Haley sighed as she watched Lillian sleep. Her precious little angel looked so peaceful. The mother couldn't help but smile. It had been a rough few months and they had come a long way. Haley was finally the mom she always wanted to be, the one everyone knew she could be. And Lillian had finally cemented that bond with her mother. She cried for her, she longed to be in her arms, and when she heard her voice or saw her face, it was instant recognition. Haley hadn't been prepared for exactly how amazing that would be.
Mother and daughter were a happy pair but there was something missing…the constant presence of a father. Nathan had been great and he had moved to New York for the summer to be closer to them. But the summer was winding down and with weeks before the start of the pre season, the newly reinstated NBA player was on a mad cross country dash with his manager and agent, shopping himself and his balling skills to team after team, hoping someone would pick him up for a decent amount of money.
Haley didn't realize how much she would hate it when he was gone. He would call to check in and she'd put the phone to Lillian's face so Nathan could sing her his off key version of some song he'd made up about a bunny rabbit. She would laugh and move her little arms. He was a wonderful father and she missed him for Lillian. What would happen if a West Coast team like Seattle or Los Angeles offered him a contract? Even Atlanta and Miami on the East Coast were too far away. That meant more time away from their daughter…and her. Haley dared to even think the thought. But she'd quickly sweep it to the back of her mind. It didn't matter much what she thought anymore anyway, especially after that disastrous incident on the beach with the photographer.
"Knock, knock", Brooke smiled, not waiting to be invited in formally. "Is the Wicked Bitch of the Village in?"
Haley smiled faintly. She didn't quite know how the "feud" between Brooke and Taylor had started but she doubted it would ever end.
"It's safe. She's out with friends."
"Friends?" Brooke frowned. "Who knew the Crypt Keeper had friends?"
"What's up, Tigger?"
Brooke plopped down on the couch beside her.
"Well, I came to hang out with my niece by association here but since she's knocked out, I guess I can chill with you."
"Thanks", Haley playfully rolled her eyes.
"And I brought you this", Brooke reached into her bag. "I think you should see it."
It was a copy of Esquire magazine. To Haley's astonishment, Nathan was on the cover.
"Brooke, what is this?"
"He did an interview. You should read it."
Haley was stunned as she followed the table of contents to page 79 where the cover story was featured. The front cover featured a color photo of Nathan in a suit, tie loosened, white dress shirt wrinkled. His rumpled hair and stone expression were sexy as he held a basketball in his right hand. Inside the magazine was a black and white photo of a deep in thought Nathan sitting on the floor of a darkened room, his only prop, a sheet covered chair that sat idly in the background.
Great Scott! The Positively True and Amazing Adevtures of a Fallen Star was the title.
You can read so much into his handsome face…hauntedness, anguish, imperiousness, menace, genius. But Nathan Scott, the emergent co- star of the Southern royalty that already gave us Lucas, is in reality a gentle, shambolic soul. The James Dean like mystique? It's the mask his reputation wears to camouflage the real man behind one of the country's most infamous and documented bad boy characters. Here the basketball legend in the making candidly recounts his greatest hopes, fears and finally reveals the truth about his troublesome past…
The edgy athlete bounces a Spaulding basketball on the smooth, black asphalt. He wears neatly pressed khaki shorts and a green Polo tee shirt; his crisp combed hair and piercing blue eyes that only add to the pretty boy image. He looks like he belongs on a Versace runway...or at least a GAP commercial.
