Okay, so I know I still have other stories that I've been horrible at updating and I'll get back to them soon, I promise. But recently I started this story that is in a lot of way based off of actual events in my life as a way to deal with those events I guess but I actually think it will make an interesting fanfic so I figured I'd share. The first few chapters take place in middle school but the bulk of the story is what happens in high school. Let me know what you think so far! Disclaimer: I don't own OTH.

"Class dismissed. Mr. Scott, can you come speak to me for a moment?" Miss Hart asked as the students began to pack up their belonging. She turned and saw Nathan Scott's head still down on his desk, not a single thing put back in his backpack. "Mr. Scott?" She repeated louder. His head shot up this time as he blinked his eyes open.

"Yeah?" He asked, his voice hoarse. Miss Hart sighed softly, she knew Nathan wasn't a kid who purposely tuned her out, despite his disinterest in math, and that he was truly exhausted.

"Can you stay for a minute?" He nodded at her, confused, as he packed up his school supplies. She could see the apprehension as he approached her desk. Miss Hart was far from the most intimidating teacher in the school but any kid who had to talk to the teacher after class knew it couldn't be good. "Nathan, I understand that math isn't for everyone. It doesn't click in some people's brains and that can make it unenjoyable and cause them to avoid doing it as much as possible, but sweetheart, that just makes it worse." Nathan began to panic. He knew he wasn't a stellar student, that was clear but this seemed worse than the usual 'if you just applied yourself more' speech.

"What are you saying?"

"You're getting pretty close to failing, Nathan. I know that the junior varsity coach at the high school wants you. That's pretty rare, getting brought up in middle school, but you need good grades to do it. I'm willing to offer you an extra credit opportunity, if you join the math team I will boost your grade 10% as long as you go to every meet and show that you're trying your best."

"The math team?" Nathan wasn't someone who was particularly obsessed with popularity, but he wanted to have some friends…this seemed like it was going to kill off all the cred he'd get from basketball. Plus, if this was going to take time away from training his dad would never go for it, he'd probably rather Nathan cheat his way through. "I don't know, Miss Hart, I'd have to talk to my parents."

"Okay, just let me know tomorrow. I think this could be really good for you, Nathan." She watched him sadly as he nodded and left the classroom. She'd met his father and there sure was a lot of pressure on that kid, this would be a good opportunity to show him that he could be more than just a basketball player. He could have such a bright future if he could see past the basketball court and Dan, who she'd admit scared her.

That evening, Nathan got off the bus and walked as slowly as he could towards the front door. Talking to his dad was inevitable but that didn't make the task any less daunting. Maybe he could lie, say he was joining some other club. No, Dan wouldn't let him take on any 'unnecessary distractions'. Okay, just walk in calmly and confidently. You know he likes it when you let him get to you. With the courage from his internal pep talk Nathan swung the door open.
"Nathan, you're home. Oh honey, I missed you!" Deb exclaimed, hurrying over to hug him as he entered the kitchen, "I love you so much, kiddo,". Good, his mom was here. She cared a lot more about his grades and education than Dan did which usually frustrated him but today would come in handy.

"Mom, you're back." Nathan replied with a smile. He and his mom weren't close because of how often she was gone but he did like when she was home, it made Dan be on his best behavior. "Is dad home?" Deb's smile faltered. She wanted to catch up with her son, but he didn't seem interested in talking to her. He used to come to her about everything but the older he got, the more reserved he got. Nathan was nearly 13 now and she knew she had missed so much of his growing up due to business trips, but she truly enjoyed her work.

"Uh, no, not yet. He's still at the dealership but he should be home in a little over an hour."

"Okay, I have to talk to both of you when he gets home," Nathan forced out. As soon as the discussion was known he couldn't take it back and he needed that to force him to talk. Deb's disappointed in Nathan's interest in when Dan would be home was quickly replaced with concern. What did he need both of them for?

"Alright…is everything okay?"

"Um, yeah. Everything's fine, I just need to talk to you." Deb nodded but before she could continue the conversation Nathan turned towards the stairs. "I'm going to go get my homework done so I'm ready to train with dad later." With that he was gone, and Deb was left to think about how Nathan was being raised in her absence.

An hour and a half later, Nathan heard the sound of a car door closing. He knew it was Dan. It was strange, any of his neighbors could have gotten home at the time but it was like he could feel the presence of his father approaching and it scared the shit out of him.

"Nathan! 4 miles today, you better be ready!" Nathan swore to himself as his dad entered the house with his signature hello. Practice after school had been brutal and he'd really hoped it would be a 2-mile day but no, why would that happen? The universe hates him. Quickly, Nathan slide on his running sneakers and headed downstairs. He'd done about three quarters of his homework which was more than usual.

