Disclaimer: Sadly I own nothing of One Tree Hill. I do own this story and the plot line. And I own Chloe.

COLLIDE

Chapter 1: She Ain't No Ordinary Girl

Nathan absentmindedly listened to Tim babble on about some chick he had met the other nigh at another one of his lame parties as they walked up the stairs to his apartment.

"Dude, I'm telling you, this girl, she was fine dawg, and a total freak, I mean I'm not one to brag but she was all over me, practically drooling on me, it was like…"

"Tim," Nathan interjected, "Just say she was hot man."

Nathan rolled his eyes as he looked down to his key ring to find his silver apartment key. He only half listened as Tim spoke.

"Whoa," he voiced, "Speaking of hot."

Nathan looked up to see what he was talking about when his eyes set on the form of a brown haired teenage girl having a little trouble lugging two boxes into the apartment next to his. They were about to fall out of her hands when Nathan rushed to catch them.

"Here let me help you," he said as he caught the boxes and lifted them to his side.

"Oh my gosh thanks," she looked up then and they locked eyes for the first time in what would be many.

"No problem," he returned but his voice was distracted. All he could do was look into her eyes, that deep color of hazel.

"Dang girl, I must be in heaven because you look like an angel," Nathan rolled his eyes at Tim's stupidity.

She looked disgustingly at Tim, then to Nathan, "Does he come with a leash?"

Nathan laughed, "We were going to get him one but there are some codes we couldn't get around."

The girl laughed, "Damn those human rights laws now-a-days."

He smiled down at her from his much taller state as she extended her hand, "I'm Chloe by the way, Chloe Masters."

"Nathan Scott," he took her hand, "and this is Tim, he's on medication, forgive him for his horny induced babbling," she laughed at this, "And I guess we're neighbors, I live in this apartment."

He pointed to the door next to hers.

She nodded her head, "Good to know."

"So," Nathan looked into the apartment from the open door, "are you parents around or…?"

"Oh," Chloe looked at him bashfully, "actually it's just me, I'm kind of emancipated from my parents, it's a long story."

"No way, how weird is that, Nathan's emancipated from his parents too," Tim blurted out!

"Really? Wow small world huh," Chloe looked into his eyes again?

"Very small," Nathan distractedly replied.

He was to busy peering deep into her eyes. They were so intense, a deep shade of hazel. Green, brown, orange, and yellow, blended together to make the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Framed by dark eye makeup that made her eyes stand out just that much more. His eyes traveled briefly over her body, noting that she looked pretty fit and athletic, and made a mental note to ask her sometime if she did any sports. Her spaghetti strap top was dipping a little low and Nathan gave an appreciative look toward it as his eyes traveled back up to her face. Those beautiful eyes surrounded by that brown hair, accentuated by a few highlights at the top. A little gloss shining on her bottom lip.

Chloe just looked back at Nathan. Back into that rich shade of blue that made her feel like he was reading her soul. There was no denying that Nathan Scott was just five kinds of gorgeous. He was tall, dark, and handsome, all of the traits she loved in a guy. Plus he had those gorgeous blue eyes and that heart warming smile. He was tall too, which just made him that much more perfect, and he was emancipated, which meant that he was independent and could take care of himself. He appealed to her in a way that no man ever would.

"Well anyway, it was nice meeting you, if you ever need anything, any help moving in or anything, you know where to find me," Nathan told her and she smiled.

"Yeah, thanks, it was nice meeting you Nathan," Chloe smiled at him one more time, then looked oddly at Tim before adding, "Tim, it was…..interesting, meeting you."

Tim didn't seem to get the hint because he just smiled triumphantly and nodded at her, as he followed Nathan into the apartment.

When the door was fully shut Chloe looked at it for a few seconds, smirking a little bit, "Hmm…well, well, well, Tree Hill huh? Maybe this wont be such a mistake after all."

She gave one last look at the door before going back to unpacking.

When the door closed Tim immediately started in, "Dude, she's freaking fine, even hotter than Haley!"

Tim stopped and bit his tongue when he heard what came out of his mouth. Nathan winced at her name.

"Oh man, I'm sorry Nate," Tim apologized regretfully.

Nathan sighed and looked at his clumsy friend, "Its alright Tim," He tried to break the tension so he added, "And for once you're right, she is pretty fine."

Tim beamed at this as he jumped over Nathan's couch, turning the game cube on as he came down. Nathan looked briefly up at the hideous pink wall in front of him, the dumb clown picture sitting below it. After the annulment, he just hadn't gotten around to repainting the wall, moving the picture. He'd taken down all of the other pictures, the clown had stayed, and the wedding picture on the hall table, he told himself it was just because he didn't have time, how much time did someone need to pick up a little picture on a table, Nathan didn't know, he didn't want to.

