Ok, just wanted to update this chapter real quick. Sorry if there are a lot of technical errors, I tried to edit it as much as I could, but I wanted to get this in tonight. Hope you enjoy. And thank you again for your great feedback.

TOXIC

Chapter 22

Falling Together

Haley sat in one of the front desks at the side of the room. It was her first day back, and as always she was the first person inside the classroom. It was learned behavior for her, years of being late because of how long it took a large family to get ready for anything, had taught her how to manage her time. She almost thought that maybe she was a little bit neurotic when it came to punctuality, because she was never late, and this morning class was no different.

Silently she watched as her peers stumbled into the class slowly, filling up the desks one by one. Everyone looked blasé and tired, like they new this was the start of a long journey filled with homework, presentations, tests and grades. A journey they weren't particularly ready to start at nine o'clock on a Monday morning. Nevertheless as the seats were almost entirely filles up, a tall gangly man in a tweed vest came into the room and set his brief case on top of the desk, a cheery smile spread over his wrinkled face.

"Good Morning everyone, and welcome to Educational Psychology. I'm Professor Hales, but for all of those who prefer the more casual side, can call me Kevin."

The teacher checked his watch and then the clock to make sure it was in fact nine, and then opened his brief case. He took out a large stack of packets and then headed over to where Haley sat, placing the packets on her desk.

"All right, I want you to take one packet and pass it around. This packet holds your syllabus and a few other papers your going to need for the rest of the year. Don't lose these people. I hate making copies," the professor quirked up his eyebrow in a light manor and a few of the kids in the class laughed to themselves.

Haley began flipping through her own packet, half listening to the teacher talk, half reading what was going to be expected of her in this class for the next four months. Out of the corner of the room she randomly heard the giggle of the doorknob and the click of the door, indicating that someone was coming into the class. Haley glanced up from her packet, as did a few other students, to see Nathan quietly fumble into the classroom, and into one of the back desks. The professor gave him a warning look and continued on with his schpiel.

For some reason Haley lost all feeling in her body the second Nathan walked into the room. It wasn't so much that she was surprised he was there, he had come right out and told her he was going to Bayview. It was that she'd given up on seeing him again. Resigned herself to the fact that she and Nathan lived into two separate worlds, yet even though those words in her mind where only metaphorical, she in some way though that made them real.

But it didn't.

She and Nathan lived in the same world, in the same town, and now once again went to the same school. There was no escaping him. Haley didn't know if she should be happy by this knowledge or not. She didn't know if her heart could handle the constant day-to-day interaction with him. His rejection still hurt so much.

She kept her eyes on him, until he took his seat in the back, setting his back pack on the ground, and looking up at the front of the room just in time to lock eyes with her. Quickly she spun her head back to the front of her desk and down to her packet, reading it like it was the Holy Grail. She could feel his eyes on her back, which only made her body tense and uncomfortable. She sat straight in her chair, her arms resting on the desk as her hands were clamped down on the paper before her.

Part of her so badly wanted to turn around and look at back him. Just to check and see if he really was staring at her. She didn't know why he would be though and the fact that she felt him doing it; confused her even more. Nathan Scott was an enigma.

As the minutes ticked by, Haley continued to stay stagnant in her chair, aware of only one other person in the room besides herself. A million thoughts ran through her head of what she was going to do when the class ended.

Should she say hello, and be polite?

Should she ignore him on purpose and be a bitch?

Should she act indifferent, like she doesn't care?

Even more concerning was what was he going to do? Talk to her? Not talk to her? Blow her off, ignore her, maybe apologize?

Haley wanted to laugh at that thought. Nathan Scott would never attempt to apologize to her in a public place, and even if he did she didn't want to hear it. It wouldn't mean anything. None of the others had, so why would this one?

So consumed in her thought's Haley barely heard the professor give the signal for the end of class. She saw all the other people around her collecting their things and putting them into their bags. She hastily began to do the same, then grabbing her bag she hopped out of her seat and pulled her bag onto her shoulder.

With the most courage she could muster she glanced back at Nathan and saw him getting up out of his seat. She didn't know what to do. What was right and wrong, and what felt right didn't make sense to her anymore. All she knew was that she needed to be out of the classroom and away from him.

Using her small frame to her advantage Haley squeezed through the large crowd and out into the hallway before Nathan got to the front of the room. She didn't even try to look back as she made it down the stairs and out of the building.

........................

"Please, please, please tell me why I chose to take Statistics. Because I can't for the life of me, figure out what brain malfunction I had that day," Brooke moaned when she saw Haley come inside their apartment.

Haley gave Brooke a sympathetic smile. "I think I remember you telling me that the Prof. was hot."

"He is," she nodded.

"So what's the problem?"

"The class sucks."

"So drop the class," Haley dropped her bag on the kitchen table and slumped down into the sofa chair by Brooke.

"But Haley you don't understand this teacher is a god. He's gorgeous, and not just in the normal way. More in the I'm-Brad-Pitt-in-Legends-of-the-Fall kind of way. I mean the man's got waiting lists a mile long--that's how many people, mainly girls, want to take his classes. And I got in. I can't just drop it."

"Then don't drop it," Haley shrugged resting her head against the back of the chair.

"But this class is going to suck so much. Grrr I don't know what to do," Brooke groaned again, and flopped her self out along the couch. Haley laughed lightly, and then suddenly remembered her own experience earlier in the day. The smile fell from her face.

