Since they left Haley's house, not a word had been spoken.

The music that was playing on the radio made Haley feel uncomfortable.

An old senseless love song ! great! she thought

Luke kept his eyes glued on the road while Haley, dear Haley, tried to look like she was admiring all the houses they had passed by - from the Smiths to the Newtons to the Gresbers and so on.. as if she had not seen them only yesterday.

This sucks !she felt her chest was going to explode.

After 10 minutes of nothing but silence except for the annoying song that was playing on the radio, Haley decided to break the ice.

"Luke, What the hell is this music?" She pinched his arm.

"Ouch! What did you do that for?" Luke asked. He gently rubbed the reddish mark on his skin while still managing to keep his other hand on the wheel.

He looks so cute when he's pissed off she told herself, unconsciously she let out a soft giggle

"I don't know, Maybe for being so quiet?" she moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Hmmm... I like the smell of his aftershave she told herself as she breathed in the sweet scent of Lucas.

Luke's mood seemed to lighten up but he was obviously still upset over what happened that morning.

"If you think pinching me will get you off the hook, News Flash Ms. James, It's not working , not a chance!" He replied with an eyebrow raised.

"You know Haley, you are really freakin' me out!" he made a remark that sounded more serious than intended.

She inched away and stared once more outside.

She wanted to tell Luke something but was scared that she might loose her best friend if she did.

"What do you mean?" she tried to act as innocent as she can.

She's a pretty hard case to crack, Lucas thought.

Taking Haley's advice, he looked for another radio station.

When he finally found something that would suit Haley's taste, he rolled his eyes and gave a hardly noticeable sigh.

"Happy?" he asked, taking a quick glance at her.

"Yup" her reply was barely audible.

The surrounding seemed so peaceful except for some kids who were throwing water balls at each other.

Darn it! Why does life have to be so complicated? She asked her self.

Haley decided to simply close her eyes and pretend that she was sleeping. In that manner, Luke would stop asking her questions.

For a minute, all she could feel was the vibration coming out from the speakers which were located right behind her.

She tried to sort all the thoughts running through her head that were driving her insane.

Was she finally going to tell Luke what she had been aching to confess since last week?

With out a word, Luke turned off the engine. Haley noticed a change in her surrounding, She caught a glimpse of one of the most popular guys in school,Nathan Scott,the half -bother of Lucas who was a certified ASSHOLE.,Unsurprisingly, he evidently was having fun with his new girl friend.

At one corner, she saw a girl and a boy making out near the principals' office. The guy was barely clothed.Luckily, the principal wasn't in schoool yet.

Boy! Is that love or lust?she questioned.

Haley was about to get out from the car when Lucas suddenly, grabbed her arm and asked her to stay for a while.

"Look Hales!" he said with a sort of defeat look on his face

He faced Haley, staring deeply at her hazel-colored eyes.

"I love you"

Oh my God ! What? Her heart raced in excitement.

"I love you, you're my best friend. If there's something troubling you, you can always tell me."he said with sincere concern on his face.

I knew it was to good to be true, she thought, masking the disappointment on her face.

"I know that Luke" she said sweetly,

"And if you need someone to talk to, you know I'm here for you right?" he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Right., you know, you're beginning to sound like my dad" She replied, punching him playfully on his shoulder.

"And you're finally wearing a diff. color of blouse" he teased, staring with a smile at her outfit.

"Well, black is the real color of my soul.you know?"she said, giving him a devilish look.

"Are you trying to make a joke? If you are ,it's really funny" he shot an –I –don't –think-so –look.

"Hahahahaha! Whatever Luke!" she exclaimed sarcastically.

Luke pulled Haley for a long warm hug which caught her by surprise.

"I'm just here for you ok?" he sweetly whispered in her ear.

"Yeah" she said softly.

"Now, C'mon , you don't want to be late for classes do you?" he gave her a smirk which she adored the most.

Luke opened the door and carried the books for Haley.

"Thanks" she tried hard not to blush but failed.

That was an extremely long ride she thought.

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"Hey Luke, Hales Wait up!" a familiar voice from the crowd shouted.

Turning back, the person Haley avoided to see the most was standing in front of her.

Great! Just the person I wanted to bump into. Just the same, she managed to give a fake smile.

A/N: Hope you liked it.. Thanks for the reviews !!! PLease keep on reviewing. There's more to come!!