He swallowed all thoughts of Haley from his mind for the time being, she was always there, in the back of his mind, looming around, but it was over, all over.

He didn't let himself get caught up again, he wouldn't. It was the past, and he had vowed the night he signed the papers, that he was moving on to the future.

The past was overrated. The future was overrated. Life was overrated.

Later that day as the sun was just about to set Nathan walked out the door of his apartment. He stretched out his leg, resting his basketball on his opposite hip, locking the door after him. He turned around to see Chloe leaning against the railing of the outside hallway, looking out at the setting sun.

"Pretty huh," he piped up behind her, knocking her out of her obvious revere?

She looked at him startled, before settling down when she noticed it was him, "Beautiful, you don't see sunsets like this were I'm from."

Nathan just nodded, not wanting to ask the obvious question and pry into her personal business just yet.

"I was about to go for a run but I noticed the sunset and kind of just got caught up."

"Well hey, I was just about to go down to shoot some hoops at the River court, but it is a good walk from here, want to join me?"

She contemplated for all of five seconds before nodding her head, "Sure, sounds great."

"Alright, come on then, and don't worry, I'll take it easy on you," Nathan teased her and she mocked shock.

"Oh I am so about to dust your butt," she smirked back as they made their way down the stairs of the apartments and started to jog.

About ten minutes later Nathan was heavily panting as he stomped onto the black top of the River court. Not to mention trailing just behind Chloe who was breathing heavily too.

"Good lord you can run girl," he breathed out as his breathing started to come back to normal. He set the basketball on the ground, then put his hands on his hips, regaining strength.

"All state cross country three years running," Chloe smirked, then in one swift moment scooped the ball up off the ground and dribbled it easily.

"That's not all I'm good at, if you know what I mean," she winked seductively at him and Nathan gulped hard as he followed her onto the court.

He watched her dribble the ball to her side two more times before she spread her legs just a little bit and started to weave the ball in and out of them, then in one beautifully swift motion she started to make her way to the basket and just in the right place she stopped, dribbled once again, pushed up on her toes and let go of the ball with a flick of her wrists, landing back on the ground with a little bounce. The orange ball went swiftly threw the hoop, chains clinking after it as if to add insult to injury.

Nathan was sure he felt his jaw hit the floor. The ball rolled back up the court and landed at his feet like a puppy coming back to his owner. He barely noticed because Chloe whipped back around and looked him right in the eye. She quirked her head to the side as she walked back over to him.

"Captain of my basketball team, since the eighth grade."

"You are really kicking me in the jewels right now, you know that?"

Chloe let out a laugh at his comment, "I aim to please."

He just shook his head as he regained his dignity and picked up the ball.

"So," he asked as he put the ball to the tip of his index finger and twirled it around, "How about we play some one on one, and you don't embarrass me too bad?"

She smiled up at him through her eyelashes and nodded her head, "I'll go easy on you hotshot."

"Alright," he said as he led her to the middle of the court. He held the ball out in front of him, gave her one more smirk, through the ball up in the air and jumped up to push it in his direction. She was way to short to get the ball before him of course so he launched down the court, her speeding after him.

They played on well into the evening, just having fun, when they decided to take a break. Nathan took the lead, guiding them in the direction of the picnic table at the side of the court. He jumped up, and stretched out across it, scooting to the right side of it. She crossed her arms and looked confused and expectantly at him. Nathan smiled the smallest of smiles at her and patted the left side of the table for her. She rolled her eyes but reluctantly jumped up on the picnic table. Laying her head down next to his.

"So," Chloe said when she was comfortable, "Is this what you do around here for fun? Play basketball and run?"

Nathan laughed, "Pretty much, we have parties and stuff, and the ocean when its summer, and TRIC is cool I guess."

"TRIC?"

"Yeah, its like this all ages night club that my brothers mom runs."

"Brothers mom? Wouldn't that make her your mom too?"

Nathan sighed, "This is the oldest story in the town but if you're going to live here your going to find it out sooner or later, why not come from the source right?"

Her eyes peered over at his from their previous spot on the stars. She shrugged her shoulders pleasingly.

Nathan nodded before delving into the whole entire story of their mixed up lives.

"Wow, Tree Hill, North Carolina, Inbred U.S.A, the world gets smaller and smaller."

Nathan nodded his head in recognition before asking her a question, "So where did you live before Tree Hill?"

She looked regretful for a minute before she answered, "Um…in a little town kind of like this one up north in Maine actually."

He nodded in recognition, "Wow, so what's your emancipation story?"

She winced visibly, but Chloe figured he had just told her pretty much his life story, it would be rude not to give him back a little bit.

