Sunday Night Poker

by Fes

COMPLETE. Naley. In a universe where Haley and Nathan feel nothing but hatred and annoyance toward each other, a poker game is played. Bets are made, games are played and lives are changed.

15. Chapter 14

Hey, everyone and thanks for all the wonderful reviews. I've never gotten so many reviews from any chapter before. THANK YOU! Anyways, sorry it took longer than normally to update. Hopefully the length of the chapter makes up for it. :) Don't forget to review. :)

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Chapter 14

"Shit..." Haley mumbled while looking around the silent gym. You'd think that a place that big would have to be totally empty to be that quiet. But no, the gym was anything but empty. It was actually packed with people and they were all staring at her like she had two heads.

It was definitely Friday night.

It was one week after the frat party where it had all started and one day after the famous locker room incident that had almost killed Haley. All she wanted to do was forget the whole thing and move on with her life but unfortunately it wasn't going to happen any time soon because of everyone knowing what had happened to her. Apparently word did travel fast.

Haley had spent the night at the hospital at the persuasion of the doctors and her friends. They were all still worried about her and wanted to make sure there were no side affects to her almost being choked to death. Nathan, Lucas, Brooke, Peyton, Jake and Tim all spent the night at the hospital with Haley just like they had a week ago. The little tutor inside Haley had tried to get them to go to school on Friday but they had kindly declined.

Haley had called her parents early Friday morning and told them everything. They had promised to catch the first flight from LAX. Haley had told them to not leave their RV there and instead drive it back home. She explained that she was doing much better and that her friends were looking after her so few extra days didn't matter.

After a lot of persuasion her parents had finally agreed after making her promise to call them every day and to go have dinner and spend the night at Karen's so she could make her own assessment whether Haley was ok or not and then report it back to Haley's parents. Lydia and Jimmy had also talked to Lucas and Nathan and had made them both promise to look after her or they would sic Haley's brothers on them. Needless to say they both promised to protect her with their lives.

After calling her parents, Haley somehow had first managed to persuade the doctors to let her leave the hospital and then her friends to take her to the game.

Since Brooke and Peyton had to be with the other cheerleaders while Nathan, Lucas, Jake and Tim were with the basketball players, she didn't really care to go to sit on her own on the stands until it was necessary, knowing everyone would just ask questions or pity her.

So, she had decided to hang out with the team in the locker room until the last minute. Luckily the boys' locker room was still a crime scene so they had to use the girls' locker room instead while the away team had to change in a nearby class room that they had turned to a temporary locker room.

She shuddered at the thought of having to go back to boys' locker room.

"You ready to go out there?" Whitey had asked her few minutes before the game.

"I need few more minutes. I gotta do something. But you guys go ahead." She had said writing furiously something on the papers on her hands without looking up. Whitey had squeezed her shoulder and led the team out. Nathan, Lucas, Tim and Jake had hugged her fast before going after the rest of the players.

After everyone had left the room, Haley had looked at the paper that was so important that she couldn't join the team yet. It had been filled with different sized flowers and hearts. Basically dribbles.

She had ripped the paper and threw it in the trash can with a sigh. She had known exactly why she had problems walking through that door. She couldn't handle the staring and the questions. She had mentally slapped herself for being such a baby. Come on, Haley. They probably don't even care. Just open the door. They won't even notice you're there.

She had taken a deep breath, opened the door and stepped outside.

And that's where she was now. At the entrance of the locker room, 2 minutes before the start of the game having the entire gym stare at her. She played with the ends of her scarf that was around her neck to hide her bruises.

Even Masonboro's players and fans had stopped whatever they had been doing to stare at her.

'They won't even notice you're there'. Haley mocked her own previous thoughts sarcastically.

Haley looked at the quiet gym again and rolled her eyes annoyed. She walked up to the players' bench and high fived some players and Whitey.

Trying her best to act normal and ignore the whole gym, Haley waved to Brooke and Peyton who were standing at the end of the court in the middle of the cheerleaders. Haley saw Mouth sitting behind the player's bench ready to announce the game. She smiled at the familiar face and went to sit next to him.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked and sat down next to Mouth.

"Nothing. What's up with you... besides the obvious, I mean." Mouth said looking around them at the audience who was still staring at her.

"For fuck's sake..." she muttered and glared at the people around her while Mouth smiled at her apologetically. Haley tried to desperately think of something that would end the uncomfortable silence in the gym. So she asked herself the question that usually solved everything, or at least made her give a lap dance to Nathan.

What would Brooke do?

Haley grinned widely and clapped her hands a few times loudly.

"Let's go white!" Haley cheered as in the silent gym and winked at Nathan who looked at her like she was crazy.

That cheer seemed to be the thing that snapped the audience from their staring because everyone turned their heads from her to the person next to the them or the game. Soon the noise level was back to the normal in the gym.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you heard the lady. Let's go white!" Mouth said cheerfully on the microphone and Haley opened her manager's file with a smile.

--------------------------

"Tree Hill! Tree Hill! Tree Hill! Tree Hill!"

Haley grinned while taking a quick look at the excited crowd around her. After a tough game against Masonboro, the Ravens had managed to pull of another win securing them a spot at the next day's state championship game.