It is his uncanny ability that makes him capable of transforming himself. It's almost hard to believe the shy young man who twiddles his thumbs and seems too nervous to make eye contact, the same lovable guy that gave his mother a sweet kiss before the start of the interview is the same man seen cavorting with strippers and beating the paparazzi to a bloody pulp. Still he eludes a quiet but ever present level of intensity. On the court he is known for his "jack of all trades" style…high scoring, unstoppable defense and charisma. His passion for the game is evident whether he's playing in the NBA in front of millions or just shooting around a little informal one on one with a hapless journalist for Esquire magazine. Focused, determined and tense, Scott is so nakedly consumed by the play, he's almost painful to watch. He has been compared to the brooding, mysterious and tragic James Dean. Many wonder if his story will mirror that of another former basketball great, Dennis Rodman. A heartrending tale of an immensely talented baller whose personal troubles, quick temper and off the court antics overshadowed and eventually derailed his brilliant career. That remains to be seen and it seems these days everybody has an opinion…and most of them aren't good. Many predict this is the end of the road. A promising livelihood over before it really began. Critics and fans alike have written him off. They say its over. The funny thing is, someone forgot to tell Nathan Scott all this.
My first experience with Scott occurred two years ago, when I was interviewing his brother, fellow superstar, Lucas Scott. In a sparsely deorated loft in the City of Brotherly Love, I sat with the brothers Scott and Megan Powell, Nathan's then fiancée and now estranged and soon to be ex wife. As Lucas and I chatted, Nathan slipped furtively in and out of the house, casting sidelong glances. At the time, I read him as fragile and spooky, yet cocky and confident, the yin to his older half brother's yang, a tortured and confused bad boy perpetually dogged by the angelic glow and shadow of his saintly brother. As it turned out, I had it all wrong. That Nathan was a far cry from the loopy, easygoing virtuoso I'd spend some time with years later.
Scott once said his decision to become a professional ball player was based on the fact that "I can't draw, I can't sing, I'm not handy and really not all that smart". Be that as it may, he seems uncommonly suited to the extreme rigors of this line of work. His upbringing may have been the most contributing factor. He was born to college sweetheart parents, Daniel and Deborah Lee Scott, who met at freshman orientation. Dan Scott was once an NBA hopeful himself but his dreams were dashed when he succumbed to a debilitating knee injury. Instead, he majored in business and he and Deb, settled into the normalcy of suburbia at its finest. Eventually the family moved back to Dan's hometown of Tree Hill where he successfully opened an automobile dealership. They lived in a mansion on a hill in the good part of town. They drove fancy cars and joined an exclusive country club. And very early on, it was plain to see that the younger Scott had inherited his father's natural athleticism.
Nathan's earliest memory is shooting a sponge ball into a plastic Fisher Price hoop in his folks' garage. Life was happy, normal and uncomplicated…but not for long. In a conservative town known more for its immaculately manicured lawns and social gatherings, a scandal would come back to haunt Dan Scott. His high school love, Karen Rowe, had become pregnant shortly after graduation and the golden boy had left her to pursue his own interests. With his return to Tree Hill was the revelation that indeed there was another Scott son, one named, Lucas, one who lived with a struggling single mother on the poor side of town, one who was just as talented on the court. Bitter, resentful and weary, it would take years before the brothers' paths would cross and it just so happened to be on a basketball court. There was a bitter rivalry and it would take Dan's unexpected heart attack and chronic condition before father and eldest son eventually reconciled but before that is the amazing tale of how two enemies became friends and brothers.
The unlikely link was a petite and pretty auburn haired school tutor with a big laugh and even bigger heart. No one at the time could have guessed that the shy beauty wearing the ponchos and crazy hats would soon become one of the world's most successful entertainers. Enter Haley James.
I ask Nathan if he remembers the first time he ever saw her. He gives me the first real smile of the interview and reminisces quietly. "It was at the lockers and I was talking to my best friend, Tim. She was across the way with Lucas actually and that's why I noticed her. They seemed to be good friends. I needed a way to get him. I wanted him off the team. We'd tried hazing, beating his ass…everything. So I figured if I made his best friend fall for me, then slept with her and left her, it would be the best dig, the best way to turn the tables."
But fate had other plans and soon the tables were turned on Nathan as he found himself falling for girl he had hired to tutor him. They fell in love and began dating. She was there for him when the pressure mounted and he collapsed on court after overdosing on performance enhancing drugs. She was there for him through the slow build of a relationship with the brother he'd only heard about it. She was there for him through the seeming demise of his parents' marriage. And it was she who helped him become legally emancipated at 16. She was there for him during his father's heart attack and subsequent HCM diagnosis but not before convincing her parents to sign the papers that allowed two high school juniors to get married.