"Dan, before you guys go, Nathan said he needed to talk to us." Deb stated as Dan entered the kitchen, Nathan not far behind. Dan turned to Nathan with a smirk.

"Who's that? Is that my wife?" He walked over and hugged Deb before turning back towards Nathan. "What did you need, son? Is it going to take long? We don't want to be out in the dark."

"Uh, no, it um…it won't take long. It's just that, well I'm not very good at math-"

"Nathan, sweetie, just tell us." Deb smiled supportively. Nathan looked over to gauge Dan's reaction, but he just seemed confused.

"Well, my math teacher said I'm going to need extra credit to be eligible to go up to the high school basketball team and she wants me to join the math team to earn it." Dan cackled humorlessly. Uh oh.

"The math team? They do understand math isn't a sport, right? Nathan, you don't need math to be in the NBA."

"No, but he needs it for life. And to be eligible for your precious game apparently." Deb said, pointedly, glaring at Dan. He needed to prioritize Nathan's education, god forbid he ever got hurt and had to do something else with his life like Dan had. "I think it sounds like a great thing for you, Nathan. Tell your teacher you'll do it." Deb returned to cooking dinner, not leaving the topic up to conversation.

"Come on, Nathan," Dan grumbled, walking towards the front door. It was time for Dan Scott style conditioning.

"Dad?"

"This stupid math team will not mess up your game, Nathan. I'll make sure of it." Nathan sighed, that was just fantastic, as if Dan wasn't hard enough on him already.

They were over 3.5 miles into their run now and Nathan could not be more thankful to be almost home. About a mile ago, he had started to get tired from Dan's fast pace and as soon as Dan had noticed he'd moved to run directly behind Nathan to keep him from slowing down. Nathan could now see his driveway, just about 7 houses away. The relief washed over him which unfortunately caused him to slow down a little. Dan rammed into him, sending Nathan face first into the sidewalk. He put his hands out to catch himself, but his head still knocked the ground. "Damn it, Dad!" He exclaimed in pain.
"Watch the attitude. I am your father; you do not talk to me like that. Now come on, get up so we can get home and clean you up," Dan extended his hand to his son. "Your endurance needs improvement; we'll work on it." Nathan only nodded; he didn't have the energy to argue with his dad. The cut on his forehead was bleeding down his face, his knees were scraped up and his palms were sore from catching his weight.

Instantly upon entering the house, Nathan walked towards the stairs to go take a quick shower before eating dinner. His mom glanced his way briefly. "Nathan, is that blood? Oh my god, are you okay?"

"He's fine, Deb." Dan jumped in before Nathan could get a chance to speak so he continued upstairs rather than take part in the conversation. "He just tripped during our run."

Tripped. Yeah, sure that's what happened, Dad. Nathan thought.

…..

It had been a week since Nathan had told Miss Hart that he was going to take her offer and he wished he could take it back. The first meet was today after school and he'd rather be just about any where on Earth. He'd rather work out with Dan. Okay, that one might be a stretch. Either way, US History was almost over and then he would be getting on a bus to go do math. He sucked at math, why would Miss Hart even want him there?

About ten minutes later, Nathan found himself heading towards the bus. He honestly surprised himself by following through with this plan. Most of the other kids, who Nathan thought fit the part of kids who'd do math for fun, were just stepping right onto the bus but one short brunette.

Haley James stood waiting for 'the Nathan Scott' to arrive. Every girl in the seventh grade had a crush on him but she just didn't see why. A few days ago, when Miss Hart today her that he was joining the math team, she was more than confused. He was an athlete, a non-studious athlete. She was the most social of the kids on the math team so it made sense that Miss Hart had asked her to talk to him and make him feel welcome and she was more than willing to do it, as long as he didn't act stuck up. He had quiet the reputation for a 12-year-old.

"Hi, you're Nathan, right?" She asked as he approached the bus.

"Yeah, that's me. Why?" Nathan gave her a questioning look. She looked a lot less nerdy than the rest of the kids, but he still couldn't think of what she'd possibly want from him.

"I'm Haley. Miss Hart asked me to help you…adjust to math club." She tried her best to not make it sound as though she was his pity friend for not knowing anyone. She knew that wouldn't feel nice.

"Uh, thanks but I think I can handle the complexity of math club." Nathan replied, his tone dripping in condescendence and sarcasm. Haley rolled her eyes and groaned as he stepped onto the bus. She could not believe she was going to be forced to spend time with that jerk. Reluctantly, she followed him onto the bus only to find that the only open spot was next to him.

"Can I sit with you?" She deadpanned, already knowing the next half hour would be miserable.

He looked up at her and smirked. "Listen, Haley, I know you have a crush on me or whatever but I'm just into you like that."