The whole team had just come out of the locker room wearing those nice suit shirts and were in the middle of celebrating on the court along with almost half of the crowd. Mouth was practically screaming on the mike because of the noise level in the gym.

Tree Hill hadn't played for state championship in over a decade and now when all their best players were seniors, they all knew it was their last chance for a while.

She turned back to her notes with a smile but got quickly interrupted.

"Aaaaahhhh! Waassssuuuuuupppp!"

"Tim, what have I told you about doing that?" Haley asked from Tim who had just sat down next to her.

"Not to." He said and started to pout.

"Oh, cheer up! You just came one step closer to winning state." she said and ruffled his hair.

"Heeeelllll yyyeaaaahhhh!" he yelled and held up his hand for a high five. He turned to look at Mouth and when he awkwardly high fived Tim, Haley couldn't suppress her laughter anymore.

"Oooh, I'm seeing some fine ladies." Tim said ignoring Haley's laughter when he saw a couple of skanky freshman looking at him and whispering something to each other with giggles before waving at him flirtatiously.

"Later, Haley!" he yelled and left before Haley had time to say anything.

"For a genius, he sure has a weird way of showing it." Haley said to Mouth.

"Talking to yourself?" Haley lifted her head from her notes to look at Nathan who was sitting down next to her.

"No, I was talking to..." she started and turned to look at where Mouth was sitting. But the seat was empty. "...Mouth." she finished looking around her. He saw Mouth talking to Brooke and Peyton in the court.

"That sneaky little..." Haley mumbled but then coughed and turned to smile at Nathan.

"Congrats!" she said with a big smile and gave him a hug. "You were awesome!"

"Thanks..." he said hugging her back and inhaling the flowery scent from her hair. It was the first time since the locker room fiasco when they were alone. The whole group had been with her every second since the previous day.

"I'm glad you could come." Nathan muttered to her hair. Haley sighed softly and let her body relax in his arms. She then remembered her thoughts when Greg had been choking her.

I wanna tell Nathan I LOVE HIM! I fucking love him!

Haley took a step back and looked at him in the eyes.

"Listen, there's something I have to-" Haley started but like always, she got interrupted.

"Hey, son." Haley quickly took a step back when he heard Dan's voice.

"Dad." Nathan said stepping in front of Haley wanting to keep Dan as far away from her as possible.

"Your condition's still crap. You should play the whole 32 minutes."

"My condition's fine, dad." Nathan said clenching his jaw.

"The scouts won't agree." Dan said glaring at him.

"Whatever, dad. If that's all..." Nathan said. Dan looked behind Nathan.

"I see you're still playing house with white trash." Dad said taking a step to the side so he could glare at Haley.

"Dad, give it up." Nathan said sighing.

"You better not screw up my son's future. You know, he's broke so getting yourself pregnant really won't get a dime out of him." Dan said ignoring Nathan and glaring at Haley.

"Dad..." Nathan growled.

"You're already getting inside his head, aren't you?" he asked still looking at Haley. "Stay away from my son. Tomorrow's the most important game in his whole high school career. Do not mess it up by screwing with his head! This is his future."

"Dad!" Nathan yelled. "Enough!"

Dan held up his hands in air in defence.

"Just warning you, son. That's how your mother duped me." He said and left.

"Sorry about him." Nathan said turning to look at Haley apologetically when Dan was gone.

"Like I said before, it's not your fault your dad's an ass." Haley said.

"So, you were saying something before the devil himself interrupted." Nathan said.

"Yeah, I was gonna say that..." Haley started but then something Dan had said struck her.

Tomorrow's the most important game in his whole high school career. Do not mess it up by screwing with his head! This is his future.

"You know what, never mind." Haley said with a relieved smile and straightened his collar.

"You sure?" Nathan asked a bit disappointed. He had a feeling it might've been something important.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Haley said.

Dan is right. Haley thought. Telling him I love him just a day before the state championship game will just mess with his head... It is his future... Haley thought relieved that she didn't have to confess her true feelings yet. Nathan was about to press the subject but luckily for Haley, Lucas ran up to them.

"Nathan, my brother, awesome game. Haley, my best friend and the platonic love of my life, thanks for coming." Lucas said high fiving Nathan and hugging Haley.

"Yeah, no problem." Haley said still relieved that she didn't have to pour out her heart to Nathan. Completely opening up and showing your vulnerable side was never easy.

"I saw Dan just leave. You two ok?" Lucas asked concerned.

"Yeah, he was just being his normal ass-y self. Nothing new." Haley said and waved her hand in the air to let them know she didn't care.

"Okay, if you're sure." Lucas said.

"Absolutely." Haley said. When Lucas still looked concerned, Haley took a hold of his shoulders with a smile. "Dude, you just won!" she said excited. Lucas laughed and high fived her.

"State championship, here we come!"

--------------------------

"State championship, here we come! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2006 North Carolina boys' 4A basketball state championship game! Boy, was that a long sentence. And you know what else is going to be long? Tonight's party when Tree Hill wins the state championship. This is Mouth McFadden live from the Reynolds Coliseum only 5 minutes before the start of the game. Both teams are currently in their locker rooms with the coaches, assistant coaches, managers, team doctors, water boys, everyone who has anything to do with basketball. It's anyone's guess what's being said behind the closed doors..."
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"Listen up, boys." Whitey's deep voice started. "Tonight is the most important game of the season. Obviously. Now, I'm not gonna stand here and make a whole speech about how far you've come and how proud I am of you. You already know all of that." He said and paused to take a good look at the boys around him in the packed locker room.

