them as Haley drove. She wanted nothing more then to explain to Allyson exactly why Nathan was ignoring her but she already knew what the general outcome would be and it wasn't good. Allyson would be utterly heartbroken. And it would be her fault.
Damn it, why did things have to get so complicated? This whole tutoring and minimum amount of contact was supposed to make things easier and help Ally gain clarity but all it seemed to be inflicting on her best friend was pain. Pain caused by her, Haley James, the supposed best friend.
She was terrible.
"You know, I was talking to Lucas today," Haley said, trying to change the subject.
"Really?" Ally asked with little interest, "What happened?"
What did happen? Haley asked herself. Nothing much. He never did ask her that question that he wanted to before first period and she didn't think about it until now. "He's nice, don't you think?"
"Yeah, I guess," Ally said, her voice sad.
"I mean, he's good looking, smart, poetic and just tiny bit broody. Exactly your type."
"Of course."
Haley could tell Ally wasn't listening to a word she was saying. Rolling her eyes, she pulled into the parking lot of Starbucks and got out of the car. "I'm buying."
That got Ally's attention. "What?"
"I'm buying," Haley repeated.
"Why?"
"What? I can't treat my depressed best friend to a cup of coffee?"
"You never buy," Ally stated, "Ever."
"Hey, now you're making me sound cheap."
"If I remember correctly, the last time we were here, you found it 'ridiculously insane that you should have to pay 3.50 for flavored water'." Ally said, a small smile on her face.
"A girl can't change her mind?" Haley asked as they walked into the coffeeshop.
"A girl can but not you."
"Thanks, nice to know I'm not considered a part of the female gender anymore."
"Hey, just being honest," Ally joked as they looked over the menu. She turned to her and hugged Haley tightly, "Thanks."
"For what?"
"Making me smile. I really needed it."
Haley forced her own smile, "That's what I'm here for."
--
Immersed in her homework, Haley James was slightly aggravated when her phone rang, "Hello?"
"Pissed off at me already?"
Haley let out an annoyed sigh, "Are you like stalking me or something?"
"Are you ever going to greet me properly?"
"Are you ever going to answer my questions?" Haley retorted. "What do you want?"
Nathan smirked at the other end of the line, "I need English help."
"That's what tomorrow is for."
"Well, I've got an assignment and I need my ever lovely tutor to well, tutor me."
"Nathan, I don't plan to do your assignment for you over the phone," Haley said honestly, "I've got my own stuff to do so if you're gonna waste my time, just don't. I'm not in the mood."
"You're never in the mood," Nathan said, his tone teasing, "Alright, alright. I get it. I'll be nice and proper."
"Whatever," Haley muttered, "Okay, so what do you need?"
"My teacher's gone insane. She made us read some weird ass story about metal earplugs and psychotic 14 year olds who think they're the emperor or something like that."
"Umm, does this story have a name?"
"Uhh," Nathan read off the title printed in the book, "Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr."
"Oh, I loved that story," Haley exclaimed.
"Yeah, okay, James, you're weird. We all know this by now."
"Bite me, Scott. You want my help or no?"
"Yeah, yeah, okay, playing nice now."
"What do you need help on?"
"What the hell the story is about. I mean, it's got ballerinas with bags tied to their feet and masks or whatever."
"It's about how there can never be true equality."
"What, how do you get that?" Nathan asked, confused.
"The story is set in a time where equality finally exists. Since we are born with certain talents and differences, the government forces the characters to be equal by masking their beauty. You remember the father?"
"Yeah, he had to wear some weird metal earplug thing that made weird noises every once in awhile."
"Right, it was to prevent him from thinking since the loud noises stopped his train of thought. In the story, the government has gotten so much control that they literally force the citizens to be dumber then they have to be. If they were too goodlooking, they would be masked or forced to shave off their eyebrows. If they were too strong, sandbags would be put on them to drag them down."
"It's psychotic," Nathan replied, "That would never happen."
"Don't be so sure," Haley argued, "There are still a lot of radicals these days, wanting reform. The point is, we encourage being individual with our own freedoms and yet at the same time we want equality. Do you see how you can never truly have both?"
After a few moments, Nathan answered, "Yeah, I think so."
"So, did that help at all?"
"Yeah," He said, slightly surprised, "I actually get it."
"Well, congrats. I didn't even have to start popping pills."
Laughing, he shook his head, "Thanks, Haley. I gotta go, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, bye," As Haley hung up the phone, a small smile appeared onto her face. Well, that was borderline decent and amiable.
Haley stopped. Whoa, did she actually smile after speaking to Nathan Scott? Immediately placing a frown onto her face, she gripped the side of her desk. She was not actually starting to like Nathan Scott. It just wasn't possible. No. She hated him. He was a jerk. An imbecile. He was. Really.
Haley groaned. This wasn't good.