Hey guys...
Just want to start off by thanking everyone who has read this story. And I want to say a special thanks to everyone who has reviewed. So, thanks.
Now for chapter 3.

Summary: Lucas Scott is just a boy...who seems to control his life. What is Nathan supposed to do when Lucas slowly takes away everything he has ever known? Two brothers, brought together by the love for the game, and the love for the girl. Naley, Brucas

SUDDENLY EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED
CHAPTER 3

It had been nearly a month since that day at the river court, and Haley couldn't wrap her mind around the numerous changes that had occurred in that short span of time. It seemed as though everything, and everyone had changed.

She wasn't sure what was said between the boys after she had left them alone, but she could certainly see the after affects of it. Perhaps the most amazing affect, and most puzzling, was the fact that the two were actually beginning to get along. Granted, most of the time it was in the presence of her and Brooke, or when they were playing basketball, but it was a start. She definitely liked that change.

Even her and Brooke had started to talk. Their conversations usually centered around the Scott boys, her relationship with Nathan and Brooke's growing relationship with Lucas. And although their conversations were mostly short-lived, Haley liked the feminine company.

The only down side to the whole thing was the tension between her and the boys. It seemed as though Lucas was avoiding her, and she couldn't for the life of her figure out why. The only time she ever talked to him was in the company of Brooke or Nathan, and even then he barely spoke two words to her. They, actually he, had completely stopped their Wednesday ritual. She had showed up at the river court a few Wednesdays back, waited over an hour, but he never showed. He had apologized the next day at school, but had also informed her that he wouldn't be able to make it the following week.

And it even seemed as though Nathan and her relationship was experiencing some turbulence. Maybe it was in her mind, but she felt like Nathan was keeping something from her.

The bells chimed above the door, jarring her from her thoughts. She didn't bother to look up, she knew who it was. They had the same routine for as long as she could remember, today was no different. She continued to wipe the counter in front of her, waiting patiently for him to drop down into the stool in front of her.

"Hey Hales." A deep voice spoke to her. She quickly lifted her head up to meet his eyes, confused as to why it was the wrong Scott staring back at her. This one wore a blue letterman's jacket, his hair was dark, and he sported the Scott family smirk.

"Nate." She smiled anyway. He wasn't the one she was expecting, but she couldn't say that she minded his presence. She quickly dropped her rag onto the counter and wiped her hands across her apron. "What are you doing here?"

"Just came from playing basketball." He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it onto the stool next to him. "And I was wondering if maybe you could take a break so we could eat lunch together?"

"I'm sorry…" She smiled sheepishly at him. "I already took my break, I didn't know you were going to be coming in. I can make you something though?"

"Nah." He shook his head lightly. "It's cool. I'll just grab a hotdog from that vendor on the corner. I should really be hitting the weights anyway."

She frowned slightly as he pulled his jacket back over his arms. "You sure? I really don't mind." She tried again, hopping maybe he would stay. They rarely got time to hang out it seemed like. Deb stepped out from the back, a smile gracing her lips at the sight of her son.

"Hey Nathan." She leaned her elbows upon the counter. "Want some food?"

"No thanks mom." He smiled politely at her. "I've got to head out. Maybe some other time though." She took that as her cue to leave and began taking the order of a couple that had just entered the café.

"We're still on for tonight, right?" Haley inquired as he placed an ear bud into his ear, the other one dangling around his neck.

"Oh, um…" He hesitated and she got that familiar feeling of him hiding something from her again. "Lucas actually said something about wanting to talk to you tonight when we were playing earlier."

"You were with Lucas?" She failed to hide the disappointment in her voice at the fact that Lucas was still skirting around her. She let out a soft sigh.

"He was there when I showed up. We played a pick-up game to eleven." He shrugged it off. "Anyway, we'll just reschedule the movie for tomorrow night." With a chaste kiss on her cheek he placed in the other ear bud and exited the café, the bells signaling his departure.

With only a week left in school, she was looking forward to summer. That way, at least she would be able to see more of Nathan. She figured that without the stress of schoolwork and basketball that maybe they could have more time for each other. Plus, Karen would be getting back from New Zealand, maybe even with Andy, which would mean that she would have to work less.