"You've ran suicides, drills, pretty much a damn marathon every game. You've pushed yourself to your limits, given everything you've got, done your best and even better. You deserve to be here. You've earned your spot. Be proud."

"After all the sweat, the tears, the blood... It's time to make it all worth it. You have given so much.." he paused for emphasis. "It's time to take something back." Whitey said with a smile and turned to look at Haley.

"Miss James, hit it."

Haley looked up from her notes at the boys around her. Her eyes stopped to meet Nathan's. Throughout the entire speech he hadn't taken his eyes off of her. The more he watched her, the more he wanted to tell her how he felt. He had barely spent a minute alone with her since her attack. The night after the attack, he had spent it in the hospital with everyone else. After she had been released they had gone straight to the game and afterwards Haley had spent the night at Karen's like she had promised to her parents.

The night she had slept at Karen's, he had barely slept at all. He knew she was safe at Karen's knowing that Lucas would be sleeping in the next room, keeping her safe. He knew that Greg was in custody and Haley didn't have any side affects from the roofies. She was safe. So for the life of him, Nathan couldn't figure out why he couldn't sleep. Why he had been so restless. Then, like a lightning from a clear sky it had hit him.

He didn't only want Haley to be safe, he wanted to be the one to keep her safe. And not only did he need her near him, he needed her to be with him. But why? Why all that? Nathan had wondered the entire night.

So around 4 am he had gotten up and decided to watch some TV thinking it might help him fall asleep. He pressed play on the DVD remote and groaned when 'Jerry Maguire', that Haley had been watching the other day, started to play. Suddenly, right after Tom Cruise said the famous 'you complete me' –line, Nathan understood everything. And boy did he feel like an idiot for not realizing it before. His friends and family and neighbors, practically anyone with a heart (excluding Dan from the group) and eyes had known it for a long time.

In 50 Cent's words, he loved her like a fat kid love cake.

Now, sitting in the locker room his eyes fixated on her, he both feared and anticipated the moment he would finally tell her.

Feeling the intense stare from Nathan and trying to hide her blush, Haley turned to the first page on her notes and tried to sound as confident and strong as possible.

"Alright, we've got four red flags. There's Brandon Fox, number 9. Has a 100 succeed rate in free throws. Do not foul him."

"Then we have Jim DeLuca. Tore his ACL in the beginning of the season but is waiting until after the season to get surgery. Ever since the start of the playoffs, he's been averaging over 20 points a game."

"Then there's Damien West, number 33. The captain of the squad, averages 22 points a game. Is known for playing dirty so watch out for those high elbows."

"And finally, the freshman of the year, Daniel Chan. You won't miss him; he's Chinese, he's 6' 5'' and has a mohawk. Rumor has it that he's already signed with UCLA." Haley finished and closed her file.

"Thank you, Miss James. I think the whole team agrees when I say that you've been a tremendous help for the team and we all appreciate it." Whitey said. The whole team clapped and cheered for her. Haley bowed with a smile trying to hide her blush.

"Any last words of wisdom? They say you're quite the smart one." Whitey said smiling.

Haley looked at the players proudly and couldn't help but feel emotional. Over the course of the few weeks she had gotten to know all the players well. She had tutored many of them and seeing them so excited and playing so well meant the world to her. To her and the rest of the team's luck she was becoming better and better at reading the players and the game which had earned her the respect of the team. That was also the reason why she felt like being part of the group. The players were also one of the few people that treated her the same as they did before the locker room incident.

"Have fun." She said with a small smile.

"You heard her! Let's go out there and have some fun!" Tim yelled and the others cheered. "Come on team, hands in the center." Tim said and all the guys got up from the benches and did what he said. Haley looked at the group of boys proudly. Jason Dowling, a blonde forward, turned to look at Haley.

"What the hell are you doing there? He said 'the team', right? Dude, hands in the middle." Haley laughed at word 'dude' being used of her and joined the guys in the circle. Yes, she was officially one of the guys.

"Alright, guys!" Tim yelled and Nathan elbowed him lightly. Nathan nudged his head towards Haley. Tim smiled before continuing. "And girl. Ravens on three! One! Two! Three!"

"Ravens!"
----

"It is officially on! With less than 3 minutes until the start, the Ravens have just come out of the locker room. The team looks confident and pumped, but don't be fooled, so does the other team. This is gonna be the game of the year!" Mouth ended with a smile and high fived some players.

"Hey, wait up." Nathan said grabbing Haley's shoulder. They were on their way out of the locker room.

"Yeah, what's up?" Haley asked.

"Well..." Nathan started trying to find the words.

But how the hell do you tell someone just how much they mean to you? How much you care about them and want to protect them? How much you love them? The problem isn't what you say; it's quite simple actually, because all you need is three small words. The problem is to get the courage to say them. It's to have the courage to open up and let your guard down. To show yourself at your most vulnerable form and trust the other to not hurt you.

"I..." Nathan started but saw someone behind Haley walking towards them. "Shit..." he mumbled.

