Chapter 11: Facing the Second Day Pt. 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the One Tree Hill characters. I only own my original characters.

Kaiana paused in front of the door to her homeroom. She didn't know why God had seen fit to place Justin in homeroom with her. That guy definitely had problems...problems that were beginning to affect her life. After the run in with him this morning, she and Lucas had hurried off to class. Lucas hadn't said a word to her the whole time they walked. The walk to their class had been quiet and tense, all traces of the previous easy going manner now absent. She inwardly cursed Justing for ruining a good moment.

When they got to their English class, Lucas had glanced over at her and gave her a little half smile. "I'm alright...that guy just gets on my nerves you know," he had said, trying to placate her. She had only nodded, choosing to accept that answer instead of prodding him for the real reason for this sudden withdrawal from her. They both then entered the classroom and took their respective seats. Haley and Peyton had entered the class a couple minutes later. Kaiana had pushed both Lucas and Justin from her mind as she listened to her professor lecture. She had become so enthralled with her professor's lecture and his quick wit that the time had flown by quickly. Now 1st period was over and it was time for Homeroom. She groaned audibly. "Please oh please no drama today," she mumbled to herself as she placed her hand on the doornob.

"You know talking to yourself usually indicates dementia." Kaiana spun around to face the voice. She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Big words there Nathan," she commented. "Be careful. I don't want you to put too much of a strain on your brain muscles there. You know jocks don't have many to work with in the first place."

Nathan gave her a tight smile. "Well having a brilliant girlfriend helps with my vocabulary," he responded, forcing his voice to sound playful. "Now are you going to go inside or just block the doorway all day?" Kaiana's smile wilted and she looked at Nathan carefully. He was smirking at her, but something was off...almost like he was angry...annoyed maybe. She hoped she hadn't gone too far by making that jock comment. She didn't respond to his question, only turned around and entered the room quietly. She walked swiftly to her desk and sat down.

Nathan followed her into the classroom, taking note of the fact that she hadn't responded. He knew that his voice hadn't sounded as playful and cheery as he had wanted it too, but he had hoped it covered his anger. He hated the fact that he was constantly ribbed about his intelligence just because he was a jock. It was hard having a straight A student as a girlfriend. It made him always constantly wonder if he measured up to her. All he really had was basket ball. That was his one ticket to be able to attend a good college and make a life for himself. Having a half brother who got good grades as well didn't help the situation either. Still...those were his issues to deal with.

Now as he watched the young girl who was staring straight ahead, her back rigid and her teeth nibbling on her lower lip in a nervous manner, he knew that he had yet again taken a harmless joke a little too seriously. Nathan slowly trudged towards her, plopping down in the chair behind her. He said a quick hello to Jake and Tim. His eyes then strayed to Justin and Allen. He gave them both a slight nod of acknowledgement, before turning back around to face the front of the room. He pulled one of her curls gently. "I'm sorry," Nathan whispered, as he leaned forward.

Kaiana turned around to look at him. He was smiling at her and this time it was real. "It's okay...I'm the one who should say sorry," she replied softly. "It was a dumb thing to say. Sorry if I hurt your feelings."

Nathan shrugged. "It's cool," he told her. "Besides, it takes a lot more to hurt my feelings. You obviously haven't met my dad; otherwise you would already know this."

"Your dad is hard on you huh," Kaiana asked.

Nathan nodded. "You have no idea," he said scornfully, leaning back in his chair. "He was this great basketball player in high school and thinks he can relive his youth through me." He pulled his eyes away from her, as he felt a little uncomfortable talking about his father with someone he barely knew. "Anyway, he always rides me about my game...always telling me I have to be on top of my game to get a good scholarship. He doesn't care if my grades are good or not, but I do. That's why I work with Haley on some of my subjects that give me major problems." He grinned as he remembered that was how he had met his girlfriend in the first place. "That's how I met her...Haley...through her tutoring me."

"Hmm...funny...I figured you met her through Lucas," Kaiana commented casually. "She and Lucas are best friends aren't they?"

"Well...Lucas and I weren't exactly friends then," Nathan said uncomfortably. "Actually we hated each other then. It's actually because of Haley why we started talking civilly. We're not best friends, but we tolerate each other pretty well...for her sake."

