Twisted
Awakening
Nathan
She's in my homeroom. Haley James, extreme bitch-slash-nerd is in my homeroom. I hadn't noticed because I was with Whitey yesterday, but there she is, clear as day.
She's wearing a white shirt opening onto a plain blue T-shirt and a pair of jeans. Guess she's not trying to make as much of an effort today. I throw my bag down on a table at the opposite end of the class and sit down next to Tim, who is thankfully also in my homeroom.
She hasn't noticed me yet; she's talking to Peyton Sawyer, my ex-girlfriend and her best friend. She's laughing at something, I wonder what it is.
"Hey man, what's up with you?" Tim asks from beside me. I turn and look towards him.
"What are you talking about?" I ask, shrugging back into reality.
"You're like, in some kind of weird trance thing," he states, making his eyes go cross-eyed and cracking up. I shake my head in a pitying way and turn to face Haley.
Shit, she's looking at me.
I force myself not to turn around again quick, and stare her straight in the eye. She blinks rapidly, before turning back to Peyton. I award myself a congratulatory chuckle.
"Man, what is up with you?" Tim asks shocked back into normal-eye position by my sudden laugh.
"Nothing," I shrug, pulling some gum out of my pocket, staring Mrs. Depratti, my homeroom teacher straight in the eye, daring her to enforce the 'no gum in school' rule. She doesn't.
"It's a girl isn't it?" Tim says suddenly.
"What?" I ask, narrowing my eyebrows. What the hell made him think that?
"You're going all distant and crap, just like you do when you find a girl you want to exploit and don't want to tell me about it."
"You are way off the mark," I object, and he is. I don't want to exploit Haley James; I want to yell at her and… I don't know; chase her out of the school?
"I'm not man. I'm telling you, you've spotted a new conquest to add to the Nathan Scott wall of shame"
I arrive at History early for a change. Something about what Tim said is bugging me. Generally this isn't a new experience, but today it's just that I actually think he wasn't talking crap. I feel a plan formulating.
"Hey Scott number two," Brooke greets me as she throws her bag down on the table.
"I'm number one," I answer confidently. Brooke cocks her head at me and smiles.
"Actually, you're the youngest so technically, you're number two"
"Technically I don't give a shit. I'm number one"
"Touchy. Did little Natey Watey get out of the wrong side of bed this morning?" Brooke asks in a baby voice. I laugh, knowing that she's referring to Lisa Matez, a girl from my Spanish class who like to use baby speak in the bedroom.
"Hey," Haley greets us as she walks in, taking her seat next to Brooke. Well, I say she greeted us, I mean she greeted Brooke and refused to look at me.
"Hi Haley," Brooke grins at her.
"Hey Hales," I smirk. Haley flashes me a look of annoyance before taking her pens out of her bag. I notice that she doesn't arrange them this time.
"My name's Haley," she corrects me.
"Okay Hales".
Gary walks in at that moment, which is kind of fortunate because Haley looks like she's about to jump over the table and impale me with one of her out of order pencils.
"Hey kids," he greets us. We all groan in return.
Gary looks around and shakes his head in despair. Only Haley and Rory look like they actually want to be here.
Suddenly the door to the class opens up and Miss Lomas, the school secretary walks in.
"Can I help you?" Gary asks politely. Miss Lomas looks down her bespectacled nose and surveys the class. Her eyes fall on Brooke.
"I need to steal Brooke from your lesson Mr Dawes," she tells him, nodding at Brooke.
Gary nods his head in a reluctant way and Brooke gets up, looking a little puzzled. As soon as she leaves I get up and take her seat. Haley groans and stares out of the window. I can see she's warming to me.
"Okay," Gary says, watching over the class, "I want you all to do the activity on page 12 in your Textbooks. Read the extracts then answer the questions".
I pull my textbook out of my bag and flick through it, knowing I'm not going to do any work.
I look over at Haley. She's already on the right page and she's written like a sentence. In two seconds. How geeky is that?
"Wow, you um… you write fast". Brilliant Nathan, that was fantastic. Worthy of the Nobel piece prize for outstanding conversation for definite.
"What do you want Nathan?" Haley asks impatiently. God, I can't believe I'm sucking up to her like this. Why am I even doing this? Maybe because I like a challenge.
"I was just you know, commenting on… on how fast you type – err, write. Is that a crime?"
Haley throws me an annoyed look and starts writing again. "And there was me thinking you were going to give me an apology".
What? Rewind and freeze. Me, owing Her an apology? Keep dreaming!
"What do you mean? An apology for what?" Yeah, the oblivious routine is definitely working for you Nate.
"Oh please, like you don't know!" Haley cries out. "For last night and the way you spoke to me! Don't act like it never existed Nathan; don't insult my intelligence that way"
Okay, swallow your pride Nathan. If you want this to happen you have to have to just swallow your pride. And stop thinking in first person.
"I'm… I'm" come on, you can do it, "I'm um, I mean, I was just a little shocked that you and Luke were, you know…" Okay, maybe you can't. I let the sentence trail off and notice that her face has closed up more. Damn, bad move. "I mean you and him. I just never imagined that…"
"You don't think I'm good enough for him?" she asks suddenly. I stop what I'm saying and stare at her. What? How could she have interpreted it that way? I hate Luke.
"No, more like you're too good for him" Nice save Nathan my man, nice save. Papa would be proud. Ugh, bad thought.
"Excuse me," Haley looks incredulous. Okay, here goes, just swallow…the…pride.
"I'm sorry"
As Haley James' face softens I take into account the fact that mission 'Lay Haley' is now officially under way!