"Nathan Scott." A guy with a cocky voice and a smirk said from behind Haley. She turned to look at him.

"Damien West." Nathan said annoyed. Damien looked at him with a smirk before taking a look at the person next to him. His mouth opened in surprise.

"Haley James."

"West." Haley said annoyed and then turned to look at Nathan confused. "Wait, what did say his name was?"

"I'm Damien West. And you, among all the other girls, should remember it." Damien said and winked at her. Nathan looked at him like he wanted nothing more than to stab his eye.

"So, you two know each other?" Haley asked from Nathan.

"And you obviously know him." Nathan said with a hint of sarcasm that didn't go unnoticed by Damien.

"Yes, we do." Damien said with a wide smirk and wrapped his arm around Haley. She quickly shook it off with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance. She glanced at Nathan who glared at Damien's arm like he was imagining ripping it off before hitting him in the head with it. Damien noticed that and being the asshole he was, decided to use it against Nathan.

"Yeah, didn't Haley tell you? We hooked up last summer in Florida during High Flyers." He said and grinned even wider when he saw the look on Nathan's face. Pure rage with a hint of jealousy.

"It was one night. One night from hell." Haley said glaring at Damien. "I was drunk, I was stupid and it was a mistake. Besides, what the hell are you doing here? I thought you lived in Florida." Haley said crossing her arms over her chest annoyed.

"No, I was only there for High Flyers. I told you I was gonna be the next big NBA star."

"I tried to block every word that came from your mouth." Haley said still glaring at him.

"But you didn't try to block your mouth from my mouth." He said and tried to high five Nathan. He looked at Damien and his hand and suddenly got the same image of ripping it off and beating him with it.

"You need to leave." Haley said to Damien frustrated.

"You always were the feisty one." He said.

"Now!" Haley yelled. Damien left with a smirk on his face and his hands in the air in defence. Haley turned to look at Nathan who looked like he was ready to explode.

"Hey, sorry about-" Haley started but Nathan cut him off.

"You don't have to explain. It's not like we're dating." Nathan snapped even though he knew he had no right to be mad at Haley. It wasn't like he hadn't had his share of women. It just made him crazy to think that someone else might have had Haley, even though it was only a one night stand.

"But I want to explain." Haley said. "Look, last summer I was visiting Vivian in Florida. She complained-"

"I don't wanna hear this." Nathan said closing his eyes and rubbing his temples.

"-she complained the whole time that I wasn't relaxing and having fun. So the last night there I ended up-"

"Please, I don't wanna hear." He whispered but once again Haley ignored him.

"-I ended up at this beach party where I got totally wasted."

"I don't wanna hear." he said through clenched teeth.

"It was the first time I was drunk and I was stupid and naive. And I immediately knew it was wrong and I was so embarrassed. I never thought I'd ever see him-"

"Shut up!" Nathan yelled but immediately regretted it when he saw the look on Haley's face.

He took a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at Haley and swallowed guiltily when he saw that her eyes were shimmering with tears. "Oh, please don't cry. You know I hate it when you cry." He said and put his hands on her cheeks and looked at her in the eyes. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you." he said quietly.

"I just don't want you to be mad." Haley whispered. It broke Nathan to see her like that.

"I'm not mad. I have no right to be mad. It's not like I've been a monk when it comes to girls and sex." He mumbled and smiled a bit when he saw a flash of jealousy in Haley's eyes. "I just hate that out of all the people, it's him." He said and sighed. "He's an ass."

"Yeah, I know." Haley said and smiled when she realized that Nathan wasn't mad. He opened his arms and hugged her tightly.

"Well, the best revenge is to beat his ass at the game." Haley mumbled on his chest.

"Which I'm planning on doing." He said and kissed her forehead. They snapped out of their embrace when Tim yelled that the game was about to begin.

"It's show time." Nathan mumbled.

"Kick his ass." Haley said with a grin.

"Count on it." he said and winked.

Haley went to sit on her usual spot next to Mouth while Nathan huddled with the team. Standing in front of the Oak Lake benches, Damien West was drinking water while staring at Haley and Nathan having just witnessed the whole scene between them. With a cocky smirk he set down the water bottle.

He had just figured out Nathan Scott's weakness.

"Alright captains, gather around." The referee said when both starting line ups had been introduced. Damien, Nathan and Lucas went to the center of the court. "Alright, I want a clean game. No elbows, no knees, nothing. And I mean nothing. Just play fair and do you best. Good luck."

"Nothing, got it." Damien said to the referee and watched him go say something to the coaches.

Damien then turned to look at Nathan with a smirk.

"Nothing, huh. Kinda like what she was wearing the last time I saw her." He said and watched Nathan take an angry step towards him only to be stopped by Lucas. Lucas dragged Nathan away from Damien to the sidelines where the cheerleaders were. Peyton and Brooke joined them.

"Nate, what the hell are you doing?" Lucas whispered harshly.

"Beating that punk's ass, is what I'm gonna do." he said through gritted teeth and started to turn around so he could get to Damien but like before, Lucas grabbed him before he could do anything stupid.

"Its the state championship game!" Brooke said.

"Yeah, what the hell's the matter with you?" Peyton asked.

"That asshole West is driving me crazy." Nathan growled.

