Okay, well here is the Nathan-based third chapter, a lot longer than the first two. There is some action in it, so don't fret. The following chapters will focus more on dialogue and action. I hope you enjoy this one.

Thank you to all my reviewers. Your input is very much appreciated and a key factor in me continuing to write these chapters. Thanks to The O.C Addict, Emery, Easily Obsessed, and gerky. Please keep reviewing. I seriously appreciate all of you sit through my chapters…..here's hoping to more review. Thanks Guys!

Chapter 3

He watched as the ball fell through the net. The ball never even grazed the rim of the basketball hoop. Nathan felt the rough exterior of the ball as it bounced off the backboard and into his capable hands. Tomorrow was the big day, and he would leave Tree Hill. Nathan watched as the ball dropped through the hoop once again, and he ran up to the board to rebound as he effortlessly laid it in.

Tomorrow was the beginning of his summer. It was to be a summer containing drills, practices, and team-building skills; basketball camp that is. That year, Nathan had received a letter inviting him to the High Flyers, a prestigious basketball camp, for the summer. Initially, Nathan was hesitant to attend the camp. As much as he loved basketball, he had loved his wife even more. Haley was his priority. He had come to an intersection in his life in which he could either turn left or right. She was his right. All hopes for a dream of a summer playing basketball were crushed as he deliberately chose to remain with Haley. Even incessant badgering from Whitey, his high school coach, couldn't convince Nathan to abandon the woman of his dreams. In fact, he never even considered basketball as his dream anymore. He had married his dream at the ripe, old age of 16. Her name was Haley James.

The basketball veered off course as Nathan shot, and it bounced off the tip of the rim at the thought of Haley; beautiful Haley. She had changed his life for the better and for the worse. The two had met under unforeseen circumstances. Nathan needed a tutor because his grades were threatening his position on the Tree Hill High basketball team. Much to her disenchantment, Haley became his tutor. Conveniently, Haley was also his brother's best friend. What better way to aggravate Lucas into submission than by dating his best friend? Timing was of the utmost importance. And boy did his timing ever prove so erroneous. Unbeknownst, Nathan would fall hard for his lovely tutor, and his life would alter drastically.

Haley was everything he wasn't. She was shy, honest, and naive. Her innocence clashed with Nathan's outgoing, manipulative, and arrogant ways. They were complete opposites, yet they connected. Others were astonished when Nathan and Haley became inseparable. Haley had managed to completely turn his life around without any real effort on her part. She accomplished this by being herself and by convincing him that under his rough exterior was a good man with potential. Others, including his brother, Lucas, began to take notice of this. Nathan had never believed he and Lucas could ever understand one another. The only thing the brothers had in common was the fact that they shared the same father. That was until Haley offhandedly drew the two together. The brothers began to realize what they did have in common: Haley. Shortly after this discovery, Nathan and Lucas became fast friends and accepted the fact that they did have more in common aside from Haley and sharing the same gene pool. Aside for a mutual penchant for basketball, Lucas and Nathan both shared a hatred for their father, Dan. Nathan remembered nights when he and Lucas would sit back, relax, and rant about Dan and their common revulsion of him. In conclusion, Lucas and Nathan had finally become not only brothers, but good friends as well. But none of that mattered anymore; not Haley and sure as hell, not Lucas.

Nathan squinted up at the sun bearing down on him and wiped his brow of perspiration. Haley was plaguing him, and he began to wonder how he ever got involved in this predicament. Oh yeah, marrying Haley. That was when all the problems started. He had asked her to marry him on the spur of the moment. He had been a spontaneous dumb ass. He defied his parents by proclaiming emancipation, purchasing his own apartment, and by marrying his childhood sweetheart. It was a welcome environment and provided Nathan a shelter from the wrath of his father.

The first couple months of marriage were amazing as the couple bonded in newlywed bliss. Nathan assumed if he and Haley could conquer that on-line porn surfing incident, his mother and father's intervention, and everyone else's opinions of their marriage, they could get through any obstacles that the gods would throw their way. Those had been great times. Unfortunately, fate had a funny way of rearing its ugly head. Haley had begun experimenting with her music, and a fellow by the name of Chris Keller knocked on their door, threatening to dissolve Haley and Nathan's marriage. Chris Keller. Nathan's muscles flexed as his grip tightened around the ball in irritation. That bastard!

