Life is Unpredictable

Disclaimer: I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

Author's Note #1: This is my first Nathan and Haley fan fiction, so I hope it is alright right. Please tell me what you think of it!

Author's Note #2: This is an AU, but has several similarities to the first season. All the history between Karen, Dan & Deb and their son's is the same from the show and how Lucas joins the basketball team & Nathan and Dan's reaction to it are also the same as in season 1. Pretty much, all that occurs in the first two episodes of the 1st season, with the exception of Peyton's role, has happened and led up to where this story begins.

Chapter 1: Prologue

The café was buzzing as school had just ended and students were stopping by to grab a quick bite to eat. Haley James was nearly plowed down by a group of teens leaving just as she was racing into the café.

"Karen, I am so sorry I'm late; tutoring ran overtime", Haley exclaimed apologetically, quickly putting on her apron.

Karen Roe, the owner of Karen's café, simply smiled at the young girl who she thought of as a daughter, and said, "Haley, it's fine; you're only 5 minutes late". Karen always laughed at how conscientious Haley always was; always worried even if she was only 5 minutes late. To be honest for Karen, Haley could be an hour late and she wouldn't worry because she knew Haley would have a good reason and that she would always be sure to make up for it.

Karen did worry about Haley though; she worried that Haley was too conscientious. For as long as she has known Haley, even as an 8 year old kid, she has always been that way and always very driven. For example, when she was 8, despite her clumsiness, she wanted to join a soccer team and for 2 straight months all Haley did was practice soccer until she finally made the team. Then when she entered high school her focus became getting high grades to earn scholarships and to save enough money for college. As well as tutoring students who are having trouble with their school work. This, therefore, limited her socializing. Karen knew that if it wasn't for her son Lucas, Haley probably wouldn't even have friends at all, that is how focused she was.

Haley had a plan for her life; graduate high school, get into college (hopefully Stanford) and become an English teacher (she loved helping people and knew she wanted a career that would do that). Karen worried that this plan Haley had, while it was a good one, was preventing her from experiencing high school and taking risks.

"Almost 9 O'clock" Haley sighed to herself, her shift was almost over and she could go home, study for a bit, and then head to bed. She had a Spanish test the next day and Spanish not being her best subject, she knew that she had to study hard for it tonight.

Karen had left a few hours ago, so she could go watch Lucas's basketball game, so it was up to Haley to close up. She was just finishing up washing the tables when she heard the café door open. She turned to see who it was and when she saw who the person was a smile broke out onto her face.

"Hey Luke, how was the game?" asking as she walked over to her best friend, which was when she noticed the bluish bruise growing on his left cheek. "Lucas what happened?" Haley asked concerned.

"Well let's just say that Nathan's fist found my face" Lucas exclaimed to his friend in his own sarcastic way.

"Oh no, what happened this time?" Haley asked, all too aware of the constant fighting that went on between the two brothers, just the other day they were kicked out of class for fighting.

There was certainly no love loss between the Scott brothers. Haley felt that Dan Scott was partly the reason behind this animosity between Nathan and Lucas. Although it also did not help that Nathan was the biggest jackass she had ever met.

Ever since Lucas decided to join the school's basketball team, for which Nathan was the star of, Nathan and the team have been giving Luke a hard time. They've pulled several stunts, (all of which she's sure were done at the insistence of Nathan) to try to force him off the team; none of which have worked yet. Haley was beginning to think that all of what Luke was going through wasn't worth it and that he should just walk away.

Haley waited for Lucas's reply as she walked out of the kitchen where she had gone and gotten ice to put on his cheek. "It's Nathan, does he really need a reason" Luke replied sarcastically. "I mean I say two words to the guy and he wants to pound my face".

Haley looked at Luke almost in a contemplation of whether what she's going to say next is something she should say. "Luke….do you think that maybe it's not worth it anymore. I mean you've proven your point to Nathan and his dad that you can play just as well as he can"

"Hales, I can't let Nathan or Dan gets to me or know that there getting to me, which is exactly what, would happen if I just walked away. I'm not going to give them that satisfaction", Luke replied.

"Lucas!...would you look at yourself, ever since you've joined the team Nathan has tortured you…your locker's been trashed, they've stolen your clothes, not to mention that they've left you out in the middle of know where and now Nathan's using your face as a punching bag. Can't you just put your pride to the side and walk away" Haley exclaimed clearly upset at the way Lucas is being treated.

Lucas sighed, trying to find just the right words to reassure her. He knew Haley has a tendency to overreact, especially when it came to his welfare, although she probably was right that he should just walk away, but his pride was not about to let him do that. "Haley, I'm fine…look this whole thing between me and Nathan is going to go away" Haley looked at him disbelievingly "It is…Nathan's going to get bored and move on to a new target" Luke stated.

Haley still was not convinced, but decided to let it go for the night. She knew how stubborn Lucas was about this and knew she wouldn't get anywhere. She would just hope that he would come to his senses soon and walk away before Nathan did anything else.

It was 9:00 in the morning and the start of another school day at Tree Hill High. The halls were crowded with students as Haley was trying to make her way through the crowd to her locker. So far this day was not going well for her. She stayed up late studying and ended up sleeping through her alarm. She barely had time to brush her hair and put on some clothes and drive to school before she was late.

She was now hurriedly going down the halls carrying her bag and some books, pushing past people to get to her locker, put her things away and get her books and then get to class. She could see her locker just ahead when splat, she went face first into the floor, her books and bag went everywhere.

All Haley could hear as she tried to reorient herself was laughter. She didn't even have to too look up to know who was laughing. Haley would know that laugh anywhere; it was that off Nathan Scott and his buddies. They did this to her a lot, Haley is not the most graceful person and they've been privy to many of her clumsy moments and they always had the same reaction; laughter.