"So he tried to get into your head, so what?" Lucas asked.

"No, you don't get it. That bitch hooked up with James last summer!"

"What? Who?" Lucas asked confused.

"He means Haley." Brooke said bored. "Would it kill you two for once to call each other by your actual names? You do know her actual name? It's-"

"Haley! Damien West hooked up with Haley? I'm gonna kick his ass!" Lucas said angrily.

"Hell yeah!" Nathan said and they both started to leave but this time Brooke and Peyton held them back.

"Let me go, Blondie." Nathan growled at Peyton who just rolled her eyes annoyed.

"Baby, that punk needs to learn his lesson!" Lucas said to Brooke with clenched teeth.

"Baby, calm the hell down." Brooke hissed.

"Hon, I'm gonna kick that bitch's ass! No one messes with my best friend." Lucas growled.

"Ok, take it easy Mr. Testosterone, you can be always replaced by many sorts of fruits, mainly cucumber, banana or my favorite: zucchini." Brooke said and both guys looked at her shocked while Peyton laughed.

"And maybe you should lay off the bitchy pills for one day, Ms. PMS." Lucas said.

"Explain to me again why I need a man." Brooke asked from Peyton.

"Alright, Unimouth. Quit fighting!" Peyton said. "This is not helping anyone."

"But you know what will help?" Nathan asked. "Us kicking Damien's ass." He said pointing at him and Lucas.

"Do you really think that's what Haley wants?" Peyton asked. "Do you think she wants you to kick his ass so both of you will get thrown out of the game and in the process lose the state championship and have the entire school hate you and blame her? Huh?" Peyton asked.

Nathan and Lucas looked at each other, then at the girls and finally with a defeated sigh at the floor.

"But she said 'kick his ass'." Nathan said in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, as in 'beat his ass on the game'. Not literally kick his ass. At least not till the game's over. Humiliating him in something he loves the most, basketball, is the best revenge." Brooke said.

The referee whistled for the teams to get on the court again.

"Alright, game's about to start. Don't do anything stupid like attack him. Just score many points and humiliate him." Peyton said.

"And good luck." Brooke said and kissed Lucas.

Lucas and Nathan started towards the court.

"You gonna do what she says?" Nathan asked from Lucas.

"Yep."

"You're so whipped."

"Nate-man, if I can ever teach you anything about women, it's this: women are always right. Always. No matter what the argument is about, they're right. Trust me, one day you'll understand."

"Whatever, you're still whipped."

"Maybe." Lucas said and then added with a smirk. "But it doesn't mean I'm not gonna elbow the asshole West every time the ref isn't looking."

"That's the Scott spirit."

-------------------------------

"I'm gonna kill that asshole!"

"Nathan, calm down."

"Do you hear what he's saying about her?"

"Yeah, I do. You need to calm down."

"How the hell can you be so calm? Don't you wanna kill him?"

"Yeah, but every time I wanna strangle him, I look over to where Brooke is and she always does the cut throat motion."

"So, making the cut throat motion helps? You know, it's not like she's actually gonna kill you if you kick Damien's ass."

"Oh, the motion isn't for killing. It's for not giving any."

"Like I said, you're whipped."

"At least I'm getting some."

"Ladies, quit yakking and get back on the court. Or do I need to ask the cheerleaders for help?"

"No need, coach."

"Although Bevin has been hanging out a lot with Skillz. She's actually got a quite good free-"

"Just get back in the game!"

"Yes, sir." Lucas and Nathan said at the same time.

It was the middle of second quarter and Lucas and Nathan were going back to the court after resting and catching their breaths for few minutes on the sidelines. Throughout the whole game, Damien had done his best to annoy Nathan. And he had succeeded.

On more than one occasion after taunting Nathan, Nathan had almost attacked him. And every time either Jake, Tim or Lucas were there to hold him back.

"Welcome back to the court, Scott. Wanna hear more details?" Damien asked.

"Screw you, West."

"Nope, but I think I'll screw her. Again!"

"That's it! You feel like seeing with only your right eye?" he growled and started to attack him but this time he referee stopped him.

"That's it, I've had it with you too." He said looking between Nathan and Damien. "Since I would get the hatred of the entire audience if I threw out both teams' captains out because of some girl, here's what we're gonna do."

"You," the referee said pointing at Damien. "-need to keep your mouth shut unless you're gonna say something constructive to one of your team mates. And you," he said pointing then at Nathan. "-need to learn to ignore him and concentrate on what matters. The game! Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes." They both said.

"Great, now shake hands. Now!" Damien offered his hand with a cocky smirk. With a glare that could freeze water, Nathan shook it pressing it hard.

"Great, now let's get back in the game." He said and went to get the ball.

"You know where else this hand's been?" Damien whispered so only Nathan could hear. Damien turned to look at Haley who was sitting next to Mouth chatting with him. She was wearing a blue shirt and a pair of jeans. "Well, let's just say she wasn't wearing that blue shirt. Or any shirt for that matter."

"Nathan, walk away." Lucas said behind him.

"Yeah, Nathan. Walk away." Damien said mimicking Lucas before walking back to his side of the court.

"I swear to god..." Nathan started.

"I know, buddy." Lucas said patting him on the shoulder.

"You know, someday..." Nathan said again.

"I know."