She glanced at the clock, still another three hours till she got off. She silently questioned what Lucas wanted to talk to her about. She prayed that maybe she would be able to find out what was going on with him.


Haley took a breath before opening the front door to the home she had spent so much time at growing up. She glanced into the kitchen briefly, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lucas. "Luke?" She tried, her voice echoing down the hallway.

"Haley." A voice called from the living room. As she got closer she could hear the familiar sounds of a basketball game coming from the TV. "Hey there." Keith sat on the couch, his neck extended backwards so he could se behind him.

"Hey Uncle Keith." She smiled gently at him. "Is Luke here?"

"How come you never come to see me anymore?" He twisted around so he was facing her, a fake pout on his face. They had grown close; he had even insisted that she call him Uncle Keith just like Lucas. "You used to visit me. Now its just 'Lucas' this, 'Luke' that. Are you too good for Uncle Keith now?"

A small chuckle escaped her as Keith put on the most ridiculous puppy face she had even had the pleasure to see. "Aw Keith. You know I still love you." She spoke sweetly. She gently patted him on the head before continuing on her way toward Lucas' room.

"Hey! Where are you going?" He yelled after her, his body leaning across the back of the couch to see down the hallway.

"To see Lucas, duh." She called back with amusement.

"Fine, be that way." He shot back. "Just make sure to knock first. I wouldn't want you to lose your vision." With that he sunk back into the couch and focused his attention on the game before him.

She quickly knocked, waiting for him to allow her to enter. "Come in." The door muffled his voice. She pushed the door open, shutting it behind her. "Hey Haley." He greeted her from the bed. He swung his legs around so he was sitting on the edge and dropped the basketball onto the floor beside his nightstand.

"Nate said you wanted to talk to me?" She questioned as she pulled his desk chair out and sat down.

"Yeah…" He smiled hesitantly at her, but quickly lost any trace of it. His fingers raked through his shaggy hair, a habit he had when he had something important to say but wasn't sure how to say it. "First off I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I know these past few weeks I've been kinda spacey."

"Kinda?" She crossed her arms across her chest, her legs stretched out in front of her. She took a second to glance around the room; taking in the pictures he had hanging on the walls. Most were of him and her, some from when they were younger, some in their later years. There were a substantial amount of him and his mom, or him and Keith, a few of all three of them. A couple of Brooke caught her eye, and a few basketball shots.

"Ok, so maybe a lot." His eyes shifted toward the floor. "Look, Hales—"

"No, Luke." She interrupted him quickly. "If I did something wrong, or if something is bothering you then just tell me. You know that I can handle whatever it is."

"Haley, you didn't do anything wrong. If anybody did, it's me. I have something to tell you, and you're not going to like it. I should have told you when I first found out, but I'm not sure how." He shifted down his bed until he was sitting right in front of her. Gently he took her hands into his and rubbed small circles on the back of them with his thumbs.

"I'm a big girl Luke." She smiled gently, but inside her stomach was churning. She had never seen him this anxious looking. He was even beginning to look a tad bit pale. "Just tell me, and maybe I can help you figure whatever it is out."

"Haley…My mom and Andy have decided to get married." He smiled despite the nauseating feeling that was rising in his throat. He watched the smile come to her face at the news, and he hated that he would have to take that away.

"Luke, that's great. Isn't it?" She furrowed her brow at him.

"They plan on living in New Zealand Haley." He frowned more.

"Ok? Am I missing something here?" She smiled gently, her head titled ever so slightly. Suddenly her face fell and he knew that she got what he was having trouble telling her. "No. You can't."

"I'm sorry Haley." He scooted closer and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I think its best though. I can't stay here; my mom is selling the house. Deb is going to continue to run the café."

"What about Keith?" She mumbled frantically into his shirt. "He would take care of you."

"I could never ask him to do that."

"When?" She pulled back slightly to meet his tear-filled eyes. Her matched his as she waited for his answer.

He let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again. He let his gaze drop from hers, his head hung lowly. "When?" She repeated, this time more urgency seeped out.