"You tolerate each other," Kaiana said incredulously. "But you're brothers...you're family. What could have caused you guys to hate each other?" Her eyes widened at the expression that was now on Nathan's face. "Okay...you know what, that's none of my business. Never mind." She swept one of her curls out of her eyes and glanced at Jake. He was sitting at his desk, his eyes droopy with sleep. "Someone else besides me needs some coffee," she said, gesturing her hand to Jake, who then gave her a half hearted wave.

Nathan turned around and looked at Jake. "Yeah...he's always like that," said Nathan, laughing. He looked at Kaiana again. He knew she had just commented on Jake to change the subject and he silently thanked her for it. Talking about Lucas and his dad was hard for him. He still didn't understand why he had even brought up the subject of his dad with her. He hated talking about his dysfunctional family and usually avoided the topic at all costs, but he had found it harder and harder to avoid the issue these past couple weeks.

Feeling eyes on her, she turned to Nathan. He was staring at her...well more like through her. She waved a hand in front of his face and he jumped. "Sorry...I didn't mean to scare you," she said, releasing a light chuckle. "You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," Nathan replied. A slow smile appeared on his face; a movement that caused Kaiana to raise an eyebrow in suspicion. "So what's up with you and Lucas," he asked slyly, shifting the topic once again. "Every time I'm around you two I feel like I'm caught up in a romance novel. What's the deal?" He raised an eyebrow at her, leaning forward again slightly in his chair.

Kaiana averted her eyes. "Nothing," she said simply. "There's nothing going on. Why would you think there's something going on?" Tim snorted loudly which drew Kaiana's attention to him. 'She must think that we're blind or something,' Tim thought as he gave Kaiana a sweet smile and a small wave to counter the glare she was sending his way.

Nathan saw the way she was glaring at Tim and he chuckled softly. "Nothing huh," Nathan said teasingly. "That's why you and Lucas stare into each other's eyes with this dreamy look on your faces. Seems like a whole lot of something to me."

Kaiana sighed deeply. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, turning away from him. She then reached down in her tote bag and took out one of her textbooks and pretended to read its contents...anything to stray away from the Lucas topic.

Nathan chuckled at the way she turned around to face forward. If she wasn't into his brother, then why was she acting so guilty? Nathan for the life of him couldn't figure out why girls were suddenly so drawn to Lucas these days. His brother had attended the school for the same amount of years as everyone else and they were just now noticing him. He knew being on the basketball team brought you a certain amount of attention, but he hadn't realized just how powerful being on the team could make you until Lucas had joined.

His brother presently had the attention of yet another beautiful girl....Kaiana, except she didn't seem to be like the usual slutty fans that often flirted with the basketball team. There was something about her...something special. Even though he was deeply in love with Haley, he couldn't help admiring her in a way. Kaiana was beautiful and funny...tough too. She didn't let pricks like Justin scare her. There was something else though. He couldn't put his finger on it, but whatever it was, it had his brother all turned around. He hoped that Lucas would get off his butt and do something about it before someone else snapped her up. And there it was again. These disturbing caring feelings he seemed to be developing for his half brother.

He didn't know when it had happened, but now all of a sudden he was seeing Lucas in a whole new way. At first, he had only begun playing basketball with Lucas on the Riverside court; occasionally hanging out with him for Haley's benefit, but now things were different. It was as if he actually enjoyed spending time with his older brother. He snorted aloud at that thought. Lucas was only a couple months older, but it still didn't stop Nathan from thinking of him in that light...a light he had never thought of him in before. The bell to start 2nd period rang loudly, causing Nathan to grab his backpack off the floor. He slung it over his shoulder as he rose from his seat. He looked over at the curly haired girl who sat in front of him...someone who seemed to have become a friend to him in a short period of time. Nathan smiled, questioning when she would finally allow her eyes to rest on him again, knowing that he had embarrassed her with his inquiry about her and Lucas.

Kaiana rose from her seat as well, picking up her own bag off the floor and placing it on her shoulder. She snuck a glance at Nathan. He was standing there looking at her, apparently awaiting some sort of response from her. "What Nathan," she asked, her tone almost impatient. "You're looking at me like you expect me to say something. Just what do you want me to say?"

Nathan shrugged his hands in the pockets of his baggy jeans. "I would like you to admit that you have a crush on my brother for starters," he said bluntly. "Then you can tell me why it seems to bother you so much that you do have this crush."

"I don't have a crush---," she began before she was interrupted with a "yes she does, although I don't know why." Kaiana growled under her breath. "You know what Justin, no one asked for your opinion," she said between clenched teeth, shooting daggers at the boy who seemed determined to intrude on her life. Kaiana moved her eyes to Nathan. "Let's go Nathan, before I have to throttle Mr. Dickhead over here."