Chris Keller was an aspiring musician who played the guitar like it was his third arm. He was cocky, rude, and blunt; everything Nathan hated, and everything Nathan used to be. Chris began to take an interest in Haley's music and eventually convinced her to work with him in the studio, although, Nathan was adamant that Chris was not only fascinated with her music, but that Chris was also attracted to his latest ingénue. As soon as Chris became an active person in Haley's life, she became a different person. She began lying to Nathan about her whereabouts and even showed up at their prom late because she had been with whom else, Chris. Nathan soon discovered that Chris and Haley had kissed: very un-Haley like. And before one could blink an eye, Haley got on a tour bus with Chris and drove out his life.

Nathan was left in devastation at his abandonment and soon resorted to his former self, which involved consuming vast amounts of alcohol and public displays of his drunken grief. As a result, Nathan got arrested for drunk driving. In a last attempt to save his marriage and with the encouragement of his mother, Nathan drove cross-country to confront his wife with a possible reconciliation. He remembered he could hardly recognize her with her new status as a rock star. He thought that maybe stardom had gotten to her and overshadowed her feelings for him. Nathan caught her off guard backstage at one of her concerts and grew tense as he could hear the crowd emphatically chanting "Haley, Haley, Haley." In an awkward embrace, Nathan basked in the smell of her lavender-scented neck, and they parted. Nathan professed his love to a bemused Haley, and she drove a stake through his heart when she claimed they had made a mistake by getting married at such a young age. Then he saw it: a ring less finger. Ouch, another stab through the heart. A few more awkward words were exchanged, and Haley went onstage to perform one of her random ditties. Of course, never disappoint the fan, Nathan thought.

Heartbroken, Nathan drove home in his trusty, decrepit hooptie of a Honda, but not before making a pit stop at a Georgian bar, where he found himself lost in a midst of beers and dancing waitresses. There, he ran into Taylor, Haley's sister. In a drunken passion and rage, Nathan almost had sex with her, but stopped himself and continued his long journey home; the longest journey of his life.

To provide a distraction for him, Nathan's mom enlisted the help of his Uncle Coop, a professional racecar driver. Uncle Coop introduced Nathan to his world of fast cars and cheap women. Next thing he knew, Nathan hurdled his car into the racetrack wall after speeding around the track at over 180 miles per hour. He remembered the countless questions the came his way after the accident, which he never viewed as an accident. Why? Nathan knew the reason of the crash, and it was evident to everyone else the reason to his self-defacing: Haley. He figured if you can't live with her, you can't live without her. He had opted for the latter.

During his stay in the hospital, Nathan was in a trance-like state. He dreamed that Lucas and his roles were switched, a sort of day in the life of, if you will. Lucas played the part of the rich aristocrat, and he was the poor greaser. Best of all, Haley was Nathan's best friend, as Haley was Lucas' best friend in reality. Yet, while still in Lucas' position, he and Haley seemed to have that precious bond of implicit, romantic love. Basically, it was sexual tension one could cut with a knife. He also saw his mother, who had blamed him for his uprising, in a different light, without the likes of Dan Scott. It was definitely a wakeup call, if there was such a thing.

Awakening from his slumber, Nathan arose with a new appreciation for life; his mother and basketball. After much debate, Nathan moved back in with her father as his mother went into rehabilitation for a dependency for painkillers. He had a new intent on life and yearned to follow in his dreams by accepting a position with the High Flyers. In the process of moving back in with Dan, Nathan signed a petition for the annulment of his marriage to Mrs. Haley James Scott. He wanted to forget about the past and move on with his future, as Haley had obviously done herself. It was during this painful ordeal that Nathan discovered Lucas had lied to him about Haley and Dan. Lucas, the one person in the world he thought he could trust, promised he would no longer attempt to incriminate Dan. Nathan wanted his father, mother, and himself to be a family once again, and he wouldn't be able to do that with Dan in jail. But Lucas never kept his promise. Lucas also betrayed Nathan by going to New York to see Haley and bring back signed annulment papers, while allowing Nathan no knowledge of his little pow-wow with his wife. In rapid fashion, Nathan cut Lucas out of his life. Lucas was no longer his brother nor his friend.

Finally, his mother had come home after completing her stint in rehab, and all was well. That was until he opened the door to find a distressed-looking Haley standing on his front porch. The confrontation was still fresh in his mind.