It is the sweet love story you only hear about. Tales of hearts and flowers, holding hands and baking cookies together. Two lovers blissfully happy from opposite sides of the tracks. Never mind the growing money problems, never mind increasing opposition from the Scott family, never mind Nathan's decision to postpone attendance of the most prestigious pre collegiate basketball camp in the nation in lieu of being away from his child bride. It was a marriage every one questioned but nevertheless a union Nathan and Haley Scott dreamed would last forever. Enter a scrawny, arrogant, talented and well connected musician who passed the days away selling records at the local music store. Enter Chris Keller.
The story, although only recently revealed has become legendary. It is filled with innuendo, rumors and mystique, yet another of Tree Hill's infamous urban legends. A reformed jerk morphs into a loving, sincere, self sacrificing husband. An entire town watches the marriage, waiting to see when it will dissolve and what Nathan Scott will do to screw things up with a sweet girl with the saintly reputation. After forming a "professional, music" partnership with Chris Keller, a secret affair begins. Haley Scott leaves her husband, her family and her life behind in Tree Hill as she runs off on tour with her new lover. How much is fact and what is fiction? Haley James has never disclosed but Nathan Scott has plenty to say about the matter.
"Did your wife leave you for Chris Keller?" I ask point blank. His blue eyes darken and narrow and he shifts uncomfortably on the bench by the custom designed basketball court of the lavish mansion, which he has just sold. "She says no and I believe her. Haley left for the music. At the time I didn't get that. All I knew was she was leaving me. It hurt. It made me mad. I couldn't handle it. We were both young and we had a lot on our plate. The feelings were real but maybe we rushed things. But she did try to stay in touch. I think she wanted it to work. I did too but I let pride and ego stand in the way."
The couple annulled the union months later…or so it was thought. Fast forward. Haley James becomes one of the most popular musicians of our time. She releases a string of albums that go double platinum. She wins American Music Awards, Billboard Awards, MTV Awards and the coveted Grammy. She sings the National Anthem at the Superbowl. Her national and international tours are instant sell outs. Her sweet personality and all American good girl image immediately label her as America's new sweetheart. She is truly living the dream all over the world, setting up new roots in the center of Manhattan's youthful and trendy elite Chelsea neighborhood.
Travel a few hundred miles south. A young husband is devastated. He spirals into a world of alcohol, criminal mischief and fast women. With the love and help of his brother and friends, he is briefly rescued from the path of certain self destruction as he is encouraged to grab the second chance opportunity of High Fliers basketball camp. The summer in Florida changes his life. He graduates high school and attends UNC where he leads the Tarheels to unparamounted success. He is a first round NBA draft pick. Not to mention, somewhere in the middle, he found love again. Enter Megan Powell.
Just mention her name and I swear I see tears in his eyes. He talks of their first meeting. He was in a bar on his way to a fraternity party for "another night of beer guzzling and bed hopping". He meets a pretty blonde who isn't aware of his sports achievements and couldn't care less when she realizes she is in the company of the university's most admired and famous attendee. Slowly, they fall in love. Megan remains by his side for the rest of their UNC days. He proposes marriage between graduation and the draft ceremony. In the first round, he is picked by the Charlotte Bobcats. The couple buy a home and make plans for the wedding of the year. Then the bombshell! Nathan Scott is already married…still legally bound to Haley James, a woman he hadn't seen in years, due to a paperwork technicality in the annulment neither had been made aware of. Both are devastated. This is the first link in a chain of surreal events that will turn many lives upside down.
Nathan describes frustration, shock, anger and desperation upon learning of the situation. A demon from his past that he had failed to exorcise had returned. The solution was a quickie divorce in the Dominican Republic. Fast and painless, right? Under normal circumstances, yes but Mother Nature had other plans in store. Enter the tsunami.