"When school lets out." He practically mumbled. She sucked in a deep breath, the reality of his words sinking in. School was out in a week. "I'm so sorry Haley. Like I said, I should have told you sooner, but I just couldn't. When Brooke found out, she was so crushed. I couldn't do that to you."

"You told Brooke before me?" Her eyes darted to his.

"No."

"You just said so." Haley was becoming more confused by the minute. Her mind was already foggy from the blow she had just received, and now it seemed like he was playing mind games with her.

"I kinda told Nathan, who let it slip to Brooke." He visibly winced at his own words, knowing that this conversation wasn't going how he had hoped. Nathan. It finally dawned on Haley what Nathan was hiding. He knew.

"Right, so I was the last one to know." She nodded to herself, her teeth biting relentlessly on the corner of her lips. He knew what it meant; she always did it when she was trying to keep herself in control. Whether it be keeping herself from crying or yelling, he wasn't sure yet. He figured it would be a mixture of both. And he knew he deserved it. "I gotta go."

"Haley please…"

His outside door slammed loudly in front of him before he had time to catch her. He gently rested his head against the cool wooden door, the defeat settling inside of him. He could hear the low roar of her engine start up.

He knew she needed time, that's why he hadn't chased her. But it was tearing him up inside. The look on her face when she realized what he was saying, and the obvious hurt when she found out that she was the last to know. That image was now seared in his mind, and it killed him to know that he was the one that had caused it. Would time be able to fix this? Or would time just make it worse? In a week, seven days, he would be moving halfway across the world. Without her.


Haley arrived at her house, slamming the front door open and shut behind her, not really caring what time of night it was. She immediately pounded up the stairs, her door banging shut.

He was supposed to be her best friend. They were supposed to tell each other everything, they were supposed to always live a block away from each other. They had made a pact when they were seven that they would never leave. They would grow up, go to the same college, move to the same city and live their lives together. And now, here he was, at seventeen, moving away. Leaving her behind.

Her door slowly creaked open, the light from the hallway filtering in and allowing her to see who was tentatively entering her room. The Scott boy stood in her doorway, his hands wringing together nervously, waiting for any type of reaction from the girl sitting in the middle of the bed with a teddy bear grasped tightly to her chest. The bear that Lucas had given her for her tenth birthday. It was now missing an eye, and his leg had been sewn back on, twice.

"I'm not really in the mood Nathan, if you couldn't tell." She whispered quietly. She tucked her chin further into her chest as he shut the door behind him.

"Look, Haley…" He slowly took a few steps toward her. "I know, alright? And I'm sorry."

"Nathan, don't." She warned him softly.

"Haley, listen, I really am sorry." He tried again, his voice gentle. "It sucks. But it's not like he's dying. You guys will still keep in touch."

"You probably want him to leave!" She finally exploded. He could tell she was hurting, but he also knew that she was angry. He wasn't quite sure how to deal with it.

"No. I really am sorry." He tried again. "I don't want him to go. It was kind of nice getting to know him. I thought we might even be able to be friends."

"I really just need to be alone right now. I think it would be best."

"Alright. I'll call you tomorrow." He took a few steps back.

"No." She shook her head slightly. "I mean with us. I can't be with you right now."

"Haley—" He quickly regained his spot by the side of her bed. His eyes were full of worry as he hovered over her scrunched up figure. Suddenly his lips felt dry and his heart was racing a mile per minute. "Why?" Was the only think he could think of.

"It's just too hard Nathan." She mumbled into the bear's head.

"Hales, please."

"Don't call me that." She shot at him. His shoulders shrunk at her outburst. What was wrong with calling her Hales? She never seemed to mind before. He slowly nodded and quickly backed out of her room. Without a second glance he jogged down the stairs and entered his truck.

His fist hit the steering wheel as hard as he could. A sharp pain shot up his arm and his fist pulsed in pain. He did it again, with both hands. The pain quickly followed. But anything was better than the pain that he felt in his heart.

And like that, the past month had been erased. He had just found another reason to hate Lucas Scott.