----------------------------

"And that buzz just signaled the end of the second quarter. The Ravens are down by almost 20 points. Instead of playing their own game, the Ravens let the Cougars play them. I certainly hope that whatever is being said in that locker room helps the Ravens to get their game back. We will get back to you in about 15 minutes."

"What is this ball that I'm holding? Hmmm? L. Scott?"

"Umh, a basketball, coach?"

"Correct. And what game are we supposed to play out there? Smith?"

"Basketball."

"Again correct. So, you do know." Whitey said sarcastically. Then his voice started to rise. "Because it sure as hell doesn't look like it! You need to start passing the ball. You need more people in defence. You need to block more shots, play better dee, catch more rebounds. And for the love of god Nathan, what the hell is up with you and that West kid?"

"Nothing, coach."

"Then don't act like there is."

"Yes, sir." Nathan mumbled while looking at Haley.

While Whitey continued his rant, Nathan paid no attention to him because as always, his concentration was on the brunette manager who was standing next to Whitey writing something on her notes and answering to Whitey's questions whenever he had one.

It was the most important game in Nathan's life so far and he couldn't care less if he won the it or not. His head was spinning and he couldn't get his thoughts straight. He was debating whether to strangle or beat up Damien West. Either way, Nathan was sure he would lose his mind if he couldn't beat something, or someone up. And who would be better than that annoying little shit who took advantage of his girl? With a smile, Nathan turned his attention back to Whitey.

"... strong right side, so try to force him to use his left side. Also try to push more to the center." Whitey said while drawing lines all over the white board. He turned to look at Haley. "How much?"

"4 minutes, 45 seconds."

"Alright, let's get back on the court, team." Whitey said and they got up from their seats and left the room. Nathan was about to join the team on court to warm up when Whitey told him to stay.

"What's up, coach." Nathan asked. They were standing by the locker room doors while the rest of the team was warming up.

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same, son."

Nathan didn't say anything, just sighed and turned to look at Haley who was walking towards her usual spot next to Mouth while talking to few of the players and laughing about something.

"So, Damien West hooked up with Haley who you're in love with but haven't told her yet and now you want to beat West up, partly because you're jealous and partly because he deserves it for treating her so badly."

Nathan looked at him in shock. He couldn't decide which was more disturbing, the fact that Whitey was obviously psychic or that he had used the expression 'hook up'. Old people are supposed to say 'make love'.

"How the hell did you know?" Nathan just asked his mouth still open in shock.

"Son, I've had a long life. I know how a man in love acts like." He said.

"But still..." Nathan said still in shock.

"Well, it didn't hurt that I heard you talking to Lucas." He added which made Nathan laugh before turning serious.

"I don't know what to do, coach. That kid is just driving me nuts!" Nathan said and ran his hand through his hair.

"I know, son. But let me tell you something that will help you for the rest of your life." He said and paused. "Life is not fair. Deal with it."

"That's your advice?"

"Oh, it's not supposed to be deep. Life will throw you so many curve balls that it will make that little head of yours spin so hard you won't know what to do. But the way you handle those situations is how people will you see as a person." Whitey said.

Nathan still looked confused.

"If you go out there and let Damien West affect the way you play you will be just as bad as he is. I know this sounds corny but you really have to rise above him. Show everyone you're better than him and not just in basketball."

"Sure, whatever." Nathan said unfocused while staring at Haley. Whitey followed his gaze and smiled.

"So you haven't told her yet?"

"No, and I won't. She just wants to be friends." Nathan muttered quietly.

"Are you sure? Did she say that? Were her actual words: 'I only want to be friends'."

"No, but she's made it clear that she's happy being like this." Nathan said.

"Nathan, that doesn't mean anything. Camilla and I were friends for years before either could get the courage to want for anything more." Whitey said and patted him on the shoulder.

"Why the hell is everything so hard?" Nathan asked running his hand through his hair upset.

"Son, if there's only one thing I can teach you it's that nothing in life that's worth having comes easy." Whitey said quietly emphasizing every word. "Now, go warm up." He said and watched with a smile as Nathan joined his team mates on the court.

-----------

"So, what's up with you and Nathan?" Brooke asked joining Haley on the bench.

"Like I've told you a million times, nothing. Besides, shouldn't you be cheering on the court?" she asked in an annoyed voice without taking her eyes off the folder on her lap.

"I'm the captain and I do what I want." Brooke said with a smirk.

"How nice for you." Haley said dryly.

"Hey, cheer up, girl." Brooke said and wrapped her arm around her shoulder. "Nathan will come around."

Haley slammed the folder shut and turned to look at Brooke angry.

"Will you stop with the harassing! He wants to be friends and there's not a damn thing I can do about it!" Haley said in loud voice and few people around them turned to stare at her. She gave them the death glare and they all turned back.

"Jesus, calm down." Brooke whispered.

"Just stop trying to hook us up. It's not going to happen."

"But you like him. And he likes you. What the hell is your problem?"

"It's not that simple." Haley muttered.

"Of course it's not simple. Nothing in life is simple."

"But why is it so hard?" Haley asked her voice cracking a bit. "Maybe it's just not meant to be if it's this hard. This complicated."

Brooke looked at Haley and took a hold of her hand.

