Chapter Six

"Brooke?"

"Yes, best friend?" she replied.

"Where are we going?"

School was had just finished and Peyton and Brooke were walking down the halls. Brooke slowed down when she heard Peyton's question. "What do you mean where are we going? You don't wanna stay in school, do you?"

"But this isn't the way we walk out."

"You can walk out this way too," Brooke told her.

"Er…okay," Peyton said, mentally thinking that this route seemed longer and wondering why Brooke chose it. Her question was answered when they turned into the next corridor and Peyton saw the sign above a door saying 'Gym'.

"Brooke?" Peyton said again. "Why are we stopping?"

"Well, you see P. Sawyer, the thing is –"

"B. Davis!"

"I just wanna see Lucas before we leave!" Brooke exclaimed. "P.E. is his last period."

"Brooke!" Peyton whined. "I wanna go to the mall and get my CDs."

"And we'll do that, but I just wanna –" Before Brooke completed her sentence the door to the gym opened, and Jake and Lucas Scott himself both walked out.

"Hi," Brooke said excitedly to them.

"Hi," Lucas saw them and smiled.

"Hi Brooke. Peyton," Jake nodded.

"Hey," Peyton mumbled.

"How are you?" Brooke said to Lucas. She sounded casual, but there was more implied.

"Fine, thanks." Lucas didn't want to make a big deal of it in front of Jake and Peyton, but he appreciated the question. "So, Jake and I were gonna go down to the river court to play with Skills and some friends…um, do you wanna come?" he added quickly.

Brooke's face lit up and she began to say, "Ye-" before Peyton interrupted her.

"We were just about to go to the mall," Peyton reminded her.

"Oh, yeah…we have to go to the mall," Brooke repeated even though the boys had already heard Peyton.

"Um…" Peyton started when she saw the sad and disappointed look on Brooke's face. "You know, I just have to get this one CD; I could go on my own."

Brooke whipped her head around. "Peyt-"

"No, really. You can go to the river court; I'll meet up with you later."

Brooke smiled at Peyton, before turning back to Lucas. "There's something I want to get at the mall too. But, maybe I could come after?"

"Sure," Lucas nodded.

Jake and Lucas said goodbye, and Peyton waited until they were out of hearing distance to ask Brooke, "Why didn't you go with them? We were only going for my CDs."

"Because, P. Sawyer, friends always come before boys."

Peyton grinned, and the girls hugged before they left too.

Nathan stepped out of school wearing his backpack, but put it down as soon as he realized he'd be waiting a little while before he went home. His father was late, as usual Dan Scott Motors was more important than picking his son – well, one of his sons – up from school, and his mother was missing too; something else he had become accustomed to.

He looked around for some company and noticed Tim and some of the boys near a tree, with their backs to him, so he walked up to them. As he got closer to them, Nathan realized that the reason they were standing way over there was because they were picking on some kid. When he heard the whimper he felt a little sorry for the kid who probably didn't deserve to be kicked by all of them (which is what it looked like they were doing). However, when Nathan was standing behind Tim he looked through the space between Tim and the boy next to him he saw that they were kicking at the sandpit.

They were picking on Haley! And destroying her sandcastle! For fun! Without thinking, Nathan stepped beside them, and pulled Tim away roughly. The others stopped when they saw him.

"You wanna join?" one of the boys asked.

Nathan made a face. "No; stop it."

Tim rolled his eyes. "Why? Do you like her?"

The others sniggered.

Instinctively, Nathan's head turned to meet Haley's gaze. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Er…well…I…you don't have to be mean all the time," he stuttered.

Before anyone could react to Nathan's comment the sound of two parents calling for their children caught everyone's attention. Tim ran off because his dad was there and two of the other boys who were carpooling also left. Only Mike remained. Nathan looked at him, and Mike ran away from them. He wasn't going to stand up to Nathan Scott by himself.

Nathan turned to look at Haley. Clearly the boys had forgotten the question Tim had asked him; he just hoped Haley had too. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Haley sniffled, but nodded her head slightly. "Your friends are mean."

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you friends with them?"

Nathan shrugged. He didn't really know the answer. "They're not always like that."

"But they are sometimes," she said sadly.

Nathan wanted to change the subject so he asked her, "Do you need help with your sandcastle?" remembering how much he had enjoyed building that one at the beach.

Haley just shook her head. "It's ruined now."

Nathan looked at the sandpit and saw that part of the sandcastle had come down, but some pillars on the other side were still upright. "It's not ruined." Nathan knelt down and started patting down the sand near him to start repairing the castle.

Haley watched him for a bit, and then started to join in. As they built up the sandcastle, the same quiet, comfortable atmosphere came between them as had that day on the beach.

"Why are you still here?" she asked him, in the middle of building another tower.

"Huh?" he asked confused. He thought she didn't mind him being with her.

"Why are you still in school?"

"My mum's not here much, so it's my dad who has to come pick me up mostly and whenever it's him he gets late most days."

"My parents always get late," Haley empathized. "It's boring waiting for them alone."

"Well, I guess you and me don't have to wait alone anymore," Nathan said with a shy grin on his face.

Haley smiled back. Unfortunately they were soon disturbed by the sound of someone calling Nathan's name. Nathan looked up and saw his father in the distance. He hadn't spotted Nathan yet, but it was only a matter of time.

"I have to go," he said.

"It's okay."

"I'm sorry you have to wait alone now. I would wait for you, but my Dad–"

"Won't let you," Haley finished for him. "It's okay. It's not your fault. I think I'll be going home now anyway."

"Okay. Bye, then."

"Bye," Haley smiled at him.

Nathan stood up and was about to turn to walk away, but instead he came back, as if having changed his mind, took the remaining two steps towards Haley, bent down to kiss her cheek and then sprinted to Dan Scott as if his life depended on it.

Haley brought a hand up to touch her cheek as she shyly watched Nathan from afar until he drove away. Still basking in delight from her first kiss ever from a boy – even if it was on the cheek – who wasn't her father or brother, she checked the time on the clock outside the school. She realized that it was way past the cut-off point. If her parents hadn't picked her up by this time, it meant they had forgotten. Again.

Haley left the sandcastle and walked back into school, and to her favourite teacher's office. She knocked on the door once and when she heard him call, "Come in," she stood on her tip-toes to turn the handle and enter.

"Sir?" she said

He looked up from his desk and frowned when he saw her face. "Haley, your parent's didn't forget you again, did they?"

She nodded. "I think so, Mr. Durham."

He shook his head, and put a file away. "Come on then, Haley, I'll take you home," Mr. Durham said.