"Hi." Haley had managed to blurt out as tears sprang to her eyes. Nathan was astounded. Here he was trying to get a head start on his trip to California loading his

suitcases, and here stood the woman who had abandoned him languidly looking up at him with those big Bambi eyes of hers.

"Haley, what are you doing here?" Nathan asked in bewilderment.

"I want to come home, Nathan." Tears slid down her round face. Her hair was loosely piled atop her head in a disheveled ponytail. Her eyes were swollen and puffy, probably from crying prior to her arrival, Nathan thought to himself. She looked up at Nathan from her position on the steps below him with yearning.

"Yeah, well Hales, you must be lost because you don't live here. Or did you forget that too?" he sneered. Suddenly Nathan reverted back to her former self. His rage increased when she observed Nathan grasping the doorknob so tautly that his knuckles turned white. Haley eyes widened as she stepped off the porch, fearing Nathan's livid approach. A moment of silence ensued before Haley attempted to speak again.

"Nathan, I am…"

"Nathan, we have to go." Haley words were interrupted as Nathan's mother brushed past him in the doorway appearing quite anxious. Ignoring Haley, Nathan turned towards his mother, but she was already half way to the car before he could respond.

"Mom, what happened?" Nathan ran past a dejected Haley and followed his mother out to the car. She hurriedly opened the driver's door and looked up at Nathan with motherly concern in her eyes as her voiced wavered.

"Your father has been in an accident. We have to get to Scott Motors," she stated. Without prying any further, Nathan nodded his head in understanding and hopped into the passenger seat as his mother started the engine. She finally took notice of Haley's presence when she rolled down her window and looked in Haley's direction. Haley was still standing hopelessly on the bottom step of the porch in a baffled state of mind as she looked at Deb.

"Haley, come on," Deb yelled as she waved Haley to the vehicle. In response to Deb's invitation, Haley got into the backseat without argument. Deb threw the car into drive and drove through the streets of Tree Hill haphazardly. Silence engulfed the car, and Nathan gazed at his mother with concern. He could feel Haley's presence as she seemed keen on burning holes in the back of his head with her piercing stare. Yet, the car ride to Scott Motor remained deadly quiet.

Nathan saw a lot that night; including his father's dealership being consumed by raging flames and him being brought out to the ambulance. He was hardly recognizable with his face covered in cuts, bruises and soot. But he could instantly distinguish those eyes. Thos beady, little eyes stared out from beneath the soot and his matt of black hair plastered to his forehead. He could recall the red and blue of the sirens as he stared up at the burning building in a daze. He remembered how Haley instinctually grabbed his hand in assurance and support. Nathan held on to that hand for a good time until the ambulance screamed away, and until he realizes whose hand it was.

He returned home that night fatigued. He was exhausted of having Haley by his side all night and not being able to hold her. What's worse, his mother offered Haley to stay at their house until her living situation was resolved. Haley reluctantly agreed. Deb eyed the tension between the couple as they both stood on separate sides of the living room.

"You can sleep on the couch, Haley. I have some fresh linen in the closet and some pillows." Deb attempted to break the silence. Haley looked appreciatively at Deb.

"Thank you, Mrs. Scott." She executed a tight-lipped smile intended for Deb, who returned the smile with a discomfited nod of the head. Ill at ease, Nathan nodded at Haley and left her standing in the room hugging herself. He could still feel her eyes on his back as he entered his room and fell into bed. His eyelids were heavy with sleep as he closed them. But Nathan's potential sleep was interrupted when he heard a light rap on his bedroom door. He hastily sat up on his bed on the alert and observed Haley sheepishly standing in the doorway. She was wearing a pair of massive, red and white flannel pajamas that enveloped her tiny frame, and on her feet were a pair of fuzzy, pink slippers. She looked absolutely adorable in bedtime mode. Nathan swore he could feel his heart skip a beat.

"Nathan, we need to talk." Nathan sighed and looked down at the floor before returning his attention to Haley and nodded.

"Well, I guess now is as good a time as any." He paused and gestured towards the chair as an indication to Haley. Haley grudgingly approached the chair and seated herself on the edge of the hard armchair. She shuddered as she felt the harsh, cold surface against her rear. It was apparent to Nathan the girl was nervous as she had the inherent habit of picking at her cuticles during bouts of stress. Nathan remembered a time when he used to scold her for her bad habit, which was evident during the week of finals. She must've realized Nathan was watching her in cuticle mode because she suddenly stopped and folded her hands together to place on her knees self consciously. Haley looked up at Nathan from her previous view of Nathan's Air Jordan sneakers.