Nathan Scott has never publicly discussed those days in Santa Domingo. I first ask him to describe the tsunami. He breathes hard and talking about it seems to somehow send him back to last summer. "It was an earthquake at first, then there were these little tremors. Nobody knew what was going on and it didn't seem like a big deal at first. Then they told us to evacuate the hotel. It was all this commotion in the lobby and then we just hear this sound…this awful sound like a train coming full speed ahead right at you and I look up and see this wave. It doesn't even look real. It looks like a Hollywood special effect. When the water hit, it just shattered the windows. People and houses and cars and everything was literally washed away in like seconds. It was dark out and the water was so powerful. I'll never forget it."
It is hard for him to continue. Nathan finds a tree and clings to life. He screams out for Haley. She is like a needle in a haystack. And then, what can only be described as the first series of what could be called miracles, he sees her. He grabs her but loses his grip. She goes under. He fears the worst. Bobbing to the surface again, he grabs her and risks his life to pull her to temporary safety atop a flimsy, wavering tree. They make it through the night. The next day they face blistering sunburn and near deadly mosquito attacks. But the worst is yet to come. The branch is giving way. There is nowhere to go. Water is all around them. There are no survivors, no help, just random dead bodies floating by on occasion. In the distance on higher ground is a mud hut. It is their only chance. But between them and shelter is miles of water. What if there are other waves? There is no time for "what ifs?". It is "now or never". Fighting through pain, fatigue and disorientation, they make it. Higher ground, a shack and an abundance of coconuts, the only factors sustaining their lives. The wait begins…death is lurking.
"It was crazy being in that hut", he sighs. "It was the only thing protecting us but we were still scared. We didn't know if anyone would find us. We thought we might die."
I ask the billion dollar question.
"Did you and your ex wife, Haley James have sex?"
He is visibly uncomfortable. "Yeah", he finally admits. "It's not something I'm proud of and probably her either. It was wrong because I was engaged to another woman. I really don't want to get into this, details and stuff." I remind him this is his exclusive, no holds barred, chance to tell his side. "I know", he says. "But I have to be careful. I don't want to disrespect Haley…or Megan." We leave it at that.
Soon after they are rescued. The embassy confirms the divorce. They leave the Republic separately, both harboring a heavy secret burden. Nathan tries to go on with normal life but he can't get his ex or their intimate time together out of his mind. He admits to getting in his SUV and attempting to drive to where he knows Haley is in concert. But a phone call mid way causes him to turn around. Megan is pregnant. Nathan cannot leave. He continues with his shameful secret, he lives with the emotional roller coaster of loving and being torn in between two women. A rage develops deep inside. A time bomb is ticking.
"I lost it. I couldn't deal with anything. Not my family or my wife or my career. The pressure from the media was crazy. I was losing my mind. I needed help but I didn't know how to step up and ask for it."
He turns to the one thing that has been solace for years. Nathan reaches for the bottle.
"Drinking was a temporary fix. It made me feel good. It makes you think your problems are gone but actually, it's just part of the problem. It changed me. It made me treat people differently. It made me hurt a lot of people. It made me hurt myself. I allowed it to ruin my career."
Scandal followed. Skipping practice, intoxicated at games, public bouts with the Charlotte coaching staff, poor on court performance. Scott was on thin ice and those that loved him most knew it. An intervention was staged but an irate Nathan fled, his mother, Deb, jumping into his vehicle at the last minute. Drunk and in an attempt to rattle her, he began swerving the wheel. Then he lost control. At the end of the night, Deb had minor injuries, a bicyclist father of two, Michael Sanchez, was fighting for his life and Nathan had narrowly escaped felony charges by testing one point under North Carolina's legal alcohol limit.
That night changed his life. It put things into perspective. He has not touched a drop of alcohol since.
"Suddenly everything was different. I was fucked up but I was fucking things up for a lot of other innocent people. It helped me realize, yeah, my mom has made some mistakes but she's still my mother and I love her. It made me realize how good my brother and our friends are. I was letting them down. And I almost killed a guy. He's recovered a lot since then but I feel guilty. I think about it everyday. He and his family are great. They forgave me and we're friends now." Friends, huh? Do they keep in touch? To this day. Nathan Scott, of his own free will, financially supports the Sanchez family.
