A.N: Okay guys... Here is the chapter you were waiting for! You see I kept my word and updated today :-) ! I would like to thank you for all the reviews. I really can't believe how much you're enjoying it. I feel so privileged. Thank you so much!! You are all fantastic. Please don't forget to review and tell me what you think, your opinions mean a lot to me, I'll do my best to update soon again.

I also want to thank my beta Kelly. You rock girl and even with your work and summer classes you still take the time to reread my chapters you don't know what it means to me!!

Thanks again. xoxo

Steffy2106

Chapter 6: The Metamorphose

Nathan was trying on his fifth shirt in the past 10 minutes.

"Geez!" He shouted looking into the mirror. "Anything's fine…Stop being such a girl!!" He added angrily. "Whatever!" He added finally settling for the baby blue shirt that he had just thrown on.

It was the first day of senior year and it was also the first time he would see Haley since she had left for Europe, and since he found out that she had feelings for the real Nathan and not the image everyone believe he was. He wanted to look nice for some obscure reason, even though before now he had never really cared about what he wore.

She came back for Christmas, but his parents took him to see his grandparents in Florida because they didn't want the elderly couple to travel with the cold weather. As for the summer when Haley came back he had left two days earlier for high flyers, which was probably a good thing. He had a pretty rough year with his father pushing him in basketball and his grades at school weren't good with Haley out of the picture and not helping him. With the hard year he had he probably would have hit on her and gone after her because she knew and liked the real him. He would have used her to make himself feel better and that would have been wrong. She was his best friends baby sister and just a friend. Nothing else could happen between them because Haley deserved better.

Hitting on Haley? Right!! If you want Lucas to hunt you down and kill you! He thought with a smile shaking his head. But a part of him wanted to know why Haley fell for him because she was the only girl he had let most of the way in. Why did I let her in so far? No it wasn't because he wanted to date her, he wasn't in love with her either. He just wanted to know what she saw in him because he couldn't see anything in himself that would be so special.

"Chill out!" He added picking his backpack off the floor and running down the stairs, flinging the front door open he saw Lucas who had his fist curled and ready to knock.

"Hey Dude!" Said Nathan with a smile looking instinctively behind Lucas to see if Haley was there.

"Don't you look all nice?" Said Lucas jokingly.

"Dude could you be more gay?" Asked Nathan bursting into laugher.

"Yeah…it sounded really gay didn't it?" Said Lucas grimacing.

"Kinda…" Said Nathan shrugging. "What are you doing here anyway? Driving me to school on the first day of our last year boyfriend!" He asked in a high pitch girly voice.

"Who sounds gay now?" Said Lucas walking to his car.

"I'm just trying to speak your language!" Said Nathan slapping Lucas' shoulder. "Now seriously what's your story? You're not driving your sister?"

Lucas sighed loudly and shook his head. "That's a pretty sensitive subject man! We already got into a fight." Said Lucas resting his back on his car. "That's why I left so early," he added looking at his watch. "It's…She's just not the same girl that left!"

"What? Why?" Asked Nathan curiously, he never saw his friend this distraught before.

"Well she was still my baby sister when she left and now…now she's all grown up! And I hate that!" Said Lucas complaining. "I already spent the whole summer driving guys away and well… let me just say it's going to be a long year." Added Lucas pouting desperately and making Nathan laugh.

"Oh laugh now Scott!" Said Lucas with a devilish smile "but it's your job to help me to keep an eye on her."

"What? Who? Me?" Asked Nathan in disbelief. "No way!! Nuh huh!! I don't want to have anything to do with that!" Added Nathan shaking his head vigorously.

"You've got to help me! We're best friends, co-captains…Almost brothers! You're the only guy I trust around my baby sister." Said Lucas in a begging tone. "You've got to help me…it's in the best friend code and…. and that final!" Added Lucas driving away as Nathan scrambled to put his seat belt on with Lucas' crazy driving.

I'm so going to regret this! Thought Nathan grimacing.

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"Argh! What a dick!" Said Haley fuming with anger as she finished brushing her hair. It was a lot longer and blonde now. She loved it like that and it softened her face. It's not like your face needs to be softened…You look like an angel already Chris told her in London when she decided to change look. She remembered with pleasure. The image of Lucas came back in her mind bringing the anger back with it. When is he going to understand I'm not a fucking baby anymore! Gosh I'll be 18 in 2 months! "Dumbass!!" She shouted with anger.

"You'll need to be more specific J. There's a lot of those around here." Said Brooke smiling while sitting on Haley's bed. "And please…Step away from the brush, you've got too much to live for!" Said Brooke dramatically.

"Hey…" Said Haley laughing. "How are you doing D.?" She added putting the brush down and turning around to face her friend.

"Better than you!" Said Brooke smiling. "What's going on?" She asked concerned. Brooke was scared that Nathan would surface to the conversation because until Haley's return he had not been mentioned and Brooke really felt good about it. It was like her best friend really did move on and it was good.