This among many other reasons was how Haley's great distaste for Nathan Scott grew. Nathan was proclaimed the crown prince of Tree Hill High by most of the student body and he played right into that role. All the guys wanted to be him and all the girls wanted to date him and he loved every second of it.

To Haley, Nathan Scott was certainly no prince. He had quite a reputation and not just for his basketball skills; he was known for his various escapades with girls and for his all night parties at his father's beach house. Nathan also had a cocky attitude to boot; he held himself in very high esteem and it drove Haley crazy. Every time she saw him she wanted to take him down a peg or two. She couldn't stand how everyone treated him as if he was above everyone else.

To be fair Haley has never actually talked to the great Nathan Scott, so there could be something there under the persona he puts on, but she truly doubts it. The two of them may have never had a conversation, but it never stopped him from making her life miserable.

It started in the ninth grade, when she entered high school Haley was quickly put into the nerd category, which she could care less about, but it put her at risk of being ridiculed by the popular kids aka Nathan and his group. And for whatever reason they had zeroed in on Haley as being a prime recipient of their ridicule.

They've done numerous things to her over the years from something as simple as teasing to embarrassing her in front of everyone. One of her worst memories of an incident that happened was during a speech she was giving in her English class. Nathan and several of his friends were in the class with her. While giving the speech Nathan and his buddies constantly talked and laughed through out it making snide remarks about her and her speech. By the end of the speech Haley was practically in tears, she did everything she could to hold them in, but it was no use, so the minute she ended her speech she ran out of the classroom crying. She figured that it was better run out crying than to break down right in front of Nathan. She would not give him that satisfaction that he had gotten to her.

Her running from the classroom in tears did not go unnoticed by Nathan, who found it hilarious and gave her the nickname of crybaby James. From that day on him and his buddies called her that on several occasions. It was one of Haley's most embarrassing moments and she hated how much joy Nathan had gotten out of her pain.

When Lucas joined the basketball team and the knowledge that she's Lucas's best friend added to the taunting that Haley received from Nathan. It was almost like it was his goal in life to make people like her lives miserable.

Haley could feel her whole face going red as she quickly tried to gather her things with little help from anyone, in fact Nathan and another had kicked a couple of her books a little further down the hall. She was very embarrassed and just wanted to get too her locker than class. She had first period with Lucas, so she looked forward to seeing his comforting face.

Nathan Scott got off a few chuckles with his friends as he saw Haley trying to quickly get to her locker and get far away from them, more specifically him. He had been having a bad morning and was debating whether to skip today, but this little incident made him very glade he showed up this morning and helped to cure his bad mood. He couldn't explain it, but there was something about harassing Haley James that made his day brighter, also the fact that she was Lucas's best friend, that added so much more to it.

Once Haley was no longer in sight he turned back to his friends. His group of friends were made up of several guys from the basketball team that included his best friend Tim Smith, then there was Peyton Sawyer, she though was only really included in his group because she happened to be best friends with Brooke Davis.

If Nathan was the crown prince, then Brooke was the crown princess and it only made sense that the two be a couple, which they were. They represented every cliché out there; she is the captain of the cheer leading squad and he is captain of the basketball team, she's the most popular girl in school and always has numerous guys vying for her and Nathan is the most popular guy at the school and all the girls wanted to date him. They were a power couple around the school and deemed by many as the perfect couple.

Their relationship wasn't perfect though. Since they started dating 2 years ago their relationship has been on again off again. There is a strong chemistry between them and that has always brought them back together. Their relationship did consist of feelings for the other, but the sex overrode them and pretty much came down to their reasoning for always getting back together.

However, when it came to sex Nathan was not a one woman guy. He had a roving eye and sleeping only with Brooke did not satisfy him. He had developed quite a reputation as a ladies man. Stories circulated throughout the school of one night stands he had had the night before. Brooke heard all of it and she figured it was probably all true, but she chose to look the other way.

Nathan's latest hook up had actually been just the night before and was with one of Brooke's friends and her teammate on the cheerleading squad; Theresa Moreno. His dad, the infamous Dan Scott, had been giving him grief over what happened between him and Lucas during the game last night and Nathan just had to get away. He went to a party that some friends were throwing and Theresa happened to be there.

The party gave him exactly what he needed; a distraction from everything else going on in his life. From the time Nathan was born basketball was to be his destiny. Dan Scott had been the star basketball player a Tree Hill High and had high hopes of moving onto college ball than the NBA. It would not however work out that way for him.

At the end of his senior year of high school he learned that his girlfriend, Karen Roe, was pregnant; having to choose between staying in Tree Hill with Karen going onto college and playing basketball, he chose basketball. However, within a week of arriving at college he met Debra Lee. When Deb became pregnant with Nathan shortly after meeting the two married and Dan found himself trying to cope with new wife, a new baby and basketball.

Dan then suffered a knee injury and his hopes for a career in the NBA were dashed. He dropped out of basketball shortly after the injury. With his hopes dashed, Dan turned his attention towards Nathan and put all of his goals onto him. He wanted Nathan to go onto College ball and then play for the NBA. As a result Dan pushed Nathan extremely hard. No matter how good Nathan was Dan always expected him to be better.

Nathan's life was made much harder when Lucas joined the team. Dan and Nathan saw Lucas as a threat to Nathan's place on the team and his future. Therefore Dan made sure to build up animosity between Nathan and Lucas and encouraged Nathan to fight hard to get Lucas off the team.

All of these factors, the pressure his dad was putting on him and Lucas joining the team, were creating a lot of drama in Nathan's life and he wanted to do whatever he could to get away from it for at least a night. For him getting drunk with a bunch of his buddies and getting laid were to him the perfect distraction.