It was the event that cost him his career but also the incident that started his long path to redemption.
"I wish I could say everything was great after that but it wasn't. I was still lost. I wasn't the husband I should have been. I had a great wife who loved me and treated me like gold. I just gave her shit. She put up with so much. Megan didn't deserve any of it…and I didn't deserve her. I hurt her so much. She's such a great girl and I want her and the world to know that. Everything…all of this is my fault."
Even her premature labor and the death of their infant daughter days later? Nathan seems to think so. The pain is evident. He asks to take a break. He can't even talk about it.
He chats with his mother quietly and returns later, apologetic and still shaken. We resume. He is at the point in the story where he is a broken man trying to mend the pieces of his marriage and life. Then the story breaks. Haley James is pregnant. She is seen all over town in the company of Chris Keller. Speculation runs rampant.
"Did you think it was your child?" Nathan shrugs. "Deep down, I guess I always knew. Yeah I had questions and maybe even doubt but I knew."
Haley wasn't talking and conformation came sadly when Jamarah Lillian was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a life threatening condition that required an emergency bone marrow transplant. Nathan, flew to New York to begin a bedside vigil and exhausting search for a donor. He had lost one child and was determined not to lose another. In the biggest twist of fate, in a mirror where history was seemingly repeating itself, Dan Scott provided the marrow that saved little Lillian's (as her parents call her) life.
"You will publicly go on record and say Lillian is your daughter?" Nathan nods. "She is my child. I love her. I want Lillian to know she was made out of love. I am not and never will be ashamed of her…but I am ashamed of me."
Days later, Megan left the marriage and filed for divorce. He has not seen or spoken to her since.
"I love Megan. I do. Until the day I die. It's nothing she did wrong, it was just a series of unfortunate events. I didn't handle stuff in my past, it came back to bite me in the ass and she got hurt most of all. I don't blame her if she hates me but I am sorry."
"Is Haley James the love of your life?" I ask. "Yes. She and may daughters, both of them, are the loves of my life."
I ask him where their relationship stands now. He says they are finally friends again. There is a deep love. There is want to try again but with that comes fear and hesitation. He has no idea what the future might bring. Most of all, he wants to be good in every way…a good son, a good player, a good brother, a good friend, a good father…a good human being.
What is next for Nathan Scott? He resides in New York currently to be closer to his daughter but winning a recent appeal to be reinstated in the NBA, once again makes for an uncertain future. He's dedicated to reestablishing his career, gaining the respect of his peers and becoming a role model kids can look up to. He's close to his brother and enjoying the reconciliation with his brother. He attends AA meetings, volunteers and donates to various charities. He's a man on a mission to repair his image.
Oh and the paparazzi thing? He still says the tabloids and the paparazzi are "maggots". He is slightly apologetic about the latest incident that landed him back in the papers. He has promised to control his once uncontrollable temper but he pleads with the press to put themselves in the celebrities' shoes. And he vows to protect the safety and privacy of his child…at any time, at any cost.
So there we are. The process is over. The interview is complete. I have brought forth all the hard questions and he has delivered with amazing honesty and sincerity. The photos have been taken. It is time to go. We shake hands and I say good bye to him and Deb. They wave and see me out. Long after I am away from them, his presence continues to haunt me. For one so young, Nathan Scott has lived so much already. But he is as strong and determined as he is wounded and fragile. He is a survivor. The story of his journey forward has just begun…
Haley held the magazine in shaky hands. She was stunned. She was on the verge of tears. She didn't know how to react. She hadn't even known he was going to do the interview, much less what he would say. It certainly shed some light and put things into new perspective.
"You okay?" Brooke asked softly.
Haley nodded and swallowed hard as she wiped a tear away.
"Yeah", she finally spoke. "I…I just have to see Nathan."