"Someone very famous and very old once said: You don't deserve it if you don't have to fight for it." Brooke said emphasizing every word to get through to her. Haley looked at the floor while listening carefully before looking at her with a smirk.

"Isn't that from 'Cutting Edge 2'?"

"So, what if it is? It's still true."

Brooke heard the buzzer signal the start of the game.

"Look, I gotta go. But don't give up on him. Just come clean and tell him how you feel. Trust me, he feels the same way." She said and squeezed Haley's hand before leaving.

"You just want us to hook up now because of the bet." Haley muttered with a smile and turned to look at her favorite Ravens player.
------

"You ready for round 2, Scott?" Damien asked with a smirk and turned to look at Haley who was sitting on the stands. "Or should I ask her the same?"

"Whatever, West. How about you concentrate on the game. I want to have your full attention every time I steal the ball from you." Nathan said with a smirk.

"I'm warning you..." The referee said and blew on the whistle to start the game. Less than 5 seconds later, Nathan had stolen the ball from West and passed it to Lucas who easily made a basket.

"You can expect lots of that." Nathan said with a smirk and laughed when Damien turned to yell at his team mates.

"Alright, let's start playing. I'm not leaving this place tonight without a trophy." Nathan said to Lucas and high fived Tim.

"Hell yeah."

The rest of the third quarter went well for the Ravens. They finally got their game back and started to control the game. The whole team played well and especially Nathan excelled. He finally ignored Damien's comments and concentrated on winning him at the game. By the start of the fourth quarter, they were tied with Oak Lake. Damien's comments that were earlier directed to Nathan were now to his team and the comments were anything but encouraging.

After using another time out, Oak Lake finally got their game back and for the entire fourth quarter the two teams played neck and neck. Whenever the other team got a basket, the other tied. The fans were out of control, the cheerleaders were shaking their pompoms like there was no tomorrow and Mouth was screaming on the mike so loud he barely had any voice left. Haley was gripping the folder on her hands so tightly she could barely feel her hands.

90 seconds before the end of the game, the Ravens were leading 76-74.

"Let's keep it up, Ravens! No fouling." Nathan yelled at his team right at the same time when Jake fouled an Oak Lake player.

"What did I just say!" Nathan asked frustrated.

"Sorry..." Jake muttered and watched in frustration as Oak Lake tied the game.

Less than a minute left in the clock, Whitey called another time out.

"I'm dying in there." Tim said while sitting on the bench to catch his breath while another player next to him asked for water.

"We need to play tougher dee..." some player said.

"No, more rebounds..." someone else said.

"And someone needs to guard that damn West kid..."

"...and that wannabe-yao ming!"

"And don't fucking foul Fox, he never misses a free throw!"

"Quiet, everyone!" Whitey said and everyone shut their mouths. "There's 50 seconds left on the clock, it's the state championship game and we're tied. I've never seen you play this good as a team. You catch rebounds, help each other out, look for open spots, talk to each other. I couldn't ask you to play better because it's not possible."

"Then why did you call time out?" Tim asked and they all laughed.

"Take a look around." Whitey said and the whole team looked at the audience who was cheering as load as humanly possible.

"This your night. This is your game. You've been waiting for this your whole high school. For some of you, you have less than a minute left of your high school basketball career. Love every single second of it. Take it all in." Whitey said and looked at the boys around him fondly. Haley, who was standing next Whitey, smiled at them proudly.

"I've never coached a better team and I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am to help you get here. But make no mistake, this is all you. You did this. In the end, I just showed you the door. You were the ones who walked through it. Now, let's win this last game and enjoy the last minute. Tim, hit it."

"Win on three. One! Two! Three!"

"WIN!" they yelled and stayed at the huddle.

Haley patted few people on their backs before going back to her seat. She looked at Nathan who was staring back at her. Haley mouthed 'good luck' and showed him her crossed fingers. Nathan just winked back at her with a smirk before turning to look at the team again.

"Whitey sure knows how to give a pep talk." Nathan said and high fived several players.

"This one's for him." Tim said.

Had it all been a movie or a TV show on the CW, everything that happened next would've happened in slow motion; the five players walking back to the court, the audience standing up, the cheerleaders cheering at the top of their lungs, Mouth yelling on the mike, Whitey encouraging his team...

But as soon as the ball was thrown back in the game, it was back to the fast-paced, exciting high school basketball at its best.

With 45 seconds left, Damien West caught the ball, dribbled across the court and scored two points for Oak Lake.

"You see that Scott? That's the sound of you losing the game!" Damien said when running past Nathan. Nathan looked at him annoyed and then turned to look at his team mates.

"We're so winning this game. I don't care what it takes, we won't leave this place without a win." He said with a serious voice and caught the ball that Lucas threw from under their basket.

"Let's do this." Lucas said excited.

Nathan drippled the ball to the other side of the court. After about 10 seconds of passing the ball from one player to another, Jake finally got a good spot and shot the ball neatly through the net.

It was 78-78.

20 seconds till the end of the game, the Oak Lake drippled it back to the Tree Hill basket. Oak Lake passed the ball, looking for that perfect spot while the Ravens did their best to block every player.

"Give it up, Scott. You've got nothing!" Damien said to Nathan who was blocking him.

"We'll see about that." Nathan mumbled focusing all his energy on the game.