"It's the only seat left, smartass. Now move on." She grumbled. Nathan suppressed a laugh while he slid over to make room for Haley. Nathan put headphones and Haley quickly regretted not bringing her own, in her defense she had planned on actually talking to Nathan, so she hadn't thought she'd need music. Haley stared around the bus for a few minutes before looking at Nathan. For the first time she noticed the scab on the right side of his forehead. "What happened?" She asked before she could stop herself.

"What?" Nathan asked, as he moved his headphones to rest around his neck.

"Your head, what happened?"

"Oh, I fell while training for basketball and hit it." Nathan didn't want to go into details about the event and doubted she'd ask if his answer was simple enough to not require a follow-up.

"Ouch, I'm sorry. Does it hurt?" Nathan was caught off guard. Not even his mom or friends had cared to ask him how it felt.

"Not really, it'll probably leave a little scar though." Haley nodded and the two fell back into silence. Nathan didn't turn his music back on, he was surprised to realize that he wanted to keep talking to Haley. He just didn't know what they'd talk about.

"I have a scar." Haley stated, pulling Nathan from his thoughts. "Its right here." She pulled her hair back and pointed to an inch-long scar right behind her ear.

"How did you manage to get that?" Nathan asked with a soft smile.

"When I was seven, my older sister decided to straighten my hair without telling me, she never liked my wavy hair, anyways she surprised me so I moved and got burned by the straightener." Haley laughed. At the time she had cried her eyes out and wouldn't talk to Taylor for weeks but now she found the story amusing. She was relieved when Nathan laughed to, she was worried he'd think she was weird for even telling him that story.

"You have a sister?" He asked, clearly already knowing the answer. "That sounds fun."

"Actually, I have three sisters and three brothers. I'm the youngest of seven." Nathan's eyes widened.

"I bet your house is busy. I'm an only child, it's pretty quiet." Haley bit her lip; they both knew he wasn't truly an only child, but this didn't seem like the time for that. Haley was friends with Lucas and if Nathan's reaction to talking about his brother was anything like Lucas', she didn't want to see it. It was silent for a minute and then Nathan turned to Haley. "Is your family close?"

"Yeah, we are all super close. It's getting harder because more of my siblings live away from home now, but we see each other as much as well can and talk all the time." Haley explained, happily. Anyone could tell how grateful for her family she was.

"My family isn't like that. My mom is gone a lot and my dad is kind of an ass so even the rest of his own family avoids him…" Nathan caught himself off guard by opening up to Haley about his family. He didn't talk about them ever, let alone with people he barely knew, but there was just something about her that made him trust her. He didn't like it, he didn't want to talk about his parents. "Tell me about your siblings." He instructed, redirecting the conversation back to her life.

Haley knew he was avoiding talking about herself and she couldn't help but wonder why but she just met this kid like 10 minutes ago, so she didn't want to push too hard. Plus she loved talking about her siblings, she thought all her older siblings were so cool…well, except Taylor. "My oldest brother, his name is Anthony, is 28. He lives in Charlotte with his wife and 2 daughters. I don't remember much of when he actually lived with us but since he stayed close to home I still spent a lot of time with him when I got older. Then my oldest sister is Vivian and she is just like my mom…"

Haley spent the next 15 minutes talking about all her siblings and their lives as Nathan just smiled back at her. She was so happy when she talked about them. Nathan looked into the short brunette's wide, chocolate colored eyes and knew that they would be good friends. She had the kindest heart and wore it completely on her sleeve whereas Nathan preferred to hide behind his sarcasm and charm. It was different than any friendship either of them had ever had but it may be exactly what they needed.

Eventually, the bus reached their destination. It was another middle school in the district and there were three other buses also arriving for the meet. Miss Hart stood in the front of the bus to announce the groups. Haley was one of the best mathematicians, so she was in the main group while Nathan was in one of the smaller groups whose scores didn't count.

"Bye Nathan, nice talking to you." Haley waved as she left his side to walk to her group.

"Yeah you too, bye." Nathan began to walk away. "Oh, and Haley," he called without turning around. "I like your hair wavy." Haley stopped in her tracks and blushed. She turned and watch the tall boy jog towards his group. He hadn't looked at her, but she could hear the smirk. She tried to call out thank you but could seem to form the words.

Nathan's dad came to get him at the end of the meet and Haley would be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed that he wouldn't be on the bus back. Although she was relieved to be saved from figuring out if she should respond to him comment about her hair. She knew they'd see each other again soon, she just wasn't sure if Nathan would want to talk to her outside of math team, maybe she was just a way to make this extra credit less boring but she really hoped that wasn't it.

I'll admit this isn't my best writing but this part of the story and the build up to the main events is so essential in this. Hope you liked it!