"Well...touchy aren't we for someone who doesn't have a crush," Justin said, smiling at the irritation on Kaiana's face. "I never did understand what it is about these Scott brothers. All the women just seem to go crazy over them. I just don't get it." Justin's smile faded as his eyes strayed to Nathan. He couldn't understand what the big deal was about the Scotts. Girls fawned over them, teachers bowed down to them; even the coach seemed to be half in love with them. But why? What the hell was so special about them? Justin's eyes returned to the pretty girl standing in front of him, currently sending him a glare. He wondered if she realized how sexy she was when she was angry. If he could just get her away from the Scotts, then he knew he could make her his.

"I'm loving the curls, by the way," Justin continued nonchalantly. "It makes you look absolutely adorable. Although, you would look more adorable on my arm." He took a step closer to her, taking a moment to inhale the delicate scent of her perfume.

Nathan looked at Justin incredulously. Either this guy was incredibly stupid or incredibly brave, because there was no other reason to explain why he was intentionally trying to start something after yesterday. Nathan kept his hands firmly entrenched in his pockets. He knew if he didn't he would end up grabbing Justin and beating the hell out of him. If Justin took one step closer to Kaiana, though, Nathan swore that he wouldn't be able to control himself. He looked over at Kaiana and he knew she was feeling something close to what he was feeling, judging from the way her eyes were narrowing.

Kaiana dragged a hand through her hair tiredly. She was too tired to deal with this crap. "Justin I'm going to do you a favor and walk away now before I do something I'll regret," she said evenly. "I'm not exactly sure what your deal is, but I don't want to know. What I do want is for you to stay the hell away from me. As for my supposed crush on Lucas, well that's none of your damn business. As far as I'm concerned, I can hook up with whoever the hell I want. But trust me, it will never ever be you." With that she pushed past Justin and walked out of the classroom.

Nathan chuckled at the expression on Justin's face. "What's the matter dude," he asked playfully. "Not used to getting shot down huh. Sorry about that...it will get better though. Maybe you should start shooting a little lower on the totem pole, because Kaiana is definitely out of your league man." Nathan slapped Justin on the back as he walked past him, making sure it was hard enough to resound through the almost empty classroom, smiling cockily at the slight wince the slap brought forth from Justin.

"But she's in the league of the Scott brothers right bro," Justin called out just as Nathan was about to step through the doorway.

Nathan turned around and gave Justin the same cocky grin. "Obviously," he said simply. "You know if I were you I would cut my losses now and just give up. I mean if she was in your league, then why would she be hanging with us instead of with you? Think about that...bro." Nathan then wiggled his fingers in a playful wave at his teammate, which got him a middle finger waved in his direction. Nathan only laughed and left the classroom, leaving behind a steaming Justin.

"Hey man you alright," Allen asked carefully as he came to stand beside his friend. Justin nodded absently, his eyes still staring at the empty doorway. Then without warning he just walked away, not even looking back to see if Allen was following him. Allen adjusted his bag higher on his shoulder and let loose a small sigh. It looked like today had the potential to be another drama day, in spite of the talk he had given to Justin yesterday afternoon.

Justin had changed so much that Allen wasn't sure who he was anymore. Justin had never been a very friendly person, but he had never been as outwardly rude as he had become over the past year. Ever since they had made it on the basketball team, Justin had changed. Before they had been nobodies...just two normal high school boys. Now they had popularity and had dated some of the prettiest girls in school. They usually could have almost any girl they wanted...almost. This brought him to the subject at hand...the new girl. Justin was just a little too into this girl and he had only met her the previous day. She had been all Justin had talked about when they had been hanging out at Allen's house yesterday. That fact disturbed him. Justin had never been so obsessed with one girl before...until now.

Allen felt his stomach clench at the depth of coldness he had just seen in Justin's eyes. Justin had become more than just rude; sometimes he was just downright scary. And now was one of those times. He wondered if he should warn the Scotts or Kaiana for that matter. He rid his mind of that thought quickly. He couldn't do that. That would be betrayal and he couldn't do that to Justin. The boy who he had grown up with was still in there...somewhere. Justin was still his best friend, no matter what. He just hoped that 'no matter what' would never come to pass. Because then...he didn't know what side he would choose.

Note: Here's another chapter. Feedback keeps me energized guys! Thanks for all the support so far.