"Nathan, I am so sorry but..." Nathan rolled his eyes and angrily interrupted one of many of Haley's apologies. He stood up and walked towards the window.

"C'mon Hales. You and I both know that you are sorry. But, what exactly are you sorry for?" he paused. "Kissing Chris or abandoning me?" Nathan's back was to Haley as he stared out his window at the starry, night sky.

"I made a mistake. I'm sorry for everything, Nathan," she pleaded. "And I've come back to prove that to you. I still want to be with you." Haley crossed the room and stood beside Nathan. "Nathan," she paused as she noted Nathan's attention was focused on the scenery outside his bedroom window. "Will you please look at me?" she implored. Nathan sighed and turned to face Haley. She could see Nathan's frustration in his face. The throbbing vein in his forehead was ready to explode.

"I love you, Nathan. That's all the matters." Haley impulsively wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled an unsuspecting Nathan to her in a hug of regret. Nathan stood there dumbfounded with his arms remaining at his sides rejecting Haley's embrace. Haley realized this, pulled away instantly and took a step back. She gazed intently at Nathan's face as if searching for an answer for his reaction to her declaration of love. Haley gathered Nathan was saddened despite his detached face. "But I can see that you don't love me anymore." She hesitated at her words as she sadly realized the content. "So, I'll just go." Haley turned to leave and made her way to the doorway.

Nathan's eyes followed Haley to the door. "Haley, wait," Nathan yelled. He turned to her departing figure. Nathan couldn't bear to see her in agony in spite of the predicament she had caused. Haley instantly stopped in her tracks and turned around at Nathan's voice. "I do love you," Nathan sadly admitted. A single tear slid down Haley's round cheek at the sound of his confession and the significant meaning of those three little words. She remained in the doorway gazing at Nathan with anticipation. "But…" Nathan continued before he was disrupted by his wife.

"But, there are always buts." She shrugged and continued. "You can't trust me." Nathan nodded his head sadly.

"Haley, I just can't. I wish you could understand," he said as he took steps towards her and sat on the bed. "We were over the second you stepped onto that tour bus and drove out of my life, Hales."

"But I'm not going to leave you. I would never do that to you again," Haley desperately pleaded.

"Yeah, well where you go and who you are with is no longer my concern. You've made sure of that," he accused. "Besides, I'm leaving tomorrow anyhow."

Haley's ears perked. "Where are you going?" she asked while raising her eyebrows.

"I'm going to California for the High Flyers," Nathan shrugged as if the new wasn't noteworthy. Haley's face fell, and a silence filled the room. After what seemed like an eternity, Haley finally spoke.

Oh, Nathan, that's great. You should go," she encouraged him with fake enthusiasm. Her response sounded a little too enthusiastic for Nathan's taste.

"Thanks for giving me permission," he sarcastically remarked.

"Well, I guess there is nothing left to say," Haley breathed.

"Guess not," he responded.

"Well, I should go because you need to get some sleep." Nathan noticed the pain in Haley's eyes at his last comment by a hair's breadth.

"I'm sorry, Haley. I didn't mean that," he apologized as he looked down at the floor. "This is just…"

"Hard?" she blurted. Nathan looked up at Haley and nodded.

"Yeah, well at lest we can agree on that," he smiled half-heartedly at her. Haley nodded in agreement and smiled sadly.

"So, I guess this is good night and goodbye then?" she asked. Nathan nodded. "Well then, have a great summer, Nathan." Haley took one last longing look at Nathan and exited the room.

Nathan breathed a sigh of relief and fell back onto his bed. He smiled as he heard the sound of Haley's fluffy slippers thumping against the hall's hardwood floor as her footsteps grew faint.

"Have a good summer, Haley," Nathan replied to the darkness

Swish, just another shot in the present day as Nathan was pulled away from his memories. Nathan looked at his watch on impulse. His flight was leaving in two hours, and he still needed to hake a shower. With his basketball in hand, Nathan picked up a light jog towards home, feeling the North Carolina sun beat down upon him from overhead. This was going to be a very long summer.

Next: Brooke runs into guess who in California.