A/N: I decided to post another chapter... I hope you enjoy! Please review and tell me what you think!! I may finish up another chapter today but I'm not sure, but I'll try to post one ASAP!

I had been sobbing for I don't know how long when I heard someone coming over to me. "Haley," Brooke yelled. Soon Brooke and Peyton were by my side. They sat down and wrapped their arms around me as I continued to cry.

"We were so worried about you. Nathan told us what happened, but he couldn't figure out why you ran off. He was actually really worried about you. Are you ok?" Peyton asked.

"It was just when that guy grabbed me, I thought of all the times my dad…" I started.

"It's ok. Like we told you before, we won't let anyone hurt you. How about we go back and dance to get your mind off of it?" Brooke suggested.

"Ok, but how do I look? Is my face all red?" I wondered.

"I think I can fix that," Brooke said before applying some more makeup. Then the three of us made our way back to the party.

We made our way inside when Nathan spotted us. He walked straight over to me and gave me a hug before whispering, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Nate. Thanks for coming to my rescue though. How about you come dance with me?" I suggested.

He smiled before saying, "It would be my pleasure."

The music turned to a fast song and I started moving my hips along with the music. Nathan placed his hands gently on my side and I slowly backed up against him and then continued dancing. I was so zoned out that I didn't notice my friends looking at us. I just focused on the way Nathan's hands felt so good.

When the song ended, I pulled away and turned around. He was looking down at me with a look I had never seen before. "You wanna take a walk with me?" he asked.

"Sure," I said before taking his hand and following him outside. We began walking on the beach when he stopped.

"I was wondering if we could just sit and talk," he stated.

I smiled before saying, "Alright, what would you like to talk about?"

"I want to know more about you. I want to know what you like, what you don't like, where you used to live. I just want to know you," he confessed.

"Nate, I'm not sure you really want to know about my life. It's not as pretty as you may think. There are some things about my past that might upset you," I said.

He just looked down at me before saying, "Just tell me please. You can trust me and I promise I won't judge you."

"Well I'll start with the good stuff then. My favorite color is green. I love mac in cheese. I'm really good at pretty much any subject at school. I could watch Gone with the Wind over and over and still not get tired of it. My best friend was my mom, but now I guess it's Brooke and Peyton," I began.

"Alright, what about your past?" he wondered.

"I'm from Charleston. My mother died about three years ago from a blood clot in her brain. My father died a few days before I moved in with Karen. After my mom died, my dad began to drink a lot. His drinking eventually turned into him hitting me or calling me names. That's why I always wore long sleeves because I still had bruises on my arms when I first got here. It also explains why I freaked out earlier. The last thing he told me was that I was a worthless little bitch because I didn't have his dinner ready for him when he got home from work. He always blamed me for everything. I've only told Brooke and Peyton though because I didn't want people feeling sorry for me," I explained.

"That's awful. I mean I thought my dad was bad, but he never hit me. He just always grills me about basketball. I'm sure Luke has told you the story, but he was the lucky one. That's why I'm over at the house so much. My mom is always away on business and so I hang out with Luke so I won't have to go home and face my dad," he replied.

"It's weird how we can sort of relate to crappy fathers. It felt good to have someone understand what I went through. Can I ask you a question though?" I said.

"You can ask me anything?" he stated.

"Why did you ask me to the party tonight?" I wondered.

He smiled before saying, "Because I wanted to take the prettiest girl."

"Nate, why do you do that? You don't have to say sweet things to me all the time just to get me to talk to you," I responded.

"You deserve it. Everything I've told you is true. Hales, what I'm about to say might scare you, but I like you. I don't say that very often, and the times I have said it didn't last long. I can't seem to get you off my mind and tonight when you hugged me I felt something. So I'm going to ask you now if I can kiss you?" he exclaimed.

I simply nodded before he leaned over and placed his warm lips against mine. The kiss was so gentle that I hardly felt it. When he pulled back, I smiled and said, "Nathan Scott what are you doing to me? You could have any girl you want and you choose me."

"Because to me you are the only one that matters. I understand you may have issues getting close to guys, but I promise I won't hurt you. Hales, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked.

I grinned before pulling him in for another kiss. Then I said, "I thought you'd never ask."