"Bring it on." Damien said with a cocky smirk running to the left side of the court. Suddenly he sprinted to the other direction looking for an open spot and in the process getting rid of Nathan.

"Ball!" Damien yelled to the Oak Lake player. Quickly he passed the ball to Damien who caught it easily. Damien took another step to the side and prepared to make the shot. Just when the ball had left his hands, Nathan came out of nowhere and blocked the shot. With the audience cheering, he drippled the ball to the other end of the court.

3 seconds.

"You've got nothing, Scott!" Damien yelled in fury behind him.

But Nathan never heard him. The only thing he could hear was his own heavy breathing and his foot steps... 2 seconds... He finally got close enough to the basket and started the jump. 1 second... With a beautiful movement, he slammed the ball in the basket and hung from it when he heard the buzzer signal the end of the game. The Ravens had won.

Nathan landed on the floor and was soon practically crushed by Lucas, Jake and Tim and the rest of the team who lifted Nathan on their shoulders. Soon the cheerleaders joined them along with a group of fans. Still screaming in happiness, Nathan looked over at the Oak Lake bench where Damien West had just kicked their bench over. Nathan's gaze moved on to the Tree Hill bench where some of the players had just soaked Whitey like they do during Super Bowl. Behind them Mouth was jumping up and down hugging several fans on the stands.

Nathan looked down at the excited group around him and smiled when he saw Brooke making out heavily with Lucas while Peyton jumped on Jake's lap. His excited whoop faded when he realized that something missing. Or someone. Where the hell was Haley?

Nathan looked at the group of fans around him and the team but didn't see her. He turned to look at the players' bench but it only had a soaking wet Whitey and the team doctor. His gaze moved behind them, where Haley was. She was still sitting on the bench writing something on her notes with a smile. Only Haley could make notes few seconds after winning state championships. Nathan jumped off from the fans' and the players' hands and pushed his way through the group of people around him. He finally managed to make it to the sidelines where there were less people.

His eyes never leaving Haley, he jogged to where she was sitting. With a swift movement, he pulled her on her feet.

"What are you-" Haley started but got cut off by Nathan's lips.

In shock, she didn't know how to respond but seconds later she wrapped her hands around his neck and deepened the kiss. The people around them started to cheer but neither paid any attention to them until oxygen became an issue. Still wrapped in each other's embrace, they stared at each other.

"You have no idea how long I have waited for that." Haley whispered.

"I could say the same thing." Nathan said resting his forehead against hers.

"This is just... you have no idea... I've been wanting..." Haley started but didn't know how to finish. She then fell silent and just stared at him. "I frigging love you, Nathan. I don't know how else to say it." she said.

"I frigging love you too, Haley." Nathan said and closed the space between their mouths again.

Unknown to Haley and Nathan, they had an audience. And it was growing. It started with only Lucas and Brooke cheering for the couple but soon Tim joined them and high fived Brooke. Suddenly they heard an angry yell behind them.

"Son of a bitch!"

Brooke turned to see Jake and an angry Peyton behind them.

"What the hell, Peyton? They finally hooked up." Brooke said to her.

"But it's not my weekend. I just lost like 30 bucks." She said and fake pouted which made Brooke laugh.

"And I just won like $150." Brooke said happily and started to think of all the possible clothes she could bye.

"Hope you remember to divide that by two." Karen said joining the group.

"Oh, yeah. You had the same weekend. How very nice." Brooke mumbled.

"Oh, cheer up, Brookie." Karen said and wrapped her arm around herself.

"Yeah, at least we don't have to witness any more of that flirtatious bickering." Peyton added.

30 minutes later after talking to the press, the Ravens finally got back on their bus and started their way back to Tree Hill. Needless to say the bus ride was far from a quiet, peaceful one. The noise level was way over the limit and the bus driver threatened to tie Tim down if he wouldn't stop hanging from the open window. He protested claiming that it was the only way to not feel nauseous because of a certain couple's heavy making out. Lucas agreed.

When they finally got to the Tree Hill parking lot, the rowdy players piled out of the bus.

"Remember! Party at my place now! And don't change your uniforms." Tim reminded.

"Eww, why?" Brooke asked disgusted joining the team.

"For good luck. And for most of us it's the last night we can wear them." Tim said and fell silent. He then continued with a smirk. "Besides, how the hell can the slutty freshmen recognize the players if we don't wear the uniforms?" he said and high fived some random player.

"Should've known." Peyton said.

"So, we ready to go?" Tim asked.

"Yeah, let's get the party started!" Brooke said.

"Haley and I are gonna take my car." Nathan announced his hand wrapped around her shoulders.

"But there's room in my car." Tim said confused.

"Oh, that's not necessary." Haley said. "He.. umh, we... Nathan needs to get something from his car so we'll just meet you there." Haley said and then gave them a wide grin.

The couple started to walk away from the group towards Nathan's car.

"Alright, we'll follow you to the party! We'll be right behind you!" Lucas yelled. The group watched Nathan and Haley's leaving backs with smiles on their faces. Brooke's happy face quickly turned into a confused one.

"Wait, did they just call each other by their actual names?"

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So, there it was. The last chapter before the epilogue. I'll try to post it in the next few days. In the meantime, lemme know what you thought of this chapter. :)