Haley shrugged "Oh don't worry…it's only my sick brother!" She said sitting beside Brooke. "So ready for senior year? "

"Totally," Said Brooke all excited. "I'm the captain of the cheerleading team and the Student class president! I'm so much more popular than Racho!" Brooke squealed. "Life is perfect!!"

Haley burst into laugher. "Wow I'm so lucky to still be your friend!" She said pretending to be serious.

"You will always be my best friend H. James! I love you and gosh! I've got to say…you look hot!!" Said Brooke with a wink.

"Okay…" Said Haley frowning. "Is that some kind of sick women in prison movie?" She asked taking Brooke's hand.

"You wish!" Said Brooke jumping on the bed. "You couldn't have me!" She added jokingly.

"Yeah…" Said Haley turning serious again. "And apparently me being hot is a problem for Lucas. He doesn't want me going to school like this." She told Brooke.

"And can you blame him?" Said Brooke sincerely. Walking to Haley and making her turn around to face the mirror. "When you left you were wearing oversized shirts, ugly ponchos and terrible trousers. Just look at you now!" Said Brooke pointing at the mirror.

Haley looked at herself, she was wearing low waist jeans, which was fit her like a second skin, with a yellow tank top, that showed some cleavage, but not much. "What? I think it's not slutty or anything!" Said Haley crossing her arms over her chest. She was trying her best to improve her exterior, but she couldn't help to feel insecure on the inside even if because of Chris she made a lot of progress on her issues.

"No you don't look slutty at all, it's very tastful." Said Brooke sincerely walking around Haley to face her. "But you've got to understand Lucas, you were always really pretty, but now you're just stunning and the whole world can see it. He's just scared that's all." Brooke smiled and hugged her best friend. "You became the beautiful young woman you always were, but now it's an evident for everyone and I think it's every brothers nightmare, especially when you're twins!"

"I guess…" Said Haley grimacing. She felt somehow silly to have snapped that hard at Lucas when he asked her to change.

"Come on! No more sadness!! Only joy!!" Said Brooke taking Haley's bag and throwing it to her. "Let go hot tutor girl!" Added Brooke walking to the door and stopping to look at the pictures Haley had hung on the wall. "You know a part of me is jealous that it's that Chris guy that's the cause of your metamorphose." She smiled. "And he is kinda hot!" She added looking at Haley.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Come on D! Lets go before you say something stupid!" Said Haley gently pushing Brooke. "It's not good to be late on the first day, especially when you're the student class president!!"

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Lucas was at his locker with Nathan and Peyton and had just gotten their schedules and were looking over them when they noticed all of them were starting the year with calculus.

"God must hate me!" Said Nathan grimacing. "Calculus!" He added in disbelief.

"Stop complaining girly!" Said Peyton with a laugh.

At this moment a laugh came their way, Nathan could recognize it in a million miles away and hearing it again made him realize how much he missed it. It was Haley! Nathan turned around with a smile, but as soon as he saw her, his smile faded and his jaw dropped. She's stunning!! He thought with a mix of feelings taking over. He didn't know what it was anger, jealousy, or proud…he wasn't sure.

Seeing Nathan had the effect of a slap on Haley. He was even hotter then in her memories. He was more muscular then he used to be, plus his shirt and tanned skinned made his eyes even more hypnotizing.

Haley shook her head. You're over him…you 're over him…you're over him. She kept repeating to herself, while keeping her eyes on his. "Hey Nate!" She said in a cheery tone and hugging him. "You look good." She added breaking his embrace.

"You too Haley…You too." He added looking at her up and down.

"How are you manwhore?" Asked Brooke cutting the awkward moment that Haley and Nathan were sharing.

Haley, Lucas, and Peyton burst into laugher.

"Not bad…" Said Nathan with a smirk. "What about you woman whore?"

"Ehh…So, so…" She said grimacing. "It's killing me to start with calculus." She added seriously.

"I know…." Said Nathan pretending to look like he was about to cry.

"Stop it you two!" Said Haley hugging Brooke. "Your fantastic tutor is back in town." She said getting both Brooke and Nathan's attention. "You're going to be just fine!" She added gently patting Nathan's arm.

"So Hales… Happy to be back in our small American high school?" Asked Nathan in a lighter tone.

"It's home…" Said Haley simply shrugging. "Sorry guys I've got to register at the tutor center, but I'll see you in class," she said waving and taking Brooke's arm.

Peyton, Lucas and Nathan watched them walk down the corridor, while guys turned to look at them.

"You see what my problem is now?" Lucas whispered to Nathan and pointing at the guys who were looking at his sister with lust.

Nathan just nodded, he couldn't keep his eyes away from Haley and a weird feeling of possessiveness came over him. He never felt something like that before and it scared him. A part of him was screaming that Haley's was his, but another part was trying to reason saying that they couldn't be together. Not now or ever. Haley was the kind of girl who deserved love and Nathan didn't love her. He could never love anyone.