"My mom, she was a lot like your dad I guess, she had been the all-star athlete in high school, had her top pick of all of the top athletics schools in the country, she was on top of the world, and she had my dad, her equal in every way, they were both going to Duke. And nothing could be more perfect. Until the accident of '85," she put emphasis on the date, "changed my life before I was even born. She tore ligaments in her arm and calf and there was no chance of them ever healing to where she could be the same athlete she was before. So move ahead a couple years to my birth, then to my childhood, when mommy dearest found out I could run faster than any kid at the family picnic, or that I could make a basket from farther away than even most boys my age, or that my softball pitch had range. For a while my entire world was making the team, making captain, getting the scouts attention, but after a while I realized, that being the all star wasn't my dream, it was hers. I dwelled for a long time on how fun playing used to be for me, and how it just got to be work after a while. I tried to go to my father for help, but he was so busy with his own career that he hardly had time for me. So I was watching TV one day and the thing came to me, the way out, and I grabbed at it."

Nathan wowed at how incredibly similar the two were. It was almost eerie, but it made him feel extremely comfortable with her at the same time. He nodded his head in recognition then silence came to them for a few minutes. Chloe broke it.

"You know Nathan, I've known you all of five hours and I think I've clicked with you in a way I've never clicked with anyone before."

Nathan turned to Chloe then, "I think I know exactly how you feel."

She met his eyes and bit her lip. He was just so incredibly perfect it was uncanny. She let this thought settle before she rolled up off the table.

"How about one more game of Horse?"

He agreed as he rolled off the table too.

"Nate," he heard a familiar male voice say from behind him? He looked back around to see Luke walking up with Brooke to his side, both with semi confused looks on their faces.

"Oh hey Luke, Brooke, this is Chloe, she just moved into the apartment next door to mine. Chloe this is my brother Luke, the one I was talking about, and his girlfriend Brooke."

Chloe smiled politely but friendly at them, "Nice to meet both of you."

"So you must be new to Tree Hill because I know I would have noticed that hair and those eyes before," Brooke ranted and Chloe smiled at her openness.

"Yeah, I'm brand new round these parts."

"Awesome," Luke nodded, he could tell that Nathan had been smiling and that he had been having a good time with this girl and it made him happy to know that Nathan was moving on from Haley, "You guys playing some basketball?"

"Playing would be an understatement, Chloe embarrassing the crap out of me is more like it."

She shrugged bashfully but gave Nathan a little wink.

"Well anyone who can school Nathan in basketball is okay with me."

They all chuckled at this.

"So anyway," Lucas went on, "We were about to go meet Peyton and Jake for some grub at the café. You guys want to join us?"

Nathan looked down at Chloe who's eyes were drooping slightly. He could tell she was getting worn out.

"Nah, why don't you guys go on ahead without us, sleeping beauty needs to get some rest."

Chloe realized he was talking about her, "Oh no Nate, go with Lucas and Brooke, I can get myself home."

"No way, you don't know your way around here anyway, you'll probably end up in the ocean or something," she rolled her eyes teasingly at this, "plus I'm a little worn out too, getting the crap kicked out of you by a girl is tiring."

They all laughed again at this.

"Alright," Lucas said, "then I guess we'll see you guys later, it was nice meeting you Chloe, welcome to Tree Hill, population suffocating."

Chloe smiled at the joke, "It was nice meeting you Luke, you too Brooke."

Brooke beamed her way, "Awesome, we totally need to go shopping sometime, you need to meet Peyton, she's my BFF and her and her boyfriend slash life partner Jake are the last birds in this love nest."

Chloe laughed, "Sounds great, I would love to."

"How about sooner than later, what about tomorrow?"

Chloe was shocked for a minute before she thought about it, "Alright. Sounds great."

Brooke smiled, "Great. Alright then, we'll pick you up at Nathan's tomorrow at noon."

"I'll be there."

"Okay, lets let Nathan and Chloe get their beauty rest honey, see you guys tomorrow."

They all waved goodbye to each other before they took off in different directions.

"Well there's one good thing about going shopping with Brooke," Nathan said as they neared the house.

"What's that?"

"You have an excuse to come by my apartment," he winked at her.

She rolled her head back in laughter, "Well its good to know that I need one."

"Nah, you don't."

They stopped in front of their doorways.

"Alright then, I guess I'll come over at like 11:50?"

"Nah, how about 11:30, we can hang out for a while," Nathan suggested.

Chloe agreed, "Alright then, 11:30 it is. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

"Night Nathan."

"Night Chloe."

Nathan was halfway into his apartment when he turned to Chloe's door.

"Hey Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

"I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship."

She smiled at him, "Yeah, me too."

She disappeared into her apartment then, and Nathan followed into his own, feeling a sense of relief come from this.