"Maybe you could just transfer to one of his easier classes," she suggested, bringing her hand up to pick at her nails.

Brooke sat up and looked at her friend. "Yeah, except this is his easiest class. So either way I'm screwed."

"I don't know why you care so much. You do have Lucas, ya know."

"Yes, but he's back at Duke until the end of May, so I have to have some eyes candy to keep satisfied."

Haley shot her eyes up at Brooke and the other girl laughed. "I can look and not touch. Believe it or not."

"Hey I didn't say anything," Haley lifted her hands up innocently.

"Yeah but I know what you were thinking, little miss gutter mind," Brooke pointed at her.

Haley chucked and shook her head. "No actually I was thinking about how Nathan Scott was in my Educational Psych. class today," she through in and Brooke moved her head forward.

"Huh? What?"

"Nathan's in my class."

"Yeah I heard that. What happened?"

Haley sighed and let her arms fall to the arms rests in a defeated manner. "Nothing. He came in, sat down, we had class and then I left."

Brooke waited in silence for Haley to continue but she didn't. "And?"

"And nothing."

"What do you mean nothing? You did nothing? Or nothing important happened? What does that mean, 'nothing'?"

"It means class ended and I left. I just.... I walked out," she said uncertainly, and Brooke picked up on it.

"You just walked out?"

"That's what I said."

Brooke scooted down on the couch closer to the other girl. "So Nathan just randomly shows up in your class and then you both ignore each other?"

"Not exactly."

"Then what happened Hales?"

"I didn't really give him a chance to ignore me. I kind of.....ran out."

"You ran out?"

"Yes, stop that," Haley stated, fidgeting in her seat.

Brooke looked confused. "Stop what?"

"That. Repeating everything I say."

"Sorry, I'm just a little lost here. You tell me Nathan shows up in your class, and you don't talk to him. Not that I blame you of course because he is the biggest jerk this side of the western-hemisphere, but still, why did you run out?"

Haley bit at her bottom lip, and leaned on her side to rest her body into the chair. "Because I didn't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything babe. You can ignore his pasty ass all you want. That's your right as the jilted lover."

Haley laughed at Brooke. "I know. But I feel like I should say something. Let him know his presence doesn't bother me."

"Does it," Brooke questioned her, her eyes staring into Haley's.

"Yeah," she answered honestly. "Damn it."

...........................................

Haley had hoped that her talk with Brooke would have squelched some of her fears going back to class the next morning. But there was no such luck. Again she was the first person inside the class, and again she waited on bended knee for Nathan to come through that door. Five minutes till the beginning of class he came through the door and took a seat two desks behind hers. She sat stiffly never looking anywhere but to the space in front of her.

Professor Hales waltzed into class precisely at nine and began his lecture. By the time he dismissed the class, Haley's hand was so swore from writing down notes that she wasn't as quick getting her things in her bag. Placing Haley in a position Nathan could take advantage of. As she pulled her bag up on her shoulder and mad her way out of the room, she could feel his form bearing over her from behind. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to turn around, she didn't want to walk faster, and yet she felt her legs quickening their pace. She could also hear his shoes coming up beside her.

"So what do you think of that class," he asked her, as he finally made his way beside her in the hallway.

Haley looked up at him in bewilderment. What was going on? "Huh?"

"I think it'll be all right. It's kind of boring, but Kevin's not too bad," Nathan talked nonchalantly.

"Who," Haley asked feeling out of the loop of the conversation.

"Our Professor," he stated simply.

"Oh," was all she could think of to say in response. This whole situation felt wrong.

"So anyway, what are you gonna do for the paper? Cause I was thinking maybe I could do like liberal arts in education or something . But I'm not sure, I don't know a lot about--"

"What are you doing," Haley cut in, at Nathan's rambling.

He looked down at her innocently as if them talking like this was the most natural thing in the world. "Talking to you about our assignment."

"Why?"

"Because that's how us students communicate. See I–"

"I mean why are you talking to me? Why are you in my class? I don't understand you," Haley said in exasperation.

"Well I'm a complex kinda guy," Nathan joked and Haley didn't even crack a smile.

"Complex?.....If that's what your calling it. Either way, it doesn't matter. You're not my business, we've established this point pretty clearly I think. So please, please just stay away Nathan. I can't take it anymore."

"Can't take what," he asked, speeding up when he noticed Haley trying to get away.

"This back and forth between you and me. It's awkward and painful to both of us. All we seem to do is mess each other up, and I'm done with it. I quit." She said frankly and saw some of the light in Nathan's eyes darken at her words, but he still looked determined.

"How can you quit?"

"By staying away from you. By dropping this class," Haley said with her own determination and a hint of sadness.

Nathan tried to search Haley's face, see if she really meant what she was saying. He wanted to say something, do something, but he was at a loss in this moment. The last thing he wanted was for her to have to give up something else for him.

Nathan let out a resigned breath. "Don't drop the class."

"Wha–"

Haley wasn't sure what to say so she just stopped, and looked up at the man beside her. "Do you want me to drop the class," he asked her, his eyes hopeful.

"Yes," she replied weakly, the all too familiar feeling of fear setting in as she made yet another clouded choice.

"Then I will," he answered softly, giving Haley a quick smile. She tried to smile back at him, as she began to walk away, but heart just wasn't in it.